Passover in Jackson Heights

Kehillat Tikvah Celebrates 5th Passover in Queens

April 1, 2013 / Jackson Heights / Judaism in Queens / Queens Buzz.  On March 26th I attended the fifth annual Kehillat Tikvah Tuesday evening at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Jackson Heights.  This Passover was hosted by Kehillat Tikvah, which is a relatively new community of hope, located in Jackson Heights.  Rabbi Laurie Gold led the evening of festivities.

I arrived around 6 pm as the organizers were finishing up last minute details for the event.  A U shaped table formation in the middle of the large room had been set, and there were containers of warm food laid out along a long table in front of the kitchen.  People within the community were conversing, and without much effort I was drawn into a conversation with the folks sitting next to me. 

Click here to read the rest of our report on the Kehillat Tikvah Passover in Jackson Heights later this month and click here for other Jackson Heights News briefs.

NYC World's Fair - 1939 - 1940 in Flushing Queens

Part I - Out of the Ashes Rises the Phoenix

Battle for the Heart of a Park …

... and the Soul of a Borough

January 12, 2013 / Queens Neighborhoods / Queens Issues / Queens Buzz. Over the past six months we’ve been watching with interest as events have been unfolding regarding the building of a 25,000 seat soccer stadium right in the heart of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. There are also a number of other proposals working their way through the political process / local government, which calls for the cessation of public lands to build private enterprises on various sections of Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Currently four separate proposals are in process for planned developments in Flushing Meadow Corona Park. They include: 1) a chain store shopping mall / complex in the southwest corner of the Citifield parking lot [pink], 2) a housing / condominium / hotel complex on the lands the city acquired in its use of eminent domain to develop Willets Point [blue], 3) the expansion of the USTA facilities in the northwest section of the USTA franchise in the park [orange] and 4) the erection of a thirteen plus acre stadium / sports complex in the middle of Flushing Meadows Corona Park [yellowish green].

The graphic above was provided by one of the community groups opposed to the Flushing Meadow Corona Park developments. It's worth noting that most of the colored areas already have pavement or structures covering the land. The exception is that of the proposed Stadium & Concert venue [yellowish green], which would be a completely new development, replacing water vessels which were created for the Worlds Fair. See the map in the header of this series [top of page] where the dark red square represents the approximate acreage and location of the proposed stadium / concert venue.

Queens Buzz has put together a series of reports, which we will run in the coming days about the proposed developments in Flushing Meadow Corona Park. This report starts with a bit of the history of the park, which began around the turn of the last century when Flushing Meadows Corona Park was just an ashpile. The focus of this report is the 1939 NYC World's Fair which was held in Flushing Meadow Park as it was then called.

Flushing Town Hall

Flushing Town Hall Celebrates 150 Years Of Flushing History

September 10, 2012 / Flushing / Queens History / Queens Buzz. I attended the opening celebration of Flushing Town Hall’s 150th Anniversary Celebration. The proceedings included the first exhibit of all of the contents of a time capsule added to the building cornerstone in 1862, a slide presentation of the building history by an archivist, as well as remarks by many of the folks who helped bring about the restoration of the historic site beginning in 1990.

I also had the opportunity to meet some of the speakers and talk to them about their roles in preserving an historic building, while fostering one of NYC’s 33 official cultural centers.

Click here to read more about the opening celebration of Flushing Town Hall and its 150th anniversary, including a reconstructed timeline and exclusive photos.

Queens The Home Of Jazz

Bix Beiderbecke Concert in Sunnyside

August 19, 2012 / Sunnyside / Live Music in Queens / Queens Buzz. In the 1930’s and 1940’s Queens became known as the home of jazz because so many great jazz and blues musicians lived here. Some of the greats such Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald all had homes in Queens.

Bix Beiderbecke didn’t live long enough to become as well known as those mentioned above, but he was considered one of the great jazz musicians of his time and, over time, he’s being given greater recognition for his contributions to the art of the music.

Bix died in Sunnyside on 46th Street between Queens Blvd and 43rd Avenue where he spent his final days. And every summer since 2001, Sunnyside has celebrated his life with a musical get together.

Click here for more about the history of Bix Beiderbecke and the Bix Beiderbecke concert in Sunnyside.

