148-402: The IND Queens Boulevard Line , sometimes abbreviated as QBL , is a line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan and Queens , New York City , United States . The line, which is underground throughout its entire route, contains 23 stations. The core section between 50th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan , and 169th Street in Jamaica, Queens , was built by
296-525: A 50th Street station on the Queens Boulevard Line. This station was to have only been served by Eighth Avenue trains heading north toward Washington Heights. The Eighth Avenue Association petitioned the BOT for an additional stop at 50th Street. On November 21, 1926, it was announced that the BOT had agreed to construct a stop at this location for the Queens Boulevard Line. On February 26, 1927,
444-571: A T-junction, allowing trains from Manhattan to travel south to Brooklyn via the Crosstown line. A map from June of that year shows a proposed alternate routing for the Queens Boulevard Line, that would have had the line turn via Kew Gardens Road after the Union Turnpike station instead of continuing via Queens Boulevard. After proceeding via Kew Gardens Road, the line would have turned via Hillside Avenue. The proposed route via Kew Gardens Road
592-628: A beachfront community with inexpensive summer bungalows, and hotels of varying levels of expense and luxury as well as amusements and boardwalk concessions, and it also attracted a year-round residential community. One grandiose plan for the community included a canal running through the neighborhood, reminiscent of the Amstel canal in Amsterdam , the Netherlands . The canal was never built; its right-of-way became Amstel Boulevard, which, except for
740-482: A city police officer who were fired from their jobs after their participation came to light. They sued the city for wrongful termination, and their claims were upheld in federal district court in 2003. Residents expressed support for and relief at the ruling, hoping that an end to the court battle would help to rehabilitate the image of the town. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed
888-605: A connection through the Jamaica Yard and through Flushing Meadows–Corona Park along the current right-of-way of the Van Wyck Expressway . The 1939 World's Fair was served by GG trains, some of which were marked as S Special. Trains were extended to the World's Fair Station at all times during the fair, supplemented by PM hour E trains. The fair closed on October 28, 1940, and was demolished later that year. As
1036-455: A four track line, and this required the turning of F trains at Parsons Boulevard, and no storage facilities were provided at the station. The station was overcrowded as it served as a major transfer point for buses heading to areas throughout Eastern Queens. In February 1941, contractors started work on construction two additional staircases at the 169th Street station on each of the eastern corners at 168th Street and Hillside Avenue for $ 15,500. As
1184-473: A loss of annual revenue between $ 750,000 and $ 1 million with the opening of the extension of the Queens Boulevard Line to Jamaica. The opening of the line to Continental Avenue was expected in October as of April 1936. At the same time, it was announced that Jamaica Yard would be placed into service with this extension of service. The installation of third rail and storage tracks were expected to be completed by
1332-749: A lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 74.6% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 6 murders, 26 rapes, 151 robberies, 301 felony assaults, 98 burglaries, 250 grand larcenies, and 31 grand larcenies' auto in 2018. Rockaway is served by these New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire stations: As of 2018 , preterm births and births to teenage mothers are more common in Rockaway than in other places citywide. In Rockaway, there were 113 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 20.9 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Rockaway has
1480-430: A picture at the controls of the train. This extension cost $ 27 million, of which $ 5.8 million was for Jamaica Yard, $ 1.4 million was for real estate, $ 2.2 million, and $ 16.2 million for tunnels and tracks. In March 1937, the extension to 169th Street was expected to be opened on May 1, requiring work to be finished by April 3 and fully approved and tested by April 20. As of this point, minor station work remained, including
1628-624: A place for "male bonding" and to "scuba dive for sunken ships" via Sheepshead Bay's Jeanne II docks at Pier Five. Today, the area still draws crowds during the summer with well-tended beaches. Jacob Riis Park and Fort Tilden are situated towards the western end of the peninsula, and are part of the Gateway National Recreational Area , which was created in 1972 as one of the first urban national parks. The 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long Rockaway Boardwalk and 170 acres (0.69 km ) of sandy beaches, fully accessible by
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#17327727969021776-469: A relatively average population of residents who are uninsured . In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 11%, which is slightly lower than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter , the deadliest type of air pollutant , in Rockaway is 0.006 milligrams per cubic metre (6.0 × 10 oz/cu ft), the lowest of any neighborhood in the city. Sixteen percent of Rockaway residents are smokers , which
1924-476: A result, GG service was truncated to Forest Hills–71st Avenue. After calls from public officials such as Queens Borough President George Harvey to make the line a permanent connection to Flushing and northern Queens, the line was demolished in 1941. After LaGuardia Airport opened on February 21, 1940, the Roosevelt Avenue station became an important transfer point to buses to the airport, including
2072-570: A result, on January 30, 1941, Councilman James A. Burke proposed extending the line one stop to a temporary station at 178th Street to the Transit Commission at a conference on the issue of slow bus service. Under his proposal, 169th Street station would continue to be used by riders on buses from Laurelton, Rosedale, Springfield, and from areas to the north of the station, while the 178th Street station would be patronized by riders from Hollis, Bellerose and Queens Village. Burke stated that
2220-657: A rezoning plan that limits the size of some buildings was approved by the New York City Council for five communities on the peninsula covering 280 blocks. The communities that were included are Rockaway Park , Rockaway Beach , Somerville , Edgemere , and Far Rockaway . With more and more people moving to the city, the Rockaways become a destination for adventurous day trippers. The area appears in New York Magazine 's 2007 spring travel issue as
2368-666: A stub west of Beach 71st Street, was later incorporated into Beach Channel Drive . The first transatlantic flight departed from Neponsit on the Rockaway Peninsula. On May 8, 1919, four United States Navy Curtis-model seaplanes took off from what is now Beach Channel Drive to Newfoundland, Canada , the Azores Islands , and Lisbon , Portugal . Finally, on May 31, 1919, one of the planes, piloted by Lt. Commander Albert C. Read, arrived in Plymouth, England . In
2516-412: A yard east of the new terminal. In August 1936, construction to Forest Hills was expected to be completed by the end of the year. The tracks were installed all the way to 178th Street, and the stations to Union Turnpike were completed. However, the stops to the east still needed to be tiled, have stairways, turnstiles and lighting installed. Only two additional contracts remained to be put up for bid, both
2664-480: Is "Reckanawahaha", which translates to "the place of laughing waters". Other phrases, such as "lekau" (sand) "lechauwaak" (fork or branch), also referred to the area's geography. In September 1609, Henry Hudson and his crew were the first Europeans recorded as seeing the area of the Rockaways and Jamaica Bay . Hudson was attempting to find the Northwest Passage . On September 11, Hudson sailed into
2812-452: Is 53% in Rockaway, slightly higher than the boroughwide and citywide rates of 53% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018 , Rockaway is considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying . Rockaway is patrolled by two precincts of the NYPD . The 101st Precinct is located at 16-12 Mott Avenue and serves Far Rockaway, while the 100th Precinct
