Maspeth, Queens
Encyclopedia
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....
in 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...
. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside
Woodside, Queens
Woodside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside and on the east by Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. Some areas are widely residential and very quiet, while others are...
and Sunnyside
Sunnyside, Queens
Sunnyside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens, in New York state, in the United States. It shares borders with Hunters Point and Long Island City to the west, Astoria to the north, Woodside to the east and Maspeth to the south...
to the north, Long Island City
Long Island City, Queens
Long Island City is the westernmost neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York City. L.I.C. is notable for its rapid and ongoing gentrification, its waterfront parks, and its thriving arts community. L.I.C. has among the highest concentration of art galleries, art institutions, and studio...
to the northwest, Greenpoint
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newtown Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the...
to the west, East Williamsburg
East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
East Williamsburg is a name for the area in the northwestern portion of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States, which lies between Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick. Much of this area has been and still is referred to as either Bushwick, Williamsburg, or Greenpoint with the...
to the southwest, Fresh Pond
Fresh Pond, Queens
Fresh Pond is a small neighborhood in Queens separated from Juniper Valley by the Lutheran and Mount Olivet cemeteries. Its main streets, Fresh Pond Road, Metropolitan Avenue, Eliot Avenue and 61st street, meet at the community's commercial center...
and Ridgewood
Ridgewood, Queens
Ridgewood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It borders the neighborhoods of Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale, as well as the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. Historically, the neighborhood straddled the Queens-Brooklyn boundary. The neighborhood is part of Queens...
to the south, and Middle Village
Middle Village, Queens
Middle Village is a neighborhood in central Queens, a borough of New York City. The neighborhood is located in the western central section of Queens, bounded to the north by Eliot Avenue, to the east by Woodhaven Boulevard, to the south by Cooper Avenue, and to the west by Fresh Pond Road...
and Elmhurst
Elmhurst, Queens
Elmhurst is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue on the north; Corona to the northeast; Junction Boulevard on the east; Rego Park to the southeast; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Middle Village to the south and southwest; and Maspeth...
to the east.
History
The area known today as Maspeth was chartered by DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and English
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
settlers in the mid-17th century. The Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
had purchased land in the area known today as 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....
in 1635, and within a few years began chartering towns. In 1642 they settled Maspat, under a charter granted to Rev. Francis Doughty. Maspat became the first European settlement in 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 settlement was leveled the following year in an attack by Native Indians, and the surviving settlers returned to Manhattan. It wasn't until nine years later, in 1652, that settlers ventured back to the area, settling an area slightly inland from the previous Maspat location. This new area was called Middleburg, and eventually developed into what is now the town of Elmhurst
Elmhurst, Queens
Elmhurst is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue on the north; Corona to the northeast; Junction Boulevard on the east; Rego Park to the southeast; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Middle Village to the south and southwest; and Maspeth...
, bordering Maspeth. Following the immigration waves of the 19th century, Maspeth was home to a shanty town
Shanty town
A shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
of Boyash
Boyash
Boyash refers to a Romani ethnic group living in Romania, southern Hungary, northeastern Croatia, western Vojvodina, Slovakia, the Balkans, but also in the Americas and Australia. They are part of Romani branch of Roma...
(Ludar) Gypsies between 1925 and 1939, though this was eventually bulldozed.
The name "Maspeth" is derived from the name of Mespeatches
Mespeatches
The Mespeatches were one of the indigenous tribes who lived on Long Island, New York before the European Incursion....
Indians, one of the 13 main Indian tribes that inhabited Long Island. It is translated to mean "at the bad waterplace" relating to the many stagnant swamps that existed in the area.
Columbusville
Columbusville was the name formerly applied to a section of Maspeth. It was a development of Edward Dunn that took place on 69th Place (Originally known as Firth Avenue) between Grand AvenueGrand Avenue
-Places:*Grand Avenue or the Grand Avenue Project*Grand Avenue , New York City*Grand Avenue , Miami*Grand Avenue *Grand Avenue *Grand Avenue *Grand Avenue...
and Caldwell Avenue during 1854-55, and was subsequently absorbed into Maspeth. The name fell into disuse in the 1890s.
Community
The Metropolitan Avenue Bridge carries Grand Street (Brooklyn)Grand Street (Brooklyn)
Grand Street and Grand Avenue are the respective names of a street which runs through the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States...
eastward across English Kills from Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
where it becomes Grand Avenue, Maspeth's main street
Main Street
Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
for dining and business. Grand Avenue continues eastward to end in Elmhurst. Cemeteries
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
take up a large part of this small neighborhood although they are separated from residential areas for the most part. Single home houses and multiple dwelling homes make up most of Maspeth and there are hardly any apartment buildings, except for the co-ops on 65th Place, also known as The Plateau.