Onderdonk House in Ridgewood Queens

Ridgewood Historical Society Home Endures The Centuries

May 18, 2012 / Ridgewood Queens / Queens NY History / Queens Buzz. Ridgewood is home to the oldest Dutch-American field stone farmhouse in New York City. The farmhouse was built around 1709 by Paulus Vander Ende using field stone and timber. The house was sold to the Onderdonk family around 1800 and they lived in it for about a century. After that the house traded hands several times before a fire incident in 1975.

Following the fire incident, the Ridgewood Historical Society was formed and took the house over, and opened it to the public in 1982. Many of the objects shown in the house were found on site through archeological excavation. The house is currently home to the Ridgewood NY Historical Society.

Click here to read our report on the Onderdonk House in Ridgewood Queens NY, including photos. We have also included in this report information about the Gottschees and Gottscheer Hall, and one of the artist studios of the Queens Museum of Art art crawl in Ridgewood.

Winged Fist Organization - Winged Fist Has Its 'Way'

Inclusive 20th Century Irish American Athletic Club Celebrated

March 10, 2012 / Sunnyside / Sunnyside NewsBriefs / Queens Buzz. On Saturday, March 10th, the corner of 43rd Street and 48th Avenue in Sunnyside was renamed 'Winged Fist Way'.

Ian McGowan [see photo below] was the driving force behind the effort to honor and celebrate the historical legacy of the Irish American Athletic Club [IAAC]. The IAAC is a legacy that dates back over a century, and apparently of which little remains, except its memory.

The Winged Fist emblem, as shown in the photo to your left, was the mark of the Irish American Athletic Club [IAAC] which had its athletic facilities and clubhouse in Sunnyside, a corner of which was at 43rd Street and 48th Avenue. The club was created in 1898, and over the course of the next 32 years, its member athletes went on to win over 50 Olympic medals.

Click here to read more about Winged Fist Organization, Celtic Park and the Irish American Athletic Club.

History of the Rockaways

Retired Salesman Busy Saving Queens Past

November 6, 2011 / Flushing Neighborhood / Queens History / Queens Buzz. Marty Nislick is a former Rockaways native and a retired salesman. But he's only retired from his job, not his life; especially his life as a youth growing up in the Rockaways.

Over the past few years Marty's interest in the history of the Rockaways neighborhoods of his youth has grown from a hobby to a passion. And from the day I met Marty Nislick at the Queens Historical Society in Flushing, I began to understand why. The photo to your right was taken on July 4th 1954 and featured on the front page of Life Magazine in the 1950's.

Click here to read more about the history of the Rockaways in Queens.

King Manor Brings Dead Back To Life

Spirits Of Dutch & Colonial Queens Reawakened

October / Jamaica Neighborhood / Queens History / Queens Buzz.  It’s easy to forget Queens colonial past some 200 - 400 years ago, as so much has happened since then.  But October is the time to reawaken long lost spirits and I’m happy to report I witnessed just such a reawakening at King Manor in King Park in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens this past weekend.

New York Open House and the Historic House Trust got together this year and held their annual weekend extravaganza this past weekend, with food as the historic theme.  So King Manor put together a program celebrating Dutch cuisine and its influence on American fare, and in the process gave us a tour and an education about one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution and a strong, outspoken advocate against slavery.

Click here to read our report about King Manor and Rufus King in Jamaica Queens.

Who Was Benjamin Pike?

Steinway Mansion Builder Made A Mint

April 17, 2011 / Astoria / History Of Queens / Queens Buzz. I had a rare opportunity to meet someone who was well acquainted with the story of Benjamin Pike Jr. Benjamin Pike Jr. was the man who built the mansion that was lived in for over fifty years by the Steinways of Steinway & Sons Piano in Astoria. During my efforts to report this story, I had here-to-fore found it very difficult to find much published about Benjamin Pike. Hence you can imagine my delight when I met Deborah Jean Warner, who had once curated an exhibit dedicated to the Steinway Mansion founder, at the Smithsonian Institution.

Deborah has curated many exhibits about the history of physical sciences and is the author of several books. Deborah's work in 19th century scientific instruments lead her to curate the Pike exhibit. When it comes to selling scientific instruments in America in the 19th century, Benjamin Pike Jr. was an innovator who loomed large.

Click here next week to read our full report about Benjamin Pike Jr., the founder and owner of the Pike Mansion, which later came to be known as the Steinway Mansion in Astoria.

