Whitestone, Queens
Encyclopedia
Whitestone is a residential neighborhood in the northernmost part of the City of New York
borough
of Queens
. Located between the East River
to the north and 25th Avenue to the south. Whitestone is surrounded by College Point
, Flushing
, Bayside
, Auburndale
, Linden Hill
, and Murray Hill
. Dutch
settlers derived the name of the town from a large limestone
boulder that used to lie on the shore of the river according to a popular tradition. One 18th century map calls the locality "White's Town" that might have evolved to "Whiteston", then "Whitestone". The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 109th Precinct, and part of Queens Community Board 7
. It is traditionally bounded by the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (opened 1939) on the west and the Throgs Neck Bridge
(opened 1961) on the east. The zip code of Whitestone is 11357.
, a delegate to the Continental Congress
and a signer of the Declaration of Independence
. The estate was the site of an English raid during the Revolutionary War. Lewis was not present but his wife was taken prisoner and his house was burned to the ground. For a period of time Whitestone was called Clintonville after Dewitt Clinton
, the former governor of New York. In the late nineteenth century, many wealthy New Yorkers began building mansions in the area, on what had once been farmland or woodland,and is now known as malba. Rapid development of the area ensued in the 1920s, however, as trolley and Long Island Rail Road
train service on the Whitestone Branch
was expanded into the neighborhood. Although this rail service ended during the Great Depression
, a small part of the right-of-way
was later used by Robert Moses
to help construct the Belt Parkway
, which includes the Whitestone Expressway which runs along the southeast edge of the former Flushing Airport
and through Whitestone. Flushing Airport has been abandoned since 1985; efforts to do something with the land have failed and is currently a swamp as it used to be prior to the airport. Dave Matthews took refuge here.
Further development came with the building of the Bronx Whitestone Bridge
in 1939. The bridge measures 2,300 feet, and was the fourth longest bridge in the world at the time of its construction. The neighborhood mostly consists of well kept single to three family homes, tall and small condominiums and co-ops, as well as a large garden apartment complex. Whitestone is located only 25 minutes from Manhattan.
Notable community landmarks include St. Luke's Roman Catholic Church, Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church and the Dwarf Giraffe Athletic League. The neighborhood's large Italian community is evident on Sundays when St Luke's RC Church is filled to capacity during its Italian mass. The area around St Luke's consists of a complex of beautifully well kept semi-attached two family homes built in 1970. The Grace Episcopal Church, on Clintonville street in Whitestone, was built in 1858 on land donated by the family of Francis Lewis. The Whitestone Hebrew Centre consists of two buildings on Clintonville Street and was founded in 1929. The Russian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas, with its distinctive great blue onion dome
, was built in 1968. The Greek Orthodox Church, Holy Cross, or "Timios Stavros," is located on 150th street. Whitestone Academy
is Whitestone's only high school
.
History of Whitestone is written in the book Whitestone by Jason D. Antos.
Back in 1955, some young men who played softball together, the smaller guys calling themselves “Dwarfs” and the taller guys calling themselves “Giraffes”, decided to form a social club and try to help the youth in the community. They went to a local parish priest, the late Reverend O’Connell of St. Luke’s Church, with the idea of fielding one or two baseball teams for youngsters. The turnout was overwhelming, with over 200 boys signing up. Thus the Dwarf-Giraffe Boy’s League was born.
In 1966, the League purchased its present site at 149-50 15th Road. It was formally the Rialto Theater, known by some in the neighborhood as the “Itch”. A Jewish congregation had earlier purchased the building, establishing it as Temple Hillel. The theater floor was gutted and the room converted into the gymnasium and basketball court.
The non-profit, non-sectarian organization then began to expand in the late 60’s into football, basketball, bowling and soccer. The youths ranged in age from 8 to 25. A public bingo program was run once a week which enabled the organization to pay off the $50,000 mortgage for its building in less than six years. Grants and sponsorships in addition to other fund raising activities have allowed the league to maintain and improve its facilities over the years.
