Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
Encyclopedia
Kew Gardens Hills, also sometimes incorrectly referred to as Kew Garden Hills, is a one-square mile sub-neighborhood of Flushing
in the New York City
borough
of Queens
. The western border is Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
, on the north is Jewel Avenue, on the south is Union Turnpike
and to the east is Parsons Boulevard (or 164th Street). Kew Gardens Hills roughly encompasses ZIP code 11367. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 8
.
Main arteries through the neighborhood are Main Street, Jewel Avenue, and Kissena Boulevard. Main arteries around the perimeter of the neighborhood are Union Turnpike
, Horace Harding Expressway, Kissena Boulevard and Parsons Boulevard. Highways to the neighborhood include the Long Island Expressway, Grand Central Parkway
, Van Wyck Expressway
, and the Jackie Robinson Parkway
(Interborough).
Kew Gardens Hills is made easily accessible thanks to the expressways surrounding it and the quick commute on the Q46 bus to the Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens subway station.
Adjacent neighborhoods include Forest Hills
to the west, Hillcrest
to the east, Briarwood
to the south, and te sub-neighborhood of Queensboro Hill
to the north.
In the 19th century, the area was farmland and in the early 20th century, the neighborhood was known as Queens Valley and consisted of golf courses. One road that runs through present-day Kew Gardens Hills is 73rd Avenue, which had been called Blackstump Road since colonial days. Presently, it has a bike lane. Kissena Boulevard, which runs from downtown Flushing, ends its run in Kew Gardens Hills at Parsons Boulevard. In the 19th century and early 20th century, both thoroughfares were known as Jamaica Road. It was the most direct route from the towns of Flushing and Jamaica at that time.
Growth to Kew Gardens Hills came when Kew Gardens, Queens
, to the south, gained a subway line at Queens Boulevard in 1936 and Flushing Meadows Corona Park, directly to the northwest of the neighborhood, hosted the 1939 New York World's Fair
. Early residents were mostly German, Irish and Italian. Many were relocating from Brooklyn and Manhattan. The area was hilly and Kew Gardens was known as a prestigious Queens neighborhood and so developers changed its name from Queens Valley to Kew Gardens Hills.
The first Queen of Peace mass took place in 1939. Main Street Cinemas opened in 1940. Property along 144th street, now known as Main Street, was seized by the city to complete the building of Main Street from northern Flushing. Main Street was paved and bus routes began to serve the area in 1941. The Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills was established in 1941. The Queens County Savings Bank
opened its branch in 1949 and local school, P.S. 164, also known as the Queens Valley School, also opened its doors that year.
Parkway Village, between Parsons Boulevard, Union Turnpike and Grand Central Parkway, was built to house United Nations employees in the late 1940s. Some owners are seeking landmark historic status for the co-op. Parkway Village was developed as a rental community with 685 units on 37 acres (149,733.8 m²) of rolling parkland in 1947. Today the buildings are in need of maintenance and upgrading, and the vegetation needs some management.
Established in 1941, the Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills is the only traditional Conservative synagogue located in the heart of Kew Gardens Hills. By the 1950s, the Orthodox Jewish community began to take root and formed the Young Israel Congregation of Kew Gardens Hills in 1951 with 15 families. That congregation now consists of 450 families. At Vleigh Place and Main Street, the City of New York developed and constructed a small park in 1957-58. In March 1960, the City Council named it Freedom Square to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Theodor Herzl
, founder of present-day Zionism.
It is a mixed neighborhood of single-family homes (detached or in rows) as well as three to six-story garden apartment buildings mostly built during the years immediately following World War II
) in the 1940s, such as Regency Gardens. These are characterized by their lawns and internal pathways that give the complexes a small-neighborhood feel. There are several homes in Kew Gardens Hills that predate Main Street, whose property was subject to eminent domain in the 1930s to widen 144th Street into the Main Street extension from northern Flushing. A few public housing projects in one part of the neighborhood were also built. Other buildings in that area were built to house employees of certain unions, like the Electchester Co-operative Building built to house electrical employees in 1949 on what used to be the grounds of the Pomonok Country Club. That building no longer houses electrical employees exclusively.
The Opal, a mid-rise luxury building built on the site of long-time vacant lots, opened in Kew Gardens Hills in November 2004.
