Flushing, Queens

Flushing
Neighborhoods of Queens

The Flushing Town Hall, now a cultural center[2]
Country  United States
State  New York
City New York City
County/Borough Queens
Founded 1645
Town 1683–1898
Named for Vlissingen, Netherlands
Population (2010)
 • Total 219,342
Race/Ethnicity
 • White 9.5%
 • Black 4.2%
 • Hispanic 14.9%
 • Asian 69.2%
 • Other 2.2%
Economics
 • Median income $39,804
ZIP codes 11351-11390
Area code(s) 718, 347, 917, 929
The Unisphere in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, symbol of the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-eastern part of the New York City borough of Queens, in the United States. While much of the village is residential, Downtown Flushing, centered on the northern end of Main Street, is a large commercial and retail area and is the fourth largest central business district in New York City.[3][4]

Flushing's diversity is reflected by the numerous ethnic groups that reside there, including people of Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, European, and African American ancestry. It is part of the Fifth Congressional District, which encompasses the entire northeastern shore of Queens County, and extends into neighboring Nassau County. Flushing is served by five railroad stations on the Long Island Rail Road Port Washington Branch, as well as the New York City Subway's IRT Flushing Line (7 <7> trains), which has its terminus at Main Street. The intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue is the third busiest intersection in New York City, behind Times and Herald Squares.[5]

Flushing is part of Queens Community Board 7[6] and is bounded by Flushing Meadows–Corona Park to the west, Utopia Parkway to the east, the Long Island Expressway to the south, and Willets Point Boulevard to the north.

ZIP codes beginning with 113 are administered from a sectional center at Flushing Post Office. The 113-prefixed area extends west into Jackson Heights, southwest into Ridgewood, south into Forest Hills, and east into Little Neck.

History

Dutch colony

Old Flushing Burial Ground, used in 17th and 18th centuries, now a park.

In 1645, Flushing was established by the Dutch on the eastern bank of Flushing Creek under charter of the Dutch West India Company and was part of the New Netherland colony. The settlement was named after the city of Vlissingen, in the southwestern Netherlands, the main port of the company. However, by 1657, the residents called the place "Vlissing." Eventually, "Flushing," the British name for the Dutch city of Vlissingen was used.

In its early days, Flushing was inhabited by English colonists, among them a farmer named John Bowne, who defied a prohibition imposed by New Amsterdam Director-General Peter Stuyvesant on harboring Quakers, by allowing Quaker meetings in his home. The Flushing Remonstrance, signed in Flushing on December 27, 1657, protested religious persecution and eventually led to the decision by the Dutch West India Company to allow Quakers and others to worship freely.[7] As such, Flushing is claimed to be a birthplace of religious freedom in the new world.[8]

Landmarks remaining from the Dutch period in Flushing include the John Bowne House on Bowne Street and the Old Quaker Meeting House on Northern Boulevard.

English colonial history

In 1664, the English took control of New Amsterdam, ending Dutch control of the colony, and renamed it the Province of New York. When Queens County was established in 1683, the "Town of Flushing" was one of the original five towns which comprised the county.[9] Many historical references to Flushing are to this town, bounded from Newtown on the west by Flushing Creek (now Flushing River), from Jamaica on the south by the watershed, and from Hempstead on the east by what later became the Nassau County line. The town was dissolved in 1898 when Queens became a borough of New York City, and the term "Flushing" today usually refers to a much smaller area, for example the former Village of Flushing.

Flushing was the site of the first commercial tree nurseries in North America, the most prominent being the Prince, Bloodgood, and Parsons nurseries. Much of the northern section of Kissena Park, former site of the Parsons nursery, still contains a wide variety of exotic trees. The naming of streets intersecting Kissena Boulevard on its way toward Kissena Park celebrates this fact (Ash Avenue, Beech, Cherry ...Poplar, Quince, Rose). Flushing also supplied trees to the Greensward project, now known as Central Park in Manhattan.

During the American Revolution, Flushing, along with most settlements in present-day Queens County, favored the British and quartered British troops, though one battalion of Scottish Highlanders is known to have been stationed at Flushing during the war. Following the Battle of Long Island, Nathan Hale, an officer in the Continental Army, was apprehended near Flushing Bay while on what was probably an intelligence gathering mission and was later hanged.

The 1785 Kingsland Homestead, originally the residence of a wealthy Quaker merchant, now serves as the home of the Queens Historical Society.[10]

Nineteenth century

Map of Flushing in 1891.

During the 19th century, as New York City continued to grow in population and economic vitality, so did Flushing. Its proximity to Manhattan was critical in its transformation into a fashionable residential area. In 1813, the Village of Flushing was incorporated within the Town of Flushing.[11] By the mid-1860s, Queens County had 30,429 residents. Flushing's growth continued with two new villages incorporating: College Point in 1867, and Whitestone in 1868. In 1898, although opposed to the proposal, the Town of Flushing (along with two other towns of Queens County) was consolidated into the City of New York to form the new Borough of Queens. All towns, villages, and cities within the new borough were dissolved. Local farmland continued to be subdivided and developed transforming Flushing into a densely populated neighborhood of New York City.

Twentieth century development

The continued construction of bridges over the Flushing River and the development of other roads increased the volume of vehicular traffic into Flushing. In 1909, the construction of the Queensboro Bridge (also known as the 59th Street Bridge) over the East River connected Queens County to midtown Manhattan.[12]

The introduction of rail road service to Manhattan in 1910 by the Long Island Rail Road Port Washington Branch and in 1928 by the New York City Subway's IRT Flushing Line (7 <7> trains) hastened the continued transformation of Flushing to a commuter suburb and commercial center. Due to increased traffic, a main roadway through Flushing named Broadway was widened and renamed Northern Boulevard.

