Emerson Hill, Staten Island

Homes in Emerson Hill along the Staten Island Expressway

Emerson Hill is the name of a hilly area, and the neighborhood upon which the hill is situated in Staten Island, New York, one of the five boroughs of New York City, United States.

Some of the roads on Emerson Hill are private, and several gates were previously found at approaches to the enclave. Signage at the Douglas Road and Emerson Drive entrances to the area restrict truck traffic (except local deliveries) and through traffic. These areas lack gates and are not staffed by security personnel. The streets also lack signage denoting the roads as private. As such, it does not qualify as a gated community. Emerson Hill is separated from its nearby neighborhoods of Grymes Hill just north of the Staten Island Expressway, and Todt Hill — where private roads also exist — borders on the south. The neighborhood is zoned as residential and is part of the Special Natural Area District, which denotes its unique natural characteristics and requires the City Planning Commission to review proposals for site alterations. Removal of trees on private property in the area typically requires approval from the Department of Buildings to ensure compliance with the zoning protocols.

The hill is named for Judge William Emerson — oldest brother of Ralph Waldo Emerson — who lived with his wife, Susan, and children William, Haven and Charles in a long, brown shingle house known as The Snuggery. Willie and Haven were tutored in 1843 by Henry David Thoreau, who lived with the Emersons from May through October. It was the only time in his adult life that Thoreau lived anywhere but Concord, Massachusetts.

In 1971, two large mock Tudor homes at the end of Longfellow Avenue served as Casa Corleone for the filming of Francis Ford Coppola's classic movie The Godfather.