Historic Forest Hills Banks Merit New Lease on Life & Not Demolition!

 By Michael Perlman

Banks were traditionally erected as freestanding buildings with solid construction comprised of high ceilings and classical architectural features, to instill a sense of financial stability, integrity, security, and commitment, and were regarded as community centerpieces. In Forest Hills, three bank buildings became available over the past year, echoing the neighborhood’s past, as they were designed in harmony with their surroundings. Now community residents and visitors are hopeful that their unique period details will be preserved, whether the buildings continue to operate as a bank or are adaptively reused, which has been accomplished countrywide. 

 

A “For Sale” sign was posted on the façade of Forest Hills National Bank of New York at 99-00/02 Metropolitan Avenue , which most recently operated as a branch of Chase. This Greek Revival meets Colonial building style building’s façade remains mostly intact, retaining its brick and stonework consisting of pilasters, a door surround, arched windows, and a pediment. It opened in December 1928 to primarily serve a growing community of south Forest Hills which was 22 years old at that time, whereas Rego Park was 5 years old. The Queens Chamber of Commerce’s “Queensborough” publication stated, “The capital stock of $200,000 is held for the most part by Queens Borough business men who believe in the future of the borough. The bank starts with a surplus of $50,000.” It also explained that the bank operated a Special Interest department and a Christmas Club.

Daniel J. Flynn, Vice President of Jones Lang LaSalle, a commercial real estate services company, explained that he and his colleague is currently under negotiations with a buyer. The façade’s few modifications include the uppermost arched section of the windows covered with aluminum siding, replaced windows, and the building’s original etched name also covered with aluminum. The interior has dropped ceilings, but can be eliminated to reveal distinctive details from 1928. While examining the façade, he said, “I love the look of the building. It captures a bygone era, in which materials and labor were disproportionately less expensive. At this point, the buyer fully plans to utilize the building and not modify the exterior.” Considering its ideal location, he continued, “This part of Queens serves a very important function in housing and commerce.” 

The longtime location of HSBC Bank at 107-15 Continental Avenue was home to The Williamsburgh Savings Bank in 1975 to benefit Forest Hills’ growing community. It is now available for lease and its use remains to be seen. In the 1970s, the bank appointed an architect to creatively design the façade in the Tudor style, a hallmark of Forest Hills architecture, which complements the harmonious ambiance along Austin Street, Continental Avenue, and Forest Hills Gardens. A few decades ago, the commercial district was still referred to as “The Village” by community residents. The façade remains mostly intact and includes signature half-timbering, ornamental brick and stone chimneys, a slate pitched roof, a finial, Roman numeral clock, and flagpoles. 

A leasing opportunity advertises an available 6,500 square feet with an additional mezzanine and basement. It also references heavy daytime traffic and the space’s excellent condition which remains fully built out as a bank.

As of March 1975, The Williamsburgh Savings Bank, which was incorporated in 1851, increased in resources to over $1.7 billion. An ad featuring a façade rendering read, “Get a free gift at our new Forest Hills office only for opening a new savings account of $5,000, $1,000, $500 or $200 or more during the opening celebration.” Weekly door prizes ranged from a G.E. cassette recorder or a Polaroid SX-70 camera to a Raleigh 10-speed bicycle or a Panasonic 16 in. solid state TV. Grand door prizes included a trip for two to Bermuda or Las Vegas, a choice of grandmother’s or grandfather’s clock, a G.E. washer & dryer, a Panasonic Quadruplex stereo, or a Sun Fish sailboat. Nineteen prizes for a new account of $5,000 or more included a Caravelle by Bulova, a Manning-Bowman stainless steel rotisserie broiler, and a Corelle 20-piece Livingware set by Corning. For over $1,000, 14 options included an ICP AM/FM portable radio, a Sankyo digital alarm clock, and a flight bag. 

In November 1921, the Corn Exchange Bank received permission from the State Banking Department to open a Forest Hills branch at 106-24 Continental Avenue. Now it is known as Boston Market and also consists of the recently shuttered Aldo, which is being advertised as a store for rent. Around 1922, patrons were welcomed to a prominent Tudor style brick and stone building at a major intersection. It features a pitched sweeping roof with terra-cotta tiles and a spire harmonious to the nearby Forest Hills Inn, as well as tall windows with motifs of crops and flowers. The bank’s name, etched in stone, reportedly exists underneath Boston Market’s signage. As renovations were underway in Aldo nearly ten years ago, the removal of a faux ceiling revealed a much higher curved ceiling with period details, but was only witnessed by the modern eye briefly.