Flushing was a forerunner of Hollywood, when the young American film industry was still based on the U.S. East Coast and Chicago. Decades later, the RKO Keith's movie palace would host vaudeville acts and appearances by the likes of Mickey Rooney, The Marx Brothers and Bob Hope.

Main Street, 1920

Emerging Chinese communities

Flushing Chinatown.

In the 1970s, a Chinese community established a foothold in the neighborhood of Flushing, whose demographic constituency had been predominantly non-Hispanic white, interspersed with a small Japanese community. This wave of immigrants from Taiwan were the first to arrive and developed Flushing's Chinatown. It was known as Little Taipei or Little Taiwan. Many who arrived were the descendants of former soldiers and political supporters of Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese Nationalist Party, which had lost the war against the Communist Party of China, and established themselves in Taiwan. Along with immigrants from Taiwan at this time, a large South Korean population also called Flushing home.

Before the 1970s, Cantonese immigrants had vastly dominated Chinese immigration to New York City; however during the 1970s, the Taiwanese immigrants were the first wave of Chinese immigrants who spoke Mandarin rather than Cantonese to arrive in New York City. Due to the dominance of Cantonese-speaking immigrants, who were largely working-class in Manhattan's Chinatown, as well as the language barrier and poor housing conditions there, Taiwanese immigrants, who were more likely to have attained higher educational standards and socioeconomic status, could not relate to Manhattan's Chinatown, and chose to settle in Flushing instead. As the Taiwanese population grew, a Flushing Chinatown was created with a higher standard of living and better housing conditions.

The intersection of Kissena Boulevard and Main Street in Flushing.

Over the years, many new non-Cantonese ethnic Chinese immigrants from different regions and provinces of China started to arrive in New York City. This led to the creation of a more Mandarin-speaking Chinatown or Mandarin Town that gradually replaced Little Taipei. This wave of immigrants spoke Mandarin and various regional/provincial dialects. Like the Taiwanese, they faced cultural and communication problems in Manhattan's Cantonese-speaking Chinatown and settled in Flushing as well as Elmhurst, Queens, which also has a significant Mandarin-speaking population. Flushing's Chinese population became very diverse over the next few decades as people from different provinces started to arrive, infusing their varied languages and cultures into its Chinatown.[13][14][15][16]

Flushing and its Chinatown abuts the rapidly growing Long Island Koreatown as well.[17] Koreatown originated in Flushing before sprawling eastward along Northern Boulevard[18][19][20][21][22] and eventually into Nassau County.[20] This Koreatown abuts the rapidly growing Flushing Chinatown as well.[18]

Sections of Flushing

Chinatown, Flushing (法拉盛華埠)

Main article: Chinatown, Flushing
Chinatown, Flushing

The intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue
Traditional Chinese 法拉盛華埠
Simplified Chinese 法拉盛华埠

Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), or Mandarin Town (國語埠)[23] is one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic Chinese enclaves outside of Asia, as well as within New York City itself. In Mandarin, Flushing is known as "Falasheng" (Chinese: 法拉盛; pinyin: Fǎlāshèng).

Main Street and the area to its west, particularly along Roosevelt Avenue, have become the primary nexus of Flushing's Chinatown. However, Chinatown continues to expand southeastward along Kissena Boulevard and northward beyond Northern Boulevard. In the 1970s, a Chinese community established a foothold in the neighborhood of Flushing, whose demographic constituency had been predominantly non-Hispanic white. Taiwanese began the surge of immigration, followed by other groups of Chinese. By 1990, Asians constituted 41% of the population of the core area of Flushing, with Chinese in turn representing 41% of the Asian population.[13] However, ethnic Chinese are constituting an increasingly dominant proportion of the Asian population as well as of the overall population in Flushing and its Chinatown. A 1986 estimate by the Flushing Chinese Business Association approximated 60,000 Chinese in Flushing alone.[24]

Chinese demographic

Street vendor selling fruit under the Flushing – Main Street LIRR station

The intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue, the business center for Flushing, on the westernmost edge of the neighborhood, has a large concentration of Chinese and Korean businesses, including Asian restaurants. Chinese-owned businesses in particular dominate the area along Main Street and the blocks west of it. Many of the signs and advertisements of the stores in the area are in Chinese. Ethnic Chinese constitute an increasingly dominant proportion of the Asian population and as well as of the overall population in Flushing. Consequently, Flushing's Chinatown has grown rapidly enough to become the second-largest Chinatown outside of Asia. In fact, the Flushing Chinatown may surpass the original Manhattan Chinatown itself within a few years.[13][25][26]

A 1986 estimate by the Flushing Chinese Business Association approximated 60,000 Chinese in Flushing alone.[27] By 1990, Asians constituted 41% of the population of the core area of Flushing, with Chinese in turn representing 41% of the Asian population.[13] However, ethnic Chinese are constituting an increasingly dominant proportion of the Asian population as well as of the overall population in Flushing and its Chinatown. High rates of both legal[28][29] and illegal[30] immigration from Mainland China continue to spur the ongoing rise of the ethnic Chinese population in Flushing, as in all of New York City's Chinatowns.

