From Queens: The Brand Residents Don't Buy
Back to History of Immigration
History of Jackson Heights
Prior to 1900, no town named "Jackson Heights" existed. The original settlers of the area were English and Dutch, and Queens still had rural farmland between such residential areas as Jamaica, Flushing, Long Island City, Astoria and Newtown; "Jackson Heights" was merely a collection of quiet little farms (JHBG).
In 1909 Edward MacDougall, General Manager of the Queensboro Corporation, began work on purchasing the farmland to be built on, where a residential community of garden and cooperative apartments would be constructed. MacDougall's original goal was "to attract ... affluent professionals" (Karatzas, 35), and in doing so he secured the homogenization of the town.
Every picture that can be found of Jackson Heights in the early 1900's portrays upper class white citizens with little to no variation in status or race. By the 1950's, however, the original families of Jackson Heights moved to Long Island to settle comfortably in the suburbs, and a new wave of families moved in. "Beginning in the 1960's, as immigration quotas were overturned, immigrants from all over the world settled in Jackson Heights" (Karatzas, 167).
 74th-Broadway Subway Station |
 The Community Church |
 Tavern's Park |
Our walking tour of Jackson Heights began at the 74th – Broadway subway station, where several buses and trains pass through. It is one of the busiest areas of the neighborhood, as people commute, especially to and from Manhattan, every day. Immediately after we left the train station, we saw Little India right off of Roosevelt Avenue and 75th Street. The streets were not crowded, but were busy with small ethnic businesses, mostly food, clothing, and beauty parlors. The people were predominately East Indians.
As we continued to walk east, we came to 77th street between Roosevelt and 37th avenues, which had several small medical practices based in residential areas. There were signs in several languages and the services ranged from dentistry to physical therapy. 37th avenue was as commercial as Roosevelt Avenue, and both also had a mix of small discount stores and larger chain stores. 37th Avenue had multiple clothing stores, most of them hosting sales, as well as a large Starbucks and other large stores, such as Rite Aid. 82nd Street proved to be another street lined with stores, banks, and fast food franchises. This section of the neighborhood was predominately Hispanic, particularly families. The rest of the neighborhood was mostly residential.
There were a few churches of various denominations, including St. Joan of Arc, a large Roman Catholic Church that was very popular, despite the scaffolding. Next to it was the Community Church, a slightly smaller place that advertised a few services, such as tutoring, in English and Spanish. There were several public buildings and schools, such as a post office, a public library, and I.S. 145 Q. Tavern’s Park was a small, concrete lot that was under construction. The architecture of Jackson Heights was quite elegant and impressive.
Many buildings had detailed facades and seemed very sophisticated. Laurel Court, one of the original apartment buildings, was a tall grey building that was plain compared to the surrounding buildings. Jackson Heights also had gardens, which were mapped on a street sign. The neighborhood was quiet, but it was a Sunday morning and most of the residents were probably in church or asleep. The residents we did see were a mix of old Jewish couples, Hispanic families, and single, middle-aged whites. The people, as reflected by the businesses, were diverse. It was a neighborhood that had a lot to offer in its diversity and calm atmosphere.
Sources
"JHBG-History of Jackson Heights" Jackson Heights Beautification Group. Web. 07 May. 2010. <http://www.jhbg.org/history/history.html>
Karatzas, Daniel. Jackson Heights: A Garden in the City. New York: Columbia University in the City of New York, 1990. Print.
To continue learning about the history of neighborhoods in Queens, click next. To move on to the next topic, click on How is Queens Branded?
