Flushing, Queens
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Flushing, founded in 1645, is an expansive neighborhood in the north central part of the New York City borough of Queens, ten miles east of Manhattan.
Flushing was one of the original Dutch villages on Long Island. Today, Flushing has evolved into one of the largest neighborhoods in New York City. The neighborhood has quiet, residential areas as well as busy commercial sections. It is part of the Fifth Congressional District which encompasses the entire northeastern shore of Queens County and extends into neighboring Nassau County. The area is home to numerous ethnic groups including people of European, Asian, Hispanic and African-American descent.
Flushing is serviced by five railroad stations on the Long Island Rail Road Port Washington Branch and the New York City Subway Number 7 subway line has its terminus at Main Street.
Flushing is part of Queens Community Board 7.[1] Flushing is bounded by Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and Shea Stadium on the West, Francis Lewis Boulevard on the East, Jewel Avenue on the South and Willets Point Boulevard on the North.
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[edit] History
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| The Patroon System |
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| Directors-General of New Netherland: Cornelius Jacobsen Mey (1620-1625) |
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| Influential people Adriaen van der Donck |
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[edit] Dutch Colonial History
Before European settlement, northeastern Queens was inhabited by the Matinecoc Native Americans, a tribe of Algonquian-speaking people.[2]
In 1645, the Village of Flushing was first settled by Europeans on the eastern bank of Flushing Creek under charter of the Dutch West India Company and was part of the New Netherland colony. The village was named after the city of Vlissingen, in the southwestern Netherlands, the main port of the company.
In its early days, Flushing was inhabited by English colonists, among them a farmer named John Bowne. John Bowne defied a prohibition of imposed by New Amsterdam Director-General, Peter Stuyvesant to harbor Quakers by allowing Quaker meetings in his home. Today, landmarks from the Dutch period in Flushing include the John Bowne House on Bowne Street and the Old Quaker Meeting House on Northern Boulevard.
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. As such, Flushing is claimed to be a birthplace of religious freedom in the new world. [3]
[edit] English Colonial History
In 1664, the English took control of New Amsterdam ending Dutch control of the colony and renamed it New York. Flushing continued to be a small Long Island village.
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. 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.[4]
The 1790 United States census recorded that 5,393 people lived in what is present-day Queens County.
[edit] 19th Century
As New York City continued to grow in population and economic strength in the 1800s, Flushing's proximity to Manhattan was critical to its growth and transformation to a fashionable residential area.
In 1813, the Village of Flushing was incorporated into the Town of Flushing. By the mid-1860s, Queens County had 30,429 residents. Flushing's expansion continued in 1867 and 1868 when the neighboring villages of College Point and Whitestone were incorporated into the Town of Flushing.
In 1898, although opposed to the proposal, Flushing along with a re-drawn Queens County was consolidated into the City of New York. Local farmland continued to be subdivided and developed transforming Flushing into a densely populated neighborhood of New York City.
[edit] 20th Century to Present
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 Queensborough Bridge over the East River connected Queens County to midtown Manhattan.
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 Transit Authority's Number 7 subway line hastened the continued transformation of Flushing to a commuter suburb and larger 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 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. The theater now lies vacant and in disrepair due to an unauthorized real estate development project that took place in the early 1990s.
In 1921, Anne Frances Robbins was born in Flushing. She would later be known as Nancy Davis and, finally, Nancy Reagan, wife of Ronald Reagan.
[edit] World's Fairs
The 1939-1940 World's Fair was held in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.[5] Massive preparations for the Fair began in 1936 and included the elimination of the Corona dumps. Among the innovations presented to the world in 1939 were the television, which broadcast a speech by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
After the World's Fair, the New York City pavilion was turned into the temporary headquarters of the United Nations. In 1947, the UN vote in favor of the establishment of the State of Israel took place here.