The Steinway Diaries

Smithsonian Brings 19th Century Queens Alive

Time Is Running Out - Steinway Mansion Contents Being Auctioned

February 19, 2011 / Astoria LIC / History of Astoria & Queens / Queens Buzz. On Monday, March 7th at 7 pm the Greater Astoria Historical Society will be hosting the Smithsonian Institution’s presentation of the William Steinway Diaries.

These diaries are a first person account written by one of the most influential people in the emerging American metropolis of New York City in the latter half of the 19th century. The diaries begin in 1861 around the time of William Steinway’s first wedding [and the beginning of the American Civil War] and continue throughout the rest of his life, terminating only weeks before he died in 1896.

I had the opportunity to talk with Bob Singleton, Executive Director of the Greater Astoria Historical Society in anticipation of the Smithsonian Institution’s presentation of the Steinway Diaries on March 7th. He took me through some of the interesting things to investigate using the online project that was the Smithsonian’s “largest and longest-running volunteer research efforts”. A copy of one of the transcribed pages from the Smithsonian's Steinway Diaries website is shown inset in a photo of the Steinway Mansion in Astoria.

The general public is welcome to the March 7th presentation, and it is highly recommended that you purchase / rsvp tickets in advance. Click here to read our look into the William Steinway Diaries.

Bowne House - Queens NY

The History Of Religious Freedom In America

The Bowne House in Flushing is one of the oldest houses in New York. The Bowne House was used as a Quaker Meeting House prior to the erection of The Friends Meeting House nearby. John Bowne fought hard for religious freedom in this nation, first having a role in getting the Flushing Remonstrance drafted, signed and delivered and then by traveling to Holland in the early 1860's to plead his case before the Dutch West Indies Company, in defiance of then Governor of New Amersterdam, Peter Stuyvesant. Read on to learn more about this incredible man and this historic house which is undergoing significant maintenance upgrades.

Flushing Remonstrance

Forerunner To Religious Freedom In U.S. Constitution

This is a brief story about the return of the Vlishing [that's Dutch for Flushing] Remonstrance which is an historic document that argues for the right and freedom of citizens to worship their own god. The event took place at the Queens Library in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens NY.

Flushing Town Hall

Home Of Jazz & Asian Culture

This is a report on the Flushing Town Hall located in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens NY. The Flushing Town Hall is run by the Flushing Council On The Arts.

Friends Meeting House

Oldest Continuously Used Quaker Meeting House In America

The Friends Meeting House in Flushing is one of the oldest and longest continuously used Quaker meeting houses in the U.S. The Friends Meeting House has in its origins, a deep association with the freedom to practice your own religious beliefs - a cultural and institutional hallmark of this nation. Read on to learn more about The Friends Meeting House which continues to operate to this day.

Kingsland Homestead - History Of Queens NY

The Kingsland Homestead is a part of early American history. Today it is the home of the Queens Historical Society which sponsors a number of programs designed to continuously educate the public about Queens and the nation's past. Click here to learn a bit more about the Kingsland Homestead.

Louis Latimer House In Flushing - A Bit Of Queens History

The Lewis Latimer House was once the home of an African American inventor who worked with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. While he has several patents to his name, his parents were instrumental in helping move the nation away from the institution of slavery. Hence, over time his home has grown to become a lens through which all Americans can look back into their past and see the influence of an African American family on the evolution of the national culture. Click here to learn a bit more about Lewis Latimer and the Lewis Latimer House.

Louis Armstrong House

Kicking Back @ Satchmo's In Corona

Corona / Queens Buzz. I recently had the opportunity to visit the Louis Armstrong House in Corona as the guest of Deslyn Dyer the House Director. She put me on a house tour with Mackerrow Talcott who was well versed in the lives of the Armstrongs. The visit turned out to be much more than I had expected, as I came away feeling like I had kind taken the afternoon off to go hang out with Satchmo in his home. Visiting this house is not only a cultural journey into the King of Jazz's life, but a visit into the personal lives of Lucille and Louis Armstrong. Click here for more about the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona Queens NY.

Last Baseball Games Played At Shea

Mets Lose To Marlins 4 - 2

Flushing Meadows / September 2008 / Queens Buzz. The New York Mets played the Florida Marlins in the last three games played at Shea Stadium in the Flushing Corona neighborhood of Queens NY. Shea Stadium will be demolished in the winter of 2009.