The neighborhood contains an established and continually growing Orthodox
and Haredi
Jewish population and some Israelis, as well as smaller groups of Latinos, Koreans, Chinese
, India
ns, Afghanis
and African American
s.
The commercial areas of the neighborhood include Main Street, Union Turnpike, Parsons Boulevard and Kissena Boulevard. Fran Drescher
reportedly worked at the Main Street Cinemas in Kew Gardens Hills in the early 1970s. Main Street, in particular, is home to many Jewish-themed stores and Kosher restaurants. Many of the businesses along Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills close for Shabbat
Friday Evenings and Saturdays until sundown. Many businesses along Kissena Blvd. on the other hand have closed permanently.
On September 16, 2010 a tornado touched down in Queens, causing widespread damage to cars and homes in the Kew Gardens Hills area. See 2010 Brooklyn/Queens tornadoes
for more information. John Bowne High School located along Main Street at the edge of the CUNY Queens College campus, directly across from Mt. Hebron Cemetery, was the only New York City Public School building to sustain physical damage related to the storm and was subsequently closed the day following the storm.
Following a storm the evening of July 13, 2011, a double rainbow could be seen from Kew Gardens Hills.
Scenes from the 2000 movie Boiler Room
were shot in Kew Gardens Hills.
Kew Gardens Hills is home to Max and Mina's
Ice Cream, named number 1 of the top 10 unique Ice Cream Parlors in America in Everybody Loves Ice Cream, the Whole Scoop on America's favorite treat by Shannos Jackson Arnold, Emmis Books, July 2004. Some Manhattan restaurants offer Max & Mina's Ice Cream on their dessert menus.
Kew Gardens Hills is home to the Queens County Savings Bank building, constructed in 1954, and modeled after Philadelphia's Independence Hall. The building also houses a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell
.
There are two cemeteries in Kew Gardens Hills, Mount Hebron Cemetery
and Cedar Grove, whose main entrances are located on the Horace Harding Expressway.
This neighborhood has a large Orthodox Jewish
population, including immigrants from Israel
, Russia
, Tajikistan
, Uzbekistan
, France
, Africa
, and the Middle East
. Many residents have also moved from neighborhoods such as Crown Heights
in Brooklyn
. The Jewish population in Kew Gardens Hills have contributed to naming of four streets in the neighborhood.
These include Haym Salomon Square (geometrically a triangle), across from the Kew Gardens Hills branch of the Queens Borough Public Library
, named for the Revolutionary; Rabbi Kirshblum Triangle named for the first Rabbi of the Kew Gardens Hills Jewish Center; Freedom Square named in honor of Theodor Herzl
's quest for a Jewish homeland; Rabbi Avraham Schechter Way named for a prominent resident of the community is located between 147 Street and 150 Street along 72nd Drive; and Abe Wolfson Triangle named for an environmental activist and one of the founders of the Queens Historical Society is located along Kissena Boulevard near 75th Avenue.
A sizable Muslim
and Sikh
population exists in areas of Kew Gardens Hills as well, most notably on the northern side with several stores catering to that population.
, a liberal arts college
that is part of the City University of New York
(CUNY) system. The CUNY Law School is also in Kew Gardens Hills, on Main Street.
Queens College
also serves as an important cultural institution for neighborhood residents with Colden Center for the Performing Arts and the Godwin-Ternbach Museum.
Notable graduates of Queens College include native son Jerry Seinfeld
, who was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1994, Ron Jeremy
, and Paul Simon
.
Lander College
, the men's college of Touro College
, has a large campus on 150th Street at 75th Road.
Public schools located in Kew Gardens Hills include P.S. 164, P.S 219 The Paul Klapper School, P.S. 165, Robert F. Kennedy Community High School
, John Bowne High School and Townsend Harris High School
at Queens College. Townsend Harris High School
serves academically gifted students. North Queens Community High School, which serves troubled New York City youths who wish to obtain their high school diploma
has been in the area since 2007.
Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim (76th Road & 147th Street) and Yeshiva Ohr Hachaim (71st Avenue & Main Street, a division of Touro College
) are large yeshiva
s located in Kew Gardens Hills.
Other religious schools located in Kew Gardens Hills include St. Nicholas of Tolentine, Shevach High School (Main Street at 75th Road), Mesivta Yesodei Yeshurun, Yeshiva of Central Queens (70th Road at 150th Street), Yeshiva Ketana (Parsons Boulevard & 78th Road) and Solomon Schechter School of Queens (76-26 Parsons Blvd.)