In January 1928, readers of “Queensborough” learned that the firm, which began business on February 1, 1853, had eight of its more than 60 branches in Queens. It stated, “The bank has a capital of $11,000,000 and surplus and undivided profits of $16,527,000. The bank entered the Queens field on August 28, 1899, when it absorbed the Queens County Bank.” The Forest Hills branch manager was Edward L. DeForest.

“Part of the lure and rewards of exploring New York’s history is how every neighborhood has its own character,” said Riley Kellogg, an adjunct lecturer in history and a licensed NYC tour guide. My hometown’s rich history teaches us about all the people who have been drawn here for myriad reasons, and how all have contributed to building the New York City we know and love. One of the most visible, and we hope lasting marks of those characters, are a place’s architecture. The evidence of who Forest Hills has been, who it is now -- who we are now -- is there to be seen in the mix of Tudor and Classical, humble and grand, commercial and residential buildings. These former bank buildings each reveal one of the faces of this ever-growing, ever-evolving neighborhood. There are good reasons to keep our older buildings. We needn't obliterate our past in order to grow our future. In fact, the future will have stronger roots, and be sounder and more truly ours, if we build with the past, rather than demolishing and forgetting it.”

Helen Day, Richmond Hill Historical Society VP, is also concerned about Forest Hills’ historic buildings. She was surprised to see Chase closing its Metropolitan Avenue branch. “It is a lovely building that I would really like to see preserved with a new use. It is large enough for a restaurant or another bank.” She continued, “The Tudor style buildings on Continental Avenue also fit well with the neighborhood. They don’t need to go to the expense of tearing a building down or doing a complete renovation of the façade. Each one of these buildings contributes to the character and appeal of their location. It is unfortunate that the businesses are no longer there, but this is an opportunity for another business to make good use of them.”

She explained a case in point. “Many period features get covered up, but that doesn’t mean you cannot uncover them. I know of a hair salon in Ridgewood, where the owner pulled out all the modern stuff and found tin ceilings and great details that she incorporated into her décor. The interiors should have as much character as the exterior! Preserving something unique will give a special look to whatever they will open at those three Forest Hills locations.” 

Long-Awaited Station Square Restoration Progresses

By Michael Perlman

Station Square is continuing to undergo restoration, brick by brick, after construction began in April and sections were fenced off to vehicular traffic. Last week, local residents and LIRR commuters observed workers reinstalling the historic brick surface along Continental Avenue, which many considered a breath of fresh air. In a time when many buildings citywide that merit preservation fall victim to the wrecking ball, Station Square’s restoration is a rare sight, and marks one of the largest restoration projects in Forest Hills history.

Station Square is the gateway to Forest Hills Gardens, America’s earliest planned garden community, founded in 1909. Inspired by Sir Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City Movement, the model residential development was designed by principal architect Grosvenor Atterbury and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. Station Square accommodated a classy social life, particularly at the Forest Hills Inn, which opened in 1912 and offered 150 rooms, adjoining the Raleigh apartments on the east and the Marlboro apartments on the west. The LIRR Station, once accessible from the Inn through arcades and bridges sheltering residents and visitors from the weather, enabled a 13-minute commute to Manhattan. The Tudor village ambiance gave birth to historic events including annual 4th of July celebrations, Col. Theodore Roosevelt’s “100 Percent American” speech on July 4, 1917, and Helen Keller’s address to over 1,200 soldiers of the Rainbow Division that same year. 

Tony Barsamian, a member of the Board of Directors of the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation provided an in-depth view of the restoration. In order to upgrade utilities to meet 21st century standards, the overwhelming majority of original bricks were carefully salvaged and stored in Station Square and FHGC facilities. “We have cleaned and replaced every brick with either the original brick or custom-tailored bricks 100 percent to match the originals. We’ve padded them with the same sand in terms of how we lay them down. We don’t use mortar, since it cracks when it is icy or snowy, or water gets into it and then it freezes. We have gone out of our way to maintain it to hopefully last another hundred years.” 

