Sterling National Bank To Close Longtime Branch August 28 - Preserve The Original Home of Forest Hills Masons!

By Michael Perlman

Forest Hills Masonic Temple & Boulevard Bank in 1929, Courtesy of Michael Perlman

One of Forest Hills’ earliest commercial buildings houses Sterling National Bank at 108-01 Queens Boulevard, which was erected in 1920. However, as plans are underway to close its longtime location, the future of this classic Greek Revival style building may be in jeopardy, and merits a tenant that will preserve the building. 

According to Consumer Banking President Brian Edwards, the consolidation date for this branch (with Astoria Bank) will be on August 28. He explained, “Sterling is proud to serve this neighborhood by aligning dedicated relationship managers with the credit, deposit, and banking needs of the local community. While this branch is consolidating, we maintain two other locations within a mile at 63-72 108th Street and 97-33 Queens Boulevard.” 

Sterling National Bank, 108-01 Queens Blvd, August 2018 photo by Michael Perlman

As buildings that offer character are being lost in the name of progress, it is time to rediscover the site’s long yet forgotten history. The former tenant was Boulevard Bank, and nearly a century ago it was home to the Forest Hills Masonic Temple, which was considered a major achievement in a community that was named only fourteen years earlier. On October 9, 1920, a cornerstone was laid for Forest Hills Lodge No. 946 of the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York by Grand Master Robert H. Robinson. A parade led up to the ceremony with a marching band, and the Knight Templar lodges of New York City escorted the Grand Master. On November 16, 1920, the Masons moved into their new site after previously meeting at Arcanum Hall in Elmhurst. The organization was granted a dispensation on December 18, 1916 by Most Worshipful Grand Master Penny.

In early 1919, for less than $10,000, Forest Hills Lodge No. 946 acquired a 64-foot frontage on Queens Boulevard by 150 feet on what was originally known as Gown Street. Stone Doric pilasters along with a stone frieze, quoins, and lintels provide contrast from the red brick façade with its large arched and rectangular windows, and were meant to offer charm and prominence on a highly visible intersection. Plans called for bowling alleys among other amusements and a kitchen in the basement, an auditorium and community hall on the first floor, and the Forest Hills Masonic Temple on the second floor with ante-rooms and lockers. One of the most engaging features would be an up to date organ in an organ loft.

Forest Hills residents provided assistance to Lodge No. 946, and Forest Hills Community Hall, Inc was known as the holding company. The Masons would undertake the financing of the property, including the temple, which would represent an investment of over $50,000. The charter committee consisted of Dickran M. Sarkisian, John Miller, Robert Whyte, J.M. Pahl, Andrew Galbraith, Adam Treu, and V. E. Engelbach. As of 1924, membership increased to 187.

Throughout the decades, the building was home to an array of community engagements. Early on, “Scandals at the Shore” was presented by the Lehbog Circle of the Silver Cross Day Nursery, and attendees compared a local show to the season’s best musical comedies. The entertainment group consisted of thirty active and six associated female members. The Forest Hills Choral Club, led by Bruno Huhn, offered a concert at the Masonic Temple in December 1923.

In the Forest Hills Theatre, over 400 participants attended the Fashion Revue and Frolic of the Forest Hills Masons on a single day of a two-day event in December 1928. A bridal tableaux displayed a $5,000 wedding gown. A ballroom dance session at the Masonic Temple followed, and proceeds helped furnish the temple. In September 1932, Forest Hills Jewish Center held High Holiday services on site. On a more humble scale, the Bath Sheba Chapter, Order of Eastern Star coordinated a Dutch supper and card and games party in 1945. That same year, the Trinity Triangle, Daughters of Eastern Star held the Annual Barn Dance. All expenses were paid by the brothers of the Forest Hills Lodge annually when it came to organizing a Thanksgiving dinner and a moving picture show for children of a local orphanage.

In 1928, it was announced that on February 1, 1929, Boulevard Bank and Trust Company of Forest Hills, which became a member of the Forest Hills Board of Trade, would share the building, and D. M. Sarkisian of 30 Jewel Street would be the founder and first vice president. Sarkisian, who was a veteran of the Spanish-American War and a WWI Army Captain, was also a trustee and elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Forest Hills.

On May 14, 1948, the Sterling Safe Deposit Company was granted authorization to open the Sterling National Bank & Trust Company on June 1st. A vintage ad read, “In the past six years, Sterling National Bank has been serving thousands of residents and merchants in Queens through its office at (95-38) Queens Boulevard near 63rd Drive. Our new office will enable us to extend our services over a much wider area of this important section of Long Island.”

