Snug Harbor: History, Culture, Community

Snug Harbor: History, Culture, Community. . , Welcome to Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden! This 83-acre campus is the result of more than four decades of restoration and development to convert Sailors' Snug Harbor, a 19th-century charitable rest home for sailors, to a regional arts center, gardens, and public park. On your visit, you'll see six museums and galleries, 28 buildings,, 14 distinctive botanical gardens, a two-acre urban farm, wetlands, and forested trails., Sailors' Snug Harbor was founded through the will of Robert Richard Randall, heir to a shipping fortune, who died in 1801. Randall's remains are interred in this obelisk next to you, arranged with his feet pointed towards the sea, a common burial rite in maritime history. Over the next century, Sailors' Snug Harbor expanded to the 50 structures and 900 residents from every corner of the world, becoming one of the richest charitable institutions in the United States and a self-sustaining community., Changes in maritime technology and social support systems led to a decrease in funds to maintain the property in the 20th century. In the 1970s, amid talks of redevelopment, interest grew in preserving the site for the community, a grassroots effort that became a reality. Both Snug Harbor Cultural Center and the Staten Island Botanical Garden coexisted on campus until they merged in 2008 to act as cultural programmer, landlord, and steward of the grounds.