According to a Daily News article, Flushing's Chinatown ranks as New York City's second largest Chinese community with 33,526 Chinese, up from 17,363, a 93% increase. The Brooklyn Chinatown (布鲁克林華埠) now ranks #1 as the largest Chinatown of NYC with 34,218 Chinese residents, up from 19,963 in 2000, a 71% increase. As for Manhattan's Chinatown, its Chinese population declined by 17%, from 34,554 to 28,681 since 2000 to rank #3.[31]

Culture

The World Journal, one of the largest Chinese-language newspapers outside of China, is headquartered in adjacent Whitestone (白石), Queens, with offices in Flushing as well.[32]

Flushing now rivals Manhattan's Chinatown as a center of Chinese culture[33] and has been called the "Chinese Manhattan".[34] The Lunar New Year Parade has become a growing annual celebration of Chinese New Year. More and larger Chinese supermarkets are locating and selling a diverse and uniquely vast array of Chinese food and ingredient selections in Flushing, the largest of which include Hong Kong Supermarket and New York Supermarket, which also happen to be rapidly growing Chinese American chain supermarkets.[35][36][37] Flushing's rise as an epicenter of Chinese culture outside of Asia has been attributed to the remarkable diversity of regional Chinese demographics represented.

The World Journal, one of the largest Chinese-language newspapers outside of China, is headquartered in adjacent Whitestone (白石), Queens, with offices in Flushing as well.[32] Numerous other Chinese- and English-language publications are available in Flushing.

The popular styles of Chinese cuisine are ubiquitously accessible in Flushing,[38] including Taiwanese, Shanghainese, Hunanese, Szechuan, Cantonese, Fujianese, Xinjiang, Zhejiang, and Korean Chinese cuisine. Even the relatively obscure Dongbei style of cuisine indigenous to Northeast China is now available in Flushing,[39] as well as Mongolian cuisine.

Mandarin Chinese[40] (including Northeastern Mandarin), Fuzhou dialect, Min Nan Fujianese, Wu Chinese, Beijing dialect, Wenzhounese, Shanghainese, Suzhou dialect, Hangzhou dialect, Cantonese, Taiwanese, and English are all prevalently spoken in Flushing Chinatown, while the Mongolian language is now emerging. Even the relatively obscure Dongbei style of cuisine indigenous to Northeast China is now available in Flushing .[41] Given its rapidly growing status, the Flushing Chinatown may surpass in size and population the original New York City Chinatown in the borough of Manhattan within a few years, and it is debatable whether this has already happened. The New York Times says that Flushing's Chinatown now rivals Manhattan's Chinatown for being the center of Chinese-speaking New Yorkers' politics and trade.[42]

In accompaniment with its rapid growth, Flushing in particular has witnessed the proliferation of highly competitive businesses touted as educational centers as well as non-profit organizations declaring the intent to educate the community. Some entities offer education in Mandarin,[43] the lingua franca of Mainland China; others profess to provide students with intensive training in computer and technological proficiency; while still others entice high school students with rigorous preparatory classes for college entrance examinations in mathematics, science, and English literacy.

A diverse array of social services geared toward assisting recent as well as established Chinese immigrants is readily available in Flushing.[44]

Satellite Chinatowns

The Elmhurst Chinatown on Broadway in nearby Elmhurst, another neighborhood in the borough of Queens, also has a large and rapidly growing Chinese community and is developing as a satellite of the Flushing Chinatown. Previously a small area with Chinese shops on Broadway between 81st Street and Cornish Avenue, this newly evolved second Chinatown in Queens has now expanded to 45th Avenue and Whitney Avenue.[45]

A third and fledgling Chinatown is now emerging in Queens, geographically between Flushing and Elmhurst, in the neighborhood of Corona.[46]

Koreatown (롱 아일랜드 코리아타운)

Northern Boulevard in the Flushing section of the Long Island Koreatown (롱 아일랜드 코리아타운)
Main article: Koreatown, Flushing

There is a Koreatown which originated in Flushing, but has since spread eastward to Murray Hill, Bayside, Douglaston, and Little Neck in Queens, and also into Nassau County.[47][48][49][50][51] As of the 2010 United States Census, the Korean population of Queens was 64,107.[52]

History

In the 1980s, a continuous stream of Korean immigrants emerged into Flushing, many of whom began as workers in the medical field or Korean international students who had moved to New York City to find or initiate professional or entrepreneurial positions.[18] They established a foothold on Union Street in Flushing between 35th and 41st Avenues,[18] featuring restaurants and karaoke (noraebang) bars, grocery markets, education centers and bookstores, banking institutions, offices, consumer electronics vendors, apparel boutiques, and other commercial enterprises.[19]

As the community grew in wealth and population and rose in socioeconomic status, Koreans expanded their presence eastward along Northern Boulevard, buying homes[22] in more affluent and less crowded Queens neighborhoods and more recently into adjacent suburban Nassau County, bringing their businesses with them, and thereby expanding the Koreatown itself.[19] This expansion has led to the creation of an American Meokjagolmok, or Korean Restaurant Street, around the Long Island Rail Road station in Murray Hill, Queens, exuding the ambience of Seoul itself.[19] The eastward pressure to expand was also created by the inability to move westward, inhibited by the formidable presence of the enormous Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠) centered on Main Street.[18]

Per the 2010 United States Census, the Korean population of Queens was 64,107,[52] representing the largest municipality in the United States with a density of at least 500 Korean Americans per square mile; while the Korean population of Nassau County had increased by nearly two-thirds to approximately 14,000 over one decade since the 2000 Census.[53] Along with the two Koreatowns of Bergen County, New Jersey (in Palisades Park and Fort Lee) and the Manhattan Koreatown in New York City, the Long Island Koreatown functions as a satellite node for an overall Korean American population of 218,764 individuals in the New York City Metropolitan Area,[54] the second largest population of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines provide non-stop flights from Seoul to JFK Airport[55][56] in Queens.

Culture

The Korea Times, a news organization based in Seoul, carries a significant presence in the Long Island Koreatown.

