3. Staten Island Farm Colony
The Staten Island Farm Colony is a 46-acre site that was designed to provide housing for indigent populations in exchange for their labor. At its height in the 1940s, the Farm Colony had approximately 1,700 residents, including famous photographer Alice Austen.
Many dark stories are associated with The Staten Island Farm Colony: Bank robber, Willie Sutton, was once a city worker at the complex, and serial killer, Cropsey, was blamed for a 1920s abduction and murder of a seven-year-old boy on the grounds of the Farm Colony. This legendary site has laid vacant for almost 40 years but is being redeveloped into a multi-use complex with commercial space, and affordable/senior housing options.