The 1964-1965 World's Fair was also held in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. [6] After the Fair, the Unisphere, the New York State Pavilion and the New York City Pavilion remained in the park. The NYC Pavilion was converted into an ice-skating rink and later, the ice rink became the Queens Museum of Art. Pope Paul VI attended the Fair on October 4, 1965. Michelangelo's masterpiece, the Pietà, was exhibited during his trip.[7] On this papal trip, Pope Paul VI became the first pope to visit the United States. An exedra now commemorates the site of the Vatican pavilion.
Both Fairs were financially unprofitable ventures[citation needed].
[edit] Landmarks
Historic Flushing Town Hall is located on Northern Boulevard and is the headquarters of the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts. It is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. [8] The building houses a concert hall and cultural center. The Flushing Armory, also on Northern Boulevard, formerly used by the National Guard. Since 1996, the New York City Police Department Queens North Task Force is housed in this building.[9]
Other registered New York City Landmarks in Flushing include the Bowne House, Kingsland Homestead, Old Quaker Meeting House (1694), Flushing High School, St. George's Church (1854), the Latimer House, the RKO Keith's Movie Palace, the United States Post Office on Main Street and the Unisphere, a 12-story high globe that served as the centerpiece for the 1964 New York World's Fair. A Weeping Beech tree, planted in 1847 just north of the Bowne House, was a registered New York City Landmark until it died in 1998 at 151 years old.
In 2005, the Fitzgerald-Ginsberg Mansion on Bayside Avenue and in 2007, the Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden were designated as landmarks.
- The Queens Historical Society: Freedom Mile [1]
- Flushing Town Hall [2]
- The Fitzgerald-Ginsberg Mansion [3]
- The Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden [4]
[edit] Museums and Cultural Institutions
Several attractions remain from the World's Fairs in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and are worth visiting. The Queens Museum of Art in the New York City Building features a scale model of New York City which is the largest architectural model ever built, the New York Hall of Science and the Queens Zoo are all in the park. In addition to the Unisphere, the park contains a variety of sculpture and markers from the Fairs. 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.
The Queens Botanical Garden located on Main Street, has been in operation continuously since its opening as an exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair. The Botanical Garden carries on Flushing's long horticultural tradition begun by its once famous tree nurseries and seed farms.
[edit] Demographics
The 2000 United States Census Bureau ranked Queens County as the ninth most populous county in the United States with over 2.2 million residents. According to the Census Bureau, Queens County experienced over a 14% increase in population since the 1990 census.
The 2000 Census also reflected the growth of the Asian population in Queens County with over 391,500 people identifying themselves as Asians. That number was the largest in New York City, more than twice the number of people identifying themselves as Asians in Brooklyn. The 2000 Census revealed that the 5th Congressional District had almost 655,000 residents. Approximately 364,200 residents or 55% of the District identified themselves as white. A total of 160,896 residents or 25% of the District identified themselves as Asians and 153,721 or 24% identified themselves as Hispanic.
While it is claimed that more than half of Flushing's population is Asian American, that claim is questionable since many of the neighborhoods around Flushing also have a large number of Asian residents. It is also claimed that Flushing has the largest ethnic Chinese community in the New York metropolitan area, ahead of Manhattan's Chinatown and that it is the second-largest Chinatown in United States.[10]
U.S. Census Bureau New York 5th Congressional District Fact Sheet
U.S. Census Bureau Queens County Fact Sheet
[edit] Neighborhoods
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, 155st to the west and 172nd Streets to the east.[citation needed]
Media Coverage
- The New York Times[5]
- The New York Times [6]
- The New York Times [7]
- New York Daily News [8]
- The Village Voice [9]
- Historic Districts Council [10]
Waldheim, a residential area near Kissena Park, is known for its beautiful, individually crafted homes. The original 110 houses built were Queens' first estate subdivision[11].
Media Coverage
[edit] Parks
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.
- Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, a 1,255 acre park, is considered a flagship park in Queens. The site hosted two World's Fairs, the first in 1939-1940 and the second in 1964-1965. As the result, the park infrastructure reflects the construction undertaken for the Fairs. Also located here is Shea Stadium and the National Tennis Center which is the home of the US Tennis Open. In 2008, a new Aquatic Center was opened in the park.
- Kissena Park is a 234 acre park with a lake as a centerpiece.
- Bowne Park is an 11 acre park developed on the former estate of New York City Mayor Walter Bowne.
- Flushing Fields is a 10 acre greenbelt that includes the home athletic field of Flushing High School.
[edit] Education
The public schools in Flushing are all 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.
The five public high schools in Flushing include Flushing High School which is the oldest public high school in the City of New York. The school is housed in a distinctive Gothic Revival style building built between 1912 and 1915. The building was declared a NYC Landmark in 1991.
Townsend Harris High School located adjacent to the Queens College campus was recently ranked by the U.S. News and World Report as one of the best public high schools in the United States.
John Bowne High School, the Robert F. Kennedy Community High School and the Flushing International High School are also located in Flushing.
Private high schools include Holy Cross High School.
Queens College, one of the most respected senior colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY), is located on Kissena Boulevard in Flushing. It opened in 1937[12]. Adjoining it is the City University of New York School of Law, which operates a pro bono law firm that serves Flushing's immigrant and working-class communities.
The Flushing Branch of the Queens Borough Public Library, located at the intersection of Kissena Boulevard and Main Street,[13] is the largest branch library in New York City.[14] The library has developed into a valuable community resource 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.[14] Flushing is also served by eight other Queens Borough Public Library branches.[15]
[edit] Transportation
Main Street, on the western edge of Flushing, is conveniently located near air, rail and bus links.
The New York City Transit Authority operates the Flushing Number 7 subway line that has its terminus at the Flushing-Main Street Station which is located at the intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue. The Number 7 subway line provides a direct rail link to Grand Central Station and Times Square in Manhattan. Until the Flushing Number 7 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 Port Washington Branch that has five stops in Flushing. The Flushing-Main Street Station of the Long Island Rail Road is located one block away from the subway. The Long Island Rail Road also stops at at Shea Stadium when necessary and the Murray Hill, Broadway and Auburndale stations. The Long Island Rail Road provides a direct rail link to Pennsylvania Station also in Manhattan.
There are numerous bus routes available on Main Street with destinations to other Queens neighborhoods by MTA New York City Transit buses, the Bronx and Nassau County by MTA Long Island Bus.
The Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Expressway, Grand Central Parkway and Long Island Expressway are major roadways that serve the area.
La Guardia Airport is located 10 minutes away by car or bus. Flushing Airport was in operation from 1927 to 1984 and was located at the northern end of Linden Place. The site is considered to be in the College Point neighborhood. The airport opened in 1927 as Speed's Airport and was the busiest airport in New York City before the development of LaGuardia Airport.[16] In 1977, a Piper Twin Comanche crashed shortly after taking off, which eventually lead to the close of this airport in 1984.[17]
[edit] Professional Sports
Flushing has hosted many world-class sporting events.
The New York Mets Baseball Club uses Shea Stadium as their home field and the United States Tennis Association's National Tennis Center hosts the U.S. Open Tournament in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park every year. This tournament relocated to Flushing from its original home in Forest Hills, Queens.
Shea Stadium was also used by the New York Yankees during the 1974–1975 seasons while Yankee Stadium was being renovated and by the New York Jets before the football team moved to Giants Stadium in New Jersey. Shea Stadium was designed with rotating seating sections on the lower level that would allow the stadium to be alternated between baseball and football configurations. In 2009, Shea Stadium will be replaced by Citi Field, which is currently under construction in Shea Stadium's parking lot. Shea Stadium has hosted four World Series, in 1969, 1973, 1986 and 2000.