The Long Island Koreatown features numerous restaurants that serve both traditional and/or regional Korean cuisine. As noted above, the development of this Koreatown has led to the creation of an American Meokjagolmok, or Korean Restaurant Street, around the Long Island Rail Road station in Murray Hill, exuding the ambience of Seoul itself.[19] Korean Chinese cuisine is now also available in Koreatown.

Korean and English are both spoken prevalently. Retail signs employing the Hangul alphabet are ubiquitous.

A significant array of social services toward assisting recent and established Korean immigrants is readily available in Koreatown.

Other ethnic communities

The neighborhood of East Flushing, technically within Greater Flushing, also houses a substantial Chinese community along with most of Downtown Flushing. However, East Flushing also substantially includes Irish, Greek, Russian, and Italian communities, as well as communities of Indians, Sri Lankans, Malaysians, and Hispanics, mostly Colombians and Salvadorans. This neighborhood tends to be more diverse visibly than Downtown Flushing because of the more even distribution of the ethnicities of East Flushing residents resulting in more businesses catering to each community rather than the dominance of Chinese and to a lesser extent Korean businesses in Downtown Flushing.

The northeastern section of Flushing near Bayside continues to maintain large Italian and Greek presences that are reflected in its many Italian and Greek bakeries, grocery stores and restaurants. The northwest is a mix of Jews, Greeks, and Italians. Most of central Flushing is an ethnic mix of Whites, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans.

Hindu Temple

An area south of Franklin Avenue houses a concentration of Indian, Pakistani, Afghan, and Bangladeshi markets. This concentration of South Asian businesses south of Franklin Avenue has existed since the late 1970s, one of the oldest Little Indias in North America. The Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam (Sanskrit: श्री महावल्लभ गणपति देवस्थानम्, Tamil: ஸ்ரீ மகா வல்லப கணபதி தேவஸ்தானம்) at 45-57 Bowne Street in Flushing was the very first of the traditional Hindu temples in the US.[57][58]

Named subsections

Auburndale

Auburndale is an upper-middle-class neighborhood that is part of Queens Community Board 11 and in Murray Hill.[59] The name comes from Auburndale, Massachusetts, the home of L. H. Green who developed the community starting in 1901, when the Long Island Rail Road started offering train service to the area.[60] The area is the site of the Long Island Rail Road's Auburndale station.

The most common style of house in Auburndale is the Tudor. The Auburndale Improvement Association, along with other groups, seeks "to preserve the neighborhood's small-scale, lawns-and-driveways character, which in some respects seems to have more in common with nearby suburban Nassau County than New York."[61] Along with Tudors, capacious Dutch colonials and Cape Cod houses also abound. Home prices range from $499,000 to roughly $1.5 million, averaging at around $650,000.[61] Queens Borough Public Library operates the Auburndale Branch in the area.

Broadway-Flushing

Broadway-Flushing, also known as North Flushing, is a residential area with many large homes. Part of this area has been designated a State and Federal historic district due to the elegant, park-like character of the neighborhood. Recently much of the area was rezoned by the City of New York to preserve the low density, residential quality of the area. The neighborhood awaits designation as an Historic District by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Broadway-Flushing is bounded by 29th Avenue to the north, Northern Boulevard and Crocheron Avenue to the south, 155th Street to the west, and 172nd Streets to the east.

Linden Hill

Linden Hill is part of Flushing and is served by the NYPD's 109th Precinct and Queens Community Board 7. Its borders are defined as 25th Avenue to Willets Point Boulevard. to the north, 154th Street to the east, Northern Boulevard to the south and the Whitestone Expressway to the west.[62]

Linden Hill was originally a rural estate owned by the Mitchell family. Ernest Mitchell owned an adjacent area known as Breezy Hill and his father owned the area now called Linden Hill.[63] The two areas are sometimes referred to as Mitchell-Linden. A major change in the rural nature of Linden Hill occurred in the 1950s. Builders envisioned a cooperative project to be set on Linden Hill and landfill of an adjacent swamp which would provide middle-income housing to veterans of World War II and Korea.[63] Under Section 213 of the Federal Housing Act of 1950,[64] and at a cost of $15 million, the project was enacted. It provided homes for about 1400 residents.

Once a primarily European-American neighborhood, Linden Hill is now a diverse mix of European-Americans, Asian-Americans and Latino-Americans. The Asian-American population has expanded markedly in the southern part of Linden Hill in the past decade (as it has in Flushing proper) and the Latino-American population has also grown noticeably. Conversely, the European-American population has lessened somewhat, though European-Americans still remain in great numbers north of Bayside Avenue, west of 149th Street, and in the 41 buildings of the Mitchell Gardens, Linden Towers, Embassy Arms, and Linden Hill cooperatives.

The local branch of the Queens Borough Public Library is located on Union Street and is known as the Mitchell Linden Branch.

Murray Hill

This subsection has a median income of $38,978 and ZIP codes of 11354, 11355, and 11358. Traditionally the home of families of Irish and Italian immigrants, many Korean and Chinese immigrants have moved into Murray Hill in recent years. Murray Hill is often confused with the larger Murray Hill neighborhood on the East Side of Manhattan.[65][66]

Before the area was developed for residential housing in 1889, Murray Hill was the location of several large nurseries owned by the King, Murray, and Parsons families.[67] The Kingsland Homestead has been preserved as the home of the Queens Historical Society.[65] The Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden is also located in Murray Hill.[68]

Comic strip artist Richard F. Outcault, the creator of The Yellow Kid and Buster Brown, lived on 147th Street in Murray Hill.[69]

Queensboro Hill

Queensboro Hill in southern Flushing is bordered to the West by College Point Boulevard, to the North by Kissena Park and Kissena Corridor Park, to the South by Reeves Avenue and the Long Island Expressway, and to the East by Kissena Boulevard. Queensboro Hill is a part of ZIP codes 11355 and 11367 and contains a New York Hospital Queens branch. One of the leading churches is the Queensboro Hill Community Church, a multi-racial congregation of the Reformed Church in America. Turtle Playground serves the residents of this section of Flushing.