Flushing
Flushing may refer to:* Flushing , the warm, red condition of human skin* Flushing , related to skirmishing* Flushing dog, a hunting dog* Flushing hydrant, a device to flush water mains...
in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. The western border is Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, often referred to as Flushing Meadow Park, Flushing Meadows Park or Flushing Meadows, is a public park in New York City. It contains the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the current venue for the U.S...
, on the north is Jewel Avenue, on the south is Union Turnpike
Union Turnpike (New York)
Union Turnpike is a thoroughfare stretching across central and eastern Queens in New York City. It runs from Myrtle Avenue in Glendale to Marcus Avenue in North New Hyde Park, about a mile into Nassau County, New York. Initially designed as a toll road, it takes a straight-arrow path from Kew...
and to the east is Parsons Boulevard (or 164th Street). Kew Gardens Hills roughly encompasses ZIP code 11367. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 8
Queens Community Board 8
The Queens Community Board 8 is a local government in the New York City borough of Queens, encompassing the neighborhoods of Briarwood, Cunningham Heights, Flushing South, Fresh Meadows, Hilltop Village, Holliswood, Jamaica Estates, Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok Houses and Utopia...
.
Main arteries through the neighborhood are Main Street, Jewel Avenue, and Kissena Boulevard. Main arteries around the perimeter of the neighborhood are Union Turnpike
Union Turnpike (New York)
Union Turnpike is a thoroughfare stretching across central and eastern Queens in New York City. It runs from Myrtle Avenue in Glendale to Marcus Avenue in North New Hyde Park, about a mile into Nassau County, New York. Initially designed as a toll road, it takes a straight-arrow path from Kew...
, Horace Harding Expressway, Kissena Boulevard and Parsons Boulevard. Highways to the neighborhood include the Long Island Expressway, Grand Central Parkway
Grand Central Parkway
The Grand Central Parkway is a parkway that stretches from the RFK-Triborough Bridge in New York City to Nassau County on Long Island. At the Queens-Nassau border, it becomes the Northern State Parkway, which runs across the northern part of Long Island through Nassau County and into Suffolk...
, Van Wyck Expressway
Interstate 678
Interstate 678 is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway that extends for through two boroughs of New York City. The route begins at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Jamaica Bay and travels north through Queens and across the East River to the Bronx, where it ends at...
, and the Jackie Robinson Parkway
Jackie Robinson Parkway
The Jackie Robinson Parkway is a parkway in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The western terminus of the parkway is at Jamaica Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. It runs through Highland Park, along the north side of Ridgewood Reservoir, and through Forest Park...
(Interborough).
Kew Gardens Hills is made easily accessible thanks to the expressways surrounding it and the quick commute on the Q46 bus to the Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens subway station.
Adjacent neighborhoods include Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
to the west, Hillcrest
Hillcrest, Queens
Hillcrest is a small residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is located between Flushing and Jamaica. Its name derives from its location on the hills between Jamaica and Flushing. The neighborhood runs from Grand Central Parkway to 73rd Ave., between...
to the east, Briarwood
Briarwood, Queens
Briarwood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located northwest of Jamaica and roughly bounded by Queens Boulevard, Parsons Boulevard, Union Turnpike, and Hillside Avenue. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 8. It is serviced by the IND Queens Boulevard...
to the south, and te sub-neighborhood of Queensboro Hill
Queensboro Hill, Queens
Queensboro Hill is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered to the West by College Point Boulevard, to the North by Kissena Park and Kissena Corridor Park, to the South by Reeves Avenue and the Long Island Expressway, and to the East by Fresh Meadow Lane. Queensboro...
to the north.
History and development
Kew Gardens Hills is a relatively young Queens community, when compared to other neighborhoods in the borough, with its earliest homes built in 1917 off of Union Turnpike.In the 19th century, the area was farmland and in the early 20th century, the neighborhood was known as Queens Valley and consisted of golf courses. One road that runs through present-day Kew Gardens Hills is 73rd Avenue, which had been called Blackstump Road since colonial days. Presently, it has a bike lane. Kissena Boulevard, which runs from downtown Flushing, ends its run in Kew Gardens Hills at Parsons Boulevard. In the 19th century and early 20th century, both thoroughfares were known as Jamaica Road. It was the most direct route from the towns of Flushing and Jamaica at that time.
