Staten Island · Richmond County
Tompkins Circle
Square / Traffic Circle
- Location
- Bay Street & Victory Boulevard, Tompkinsville
- Size
- 0.50 acres
- Hours
- Open 24 hours
- Type
- Square / Traffic Circle
Tompkins Circle is a half-acre traffic circle and park at the intersection of Bay Street and Victory Boulevard in Tompkinsville, one of the primary commercial intersections on Staten Island's North Shore. The circle is named for Daniel D. Tompkins, the Vice President of the United States under James Monroe and a former Governor of New York.
Tompkins maintained an estate on Staten Island and was instrumental in the early development of the North Shore. The neighborhood of Tompkinsville bears his name, as does this traffic circle that serves as a landmark in the community.
The circle features plantings, a small monument, and the traffic-calming function of the roundabout design. Its location near the Staten Island Ferry terminal makes it one of the first landmarks visitors encounter when arriving on the island.
Tompkinsville and the surrounding North Shore neighborhoods are the most urban and diverse areas of Staten Island, with a character that reflects the ferry-connected relationship to Manhattan more than the suburban South Shore.
Tompkins Circle marks the civic center of a North Shore community named for a Vice President whose vision for Staten Island helped launch the island's development as a residential community connected to the larger city.