On The Record with Michael Perlman, Chair of Rego-Forest Preservation Council

Queens Ledger

Queens Ledger - Michael Perlman Chair Rego Forest Preservation Council

Published January 18, 2012
By Heather Senison

On The Record with Michael Perlman

Michael Perlman devotes his time to preserving relics in the Rego Park/Forest Hills area, hoping to keep its history alive. Perlman is chair of the Rego-Forest Preservation Council and vice president of the Queens chapter of the Four Borough Preservation Alliance Corporation, in addition to several other historical and civic groups.

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Perlman’s grandparents moved to Forest Hills in 1952. He graduated from the LaGuardia High School for Music and Performing Arts in Manhattan in 2000, and went on to get his Bachelor’s degree as a Communication Arts major from Marymount Manhattan.

His interest in preservation, he said, sparked in 2005 when he witnessed the demolition of parts of the Trylon Theater on Queens Boulevard.“I witnessed a demolition crew taking some jackhammers and breaking beautiful mosaic artwork from the 1939 World’s Fair,” Perlman said. “I was surprised that something so significant and beautiful wasn’t already landmarked.” In response, Perlman formed a committee to push for landmark status for the theater. The Trylon Theater's landmark application was denied, but much of the building's original decor is still in tact.

Next, Perlman founded the Rego-Forest Preservation Council in 2006, on Forest Hills’ 100th anniversary. The council focuses on projects such as getting the Trylon Theater landmarked and restoring the West Side Tennis Club stadium.

“We wanted to take a proactive approach and research historical sites, make community residents and visitors more aware of their architectural and cultural history,” Perlman said. “We wanted to teach property owners how they can work with us and other organizations to fund restoration works.”

He started researching the history behind the West Side stadium in 2010. What to make of the deteriorating 2.5-acre stadium is currently under discussion by the Club.

Along with the stadium’s architectural uniqueness, Perlman said cultural barriers were crossed when Grand Slam-winner Althea Gibson, the first African American woman to compete on the world tennis tour in the 1950s, and Arthur Ashe, a black man played there as well.

“I didn’t want West Side Tennis Club members to vote for a typical condo in place of a historical stadium where many legends were born,” he said.

Perlman said the stadium was declared eligible for the State and National Register of Historic Places on January 5 which, if members vote in favor, would allow the Club and any future partnership to apply for funds to restore it. The council is currently in talks with the Club to set up a meeting, he said.

To A Happy 2012... But Not Without Glimpses of Forest Hills A Century Ago

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my Rego-Forest Preservation Council members & friends, friends' friends, & their families!!! Oops, I am 100 years too early......

Let's countdown to 2012, a year of health, happiness, and advocacy for the historic preservation & conservation of Rego Park, Forest Hills, and adjacent neighborhoods, and the hopes of many history-related events and a tree giveaway to come.

 

 These photos are on display at Nick's Pizza at 108-26 Ascan Ave, & capture the feel of Forest Hills in the early 20th century... A window to our past! Thankfully, our fine craftsmanship and green landscapes have not changed much in some sections of our neighborhood.

An audience of children pose in a public space in Forest Hills, presumably in the auditorium of Public School 3. Note the early 20th century fashions.

A classic out front of "small town feel" rowhouses

The residents of Forest Hills were fortunate to have a trolley line among the dirt roads of Queens Blvd. Hop on & journey back in time!

Snowy Queens Blvd when it was less civilized, & offered a field perspective towards the Forest Hills Inn of the Forest Hills Gardens.

Based in the Cord Meyer Section, Public School No. 3 was Forest Hills' 1st elementary school, & today it is known as PS 303. It was also known as the Little Red Schoolhouse.

East side of Continental Ave towards Austin St & Queens Blvd. Spotlight on the Forest Hills Theatre, which was our first theater, which witnessed silent films & the advent of talkies. This early 20's theater had an organ too! Today it is more predictable as Duane Reade & Staples. In the foreground is a wood & brick Tudor style business building. It was one of the first buildings to grace Austin St, circa 1910. It housed Garcia Grande Cigars & Sporting Goods in this image.

The Continental Garage & Service Station was conveniently situated just west of Continental Ave, serving motorists on Queens Blvd. It housed a Texaco shop. Note how garages & gas stations were embellished in Colonial design, & how the medians of Queens Blvd had tasteful stonework. Lane Towers sits at this site today.