Kew Gardens, Queens
Kew Gardens is a triangular-shaped neighborhood in central Queens bounded to the north by the Jackie Robinson Parkway , to the east by Van Wyck Expressway and 131st Street, to the south by Hillside Avenue, and to the west by Park Lane, Abingdon Road and 118th Street...
, to the south, gained a subway line at Queens Boulevard in 1936 and Flushing Meadows Corona Park, directly to the northwest of the neighborhood, hosted the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
. Early residents were mostly German, Irish and Italian. Many were relocating from Brooklyn and Manhattan. The area was hilly and Kew Gardens was known as a prestigious Queens neighborhood and so developers changed its name from Queens Valley to Kew Gardens Hills.
The first Queen of Peace mass took place in 1939. Main Street Cinemas opened in 1940. Property along 144th street, now known as Main Street, was seized by the city to complete the building of Main Street from northern Flushing. Main Street was paved and bus routes began to serve the area in 1941. The Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills was established in 1941. The Queens County Savings Bank
Queens County Savings Bank
Queens County Savings Bank is a historic bank building located in the Kew Gardens Hills section of the New York City borough of Queens. It was built in 1953-1954 to resemble Independence Hall in the Georgian Revival style. It is a brick building that consists of a tall central tower with flanking...
opened its branch in 1949 and local school, P.S. 164, also known as the Queens Valley School, also opened its doors that year.
Parkway Village, between Parsons Boulevard, Union Turnpike and Grand Central Parkway, was built to house United Nations employees in the late 1940s. Some owners are seeking landmark historic status for the co-op. Parkway Village was developed as a rental community with 685 units on 37 acres (149,733.8 m²) of rolling parkland in 1947. Today the buildings are in need of maintenance and upgrading, and the vegetation needs some management.
Established in 1941, the Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills is the only traditional Conservative synagogue located in the heart of Kew Gardens Hills. By the 1950s, the Orthodox Jewish community began to take root and formed the Young Israel Congregation of Kew Gardens Hills in 1951 with 15 families. That congregation now consists of 450 families. At Vleigh Place and Main Street, the City of New York developed and constructed a small park in 1957-58. In March 1960, the City Council named it Freedom Square to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl , born Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl was an Ashkenazi Jew Austro-Hungarian journalist and the father of modern political Zionism and in effect the State of Israel.-Early life:...
, founder of present-day Zionism.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
) in the 1940s, such as Regency Gardens. These are characterized by their lawns and internal pathways that give the complexes a small-neighborhood feel. There are several homes in Kew Gardens Hills that predate Main Street, whose property was subject to eminent domain in the 1930s to widen 144th Street into the Main Street extension from northern Flushing. A few public housing projects in one part of the neighborhood were also built. Other buildings in that area were built to house employees of certain unions, like the Electchester Co-operative Building built to house electrical employees in 1949 on what used to be the grounds of the Pomonok Country Club. That building no longer houses electrical employees exclusively.
The Opal, a mid-rise luxury building built on the site of long-time vacant lots, opened in Kew Gardens Hills in November 2004.
The neighborhood contains an established and continually growing Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
and Haredi
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
Jewish population and some Israelis, as well as smaller groups of Latinos, Koreans, Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns, Afghanis
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s.
Fran Drescher
Francine Joy "Fran" Drescher is an American film and television actress, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer, author, singer, talk show host, political lobbyist and health activist...
reportedly worked at the Main Street Cinemas in Kew Gardens Hills in the early 1970s. Main Street, in particular, is home to many Jewish-themed stores and Kosher restaurants. Many of the businesses along Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills close for Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
Friday Evenings and Saturdays until sundown. Many businesses along Kissena Blvd. on the other hand have closed permanently.
On September 16, 2010 a tornado touched down in Queens, causing widespread damage to cars and homes in the Kew Gardens Hills area. See 2010 Brooklyn/Queens tornadoes
2010 Brooklyn/Queens tornadoes
The 2010 Brooklyn/Queens tornadoes were a severe weather event that occurred in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City. These tornadoes were the second to touch down in New York City that year, the first having occurred in the Bronx on July 25....
for more information. John Bowne High School located along Main Street at the edge of the CUNY Queens College campus, directly across from Mt. Hebron Cemetery, was the only New York City Public School building to sustain physical damage related to the storm and was subsequently closed the day following the storm.