Forest Hills Masonic Temple remained for decades at its original site and relocated approximately fifty years after its founding to 101-01 Metropolitan Avenue.

Jeff Gottlieb: Historian Paints A Central Queens Legacy Read more: Forest Hills Times - Jeff Gottlieb Historian Paints A Central Queens Legacy

This is Michael Perlman's Forest Hills Times/Queens Ledger 10/18/12 article on Historian Jeff Gottlieb, Founder & President of Central Queens Historical Association. On October 14th, he led the Downtown Forest Hills tour, and addressed architectural styles and historic patterns:

http://www.foresthillstimes.com/view/full_story/20541607/article-Jeff-Gottlieb--Historian-Paints-A-Central-Queens-Legacy

Buildings of historic note in the Austin St, Continental Ave, Queens Blvd, & Ascan Ave vicinity of Forest Hills are as follows: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8095451@N08/collections/72157617717136872/

Throughout Forest Hills and Rego Park, as well as much of Central Queens and beyond, a richly built history with individuals who made an imprint exists in unique ways. We just need to know where to look, pause momentarily, and gaze up in midst of busy routines to admire historic architectural styles above modern storefronts. If feeling inspired enough, we can also visit archives.

Thanks to the dedication of historian Jeff Gottlieb, founder and president of Central Queens Historical Association, the 11th annual Downtown Forest Hills tour took place on October 14, and the public acquired some excerpts from this “walking encyclopedia.”

Gottlieb, a resident of Kew Gardens Hills, was raised in Crown Heights. He is a retired history teacher, who is currently employed by the Board of Elections. He graduated from Forest Hills High School and earned a BA and MS in Education at Queens College.

In the early 1980s, Gottlieb joined Community Board 6, and felt enriched by the history of Forest Hills. He visited the Long Island Room of Jamaica’s Central Library, which is home to historic newspapers, books, and vintage photos.

In 1986, he coordinated his first Forest Hills tour, which he admits he initially had minimal knowledge of. His followers increased when weeklies printed local history articles.

In the 1990s, he conducted lectures and additional tours, and submitted papers and slideshows to libraries. Some of his walking tours include Forest Hills Gardens, Rego Park, 108th Street, Cord Meyer, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Queens College, Downtown Jamaica, and Richmond Hill.

Some of his bus tours are Jewish Central Queens and “Jazz Trail: From Flushing Town Hall to Addisleigh Park.”

The Downtown Forest Hills tour encompasses Austin Street on the south, Ascan Avenue on the east, 70th Avenue on the west, and Queens Boulevard on the north, and contains commercial and residential developments, as well as religious buildings.

Notable sites reflect the Tudor, Georgian Colonial, Colonial, Art Moderne, Tudor Gothic, and Neo-Renaissance styles. Gottlieb explained historic patterns of the 20th century business district, distinctive architectural details, and skillful developers and architects such as Benjamin Braunstein and Theobald Engelhardt.

Memorable 20th century businesses include the Forest Hills Theatre, Sutton Hall Pharmacy (a soda-fountain spot), Beau Brummel, Woolworth’s, Addie Vallens, the Homestead, Cheeses of The World, and Buster Brown Shoes.

Some of Forest Hills' numerous notables are Helen Keller, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, and Geraldine Ferraro. Non-existent alphabetical street names include DeKoven Street, Euclid Street, Fife Street, Windsor Place, and Roman Avenue.

Continental Avenue was a thoroughfare referred to as "The Village,” with sites designed in the 1920s as a complementary gateway to the nearby Forest Hills Gardens (1909), the country’s earliest planned garden community.

Continental Avenue and much of Austin Street retain an English village feel. For example, Tudor design is most prevalent at 1 Continental Avenue at Queens Boulevard, which features a steep slate roofline with wood spandrels, a two-tone brick and stone half-timber effect, a limestone entryway, and a shield at the climactic point of the central cross section with limestone quoins.

The glazed terra-cotta tiled brick and stone façade of the 1920s former Forest Hills Theatre once had an organ and screened silent films. The two-story Tudor-style building at Continental Ave and Austin Street is the earliest extant business site, which housed Horton’s Ice Cream circa 1911, a general shop, and then Cushman’s Bakery and King George in its more recent past.

