September 19, 2011
Northwestern Staten Island is dominated by largely uninhabited tracts of land: the 187-acre New York Container Port, the 100-acre Mariner’s Marsh Park (evidently a good place to spot rare wildlife when it’s not closed for “environmental investigation”) and the post-industrial expanses evocatively known as Bloomfield. Though many commercial and industrial tenants cling to the regions southern and eastern edges (scrapyards, marinas, the Chelsea Playground, the Staten Island Sportsman’s Club, a recycling center, NiteCap Adult Video, and a Chuck E. Cheese’s, to name a few), the interior of the region is a very empty, very razor-wired meadowland that was once home to a 82 tank (215 million gallon) Gulf Oil facility. Since closing in 1998, the tanks have been removed, extensive environmental clean-up has taken place, and a plan to put in a massive NASCAR stadium has been shelved due to lack of infrastructure. Bloomfield’s future is unclear Watch for more detailed information when Nathan Kensinger puts up his Bloomfield coverage. Raking up spent shells at the Sportsman’s Club, and getting filled in on the neighborhood by a 40-plus-year member (below). Big George’s Bridge!!! Over Saw Mill Creek Marsh, another 167-acres of semi-parkland frequented by bird-watchers. Chelsea Playground, peeping over an illicit tire dump in the Saw Mill Creek Park. Greenhouse barge, barely seen through other, non-greenhouse barge. A sign on the other side said “Lounge”. mystery sports field. And our maximally disquieting finale: tucked away behind another improvised dump site off a Bloomfield service road, a long, shallow rectangular hole in the ground. Really where better to dump a body, I suppose. But if so, why had it been left like this, with a carpet sticking out, as if said body had arrived rolled up, but unrolled itself and departed before the hole could be filled. I’m not just sensationalizing nonsense here, the resemblance to a grave was unmistakable. I’m sure there’s some other explanation, I just have no idea what it might have been. More Bloomfield photos here.

Northwestern Staten Island is dominated by largely uninhabited tracts of land: the 187-acre New York Container Port, the 100-acre Mariner’s Marsh Park (evidently a good place to spot rare wildlife when it’s not closed for “environmental investigation”) and the post-industrial expanses evocatively known as Bloomfield.

Though many commercial and industrial tenants cling to the regions southern and eastern edges (scrapyards, marinas, the Chelsea Playground, the Staten Island Sportsman’s Club, a recycling center, NiteCap Adult Video, and a Chuck E. Cheese’s, to name a few), the interior of the region is a very empty, very razor-wired meadowland that was once home to a 82 tank (215 million gallon) Gulf Oil facility. Since closing in 1998, the tanks have been removed, extensive environmental clean-up has taken place, and a plan to put in a massive NASCAR stadium has been shelved due to lack of infrastructure. Bloomfield’s future is unclear

Watch for more detailed information when Nathan Kensinger puts up his Bloomfield coverage.

DSC_4526 DSC_4527 DSC_4536 DSC_4541
Raking up spent shells at the Sportsman’s Club, and getting filled in on the neighborhood by a 40-plus-year member (below). DSC_4565 DSC_4551 DSC_4569 DSC_4578 DSC_4580 DSC_4586 DSC_4587 DSC_4598
Big George’s Bridge!!! Over Saw Mill Creek Marsh, another 167-acres of semi-parkland frequented by bird-watchers. DSC_4602 DSC_4603 DSC_4605 DSC_4608 DSC_4609 DSC_4612 DSC_4623 DSC_4624
Chelsea Playground, peeping over an illicit tire dump in the Saw Mill Creek Park. DSC_4626 DSC_4634 DSC_4646 DSC_4648 DSC_4652 DSC_4656
Greenhouse barge, barely seen through other, non-greenhouse barge. A sign on the other side said “Lounge”. DSC_4667 DSC_4672 DSC_4673 DSC_4680 DSC_4684 DSC_4686 DSC_4694 DSC_4695 DSC_4700 DSC_4707 DSC_4708 DSC_4716a DSC_4720 DSC_4729 DSC_4733 DSC_4736 DSC_4741 DSC_4743
mystery sports field. DSC_4754 DSC_4760 DSC_4785
And our maximally disquieting finale: tucked away behind another improvised dump site off a Bloomfield service road, a long, shallow rectangular hole in the ground. Really where better to dump a body, I suppose. But if so, why had it been left like this, with a carpet sticking out, as if said body had arrived rolled up, but unrolled itself and departed before the hole could be filled. DSC_4792
I’m not just sensationalizing nonsense here, the resemblance to a grave was unmistakable. I’m sure there’s some other explanation, I just have no idea what it might have been. DSC_4793 DSC_4799
More Bloomfield photos here.

4:15pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZM85Cy9idTfG
(Notes: 14)
  
Filed under: staten island photos Bloomfield 
  1. rockhyrax posted this