2960-494: Is also known as the IND 53rd Street Line . The Queens Boulevard Line is served by four overlapping routes. The E train serves the section between 50th Street and Briarwood, normally running express. The F runs express from 36th Street to 71st Avenue and local east of 71st Avenue to 179th Street. The M and R serve local stops on the route west of 71st Avenue, with the M diverging from the line west of Fifth Avenue/53rd Street and
3108-464: Is greater than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 824 per 100,000 people is higher than that of the city as a whole. The 100th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 74.5% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 2 murders, 5 rapes, 38 robberies, 93 felony assaults, 59 burglaries, 161 grand larcenies, and 17 grand larcenies' auto in 2018. The 101st Precinct also has
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#17327727969023256-684: Is higher than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 75% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", slightly lower than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Rockaway, there are 8 bodegas . The only large hospital on the Rockaway Peninsula is St. John's Episcopal Hospital South Shore . Rockaway is covered by multiple ZIP Codes . From west to east, they are 11697 (Breezy Point), 11694 (Rockaway Park), 11693 (Broad Channel), 11692 (Arverne), and 11691 (Far Rockaway). The United States Post Office operates four locations in Rockaway: The western portion of
3404-469: Is located at 92-24 Rockaway Beach Boulevard and serves the rest of the peninsula. The 100th and 101st Precincts collectively ranked 10th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. However, the low-income and densely populated 101st Precinct has significantly more crime than the 100th Precinct, which is high-income and more insular. As of 2018 , with a non-fatal assault rate of 71 per 100,000 people, Rockaway's rate of violent crimes per capita
3552-685: Is patrolled by the 100th and 101st Precincts of the New York City Police Department . As of 2020, the peninsula's total population is estimated to be 124,185. All ZIP Codes in Rockaway begin with the three digits 116 and the central post office is in Far Rockaway . The name "Rockaway" may have meant "place of sands" in the Munsee language of the Native American Lenape who occupied this area at
3700-412: Is slightly higher than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Rockaway, 32% of residents are obese , 15% are diabetic , and 34% have high blood pressure —compared to the citywide averages of 20%, 14%, and 24% respectively. In addition, 23% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Eighty-nine percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which
3848-636: The 2010 United States Census , the population of the Rockaways, including Broad Channel, was 114,961, a change of 8,261 (7.2%) from the 106,700 counted in 2000 . Covering an area of 4,758.96 acres (1,925.88 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 24.2 inhabitants per acre (15,500/sq mi; 6,000/km ). The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 35.2% (40,446) White , 38.9% (44,663) African American , 0.3% (309) Native American , 2.2% (2,555) Asian , 0.1% (63) Pacific Islander , 0.8% (877) from other races , and 1.7% (1,950) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21% (24,098) of
3996-562: The 63rd Street Tunnel . At Queens Plaza in Long Island City , the line narrows to two tracks, with the local tracks splitting into the 60th Street Tunnel Connection and the IND Crosstown Line . From there, the express tracks of the line provide crosstown service across Manhattan under 53rd Street before turning southwest at Eighth Avenue, ending at the 50th Street station. The two-track section west of Queens Plaza
4144-700: The Broadway Line and the 60th Street Tunnel before making local stops to Forest Hills–71st Avenue at all times except late nights. The F train joins the IND Queens Boulevard Line from the 63rd Street Line . During the daytime, the F runs express to Forest Hills–71st Avenue before making local stops to Jamaica–179th Street ; the F makes all stops during late nights. The E train runs from the Eighth Avenue Line and 53rd Street to Queens Boulevard before making express stops along
4292-631: The Culver Ramp and 60th Street Tunnel Connection opened, the BMT and IND trackage was not connected. The early joint services using these connections operated similarly to trackage rights ; it was not until the Chrystie Street Connection opened in 1967 that the ex-BMT and IND systems were consolidated operationally. Beginning in 1924, BMT services were designated by number. The city assigned letters (J and up)—generally following
4440-591: The Dominican community in Washington Heights, Manhattan . A temporary memorial was developed at the actual site of the disaster, on Newport Avenue. But after consultation with the families in the Belle Harbor and Washington Heights communities, a public memorial was erected at the south end of Beach 116th Street, a major shopping district and transportation hub in the area. Ceremonies commemorating
4588-654: The Dual Contracts , signed in 1913, the BRT acquired extensions outward into Queens , as well as through Lower and Midtown Manhattan . The BRT became the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation in 1923 after a bankruptcy . The Independent Subway System (IND) was created by the city in the 1920s and 1930s as a third system, operated by the city, competing with the BMT and Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). The city took over operations of
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4736-580: The Far Rockaway subway station , and the Far Rockaway LIRR station , got its first new store in decades. Phase I of construction was completed in 2011; Phase II was begun in 2006. Elsewhere, along the beach, zoning laws written decades ago for the hotel trade have allowed developers to build high-rises alongside the smaller old and new houses. In response, some communities have approved rezoning plans for their neighborhoods to stop "out of character" development. Opponents also contend that due to
4884-464: The GG (predecessor to current G service) ran as a shuttle service between Queens Plaza and Nassau Avenue on the IND Crosstown Line . Initially trains ran on four to six-minute headways during rush hours. Later that year, a $ 23 million loan was approved to finance the remainder of the line, along with other IND lines. In 1934 and 1935, construction of the extension to Jamaica was suspended for 15 months and
5032-555: The IND Eighth Avenue Line with separate lower-level platforms at 50th Street . Afterward, the tracks split to join the local and express tracks of the Eighth Avenue Line north of 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal . At that station, a special lower platform formerly served a single southbound track from the Queens Boulevard Line, merging with both southbound tracks of the Eighth Avenue Line south of
5180-545: The Independent Subway System (IND) in stages between 1933 and 1940, with the Jamaica–179th Street terminus opening in 1950. As of 2015, it is among the system's busiest lines, with a weekday ridership of over 460,000 people. The Queens Boulevard Line's eastern terminus is the four-track 179th Street station. The line continues westward then northwest as a four-track line with the local tracks to
5328-562: The LIRR Jamaica station . Later plans eliminated the dual branches, and consolidated them along Queens Boulevard. This moved the initial alignment of the Sutphin Boulevard branch west to Van Wyck Boulevard (now Van Wyck Expressway ), which was to extend as far south as Atlantic and 94th Avenues. This change caused a conflict between local business groups who wanted the subway under one or the other road. Ultimately, Chairman of
5476-759: The New York City Board of Estimate awarded and approved a $ 10,481,550 contract to the Patrick McGovern Company. Ground was broken at Vernon Boulevard and 44th Drive in Long Island City on April 2, 1927. The first contract for work entirely within Queens was given to the Atwell-Gustin-Morris Company by the BOT on December 14, 1927. The contract covered the section of the line under Jackson Avenue between