Forty-Third Street through 58th Street, including the former Furman Island, is industrial lowlands, and from 60th Street to 72nd Street is residential. The Phelps Dodge Corporation was present from 1920–1983. The Phelps Dodge mining company heavily contaminated Newtown Creek
Newtown Creek
Newtown Creek is a estuary that forms part of the border between the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, in New York City, New York, United States. It derives its name from New Town , which was the name for the Dutch and British settlement in what is now Elmhurst, Queens...
, which separates northern Brooklyn from western Queens and serves barge traffic. Other freight moves on the Long Island Railroad Montauk Branch
Montauk Branch
The Montauk Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch runs the length of Long Island, 115 miles from Long Island City on the west to Montauk on the east...
and the lightly used Bushwick Branch
Bushwick Branch
The Bushwick Branch, also called the Bushwick Lead Track, is a freight railroad branch that runs from Bushwick, Brooklyn, to Fresh Pond Junction in Queens, New York, where it connects with the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road...
. A new West Maspeth rail freight station has been proposed in connection with a Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel
Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel
The Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel is a proposed freight rail transport tunnel under Upper New York Bay in the Port of New York and New Jersey between northeastern New Jersey and Long Island, including southern and eastern New York City.-Background:Direct connections for rail freight between Long Island...
to diminish truck traffic across New York City. It is opposed by residents who don't want more trucks in Maspeth.
There is access to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Long Island Expressway
Interstate 495 (New York)
Interstate 495 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway on Long Island in New York in the United States. The route extends for from the western portal of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel in the New York City borough of Manhattan to County Route 58 in Riverhead, Suffolk County...
. The former road crosses Newtown Creek on the Kosciuszko Bridge. These expressways are accessible at 69th and Grand Street, and also at 48th Street, where the two expressways cross.
For many years a well known landmark in Maspeth was a pair of cylindrical natural gas tanks. These tanks were considered "sister tanks" to similar (but differently operating) gas holders at the Newtown Holder Station in Elmhurst (Queens) NY. There were many similarities: both were visible from major roadways, both were painted in an FAA-required red/white checkered color scheme, and both pairs of tanks have since been demolished. However, The Maspeth holders were fixed above-ground structures, whereas the Elmhurst ones were rising/falling gasometers
Gasometer
A gas holder is a large container where natural gas or town gas is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The volume of the container follows the quantity of stored gas, with pressure coming from the weight of a movable cap...
.
Maspeth was the first English settlement in Queens County. However, conflicts with the Mespet tribe forced many settlers to move to what is now Elmhurst
Elmhurst, Queens
Elmhurst is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue on the north; Corona to the northeast; Junction Boulevard on the east; Rego Park to the southeast; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Middle Village to the south and southwest; and Maspeth...
in 1643.
Most people who live in Maspeth are of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Slavic
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
descent. Holy Cross R.C. Church, is the focal point of the three parishes in Maspeth. It has weekly masses, in English and Polish. It also conducts the yearly Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
, which the procession on the streets every Good Friday, starts from Holy Cross, go to St. Stans., and than finally ends at Transfiguration. These three parishes are only 2 blocks apart from each other. The Polish go to Holy Cross, the Irish & Spanish go to St. Stans., and Lithuanians go to Transfiguration. Only the parish of St. Stans is currently running a Catholic school for the city of Maspeth. The Catholic school for Holy Cross, has closed its doors in June of 2005, as to a lack of funding. But, Holy Cross still runs its weekend Polish School along with CCD classes.
Maspeth is also home to the Metropolitan Oval
Metropolitan Oval
The Metropolitan Oval, also known as Met Oval, is a soccer complex located in Maspeth, Queens in New York City. Village Voice named the complex, which takes up , the "Best full soccer field in the middle of a residential neighborhood" in 2004, for its "pristine" playing surface and the view of the...
.
The "unofficial" mayor of Maspeth is Queens resident and local Stop and Shop manager Joe Kilcoyne, a favorite amongst the residents in the area.
Education
Schools in the area include:- Holy Cross R.C. Church - Maspeth : Polish School and CCD classes on the weekends.
- IS 73 The Frank Sansivieri Intermediate School in Maspeth is where most of the community's children attend grades 6 through 8.
- PS 58, The School of Heroes, was dedicated in 2002 in honor of the 9/11 victims on Grand Avenue at the site of the original Finast supermarket.It is named one of the best schools in the Maspeth community.