Pennsylvania Drug Company was a famous community pharmacy which offered a soda fountain, a commonality of the times. Note the Tudor feel of what was called Forest Hills Village, at the foot of the south side of Queens Blvd & Continental Ave. Today, the building on the right proudly stands, but sadly the charmer on the left is now home to the mundane black glass Cord Meyer office tower.

1 Continental Avenue Building, a Tudor commercial & residential gem at the entryway to what was known as Forest Hills Village, on the SW corner of Continental Ave & Queens Blvd in 1936.

Forest Hills Inn at Station Square, Forest Hills Gardens. Celebrities & tourists would stay at the Inn, which could conveniently be accessed by the classic Pennsylvania Station. Many postcards and ads boasted that it was 15 mins to Manhattan. The Davis Cup, Wightman Cup, & US Open were played at the nearby Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, which boosted profits at the Inn. Today the Forest Hills Inn houses apartments.

Sage Foundation Home Company truck - In the teens, it was praised how admirable a planned community, the Forest Hills Gardens (1909) becomes, when it's designed on the principles of an architect and a gardener working in harmony.

Greenway Terrace, Forest Hills Gardens

East side of Continental Ave between Austin St & Burns St. On the left is the 20s era Corn Exchange Bank, & the right is a route to the Forest Hills LIRR train station, based in the Forest Hills Gardens.

Man & his best friend in a Forest Hills park

Happy Hanukkah! Our Landmarks Elicit Light, Soul, & Miracles

THEN: Rego Park Jewish Center at 97-30 Queens Blvd had its cornerstone laid in 1948. RPJC was designed by Frank Grad & Sons in a Bauhaus variation of the Art Moderne style, by the same firm which designed the Essex House on Manhattan's Central Park South. This photo is from 1950.

NOW: Rego Park Jewish Center proudly stands today, & has been honored by placement on the State & National Register of Historic Places in October 2009.

Happy Hanukkah! Let's celebrate in the name of miracles, and believe in the miracles of achieving preservation success stories to inspire us all. Too much beauty and historic significance is often sacrificed in the name of progress, but it is the gifted creations of mankind and the creations of nature that should withstand the test of time in a physical sense, rather than only existing in our minds or in the history texts. 

This is the Rego Park Jewish Center flickr photoset, and we are thankful that it has been placed on the State & National Register of Historic Places in October 2009 due to our research collaboration and advocacy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8095451@N08/sets/72157605758107073 

Given this distinctive status, Rego Park Jewish Center is now commemorated statewide & nationally, and the RPJC board has the option of for grants through the NYS Historic Preservation Office, as well as applying for funding through the NY Landmarks Conservancy non-profit's Sacred Sites Program.

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall's "Queens Synagogues National Register of Historic Places Reception," Dec 15, 2009 - Rego Park Jewish Center staff with BP Helen Marshall & Michael Perlman of Rego-Forest Preservation Council

We are thankful to our members of Rego-Forest Preservation Council, and our colleagues and friends who volunteer and support us as a community preservation organization.

Rego Park Jewish Center's mosaic mural adorns the Queens Blvd main sanctuary facade, & depicts scenes from the Old Testament. This mural was designed by Hungarian-born artist, A. Raymond Katz, a prominent figure in 20th century Judaic art in America.

  
Let's continue taking the steps towards preserving Rego Park, Forest Hills, and the great legacy of our neighboring communities.  

RPJC's sanctuary has 2 walls of stained glass windows which span the height of the sanctuary, & were also designed by the famed A. Raymond Katz.

Celebrate the "Festival of Lights," and seek and embrace miracles year-round. May there always be light!

All Aboard The QueensLine! Petition Drive For A 21st Century Queens Destination!!!

A fragment of the 3.5-mile stretch of the LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch Line is the Fleet Street trestle, which sits abandoned since 1962, Photo by Michael Gannon, Associate Editor of the Queens Chronicle.

Are you a fan of historic & environmental preservation, and recreation? Queens has a treasure waiting to happen! Visualize a mixed-use leafy & colorful path, offering a commanding view of Rego Park, Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, and Ozone Park. As part of Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC 2030, every community resident should be within a 10-minute walk to a park.