DGAL currently offers member participation for boys and girls from age 5 to 18 in three major sports programs – Baseball, Girls Softball, Basketball, Girls Basketball and Lacrosse. Our Basketball program operates at DG’s own facility and runs from December to March. Our Baseball, Girls Softball and Lacrosse programs operate from April through June utilizing area New York City Parks utilizing area New York City Parks Department fields for which DGAL is issued a permit. In addition to these intramural programs which emphasize instruction, DGAL also sponsors Traveling Baseball Teams and Traveling Basketball Teams which participate in a more competitive arena in the Spring, Summer and Fall.
The organization formally changed its name to the Dwarf Giraffe Athletic League in 1997 shortly after girls were welcomed into the league. Operations of the Dwarf Giraffe Athletic League are guided by a conscientious and enthusiastic Board of Directors. These Directors, who meet weekly, encourage the voluntary participation of parents in running league activities, therefore promoting true family based programs. The League is governed by a constitution whose objective states that winning and attainment of exceptional athletic skill are secondary to the policy that there will be equal playing time amongst all players.
Over the years DGAL has offered programs to thousands of youngsters with an emphasis on instruction, sportsmanship and teamwork. DGAL would like to enhance its programs and if possible expand and offer additional programs.
The operations of DGAL are community oriented and strive to serve the athletic and social needs of the boys and girls in our community. We encourage business owners to become team or corporate sponsors to future this endeavor.
Become Active In DGAL And Help Make A Difference! You can visit us at www.dwarfgiraffe.com
Subway
There is no New York City Subway
station located within its boundaries.
Road Connections
The Bronx Whitestone Bridge
gives access to and from The Bronx
. Whitestone is located only 5–10 minutes from the Bronx. The Bronx-Whitestone Bridge carries I-678 across the East River
. From the Queens
side, the Whitestone Expressway carries I-678 to the bridgehead. The Cross Island Parkway
meets up with the Whitestone Expressway 1/2 mile before the bridge.
On the Bronx
side, the bridge leads directly into the Bruckner Interchange
, which serves as the northern terminus of I-678, which is where the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95
), Bruckner Expressway
(I-278 & I-95), Hutchinson River Parkway
, and the Cross Bronx Expressway extension (I-295
) meet. The segment of I-678 between the bridge and the Bruckner Interchange
is a depressed freeway.
New York City Bus Service
New York City Bus
serves Whitestone on the Q16, Q20B, Q44, Q34, Q76, Q15, Q15A, Q50, QM2, QM20 routes. The Q15 via 150th Street to Beechhurst provides access to and from the Flushing-Main Street station on the Number 7 subway line
.
Whitestone RailRoad
The Whitestone Branch
was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road
, running north and east along the left bank of the Flushing River
from the Port Washington Branch near the modern Willets Point, Flushing. It crossed the river at one of the three bridges later torn down for the Van Wyck Expressway
, then ran north along Flushing Bay and east along the East River to Whitestone. Originally conceived as a branch of the Flushing and North Side Railroad that was intended to lead into Westchester County (a connection that never materialized) in 1869, it was consolidated into the Long Island Rail Road in 1876. Stations consisted of Flushing–Bridge Street, College Point
, Malba, Whitestone–14th Avenue, and Whitestone Landing at 155th Street, which later became the Beechhurst Yacht Club. Flushing–Bridge Street Station was built in 1870, College Point, and Whitestone–14th Avenue stations were opened in 1869, and Whitestone Landing Station was built in 1886, all by the F&NS Railroad. Malba station was built in 1909 by the LIRR. The line was abandoned on February 15, 1932.