5624-631: The Rockaway Beach LIRR branch to the Rockaway subway line also brought an increase to Rockaway's permanent residents. Robert Caro , who wrote The Power Broker : Robert Moses and the Fall of New York , stated "Why did the Rockaways end up with so much government-financed housing? Largely because Robert Moses wanted it there." Although the bridges were intended to improve the Rockaways, Moses' other projects both directly and indirectly hurt
5772-649: The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, including people who worked there and New York City Fire Department firefighters and EMS personnel dispatched to the location. The city later opened Tribute Park on Jamaica Bay north of the Beach 116th Street shopping area in Rockaway Park , dedicating it to their memory. In the center of the park is a piece of twisted steel from the ruins of
5920-772: The Upper New York Bay , and the following day began a journey up what is now called the Hudson River in his honor. By 1639, the Mohegan tribe sold most of the Rockaways to the Dutch West India Company . In 1664, the English defeated the Dutch colony and took over their lands in present-day New York. In 1685, the band chief, Tackapoucha , and the English governor of the province agreed to sell
6068-577: The Van Wyck Expressway ) to Hillside Avenue. The two tubes of the 53rd Street Tunnel under the East River began construction in spring 1927, and were fully excavated between Queens and Manhattan in January 1929, with a ventilation shaft built on Welfare Island (today's Roosevelt Island ). On October 4, 1928, the Board of Estimate approved the construction of the Queens Boulevard Line. Construction on
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6216-477: The "Park Avenue of Queens". With the introduction of the subway, Forest Hills and Kew Gardens were transformed from quiet residential communities of one-family houses to active population centers. Following the line's completion, there was an increase in the property values of buildings around Queens Boulevard. For example, a property along Queens Boulevard that would have sold for $ 1,200 in 1925, would have sold for $ 10,000 in 1930. The population of Forest Hills in 1930
6364-559: The 1830s, with the first resort being founded at Far Rockaway in 1835. In the 19th century, people traveled to the Rockaways by horse-drawn carriages or on horseback. A ferry powered by steam sailed from Lower Manhattan to Brooklyn . The peninsula's popularity grew in the 1880s with the construction of the Long Island Rail Road 's Rockaway Beach Branch to Long Island City and Flatbush Terminal (now Atlantic Terminal ), which facilitated population growth. In 1878,
6512-584: The 1930s, Robert Moses came to power as New York City's Parks Commissioner and his extensive road and transportation projects were both a benefit and a disaster for the neighborhood. As commissioner, Moses ordered the construction of the Marine Parkway Bridge and the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge . The bridges were completed in 1937 and 1939 respectively. The Marine Parkway Bridge was built farther west on
6660-519: The 1940 city takeover of the BMT. B Division rolling stock is wider, longer, and heavier than those of the A Division , measuring 10 or 9.75 ft (3,048 or 2,972 mm) by 60 or 75 ft (18.29 or 22.86 m). The B Division is broken down into two subdivisions, B1 (BMT) and B2 (IND), for chaining purposes. The two former systems are still sometimes referred to as the BMT Division and IND Division . The following lines are part of
6808-688: The B Division (services shown in parentheses; lines with colors next to them are trunk lines ): The oldest line to become part of the B Division was the BMT Lexington Avenue Line , opened in 1885. A large system of elevated railways in Brooklyn was formed by 1908 by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan terminals. With
6956-608: The BMT and IRT in 1940, consolidating ownership of the three systems into one. Since the original IRT tunnels were smaller, it has remained a separate division to this day. IND services were labeled on maps and signs starting with the opening of the first line in 1932. Six letters—A to F—were assigned to the major services, sorted by the north terminal and midtown line, and express services had single letters, while local services had double letters. G and H were assigned to lesser services, which did not enter Manhattan. The following labels were used from 1940 to 1967: Until 1954 and 1955, when
7104-541: The Belle Harbor Yacht Club, bought property from the company for $ 4,000. The agreement included 200 square feet of land and thirty plots of upland. That same year, the group received corporation status from the State of New York and by 1908 began participating in its first interclub ocean races with some of the city's other yacht clubs. A new street system, based on numbered streets with the prefix "Beach",
7252-559: The Board of Transportation John H. Delaney sided with the Van Wyck Boulevard alignment due to the fact that the Sutphin Boulevard alignment would have required buying more private property. During construction, only bellmouths were built for the line, however, they were eventually used for the IND Archer Avenue Line . As documented by the map, the Queens Boulevard Line, as originally planned, would have had
7400-759: The Chamber of Commerce calls the "Golden Area". In Elmhurst, almost all of the century-old buildings in the heart of the village were destroyed for the construction of the subway. Land was taken on the west side of the Broadway to avoid the demolition of the Saint James Episcopal Church and the Reformed Church. Many nineteenth century residences and the Wandowenock Fire Company buildings had to be torn down. To allow
7548-538: The Cross Bay Bridge. Many feared that such an extensive project would do more harm to the peninsula than good and pointed to the community displacement that had happened in the South Bronx because of Moses' roadway construction Even though Moses never got to make his highway, he did leave his mark. A piece of the planned parkway that ran west to east in the Rockaway Park and Rockaway Beach neighborhoods
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#17327727969027696-568: The IND pattern of double letters for local services—in the early 1960s to prepare for the 1967 Chrystie Street Connection . Only Southern Division routes (1–4 or N–T) were labeled on maps, but all services except remnants of the old els were assigned letters: * Unofficially signed as "M", or sometimes "S". In 1967, the Culver and Franklin Shuttles became SS —the standard shuttle designation—and
7844-502: The Jamaica Estates Association. This change delayed the opening of the line from Union Turnpike to 169th Street. On November 19, 1936, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia announced that the line's extension to Union Turnpike would open on December 31, 1936. Accordingly, the line was extended east from Roosevelt Avenue to Union Turnpike on that date. The day before, a trial run was completed, with Mayor LaGuardia posing for
7992-632: The Long Island City−Jamaica Line, Fifty-third Street−Jamaica Line, and Queens Boulevard−Jamaica Line prior to opening, was one of the original lines of the city-owned Independent Subway System (IND), planned to stretch between the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan and 178th Street and Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. As originally proposed in 1925, the line's junction with the IND Crosstown Line in Long Island City would have been
8140-960: The Long Island Expressway) in Elmhurst, Queens Boulevard's main road was depressed into underpasses. In Kew Gardens , Union Turnpike and the Interboro Parkway (now the Jackie Robinson Parkway) were depressed below Queens Boulevard at the level of the Union Turnpike station 's mezzanine. From the mezzanine at Union Turnpike, an entrance was built from the Interboro Parkway, allowing passengers from buses and automobiles to be dropped off here instead of from Queens Boulevard. The subway from Long Island City to Roosevelt Avenue and 74th Street