Following a storm the evening of July 13, 2011, a double rainbow could be seen from Kew Gardens Hills.
Scenes from the 2000 movie Boiler Room
Boiler Room (film)
Boiler Room is a 2000 American drama film written and directed by Ben Younger, and starring Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Nia Long, Ben Affleck, Nicky Katt, Scott Caan, Tom Everett Scott, Ron Rifkin and Jamie Kennedy....
were shot in Kew Gardens Hills.
Kew Gardens Hills is home to Max and Mina's
Max and Mina's
Max and Mina's is a Jewish-run ice cream store in New York City. Owned by Bruce Becker, it is known for its ever-changing eccentric ice cream flavors, such as Cajun, Lox, Purple mint Chip, beer, malt, and Isaac Mizrahi....
Ice Cream, named number 1 of the top 10 unique Ice Cream Parlors in America in Everybody Loves Ice Cream, the Whole Scoop on America's favorite treat by Shannos Jackson Arnold, Emmis Books, July 2004. Some Manhattan restaurants offer Max & Mina's Ice Cream on their dessert menus.
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
.
There are two cemeteries in Kew Gardens Hills, Mount Hebron Cemetery
Mount Hebron Cemetery
Mount Hebron is a Jewish cemetery located in the Flushing neighborhood of New York City. It was founded in 1903 as the Jewish section of Cedar Grove Cemetery. It is noted for its Yiddish theater section....
and Cedar Grove, whose main entrances are located on the Horace Harding Expressway.
Religion
There are several dozen houses of worship in Kew Gardens Hills, many of them Jewish. The Roman Catholic Church Queen of Peace is located on Main Street at 77th Road.Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
population, including immigrants from Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Many residents have also moved from neighborhoods such as Crown Heights
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles east-west.Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill....
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. The Jewish population in Kew Gardens Hills have contributed to naming of four streets in the neighborhood.
Queens Borough Public Library
The Queens Library, also known as the Queens Borough Public Library, is the public library for the Borough of Queens and one of three library systems serving New York City. It was the No. 1 library system in the United States by circulation, having loaned 21 million items in the 2007 fiscal year.It...
, named for the Revolutionary; Rabbi Kirshblum Triangle named for the first Rabbi of the Kew Gardens Hills Jewish Center; Freedom Square named in honor of Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl , born Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl was an Ashkenazi Jew Austro-Hungarian journalist and the father of modern political Zionism and in effect the State of Israel.-Early life:...
's quest for a Jewish homeland; Rabbi Avraham Schechter Way named for a prominent resident of the community is located between 147 Street and 150 Street along 72nd Drive; and Abe Wolfson Triangle named for an environmental activist and one of the founders of the Queens Historical Society is located along Kissena Boulevard near 75th Avenue.
A sizable Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
population exists in areas of Kew Gardens Hills as well, most notably on the northern side with several stores catering to that population.
Education
Two university campuses are located in Kew Gardens Hills. Located in the northern portion of Kew Gardens Hills is Queens CollegeQueens College, City University of New York
Queens College, located in Flushing, Queens, New York City, is one of the senior colleges of the City University of New York. It is also the fifth oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning. The college's seventy seven acre campus is located in the heart of the...
, a liberal arts college
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
that is part of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
(CUNY) system. The CUNY Law School is also in Kew Gardens Hills, on Main Street.
Queens College
Queens College, City University of New York
Queens College, located in Flushing, Queens, New York City, is one of the senior colleges of the City University of New York. It is also the fifth oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning. The college's seventy seven acre campus is located in the heart of the...
also serves as an important cultural institution for neighborhood residents with Colden Center for the Performing Arts and the Godwin-Ternbach Museum.
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
, who was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1994, Ron Jeremy
Ron Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
, and Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
.
Lander College
Lander College
The Lander College for Men is a private, men's honors division of Touro College located in Kew Gardens Hills, New York. Its stated goal is to provide a rigorous college curriculum while maintaining a traditional Yeshiva environment...
, the men's college of Touro College
Touro College
Touro College is a sponsored independent institution of higher and professional education, in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by Dr. Bernard Lander, the College was established primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American community...
