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| Neighborhood History |
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 Jamaica Estates
By the close of the 19th Century, Queens already was running out of land, villages were expanding into each other, and Jamaica was becoming the shopping center of central Queens. But there were still 503 acres of undeveloped forest, owned by the City of New York and filled with maple, elm and chestnut trees. Meanwhile, wealthy city dwellers were looking for a place in the country not too far from their connections on Wall Street and at City Hall. The answer came with the opening of the Queensboro Bridge in 1909, followed by construction of Queens Boulevard from the bridge to Jamaica. A group of wealthy New Yorkers formed the Jamaica Estates Co. in 1910, bought the Jamaica woods and began an enclave of large Tudor-style homes for people of means.
Turning Point: When the developers went bankrupt in the 1920s and auctioned their remaining lots, the property owners (275 at the time) formed the Jamaica Estates Association in 1928. They were determined to hold to the original building restrictions: only detached two-story houses with attics, no flat roofs and no house costing less than $6,000, a goodly sum at the time. In 1934, when the city assessed local property owners for the building of the Grand Central Parkway, the association joined a coalition that succeeded in having Grand Central declared an arterial highway, paid for by the state and city.
Claims to Fame: While other wealthy city neighborhoods have declined with changing times, Jamaica Estates remains an elegant place where judges, civic leaders and doctors have made their homes, among them Rep. Gary Ackerman and developer Fred Trump, father of Donald. One mansion was converted into a spiritual retreat called the Bishop Molloy House and the Immaculate Conception Monastery.
This history of the neighborhood plays a vital part in the identity of its residents. If you have lived in the neighborhood for many years, the neighborhood history is a heartfelt reminder of days gone by.
If you are interested in writing a brief history of the neighborhood to share with the community, please click on Add Neighborhood History(below). |
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1967-1979
I lived at 181-12 Dalny Road from 1967 to 1979. The home was built in 1920 by the Buchners who sold it to my parents in 1967. Mrs. Adams who lived 2 homes closer to Middleland Pkwy. was said to have owned much of the land in the area. She was a nice older woman who invited me over to play with her cat, Alfons, and give me antique toys which I have since lost. The people who lived directly on the other side of us were the second oldest family on the street. When my mother sold our home some time after 1986, I have heard that the people who bought it tore it down and built a new home. I remember our house had mahogany doors and molding. We once played in the attic and could still smell the wood lining the roof as if it were milled the day before. Too bad it is gone. It would have been fun to go back and see if the current owners would let me take a peek into my childhood home, almost like going back in time.
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| adendum to 1967-1979
The Holland's lived on one side of us, and the Harkay's, then Mrs. Adams lived on the other. Mrs. Adams and the Holland family were the oldest residents in remaining in the neighborhood back n 1967.
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