8288-504: The Myrtle Local ("Myrtle (Jay)"), discontinued in 1969) was labeled MJ . The 1967 opening of the Chrystie Street Connection resulted in a number of changes. The following services have been operated since then: Rockaway, Queens The Rockaway Peninsula , commonly referred to as The Rockaways or Rockaway , is a peninsula at the southern edge of the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island , New York . Relatively isolated from Manhattan and other more urban parts of
8436-451: The Queens Boulevard Line has among the highest rush-hour train frequencies in the system. A planned upgrade to the line, to replace its signals with a communications-based train control system, would add capacity to the line. The line's construction in the 1920s and 1930s promoted housing growth along the Queens Boulevard corridor and stimulated the urbanization of central Queens. However, there are multiple provisions for spur routes along
8584-420: The Queens Boulevard line that were never built. The most notable of these proposals was the IND Second System , which would have provided a spur to Maspeth from the Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue station; another spur to the Rockaways east of 63rd Drive–Rego Park via the Rockaway Beach Branch ; a third spur east of Briarwood along the former Van Wyck Boulevard to South Ozone Park ; and an extension of
8732-455: The R splitting west of Queens Plaza. The E and F serve the line at all times, while the M runs on the line during weekdays only and the R runs on the line at all times except late nights. During evenings and weekends, the E runs local between 71st Avenue and Briarwood, and E and F trains make all local stops west of 71st Avenue during late nights to provide local service along the line. The routes experience frequent overcrowding during weekdays, and
8880-440: The Rockaway Peninsula is located within the Gateway National Recreation Area . The National Park Service operates three sites as part of the area. Jacob Riis Park is located near the western end of the peninsula, covering approximately 262 acres (106 ha) west of Beach 149th Street in Neponsit. Fort Tilden , a group of historic military installations, is located west of Jacob Riis Park. The final part, Breezy Point Tip,
9028-485: The Rockaways began as a neighborhood of summer beach bungalows ; this kind of house became the most popular type of housing during the summer months. Even today, some of these remain, converted to provide modern amenities, although the vast majority were razed in urban renewal during the 1960s. In 1900, a New York State judge ordered that the land west of Rockaway Park be put up for auction. Belle Harbor and adjacent Neponsit were bought by Edward P. Hatch, who sold it to
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#17327727969029176-409: The Rockaways to a Captain Palmer for 31 pounds sterling. The Rockaway Peninsula was originally designated as part of the Town of Hempstead , then a part of Queens County. Palmer and the Town of Hempstead disputed over who owned Rockaway, so in 1687 he sold the land to Richard Cornell , an iron master from Flushing . Cornell and his family lived on a homestead on what is now Central Avenue, near
9324-409: The Rockaways. In October 2012, Rockaway was devastated by Hurricane Sandy . Many homes, especially in Breezy Point, were damaged or destroyed by high water, or by fires that raged beyond the capability of first responders to contain them. Residents lost everything in their basements, and hundreds of vehicles were ruined. One car caught fire when someone tried to start their vehicle, but residents put
9472-402: The Transit Commission: the construction of a bus terminal at the northeast corner of Hillside Avenue and 168th Street, and the construction of a pedestrian tunnel between the 169th Street subway station at Merrick Road to the bus terminal on that street. The BOT engineers determined that it would cost $ 150,000. Burke had met with Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and asked him to create a committee to study
9620-462: The West Rockaway Land Company in 1907. Residential lots in Belle Harbor were auctioned off in 1915. Belle Harbor was named by the president of the West Rockaway Land Company, Frederick J. Lancaster , who had earlier developed the Rockaway neighborhood of Edgemere . In 1905, before Lancaster acquired the land, a group of men wishing to form a yacht club entered into a grant agreement with the West Rockaway Land Company. The group, which had named itself
9768-403: The advent of inexpensive travel, air-conditioning, John F. Kennedy International Airport , and the Interstate Highway system, Rockaway lost its luster as a recreation area, and development transformed much of it into residential communities. In 1960, Breezy Point was sold to the Atlantic Improvement State Corporation for $ 17 million; the residents of the 3,500-home community purchased half of
9916-472: The area was greatly hampered by flooding. It destroyed 126 homes and damaged 22 more. Thousands of other houses were damaged by the flooding. Fires also wreaked havoc along several blocks of Beach 130th Street in Belle Harbor, and among storefronts along Rockaway Beach Blvd. near Beach 114th Street in Rockaway Park. Large portions of the Rockaway Boardwalk were swept away by the floodwaters, leaving only its supporting piers. The FDNY found 130 homes burned to
10064-451: The attractions on the Rockaway Peninsula in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On August 24, 1893, an intense storm, later classified as a hurricane , destroyed Hog Island , a mile-long island off the Rockaway coast that supported bath houses, restaurants and other leisure-time venues. On January 3, 1914, a violent storm devastated the peninsula, and swept the 1,200-seat Arverne Pier Theater away to sea. On June 15, 1922, much of Arverne
10212-552: The beach. The peninsula was dubbed " Williamsburg on the Rockaways" because some surfers from there began to spend whole summers out in the Rockaways. A number of businesses that cater to them have become popular among these down for the day tourists. There is even a summer shuttle bus which transports people from Williamsburg to the Rockaways. In February 2016, the Rockaway Peninsula was one of four neighborhoods featured in an article in The New York Times about "New York's Next Hot Neighborhoods". Storms and fires damaged many of
10360-570: The beachfront. The park was grand for its time. One of its most popular attractions, the Atom Smasher roller coaster, would be featured at the beginning of This is Cinerama , a pre- IMAX type movie, in 1952. An Olympic-size swimming pool and a million-dollar midway also were built within the amusement park; they would serve the community for more than 80 years. It was a popular place for New York families until 1985, when insurance costs and competition from major regional parks made it impossible to continue operations. Arverne became well known as
10508-441: The boulevard not built up in many places. More often than not in some places, billboards would be visible instead of buildings. During the construction of the line, electric utility service was temporarily provided by a wooden pole line. Once the construction of the line was completed, the utility service was underground, and the Queens Boulevard trolley line was replaced by bus service (today's Q60 ), in part due to competition with
10656-531: The central business district in Midtown Manhattan. In the late 1920s, speculators, upon learning the route of the proposed line, quickly bought up property on and around Queens Boulevard, and real estate prices soared, and older buildings were demolished in order to make way for new development. In order to allow for the speculators to build fifteen-story apartment buildings, several blocks were rezoned. They built apartment buildings in order to accommodate
10804-588: The chairman of the Hillside Avenue Subway Extension Committee stated that the extension of the line to Springfield Boulevard was a certainty after receiving a letter from the Transportation Commissioner. On December 1, 1930, the BOT announced that a station would be constructed at 178th Street and Hillside Avenue, but would be done under the section between 178th Street and Springfield Boulevard, which
10952-593: The city constructed the Hammel Houses in Rockaway Beach , one of the many urban renewal efforts that dominated the community and much of its eastern neighbors in the last half of the 20th century. The New York City Housing Authority purchased the land in 1952 on the north side of the elevated track. In 1964, the Authority decided to demolish and rebuild the entire area and turn it into a park. With