In addition to addressing the roadway’s sinking elevation, Barsamian said, “We made improvements in the center island in terms of bringing it back to its original form.” He continued, “When you dug underneath Station Square, you saw that some of the lines and infrastructure elements were dated. Between National Grid and Con Edison and some other service providers, they came in and upgraded their connections to the homes and our community at large.” Water lines were also repaired. The plans will reportedly include the illumination of Station Square’s arcades.

Routine maintenance has been conducted annually, but not a restoration to this level, according to Barsamian. “This is a unique project that should garner great support from historians, since it will bring to life something that could have disappeared. We will probably be finished in February, but a ribbon-cutting ceremony or party may take place in March to welcome everyone to the beautifully restored Station Square.”

“When I watch bricks being put down in 2018, I imagine what it must have been like in the early 1900s,” said Barsamian. “I ask myself, ‘What were the original construction workers and masons thinking? Did it occur to them that they were involved in something so monumental that it has become a model throughout the country and the world, and when someone wants to create a planned historic village? Did the workers have any concept that the brick that they put down would still be walked and driven on?’ This is a throwback to an earlier time, and yet it was futuristic while designing from the past.” 

Barsamian owes much of the success to restrictive covenants. He explained, “A major reason that the community has been maintained for 100+ years is that homes are required by a covenant in their deed that they keep the integrity and structural soundness of the founding fathers’ established code. You cannot walk in and say I’m going to put in a checkerboard look or paint my bricks green and orange. People buy into the neighborhood knowing that there are restrictions on what can be done, and they need to seek our approval based on the community’s original design. That is why it is a timepiece, where you might as well be in an 1800s European Tudor village.”

Station Square’s restoration is not only marked by the most recent roadway project, but is witnessed along its Tudor facades. George Hoban, president of Station Square Inn Apartments Corporation, explained, “Over the past 10 years, our corporation has spent over 7 million dollars restoring our three buildings, and I don’t think people realize that it was funded entirely by less than 100 owners through assessments. People may also not realize that out of the hundreds of brick patterns throughout the buildings, each and every brick pattern is unique.”

Hoban also extended compliments to the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation and Friends of Station Square for their commitment to restoring and beautifying Station Square over the years, and said “The planning and logistics behind this project were obviously challenging, but they have come through flawlessly.” As a 21-year resident, he added, “I still feel a sense of joy each and every time I come home and see the beauty of the Square. I would see the surprised faces of New Yorkers coming off the LIRR into the Square for Forest Hills Stadium concerts and sensed that many were unaware such a beautiful and unique place existed in NYC.”

For another resident Dan Ziegler, who is the owner of Station Square Fight Fit at the Forest Hills Inn, he is also very pleased with the restoration of a town center with many paths. “When I come home, I almost feel like I'm in Europe. Famous people used to stay in my building, and I love how we can go for a stroll in the Gardens and look at mansions, or walk to Queens Boulevard for more of a city vibe. It's almost like ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ where you go through a door, and each door has something special.”

“Visitors may not realize that when you get an aerial view of Station Square with its bricks, it looks like a map of England,” said Gigmy Bista, manager of Jade Eatery & Lounge. “I cannot wait for the restoration to be complete. We would always have locals, commuters, and tourists taking pictures and hanging out, and it was really good for businesses.” Station Square is symbolic of his first time settling in America. “When I attended Queens College, I started working at Jade as a server and remember admiring the Square so much, having my meals on the Square’s bench, and feeling special. I always think of Jade and the Square as my second hometown.” 

A similar version of this feature has been published in Michael Perlman's Forest Hills Times column: http://www.foresthillstimes.com/view/full_story/27618913/article-Station-Square-restoration-moving-forward

Preservation Call For 3 of Forest Hills’ Earliest Residential Buildings - Save "The Village!"

By Michael Perlman

Forest Hills was named in 1906 by Cord Meyer Development Company, and in the heart of the neighborhood, north of the Forest Hills Gardens, stands a large quantity of buildings designed during its first few decades in the Tudor, Georgian Colonial, Colonial, and Art Deco styles. This collection of architecturally and historically significant buildings, mostly situated between Continental Avenue to Ascan Avenue and Austin Street to Ascan Avenue, comprised what was nicknamed by local residents as “The Village,” which relates to its traditional Old English ambiance, low-rise buildings, and mom and pop shops. They continue to offer much character, but as redevelopment pressures increase for condos and chain stores, sites that are worthy of preservation based on their architectural style, history, and age have become endangered. 

