On Wednesday evening, May 29, community members gathered at the Schwartz Brothers-Jeffer Memorial Chapels for a fascinating lecture by Nick Hirshon, author, journalism professor, and media historian.
Jennifer Martin, a funeral director at Schwartz Brothers, welcomed everyone. She shared that Schwartz Brothers decided to open the program, “Events on the Boulevard,” to the community at night and they offer monthly programs.
“We wanted to have something that has nothing to do with death,” she shared.
The featured speaker, Nick Hirshon, shared that he is a native of Queens and that Forest Hills means a lot to him. He shared a video presentation with photos of how Queens Boulevard looked back in the 1930s and 1940s. Queens was originally farmland. He first showed a photo of the Schwartz Brothers’ original building. It looked like an old house in the 1940s and Queens Boulevard was empty.
Next, he displayed a photo of the Pinnacle Condominium building, and then he showed a photo of what it was in 1938-1960, when it was Topsy’s Cabin, named after a character in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
He displayed a photo of Lady of Queen Martyr Church on Ascan Avenue in the 1940s. There were women in front of the photo, standing next to an iron lung. The American Legion had held a benefit at Carnagie Hall to purchase the iron lung.
He noted that originally Queens Boulevard was a two-lane road connecting Manhattan to Long Island. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald described this area as a valley of ashes.
Mr. Hirshon pointed out many celebrities who worshipped at the church, including Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan) and Geraldine Ferraro, a diplomat and politician. There is a street named after Geraldine Ferraro near Austin Street and Ascan Avenue.
Next, he displayed a photo from the 1940s of the A&P food store. He pointed out the prices: porterhouse steak cost 33 cents.
He noted that Forest Hills Gardens was the first garden community of Queens and President Teddy Roosevelt spoke there on July 4, 1917.
He displayed a sign from 1976 advertising the tennis championship from September 1 to September 12, at Forest Hills Stadium.
He pointed out that the bank on 108th Street and Queens Boulevard used to be a Masonic lodge. He displayed a photo of it from 1930 when it was the Boulevard Bank and Masonic Lodge. There were old telephone poles in the background of the photo.
He asked if anyone knew which building is a New York City landmark on Queens Boulevard. It’s the Ridgewood Savings Bank on 71st and Continental Avenue.
He displayed a photo of the Midway Theater, which opened in 1942 and was named after the Battle of Midway in World War II.
He showed a clip from the first movie shown there, “The Pied Piper.” The movie is about a man who takes in refugee children from the war. That movie lost to “Mrs. Miniver” as best picture of the year. When the Midway opened, people said that they didn’t have to travel to Manhattan anymore to see a movie.
He noted that the opening of the subway in 1936 was the defining moment for Forest Hills.
In the 1990s, Queens Boulevard was named the Boulevard of Death because of so many people getting killed there who were struck by vehicles.
Next, he displayed a photo of the Forest Hills Post Office being constructed in 1938. The old Post Office logo was a man on horseback. The eagle logo didn’t come until 1970. The building is designed in art deco style by a famous architect, Lorimer Rich.
Then, he showed a bronze statue of Captain Gerald MacDonald (1882-1929), a Forest Hills resident who served in the 22nd and 12th Engineers in World War I. The statue is located in MacDonald Park on Queens Boulevard.
He also noted that the 2002 movie Spiderman was filmed in Forest Hills Gardens.
By Susie Garber