11100-422: The city, Rockaway became a popular summer retreat in the 1830s. It has since become a mixture of lower, middle, and upper-class neighborhoods. In the 2010s, it became one of the city's most quickly gentrifying areas. The peninsula is divided into nine neighborhoods or sections, with Riis Park in between two of such sections. From east to west, they are: The peninsula is part of Queens Community District 14 and
11248-721: The community. One such failed project was the planned construction of the Shore Front Parkway in the 1950s and 1960s. Wanting to connect Staten Island to the Hamptons , Moses focused on making a highway through the Rockaway Peninsula. His idea was to connect the Marine Parkway Bridge with the Atlantic Beach Bridge , which connected the Rockaway Peninsula to Nassau County . The plan would also provide an extension midway through to include
11396-699: The construction of the Queens Boulevard Line, the population of Queens dramatically increased by 248,678, of which, 210,000 lived in areas alongside the new line and the buses that connected to it. By 1940, there were 27.5 square miles of vacant land alongside the line that could be used for housing, compared with only 8 in Brooklyn, 4 in the Bronx, and none in Manhattan. The first section of the line, west from Roosevelt Avenue to 50th Street , opened on August 19, 1933 at 12:01 a.m. E trains ran local to Hudson Terminal (today's World Trade Center) in Manhattan, while
11544-424: The contract for the construction of the section between 137th Street and 178th Street, Route 108, Section 11, was let. On December 18, 1931, it was announced that the completion of the Queens Boulevard Line to Roosevelt Avenue was delayed until January 1, 1933. Previously, it has been announced that the line would open in 1931 or 1932. On January 18, 1933, Chairman of the Board of Transportation announced that work on
11692-506: The designation of a 302-acre (122 ha) Arverne renewal area in 1964. However, for thirty years, the area went mostly undeveloped. In 1998, Broad Channel's Labor Day parade included a float that parodied the racially motivated dragging death of an African American man, James Byrd Jr. Entitled "Black to the Future - Broad Channel in 2098", the float carried white men wearing blackface and Afro wigs, including two city firefighters and
11840-404: The disaster are held at the memorial every November 12, including a reading of the names of all of those killed in the crash. In 2001, a resident told The Guardian : "It's impossible to understand unless you live here ... Father Michael Geraghty, a priest quoted in the same article, said that it was common for people to live in the houses that their parents lived in and that many families lived in
11988-490: The early 1900s, a new railroad station opened up the community and the rest of the peninsula to a broad range of the population. The wealthy no longer had a monopoly on the peninsula, and various amusement parks, stores, and resort hotels attracted people from all over the city to spend a day or a whole summer there. Much of the area was developed by James S. Remsen and William Wainwright . In this era, it became known as "New York's Playground". Around this time, Breezy Point in
12136-477: The early summer. In April 1936, William Jerome Daly, the secretary of the BOT, stated, in response to requests for a stop at 178th Street, that constructing a station at that location would prevent express service from operating past Continental Avenue. He said that with a final station at 169th Street, expresses could run to Parsons Boulevard, and that if the line was extended to Springfield Boulevard as planned, express service could be extended past 178th Street with
12284-416: The eastern community of Bayswater was laid out. One of Bayswater's early developers was William Trist Bailey , who had purchased the property. In 1893, much of Hog Island , a small sandbar island off the coast of Far Rockaway washed away in a hurricane. The remainder of the island eroded by 1902. Plates, along with older artifacts, still wash up along the shore of Rockaway Beach. The Rockaway Peninsula
12432-434: The eastern yard leads to Jamaica Yard, which was initially planned to be completed on October 20, 1936, was completed on March 31, 1937. On April 9, 1937, Mayor La Guardia announced that the operation of the $ 14.4 million extension to Jamaica and express service would begin on April 24. The extension to Hillside Avenue and 178th Street, with a terminal station at 169th Street opened as planned on April 24, 1937. Express service
12580-516: The express tracks at Broadway in Woodside. The second instance, the one that was built, was planned to have the local tracks continue via Broadway west of the 65th Street station, and then it would turn south via Steinway Street before rejoining the express tracks at the 36th Street station. The express tracks here would take the more direct route, via Northern Boulevard. Originally, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) did not plan for
12728-554: The express tracks. At other times, the F stopped at 169th Street. B Division (NYCS) The New York City Subway 's B Division consists of the lines that operate with lettered services ( A , B , C , D , E , F , G , J , L , M , N , Q , R , W , and Z ), as well as the Franklin Avenue and Rockaway Park Shuttles . These lines and services were operated by the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and city-owned Independent Subway System (IND) before
12876-524: The express trains travel on a more direct route, via Broadway and Queens Boulevard, while the local trains would take a less direct route hitting larger population centers. There were to be two such instances, however, only one was actually completed. The first one, which was not constructed, would have gone through Winfield (now Woodside ), west of the existing Elmhurst Avenue station, and the local tracks would have diverged, continuing via Queens Boulevard before turning onto 69th Street (Fisk Avenue), rejoining
13024-410: The extension might begin in early November as the BOT prepared to award the contract to Van Wagner Construction Company, which submitted a low bid of $ 5,284,888. The contract called for the extension's completion within two years. The extension was to be constructed using cut-and-cover and required the relocation of underground sewer and electrical lines. Construction on the extension started in 1947 and
13172-516: The fire out before official help arrived. On August 4, 2013, Senator Charles Schumer announced that the first phase of reconstruction on the beach, completed, would lay the groundwork for a second contract awarded later during the summer of 2013, totally paid for by the federal government through the Hurricane Sandy relief bill . During the storm, a fire spread between the closely spaced houses of Breezy Point, while firefighters' access to
13320-423: The first section of the line would be completed by September. In addition, Delaney submitted the capital outlay program for the year, which called for the completion of the extension of the line to 177th Street and Hillside Avenue on January 1, 1935. The line was not completed by January 1 because the funding necessary for the final outstanding contract, which was for the installation of transformers and switch houses,
13468-554: The ground. Nearby, another 50 homes were damaged by the fire. According to an official report in December, rising seawater caused the fire by contacting a house's electrical wires. "Whalemina," a large, brightly colored statue of a smiling whale that had been a beloved iconic symbol of Rockaway since the 1990s, disappeared from Beach 94th Street near the Boardwalk and was presumed to have been swept out to sea. Based on data from
13616-480: The influx of residents from Midtown Manhattan that would desire a quick and cheap commute to their jobs. Since the new line had express tracks, communities built around express stations, such as in Forest Hills and Kew Gardens became more desirable to live. With the introduction of the subway into the community of Forest Hills, Queens Borough President George U. Harvey predicted that Queens Boulevard would become
