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| John Bowne House |
Flushing? Why would anyone be interested in a visit to Flushing.
Here's my answer.
Welcome to Flushing.
The birthplace of America's Religious Freedom.
The numbers in the blue circles correspond with the listings in this post
1) The US Post Office
41-65 Main Street.
The lobby of the post office has 12 murals started in 1933 and completed in 1934 as part of the New Deal WPA Project. The artist, Vincent Aderente painted scenes of historical significance(though the accuracy of his murals are questionable. The paintings of the Native Americans include head wear never worn by local tribes) The murals represent the 12 communities served by the post office.
http://untappedcities.com/2016/01/07/10-nyc-post-offices-that-double-as-art-galleries/10/
2)Free Synagogue of Flushing
41-60 Kissena Blvd. But if you should look at it from Sanford Ave to see the original white columned house, possibly designed by Sanford White.
Founded in 1917 by the Hebrew Women’s Aid society the
synagogue followed the philosophy of the first Free Synagogue, the Stephen Wise
Free Synagogue in Manhattan.
From the Website
The first Synagogue house
was the stately pillared Hoffman Mansion, which stood on a corner of the lot.
It was moved to Sanford Avenue in 1926 to make room for the grand structure
which is home to the Free Synagogue of Flushing today. This neo-classic
sanctuary designed by Maruice Courland features a massive portico supported by
four Roman-style pillars and topped by a pediment inscribed with the words of
Isaiah,“For mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.” http://www.nycago.org/Organs/Qns/html/FreeSynagogueFlushing.html
The building has landmark status.
3) Bowne Street Community Church
143-11 Roosevelt Avenue
Flushing (Queens), N.Y. 11354
From the Website
The Bowne Street Community Church was originally the Reformed Church of Flushing. The congregation grew so rapidly that it out grew its first building. The congregation borrowed money from the Collegiate Church in Manhattan and began construction on the present building which was completed in 1892. The architecture of this new church was stunning. It is a Romanesque Revival with a red brick edifice, with arches topping each of the windows and intricate brickwork and terra cotta tile details. The church is adorned with Tiffany stained glass windows. Agnes Fairchild Northrupby a life-long congregation member and long time Tiffany artist designed the windows for the church. The windows were made by the Louis Tiffany Glass Company of Corona.
From:http://hdc.org/hdc-lpc/proposed-de-calendar-items/hbnd-bowne-street-community-church-queens
4) The Bowne House
37-01 Bowne Street, Flushing, Queens, New York.
There used to be a sign on Northern Boulevard that said, Welcome to Flushing, birthplace of American Religous Freedom. And that is all due to John Bowne, and the fight he waged against Peter Stuyvesant in the 17th Century the whole story is on the website. .http://www.bownehouse.org/index.htm. The Bowne house, the first part of which was constructed in 1661, is the oldest structure in New York City.
5) The Kingsland Homestead
143-35 37th Avenue, Flushing, New York 11354.
Flushing's Horticultural Past
The weeping beech tree is a link to Flushing's horticultural past. In 1737 Robert Prince and his son William opened a nursery that was in business for over a hundred years. George Washington bought plantings for Mount Vernon there. Samuel Parsons who married Mary Bowne, founded the Parson's Grove Nursery in 1838. He and his sons collected specimens from around. the world to be nurtured and sold from their nursery. In 1906 the land was given to the City. Today parts of Kissena Park are located where the nursery once stood, and one can see many of the trees or their descendents growing there, Look for the labels on the trees. Samuel Bowne Parsons Jr., Samuel Parsons, son sold plantings to Frederick Olmstead to be used in Central Park.http://www.nnytimes.com/2003/08/17/nyregion/fyi-938572.html
Samuel Parson, a Quaker, was active in the Underground Railroad.
From the Website
Samuel Parsons claimed that he moved more enslaved
people to freedom than any other man in Queens. They concealed the slaves
in the covered wagons of the Parsons nursery and brought them to the
waterfront. From there the escaped slaves were sent on boats to the
north. Since the Parsons were Quakers they were active in promoting civil
rights, education, and also women’s suffrage.In addition, two Parsons
sisters were involved in the Flushing Freedom School. Interestingly, the
first African-American man to receive a doctorate in America, Patrick Healy,
was educated in Flushing.
6) Flushing High School
35-10 Union Street, Flushing, New York 11354
Flushing High School is one of the two High Schools that claim to be the oldest High School in New York City. It was built in 1875
From the "Interesting Facts About Architecture " file.
The
brick and terra-cotta building is a striking example of the Collegiate Gothic
Style which was introduced to public school architecture in New York by C.B. J. Snyder, the Superintendent of Buildings for
the Board of Education. Erected between
1912 and 1915 in a campus-like setting, the high school with its monumental
square entrance tower recalls English Medieval models. http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/91-FLUSHING-HIGH-SCHOOL.pdf
And now this!
