WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2020 – NOW YOU CAN GET REAL FOOD AT QUEENSPLAZA
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
OUR 134th ISSUE
OF
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Murray’s Cheese
from Bleeker Street
to
Queens Plaza
and
SVEN
DUTCH KILLS GARDEN
Years ago I would take the Q102 bus to Astoria to go shopping. I avoided Queens Plaza. The only time I would be there would be to catch the Q102 bus when the tram was not running and I had to take the bus to the island. That is ancient history, pre 1989.
I have watched Queens Plaza blossom out my window from just the CitiCorp building sitting high in the sky. Now I look out on at least 20 hi-rises office building and residential ones.
I was so taken by a lush garden in the middle of the maddening traffic pattern. After carefully crossing 5 crosswalks I found myself in a garden in between the roadways. Being a skeptical New Yorker, I was shocked at how well it was maintained. It says it is taken care of by Met Life and NYC Parks. It is called Dutch Kills Garden. The garden was opened 8 years ago after a massive project to re-route traffic in the area.
BEFORE AND AFTER GARDEN CONSTRUCTION
CHASE MANHATTAN BANK BUILDING
Chase Manhattan Bank Building, also known as the Queens Clock Tower and the Bank of the Manhattan Company Building, is located at the southern end of the plot containing Queens Plaza Park. It contains 11 stories of offices as well as a 3-story clock tower.
The building was designed by Morrell Smith, who had also designed other Manhattan Company branches, and until 1990, it was the tallest commercial building in Queens. It was designated as an official city landmark in 2015. As part of Queens Plaza Park’s construction, the former Chase Manhattan Bank Building will be converted into the residential development’s retail base, with more than 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) of commercial space.
The building contains a facade of buff brick and Indiana Limestone. It is arranged into “base, shaft and capital” sections, similar to the parts of a column. The base is made of limestone and originally included a banking hall. The southern facade, facing Queens Plaza, included three vertical architectural bays that each contained windows under a relief. The entrance portico, made of masonry, was topped by a Gothic Revival entablature with a
depiction of Oceanus, a Greek god that was also used as the Manhattan Company’s icon, as well as a glazed transom. A metal sign with the bank’s name was located above the first floor. These were later replaced by a utilitarian double-height glass wall. Inside was an elevator lobby, where there was access to the elevators that served the upper floors.] There was also a bank vault in the basement. On the upper stories, the southern facade is divided into three vertical bays, with buff brick standing out against the brown-brick facade.This facade contains a 2-3-2 window arrangement, with three windows in the center bay and two windows in each of the outer bays.[21] The clock tower, described before its construction as a landmark that was easily visible from other boroughs, continues above the center bay.
It contains clocks on all four faces, each with Roman numerals.
This made the Chase Manhattan Bank Building the second building on Queens Plaza to contain a clock tower, the first being the adjacent Brewster Building in 1911. The clocks are non-winding Telechron clocks added by the Brooklyn-based Electime Company. Above the “XII” mark on each face were neo-Gothic-style cast-stone reliefs.Other features on the tower include carvings of gargoyles, as well as a “castellated turret, copper windows and granite shields”.Adjacent to the tower, there was formerly a rooftop sign, which faced east and advertised the Manhattan Company. (Wikipedia)
SVEN, THE FUTURE
Comprising retail and office space in addition to its 958 residences, Sven rises 67 stories above the vibrant neighborhood of Long Island City, Queens. Situated directly across from Queensboro Plaza, the building’s central location offers easy access to bus and subway lines, including front door access to the E, M, and R trains. Included in the Sven development plan is a one-half acre public park that fronts the residential tower, as well as the adaptive reuse of the historic Long Island City Clock Tower. Completed in 1927 and originally home to Bank of Manhattan, the landmarked Clock Tower will now include five unique retail spaces with unmatched convenience and exposure. Set for completion in Spring of 2021, Sven is seeking a LEED Platinum certification and will be one of the tallest buildings in the borough of Queens. (The Durst Organization)
THE GREAT CRISS CROSS OF RAIL, TRAFFIC AND SKI
Murray’s Cheese on Jackson Avenue
Murray’s Cheese of Bleeker Street has relocated to Jackson Avenue, just feet from the Queens Plaza subway station, opened this week. It has a grocery and specialty cheese department and a bar and dining area. The shop is open daily and should be a great addition to this area that has little food sources. Next year a grand food hall is scheduled to open on the other side of the street.
Quite a different look from where disinfectants were made when I moved to the Island. (CN Plus)
WEDNESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
IDENTIFY THIS
SEND SUBMISSION TO ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM
WINNER GETS A KIOSK TRINKET
CLARIFICATION
WE ARE HAPPY TO GIVE WINNERS OF OUR DAILY PHOTO IDENTIFICATION A TRINKET FROM THE VISITOR CENTER.
ONLY THE PERSON IDENTIFYING THE PHOTO FIRST WILL GET A PRIZE.
WE HAVE A SPECIAL GROUP OF ITEMS TO CHOOSE FROM. WE CANNOT GIVE AWAY ALL OUR ITEMS,.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES, WE MUST LIMIT GIVE-AWAYS. THANK YOU
TUESDAY’S PHOTO OF THE DAY
WE WORK BUILDING
BROOKLYN NAVY YARD
Alexis Villefane got it right!
EDITORIAL
It is a surprise to visit the new Queens Plaza.Aside from the little park there is no greenery, just crosswalks and traffic. I assume living here in luxury you will not long need to exit you castle in the sky.
I will continue to wander the neighborhood and find some more goodies to write about.
JUDITH BERDY
NEW FEATURE
FROM OUR KIOSK
GREAT STUFF FOR ALL OCCASIONS
BASEBALL CAPS $12-
AVAILABLE AT THE KIOSK
OPEN WEEKENDS 12 NOON TO 5 P.M.
ORDER ON-LINE BY CHARGE CARD
ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM
Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Deborah Dorff
All image are copyrighted (c)
Roosevelt Island Historical Society
unless otherwise indicated
FUNDING PROVIDED BY ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE GRANTS
CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE BEN KALLOS DISCRETIONARY FUNDING THRU DYCD
Copyright © 2020 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com
Leave a comment