Flushing

After five years of halting progress, NYC Parks officially broke ground last week on a $24 million project that will preserve the Philip Johnson-designed New York State Pavilion Observation Towers in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The current project represents the first major effort to preserve the Pavilion's structures since their construction for the 1964 World’s Fair.
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Architecture And Design

Restoration of Philip Johnson’s 1964 New York State Pavilion will begin this month

Image via Purpleturtle52 on Wiki Commons

September 10, 2019

Restoration of Philip Johnson’s 1964 New York State Pavilion will begin this month

By Alexandra Alexa

Plans to restore the Philip Johnson-designed New York State Pavilion at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park have been inching along slowly over the past five years. Now, the project finally has a construction start date, Untapped Cities reported. Work will begin by the end of the month and is expected to be completed in March 2021. As 6sqft previously reported, the project has acquired just over $24 million in funding from the Mayor's office, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, City Council, and a FEMA grant for Hurricane Sandy repairs.
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Architecture And Design

A History of the US Open in New York: From the West Side Tennis Club to Arthur Ashe Stadium

Photo via Wiki Commons

August 23, 2019

A History of the US Open in New York: From the West Side Tennis Club to Arthur Ashe Stadium

Now in its 51st year, U.S. Open fever has once again swept the city. Though nowadays it's all Venus and Djokovic and craft beers and lobster rolls, there's a long history behind the world-famous event. Here, 6sqft takes a look at how the international tournament made its way from an elite, private club in Newport Rhode Island to Forest Hills' West Side Tennis Club and finally to its current home in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, even uncovering a little connection to the 1964 World's Fair.
All the tennis history right this way

History

Asian food hall and performance space could come to Flushing’s Sky View Parc

Google Street View of the mall and Sky View Parc

May 23, 2019

Asian food hall and performance space could come to Flushing’s Sky View Parc

According to The Real Deal, developer Blackstone will be opening an upscale food hall at Flushing's Shops at Skyview, a large shopping mall with big-box stores such as Target, BJ's, and Nordstrom Rack that's part of the larger Sky View Parc luxury condo development. In addition to plans for "chef-driven" and "fast-cash" food offerings, performance spaces and nightlife events are also in the works. And according to the group who will be curating the food hall, it's taking inspiration from San Francisco's popular Chinese marketplace.
More details ahead

Food & Dining

Did you know NYC’s only surviving cycling track is in Flushing?

1964 US Olympic Trials at Kissena Velodrome. From page 47 of “30 years of progress, 1934-1964 : Department of Parks : 300th anniversary of the City of New York : New York World’s Fair.” (1964). Via Internet Archive Book Images on Flickr

March 22, 2019

Did you know NYC’s only surviving cycling track is in Flushing?

By Lucie Levine

From the late 1890s through the 1920s, tens of thousands of New Yorkers turned out to witness the high drama of competitive bicycle speed racing. In New York, there were Velodromes (cycling tracks) at Coney Island, in the Bronx, and even at the original Madison Square Garden, where grueling six-day races called “Madisons” pushed riders to their limits. The sport fell prey to the Depression, and today there are just 26 Velodromes in the United States, including one in New York City, the Kissena Velodrome in Flushing’s Kissena Park, known to Velodrome enthusiasts as “the Track of Dreams.”
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History

The 15 best places in NYC to ring in the Lunar New Year

Via Wikimedia

February 1, 2019

The 15 best places in NYC to ring in the Lunar New Year

One of New York City's most spirited events kicks off next Tuesday: the Lunar New Year. With multiple Chinatowns and Asian communities across the five boroughs, there is no shortage of events to celebrate the nearly two-week-long holiday, which is said to have originated more than 4,000 years ago. While the most well-known festivity is the colorful parade in Lower Manhattan's Chinatown, other Lunar New Year events in Flushing, Sunset Park, and Staten Island should not be overlooked. Embrace the Year of the Pig, the 12th zodiac animal said to signal good fortune, with lantern decorating events, dumpling and noodle-making classes, traditional dance and song, and sparkling firecracker ceremonies.
See the full list

Events & Things To Do

Rendering of 126th Street facing north; image courtesy of NYCEDC

January 18, 2019

City’s plans for Willets Point include a soccer stadium and affordable housing

City officials have released long-awaited plans to develop the blighted Willets Point section of Corona, Queens. As 6sqft previously reported, the economic development site within the industrial neighborhood east of Citi Field known as the Iron Triangle was at one point slated for a cleanup of its toxic soil and the creation of affordable and senior housing that would replace a jumble of auto shops and industrial businesses. Finally surfacing almost four months after a task force submitted suggestions to the Econonmic Development Corp. (EDC), the plans contain two development scenarios including a soccer stadium and mixed-use scenario that includes residential development, retail and a school.
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December 6, 2018

