This week, the new and improved Almer G. Russell Pavilion in Conference House Park on Staten Island was officially unveiled. The original Conference House Pavilion was built in 1935 to honor Almer G. Russell, a community resident killed in battle during World War I. The pavilion was last remodeled in 2002 and eventually deteriorated due to damage from several storms. Following infrastructural devastation caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011, it was closed to the public. Located at the southernmost point of New York State, Conference House Park houses four historic buildings that trace the history of the borough over the course of three centuries.