Originally called Peterstown, then called Clifton, Village of Edgewater, the name "Rosebank" appears to have been first used to denote the neighborhood around 1880. Before 1880, the area was the "Newport RI" of the USA. The area was home to great estates, some of the richest families in the country had mansions along the shore and inland. The New York Yacht Clubsummer house was next to the Alice Austen House. The Vanderbilts, Aspinwalls and Townsends built and attended St John's Episcopal Church. The first baptism at that church was Cornelius Vanderbilt II, whose father donated Vanderbilt University. The big farms and estates were divided up into small parcels and soon after 1880 Italian immigrants began settling there, and their descendants have continued as its predominant ethnic group, exemplified by the location of the Garibaldi Memorial in the community. The neighborhood once played host to a federal quarantine station for incoming immigrants, and was the home of noted photographer Alice Austen, one of Staten Island's most recognizable personalities of the past. The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum is named for a longtime resident, Antonio Meucci, who has some claim to having been an inventor of a working telephone. However, impoverished, he was unable to obtain a patent or to market it. When Giuseppe Garibaldi visited the United States while in exile from Italy, he stayed for a time at the home of Meucci. This home is now a museum named for the two men. The location of Eibs Pond Park served as a filming location in 1917 for Womanhood, the Glory of the Nation as well as an Italian Prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. In addition to the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, the Elizabeth Alice Austen House, McFarlane-Bredt House, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Grotto are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Community
In recent years the town has experienced an influx of other ethnic groups, including Eastern Europeans, various Hispanic nationalities as well as Asians, particularly from the Philippines. The age, density and architectural style of Rosebank's housing stock resembles that found in most of the island's North Shore neighborhoods; however, demographically Rosebank has more in common with such East Shore communities as New Dorp. As a result, there is considerable disagreement as into which region of the island Rosebank should be classified.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Rosebank include:
Antonio Meucci, inventor, is credited by many to have invented the first telephone. The U.S. House of Representatives honored Meucci in a resolution in 2002 for having had important role in the development of the telephone communications.
Alice Austen, Photographer, who was a lifelong resident of Staten Island.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York operates Staten Island Catholic schools. The archdiocese formerly operated St. Mary School in Rosebank. In its final year it had 224 students, 90% of the building's capacity. The archdiocese decided to close it in 2011; Amy Padnani of Silive.com stated that despite the high utilization of the building, it was one of Staten Island's oldest Catholic school facilities and therefore "some speculate the school was chosen because of infrastructure problems". St. Joseph's School in Rosebank closed in 2013. That year it had 167 students.
Transportation
After the elimination of the Bachmann station, Rosebank was the first stop on the now-defunct South Beach Branch of the Staten Island Railway after it diverged from the main line at the Clifton station immediately to the north. Service on this branch was halted in 1953. The station was located near Clifton Avenue and Tilson Place. Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island's and New York City's longest commercial roadway, begins in Rosebank on its way to Tottenville, about 14 miles away The local buses travel on Tompkins Avenue, and the buses serve Bay Street. It is also served by the express buses to and from Manhattan on Narrows Road North. Starting in August 2018, express bus service to and from Manhattan is also provided by the route.