7) Flushing Town Hall
127-35 Northern Boulevard
The building was designed and built in 1862 in
the Romanesque Revival style popular at the time. It has had a variety of uses
from civic offices, court house and jail as well as a venue
for entertainment including light opera and
performances by P.T. Barnum. If fell into disrepair in the 1960s but it
received landmark status and currently is a performance space. http://www.flushingtownhall.org/about-the-building
8) Flushing Quaker Meeting House
137-16 Northern Boulevard
Supposedly the oldest continuous place of Worship in the United States.
From the Website
The Old Quaker Meeting House has been used by the Flushing Monthly
Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends as a house of worship for over 300
years. The house remains today much as when it was first built, with dark, warm
floorboards, simple benches and hand-hewn timber ceiling beams. To step across
the threshold is to leave the present behind and to enter a profoundly sacred
space seasoned by centuries of devotion. To those who visit, the Meeting House
is a peaceful reminder of an eventful and historic past.
Built in 1694 by John Bowne and
other early Quakers, the Old Quaker Meeting House is, by all known accounts,
the oldest house of worship in New York State and the second oldest Quaker
meeting house in the nation. Visitors to the Meeting House have included George
Washington, John Woolman and William Penn. The Meeting House is recognized as a
rare example of ecclesiastical architecture and as a monument to an important
event in the struggle for religious freedom in America, the Flushing
Remonstrance, a document which is perhaps the earliest demand for religious
freedom in America. The Meeting House also saw the beginnings of the
abolitionist movement and the first school in Flushing. http://www.nyym.org/flushing/hmh.html
9) Daniel Carter Beard Mall
Born in Cincinnati, Daniel Carter Beard moved to Flushing with his family in the 1870s. His work in the city made him realize the need for green spaces where children could play. He was one of the founding members of the Boy Scouts. The park in the center of Northern Boulevard is one of the earliest Queens Park. Included in the park are several memorials, including a Civil War obelisk, and a Spanish American War Flagpole memorial.https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/daniel-carter-beard-mall/history
10) Civil War Monument
11) 138-18 Northern Boulevard
Here's a storefront where you can watch the food preparation in the window.
12) 141-04 Northern Boulevard
An odd collection of old, and I mean really old telephones.
13) Spanish American War Memorial Flagpole
14)
137-58 Northern Boulevard
*The following information is outdated: The Flushing Masonic Hall is history now and there is a hotel at the site. (September 2023)
What today is the Siloam Reformed Church of Flushing was the Flushing Masonic Temple built in 1905.
The building that was once the Flushing Armory remains visible in its mostly original state.
The castle-like structure built in 1906 was once the Flushing Armory, now it is a police station.
The beat goes on.
15) 37-07 Main Street
Lots of interesting dried things.
16) St. George Episcopal Church
135-32 38th Avenue at Main Street
Flushing (Queens), N.Y. 11354
Two churches preceded the one currently at this site. King George III in 1761, actually granted the church its charter. Francis Lewis, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence was a vestryman here and is said to be buried in the churchyard.
From the website
The third and present church occupies the same site as the original building and was built from 1853-54. It was designed by Frank Wills and Henry Dudley, architects associated with The New York Ecclesiological Society that had an interest in the development of Gothic Architecture as a new style (Neo-Gothic) for American churches. Local craftsmen were engaged and regional materials were used. The building includes walls of randomly laid granite rubble, and fine stained glass windows. Above the entrance is a 150-foot tapered wooden tower that houses the original bell which was recast and enlarged at Troy, N.Y., using the 1760 bell's metal and bearing the inscription, "The gift of John Aspinwall, Gentleman, 1760." http://www.nycago.org/Organs/Qns/html/StGeorgeEpisFlushing.html
The Steeple of the church was blown off in the 2010 tornado that hit NYC. Here is a video of its restoration
17) Macedonia AME Church
37-22 Union Street
Flushing (Queens), N.Y. 11354
*The following information is outdated: The Macedonia AME Church has been completely demolished is history now and only redevelopment is currently observable at the site. (September 2023)
Tucked into the municipal parking lot, now largely replaced by construction of residential/commercial hi-risers is the Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church. Founded by freed slaves, for two hundred years the church has struggled against the forces that challenged its existence. There so much more to the story to read here. http://www.nycago.org/Organs/Qns/html/MacedoniaAME.html
18) China Buddhist Association
136-12 39th Ave, Flushing, NY 11354
House of Worship relevant to many current Flushing residents.
136-20 Roosevelt Ave Flushing,NY 11354.
The Chinese Food Court is overwhelming, to the uninitiated.
Here's what the Gothamist writes about the experience:
20) RKO Keith
*The following information is outdated: The RKO is history now and only redevelopment is currently observable at the site. (September 2023)
If Grand Central Terminal and the above houses of worship are all examples of the success of the Landmark Laws, the RKO represents its abject failure. The once, prominent Vaudeville house turned movie theater was granted Landmark status, but that didn't stop a developer from destroying the property before being stopped from demolishing it. What remains, is just an eyesore.
