Townsend & Downey Shipyard
Address:
Shooters Island
Kill Von Kull
Staten Island
Bird Sanctuary
Category: Shipyards & Industrial Sites
Operated: 1900-1910
Description: Builder of cruising and racing yachts, including the Meteor, built for the emperor of Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II. The luxury yacht launched in 1902 with President Theodore Roosevelt and two thousand other guests at the ceremonies filmed by Thomas Edison. In 1903, they built the record-breaking 3-masted schooner Atlantic designed by William Gardner that held the TranAtlantic speed record for monohulls for 100 years, beaten in 2005. Major docks and shipways were located on the eastern shore. Abandoned for much of the 20th century, only a few decaying piers remain. The island is now a protected sanctuary for nesting wading birds.
