noble maritime collection

A really neat place to visit! Three levels of art exhibits including The Noble Collection. The staff is very knowledgable and welcoming. I highly recommend a visit!

I like the original John Noble furnishings and artwork. The grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center were it is located is very beautiful, especially in the Spring. We like to bring out-of-town visitors there.

John Noble was quite a character. He would love this Museum especially his beloved Houseboat Studio which was renovated and brought right into the Museum. Great exhibits, lots of fun activities and just a real interesting place to visit.

The Noble Maritime Collection is not for everyone. If you are interested in the sea, in nautical history, the lives of sailors, and New York City's sea-faring past, the Noble Collection should not be missed. It's got everything from model ships to oil paintings of ships and sea captains to artifacts from the era when Snug Harbor served as a retirement community for sailors, and even a reconstructed house boat turned into John Noble's artist studio, probably the museum's highlight. If none of this sounds interesting to you, well, this is the wrong museum.The building itself is beautifully renovated, and I was loathe to leave it. The gleaming wood floors, the light filtering in off the harbor through the high windows, the numerous plants being carefully tended throughout the building, all are representative of a simple elegance increasingly vanishing under the onslaught of plastics and mobile devices. If you've heard of "slow foods," then the Noble Collection is a "slow museum." Visitors are quiet and respectful; the place itself seems to enforce that reverence for the past. I enjoyed -- not the right word -- learning about how life was conducted at Snug Harbor, and the histories of the "worn out" sailors who sought refuge and dignity there. For those familiar with Staten Island, it's astonishing to learn how not too long ago, the North Shore of Staten Island was a bustling sea port, not the rotting, decrepit pit it is today. That contrast makes the Noble Collection all the more poignant.Although I am not usually one to hit the museum gift shop, I do highly recommend visiting the Noble Collection's as it sells unique and interesting items, such as homemade toys and cards featuring local lighthouses, as well as original prints with nautical themes. It's also very affordable, and anything you buy as a souvenir, you'll not likely encounter elsewhere.The Noble Collection is doable in an hour, although it could easily be stretched out to two hours or more, depending on how much wall text you want to read. There is also a library. If you plan ahead, you can join a sea chantey sing along. There is onsite parking behind the museum, or if you are arriving by ferry, you can take the depressing S40 bus, which stops just outside the museum gate. Tell the driver you're going to Snug Harbor, but just in case he's distracted by the other passengers, ring the bell once you see the the black iron fence surrounding the museum complex and the stone archway leading up to the distinctive buildings. For an extra dose of reality, the ferry terminal is about a half hour walk along Richmond Terrace, from which you can see Staten Island's former grandeur literally crumbling away under neglect.

As someone who's lived here long enough to remember the sailors when they still lived at the harbor, I thought I knew everything about the place. I was wrong! I learned so much about the history of Snug Harbor and the residents there, besides learning about John Noble himself. It's a small museum (very manageable in one visit) but loaded with information and workers there are more than happy to take you on a tour and give you even more information about everything. Our guide Nick knew so much and was so enthusiastic to share his knowledge. Very much worth a stop, especially as a break from wandering the gardens and grounds.

The John A. Noble Museum for Maritime History is a small museum located in Sailors' Snug Harbor, a place in Staten Island with some excellent Greek-Revival buildings (see the Snug Harbor review). Inside the free museum is a world-class collection of model ships, & some interesting old maps. It's not worth a special outing, but if you're already in Snug Harbor, whose architecture IS worth seeing, it's worth going in.

Some really nice art from a local master, with no better place to see the full collection and get a real sense of the sea and how it connects to Staten Island.

Possibly the most famous Staten Island artist, John Noble has a small museum dedicated to his work, and also his work environment. The houseboat he used as a studio is intact there, as well as many of his lithographs and other works of art.

The picture shown is his former home, I lived there in 2003-2004, throughout the home there were nautical artifacts and murals that John painted himself, in the floor and in the most odd places there were port holes. Was a very nice experience to have lived in his historical home

The John Noble Maritime Museum is located in the Snug Harbor Cultural Center . The museum collection is mostly of his artwork. His lithographs of New York harbor at the turn of the century are facinating and stunning. Also on exhibit is his actual studio , it is a small boat he built himself out of pieces of the disolving sailing ships he was painting and drawing around the harbor. There are also well done childrens exhibits. The two times we were there we had to ring the door bell and wait awhile before being let in . Definately worth a visit. Also at the Snug Harbor Cultural center is the Chineese Scholar Garden and the Secret garden .A very good mexican resturant is a short drive , Blue Adobe.

When it comes to displaying art, the better known and more prolific artist was John A. Noble's father, also named John Noble but nicknamed Wichita Bill. The son was a legendary drinker who might have been more successful if he had been dry. In any case, the son's house is a testament to both his and his father's considerable talents and their contribution to American maritime art.

The Noble is definitely worth a stop in as you stroll through Snug Harbor Cultural Center- it combines the works of local artist John Noble with the unique history of the Snug Harbor grounds, It also has a terrific space for childrens learning and interesting shows throughout the year.

The John Noble Maritime Museum is more than a collection of artifacts, an educational resource, and a working artists community. It is passion ashore. Please come by on the third Sunday of the month and give a listen to the Chantey Sing too!

I enjoyed the beautiful art work on exhibit for the Titanic centennial. Staten Island abounds with talented artists, and it is a source of pride. This event -- the opening -- was well organized with good food, great music, and a nice display that included different artistic mediums. I would recommend this museum. I have been here many times, and there is always something new going on.

One of the best maritime museums in the New Yorh area....It puts the south stree seaport museum to shame! A diamond in the rough! Great tugboat replica...good for kids!