, has a large campus on 150th Street at 75th Road.
Public schools located in Kew Gardens Hills include P.S. 164, P.S 219 The Paul Klapper School, P.S. 165, Robert F. Kennedy Community High School
Robert F. Kennedy Community High School
Robert F. Kennedy Community High School is a community public high school, residing in District 25 of the neighborhood of Kew Gardens Hills in Queens, NY...
, John Bowne High School and Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks as among the top 100 High Schools in the United States. It currently operates as...
at Queens College. Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks as among the top 100 High Schools in the United States. It currently operates as...
serves academically gifted students. North Queens Community High School, which serves troubled New York City youths who wish to obtain their high school diploma
High school diploma
A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.-Past diploma styles:...
has been in the area since 2007.
Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim (76th Road & 147th Street) and Yeshiva Ohr Hachaim (71st Avenue & Main Street, a division of Touro College
Touro College
Touro College is a sponsored independent institution of higher and professional education, in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by Dr. Bernard Lander, the College was established primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American community...
) are large yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
s located in Kew Gardens Hills.
Public libraries
Queens Library operates the Kew Gardens Hills Branch at 72-33 Vleigh Place.Notable residents
Notable residents of Kew Gardens Hills include:- Robert ChartoffRobert ChartoffRobert Chartoff is an American film producer. He and fellow producer Irwin Winkler won an Academy Award for Best Picture for the 1976 film Rocky....
(1933-), film producer, grew up in the neighborhood. - Fran DrescherFran DrescherFrancine Joy "Fran" Drescher is an American film and television actress, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer, author, singer, talk show host, political lobbyist and health activist...
(1957-), actress, from The NannyThe Nanny (TV series)The Nanny is an American television sitcom co-produced by Sternin & Fraser Ink, Inc., and Fran Drescher in association with TriStar Television for the CBS network...
. She lived at 147-49 72nd Avenue, Ambassador Gardens, and then at 150-58 71st Avenue, and worked at the Main Street movie theater as a teenager. - Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, musician, once lived in the neighborhood, near Queens College. - David BakerDavid BakerDavid Nathaniel Baker Jr. is a leading symphonic jazz composer at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington.Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, David Baker attended Crispus Attucks High School...
, who today serves as the Jerusalem-based Senior Foreign Press Coordinator of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, grew up in Kew Gardens Hills (between Main Street and Kissena Boulevard) and went to elementary school, junior high school and high school in Queens. - Ashrita FurmanAshrita FurmanAshrita Furman has set more than 300 Guinness records since 1979 and currently holds131 Guinness records. He has set records on all seven continents and in more than 30 different countries...
, set more than 160 official Guinness records. - Art GarfunkelArt GarfunkelArthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
lived at 136-58 72nd Avenue. - Martin LandauMartin LandauMartin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
(1928-), actor, grew up in Kew Gardens Hills. - Michael LandonMichael LandonMichael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
(1936–1991), “Little Joe” from the hit TV show BonanzaBonanzaBonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
and star of Highway to HeavenHighway to HeavenHighway to Heaven is an American television drama series which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989.- Season 1 :- Season 2 :- Season 3 :- Season 4 :- Season 5 :...
grew up in Kew Gardens Hills and attended Forest Hills High School. - Paul SimonPaul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
(1941-), lived at 137-62 70th Road - Ralph BuncheRalph BuncheRalph Johnson Bunche or 1904December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist and diplomat who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for his late 1940s mediation in Palestine. He was the first person of color to be so honored in the history of the Prize...
(1903–1971), Nobel Peace Price Laureate 1950, lived in Parkway Village - Roy WilkinsRoy WilkinsRoy Wilkins was a prominent civil rights activist in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s. Wilkins' most notable role was in his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ....
(1901–1981) Born at the turn of the 20th century, this quiet, gentle man became one of America's leading civil rights leaders, heading the NAACP. He lived at 147-15 Village Rd. in Parkway Village. A major park in south Queens now bears his name. - Betty FriedanBetty FriedanBetty Friedan was an American writer, activist, and feminist.A leading figure in the Women's Movement in the United States, her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is often credited with sparking the "second wave" of American feminism in the twentieth century...
(1921–2006), American activist, feminist and writer, lived in Parkway Village in the early 1950s