Adjacent on Austin Street are Austin Hall and Tudor Hall, which are the street’s earliest apartment houses dating to the late teens. The 1920s former Corn Exchange Bank on the opposite corner now houses Boston Market, which features a pitched tiled roof and crops in ornamentation between windows, tying in with the bank’s theme of prosperity.

Another signature element of the tour was the site of Forest Hills' first firehouse, a humble wooden edifice on Austin Street. A temporary electrified LIRR station on the south side was built in close proximity to Forest Hills' first developed street in 1906, Roman Avenue, which is now 72nd Avenue.

Its few remaining elaborate Neo-Renaissance rowhouses were the earliest sites developed by Cord Meyer Development, which named Forest Hills. This was the site of Central Queens Historical Association’s 1991 and 2006 dedication ceremonies. Some rowhouses were demolished in recent years.

One of Forest Hills’ largest buildings of the 1920s is Sutton Hall, which spans Ascan Avenue. Benjamin Braunstein was a household architect, and it is one of the greatest examples of Tudor architecture and urban planning in Downtown Forest Hills, evident by its stepped entryway, Medieval wood doors with knight motifs on stained glass, a cupola, a mansard roof, a prominent half-timber effect, castle-like corners, and inner courtyards and recessed facades enabling light and air.

Another one of Forest Hills’ largest buildings is the predominantly built 1920s and 1930s-era Tudor Gothic-style Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, which covers a square block, with a main entrance on Ascan Avenue.

It was designed by Maginnis & Walsh, and offers a soaring Indiana limestone sanctuary, numerous stained glass windows varying in design, and landscaped areas surrounding and between its buildings.

Erected in 1930, Georgian Court bears distinction as being Forest Hills’ first sole apartment house on Queens Boulevard, and features a Corinthian entryway, a heavily inlaid mosaic lobby, a mansard slate roof with balustrades, and a recessed planting area.

Further west on Queens Boulevard, the Art Moderne Midway Theatre, named after WWII’s Battle of Midway, was designed by the renowned Thomas Lamb and features a signature sweeping staircase.

When interviewed about how the Landmarks Preservation Commission can be improved, Gottlieb explained, “I would like to see more personnel and increased funding for research.

“I want them to provide the real reasons why Queens sites are rejected, rather than serving form letters to the public,” he added. “I also want more Queens landmarks, some public hearings in the evenings, and Queens properties to be heard in Queens.”

Gottlieb’s credentials extend to President of the Queens Jewish Historical Society, VP of Native New Yorkers Historical Society, Co-Chair of Queens College’s Polish-Jewish Dialogue Committee, and President of the Committee to Preserve Jamaica Architecture & History.

Gottlieb’s wisdom prospers with age. Now at 71, he foresees his future as historian. As the Central Queens Historical Association will be celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2013, he envisions future tours.

He also hopes to achieve city landmarking victories on the Queens College and St. John’s University campuses, landmark designations in Jamaica, as well as designations in Forest Hills, such as Eddie’s Sweet Shop, the Medical Society of Queens County, the former Metropolitan Industrial Bank (Bank of America), and Rego Park’s Lefrak Center.

Foremost leaders owe gratitude to others. Evident by his vision of presenting humanitarian awards, Gottlieb builds a legacy as a community historian and leader.

10th Annual Downtown Forest Hills Walking Tour by Historian Jeff Gottlieb

Historian Jeff Gottlieb at the start of the tour on Austin St & Continental Ave, in the heart of historic Downtown Forest Hills! On the left-hand site is a remarkable century-old Tudor business establishment, designed in conjunction with the Forest Hills Gardens. The same holds true with the charming late 1920s Austin Hall & Tudor Hall, designed with shops at street level & apartments above. The former Corn Exchange Bank is on the right.

Similar perspective of above photo, but depicting Austin St in the 1940s, & featuring predominantly Tudor & Georgian Colonial commercial & residential sites from early 20th century Forest Hills. Postcard courtesy of Michael Perlman Postcard Collection

The 10th Annual Downtown Forest Hills Walking Tour was held on a pleasantly sunny and warm Sunday afternoon of September 5, 2010, and was a historic record-breaker, adding a chapter in the success of previous walking tours led by Historian Jeff Gottlieb. Members of Central Queens Historical Association and Rego-Forest Preservation Council, inclusive of neighborhood residents, were in attendance. The 2 hr 45 min tour began on the corner of Austin St and Continental Ave, made its way east on Austin St to Ascan Ave, while viewing the blocks between Austin St and Queens Blvd, and turning in on Ascan Ave. On Queens Blvd, the tour headed west, pointing out historic sites along the south and north sides, and made its way to 70th Ave, and then stopped at MacDonald Park, a cornerstone of the neighborhood. Then the tour turned in on 70th Ave and proceeded west on Austin St, back to its origins at Continental Ave.