, Charlie Chaplin
, Harry Houdini
, and Rudolph Valentino
had homes in different areas of Whitestone, most notably in the Northeastern section called Beechhurst
. Valentino's summer home still stands at 201-10 Cross Island Parkway, just blocks from the present day Whitestone - Bayside
border. Today, the home is under the management of the New York City Department of Parks. Pickford’s Beechhurst home still stands on 160th Street and Powells Cove Boulevard. Poet Walt Whitman
, born in Long Island, briefly taught in a school-house later called P.S. 30 (another public school in another part of Queens has been designated with this number), located on the south side of 12th Road, one building East of Clintonville Street, (closed in the 1950s and demolished in the late 1960s) which was setup by local farmers of modest means, Whitman made several references to it years later in letters to friends from that period in his life, while a young man, and is said to have written poetry by the Whitestone seaside. According to H. W. Brands' biography of Theodore Roosevelt, TR: The Last Romantic (1997), the future president visited Whitestone by boat while a college student: "One August day Roosevelt set out (by boat) with cousin Johniee Elliot for Whitestone, more than twenty miles away (from Oyster Bay, where he was staying with his parents). Returning the next day, the pair ran into a squall and several times their boat nearly capsized. They didn't reach the safety of home until after midnight. Roosevelt loved every minute."
Cartoonist Tex Blaisdell
grew up in Whitestone. Actress Drea de Matteo
, singer and actress Christina Vidal
, singer-songwriter Jesse Malin
, Joshua Prager (internationally recognized physician), and Jill Barad (then Jill Elikann) (former CEO of Mattel) are also Whitestone natives. Former New York Rangers
forward Christopher Higgins
was born in Whitestone, but eventually moved out to Long Island
. State Senator Tony Avella
as well as Council Member Dan Halloran
reside in Whitestone. As of August 2011, current New York Mets
outfielder Mike Baxter (baseball)
was born and raised in Whitestone, originally starting his baseball career at St. Luke's Roman Catholic School.
a.k.a. Mr. Gribbs, resided in a modest home in Whitestone while the reputed head of the Lucchese crime family. He was arrested calmly at his Whitestone residence preceding his conviction.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. Located between the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
to the north and 25th Avenue to the south. Whitestone is surrounded by College Point
College Point, Queens
College Point is a working-middle class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located north of Flushing on Flushing Bay and the East River and is part of the Queens Community Board 7. Willets Point Boulevard and the Whitestone Expressway are often the neighborhood's...
, Flushing
Flushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
, Bayside
Bayside, Queens
Bayside is a suburban neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York, New York in the United States. Bayside is known as one of the most expensive areas to live in Queens, with well kept homes and landscaping...
, Auburndale
Auburndale, Queens
Auburndale is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Queens, between Bayside and Murray Hill. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 11.The name comes from Auburndale, Massachusetts, the home of L. H...
, Linden Hill
Linden Hill, Queens
Linden Hill is a working to middle class neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is part of the NYPD's 109th Precinct and Queens Community Board 7....
, and Murray Hill
Murray Hill, Queens
Murray Hill is a small neighborhood within Flushing in the New York City borough of Queens. Traditionally the home of families of Irish and Italian immigrants, many Korean and Chinese immigrants have since moved into the area in recent years...
. Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
settlers derived the name of the town from a large limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
boulder that used to lie on the shore of the river according to a popular tradition. One 18th century map calls the locality "White's Town" that might have evolved to "Whiteston", then "Whitestone". The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 109th Precinct, and part of Queens Community Board 7
Queens Community Board 7
The Queens Community Board 7 is a local governmental advisory board in New York City, encompassing the neighborhoods of Flushing, Bay Terrace, College Point, Whitestone, Malba, Murray Hill, Linden Hill, Beechhurst, Queensboro Hill and Willets Point, in the borough of Queens...
. It is traditionally bounded by the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (opened 1939) on the west and the Throgs Neck Bridge
Throgs Neck Bridge
The Throgs Neck Bridge is a suspension bridge opened on January 11, 1961, which carries Interstate 295 over the East River where it meets the Long Island Sound. The bridge connects the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx with the Bay Terrace section of Queens...
(opened 1961) on the east. The zip code of Whitestone is 11357.