New York State Pavilion to receive a $16.5M FEMA grant for Hurricane Sandy repairs

Designed by Philip Johnson for the 1964-65 World’s Fair to embody the architectural essence of Space Age futurism, the New York State Pavilion has been battered by the ensuing decades to the point of becoming valued as an "historic ruin." As 6sqft previously reported, plans to restore the site have been progressing slowly even with new funding from the city. Now, Curbed reports, the iconic site in Flushing, Queens, will be getting a $16.5 million grant from FEMA for Hurricane Sandy-related repairs.
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Architecture And Design

POPULAR Flushing BUILDINGS

625 Main Street 625 Main Street

59-17 Junction Boulevard 59-17 Junction Boulevard

48-12 217th Street 48-12 217th Street

30 Main Street 30 Main Street

135-35 Northern Boulevard 135-35 Northern Boulevard

2-01 50th Avenue 2-01 50th Avenue

44-15 Colden Street 44-15 Colden Street

Willets Point from Citi Field. Image: Wiki Commons.

September 18, 2018

Could affordable housing plans for Willets Point be scrapped for airport construction parking?

The city and developers have filed preliminary plans to pave a 6.5 acre stretch of city land for 665 parking spots, Crains reports. The economic development site within the industrial neighborhood of Willets Point, in Corona, Queens also known as the Iron Triangle was slated for a cleanup of its toxic soil and the creation of affordable and senior housing, plans which resulted in the demolition of a cluster of small businesses.
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August 31, 2018

Upcoming walking and bike tours explore NYC’s historic and hidden waterways

Being the concrete jungle it is today, it’s hard to believe New York City was once a maritime powerhouse, its surrounding harbor waters serving as a vital trading port for the rest of the country. Before paved over and developed, Manhattan boasted forests and wildlife, supported by many freshwater ponds and streams. Today, some of the city's oldest waterways remain hidden in plain sight, their pathways relegated underground. NYC H20, a nonprofit who aims to educate New Yorkers about the city's water, is hosting five walking and bike tours of historic waterways throughout the month of September, giving New Yorkers a chance to get their feet wet with knowledge about NYC's water.
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Waitlist opens for 400+ middle-income units near Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Via Paul VanDerWerf on Flickr

August 8, 2018

Waitlist opens for 400+ middle-income units near Flushing Meadows Corona Park

A lottery to get on the waitlist for more than 400 moderate-income units launched this week across a few rental buildings in Forest Hills, a residential neighborhood of Queens. The buildings, located at 62-27 108th Street, 108-53 62nd Drive, and 110-01 62nd Drive, are being developed by Phipps Houses, a major developer of affordable housing. The buildings sit nearby Flushing Meadows Corona Park, home to the Queens Museum, New York Hall of Science, Citi Field, and the Arthur Ashe Tennis Stadium. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from a $1,462/month studio to a $2,170/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Queens shows how diversity is driving NYC’s economic boom

Elmhurst’s Chinatown. Image: Wiki Commons.

August 7, 2018

Queens shows how diversity is driving NYC’s economic boom

Recent economic snapshots issued by the state comptroller show that New York City has continued to experience record economic expansion in the past three years. This growth has been led by notable gains in the economies of Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx (Staten Island's report is expected later this year), which since the 1990s have seen an economic boost from a large increase in their immigrant populations, Crain's reports. The revitalization of these immigrant-rich areas has led to an uptick in the number of businesses as well as sales and job growth. Unemployment is at its lowest rate since 1990. Queens, the borough that is home the city's most diverse population and becoming more so, is clearly one to watch.
More jobs, great food

City Living

Image: NYC Design Awards.

July 2, 2018

With funding and plans, revamp of Philip Johnson’s New York State Pavilion moves slowly forward

Designed by starchitect Philip Johnson for the 1964-65 World's Fair to embody the architectural essence of Space Age futurism, the New York State Pavilion, has, in the ensuing decades, become what amNY called a "hulking 54-year-old relic of the World’s Fair," though it has never lost its modernist cachet and has gained value as an historic ruin of sorts. Recently, talk of restoring the pavilion beyond its current inglorious purgatory slowly appears to be moving toward actual plans with funding attached. City officials and preservationists have secured $14 million for specific repairs and improvements to the pavilion.
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Architecture And Design