13764-426: The installation of light bulbs, withs the only major work left to be completed the final 200 feet (61 m) in the 169th Street terminal. Workers were working on installing the signaling for the two additional switches required. The Van Wyck Boulevard station was completed at the same time as the section of the line that opened to Union Turnpike on December 31, 1936. Work on the section east of Union Turnpike, including
13912-405: The installation of switches. Since construction of the tunnel was already completed in this section, a few hundred feet of tunnel wall had to be removed to fit the two switches. In addition, a new tunnel roof and new side supports had to be constructed. Since the line's new terminal would be at 169th Street, the tracks at 178th Street would be used to turn back trains. This change led to protests from
14060-465: The junction with the under-construction Crosstown Line near Queen Street and 44th Drive. The section between Arch Street and Steinway Avenue was awarded to the W.G.T. Construction Company, which required moving the support pillars for the elevated IRT Flushing Line to the sides of the street. Triest Construction Company was awarded the next segment, which was between Queen Street and the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 37th Street. The following section
14208-571: The land for about $ 11 million and formed the Breezy Point Cooperative. The construction of apartment buildings commenced in the late 1960s and was halted by City ordinance. At the same time, much of the housing in the area was converted into year-round housing for low-income residents, and some of the bungalows were used as public housing. In Arverne, the New York City Planning Commission approved
14356-498: The line (except evenings and weekends when it makes all stops east of Forest Hills–71st Avenue and during late night hours when it runs local on the entire line) to the Archer Avenue Line east of Briarwood . Limited rush hour E trains also run express to Jamaica–179th Street. The entire line is patrolled by NYPD Transit Bureau District 20, headquartered at Briarwood. The Queens Boulevard Line, also referred to as
14504-527: The line (now carrying the E , F , <F> , M , and R trains) runs under Queens Boulevard until it turns north onto Broadway after Grand Avenue–Newtown . Near Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue , an abandoned trackless tunnel for the IND Second System branches off into an unused upper part of the station which is used for storage. At the intersection of Broadway and Northern Boulevard , west of
14652-468: The line began in December 1928, and the whole line cost $ 58 million. During the line's construction, several intersections of Queens Boulevard with major roads were grade separated, in a similar manner to Grand Concourse in the Bronx during the building of the IND Concourse Line around that same time. At adjacent intersections with Woodhaven Boulevard and Horace Harding Boulevard (now
14800-699: The line eastward past 179th Street. Other proposals included a "super express bypass" that would use the right-of-way of the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line to bypass all stations between 36th Street and 71st Avenue, as well as a spur from the Woodhaven Boulevard station northeast to Queens College via the Long Island Expressway . The IND Queens Boulevard Line begins with a large storage yard consisting of two levels with four tracks each south of 185th Street and Hillside Avenue. Once
14948-524: The line leaves 36th Street , the two-track IND 63rd Street Line ( F and <F> train) splits from both sets of tracks at a flying junction, running to Manhattan under 41st Avenue. The Queens Boulevard Line continues under Northern Boulevard to Queens Plaza ( E , M , and R trains) before line splitting into three parts at another flying junction. The express tracks ( E and M trains) continue towards Manhattan under 44th Drive, while
15096-495: The line turns west under Queens Boulevard . East of Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike , another flying junction ties the eastward tracks to Jamaica Yard . The other side of the wye curves west to become a lower level of the subway just west of Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike. After passing through 75th Avenue , those tracks join the local and express tracks at another flying junction. At Forest Hills–71st Avenue , M and R trains begin their westward route. West of here,
15244-531: The line's Northern Boulevard station, the express tracks turn west under Northern Boulevard. The local tracks take a longer route, remaining under Broadway, then turning south onto Steinway Street and west again onto Northern Boulevard, where they rejoin the express tracks. This is only one of two areas in the subway where the express tracks diverge from the local tracks (the other being the IND Culver Line between Seventh Avenue and Church Avenue .) As
15392-435: The local tracks split two ways, with the 60th Street Tunnel Connection ( R train) turning northwest and the IND Crosstown Line (no regular service) remaining under Jackson Avenue (Northern Boulevard south of Queens Plaza). From this point on, the Queens Boulevard Line has only two tracks. The line continues west through the 53rd Street Tunnel under the East River into Manhattan. After Lexington Avenue–53rd Street ,
15540-563: The local. During non-rush hours local service was provided by EE trains which operated between 169th Street and Church Avenue in Brooklyn. The sections of the line east of Roosevelt Avenue were built by the Public Works Administration . This extension was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Parsons Boulevard station and with a parade along Hillside Avenue. The initial headway for express service
15688-409: The matter. The Mayor refused and suggested that a station be built between 175th Street and 178th Street to be used for exiting only during the evening rush hour. The Transit Commission recommended Burke's proposed extension to the BOT, which they estimated would cost $ 150,000, and stated that a BOT drawing dated December 30, 1935, had indicated such a temporary station. The construction of an extension
15836-420: The neighborhood as well. These more modern recreational facilities lured tourists and beachgoers away from the peninsula. With fewer customers, businesses and hotels closed, and by the 1950s, the area had fallen into economic decline. The transition from a summer vacationing area to a full-time residential neighborhood had taken its toll. After World War II , several large public housing projects were built in
15984-490: The new borough of Queens, which was consolidated into Greater New York City in 1898 (the remainder of Hempstead Town, plus the two other eastern Queens townships of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay did not become part of the borough and ultimately split from Queens with the formation of neighboring Nassau County in 1899). The village of Rockaway Park became incorporated into the City of Greater New York on January 1, 1898. In
16132-444: The newly constructed subway line. Because the construction of the Queens Boulevard Line utilized the cut-and-cover tunneling method, Queens Boulevard had to be torn up and in order to allow pedestrians to cross, temporary bridges were built over the trenches. Like other IND lines, many stations' mezzanines stretched the full length and width of their stations, and are now considered to be overbuilt. On October 16, 1930, James A. Burke,
16280-568: The outside of the express tracks. The Queens Boulevard Line merges with the IND Archer Avenue Line east of Briarwood and with Jamaica Yard spurs west of Briarwood and east of Forest Hills–71st Avenue . The express tracks and the local tracks diverge at 65th Street in Jackson Heights and merge again at 36th Street in Sunnyside . West of 36th Street, the IND 63rd Street Line splits off both pairs of tracks, entering Manhattan via
16428-433: The peninsula between Jacob Riis Park and Breezy Point linking the isolated communities to Brooklyn. The Cross Bay Bridge landed in the middle of the neighborhood of Rockaway Beach. The construction of the two bridges started to transform the neighborhood and the rest of the peninsula into a more year-round residential area or commuter town , as people had a more convenient way to travel to and from work. The conversion of