History
The area was, in large part, the estate of Francis LewisFrancis Lewis
Francis Lewis was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New York....
, a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
and a signer of the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
. The estate was the site of an English raid during the Revolutionary War. Lewis was not present but his wife was taken prisoner and his house was burned to the ground. For a period of time Whitestone was called Clintonville after Dewitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton was an early American politician and naturalist who served as United States Senator and the sixth Governor of New York. In this last capacity he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal...
, the former governor of New York. In the late nineteenth century, many wealthy New Yorkers began building mansions in the area, on what had once been farmland or woodland,and is now known as malba. Rapid development of the area ensued in the 1920s, however, as trolley and Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
train service on the Whitestone Branch
Whitestone Branch
The Whitestone Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road, running north and east along the left bank of the Flushing River from the Port Washington Branch near the modern Willets Point, Flushing. It crossed the river on one of the three bridges later torn down for the Van Wyck Expressway,...
was expanded into the neighborhood. Although this rail service ended during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, a small part of the right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
was later used by Robert Moses
Robert Moses
Robert Moses was the "master builder" of mid-20th century New York City, Long Island, Rockland County, and Westchester County, New York. As the shaper of a modern city, he is sometimes compared to Baron Haussmann of Second Empire Paris, and is one of the most polarizing figures in the history of...
to help construct the Belt Parkway
Belt Parkway
The Belt System is a series of connected limited-access highways that form a belt-like circle around the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The system comprises four officially separate parkways; however, three of the four are signed as the Belt Parkway...
, which includes the Whitestone Expressway which runs along the southeast edge of the former Flushing Airport
Flushing Airport
Flushing Airport is a decommissioned airfield in northern Queens in New York City. It is located in the neighborhood of College Point, near Flushing. The airfield was in operation from 1927 to 1984. It was originally called Speed's Airport and was one of the busiest airports in New York City before...
and through Whitestone. Flushing Airport has been abandoned since 1985; efforts to do something with the land have failed and is currently a swamp as it used to be prior to the airport. Dave Matthews took refuge here.
Further development came with the building of the Bronx Whitestone Bridge
Bronx Whitestone Bridge
The Bronx–Whitestone Bridge is a suspension bridge in New York City that crosses the East River and connects the boroughs of Queens on Long Island and The Bronx via Interstate 678...
in 1939. The bridge measures 2,300 feet, and was the fourth longest bridge in the world at the time of its construction. The neighborhood mostly consists of well kept single to three family homes, tall and small condominiums and co-ops, as well as a large garden apartment complex. Whitestone is located only 25 minutes from Manhattan.
Onion dome
An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles the onion, after which they are named. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the drum upon which they are set, and their height usually exceeds their width...
, was built in 1968. The Greek Orthodox Church, Holy Cross, or "Timios Stavros," is located on 150th street. Whitestone Academy
Whitestone Academy, Whitestone
Whitestone Academy is a private co-ed school. The school is located in Whitestone, in the New York City borough of Queens. Nearby high schools are Bayside High School and Flushing High School....
is Whitestone's only high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
.
History of Whitestone is written in the book Whitestone by Jason D. Antos.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 39,725 people residing in Whitestone. The estimated median household income as of 2007 was $63,552. There is a large group of Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans, Greek-Americans, and Croatian-Americans with a minority of Korean-Americans, Latin-Americans and Chinese-Americans.Sports Leagues
Dwarf Giraffe Athletic LeagueBack in 1955, some young men who played softball together, the smaller guys calling themselves “Dwarfs” and the taller guys calling themselves “Giraffes”, decided to form a social club and try to help the youth in the community. They went to a local parish priest, the late Reverend O’Connell of St. Luke’s Church, with the idea of fielding one or two baseball teams for youngsters. The turnout was overwhelming, with over 200 boys signing up. Thus the Dwarf-Giraffe Boy’s League was born.