This area is often referred to as South Flushing. This may also refer to Pomonok.

Waldheim

The Waldheim neighborhood, an estate subdivision in Flushing constructed primarily between 1875 and 1925, is a small district of high quality "in-town" suburban architecture that preservationists have tried to save for at least twenty-five years. Waldheim, German for "home in the woods", known for its large homes of varying architectural styles, laid out in an unusual street pattern, was the home of some of Flushing's wealthiest residents until the 1960s. Notable residents include the Helmann family of condiment fame, the Steinway family of piano notability, as well as A. Douglas Nash, who managed a nearby Tiffany glass plant. The neighborhood was rezoned by the City of New York in 2008, in order to halt the destruction of its original housing stock, which began in the late 1980s, and to help preserve the low density, residential character of the neighborhood. As with the Broadway neighborhood, preservationists have been unable to secure designation as an Historic District by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to date. Today, Waldheim stretches between Sanford and Franklin Avenues on the north, 45th Avenue on the south, Bowne Street on the west and Parsons Boulevard on the east. The area is immediately southeast of the downtown Flushing commercial core, and adjacent to Kissena Park.

Places

Houses of worship

Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam (Tamil: ஸ்ரீ மகா வல்லப கணபதி தேவஸ்தானம்), the oldest Hindu temple in the United States.
Pure Presbyterian Church.

Flushing is among the most religiously diverse communities in America. Today, Flushing abounds with houses of worship, ranging from the Dutch colonial epoch Quaker Meeting House, the historic Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens, St. Andrew Avellino Roman Catholic Church, St. George's Episcopal Church, the Free Synagogue of Flushing, the Congregation of Georgian Jews, St. Mel Roman Catholic Church, St. Michael's Catholic Church, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Shrine Church, St. John's Lutheran Church, Queensboro Hill Community Church, Hindu Temple Society of North America, and the Muslim Center of New York.[70]

There are "over 200 places of worship in a small urban neighborhood about 2.5 square miles (6.3 square kilometers)."[71] "Flushing has become a model for religious pluralism in America, says R. Scott Hanson, a visiting assistant professor of history at the State University of New York at Binghamton and an affiliate of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University."[72]

In 1657, while Flushing was still a Dutch settlement, a document known as the Flushing Remonstrance was created by Edward Hart, the town clerk, where some thirty ordinary citizens protested a ban imposed by Peter Stuyvesant, the director general of New Amsterdam, forbidding the harboring of Quakers. The Remonstrants cited the Flushing Town charter of 1645 which promised liberty of conscience.[8]

Landmarks, museums, and cultural institutions

Fitzgerald-Ginsberg Mansion.
Arthur Ashe Stadium, built in 1997 at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, is the world's largest tennis-specific stadium.

Flushing has many landmark buildings. Flushing Town Hall[73] on Northern Boulevard is the headquarters of the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.[74] The building houses a concert hall and cultural center and is one of the sites designated along the Queens Historical Society's Freedom Mile.[75]

Other registered New York City Landmarks include the Bowne House, Kingsland Homestead, Old Quaker Meeting House (1694), Flushing High School, St. George's Church (1854), the Lewis H. Latimer House, the former RKO Keith's movie theater, the United States Post Office on Main Street, and the Unisphere, the iconic 12-story-high stainless steel globe that served as the centerpiece for the 1964 New York World's Fair. The Flushing Armory, on Northern Boulevard, was formerly used by the National Guard. Presently, the Queens North Task Force of the New York City Police Department uses this building.[76] In 2005, the Fitzgerald-Ginsberg Mansion[77] on Bayside Avenue and in 2007, the Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden[78] were designated as landmarks. In addition, the Broadway-Flushing Historic District, Free Synagogue of Flushing, and Main Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT) are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[79]

Several attractions were originally developed for the World's Fairs in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. There is a stone marker for the two 5,000-year Westinghouse Time Capsules made of special alloys buried in the park, chronicling 20th-century life in the United States, dedicated both in 1938 and 1965. Also in the park are the Queens Museum of Art which features a scale model of the City of New York, the largest architectural model ever built; Queens Theatre in the Park;[80] the New York Hall of Science and the Queens Zoo. The New York State Pavilion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.[79]

The Queens Botanical Garden on Main Street has been in operation continuously since its opening as an exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The Botanical Garden carries on Flushing's nearly three centuries-long horticultural tradition, dating back to its once famed tree nurseries and seed farms.

Parks

Citi Field, home of Major League Baseball's New York Mets

All the public parks and playgrounds in Flushing are supervised by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. For Queens County, the Department of Parks and Recreation is headquartered at The Overlook in Forest Park located in Kew Gardens.

Economy

When New York Air existed, its headquarters were in Hangar 5 at LaGuardia Airport near Flushing.[82] The sentimental global headquarters of Calabrese Creations in Iron, Inc. is on 160th street in Flushing.

Education

Public schools in Flushing are supervised by the New York City Department of Education through Administrative District 25. There are numerous public Elementary and Junior High Schools in Flushing and students generally attend a school based on the location of their residence.

Public schools

Public elementary and middle schools include: John Bowne Elementary P.S. 20, P.S. 21 Edward Hart Elementary School, Thomas Jefferson Elementary P.S. 22, Andrew Jackson Elementary P.S. 24, Cadwallader Colden Elementary P.S. 214, P.S. 32, Adrien Block Intermediate I.S. 25, Daniel Carter Beard Junior High School J.H.S. 189, J.H.S. 185 Edward Bleeker Junior High School.