Happy faces of the walking tour's diverse attendees, who pose in front of 1 Continental Ave, a Tudor apt & commercial site, which dates to the 1920s when Continental Ave was a thoroughfare referred to as "The Village." It was designed to complement nearby Forest Hills Gardens, established in 1909. When walking on Continental Ave, as well as Austin St, don't be the average passerby, but pause and glance at a world of English village-like intrigue overhead and all around. A slate steep roofline with wood spandrels, a 2-tone brick and stone half-timber effect, a limestone entryway, and a shield at the the climatic point of the central cross section with limestone quoins, captures the eye!

Michael Perlman, Chairman of Rego-Forest Preservation Council explains, "Historian Jeff Gottlieb, who is President of the Central Queens Historical Association, always manages to conduct a phenomenal tour. He can be compared to a walking encyclopedia, and is a people's person who makes Forest Hills history come alive on his tours, with his creative yet down to earth approach. It was great how many people asked questions, and engaged in each other's conversation as a result. This is a tradition that Forest Hills is extremely fortunate to have."

Two noble leaders! Historian Jeff Gottlieb in the path of the iconic Captain Gerald MacDonald statue in MacDonald Park, who was a WWI soldier & a Forest Hills resident. 

Historian Jeff Gottlieb reflected upon the 10th annual tour in pride. He explains "It was a great, solid tour, with the largest crowd in years. The Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce helped promote it. Giving the tour was enjoyable as the people were enthusiastic. It was comprised of various age groups and ethnicities." Approximately 50 - 60 people attended, which illustrates that a greater percentage of locals are caring about our neighborhood's history, and such distinctive sites in the Tudor, Georgian Colonial, Art Deco, Romanesque, Gothic, Neo-Renaissance, International Style, etc. The distinction amongst the commonly found architectural styles was explained, which grants character that is seldom found in today's developments.

Jeff Gottlieb explained the naming of Forest Hills in 1906, the establishment of the Forest Hills Gardens in 1909, historic patterns of the 20th century, and pointed out the majority of historic sites in Forest Hills' most popular commercial and residential district, in regard to their skillful architects and reputable developers.

Memorable 20th century businesses include Beau Brummel, Woolworths, Bohack, Chateau Jewelers, Addie Vallens, the Homestead, Sutton Hall Pharmacy, Cheeses of The World, & the recently shuttered Buster Brown Shoes. Some of Forest Hills' numerous celebrities were noted, including Helen Keller, Bud Abbott & Lou Costello, and Geraldine Ferraro. Street names from A-Z that are no longer in existence were pointed out, including Atom St, DeKoven St, Euclid St, Fife St, Gown St, & Pilgrim St, as well as Colonial Ave & Roman Ave (now 72nd Ave, but only retained in the Forest Hills Gardens). Austin St, Continental Ave, & Ascan Ave are holdouts. The site of Forest Hills' first firehouse was highlighted on Austin St. Also, the 1906 temporary electrified LIRR station on the south side of Austin St, which was built in close proximity to Forest Hills' 1st street, Roman Ave/72nd Ave featuring huble yet elaborate Neo-Renaissance rowhouses (1906) for original workmen, which are shamefully imminently endangered today.

At the conclusion of the tour, Historian Jeff Gottlieb gave Preservationist Michael Perlman the stage, enabling him to give a presentation on the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium Preservation Campaign. It was well-received, and garnered the support of many locals that signed onto a petition calling on landmark status and creative reuse for the iconic Stadium. The 10th annual tour of the district also caught the attention of NY 1 News, which ran the report later that afternoon, and featured footage of historic sites, and interviews by Historian Jeff Gottlieb, Preservationist Michael Perlman, Steve Melnick of the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce & Queens Blvd Restoration Group, and a Rego Park participant who explained how she will now begin seeing our neighborhood's history and architecture in a different light, and owed her gratitude to Gottlieb's tours.