In 1966, the League purchased its present site at 149-50 15th Road. It was formally the Rialto Theater, known by some in the neighborhood as the “Itch”. A Jewish congregation had earlier purchased the building, establishing it as Temple Hillel. The theater floor was gutted and the room converted into the gymnasium and basketball court.
The non-profit, non-sectarian organization then began to expand in the late 60’s into football, basketball, bowling and soccer. The youths ranged in age from 8 to 25. A public bingo program was run once a week which enabled the organization to pay off the $50,000 mortgage for its building in less than six years. Grants and sponsorships in addition to other fund raising activities have allowed the league to maintain and improve its facilities over the years.
DGAL currently offers member participation for boys and girls from age 5 to 18 in three major sports programs – Baseball, Girls Softball, Basketball, Girls Basketball and Lacrosse. Our Basketball program operates at DG’s own facility and runs from December to March. Our Baseball, Girls Softball and Lacrosse programs operate from April through June utilizing area New York City Parks utilizing area New York City Parks Department fields for which DGAL is issued a permit. In addition to these intramural programs which emphasize instruction, DGAL also sponsors Traveling Baseball Teams and Traveling Basketball Teams which participate in a more competitive arena in the Spring, Summer and Fall.
The organization formally changed its name to the Dwarf Giraffe Athletic League in 1997 shortly after girls were welcomed into the league. Operations of the Dwarf Giraffe Athletic League are guided by a conscientious and enthusiastic Board of Directors. These Directors, who meet weekly, encourage the voluntary participation of parents in running league activities, therefore promoting true family based programs. The League is governed by a constitution whose objective states that winning and attainment of exceptional athletic skill are secondary to the policy that there will be equal playing time amongst all players.
Over the years DGAL has offered programs to thousands of youngsters with an emphasis on instruction, sportsmanship and teamwork. DGAL would like to enhance its programs and if possible expand and offer additional programs.
The operations of DGAL are community oriented and strive to serve the athletic and social needs of the boys and girls in our community. We encourage business owners to become team or corporate sponsors to future this endeavor.
Become Active In DGAL And Help Make A Difference! You can visit us at www.dwarfgiraffe.com
Transportation
Whitestone is easily accessed from the rest of the city.Subway
There is no New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
station located within its boundaries.
Road Connections
The Bronx Whitestone Bridge
Bronx Whitestone Bridge
The Bronx–Whitestone Bridge is a suspension bridge in New York City that crosses the East River and connects the boroughs of Queens on Long Island and The Bronx via Interstate 678...
gives access to and from The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. Whitestone is located only 5–10 minutes from the Bronx. The Bronx-Whitestone Bridge carries I-678 across the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
. From the Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
side, the Whitestone Expressway carries I-678 to the bridgehead. The Cross Island Parkway
Cross Island Parkway
Cross Island Parkway, also known as the 100th Infantry Division Parkway, is a parkway within New York State. The parkway is a part of the Belt Parkway system that runs along the perimeter of the borough of Queens in New York City...
meets up with the Whitestone Expressway 1/2 mile before the bridge.
On the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
side, the bridge leads directly into the Bruckner Interchange
Bruckner Interchange
The Bruckner Interchange is a complex interchange at the intersection of the Bruckner Expressway, Cross Bronx Expressway, Hutchinson River Expressway, and Hutchinson River Parkway in the New York City borough of the Bronx, United States...
, which serves as the northern terminus of I-678, which is where the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95
Interstate 95 in New York
Interstate 95 is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Canada – United States border near Houlton, Maine. In the U.S. state of New York, I-95 extends from the George Washington Bridge in New York City to the Connecticut state line at Port Chester...
), Bruckner Expressway
Bruckner Expressway
The Bruckner Expressway is a freeway in The Bronx. It carries Interstate 278 and Interstate 95 from the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge to the south end of the New England Thruway at the Pelham Parkway interchange....
(I-278 & I-95), Hutchinson River Parkway
Hutchinson River Parkway
The Hutchinson River Parkway is a north–south parkway in southern New York, United States. It extends for from the massive Bruckner Interchange in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx to the New York – Connecticut state line at Rye Brook...