IS 237
IS 237
The East-West School

The six public high schools in Flushing are:

I.S. 237

I.S. 237, an arts-oriented magnet school also known as Rachel Carson Intermediate School 237, is also located in Flushing, at 46-21 Colden Street. This school consists of grades 6, 7, and 8. The school was named after scientist Rachel Carson, the writer of Silent Spring which inspired people to name the school after her; it opened in 1971. Each year in June for the 8th graders they have a senior trip to the Poconos. In 1999 the school took ownership of a park called Rachel Carson Playground, which is right across from the school. Judith Friedman is the principal of the school, which has over 800 students. Since 2006 the school made room for a new school to use the space up on the 4th floor for the East-West School of International Studies.[83]

East-West School of International Studies

The East-West School of International Studies[84] (Public School Q281) was established in 2006 in I.S. 237; the school serves students in grades 6-12 with an emphasis on Asian studies. It opened in September 2006 with 6th through 12th grade classes.[85] Operated by the New York City Department of Education, it is led by principal Ben Sherman, has an average class size of 25 students, and has a student-teacher ratio of 14.9:1 in 2006-07,[86] As it shares space with I.S. 237, the education department is looking at sites for the East-West School to occupy, including a nearby Home Depot.[87]

The East-West School curriculum prepares students to graduate high school with a Regents' diploma and proficiency in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, or Korean.[88]

Student groups and activities include erhu club, anime club, art, STEP team, dance team calligraphy, chess club, dance, film-making, MOUSE Squad (student computer maintenance), mentoring, Model United Nations, music, newspaper, peer tutoring, step club, Korean Traditional Painting, Korean dancing and singing, and student government. Athletic clubs and teams include basketball, yoga, martial arts, soccer, t'ai chi, judo, and table tennis.[89][90][91]

Private schools

The private high schools include:

On December 22, 1980,[92] The Japanese School of New York moved from Jamaica Estates, Queens into Fresh Meadows, Queens,[93] near Flushing. In 1991, the school moved to Yonkers in Westchester County, New York, before moving to Greenwich, Connecticut in 1992.[92]

Higher education

Queens College's Student Union building.

Queens College, founded in 1937, is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY), and is commonly misconstrued to be within Flushing neighborhood limits due to its Flushing mailing address. It is actually located in the nearby neighborhood of Kew Gardens Hills on Kissena Boulevard near the Long Island Expressway. The City University of New York School of Law was founded in 1983 adjacent to the Queens College campus, and was located at 65-21 Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills until 2012.[94] It moved to Long Island City for the Fall 2012 Semester. The Law School operates Main Street Legal Services Corp., a legal services clinic. In addition, the private institution of Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology moved to Flushing.

Libraries

Branch of the Queens Library in Flushing.
Entrance to the Flushing – Main Street terminus station of the IRT Flushing Line (7 <7> trains) is one of the busiest stations in the New York City Subway system.[95]

In 1858, the first library in Queens County was founded in Flushing. Today, there are eight branches of the Queens Borough Public Library with Flushing addresses.[96] The largest of the Flushing branches is located at the intersection of Kissena Boulevard and Main Street[97] in Flushing's Chinatown and is the busiest branch of the highest circulation system[98] in the country.[97][99] This library has and houses an auditorium for public events. The current building, designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, is the third to be built on the site—the first was a gift of Andrew Carnegie.[99]

Hospitals

New York Hospital Queens (formerly known as Booth Memorial Hospital), a member of the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, is a major medical center providing Flushing as well as surrounding communities with comprehensive medical care services.[100] Numerous tertiary medical clinics also serve the residents of Flushing.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center serves the area as well.

Transportation

The New York City Subway operates the IRT Flushing Line (7 <7> trains). The Flushing – Main Street station, located at the intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue, is currently the eastern terminus of the line.[101] Until the Flushing line made its way to the intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue in 1928, the center of Flushing was considered to be at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Main Street.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates the Long Island Rail Road's Port Washington Branch that has five rail road stations in Flushing. The Flushing – Main Street is located one block away from the subway station that bears the same name. The other stations in the neighborhood are Mets – Willets Point, Murray Hill, Broadway and Auburndale. The Long Island Rail Road provides a direct rail link to Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan.[102]

Major highways that serve the area include the Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Expressway, Grand Central Parkway, and Long Island Expressway. Northern Boulevard extends from the Queensboro Bridge in Long Island City through Flushing into Nassau County.

There are also many buses run by Metropolitan Transportation Authority affiliate New York City Bus (routes Q12, Q13, Q15, Q15A, Q16, Q17, Q20A, Q20B, Q26, Q27, Q28, Q44 SBS, Q48, Q58) and subsidiary MTA Bus Company (routes Q19, Q25, Q34, Q50, Q65, Q66). The n20 and n21 Nassau Inter-County Express bus routes terminate in Flushing.[103]

Political clout

The political stature of Flushing appears to be increasing significantly, with many Chinese from Flushing becoming New York City Council members. Taiwan-born John Liu, former New York City Council member representing District 20, which includes Flushing and other northern Queens neighborhoods, was elected to his current position of New York City Comptroller in November 2009. Concomitantly, Shanghai-born Peter Koo was elected to succeed Liu to assume this council membership seat. Additionally, in 2012 Flushing resident Grace Meng, a State Assembly Member, was elected to Congress as the first Asian-American member of that chamber east of the Mississippi.