16576-403: The plan for the extension of the line, which was estimated to cost $ 10.3 million, of which, $ 7,764,000 would go to construction, with the remainder for subway cars, power substations, third rail and signal equipment, and other electrical equipment. The project was expected to be completed within five years of the date that the contract was awarded. On October 22, 1946, it was revealed that work on
16724-501: The plan would cost $ 100,000 and would not require additional trackage or tunneling. In response to the proposal, BOT engineers analyzed the feasibility of such an extension. They determined that the line would have to be extended between 700 feet (210 m) to 1,000 feet (300 m) under Hillside Avenue to store and switch trains, that it would cost at least $ 2 million, which the city did not have, and would take between 2 and 3 years. Burke had also proposed two other alternative actions to
16872-497: The population. The entirety of Community Board 14, which comprises the Rockaways and Broad Channel, had 114,390 inhabitants as of NYC Health 's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 76.5 years. This is lower than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are middle-aged adults and youth: 26% are between the ages of 0–17, 25% between 25–44, and 26% between 45–64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents
17020-477: The privately-owned Q33 . On December 15, 1940, F trains began running via the newly opened IND Sixth Avenue Line , also running express west of 71st–Continental Avenues. 169th Street and Parsons Boulevard were both used as terminal stations during this time, with the E terminating at one station and the F at the other. This setup was instituted to prevent congestion at both stations. The existing 169th Street station provided an unsatisfactory terminal setup for
17168-446: The rapidly growing population, the current infrastructure is inadequate and that there are environmental issues to consider. Those in favor of the development, however, contend that the development will help spur economic development and that the infrastructure cannot be upgraded until the population has reached a more noticeable level. Furthermore, some developers have questioned the legality of "down zoning". On August 14, 2008, however,
17316-411: The region as part of Moses' overall citywide neighborhood redevelopment plans, but these eventually became hotbeds of crime and related social pathologies. This provoked a backlash from some of the peninsula's more established residents (many of whom are of Irish Catholic heritage). A strong Jewish community (most of whose members are Ashkenazi Jews ) also exists in and around Far Rockaway. For example,
17464-471: The results of last minute changes. The first of the two changes was for finishing the Ely Avenue station which did not open with the initial segment to Roosevelt Avenue. The second of the two entails the eastern terminal of the line. Initially, express trains were planned to terminate at a station at 178th Street. However, the plans were changed to terminate the express trains at Parsons Boulevard, requiring
17612-589: The ruling in 2006, holding that the firings could stand. After decades of grand redevelopment plans that fell through — for casinos, sports arenas, and other projects — planning began in 2002 for a large vacant section between Rockaway Beach and Arverne. By 2004, people were moving into the first completed buildings of the Arverne-By-the-Sea development. By 2012, the development included some 2,300 homes. That sparked nearby retail development. Far Rockaway Shopping Center, in downtown Far Rockaway between
17760-533: The same houses for generations. The neighborhood suffered heavy losses from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks ." The impact of the 9/11 attacks and Flight 587 on the community was the subject of the book Braving the Waves: Rockaway Rises, and Rises Again by Kevin Boyle. The book contained many personal accounts of Rockaway residents and is interspersed with descriptions of other disasters in
17908-549: The shore of the Atlantic Ocean . At his death, Cornell was buried in a small family cemetery, Cornell Cemetery . The Cornell property was split into 46 lots in 1808 following a partition lawsuit. Several wealthy New Yorkers created the Rockaway Association, which brought many of the lots and started developing resorts in the area in 1833. Rockaway became a popular area for seaside hotels starting in
18056-734: The station; the long-disused platform was demolished in June 2013 to make way for the extension of the IRT Flushing Line . The following services use part or all of the IND Queens Boulevard Line: During daytime hours, the portion of the line between 36th Street and Forest Hills–71st Avenue is served by four services: the E , F , M , and R . The M operates via Sixth Avenue and 53rd Street to Queens Plaza before making local stops to Forest Hills–71st Avenue on weekdays. The R enters Queens Boulevard from
18204-471: The subway line to curve into Queens Boulevard from Broadway, the northeast corner of the two streets was removed, in addition to some stores and an old Presbyterian chapel. New buildings were built behind a new curb line once the subway was completed, bringing a new face to Elmhurst. The introduction of the subway stimulated local growth in Elmhurst. Commercial buildings and apartment houses replaced existing structures. From 1940 to 1950, in large part because of
18352-506: The subway, make this a popular summer day trip for New York City residents. Toward the western end of the boardwalk, several portions of the beach are fenced off to preserve the nesting habitat for several species of terns and plovers , making for a unique urban birdwatching locale. After 2010, there was a major resurgence in the Rockaways' popularity. Various media began reporting on artists such as Andrew VanWyngarden , co-founder of popular psychedelic rock band MGMT , purchasing homes on
18500-596: The time of European contact in the early 17th century. Other spellings include Requarkie, Rechouwakie, Rechaweygh, Rechquaakie and Reckowacky, transliterated in Dutch and English by early colonists. The indigenous inhabitants of the Rockaways were the Canarsie Native Americans, a band of Lenape , whose name was associated with the geography. The name Reckowacky was used to distinguish the Rockaway village from other Mohegan villages; "Reckowacky" means "lonely place", or "place of waters bright". This area
18648-437: The tracks from the lower level merge with the tracks on the upper level, there is the first station Jamaica–179th Street ( E , F , and <F> trains), and the line continues as a four-track subway under Hillside Avenue . Just after curving north under the Van Wyck Expressway , a flying junction joins the two-track Archer Avenue Line ( E train) to the local and express tracks. Soon after,
18796-453: The trade center's Twin Towers. Solemn ceremonies are held at the park every September 11, including a reading of the names of all the locals who perished on that day. Almost exactly two months after 9/11, on November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in Belle Harbor, killing 265 people: 260 aboard the aircraft and five on the ground. Many of the passengers on the plane were from
18944-401: The value of their properties in anticipation of the opening of the subway. Queens Boulevard, prior to the construction of the subway, was just a route to allow people to get to Jamaica, running through farmlands. Since the construction of the line, the area of the thoroughfare that stretches from Rego Park to Kew Gardens has been home to apartment buildings, and a thriving business district that
19092-681: The westbound track rises above the eastbound track. A flying junction after Fifth Avenue/53rd Street , ties the westbound track into the southbound local tracks of the IND Sixth Avenue Line , which begin here as a merge of these connection tracks and the IND 63rd Street Line . At that junction, the Sixth Avenue express tracks turn west under 53rd Street, just to the south of the Queens Boulevard Line. The two lines share platforms at Seventh Avenue , but no connecting tracks are present. The Queens Boulevard Line then turns south below
