Tompkins Circle is a .131-acre green public space within a traffic circle in the Grymes Hill neighborhood of Staten Island, New York.Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division, The New York Public Library. "Sheet No. 11. [Includes New Brighton, (St. George), Tompkinsville and New York Bay.]" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1906 - 1913. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-628c-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 The circle is located in a section of the neighborhood historically known as Pavilion Hill.Morris, Ira K. “Morris’ Memorial History of Staten Island” 1898, chapter on Pavilion Hill. http://www.statenislandhistory.com/old-town-names.html At this traffic circle, the Tompkins Circle loop merges with Fiedler Avenue and Ward Avenue.
Tompkins Circle is named in honor of prominent Staten Island resident Daniel D. Tompkins (1774-1825), who owned property in this neighborhood. A more recent resident of Ward Hill was Joe Marotta (1942-2008), a civic activist who served on several community planning boards and operated a pharmacy in Tompkinsville. Following his death in November 2008, a bench was dedicated at this park in his memory.
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