- PS 153, Maspeth Elementary School
- Saint Stanislaus Kostka School (Nursery - 8 Catholic School under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of BrooklynRoman Catholic Diocese of BrooklynThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes territory that was previously part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, was established as a separate diocese in 1853 when the City of Brooklyn was separate from New York City....
) - Martin Luther High School (9-12 private school)
- Maspeth High School (Temporarily located at the campus of Metropolitan High School) is the first public high school in Maspeth. It is expected to open on September 2012.
Transport
Although there is no subway station in Maspeth, several bus routes make subway connections, including:- B57 to Flushing AvenueFlushing Avenue (BMT Jamaica Line)Flushing Avenue is a local station on the BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Flushing Avenue and Broadway in Brooklyn, it is served by the J train at all times except rush hours and middays in the peak direction and the M at all times except weekends and...
( trains), Flushing AvenueFlushing Avenue (IND Crosstown Line)Flushing Avenue is a station on the IND Crosstown Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Flushing and Union/Marcy Avenues in the boundary of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, it is served at all times by the G train....
( train), Jay Street – MetroTechJay Street – MetroTech (New York City Subway)Jay Street – MetroTech is an underground station complex on the IND Fulton Street, IND Culver, and BMT Fourth Avenue Lines of the New York City Subway...
( trains) - Q18 bus to Woodside – 61st Street ( trains), Northern BoulevardNorthern Boulevard (IND Queens Boulevard Line)Northern Boulevard is a local station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Broadway, it is served by the R train at all times except late nights, when the E train replaces it, and the M train weekdays...
( trains), or 30th Avenue30th Avenue (BMT Astoria Line)30th Avenue is a local station on the BMT Astoria Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the N train at all times, and by the Q train on weekdays....
( trains) - Q39 bus to Forest AvenueForest Avenue (BMT Myrtle Avenue Line)Forest Avenue is a station on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. It has two tracks and an island platform. The station is served by the M train at all times. The exit is at the north end of the station and leads to Forest Avenue. There was also an exit at the south end that...
( train), Queensboro PlazaQueensboro Plaza (New York City Subway)Queensboro Plaza is an elevated New York City Subway station over Queens Plaza in Long Island City, at the east end of the Queensboro Bridge, with Queens Boulevard running east from the plaza. It stands over the south side of the roadway, but formerly spanned the whole plaza...
( trains) or Court Square ( trains) - Q47 bus to 69th Street69th Street (IRT Flushing Line)69th Street is a local station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. Located at 69th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in the Woodside, Queens, it is served by the 7 train at all times....
or 74th Street – Broadway ( train), Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue ( trains), or LaGuardia AirportLaGuardia AirportLaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally... - Q58 bus to Grand Avenue – Newtown ( trains), Flushing – Main Street ( trains), Fresh Pond RoadFresh Pond Road (BMT Myrtle Avenue Line)Fresh Pond Road is a station on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Fresh Pond Road and 67th Avenue in Queens, it is served by the M train at all times....
( train), Forest AvenueForest Avenue (BMT Myrtle Avenue Line)Forest Avenue is a station on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. It has two tracks and an island platform. The station is served by the M train at all times. The exit is at the north end of the station and leads to Forest Avenue. There was also an exit at the south end that...
( train), Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues ( trains) - Q59 bus to Grand Avenue – Newtown ( trains), Woodhaven BoulevardWoodhaven Boulevard (IND Queens Boulevard Line)Woodhaven Boulevard is a local station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the R train at all times except late nights, when the E train replaces it as the local along Queens Boulevard...
( trains), 63rd Drive – Rego Park ( trains), or Grand StreetGrand Street (BMT Canarsie Line)Grand Street is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Grand Street and Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn, it is served by the L train at all times....
( train) - Q67 bus to Middle Village – Metropolitan Avenue ( train), Hunters Point AvenueHunters Point Avenue (IRT Flushing Line)Hunters Point Avenue is a station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. Located at 49th Avenue and 21st Street in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, it is served at all times by the 7 train and the <7> train rush hours in the peak direction.This station has two...
( trains), 21st Street – Van Alst ( train), Queensboro PlazaQueensboro Plaza (New York City Subway)Queensboro Plaza is an elevated New York City Subway station over Queens Plaza in Long Island City, at the east end of the Queensboro Bridge, with Queens Boulevard running east from the plaza. It stands over the south side of the roadway, but formerly spanned the whole plaza...
( trains), Queens PlazaQueens Plaza (IND Queens Boulevard Line)Queens Plaza is an express station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the large Queens Plaza interchange, it is served by the E train at all times, by the R train at all times except late nights, and by the M train on weekdays except late nights.While situated...
( trains) or Court Square ( trains)