Lottery opens for 231 affordable units at Flushing’s new mixed-use development

Rendering via Monadnock Development

June 28, 2018

Lottery opens for 231 affordable units at Flushing’s new mixed-use development

Three-and-a-half years ago, the Department of City Planning enlisted Monadnock Development to build a mixed-use project in downtown Flushing, Queens. Located at 133-45 41st Avenue and dubbed One Flushing, the development has 22,000 square feet of retail space, along with 232 all-affordable apartments, nearly 40 percent of which is set aside as supportive senior housing. Including low- and middle-income units, the lottery for these residences has just opened, ranging from $548/month studios to $2,302/month three-bedrooms. In addition to being just around the corner from the 7 train and adjacent to the Flushing-Main Street LIRR Station, the building offers a 156-space public parking lot, 24-hour attended lobby, laundry room, bike storage, tenant lounge and terrace, fitness center, and rooftop garden.
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Affordable Housing

The intersection of Kissena Boulevard and Main Street in Flushing. Image: Wikimedia Commons

June 14, 2018

Take an insider’s tour of Flushing’s ethnic food at the Flushing’s World Fair this weekend

Flushing, Queens is a dining destination for serious foodies and fans of any of a cornucopia of authentic Asian and Indian delights; from June 15-17, you can sample the international cuisine with discounts and a tour to help you with the highlights; the Flushing's World Fair is a three-day expo that brings together the businesses, cultural institutions and historic landmarks of the diverse and dynamic community.
Find out more about the food tour

June 12, 2018

3 middle-income units up for grabs in a quiet section of Flushing in Queens, from $1,700/month

Photo via Wikimedia A newly constructed four-story residential building in Murray Hill is now accepting applications for three middle-income units. But it's not the Murray Hill of Manhattan you know, but instead a quiet enclave in Queens, part of the sprawling neighborhood of Flushing. Found at 168-05 Depot Road, the rental sits just four blocks from the Long Island Rail Road station at Broadway. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the $1,700/month one-bedroom and two $1,950/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Historic photos take you back to the 1939 New York World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows

Aerial view of the 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair; via NYPL

April 30, 2018

Historic photos take you back to the 1939 New York World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows

On April 30, 1939, the New York World's Fair opened in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. The fair, which spread across 1,200 acres, commemorated the 150th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration in Lower Manhattan, and had a central theme of "Building the World of Tomorrow." Construction of the fair began in 1936, which involved turning the Corona city dump and tidal swamp into the fairgrounds. After the land was cleared, hundreds of architects, designers, engineers and construction workers came together to transform the dump into the site for the World's Fair. The "Trylon", a 700-foot obelisk, and the "Perisphere," a 200-foot globe, stood in the center of the fairgrounds, soon becoming permanent symbols of the Fair. Many American corporations, including the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, the Borden Company and General Motors, participated, as a way to introduce fairgoers to new products. With close to 60 nations and 33 U.S. states participating, and its own subway line, the 1939 World's Fair remains one of the largest, and most iconic, international fairs in history. Ahead, check out some of the photos of the historic World's Fair, found in the New York Public Library's extensive collection.
Go back in time

History

Uncover secrets of the World’s Fair with free, monthly walking tours of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

Photo via Wikimedia

April 25, 2018

Uncover secrets of the World’s Fair with free, monthly walking tours of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

For two six-month seasons in 1964, the World's Fair came to Queens, with exhibits featured from over 80 nations spread across 646 acres. The fair came at a time of mid-20th-century innovation and culture, at the height of the Space Age. It served as a moment of peace before the start of the Vietnam War, with its motto "Peace Through Understanding." And while many New Yorkers attended the historic event, or have heard stories recounted by parents and grandparents, it's hard to imagine what it was truly like to experience. Making it easier to understand what the World's Fair was really like, the city's parks department is offering free, monthly tours of the park, allowing visitors to hear the stories behind the Unisphere, the New York State Pavilion and many more landmarks.
Details here

Queens’ huge ‘ World’s Fare’ food festival announces half of its 100 vendors

Photo courtesy of Bill Cotter/worldsfairphotos

March 19, 2018

Queens’ huge ‘ World’s Fare’ food festival announces half of its 100 vendors

On April 28th and 29th CitiField will be transformed into a modern, food-centric take on the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The World’s Fare wants guests to experience "diversity through cuisine," which they'll accomplish with 100+ food vendors from more than 100 cultures (there will also be an international beer garden, live music, and art), and now Eater has the scoop on the first 50 of these participants, which includes old-time Jewish bakery Orwashers, social venture and Bengali pop-up Jhal NYC, Japanese vegetable pancake purveyor Oconomi, Australian restaurant the Thirsty Koala, and Brazilian chocolate shop Brigadeiros.
The full list and all the event details

