Jackson Heights, Queens

Jackson Heights Historic District
A typical residential street in Jackson Heights
Location: Bounded by Roosevelt Ave., Broadway, Leverich St., Northern Blvd., and Junction Blvd., Queens, New York
Area: 300 acres (120 ha)
Architectural style: Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
Governing body: Federal
NRHP Reference#:

99000059

[1]
Added to NRHP: January 27, 1999

Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the Northwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York, New York, United States. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 3.[2] The main zip code of Jackson Heights is 11372.

Contents

Geography and transportation

Jackson Heights is also where the IRT Flushing Line (7 <7> trains) meets the IND Queens Boulevard Line (E F M R trains), and numerous bus routes at the Roosevelt Avenue / 74th Street transportation hub, which received a $100+ million renovation by the MTA, completed in 2005[3]. It includes one of the first green buildings by the MTA, the Victor A. Moore Bus Terminal, which is partially powered by solar panels built into the roof. These are located along the length of the sheds above the Flushing line platforms[4] .It is the largest subway stop in Queens with six subway services and five bus lines (Q32, Q33, Q47, Q49 and Q53). The Q33 bus goes to LaGuardia Airport's main terminals and operates 24 hours a day. The Q47 bus goes to the Marine Air Terminal. The Q53 bus goes to Rockaway Beach, Queens.

The community is bounded by Northern Boulevard to the north, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the west, Roosevelt Avenue to the south, and Junction Boulevard to the east.[5] East Elmhurst, the area immediately to the north, from Northern Boulevard to the Grand Central Parkway, though not part of the original development, is sometimes regarded as a northward extension of the neighborhood. The Jackson Heights name comes from Jackson Avenue, the former name for Northern Boulevard. The Jackson Avenue name is retained by this major road in a short stretch between Queensboro Plaza and the Queens Midtown Tunnel approaches, in the Long Island City neighborhood.

Economy

In 1987, British Airways moved its United States corporate offices to the Bulova Corporate Center, a converted watch factory in the Jackson Heights/East Elmhurst area.[6] In 1999 British Airways said it would close its headquarters in the watch factory and move to a new headquarters building in a location in the New York City area by 2002, when the airline's lease would run out.[7] By 2001 the airline said it would keep 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2) of office space in the watch building, but that its telephone operations would move to Jacksonville, Florida.[8] As of 2008 British Airways maintains offices in the Bulova building.[9][10]

History

Most of the original neighborhood is a National Register Historic District and a New York State Historic Register District. About half has been designated as a New York City Historic District by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. It comprises large garden apartment buildings (the term was invented for buildings in Jackson Heights)[11] and many groupings of private homes. It was a planned development laid out by Edward A. MacDougall's Queensboro Corporation beginning about 1916, and following the arrival of the No. 7 elevated line between Manhattan and Flushing. The community was initially planned as a place for middle- to upper-middle income workers from Manhattan to raise their families.[12] The Jackson Heights New York State and National Register Districts range from 93rd Street through 69th Street between Northern Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue. Some property fronting on Northern Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue, as well as some "cut-outs", are not inside the Register Districts. A former golf course located between 76th and 78th Streets and 34th and 37th Avenues was built upon during the 1940s. The New York City Historic District of Jackson Heights was designated October 19, 1993. It encompasses an area between 76th and 88th Streets and Roosevelt Avenue and Northern Boulevard (PDF map of the District). Unlike the State and National Districts, the local designation comes with aesthetic protections.

Jackson Heights is believed to be[13] the first garden city community built in the United States, as part of the international garden city movement at the turn of the 20th century. There are many private parks (historically called "gardens" by the residents) within walking distance of each other. They are tucked in the mid-blocks, mostly hidden from view by the buildings surrounding them. Unless given an invitation, entry is restricted to those who own a co-op around its perimeter. The basis for the private ownership of the parks of Jackson Heights is derived from its founding principle as a privately owned neighborhood built largely under the oversight of one person. The historic section of Jackson Heights is the more affluent part of the neighborhood.

