| For nearly a century, the
historic community of Jackson Heights in Queens has maintained its
acres of shared interior courtyards: green spaces that range from
open lawns to planted gardens to shaded canopies of ivy-clad trees.
Throughout the Great Depression and the post-WWII building boom,
Jackson Heights' residents fought to hold on to their numerous
sanctuaries of grass, trees, and gardens in the midst of a city
where high property values create an intense pressure to develop any
available open space. As a result of their loyalty to the original
plan of Jackson Heights, residents of the community are blessed with
an environment that, according to resident Daniel Karatzas (author
of Jackson Heights: A Garden in the City), "really gives
people a sense of pride and a sense of history." |
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An historic view of
several Jackson Heights' community greens and the old golf course. Photo:
Daniel Karatzas "Jackson Heights: A Garden in the City" |
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Jackson Heights today:
looking through the trees toward one of
the interior gardens. |
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Creating a
Vision
The creation of Jackson Heights
can be attributed to both the foresight and vision of its founder,
Edward Archibald MacDougall. Under the auspices of the Queensboro
Corporation, MacDougall oversaw the procurement of 325 acres of
land, over the East River five miles from Manhattan. Because of the
lack of rapid transit, MacDougall was able to purchase the
predominately farmland for a mere $3.8 million. During the initial
years, he pressed for a subway connection, whose later arrival
created the catalyst necessary to prompt city dwellers to invest in
Jackson Heights.
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| The community of Jackson Heights
was to include both residential and commercial buildings, creating a
"city within a city" which would fulfill all the needs of its
residents, while still allowing them easy access to Manhattan. The
325 acres were divided into 88 blocks. The blocks were approximately
200 by 600 feet, about twice-standard length. Single-family housing,
flanked the neighborhood on the east and west sides. In the central
fifteen blocks, garden apartments were built.
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Rose garden and lawn at the
Chateau. Photo: Li Yu |
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MacDougall's vision for
his garden apartments focused on the following
principles:
- The full block would
be developed (in contrast to the gradual development happening in
most of Manhattan.)
- There would be a
maximum of sunlight and ventilation, by including rooms that faced
the outdoors and numerous windows into the design.
- Buildings would be
set back slightly from lot lines to provide an opportunity for
landscaping in front.
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The Winsor Apartments on 72nd
Street. Setbacks allow for greenery in the front.
Photo: Li Yu
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Street view into a garden. |
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In addition, the arrangement of
the apartment buildings would create a private interior courtyard,
that would be landscaped and serve as a communal garden, for the
enjoyment of the block's inhabitants. It would be an area in which
to socialize, play and relax and would pervade with greenery all of
the apartments that surround it.
In 1917, the Queensboro
Corporation built its first large apartment complex according to
MacDougall's principles. He named it the "Garden Apartments" and it is
considered to be the first garden apartment complex built in the U.S. It
consisted of 14 five-story buildings set back about 12 feet from the
property line with a strip of grass and trees in the front and a shared
park along the inside of the block.
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Of the fifteen garden apartments
completed, ten had central gardens that ran 80% of the length of the
block, almost 500 feet. The other five, built during the Depression
when funding was at its lowest, were slightly smaller.
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individual apartment buildings of MacDougall's fifteen garden
apartment blocks, were typically U-shaped and were separated or
connected to each other, depending on the architect. Two
architects, George H. Wells and Andrew J. Thomas, designed most of
the apartments for MacDougall. Thomas' apartments were physically
separated from each other and contained two apartments per floor,
an apartment typically being three rooms deep and two rooms wide
with a small hall separating it from the other apartment on the
same floor. Sometimes there were three apartments per floor, but
the apartments were arranged to provide the most light for their
occupants. The Towers, designed by Thomas, consisted of eight,
six-story buildings, separated by 37 feet on each side; each
apartment had four exposures. The apartment
buildings designed by George H. Wells were not separated from each other
and were only two rooms deep and two or three rooms wide, so that all
rooms could have light. |
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Typical apartment floor
plan. Photo: "Jackson Heights: A Garden
in the City" |
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A courtyard outfitted with benches. |
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Rooms were oriented either to
enjoy the interior courtyards or face out to the landscaped street.
Buildings were typically four to five stories. The buildings usually
only covered 40% of the land, which allowed the development of
gardens on the other 60%; whereas, in the typical Manhattan
development, the buildings occupied 70% of the land which reduced
the amount of land available for gardens or other outdoor space. In
addition to the interior block gardens, there was land set aside
within Jackson Heights for children's play areas, a community
garden, tennis courts, and a golf course.
It was
not always easy for the residents of Jackson Heights to preserve the
integrity of the original neighborhood. During the depression, one of the
gardens was briefly divided into small sections by chain-link fences. In 1977,
the owner of that development decided to walk away from the property when
interest rates on the land climbed. According to Martin Gallenz, a
resident of Jackson Heights and ex-Vice Chairman of the New York
City Planning Commission "he just
lost faith in the property." The residents, however, did not give up on
the value of their shared open space. They pooled their resources to take
out an 11 million dollar mortgage.