19240-533: Was 18,000, having increased to 100,000 in 1965. The construction boom was not limited to express stations, with fifteen-story apartment buildings built by Cord Meyer, an eighty-family apartment house built by the Rego Park Construction Corporation, and 300 one-family homes built along Woodhaven Boulevard by Pherbus Kaplan, all surrounding the 63rd Drive local station. These development companies all sought out to continue to increase
19388-703: Was awarded to J.F. Cogan Company, which was required to build the section between the intersection of Steinway Street and Broadway and the intersection of 53rd Street and Northern Boulevard. The remainder of the line was called Route 108, and it was divided into six sections. The first section, between 53rd Street and Pettit Place via Broadway went to Atwell-Gustin-Morris Company, while the section between along Broadway and Queens Boulevard from Pettit Place to 55th Avenue went to George H. Flynn Company. The sections from 55th Avenue to 64th Road and from 64th Road to 71st Road went to Arthur A. Johnson. The final two sections were from 71st Road to Union Turnpike, and from 137th Street (now
19536-492: Was between three and five minutes. 23rd Street–Ely Avenue station opened as an in-fill station on August 28, 1939. Upon its extension into Jamaica, the line drew Manhattan-bound passengers away from the nearby BMT Jamaica Line subway and the Long Island Rail Road . From April 30, 1939 to October 1940, the Queens Boulevard Line served the 1939 New York World's Fair via the World's Fair Railroad . The World's Fair line ran via
19684-464: Was built in 1901 and quickly became a major attraction for people around the region. With its growing popularity, concern over swimming etiquette became a problem and early in 1904, the Captain of the NYPD , Louis Kreuscher, issued rules for those using the beach, censoring the bathing suits to be worn, where photographs could be taken, and specifying that women in bathing suits were not allowed to leave
19832-416: Was completed by April 1932. During the 1920s and 1930s, in conjunction with the subway construction project, Queens Boulevard was widened with up to twelve lanes in some places, and a right-of-way of 200 feet (61 m) in width was created. With the widening, Queens Boulevard was wide enough for the construction of a four track subway line without serious disruption of surface travel, with the area alongside
19980-533: Was constructed and opened in 1939. Houses were cut in half to build the four-lane street. Some of these houses are still standing today. The existing, still unfinished street is locally known as the "road from nowhere to nowhere" because it does not have any relevant connections to any other area or highway. Robert Moses' construction of other recreational areas and facilities, such as the New York Aquarium and Jones Beach State Park , indirectly affected
20128-531: Was halted by strikes. Construction was further delayed due to a strike in 1935, instigated by electricians opposing wages paid by the General Railway Signal Company . On January 21, 1935, BOT Chairman John Delaney said that express service in Queens would not begin until construction on the proposed IND Sixth Avenue Line was completed. In February 1935, it was expected that work on Jamaica Yard would be completed by August 20. Construction
20276-420: Was inaugurated during rush hours, with E trains making express stops from 71st–Continental Avenues to Queens Plaza. The express service operated between approximately 6:30 and 10:30 a.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Express service was also provided on Saturdays between 6:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.. During rush hours, GG trains were extended to Continental Avenue from Queens Plaza, taking over
20424-485: Was laid out for the Rockaways in 1912 to help development. The central-peninsula neighborhood of Hammels , along with the eastern communities of Arverne and Far Rockaway , tried to secede from the city several times, complaining that consolidation had brought high taxes and poor services. In 1915 and 1917, a bill approving the secession passed in the legislature but was vetoed by then-Mayor John Purroy Mitchel . Rockaway's famous amusement park, Rockaways' Playland ,
20572-465: Was leveled by a fire that left about 10,000 people homeless, although the neighborhood was quick to rebuild. On June 6, 1993, a ship called the Golden Venture beached near Fort Tilden on the western half of the Rockaway Peninsula. The ship contained 296 Chinese illegal immigrants, including 13 crew members. Ten people drowned trying to reach shore. Over 70 Rockaway residents were killed in
20720-561: Was lower, at 8% and 14% respectively. As of 2017, the median household income in Community Board 14 was $ 54,012. In 2018, an estimated 18% of Rockaway residents lived impoverished, compared to 19% in all of Queens and 20% in all of New York City. One in eleven residents (9%) were unemployed, compared to 8% in Queens and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent,
20868-550: Was mistakenly documented as occupied by a band of Mohawk people in a 1934 source; this Iroquoian-speaking tribe primarily occupied the Mohawk River valley in central New York, north and west of the Hudson River and Long Island. Other interpretations of the peninsula's indigenous name have also been proposed. One possible interpretation is "Reckonwacky", which translates to "the place of our own people", while another
21016-664: Was not begun until piles had been sunk, through mud and fill, into firm sand. On March 17, 1936, at a hearing of the New York State Transit Commission and the New York State Public Service Commission, the LIRR said that it would seek permission in 1937 to abandon the three stations along its Main Line between Jamaica and Pennsylvania Station—Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Woodside. The LIRR had said that it anticipated
21164-589: Was not registered until January by the Controller. In addition, one of the contractors, the L. I. Waldman Company, fell behind schedule. As a result, the company was fined and ordered to increase its labor force to complete the project on schedule. In March the September opening date was moved to August. The construction of the Queens Boulevard subway line offered the possibility of quick commutes to
21312-573: Was originally part of the Town of Hempstead , then a part of Queens County. In 1897, the central peninsular towns of Hammels (named after a local landowner, Louis Hammels) and Hollands merged, and were incorporated as the Village of Rockaway Beach . Rockaway split from the Town of Hempstead and along with the three western Queens townships of Jamaica , Flushing and Newtown plus Long Island City , formed
21460-420: Was planned in 1940, and was ready to bid on in 1942 when it was delayed by World War II . Therefore, the line was going to be extended to 184th Place with a station at 179th Street with two island platforms, sufficient entrances and exits, and storage for four ten-car trains. The facilities would allow for the operation of express and local service to the station. On August 1, 1946, the Board of Estimate approved
21608-491: Was projected to be completed in 1949. The extension was completed later than expected and opened on December 11, 1950. E trains were extended there at all times and F trains were extended evenings, nights, and Sunday mornings. On May 13, 1951, all trains outside of rush hour were extended to 179th Street using the local tracks beyond Parsons Boulevard. On October 8, 1951, trains were extended to 179th Street at all times. During rush hours, F trains skipped 169th Street running via
21756-491: Was supported by Queens Borough President Maurice Connolly because it would have served Richmond Hill as well. He also pointed out that there was considerable opposition to building a subway line in front of Maple Grove Cemetery. The map shows a second line branching off and continuing along Queens Boulevard, then running under private property on a diagonal line to Sutphin Boulevard, where it would continue south until it reached
21904-405: Was to be constructed simultaneously with the section from 137th Street to 178th Street. This announcement was made in response to a request by the Jamaica Estates Association for a station at 178th Street. At the time, BOT engineers were completing the design for the extension to Springfield Boulevard and the BOT said that bids on its construction might be let in the near future. On December 23, 1930,
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