Three of the earliest apartment houses in “The Village” are The Alberta, Harding Court, and the One Continental Avenue Building, which are often overlooked, but remain in a good state of preservation. They were designed by architect Rudolf C.P. Boehler, who was known for his projects in Manhattan from the 1920s to the 1950s, but resorted to Forest Hills which was a desirable community. Selling points included the Long Island Railroad, Forest Park, and recreational facilities for golf and the West Side Tennis Club. 

Alberta Apartments, Photo by Michael Perlman

In an April 1928 ad, the four-story Alberta Apartments, a Tudor standout at 2 Roman Avenue, which has been renumbered 108-22 72nd Avenue, was marketed for being two blocks from the LIRR station, and offered two rooms, a kitchenette, foyer, and bath for rent at $65, three rooms, a foyer, and bath from $75 to $80, and four rooms, a foyer and bath for $105. Since Forest Hills was largely undeveloped, The Alberta was advertised for its view of Kew Gardens to its east and Elmhurst to the west, with an abundance of sunshine, to the benefit of 29 families. Another attraction was every modern convenience including General Electric refrigerators and spacious rooms with high ceilings and several large closets.     

The Alberta was erected by John S. Myers and named after his mother Alberta, which continues to bear homage with an inscription above the arched stone entryway. Other distinctive façade features include a pitched flagstone roof, multi-colored bricks, a half-timber effect accomplished by brick and stucco, ornamental balconies and fire escapes, wooden doors, and a dormer. The foyer area consists of two-tone marble walls and a moulded ceiling, followed by a marble stairway which leads to apartment units. The Alberta was ready for occupancy on October 15, 1923. If a lease was signed prior to its development, Myers offered to prioritize on a color scheme that suited the tenants’ styles. 

Harding Court Apartments in a mid-1920s postcard, Courtesy of Michael Perlman

Nearby, Boehler designed the six-story Tudor-style residence, Harding Court Apartments at 15 Portsmouth Place, which was later renumbered 109-01 72nd Road. This development was underway in September 1923 and bears homage to Warren G. Harding, the 29th U.S. President, whose term began in 1921, but passed away while in office in 1923. Designed by architect Rudolf C.P. Boehler, constructed by the Kholef Construction Company, and built by the Stanhold Company, it would become one of the earliest multi-story “elevator apartment houses” in Forest Hills, with 2 elevators and 44 apartments containing two to seven rooms across from the LIRR. It was ready for occupancy in March 1924, and an ad read “The last word in apartment construction.” Three rooms were rented from $45, whereas 5 rooms were available from $75. A June 1925 ad read “June brides complete your happiness – Live at Harding Court Apartments” and called it the “finest elevator apartments.” In May 1929, its appeal influenced the development of the Forest Hills Library, which became a tenant, attracting 500 subscribers in its first couple of weeks.

Harding Court’s façade also featured half timbers, brick and stucco, and a gabled slate roof, in addition to decorative stone lintels, Old English storefronts, and a courtyard leading to the stone entranceway, where an inscription bears “Harding Court.” Stepping inside is a spacious vestibule area with detailed stone walls with moldings, a mantle, and an arched ceiling.

One Continental Avenue Building, Photo by Michael Perlman

The One Continental Avenue Building, also known as 107-37 Continental Avenue, was designed as a 4-story residential and commercial complement to the ambiance of Station Square. In 1922, it was advertised that the three uppermost floors would have three apartments each, offering the benefit of all tenants having a view of Queens Boulevard and Continental Avenue. In 1926, a tenant could pay $125 for five large rooms and a bath. Some of the earliest businesses were the Sage Forest Hills Associates, Inc, Forest Hills Beauty Shop, and Hughes and Lewis Dressmakers.

Rudolf C.P. Boehler served as architect and engineer, and work was underway by the Fifth Avenue Studio, Inc. Distinctive features include a pitched slate roof, a half timber effect accomplished by brick and pea gravel, and an arched entryway with vines extending from cartouches which leads to a central section of limestone quoins topped off by a crest.

Beauty is in the detail, as evident by these additional photos... 

Alberta Apartments

Harding Court Apartments

One Continental Avenue Building

A similar version of this feature story appears in Michael Perlman's Forest Hills Times column: www.foresthillstimes.com/view/full_story/27554095/article-A-look-at-three-early-residential-buildings-in-Forest-Hills

Tale of 2 of Forest Hills' Earliest Apartment Houses

The historic Georgian Court, 109-20 Queens Blvd

The Alberta, a historic Tudor gem at 108-22 72nd Ave, which was originally 2 Roman Ave.