Events & Things To Do

February 13, 2018

World’s Fair fountains in Flushing Meadows will get a $5M revamp

More than 50 years after the 1964-65 World's Fair was held in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the fountains leading up to the iconic Unisphere will be returned to their former glory. amNY first got word that the currently dilapidated Fountain of the Fairs would undergo a $5 million renovation next year. Renderings from Quennell Rothschild & Partners show a Fog Garden, a walkway filled with misting fountains, as well as a children's water park and another plaza for outdoor performances, all of which will be lined with new landscaping and seating.
More details and renderings

Architecture And Design

A Queens festival will reimagine the World’s Fair with 100+ food vendors representing over 100 cultures

Photo courtesy of Bill Cotter/worldsfairphotos

February 8, 2018

A Queens festival will reimagine the World’s Fair with 100+ food vendors representing over 100 cultures

Experience "diversity through cuisine" at CitiField this spring at an event paying homage to the iconic 1964 New York World's Fair. Dubbed the World's Fare, the event will feature over 100 food vendors from more than 100 cultures, as well as live music and art (h/t QNS). Highlights include an international beer garden that will offer tastings of 80 craft beers from 45 breweries and exhibits of LEGO Art and 4-D drawings.
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Affordable senior housing lottery now open in new Corona, Queens passive house building

Rendering via HANAC

January 10, 2018

Affordable senior housing lottery now open in new Corona, Queens passive house building

Rendering via HANAC 46 newly-constructed affordable units at the HANAC Corona Senior Residence at 54-17 101st Street in Corona, Queens are now available via the city's affordable housing lottery. According to QNS, it will be the first affordable senior housing structure in the United States to meet the Passive House Institute design standards and the first affordable housing complex in Corona in three decades. Individuals or households that have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older and who earn between $0 and $38,200 annually are eligible to apply. Five percent of units will be set aside for mobility-disabled applicants and two percent for vision- or hearing-disabled applicants.
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Affordable Housing

October 9, 2017

This $988K Tudor in Bayside, Queens looks like something out of a fairy tale

By Emily Nonko

A turreted entryway, arched front door, leaded and stained glass windows and wood beamed ceilings--it all makes for a mini-castle in the heart of Bayside, Queens. This Tudor home at 48-12 217th Street was built in the 1930s, and is located in a neighborhood filled with other Tudor beauties with well manicured front yards. This home comes with plenty of suburban perks, like a front and back yard, garage and finished basement. Combined with the 1930s period details, it's a unique property that's now on the market for $988,000 and may just lure you out to eastern Queens.
There's even a Tiffany chandelier

The world’s largest tire was used as a Ferris wheel at NYC’s 1964 World’s Fair

Photo courtesy of Gregory Fournier

July 18, 2017

The world’s largest tire was used as a Ferris wheel at NYC’s 1964 World’s Fair

The world's largest tire, the Uniroyal Giant Tire, reached 80 feet high and weighed 20 tons when it debuted as a Ferris wheel at the New York World's Fair in 1964. First located in Flushing, Queens, the towering tire was commissioned by the Uniroyal Tire Company and designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, the same architectural firm behind the Empire State Building. During its time at the fair, the tire carried over two million passengers, including Jacqueline Kennedy and her children, Telly Savalas, and the Shah of Iran. Each ride cost just $0.25 and would last 10 minutes.
How did the tire end up in Detroit?

History

May 16, 2017

Landmarks approves plans to disassemble RKO Keith’s Flushing Theater’s historic interiors

In a rare case, the RKO Keith's Flushing Theater is an interior landmark, but the building it's inside is not landmarked. Built in 1928 to the designs of noted theater architect Thomas Lamb, the elaborately ornamented Churrigueresque-style movie palace has sat decrepit for the past three decades, until Chinese firm Xinyuan Real Estate (they're also behind Williamsburg's Oosten condo and the forthcoming Hell's Kitchen condo that will be anchored by a Target) bought the vacant theater for $66 million last year with plans to develop it into a 269-unit luxury condo. Moving ahead with this vision, they've tapped Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and preservation specialists Ayon Studio to erect a 16-story glass tower at the site, which includes plans to "enclose the interior landmark, and to disassemble, restore off-site, and reinstall salvaged ornamental plasterwork and woodwork and replicas" in a new residential lobby. Despite some opposition from the Historic Districts Council (HDC) regarding public accessibility, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted in favor of the plan, congratulating the architects and expressing great admiration for their design.
More details ahead

Policy

Philip Johnson’s iconic New York State Pavilion to undergo $14.25M renovation

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

April 28, 2017

Philip Johnson’s iconic New York State Pavilion to undergo $14.25M renovation