, and the Cross Bronx Expressway extension (I-295
Interstate 295 (New York)
Interstate 295 is a connector route within New York City. Measuring 9.10 miles in length, I-295 travels from the Bruckner Interchange, a junction with I-95/I-278/I-678 in The Bronx, across the toll Throgs Neck Bridge to the Grand Central Parkway in Queens...
) meet. The segment of I-678 between the bridge and the Bruckner Interchange
Bruckner Interchange
The Bruckner Interchange is a complex interchange at the intersection of the Bruckner Expressway, Cross Bronx Expressway, Hutchinson River Expressway, and Hutchinson River Parkway in the New York City borough of the Bronx, United States...
is a depressed freeway.
New York City Bus Service
New York City Bus
New York City Transit buses
New York City Transit buses, marked on the buses MTA New York City Bus, is a bus service that operates in all five boroughs of New York City, employing over 4300 buses on 219 routes within the five boroughs of New York City in the United States...
serves Whitestone on the Q16, Q20B, Q44, Q34, Q76, Q15, Q15A, Q50, QM2, QM20 routes. The Q15 via 150th Street to Beechhurst provides access to and from the Flushing-Main Street station on the Number 7 subway line
7 (New York City Subway service)
The 7 Flushing Local and 7 Flushing Express are rapid transit services of the New York City Subway, providing local and express services along the full length of the IRT Flushing Line...
.
Whitestone RailRoad
The Whitestone Branch
Whitestone Branch
The Whitestone Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road, running north and east along the left bank of the Flushing River from the Port Washington Branch near the modern Willets Point, Flushing. It crossed the river on one of the three bridges later torn down for the Van Wyck Expressway,...
was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
, running north and east along the left bank of the Flushing River
Flushing River
The Flushing River, more properly and historically known as Flushing Creek, is a waterway that flows through the northern part of central Queens in New York City, emptying into the East River...
from the Port Washington Branch near the modern Willets Point, Flushing. It crossed the river at one of the three bridges later torn down for the Van Wyck Expressway
Interstate 678
Interstate 678 is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway that extends for through two boroughs of New York City. The route begins at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Jamaica Bay and travels north through Queens and across the East River to the Bronx, where it ends at...
, then ran north along Flushing Bay and east along the East River to Whitestone. Originally conceived as a branch of the Flushing and North Side Railroad that was intended to lead into Westchester County (a connection that never materialized) in 1869, it was consolidated into the Long Island Rail Road in 1876. Stations consisted of Flushing–Bridge Street, College Point
College Point, Queens
College Point is a working-middle class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located north of Flushing on Flushing Bay and the East River and is part of the Queens Community Board 7. Willets Point Boulevard and the Whitestone Expressway are often the neighborhood's...
, Malba, Whitestone–14th Avenue, and Whitestone Landing at 155th Street, which later became the Beechhurst Yacht Club. Flushing–Bridge Street Station was built in 1870, College Point, and Whitestone–14th Avenue stations were opened in 1869, and Whitestone Landing Station was built in 1886, all by the F&NS Railroad. Malba station was built in 1909 by the LIRR. The line was abandoned on February 15, 1932.
Notable residents
In the early days of the film industry, celebrities such as Barbera Eden, Mary PickfordMary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
, Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
, and Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
had homes in different areas of Whitestone, most notably in the Northeastern section called Beechhurst
Beechhurst, Queens
Beechhurst is a neighborhood in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Queens. It is on the northeastern side of Whitestone, Queens, New York, near the East River, north of the Cross Island Parkway and between the approaches to the Throgs Neck and Whitestone bridges.Parts of the...