 Two of Forest Hills' earliest apartment houses are the Georgian Court and the Alberta, which are situated in the business and residential district in the heart of our neighborhood.

It is the compilation of low-density developments with mainly Tudor and Colonial design which surround the Austin St and Queens Blvd thoroughfares, and which grant character to what was once referred to as "Forest Hills Village" or "The Village." Let's think twice before insensitively altering or demolishing the low-rise residential and commercial sites along and in between these thoroughfares. Preserving, restoring, and adaptively reusing our assemblage of buildings which began in 1906, will pay respect to the fine craftsmanship and vision of our remarkable developers, urban planners, architects, and business owners, who would once strive to make our streestscapes harmonious and distinctive from Anytown USA. It was a complementary extension to the aura of the Forest Hills Gardens, and still is in many ways, with the exception of a few tacky aluminum or stucco-covered buildings, and the brick and steel sliver McOffices that began to rise on 72nd Ave.

We extend our gratitude to Historian Ron Marzlock of the Queens Chronicle's I Have Often Walked column, for publishing the history of the Georgian Court and The Alberta on June 23rd & June 16, 2011 respectively, and establishing the need for their preservation and that of the greater neighborhood:

Georgian Court: An Innovator in Forest Hills

Georgian Court, located at 109-20 Queens Blvd, with tennis courts to the left, May 1931.

 Georgian Court holds the distinction of being the first apartment building built on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills. It was an innovation for its time for many other reasons too.

It was designed by Manhattan architect Louis I. Brooks of 63 Madison Ave. and was the only apartment building built in Forest Hills during the Great Depression, opening for occupancy on Oct. 1, 1930.

All apartments were built with three or four rooms and were convertible to six- or seven-room units.

The building had two Otis elevators, individual incinerators for each unit, refrigerators and gas ranges. There were no dumbwaiters. It was Forest Hills’ first apartment building with colored tile to match the fixtures in both the bathroom and kitchen, a welcome change to the stark black and white of the 1920s. References were required for tenants to rent a three-room apartment for $100 or four rooms for $140, expensive at the time.

Georgian Court’s most attractive selling point was that it was situated next to beautiful tennis courts. However, that was short lived. It was announced on Dec. 3, 1936 that a new church and rectory were to be built there for Our Lady Queen of Martyrs for $365,000. Steam shovels broke ground in May 1938, residents lost their view and they endured the noise for the next year.

Today Georgian Court sits modestly on the boulevard, obscured by all the other structures towering over it. Compared to newer buildings, residents are still very happy with its solid construction and love their 80-year-old building.

More photos of the Georgian Court, courtesy of Michael Perlman
  

A Forest Hills Gem: The Alberta, Built in ’23

A 1923 architect’s rendering of The Alberta, located at 2 Roman Ave, today’s 108-22 72 Ave in Forest Hills.

 The oldest apartment building in Forest Hills outside of the Gardens I have found to be The Alberta. John S. Myers of Manhattan was the builder, and he named the structure after his mother.

In 1922 Myers hired architect Rudolf C.P. Boehler to design a four-story luxury walk-up building at what was then 2 Roman Ave. Boehler worked mainly in Manhattan, from 1920 to 1954, and this was his only project in Queens.

Through a beautiful marble covered vestibule you enter The Alberta’s spacious, artistically treated reception room, from where marble stairs lead to the apartments.

One of the selling points was Myers’ willingness to arrange the color scheme in accordance with tenants’ wishes if leases were signed before completion of the building. Inspection began in late September 1923 and it was ready for occupancy on Oct. 15. Expensive for its time, The Alberta’s A and B line of four-room apartments cost $145 a month, the three-room C and E line was $110 and the two-room D was $85.

Another selling point was that, as advertised, the apartments had a commanding view overlooking Queens Boulevard to Kew Gardens in one direction and Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in the other.

The building has been renumbered 108-22 72 Ave. but retains the name Alberta. After 88 years it is in pristine condition, and serious thought should be given to its preservation as buildings like this will never be constructed again in Forest Hills. With the very high value of the land alone, this beauty could be put in danger of destruction at some point.

More photos of the Alberta, Courtesy of Michael Perlman