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Columns at The Towers, then and
now. |
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| Today, although the tennis
courts, golf course and community garden are gone, all but one of the
fifteen interior block gardens are still intact. Unfortunately, the one
interior garden that was destroyed, that at Cambridge Court, which was
paved over for use as a parking lot, was the only one of the interior
gardens designed by the Olmstead Brothers (the descendent landscape
architecture firm of Frederick Law Olmstead). The other gardens have
remained, though they have gone through some years of disrepair and
subsequent renewal. |
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Quality architecture at the
Belvedere (see above), as elsewhere in Jackson
Heights, complement the gardens. Photo: Li Yu |
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Washington Plaza's Cascading Fountain |
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The garden at The Towers, one
of the most exclusive apartment complexes, was used as an athletic field
before residents returned it to its earlier glory as a formal garden, with
an area at one end for children to play. Because most of the apartments
are co-ops and remained so during the Depression, people understand their
value. Cambridge Court had become a rental property by the time the
gardens were destroyed.
The physical structure of
Jackson Heights has buoyed not only the character and resident loyalty of
the neighborhood, but the property value as well. Gallenz adds that if the residents had sacrificed the
inner courtyards, the apartments of Jackson Heights would have lost one
third of their real estate value.
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| Many gardens include benches for lounging. |
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"When
people come from Manhattan, they can't believe their eyes."
According to Karatzas, there is
a much stronger sense of community on blocks with interior gardens
than on other blocks within Jackson Heights and in surrounding
neighborhoods. At the gardens, birthdays are celebrated and family
and wedding photographs taken. Each garden is unique. Some are
richly ornamented with vibrant flowerbeds, others provide more areas
for residents to sit and read. One garden is adorned with an
elaborate fountain.
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On any
given afternoon, you will find neighbors gardening, strolling
through the gardens, and lounging in them. Those who enjoy
gardening, plant the flowerbeds, while each household contributes
approximately one hundred dollars per year to help keep up the
central grounds. As a result, the neighborhood remains elegant and
verdant with graceful apartment buildings presiding over acres of
ornamental hedges, grand shade trees, and kaleidoscopes of
flowerbeds. The greatest benefit of the Jackson Heights gardens is
the ability to make an apartment feel like a home. From your
apartment, you can sit by the fireplace, surrounded by trees and
light with the grand gardens below. The importance of these gardens
has not been lost on the residents of Jackson
Heights.
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A volunteer gardener working in
The Chateau rose garden. Photo: Li Yu |
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A verdant path in the Chateau
Garden. Photo: Li Yu |
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In spite of great pressure to
further develop their community, Jackson Heights' residents have been able
to preserve their garden courtyards. In 1993, as a result of citizen
efforts, Jackson Heights was named a historic district by the New York
City Landmark Preservation Commission. From that point on, specific
covenants as well as the perseverance of the residents have
protected the open spaces.
Daniel Karatzas says that the "physical legacy", of the original design that provides for shared
open space as well as easy access to a shopping center and public
transportation, has given the neighborhood a human scale, "softening
the hard edges of the city". This distinct character, according to
Karatzas, has provided an incentive for residents to stay in the
neighborhood, preventing it from suffering the same postwar fate of
disinvestment, and even arson, that struck many similar historic
neighborhoods. |
"These
apartments are the antidotes to aggressive city living."
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Jackson Heights's residents also
proudly describe it as one of the most ethnically diverse
neighborhoods in the country. "People have stayed, even come from
all over the world, to live in Jackson Heights." The term "garden
apartment" was coined in Jackson Heights for the original apartment
complexes built in the teens and twenties. Of those "garden
apartments" developed in the last several decades, few have held
true to this original model of buildings oriented around shared
green space. The importance of green space, sunlight and fresh air
has proved valuable not only to the physical health of the
community, but to its social health as well. The splendor of Jackson
Heights is its characterization as an urban neighborhood with lush
interior gardens, whose residents' commitment to their community and
defense of their green space attests to the importance they place on
these unique amenities. |
Learn
more….
Jackson
Heights: A Garden in the City, written by Daniel Karatzas is a comprehensive
history of the neighborhood of Jackson Heights. It is filled with historical
photos and architectural plans, documenting the growth of this unique
community. It is available
for $15.00 (including postage) from the Jackson Heights Beautification
Group. To purchase a copy
please send a check, made out to “JHBG”, to JHBG, Box 720253, Jackson
Heights, NY 11372. For
further inquiry call the JHBG at (212) 439-8784.
Historic
Jackson Heights. The most comprehensive website on Jackson
Heights, it includes detailed descriptions of several buildings (from the
Queens Historical Society), a general description of the neighborhood, the
styles and ornamentation of the architecture, how to get there, local
events, a recent history as well as a few accounts of its early history, a
brief excerpt and pictures from “Jackson Heights: From Ice Age to Space
Age” a children’s book with drawings by the children of the
community. http://www.preserve.org/jhbg/
Jackson
Heights. This site was created by a board member of the
Jackson Heights Beautification Group. It includes photos of the gardens,
architecture, walks and shops.
There is a list of upcoming events and information about the
Historic Jackson Heights Weekend. http://www.jacksonheightsnyc.com/
Historic Jackson Heights Walking Tour,
Sunday, June 17th, 2002. Take advantage of this unique
opportunity to stroll through the private gardens of Jackson Heights. Sponsored by the Jackson Heights
Beautification Group, weekend events include an historic photo exhibition,
a slide show and lecture, a garden tour and an historic district walking
tour.
For more information
about the Historic Jackson Heights Weekend, click on the following links:
http://www.preserve.org/jhbg/arts-events.htm#coming
or http://www.jacksonheightsnyc.com/historic_weekend.html
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