In popular culture

Notable people

Notable residents

Buried in Flushing

References

  1. ↑ Flushing Town Hall Official Website
  2. ↑ Flushing Town Hall Official Website
  3. ↑ "A cleaner Flushing is pushed by Kim". Queens Chronicles. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Downtown Flushing Mobility and Safety Improvement Project" (PDF).
  5. ↑ Hess, Meagan. "All the Neighborhoods, Towns, and Zip Codes in Queens". QueensMetro. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  6. ↑ Queens Community Boards, New York City. Accessed September 3, 2007
  7. ↑ Vermeer's Life: Timeline
  8. 1 2 Jackson, Kenneth T. (December 27, 2007). "A Colony With a Conscience". The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Before the Five Borough City:Queens". This later map shows former boundaries of the Town of Flushing. The map does not show the towns that were part of Queens and are now part of Nassau.
  10. ↑ "Kingsland Homestead". Queens Historical Society. Retrieved July 5, 2007.
  11. ↑ History of the town of Flushing, Long Island, New York (1899). Internet Archive, Cornell University Library. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  12. ↑ Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge. Accessed May 14, 2011
  13. 1 2 3 4 Foner, Nancy (2001). New immigrants in New York. Columbia University Press. pp. 158–161. ISBN 978-0-231-12414-0.
  14. ↑ Asian Americans: contemporary trends ... - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  15. ↑ Chinatown: The Socioeconomic ... - Google Books. Books.google.com. January 24, 1995. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  16. ↑ David M. Reimers. Still the golden door: the Third ... - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  17. ↑ Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min. Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc. 2006. ISBN 9781412905565. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min. Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc. 2006. ISBN 9781412905565. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Semple, Kirk (June 8, 2013). "City's Newest Immigrant Enclaves, From Little Guyana to Meokjagolmok". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  20. 1 2 Roleke, John. "Flushing: Queens Neighborhood Profile". ©2013 About.com. All rights reserved. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Koreatown Manhattan, or Koreatown Flushing?". © CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. June 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  22. 1 2 Cohen, Joyce (March 23, 2003). "If You're Thinking of Living In/Murray Hill, Queens; The Name's the Same, the Pace is Slower". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  23. ↑ Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min. Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc. 2006. ISBN 978-1-4129-0556-5. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  24. ↑ Hsiang-shui Chen. "Chinese in Chinatown and Flushing". Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  25. ↑ Zhou, Min (2009). Contemporary Chinese America: Immigration, Ethnicity, and Community. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. pp. 57–59. ISBN 978-1-59213-858-6.
  26. ↑ Montefinise, Angela (2002). "Koreans In Queens: Finding A Second Home In The Borough Of Queens". Queens Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  27. ↑ Hsiang-shui Chen. "Chinese in Chinatown and Flushing". Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2011 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  29. ↑ "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2010 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  30. ↑ Marzulli, John (May 9, 2011). "Malaysian man smuggled illegal Chinese immigrants into Brooklyn using Queen Mary 2: authorities". New York: © Copyright 2012 NY Daily News.com. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  31. ↑ Beekman, Daniel (August 5, 2011). "The changing Chinatowns: Move over Manhattan, Sunset Park now home to most Chinese in NYC". NY Daily News. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  32. 1 2 "Contact Us (Page in Chinese) World Journal. Retrieved on 2014-03-10. "New York Headquarters 141-07 20th Ave. Whitestone, NY 11357"
  33. ↑ Semple, Kirk (October 21, 2009). "In Chinatown, Sound of the Future Is Mandarin". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  34. ↑ Haller, Vera (October 1, 2014). "Downtown Flushing: Where Asian Cultures Thrive". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  35. ↑ Freudenheim, Ellen. Queens: What to Do, Where to Go (and How Not to Get Lost) in New York's Undiscovered Borough. Macmillan. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  36. ↑ Alperson, Myra (September 20, 2003). Nosh New York: The Food Lover's Guide to New York City's Most Delicious Neighborhoods. Macmillan. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  37. ↑ Greenhouse, Steven (December 9, 2008). "Supermarket to Pay Back Wages and Overtime - NYTimes.com". Cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  38. ↑ Moskin, Julia (July 30, 2008). "Let the Meals Begin: Finding Beijing in Flushing". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  39. ↑ Moskin, Julia (February 9, 2010). "Northeast China Branches Out in Flushing". The New York Times. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
  40. ↑ Semple, Kirk (October 21, 2009). "In Chinatown, Sound of the Future Is Mandarin". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  41. ↑ Moskin, Julia (February 9, 2010). "Northeast China Branches Out in Flushing". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  42. ↑ Semple, Kirk (October 21, 2009). "In Chinatown, Sound of the Future Is Mandarin". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  43. ↑ Barry, Ellen (May 28, 2007). "In Queens, Classes in Mandarin Are Also Lessons in Adaptation". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  44. ↑ "Chinese Immigrants Services, Inc.". Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  45. ↑ "A Growing Chinatown in Elmhurst". Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  46. ↑ Lawrence A. McGlinn, Department of Geography SUNY-New Paltz. "BEYOND CHINATOWN: DUAL IMMIGRATION AND THE CHINESE POPULATION OF METROPOLITAN NEW YORK CITY, 2000, Page 4" (PDF). Middle States Geographer, 2002, 35: 110–119, Journal of the Middle States Division of the Association of American Geographers. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