The Jackson Heights Historic District is a national historic district that includes 2,203 contributing buildings, 19 contributing sites, and three contributing objects.[14] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[1]

Primarily during the 1930s, Holmes Airport operated on 220 acres (0.89 km2) adjacent to the community. The area later became the Bulova watch factory site.

Community

Many residents commute to nearby Manhattan, ten to fifteen minutes to 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue via the express E train or 63rd Street and Lexington via the F train. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes via the 7 train.

Jackson Heights housing is mainly private homes, co-op buildings, and rentals, with a small number of condominiums.

The main retail thoroughfare is located on 37th Avenue from 72nd Street to Junction Boulevard, with more retail on 82nd, 73rd and 74th Streets on the blocks between 37th and Roosevelt Avenues.[15] Stores and restaurants on and near 74th street tend to cater towards the large South Asian population in the neighborhood, with sari and jewelry stores, Pakistani and Bengali music and movie retailers and many restaurants. .[16] 37th Avenue contains a wide mix of retailers, including many grocery stores, and 82nd street contains many national chain stores located in Tudor-style buildings in the Jackson Heights Historic District. South American retailers and eateries, predominantly from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru dominate Northern Boulevard from 80th Street east to the border of neighboring Corona at Junction Boulevard.Roosevelt Avenue is also lined with various mainly Hispanic retail stores. The majority of 35th and 34th Avenues and most side streets between 37th Avenue and Northern Boulevard are residential.

The community is home to various houses of worship from a wide array of religions. Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church is located between 82nd and 83rd Street on 35th Avenue. The Jackson Heights Jewish Center is located on the corner of 77th Street and 37th Avenue. The Community United Methodist Church is on 82nd Street. St Mark's Episcopal Church is on 34th Avenue between 81st and 82nd Streets.

Jackson Heights is among the most diverse neighborhoods in New York City, and the nation.[17] Jackson Heights is home to large numbers of South Americans, particularly Argentinians, Ecuadorians and Colombians, South Asians,and East Asians.

The racial/ethnic composition of Jackson Heights is 56.0% Hispanic/Latino, 28.0% White, 16.0% Asian. There is a year-round greenmarket every Sunday morning at Travers Park, as well as various family-oriented spring and summer concerts.

Colombian broadcaster RCN TV has its US-American headquarters in the neighborhood, reflecting the sizable Colombian population in the area.

The Jackson Heights Garden City Society is a historical society, whose founders include local historians, the Queens Borough Historian and local activists. They created and oversee the Jackson Heights Garden City Trail and publish a walking guidebook to Jackson Heights. They also collect artifacts of the community. Periodically the Society testifies before the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission on issues of concern to the community.

Jackson Heights has followed the general patterns of New York City when it comes to crime. After spikes in the 1980s into the 1990s, crime has declined significantly. According to New York City CompStat statistics, measured crime has declined more than 79% in the last 15 years (1993 to 2008). As of January 2008, the murder rate is down over 82% and grand larceny auto is down 90% from 1990.

Recreation

Travers Park is the most main local playground. It has a variety of sports, including basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer, and handball. Prior to expansion, the P.S. 69 school yard offered baseball fields, a stickball field, a handball court and three tennis courts. Con Edison sponsored several summer tennis camps at P.S. 69's school yard from 1982-1992. In 1998, P.S. 69 built an annex to compensate for the booming population of children in Jackson Heights and the public access to the school yard was removed.

Notable residents

Notable residents of Jackson Heights (including fictional characters said to live in the neighborhood) include:

Film location

The film "Coming To America" is based in Jackson Heights.