Annual Tour Shows Many Sides of Forest Hills, NY 1 News, 9/7/10

Admiring the Tudor charm of the Gladstone & Harding Court on Austin St. Distinguishable characteristics include the half-timber effect, pitched roofs, burnt bricks, & tall chimneys. The Bishop's Crook style lamp posts were re-introduced in the late 90s, conveying harmony with the architecture.

Architect Benjamin Braunstein was a household name. This is evident when designing the Portsmouth, a Georgian Colonial apt house with a courtyard leading to 2-wing recessed entryways and facades, allowing light and creating a sense of place. Distinctive features include lantern, original wood doors, large windows, a bricked dental cornice, limestone roundels, non-accentuated fire escapes, & ornamented wrought-iron balconies on Austin St. The Portsmouth was built in conjunction with its easterly neighbor, the Hawthorne.

Crossing Austin St to Ascan Ave's Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church & one of the greatest examples of Tudor architecture & urban planning in Downtown Forest Hills, Sutton Hall. Note the apt house's graceful stepped entryway, Medieval wood doors with knight motifs on inlaid stained glass, the central facade's cupola, mansard roofs, prominent half-timber effect, recessed facades, castle-like motif, arched overhead window storefronts, & more.

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church & Parochial School (1938 & 1928, with harmonious 1950s edifices) is a grand Romanesque & Gothic complex that spans 4 city blocks, with a plethora of stained glass, novel steeples, ornate entryways, landscaped courtyards between the buildings, and gardens outlining the facades.

Admiring the craftsmanship & urban planning of the attached Warrenton & the Hampton complex (109-20 71st Rd to 109-05 72nd Ave) attached with a suspended arch on a lush garden, as well as the Carlton House, with its 4-section front facade outlined with quoins, recessed columned entryway, decorative balconies, corner terraces, & pediments with roundels.

Jeff Gottlieb explains how the mid 1920s Georgian Court is the earliest apartment house with a Queens Blvd address in Forest Hills. This Georgian Colonial gem boasts a recessed entrway with Corinthian columns, a flagstone path, a pitched slate roof with balustrades, recessed facades permitting greenery, air, and light, quoins, limestone lintels, cornices, & an arched window adjacent to the entryway where a doorman would once greet residents.

Historian Jeff Gottlieb atop the legendary Midway Theater's sweeping staircase. The theater was designed by America's foremost theater architect, Thomas W. Lamb, & was his very last theater, & one of his relatively few in the Art Moderne style, considering his circa 300 theaters nationally. Completed in 1942, it was named at the last moment after WWII's Battle of Midway. The limestone facade is mostly intact, with its curtain-like effect, illuminated marquee & vertical beacon boasting MIDWAY, curved facade with a streamline design, & a side picture window. Originally a single screen theater, it now features 9 screens, and is a thriving theater, with a largely intact Art Moderne lobby-in-the-round.

The Forest Hills Post Office is 1 of 2 sites in Forest Hills thus far to be placed on the State & National Register of Historic Places. Its cornerstone reads 1937, and the site depicts the International Style with some Art Deco touches. Most post offices of the era were in the Colonial style, but Architect Lorimer Rich was experimental with his clever use of industrial materials in shape and form. Above the brass doors, there is a terra cotta "Spirit of Communication"relief sculpture by famed artist Sten Jacobsson. The site has some resemblances to the 1939 World's Fair's NY City Building. Note the stained terra cotta facade, tall recessed windows with a simplified cornice line. The International Style & Art Moderne style of Forest Hills Jewish Center is evident in the background, with a 1947 cornerstone. These historic sites make a suitable backdrop to serene MacDonald Park, in midst of bustling Queens Blvd.

Hopefully, landlords, tenants, and developers can realize how preserving their culturally and architecturally significant properties can contribute to the harmonious ambiance of the neighborhood, and in turn, maintain and enhance property values, residency, and business, and improve our quality of life. For questions about Forest Hills and Central Queens' architectural styles and history, and restoring and creatively reusing your site, please e-mail:

Historian Jeff Gottlieb, Pres. of Central Queens Historical Association: jeffgottlieb@hotmail.com
(917) 376-4496

Preservationist Michael Perlman, Chair of Rego-Forest Preservation Council: unlockthevault@hotmail.com
http://regoforestpreservation.blogspot.com

Photo Collections by Michael Perlman

10th Annual Downtown Forest Hills Tour Photoset
Central Queens Historical Association - Prior Walking Tours
Extensive Collection of Austin St & Queens Blvd Photosets