[edit] Religion
Religious tolerance has a long history in Flushing.
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 Flushing Remonstrance cited the Flushing Town charter of 1645 which promised liberty of conscience.[18]
Today, Flushing abounds in houses of worship, ranging from the colonial Dutch Quaker Meeting House, St. George's Episcopal Church, the Flushing Free Synagogue, St. Andrew Avellino Roman Catholic Church, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church - the largest Greek Orthodox Church in the United States - to a plethora of modern Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh temples.
As a result, Flushing can claim to be one of the most religiously diverse neighborhoods in the United States. It also includes many mosques and masjids for the growing number of Muslims and converts. [19]
[edit] Ethnic Culture
The intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue, the downtown business center for Flushing, has become a center for Korean and Chinese culture and small businesses. Today, this section of Flushing is known for its selection of authentic Asian restaurants. The area south of Franklin Avenue is home to a large Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi market. In 2007, many Korean businesses moved away from Main Street and Chinese businesses have replaced them.
[edit] Popular Culture
- The rock band KISS first played at the Coventry Club on Queens Boulevard in 1973, and is said to have derived its name from "Kissena," one of Flushing's major boulevards.[20]
- Joel Fleischman, the fictional character from the 1990s comedic drama Northern Exposure, was said to have relocated from Flushing. Often, references were made to actual locations around Main Street, Flushing.
- Fran Drescher's character "Fran Fine" on the TV show "The Nanny", was said to have been raised in Flushing, where her family still lived. Drescher herself was born in Flushing.
- Flushing was the location of the Stark Industries (later Stark International) munitions plant in Marvel Comics' original Iron Man series.
[edit] Notable residents
- Daniel Carter Beard founder of the Boy Scouts of America
- James A. Bland singer and composer[21]
- Godfrey CambridgeAfrican American comedian and actor
- Fidel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart, Cuban leader Fidel Castro's son
- Joseph Cornell, artist.[22]
- Fran Drescher, actress
- Erik Estrada, actor
- Jon Favreau, actor/producer/director
- Franky G, actor
- Mic Geronimo, rapper
- Charles Dana Gibson, illustrator
- Al Greenwood, former keyboardist of Foreigner
- Marvin Hamlisch, composer
- Steve Karsay, Baseball player
- Keith and The Girl, podcasters
- Kevin "Flushing Flash" Kelley, boxer
- Carole King, singer-songwriter
- Large Professor, hip-hop producer
- Gene Mayer, tennis player
- Sandy Mayer, tennis player
- Charles Momsen, vice admiral who organized rescue of USS Squalus
- Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer
- Lewis Mumford, architecture critic and historian
- Prong, crossover thrash/thrash metal band
- Richard Outcault, creator of Buster Brown and Hogan's Alley
- Nancy Reagan, actress and First Lady
- Richard Riorden, Los Angeles mayor
- Ray Romano, comedian
- John Seery, artist
- Kasey Smith, musician
- Paul Stanley, member of the band KISS
- Bill Viola, video artist
- Suzanne Weyn, children's author
- Harvey and Bob Weinstein, founders of Miramax and the Weinstein Company
- John Vinocur, journalist[23]
- Buried in Flushing
- See also: Flushing Cemetery
- John Bowne, Quaker advocate
- Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, mob boss
- Alan King, comedian
- Louis Armstrong, jazz musician
- Bert Lahr, actor
- Henny Youngman, comedian
- Aris San, acclaimed Greek-Israeli singer
- Famous Visitors
- George Washington visited the Prince nurseries with Vice President John Adams.
- Francis Lewis, signer of the Declaration of Independence—a merchant and patriot who lost his wife and gave his fortune to the revolutionary cause, served as vestryman at St. George's Church.
- Theodore Roosevelt gave a campaign speech from the steps of Flushing Town Hall
- The Ramones often played Flushing's clubs
- The Beatles, The Who, and other bands played at Shea Stadium