Victorian Houses In Queens - The Voelker Orth Museum

The Voelker Orth House and Gardens were the contribution of Elisabeth Voelker Orth, whose grandfather was a German American publisher. The Victorian home is a well preserved home from the late 1800's Victorian America. The gardens are also home to a number of flora and birds. Click here to learn a bit more about Voelker Orth House and Gardens.

This is a brief article describing the West Side Tennis Club in the Forest Hills section of Queens NY. The club has historical significance as it was once the home of the USTA, sponsors of the U.S. Open.

Bulova Corporate Center

Queens Was Once On Bulova Time

The Bulova Watch Company & Building

Jackson Heights / Queens Buzz. We had occasion to visit the Bulova Corporate Center recently. The art deco Bulova Corporate Center building caught our interest because of its interesting architecture. And the history of the Bulova Watch Company, which has been a Queens mainstay since the 1950's, is as interesting as the building that was once home to an American icon.

Currently the building is occupied by the offices of a number of organizations including the Queens Chamber Of Commerce and American Airlines. The following piece is a history of the J. Bulova Watch Company and the building they once occupied: the Bulova Corporate Center. Click here to view our report on the Bulova Corporate Center in Jackson Heights. The photo at right was from one of the original murals of the Bulova Watch Company.

Jackson Heights Garden Apartments

Jackson Heights is the home to the garden apartment building, where it first originated in the nineteen twenties.  The Jackson Heights neighborhood has evolved into one of the most integrated communities in the world, comprised of residents whose families originated in Asia, Latin American, Europe and Africa.  This is a brief introduction into the neighborhood housing stock. Click here to view the full story on the Jackson Heights Garden Apartments.

Jackson Heights History - Historic Jackson Heights Garden Tour

June 15, 2009 / Jackson Heights Neighborhood / Jackson Heights History / Queens Buzz. Over the weekend we attended the somewhat famous Jackson Heights Architecture and Garden Tour put on by the Jackson Heights Beautification Group and given by Daniel Karatzas who is a currently a JHBG Board member. The Jackson Heights Beautification Group sponsors the tour and provides visitors with a view of its memorabilia and photos of the history of the development of the Jackson Heights neighborhood in Queens NY. Click this link to read a brief report about the outing and to learn a little about Jackson Heights History.

Lent Riker Homestead In Jackson Heights

The Lent Riker Homestead is located in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens NY.  The home is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited private dwellings in New York City.   It was built in 1654 as a one room house by a Dutch settler named Abraham Riker. Click here to view the rest of the story on the Lent Riker Homestead in Jackson Heights.

Vaughn College - Queens NY

A Step Back In Time & A Vision Of The Future

Jackson Heights / March 14, 2010.  I spent the better part of  a fascinating day visiting Vaughn College, which used to be the Casey School of Aeronautics near LaGuardia Airport. Vaughn College is one of the nation’s leading educational institutions dedicated to the arts related to flying. The arts include aviation [flight simulation and classroom training], engineering and technology [airframe, power management and mechatronics] and general management. I suppose these days it might be more appropriate to call it the arts of air transportation.

Click here to read about Vaughn College of Queens NY.

Victor Moore Terminal In Jackson Heights

Public Transit To LGA

The Victor Moore MTA Terminal is located in Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens NY and is the connection point for public transportation to LaGuardia Airport. The Victor Moore Terminal is the second busiest MTA public transit terminal in Queens with fast express train connection to Manhattan / NYC in twenty minutes. Click here to find the public transit to LaGuardia Airport.

Jamaica Savings Banks Landmarked

Jamaica / Queens Buzz. The Jamaica Savings Bank Joined Kings Manor as a landmark. The landmark commission has been busy in the borough of Queens NY.

King Manor Museum - Jamaica

Located In King Park

Jamaica / Queens Buzz. This is a brief article about King Manor Museum which is located in King Park in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens NY. King Manor is the former home of Rufus King who was, among other things, a signer of the U.S. Constitution.