Well... It takes moments to sign and post a comment on the PETITION to grant new life to the abandoned LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch Line as the "Queens (High) Line," which could become one of Queens' greatest assets. Please help spread the word through today's many methods of social media, and inform as many family members and friends as possible, to help reach a goal of 1,000 signatures as a start:

http://www.change.org/petitions/queens-borough-commissioner-nyc-parks-and-recreation-create-a-greenway-along-the-abandoned-rockaway-beach-branch-right-of-way

Follow & comment on "Envisioning The Queens High Line," which began as a blog by Anandi Premlall: http://queenshighline.blogspot.com

It greatly expanded into a 560-member Facebook Group, which began not long ago... Nov 13th, and I take pride in being one of the admins: http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/queenshighline

The cause has caught wind on Twitter too:
http://www.twitter.com/queenshighline 

According to Peter Beadle, it would link the above Central & Southern Queens communities with Forest Park and the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway, and to nearby bike lanes leading to the recreational spaces of Rockaway Beach and Jamaica Bay, including the Shore Parkway path, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and Gateway National Recreation Area. It would also connect at least five subway lines and numerous commercial districts, shops and schools.

As a case in point, at the NYC High Line, some only saw a structure unkempt for decades and called it an eyesore, calling for its demolition, but civic-minded NYC residents realized that beneath the grime, there was detail that read N-Y-C all over it. The High Line is a unique inspiration. It initiates greenery, spares a historic site from demolition, provides some recreation, hosts historic tours, connects and bonds our communities, creates jobs, and enhances community character and property values. It is a backyard treasure that becomes easily accessible.

A creative vision, teamwork, and perseverance resulted in the great success of the High Line in Manhattan, and the same can be achieved for a "Queens (High) Line." The wishes of the Queens community can be fulfilled through some of the same ingredients, and much can be accomplished through volunteers from all age groups, who walk Queens with every heartbeat.

This is a landmark opportunity to eliminate the heavy mass of litter at the site (wrecked cars, aluminum cans, plastic bags, tires), and sensitively and creatively reuse this 6-decade abandoned stretch for the 21st century. Imagine... how you can take your family and friends on a polished industrial relic bonding our Central & Southern Queens communities, and walking or bicycling through a 3.5-mile park and trail with some native vegetation and edible gardens, while reuniting with old friends and making new ones from Queens' diverse communities.

Trestle on Metropolitan Ave, Forest Hills of the abandoned LIRR Rockaway Line - A golden opportunity awaits! Photos by Michael Perlman, Rego-Forest Preservation Council

The trestles of the conceived Queens (High) Line were designed by the well-known American Bridge Company in 1908, at least in Forest Hills and Rego Park, which was when the company was only 8 years old. The company also played a role in the development of the Chrysler Building in 1929 and the Henry Hudson Bridge in 1936. We need to give more recognition to our industrial history. This is a photo tour on Old NYC of the LIRR Rockaway Line through the Whitepot Junction & Underjump (Whitepot was Forest Hills pre-1906), 63rd Dr to Fleet St, Fleet St to Yellowstone Blvd, Yellowstone Blvd to Metropolitan Ave, and other stops to a full-speed ahead to the Rockaways : http://www.oldnyc.com/rockaway/contents/rockaway.html

A plaque reading "American Bridge Company of New York" with the date of manufacture, often goes unrecognized, as it lies in the corners of some of our neighborhood's trestles.

As a historic preservationist and conservationist, and as Chair of Rego-Forest Preservation Council serving Rego Park and Forest Hills, which are 2 communities the conceived Queens (High) Line would run through, I am willing to lend my expertise, and explore and further develop the visions of my colleagues and I.

- Michael Perlman

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

In Memorium: Pat Dolan, Queens Community Leader

Photo courtesy of Bates, Susana Freelancer & NY Daily News

I was shocked and saddened to hear about the passing of Patricia Dolan, the President of the Queens Civic Congress, and a long-dedicated borough-wide advocate. She was struck by a car on the evening of November 15th at the intersection of Hillside Ave & 198th St. She was 72.  

Pat Dolan worked at the Queens Community House, and directed a para-transit system to aid senior citizens. She was the Chair of the Kew Gardens Hills Civic Association, and was a founder of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Conservancy. One of her priorities was advocating for the protection of Queens neighborhoods from overdevelopment.