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  48. ↑ Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min. Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc. 2006. ISBN 9781412905565. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  49. ↑ Roleke, John. "Flushing: Queens Neighborhood Profile". About.com. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  50. ↑ "Koreatown Manhattan, or Koreatown Flushing?". CBS Interactive Inc. June 2009. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  51. ↑ Cohen, Joyce (March 23, 2003). "If You're Thinking of Living In/Murray Hill, Queens; The Name's the Same, the Pace is Slower". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  52. ↑ "Nassau County, New York QuickLinks". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  53. ↑ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  54. ↑ Molnar, Matt (August 9, 2011). "New Korean Air Airbus A380 Makes First Flight to America". Copyright © 2012 NYCAviation All Rights Reserved. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
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  56. ↑ Famous Hindu chaplain honored at Hindu Sangathan Diwas celebrations in New York, August 27, 2007, http://www.asiantribune.com/node/7144
  57. ↑ Vedanta Society in San Francisco (1906) or the Vedanta Center in Boston (1910) are sometimes considered to be the first Hindu temple in the US. However they were not fully consecrated traditional temples.
  58. ↑ Queens Community Boards, New York City. Accessed September 3, 2007.
  59. ↑ Cohen, Joyce. "Placid Diversity Convenient to Manhattan", The New York Times, October 20, 1996. Accessed December 16, 2007. "The neighborhood is the namesake of Auburndale, Mass., a Boston suburb and the hometown of L. H. Green, who was president of the New England Development and Improvement Company. It started developing the area's farmland in 1901, the same year that Long Island Rail Road service arrived."
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  62. 1 2 http://www.queenslibrary.org/index.aspx?page_nm=CL-Communityinfo&branch_id=MT
  63. ↑ Mortgage Insurance-Cooperative Projects; 14.126 (Federal Grants Directory)
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  65. ↑ "Demographics for the McGoldrick Branch". Queens Borough Public Library. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  66. ↑ "Community and Library Information for the McGoldrick Branch". Queens Borough Public Library. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
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  68. ↑ "(the other) Murray Hill". Forgotten New York. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
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  70. ↑ Historian Scott Hanson Discusses Religious Diversity in America
  71. ↑ Fenner, Louise (August 26, 2008). "Religious Freedom Laws Help Create Culture of Tolerance". newsblaze.com. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  72. ↑ Flushing Town Hall
  73. ↑ Representative Crowley: New York: Flushing
  74. ↑ The Queens Historical Society
  75. ↑ Queens 35th Anniversary Edition
  76. ↑ Fitzgerald-Ginsberg Mansion. Landmarks Preservation Commission, September 20, 2005. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
  77. ↑ Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden. Landmarks Preservation Commission, October 30, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
  78. 1 2 Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
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  80. ↑ "Daily Plant Newsletter: Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatic Center Opens – : New York City Department of Parks & Recreation". Nycgovparks.org. March 5, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  81. ↑ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 29, 1986. 108. "Head Office: Hangar 5, LaGuardia Airport, Flushing, NY 11371, US."
  82. ↑ Gootman, Elissa (December 20, 2008). "In Cramped Spaces, Small School Benefits". New York Times.
  83. ↑ http://www.ewsis.org/
  84. ↑ Gootman, Elissa (February 2, 2006). "36 More Small Schools Due in September, Mayor Says". New York Times.
  85. ↑ "School Detail for East-west School Of International Studies". National Center for Educational Studies.
  86. ↑ Hirshon, Nicholas (June 22, 2007). "Councilman John Liu wants city to buy Home Depot for a new school". New York Daily News.
  87. ↑ Yaniv, Oren (March 3, 2006). "New school for scribes, Asia studies". New York Daily News.
  88. ↑ East-West School of International Studies
  89. ↑ East-West School of International Studies on Flickr
  90. ↑ East-West School of International Studies NYC DOE school portal page
  91. 1 2 "本校の歩み." The Japanese School of New York. Retrieved on January 10, 2012. "1975.9.2. Jamaica Queensにて「ニューヨーク日本人学校」開校。" and "1980.12.22 Queens　Ｆlushing校に移転。" and "1991.8.18. Westchester Yonkers校へ移転。"
  92. ↑ Kulers, Brian G. "QUEENS NEIGHBORHOODS QUEENS CLOSEUP East Meets West in School For Japanese in America." Newsday. November 12, 1986. News, Start Page 31. Retrieved on January 9, 2012.
  93. ↑ CUNY School of Law - Location Shoot. The City University of New York - Location Shoots, Summer 2004. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  94. ↑ "The Ten Busiest Subway Stations 2010". Copyright 2011 Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  95. ↑ "Library Branch Addresses and Hours". Queens Library.
  96. 1 2 "Flushing". Queens Library.
  97. ↑ "Library is a portal for immigrants – Los Angeles Times". Latimes.com. June 22, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  98. 1 2 "New York And 22 Big-City Libraries Awarded $15 Million By Carnegie Corp.". Carnegie Corporation of New York. Today, the largest branch library in New York City is the Flushing Library, situated on the site of one of the branch libraries built with Mr. Carnegie's money.
  99. ↑ "New York Hospital Queens". Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  100. ↑ http://web.mta.info/maps/submap.html
  101. ↑ http://web.mta.info/lirr/Timetable/lirrmap.htm
  102. ↑ http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/busqns.pdf
  103. ↑ McGuire, Stephen (2000). "Behind The Music". Queens Tribune. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
  104. ↑ Bland, James Allen, Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Accessed September 23, 2007. "James Bland was born on October 22, 1854, in Flushing, Long Island, New York, to Allen M. Bland and Lidia Ann (Cromwell) Bland, one of 12 children."
  105. ↑ Cotter, Holland (July 13, 2007). "Poetic Theaters, Romantic Fevers". The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2007. But they meant the world to this intensely shy artist, who lived on sweets, worshiped forgotten divas and made portable shrines to them — his version of spiritual art — in the basement of the small house he shared with his mother and disabled brother in Flushing, Queens.
  106. ↑ Vinocur, John (May 2, 2009). "Experience the glory of Queens". The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2010.

External links

Coordinates: 40°45′57″N 73°49′59″W / 40.765830°N 73.833084°W / 40.765830; -73.833084

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