Major portions of the Academy Award nominated1 Maria Full of Grace (2004) were filmed on location in Jackson Heights. Portions of Random Hearts (1999) were filmed in Jackson Heights on 35th Avenue between 76th and 77th street. Part of The Usual Suspects was filmed in Jackson Heights around 34th Avenue and 82nd street.[49]

Much of the Alfred Hitchcock film The Wrong Man takes place within a few blocks of the intersection of Broadway and 74th Street. The former Victor Moore Arcade and the connecting subway station, were prominently featured in the movie. The arcade was demolished and rebuilt from 1998 to 2005 and became known as the Victor A. Moore Bus Terminal. It was named after Jackson Heights resident Victor Moore, a Broadway and film actor from the era of silent film to the 1950s.

Also, parts of director James Gray's We Own the Night (2007) were filmed between 32nd Avenue and 31st Avenue on 84th street. It is also the setting for the TV show Ugly Betty, where Betty and her family live. Ingrid Bergman's character Stephanie Dickinson in the movie Cactus Flower lives in Jackson Heights.

Education

New York City Department of Education operates public schools. Schools in Jackson Heights include P.S. 69 Jackson Heights School,[50] P.S. 148 Christa McAuliffe School,[51] P.S. 212,[52] P.S 222 FF Christopher A. Santora School,[53] I.S.145 Joseph Pulitzer School,[54] I.S. 230 and the K-12 school Renaissance Charter School.[55]

Queens Library operates the Jackson Heights Library, located on 81st Street and 37th Avenue.[56]

