86-01 Broadway
1906 Lord & Hewlett
Between 1886 and 1919, steel manufacturing mogul Andrew Carnegie donated more than $40 million to build over 1,500 new library buildings in communities throughout America. In New York City, Carnegie libraries were built citywide. In the less dense nieghborhoods in The Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens, the buildings were typically freestanding structures constructed on a large lot. They frequently featured brick walls with limestone ornamentation, and typically had a symmetrical layout, large windows to allow an abundance of light into the reading rooms, and a prominent, decorative entrance.
In Queens, the Queensborough Public Library applied in 1901 for five sites, one of which was for Elmhurst. Cord Meyer Jr. offered a free site in his new development, but the library trustees lobbied for the purchase of a more central location. Construction began in 1904, with architectural firm Lord & Hewlett in charge of the design. It opened to the public in 1906, and served as the Elmhurst Branch of the Queens Borough Public Library until its demolition in 2012.
Photo courtesy of Oldelmhurst
84-07 Broadway
1848-1975, current building 1976
Built in 1735 at what became the southwest corner of 51st Avenue and Broadway, St. James Church is the oldest surviving building in Elmhurst, and the City’s second oldest extant religious building. Chartered by King George III, it is a remarkable Colonial-era mission church that still retains its early 18th-century rectangular box-like form, wood shingle siding, round-arched windows, and heavy timber framing. In 1772, the building was lengthened and the main entry moved from the south side to the Broadway façade.
Prominent citizens associated with the parish included the Reverend Benjamin Moore, a president of Kings College (later Columbia College), and the Reverend Samuel Seabury, Jr., the first American Episcopal Bishop. It was also a place of worship for British officers and men during the Revolution.
In 1848, after a period of growth, the parish built a larger church a block away and Old Saint James Church became a chapel and later a parish hall. It was renovated and altered over the years, until 2004 when it was restored to how it appeared in the 19th century.
The new St. James Episcopal Church located in 84-07 Broadway was originally a three- story wood-frame structure with windows made in Germany. It served the community from 1848 until 1975, when it was destroyed by arson. Parishioners were only able to salvage some vestments, altar linens, and brass ornaments from the rubble, but despite the considerable losses, they were able to rebuild the following year. This site also harbors a cemetery, where some of the original settlers of Elmhurst are buried.
Photo of the first new St. James Church courtesy of the Queens Library
82-10 Queens Boulevard
1923
Ballinger Co.
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was established in 1868 in New York City, following the increase in popularity of fraternal orders at the time, especially after the Civil War. They founded the Queensboro Lodge No. 878 in 1903, and held meetings at Lodge 828 in Long Island City until 1923, when they erected this Club House.
This Italian Renaissance Revival structure was designed by the Ballinger Company, a firm primarily known for its industrial and commercial buildings and notable for its expertise in steel-reinforced concrete design. Inside the five-story building and its annex were a swimming pool, a gym, an Aztec-themed 700-seat theater, 28 guest rooms, a banquet hall, three bars, smoking rooms and a six-lane bowling alley. The design received critical praise for its exotic interiors and for its ability to provide members with a private environment while simultaneously hosting non-members on a regular basis within the same building.
Known for its devotion to charity and to community service, membership at the Queensborough Lodge peaked during the 1960’s with 6,600 members, which included businessmen, professionals, and politicians, among others. By 2000, national and local membership had decreased dramatically, and in order to offset costs incurred by taxes and maintenance, the Elks began to rent out the dining hall for special events and leased out individual rooms for regular use by social and religious groups. In 2001, Elks officials decided to sell the building to the New Life Christian Fellowship, a Korean church organization. At the same time, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission acted to designate the building as an Individual Landmark, a move which the building owners supported.
This Italian Renaissance Revival structure was designed by the Ballinger Company, a firm primarily known for its industrial and commercial buildings and notable for its expertise in steel-reinforced concrete design. Inside the five-story building and its annex were a swimming pool, a gym, an Aztec-themed 700-seat theater, 28 guest rooms, a banquet hall, three bars, smoking rooms, and a six-lane bowling alley. The design received critical praise for its exotic interiors, and ability to provide members with a private environment, while hosting non-members on a regular basis.
Known for its devotion to charity and to community service, membership at the Queensborough Lodge peaked during the 1960’s with 6,600 members, which included businessmen, professionals, and politicians, among others. By 2000, national and local membership had decreased dramatically, and in order to offset costs incurred by taxes and maintenance, the Elks began to rent out the dining hall for special events and leasing out individual rooms for regular use by social and religious groups. In 2001, Elks officials decided to sell the building to the New Life Christian Fellowship, a Korean church organization. At the same time, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission acted to designate the building as an individual landmark, a move which the building owners supported. The Elks Lodge and Hall is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.