Queens Bridge Events - Centennial Celebration

Hunters Point CDC Tree Lighting

And A Brief History Of Hunters Point & Long Island City

November 29, 2010 / Long Island City / Queens Buzz. About a week ago I received an invitation to attend the third annual Hunters Point CDC [Community Development Corporation] Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. I jumped at the opportunity, as over the past year I’ve become more aware of how Hunters Point is essentially a neighborhood within the larger LIC community. Similar, in a sense, to how Murray Hill is one of the neighborhoods of the East Side of Manhattan.

I came up out of the subway at Vernon Blvd which is one stop past the Hunters Point stop. There in front of me was a nicely adorned tree, standing 15 feet high, adorned with white lights. It was one of the largest natural Christmas Trees I’d ever seen in Queens. As one party-goer quipped, “Step aside Rockefeller Center”.

Click this link to view the rest of the story about the Hunters Point Tree Lighting ceremony which includes a brief overview of the history of Long Island City & the Hunters Point neighborhood.

Remediation Of Newtown Creek Begins In Queens & Brooklyn

After 150 Years Of Environmental Destruction, Remediation Of Newtown Creek Begins

January 21, 2012 / Long Island City, Sunnyside, Maspeth & Brooklyn / Green in Queens / Queens Buzz. Every good process begins with information gathering, so that the decision makers have all of the relevant information they need to make sound decisions. After the information gathering / research is done, and the decisions are made, then the actual execution of the [clean up] process begins.

And so it was that on October 27, 2011, I visited the Newtown Creek Superfund Public Meeting – Queens at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City. There were more than ten representatives, largely from various departments within the EPA, on hand to answer questions and provide information to the public about how the federal government process to clean up Newtown Creek.

Click here to learn more about the history and EPA clean up of Newtown Creek which shapes the border between Queens and Brooklyn.

Queens History

Queens NY / Queens Buzz. This is a summary of some of Queens History, particularly focused on some of the sites and attractions still in existence today in Queens NY.

This report about Queens history includes LIC Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside, Woodside, Flushing, Jamaica, Forest Hills, Corona, Elmhurst. The report includes photos of some of the historic sites in Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Flushing, Jackson Heights and Jamaica as well. Click here for a report on some of Queens history.

Doughboy Park In Woodside Queens

About an inch and a half of snow blanketed Doughboy Park in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens NY.

FDNY Memorial Service Woodside

Engine 325 & Ladder 163 Remember Fallen

April 17, 2010 / Woodside / Queens Buzz. Today I attended a memorial service dedicated to the men of the Woodside Fire Station who lost their lives in the line of duty. The service was held at St Sebastian’s Roman Catholic Church in Woodside.

There were about one hundred people in attendance, most of whom appeared to have some connection with the firemen. The service was given by FDNY chaplin, Father John Delendick in collaboration with Father Gerard Sauer from St Sebastian’s. Two firemen did readings prior to the chaplin’s sermon. Click here to read the rest of the story about FDNY Memorial Service at St Sebastian's in Woodside.

St Sebastian's Catholic Grade School - Woodside

One Of The Leading Grade Schools In Queens

Woodside / June 14, 2010 / Queens Buzz. I just returned from a tour of St Sebastian’s grade school in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens. The school is one of about 55 Catholic grade schools in Queens. St Sebastian’s has an enrollment of between 400 and 450 students from nursery through the eighth grade. And the school’s student body scores highly compared with the nation on standardized education tests covering math, reading comprehension and writing.

In this report we provide a brief history of St Sebastian’s, an overview of it’s academic, athletic and other programs, and include related information pertaining to Catholic grade schools in the Queens area. Included in this report is information about St Sebastian’s tuition, enrollment fees and a summary time line of the enrollment application process [scroll down / scan the headlines to find the information you’re seeking].

Click this link to read the rest of the story and view the photos of St Sebastian's Catholic Grade School in Woodside.

Sunnyside Gardens

Section Of Neighborhood Now A Landmark

The City Council approved a landmark designation for Sunnyside Gardens in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens NY.

Sunnyside Gardens Park

Private Park Continues Tradition Of Community Service

Sunnyside / January 25, 2010. Over the course of this past year I had occasion to meet and converse with various members of Sunnyside Gardens Park. The park is privately owned - one of only two such parks in the city, with the other being Gramercy Park in Manhattan. While membership in Gramercy is closed, membership in Sunnyside Gardens Park is open to local residents. Membership in the park fluctuates, and there are currently about 300 members, most of which are family memberships.

Click here to read the rest of our report about Sunnyside Gardens Park.