. Valentino's summer home still stands at 201-10 Cross Island Parkway, just blocks from the present day Whitestone - Bayside
Bayside, Queens
Bayside is a suburban neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York, New York in the United States. Bayside is known as one of the most expensive areas to live in Queens, with well kept homes and landscaping...
border. Today, the home is under the management of the New York City Department of Parks. Pickford’s Beechhurst home still stands on 160th Street and Powells Cove Boulevard. Poet Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
, born in Long Island, briefly taught in a school-house later called P.S. 30 (another public school in another part of Queens has been designated with this number), located on the south side of 12th Road, one building East of Clintonville Street, (closed in the 1950s and demolished in the late 1960s) which was setup by local farmers of modest means, Whitman made several references to it years later in letters to friends from that period in his life, while a young man, and is said to have written poetry by the Whitestone seaside. According to H. W. Brands' biography of Theodore Roosevelt, TR: The Last Romantic (1997), the future president visited Whitestone by boat while a college student: "One August day Roosevelt set out (by boat) with cousin Johniee Elliot for Whitestone, more than twenty miles away (from Oyster Bay, where he was staying with his parents). Returning the next day, the pair ran into a squall and several times their boat nearly capsized. They didn't reach the safety of home until after midnight. Roosevelt loved every minute."
Cartoonist Tex Blaisdell
Tex Blaisdell
Philip Eustice Blaisdell , better known as Tex Blaisdell, was an American comic strip artist and comic book editor...
grew up in Whitestone. Actress Drea de Matteo
Drea de Matteo
Drea de Matteo is an American television actress, perhaps best known for her roles Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina on the NBC sitcom Joey, as Angie Bolen on ABC's Desperate Housewives, and as Adriana La Cerva on the acclaimed HBO TV series The Sopranos, a role for which she won the Primetime Emmy...
, singer and actress Christina Vidal
Christina Vidal
Christina Abbi Vidal is a former American film and television actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Life with Mikey, Brink! , Freaky Friday ,...
, singer-songwriter Jesse Malin
Jesse Malin
Jesse Malin is a rock musician. He has played with Heart Attack and D Generation. He is currently a solo recording artist.-Biography:...
, Joshua Prager (internationally recognized physician), and Jill Barad (then Jill Elikann) (former CEO of Mattel) are also Whitestone natives. Former New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
forward Christopher Higgins
Christopher Higgins
Christopher Higgins is an American professional ice hockey winger with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . While playing college hockey, he was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft...
was born in Whitestone, but eventually moved out to Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. State Senator Tony Avella
Tony Avella
Tony Avella is an American politician and Democratic State Senator from the 11th New York Senate district. Avella was a member of the New York City Council from the borough of Queens from 2002 to 2009...
as well as Council Member Dan Halloran
Dan Halloran
Dan Halloran is a Republican member of the New York City Council. He was also endorsed by the Libertarian, Independence and Conservative parties in his 2009 election to the New York City Council. He represents the 19th District, in Queens. Elected on November 3, 2009, he succeeded Tony Avella, who...
reside in Whitestone. As of August 2011, current New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
outfielder Mike Baxter (baseball)
Mike Baxter (baseball)
Michael Joseph Baxter is an American professional baseball Right Fielder and partly Left fielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.-Personal life:...
was born and raised in Whitestone, originally starting his baseball career at St. Luke's Roman Catholic School.
Mafia in Whitestone
Convicted underworld crime figure Carmine TramuntiCarmine Tramunti
Carmine "Mr. Gribbs" Tramunti was a New York mobster who was the boss of the Lucchese crime family. Tramunti helped build the massive French Connection heroin smuggling ring.-Operating in Harlem:...
a.k.a. Mr. Gribbs, resided in a modest home in Whitestone while the reputed head of the Lucchese crime family. He was arrested calmly at his Whitestone residence preceding his conviction.
See also
- List of Queens neighborhoods
- Francis LewisFrancis LewisFrancis Lewis was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New York....
- Whitestone Point Light
External links
- Forgotten New York - The Long Island Rail Road Whitestone & Westchester Branch
- Forgotten New York - The Whitestone Neighborhood
- Whitestone Commercial and Residential Civics Association