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
  2. ^ Queens Community Board 3. Accessed May 21, 2009
  3. ^ http://www.qgazette.com/news/2005-07-20/features/045.html
  4. ^ http://www.qgazette.com/news/2005-07-20/features/045.html
  5. ^ "Queens Community District 3". New York City Department of City Planning. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/neigh_info/qn03_info.shtml. Retrieved January 22, 2010. 
  6. ^ Oser, Alan S. "Perspectives: Offices in Queens; British Airways Lands in Jackson Heights." The New York Times. May 17, 1987.
  7. ^ Toy, Vivian S. "British Airways Will Close Base in Queens." The New York Times. April 9, 1999.
  8. ^ Siwolop, Sana. "Commercial Real Estate; Major Changes in Works At Bulova Site in Queens." The New York Times. March 21, 2001.
  9. ^ "London in Style - Terms and Conditions." British Airways. Accessed September 20, 2003.
  10. ^ "Bulova Corporate Center." Blumenfeld Development Group. Accessed September 20, 2008
  11. ^ Myers, Steven Lee. "Council Votes Historic District In 38-Block Section of Queens", The New York Times, January 27, 1994. Accessed August 20, 2009.
  12. ^ Karatzas, Daniel (1990). Jackson Heights: A Garden in the City. Privately printed
  13. ^ Karatzas, Daniel (1990). Jackson Heights: A Garden in the City. Privately printed.
  14. ^ Kathleen LaFrank (April 1998). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Jackson Heights Historic District". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=7450. Retrieved 2011-01-16.  See also: "Accompanying 36 photos". http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=7453. 
  15. ^ Daniel Maurer "Stretching $50 in Jackson Heights." New York Magazine
  16. ^ A Journey Through Chinatown - Downtown Flushing map
  17. ^ Maggie Samways "New York's Most Diverse Neighborhood"Time Out NY
  18. ^ Kershaw, Sarah. "INSIDE QUEENS;A Criss-Crossed Quest", The New York Times, October 1, 1995. Accessed October 19, 2007. "JEFFREY A. SAUNDERS knew that Scrabble was born on 79th Street in Jackson Heights. He knew that Alfred Mosher Butts lived there when he invented the game."
  19. ^ Abadjian, Nick. "Inventors of Queens", Queens Tribune, May 22, 2003. Accessed December 17, 2007. "Carlson, a Jackson Heights resident, worked as a lab researcher for a year and got laid off."
  20. ^ Molotsky, Irvin. "Former Gov. Robert P. Casey Dies at 68; Pennsylvania Democrat Opposed Abortion", The New York Times, May 31, 2000. Accessed May 28, 2009.
  21. ^ Staff. "Thom Christopher", Soap Opera Digest. Accessed May 28, 2009. "Native New Yorker Thom Christopher hails from the Queens neighborhood of Jackson Heights."
  22. ^ Solomon, Deborah. "Questions for Eleanor Clift: Grande Dame", The New York Times, March 2, 2008. Accessed May 28, 2009. "Where are you from? I grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, and my father had a deli, Roeloffs Deli, in Sunnyside."
  23. ^ Bosworth, Patricia. "Montgomery Clift: A Biography", p. 47. Hal Leonard Corporation, 2007. ISBN 0879101350.
  24. ^ Staff. "Hollywood Freeway", Los Angeles Daily News, July 17, 1990. Accessed May 28, 2009. "When you grow up in the projects in Jackson Heights, in the New York borough of Queens, you don't think about having a golf and tennis tournament named after you. You only think about getting out and surviving. Kevin Dobson got out."
  25. ^ Grundberg, Andy. "Alfred Eisenstaedt, 90: The Image of Activity", The New York Times, November 12, 1998. Accessed September 25, 2007. "Until a year ago, he would walk daily from his home in Jackson Heights, Queens, to his office on the Avenue of the Americas and 51st Street, he said."
  26. ^ Street, Jim. "Where've you gone, Dave Fleming?", Seattle Mariners, June 10, 2003. Accessed May 28, 2009. "The ace of the '92 staff was Dave Fleming, a quiet southpaw born in the Jackson Heights section of Queens, N.Y., who *John leguizamowent from College World Series star at the University of Georgia to the Major Leagues in a blink of an eye."
  27. ^ McGrath, Charles. "The Fixer", The New York Times, February 19, 2006. Accessed October 22, 2009.
  28. ^ via Associated Press. "Obituary: Helen Kane", Toledo Blade, September 27, 1966. Accessed May 28, 2009.
  29. ^ Zook, Kristal Brent. "Comedy That Hits Close to Home; Now a Father, John Leguizamo Looks Back Without Anger", The Washington Post, July 19, 2001. Accessed June 11, 2009. "Born in Bogota, Colombia, to a Puerto Rican father and a Colombian mother of Indian ancestry, [John Leguizamo] was raised in the multiethnic Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens."
  30. ^ via United Press International. "Space Scientist Willy Ley Dies", Milwaukee Sentinel, June 25, 1969. Accessed May 28, 2009.
  31. ^ Ogunnaike, Lola. "The Perks and Pitfalls Of a Ruthless-Killer Role; Lucy Liu Boosts the Body Count in New Film", The New York Times, October 13, 2003. Accessed October 25, 2007. "Born in Jackson Heights, Queens, Ms. Liu, the daughter of working-class Chinese immigrants, recalled many an afternoon spent parked in front of a television set."