79-00 Queens Boulevard
1962
Brodsky, Hopf & Adler
In 1962, Adelson Industries announced the purchase of a plot of land in Elmhurst to build an
ambitious $2 million project: the Pan American Motor Inn. Upon opening, the seven- story luxury hotel had 216 rooms, an outdoor swimming pool, a health club and, a dining facility for 250 people. Its location was strategic, as it was the nearest major hotel facility to the planned 1964 New York World’s Fair and Shea Stadium, which alos openned in 1964. Designed by New York City architectural firm Brodsky, Hopf and Adler, it received critical praise, including an award from the Queens Chamber of Commerce in 1963.
Adelson Industries’s initial plan for the Pan American Motor Inn was for it to be the first of a chain along the Eastern Seaboard, but the motel never achieved superstar status in Queens as they had hoped. After a succession of buyers, it never made a profit. In 2014, the city turned it into a homeless shelter, just like its former competitor down the block, once called the Mets Motel and later the Metro Motel.
86-02 Broadway
1735, addition built in 1772
Built in 1735 at what became the southwest corner of 51st Avenue and Broadway, St. James Church is the oldest surviving building in Elmhurst, and the City’s second oldest religious building that is still standing. Chartered by King George III, it is a remarkable Colonial-era mission church that still retains its early 18th-century rectangular box-like form, wood shingle siding, round-arched windows, and heavy timber framing. In 1772, the building was lengthened and the main entry moved from the south side to the Broadway façade.
Prominent citizens associated with the parish included the Reverend Benjamin Moore, a president of Kings College (later Columbia College), and the Reverend Samuel Seabury, Jr., the first American Episcopal Bishop. It was also a place of worship for British officers and men during the Revolution.
In 1848, after a period of growth, the parish built a larger church a block away and Old Saint James Church became a chapel and later a parish hall. It was renovated and altered over the years, until 2004 when it was restored to its late 19th-century appearance. Old St. James Church is a NYC Individual Landmark and listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.
85-15 Broadway
1832, main building – 1858 Fellowship Hall
Founded by Dutch settlers, the original building for this church was a small, octagonal wooden structure with a high-pitched roof, constructed in 1731. It was in use for almost one hundred years, and served as an armory for the British during the Revolutionary War. Demolished in 1831, it was replaced by the present Georgian-style sanctuary in 1832, incorporating the cornerstone of the preceding church into the new one’s foundation. The bell tower contains the bell from the original 1731 church building. The Greek Revival-style Fellowship Hall was built in 1858. Originally located closer to the street, it was moved in 1906 to line up with the church building and connected to it by a covered passageway. In 1954, a small wing was added to the rear of the Fellowship Hall to house offices and classrooms. The flat roofed porch on the church and the columned portico on the Fellowship Hall were both added after the original construction, although the exact dates are not known. Adjoining the Church building to the north is a small cemetery filled with simple tombstones dating from the early years of the church’s history. The Reformed Church of Elmhurst is a NYC Individual Landmark and listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.
87-04 to 87-20 Elmhurst Avenue, 1912
Judge Street, 1904
Corner of Hampton St. and 43rd Avenue, 1897
Cord Meyer Development Company
Throughout the 20th century, the Cord Meyer Development Company played a significant role in Queens development. Led by Cord Meyer Jr., the Meyer brothers originally focused development in Elmhurst in 1893, when they purchased a farm in Newtown from Samuel Lord, co- founder of Lord & Taylor. They renamed the area Elmhurst, laid out subdivisions and streets, installed sewers and established trolley connections.
Some of Cord Meyer’s developments still survive in Elmhurst, like a row of Colonial houses with distinctive green terra-cotta tile roofs built in 1912 on the south side of Elmhurst Avenue, between Hampton and Ithaca Streets, and a group of brick English-style townhouses built in 1904 on Judge Street, between Whitney and Elmhurst Avenues.
Besides resdiential construction, Meyer also developed commercial properties for residents. The first storefront opened in 1897, and one original Meyer-built shop remains extant at the corner of Hampton Street and 43rd Avenue.
By the late 1920s, there was a shift in constrcution from the single-family row house to five and six story apartment buildings in Elmhurst. The Cord Meyer Company responded to this trend by building, in 1928, the Hasting Court Apartments (40-40 Elbertson St) and Alida Court (87-15 Britton Ave).
Named after the construction company that initially developed the neighborhood, Rego Park is an enclave of art deco architecture that dates back to 1925. As the neighborhood houses a great number of historic buildings, Michael Perlman of the Rego-Forest Preservation Council is working to preserve the area’s rich history through conducting research and interviews, as well as mapping out potential historic districts. As the area is considerably underserved by preservation protections, this group is campaigning to gain landmark designations for a number of sites.
78-03 19th Road
c. 1729
The oldest building in New York City still used as a private residence, this Dutch Colonial Farmhouse was built circa 1729 by Abraham Lent, grandson of Abraham Riker, using local stone and roughhewn timber. The locally prominent Riker family was the namesake of nearby Rikers Island. The property contains a small cemetery containing the graves of family members, as well as that of Williams James MacNeven, an Irish patriot and pioneering physician who had stayed with the Riker family before his death. Portions of the farmhouse were damaged by fire in 1955, but the property was fully restored by the current owner Marion Duckworth Smith and her late husband, Michael Smith.The Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead is an Individual Landmark and listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.
