Walking These Cobblestone Streets
The stones that make up this stretch of 89th Avenue near Sutphin Boulevard are red brick.
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By Iman Khan
Queens still has intact many of its cobblestone streets, reminiscent of an era when horse and buggies were the method by which many residents traversed the streets; many of these streets date back to the early 1900s and can be found throughout the borough.
Station Square off 71st Street and Continental Avenue has been called the finest place of its kind by famous architect Robert A. M. Stern. The square marks the beginning of Forest Hills Gardens. With its high and low towers, half-timbered facades, steep, terra-cotta-tiled roofs, arcaded walks and covered bridges, it evokes images of a medieval town. One of the most under recognized facets of Station Square, however, is its cobblestone streets.
In Flushing, which was developed long before the surrounding areas of Fresh Meadows and Auburndale, there is a small enclave known as Waldheim, developed from 1903-1916. Its streets are named for plants. Uneven slate sidewalks are juxtaposed against the more orderly concrete sidewalks along Murray Street, evoking both the time period during which the original streets were built and how transportation has progressed since then.
Going Greek: This classic of Greek Revival architecture is not often found in Queens. The bowels of lower Manhattan’s halls of power may carry columns, but this Parthenon pretender of a post office is one of only a few public buildings (and even fewer private ones) in Queens that hearken back to this classic style. -Ira Cohen |
In Western Queens in Astoria Village, slate sidewalks and large towering willow trees once dominated the local scenery. With outward Manhattan development and Astoria’s proximity to its neighbor borough, construction of new developments and business has rid Astoria of such sights.
Jamaica Avenue is presently undergoing an extensive reconstruction, with replacement of sewer lines and a complete resetting of sidewalks and streets. Of the many streets which have been repaved, 89th Avenue still proudly displays its original red-brick form, but community activists don’t necessarily believe that may remain the case for too long, especially since red bricks have been asphalted over from Jamaica Avenue to 144th Street. There are those that do remain between 144th Street and Sutphin Boulevard.
Although, for the time being, many of these early 20th Century treasures remain intact, their longevity is not guaranteed. The treasure that these streets are remains mostly hidden from the public since their history isn’t necessarily known and because in a fast-moving society, people take little time to notice the pavement below their feet.