  32. ^ Blumenthal, Ralph. "Most of His Audience Is Homeless; Clive Lythgoe, a Piano Virtuoso, Now Likes Life at a Different Tempo", The New York Times, October 9, 2000. Accessed May 28, 2009. "Mr. Lythgoe's life these days is a far cry from his glamorous existence as a fast-rising star. Instead of a six-bedroom manor in Sussex, he lives alone in a simple one-bedroom co-op apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens."
  33. ^ Jacobson, Mark. "The Icon: Doll Face", New York (magazine), September 23, 2002. Accessed May 28, 2009. "Then came the sad pictures: Johnny and Jerry, RIP, and Billy Murcia too, their first drummer, a Colombian from Jackson Heights, dead in a London bathtub."
  34. ^ Buskin, Richard. "CLASSIC TRACKS: Les Paul & Mary Ford 'How High The Moon'", Sound On Sound, January, 2007. "'How High the Moon' was recorded in Les Paul's home studio in Jackson Heights, using just the Ampex 300, a power supply unit, a small home-made mixer, a Bell & Howe amplifier, a Lansing Manufacturing Iconic speaker, and a single RCA 44BX ribbon mic."
  35. ^ Staff. "DUNCAN PENWARDEN, BROADWAY ACTOR, DIES; Succumbs to Pneumonia Attack Following an Operation in Denver Two Weeks Ago.", The New York Times, September 14, 1930. Accessed May 28, 2009.
  36. ^ Jennings, Dana. "New York Action Hero", The New York Times, November 23, 2003. Accessed may 28, 2009. "Mr. Quesada also falls squarely in comics' up-by-your-bootstraps, Ellis Island lineage. He grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens (Spider-Man's home borough), the comics-seduced child of Cuban immigrants."
  37. ^ "TOMMY RETTIG, PLAYED JEFF IN ORIGINAL CAST OF TELEVISION'S 'LASSIE'", Rocky Mountain News, February 18, 1996. Accessed December 10, 2007.
  38. ^ Witchel, Alex. "I'm No Howard Stern, You Dummy", The New York Times, August 25, 1996. Accessed October 8, 2007. "DONALD JAY RICKLES, WHO WAS BORN in New York City on May 8, 1926, grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens."
  39. ^ Staff. "QUEENS MAN GETS TOP DEFENSE POST; Robert T. Ross, Once G.O.P. Representative in Capital, Would Succeed Seaton", The New York Times, February 26, 1955. Accessed May 28, 2009.
  40. ^ Trescott, Jacqueline. "Mercedes Ruehl, Driven; The Manic Actress On the Road to Oscar", The Washington Post, March 26, 1992. Accessed May 28, 2009.
  41. ^ Esther Zuckerman. [http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/08/susan_sarandon_1.php " Susan Sarandon Shares Her New York Favorites"], The Village Voice, August 30, 2011. Accessed Sept 23 2011.
  42. ^ Staff. "2 DIE AS PLANES CRASH AT FIELD; Eddie Schneider, Who Flew at 15, Is Killed When His Craft and Navy Trainer Collide PASSENGER ALSO VICTIM U.S. Ship Is Landed Safely at Floyd Bennett Airport Despite Damaged Wings", The New York Times, December 24, 2940. Accessed May 28, 2009. "Schneider lived at 32-50 Seventythird Street, Jackson Heights, Queens".
  43. ^ Sisario, Ben. "Walter Sear, an Audio Engineer With a Passion for Analog, Dies at 80", The New York Times May 6, 2010, Accessed May 7, 2010
  44. ^ Van Riper, Tom. "First Job: Gene Simmons", Forbes, May 23, 2006. "I delivered the Long Island Star Journal in Jackson Heights, Queens, known as the Long Island Press on Sundays."
  45. ^ Staff. "HOWARD STERN'S Private Jewish Parts", The Jewish Week, March 7, 1997. Accessed May 28, 2009.
  46. ^ Hirshon, Nicholas. "'Neighborhoods of Queens' writer was raised on the topic", New York Daily News, December 4, 2007. Accessed May 28, 2009. "Copquin, 46, was born in Argentina but grew up in Jackson Heights, now best known as the home of fictional heroine Betty Suarez from the hit ABC comedy 'Ugly Betty'."
  47. ^ McLeod, Rodd. "Rob Swift Does the Wicki-Wicki", Rolling Stone, May 6, 1999. Accessed May 28, 2009. "Swift lives in Jackson Heights, Queens, very near where he grew up."
  48. ^ Helene N. White, United States Department of Justice. Accessed May 28, 2009.
  49. ^ IMDB
  50. ^ "P.S. 69 Jackson Heights School School Review." Inside Schools. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.
  51. ^ "P.S. 149 Christa McAuliffe School School Review." Inside Schools. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.
  52. ^ "P.S. 212 School Review." Inside Schools. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.
  53. ^ "P.S 222 FF Christopher A. Santora School School Review." Inside Schools. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.
  54. ^ "I.S. 145 Joseph Pulitzer School School Review." Inside Schools. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.
  55. ^ "Renaissance Charter School School Review." Inside Schools. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.
  56. ^ "Jackson Heights." Queens Library. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.

References

External links

New York City Historic Sites
Lists by county


Lists by city
Other lists