Atlas Terminals, as it stood in Glendale through most of the 20th Century.
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Queens Steams Beyond Its Industrial Past
By JEFF FEINMAN
From farmlands to franchises, from crops to corporations, Queens has always been a flourishing economic machine. Since businesses and factories began to sprout with the development of the Long Island Railroad, the borough has always been growing. With the continuing rise in population, the borough still thrives on a stellar combination of big business and small market entrepreneurs.
The Industrial Revolution helped shape the warehouse and factory layout that we recognize today, as steam powered ferries and locomotives helped promote commercial activity in Flushing and Jamaica. Factories were born in the area that would become Long Island City.
However, it was the county’s assimilation into the rest of New York City in 1898 that really gave Queens an economic boost. The county would be able to benefit from Manhattan’s wealth and inherit a number of vast upgrades in transportation and urban infrastructure.
Getting Connected
One of the events that historians point to as a lift to economic development in Queens was the opening of Penn Station, which took place in 1910. The birth of Penn Station resulted in a suburban boom along the Long Island Rail Road.
“For the first time, commuters could travel from Queens directly into Manhattan,” said John Jay College librarian Jeff Kroessler, author of “New York: Year by Year.” “Before that, people would have to transfer in Brooklyn or take the train into Long Island City and then the ferry at Hunters Point.”
The construction of the Queensboro Bridge was also a major contributor to economic development as it opened up direct trolley service to Manhattan. The Queensboro Bridge, opened in 1909, connects Long Island City to Manhattan and originally contained two automobile traffic lanes and two elevated railway tracks on the top level, and four traffic and two trolley lanes on the lower level.
Industrial Boom
With the construction of the Queensboro Bridge, big businesses were more attracted to Queens as a location to set up major factories and warehouses. Though their main shopping stores were located in the posh stretches of Manhattan, companies like Macy’s and Gimbel’s had warehouses in Long Island City. There were Sunshine Bakery and Adams Chewing Gum plants.
“Businesses could move to Queens, where there was more room to build an expanded plant,” Kroessler said. “If you don’t have the Queensboro Bridge, you’re not going to build there.”
We’re In Business
The 1912 directory of Queens businesses lists everyone from accountants to |
Business in Queens has always been a productive venture, even in the early 1900’s. A perusal through a “Borough of Queens Business Directory” from 1912 displayed many of the first ever business pioneers in Queens. There were butchers, blacksmiths, masons, horseshoe makers, and druggists.
Sure, it may not be a very easy task to find a blacksmith on Austin Street or a horseshoe maker on Main Street these days, but there are certain aspects of Queens business that have not changed. For example, there was an abundance of lawyers in the old days, as the 1912 directory lists well more than 200 lawyers in Queens.
Queens’ present day business world is as lively as ever, with residents new and old contributing to the borough’s economy.
“The businesses of our borough, along with our 2.2 million people, are shining examples of a community that works,” said Borough President Helen Marshall. “Our residents hail from virtually every nation in the world, and together create a vibrant spectrum of neighborhoods, traditions, foods and cultures. Yet all Queens residents share the basic desires to live and prosper together.”
Continued Success
Looking around the business world of the borough, it is easy to see that a great deal of success stories have set up right here in Queens. Jet Blue, one of the most popular and affordable airlines, was created in February 2000. The airline now serves 32 cities and is the first and only U.S. start-up airline to launch with more than $100 million in capital. Additionally, Jet Blue boasts individual seat television screens and is the first “ticket-less” airline.
This spring, the shops at Atlas Park will replace a huge swath of Queens’ industrial past with hopes of a retail future. |
The Queens County Savings Bank was founded in 1859, making it the first ever bank to open in Queens. These days, the bank has more than 30 branches, including Bayside, Fresh Meadows, and Astoria, and after some strategic moves and purchases has now become New York Community Bancorp.
The future of Queens also looks bright from a financial standpoint, as there will be a number of projects that will create jobs and trickle down business benefits. For example, the New York Mets will be constructing a new stadium that should be ready by 2009. The new stadium is supposed to create over 6,000 jobs through direct and indirect employment, and work given out should give out an estimated $391 million of income.
An expansion planned at Silvercup Studios will bring a $1 billion development project also slated for 2009 and will create 2,200 construction jobs and 3,900 permanent jobs.
And there will always be more to come.