In a public statement, Queens BP Helen Marshall said, "Last night, the people of Queens lost a terrific and tireless leader who fought with knowledge and passion for libraries, senior citizens, parks, children, transportation safety, and every other issue that affects all of us. Pat dedicated her life to Queens. She was the epitome of a civic leader and the definition of a community leader." 

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn told the Daily News, "I am deeply saddened to have learned of the tragic death of Patricia Dolan, one of our city's great civic and community leaders. Pat was extremely involved in the preservation of quality of life not just for Queens residents, but for all new Yorkers. She was interested in and dedicated to making the city a better place to live.”

She will be greatly missed. We must continue to work together to preserve and fulfill her legacy, benefit from her teachings, and make our borough and city a safer and more attractive place to live and visit.

Memorial services for PATRICIA DOLAN

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 7:00 PM

Schwartz Brothers - Forest Park Chapel
114-03 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY 11375
(Queens Blvd. and 76th Road)

Press

Douglaston Patch, 11/16/11 

Times Ledger, 11/16/11  

NY Daily News, 11/16/11

NY Daily News, Article II, 11/16/11  

Queens Chronicle, 11/16/11 

Save Our 600 Trees At The Kew Gardens Interchange - Open Letter To NYS DOT

Highway Plans Will Uproot 600 trees, 600 trees will fall, Queens Chronicle cover photo by Peter C Mastrosimone, Sept 29, 2011

   

Time may be running out to save 600 trees, which the NYS Dept of Transportation reportedly plans to cut down at the Kew Gardens Interchange, affecting Kew Gardens, Briarwood, & other Queens communities and beyond. Below is an open letter originally sent on 10/28 to Landscape Architect Jim Lau of the NYS Department of Transportation, & now Landscape Architect Scott Levy. Please publicize & add your voice.

 

From: Michael Perlman
To: jlau@dot.state.ny.us

slevy@dot.state.ny.us 
Subject: IMPORTANT: Kew Gardens Interchange Project - Creative Options To Rescue The 600 Trees Slated For Chopping

Dear Mr. Jim Lau & Mr. Scott Levy,
I understand you are the landscape architects of the NYS Dept of Transportation, who are assigned to the Kew Gardens Interchange Project. Many of my colleagues and I have read in local papers such as the Queens Chronicle, that 600 trees would be slated for the chopping block, as the roads undergo reconfiguration in Kew Gardens and Briarwood. I have some creative ideas, which I encourage you and the NYS Dept of Transportation to consider.
 

We feel there is no replacement for our beautiful, mature trees. The September 2010 tornado and the August 2011 hurricanes was responsible for the loss of about 4,000 trees cumulatively in our borough. Natural disasters are beyond our control, but proactively preserving our trees is within our control. The NY State DOT's plans to cut down 600 trees goes against my morals as a citizen and humanitarian. What may be "as of right" is not always right for the citizens. Trees convey life, beauty, are nature's pride, purify our air, keep the ground cool, are home to wildlife, and are historic to our Queens landscape.
 

Statistically speaking, the significant and very successful tree giveaway event that I coordinated in MacDonald Park in June 2011, as well as the tree plantings and giveaways occurring citywide through MillionTreesNYC, will not exceed the beauty and benefits posed by our mature trees in our lifetime. Applying measures towards the preservation and maintenance of our mature trees is most beneficial towards our community.
 

I urge the NYS DOT to creatively revise their Kew Gardens Interchange plans, in order to preserve the endangered trees. The roads can be reconfigured alternatively. In sections where revision is not at all possible, then Plan B would be to have the endangered trees moved by tree moving companies that specialize in commonly moving medium to larger size trees. Then they can be planted either in parks or on private property which lost a plethora of trees, and they could be named in honor of victims of 9/11, or in the memory of loved ones in a broader perspective. It could be financed by any combination of the State, Parks Dept, green organizations, banks, elected officials, and citizens. Some of the trees can also be given to the tree moving companies which have nurseries, and they can be sold.
 

Rather than New York State using the funds to chop down these trees, NYS should allocate those funds towards their salvation via transport. As long as our graceful and mature trees along the Kew Gardens Interchange are saved, that is what bears the greatest significance. It would be a sad day or time period in our history to witness the mass destruction of our mature trees, so please work with us by exploring our ideas, and hopefully a compromise can be reached for all parties. Please contact me ASAP. Thank you for your consideration!

 

Sincerely,

Michael Perlman

Forest Hills, NY