Rochdale, Queens
Encyclopedia
Rochdale is a neighborhood in the southeastern corner of the borough
of Queens
in New York City
. Located in Community Board 12
, Rochdale, along with other neighborhood areas are grouped as part of Greater Jamaica, corresponding to the former Town of Jamaica. It is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: South Jamaica
to the west, Locust Manor
to the north and Laurelton
to the south. Rochdale is above the Queens/Nassau border and directly above the John F. Kennedy International Airport
.
, Greater Manchester, where the Rochdale Pioneers developed the Rochdale Principles
of cooperation. The architect's concept of Rochdale Village was an attractive community covering 122 blocks that would provide the residents with a park-like setting and facilities of suburbia, within the limits of the Urban Jamaica Area. Rochdale was designed to be a "city within a city".
The property is the former site of Jamaica Racetrack
, which was operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club and its successor, the Greater New York Association (now the New York Racing Association
.) When the NYRA decided to renovate Greater Jamaica's other track, Aqueduct Racetrack
(in South Ozone Park
), it also decided to close Jamaica Racetrack when the Aqueduct Racetrack's improvements were finished. Jamaica Racetrack was shut down in 1959 and demolished.
Construction proceeded at a rapid pace on a new community in Queens. When Rochdale Village opened, it was the largest private cooperative housing complex in the world (later surpassed by Co-op City
in the Bronx), and was between 10 to 20 percent African American and 80 to 90 percent white
. As years passed, more and more African Americans moved to Rochdale. It was between the late 1960s and mid-1970s that most white people moved from the community.
facility that generates all the electrical power, heating, air-conditioning and domestic hot water services for the entire residential development and two shopping malls. Distinctively, Rochdale Village Power Plant produces its power independently with no interconnection to any outside utility company.
, MTA New York City Transit buses
and the Long Island Rail Road
, which stops right by the complex at the Locust Manor
station. Rochdale is also served by the Q111, Q85, Q3
and Q113 bus routes.
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...
. Located in Community Board 12
Queens Community Board 12
The Queens Community Board 12 is a local government in the New York City borough of Queens, encompassing the neighborhoods of Jamaica, Hollis, St. Albans, Springfield Gardens, Baisley Park, Rochdale Village, South Jamaica...
, Rochdale, along with other neighborhood areas are grouped as part of Greater Jamaica, corresponding to the former Town of Jamaica. It is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: South Jamaica
South Jamaica, Queens
South Jamaica, known colloquially as Southside & Southside Jamaica Queens, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, located south of downtown Jamaica, the Long Island Rail Road tracks Jamaica Avenue and Liberty Avenue. The western border is the Van Wyck Expressway, and it...
to the west, Locust Manor
Locust Manor, Queens
Locust Manor is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the north by Baisley Boulevard to Irwin Place to Roe Road to 120th Avenue, on the east by the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road to 121st Avenue to Farmers Boulevard, on the south by North Conduit Boulevard,...
to the north and Laurelton
Laurelton, Queens
Laurelton is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is now a largely middle class neighborhood. In the 1930s through 1970s and beyond, the neighborhood was populated by many Jewish Americans, but succeeding generations have been made up of new migrants. The neighborhood is part...
to the south. Rochdale is above the Queens/Nassau border and directly above the John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
.
History
Rochdale Village was named after the English town of RochdaleRochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, Greater Manchester, where the Rochdale Pioneers developed the Rochdale Principles
Rochdale Principles
The Rochdale Principles are a set of ideals for the operation of cooperatives. They were first set out by the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers in Rochdale, England, in 1844, and have formed the basis for the principles on which co-operatives around the world operate to this day. The...
of cooperation. The architect's concept of Rochdale Village was an attractive community covering 122 blocks that would provide the residents with a park-like setting and facilities of suburbia, within the limits of the Urban Jamaica Area. Rochdale was designed to be a "city within a city".
Jamaica Racetrack
Jamaica Race Course was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, New York. The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featured the inaugural running of the Excelsior Handicap. Eugene D. Wood, one of the founders and largest...
, which was operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club and its successor, the Greater New York Association (now the New York Racing Association
New York Racing Association
The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...
.) When the NYRA decided to renovate Greater Jamaica's other track, Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
(in South Ozone Park
South Ozone Park, Queens
South Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. It was originally developed as low-cost housing in the early 1900s. Adjacently north of JFK Airport, its boundaries extend from the Aqueduct Racetrack westward to the Van Wyck Expressway.Its main...
), it also decided to close Jamaica Racetrack when the Aqueduct Racetrack's improvements were finished. Jamaica Racetrack was shut down in 1959 and demolished.
Construction proceeded at a rapid pace on a new community in Queens. When Rochdale Village opened, it was the largest private cooperative housing complex in the world (later surpassed by Co-op City
Co-op City, Bronx
Co-op City , located in the Baychester section of the Borough of the Bronx in northeast New York City, is one of the largest cooperative housing developments in the world. Situated at the intersection of Interstate 95 and the Hutchinson River Parkway, the community is part of Bronx Community Board 10...
in the Bronx), and was between 10 to 20 percent African American and 80 to 90 percent white
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
. As years passed, more and more African Americans moved to Rochdale. It was between the late 1960s and mid-1970s that most white people moved from the community.
Rochdale Village: "The Jewel of Jamaica"
Rochdale Village is located on a 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) residential park. It consists of 20 buildings in five groups. Each 13 story building has three sections A, B and C. Each section in each building has its own mailing address. Rochdale village has its own branch of the Queens Public Library system.Utilities
The power plant is a 21 megawatt cogenerationCogeneration
Cogeneration is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat....
facility that generates all the electrical power, heating, air-conditioning and domestic hot water services for the entire residential development and two shopping malls. Distinctively, Rochdale Village Power Plant produces its power independently with no interconnection to any outside utility company.
Security
Rochdale Village is protected by the Rochdale Village Department of Public Safety. This department employs a mix of unarmed Security Guards and unarmed Peace Officers. This department works in close proximity with the NYPD 113th Precinct.Transportation
Rochdale and the surrounding neighborhoods are serviced by the Belt ParkwayBelt Parkway
The Belt System is a series of connected limited-access highways that form a belt-like circle around the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The system comprises four officially separate parkways; however, three of the four are signed as the Belt Parkway...
, MTA New York City Transit buses
MTA New York City Transit buses
New York City Transit buses, marked on the buses MTA New York City Bus, is a bus service that operates in all five boroughs of New York City, employing over 4300 buses on 219 routes within the five boroughs of New York City in the United States...
and the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
, which stops right by the complex at the Locust Manor
Locust Manor (LIRR station)
Locust Manor is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Atlantic Branch serving the residents of the Locust Manor neighborhood of Queens, New York....
station. Rochdale is also served by the Q111, Q85, Q3
Q3
Q3 or Q-3 may refer to:* Zambian Airways, IATA airline code Q3* The third quarter of a fiscal year* The third quarter of a calendar year* The third quartile, in descriptive statistics...
and Q113 bus routes.