Flushing, Queens

Encyclopedia : F : FL : FLU : Flushing, Queens

A few landmarks from two New York World's Fairs still stand in Flushing Meadows. The disk-topped towers of Philip Johnson's New York State Pavilion from the 1964-65 fair were featured in the movie Men In Black as the "spaceship" in which the alien attempted to escape.

Flushing is a neighborhood within the borough of Queens in New York City, New York.

Flushing is a thriving business and residential area, with large Korean and Chinese communities (see Koreatown and Chinatown). The town is 55% Asian American and contains the largest Chinese community in the New York metropolitan area, surpassing even Manhattan Chinatown. Flushing also contains Hispanic American, African American, Southeast Asian and Filipino American communities of significant size.

The Bloomberg administration has spearheaded recent reconstruction efforts in Downtown Flushing, some of it originally undertaken as part of an effort to lure the 2012 Summer Olympics to New York City.

History

The town of Flushing was first settled in 1645 under charter of the Dutch West India Company and was named after the city of Vlissingen, in the southwestern Netherlands. It is said that the name Vlissingen means "salt meadow" and that the name was given as a nod to the tidal waters of Flushing Meadows. Pronunciation was corrupted to "Flushing" by the town's English-speaking inhabitants.

The town was inhabited mostly by British settlers, including John Bowne, who would later become a leader in the movement to stop the harrassment of local Quakers, prohibited by Governor Peter Stuyvesant from worshipping openly.

Remnants of the Dutch period include the John Bowne House on Bowne Street, and the Flushing Quaker Meeting House on Northern Boulevard. Flushing was occupied by British troops for most of the revolution.

The 1785 Kingsland Homestead, originally the residence of a wealthy Quaker merchant, now serves as the home of the Queens Historical Society.

Flushing has more than its share of "claims to fame." It can claim to be a birthplace of religious freedom in the new world--the Flushing Remonstrance was signed here on December 27, 1657.

It was the site of the first commercial tree nurseries in North America, the most prominent being the Prince and Parsons nurseries. Much of the northern section of Kissena Park, former site of the Parsons nursery, still contains a wide variety of exotic trees. The names of streets intersecting Kissena Boulevard on its way toward Kissena Park celebrates this fact (Ash Street, Beech, Cherry ...Poplar, Quince, Rose). Flushing also supplied trees to the Greensward project, now known as Central Park in Manhattan.

Flushing was a forerunner of Hollywood, when the young American film industry was still based on the east coast. Decades later, the RKO Keith's movie palace would host vaudeville acts and appearances by the likes of Mickey Rooney and Bob Hope. In 1921, Anne Francis Robbins was born in Flushing. She would later be known as Nancy Davis and, finally, Nancy Reagan, wife of Ronald Reagan. A list of other famous Flushing residents is included later in this entry.

What is now Flushing Meadows Park was the site of New York City's two world's fairs. Among the innovations presented to the world from Flushing were the television in 1939 (the broadcast was a speech by FDR) and the Ford Mustang in 1964.

Shea Stadium, home to New York Mets baseball, is in Flushing, and was home to the New York Jets before that football team moved its home to Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

The USTA Tennis Center in Flushing, originally consisting of Louis Armstrong Stadium (originally the Singer Bowl, a leftover from the '64 World's Fair), is the home of the US Open and successor of Forest Hills.

There has been some street violence in the area recently, including several gang-related stabbings, as well as shootings in the Downtown Flushing area. This violence mostly occurs in the public housing projects (Bland Houses) or in section 8 housing throughout the neighborhood. In 2000, five workers were shot to death after closing in a Wendy's restaurant on Main Street.

The crime rate in Flushing has dropped however, mirroring the city-wide decrease in crime.

Transportation

Until the IRT Flushing Line made its way to the intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue in 1928, downtown Flushing's center was at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Main Street--the site of a number of trolley lines.

Education

There are many public high schools in Flushing, such as John Bowne High School, Robert F. Kennedy High School, Francis Lewis High School, Flushing High School, and Townsend Harris High School as well as Holy Cross High School, a private school.

Flushing High School is housed in a distinctive building in the Neo-Gothic style, constructed from 1912 to 1915. It has been designated as a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1991[The Queens Historical Society: Freedom Mile - Site 7], accessed June 26, 2006.

Tourism

Flushing is very popular for their large selection of restaurants, most of which feature authentic Asian and Asian American cuisine at very reasonable prices. A popular area for Asian cuisine is located around the intersection of Prince Street and Roosevelt Avenue. Latin American cuisine can be found in College Point Boulevard with the intersection of Sanford Avenue.

Flushing Mall is the only large mall complex currently in Flushing. Although it is not noted for its shopping, their food court is very popular for its variety of cuisines and desserts on the first floor.

The Queens Borough Public Library is another attraction in Flushing (located at the intersection of Kissena Boulevard and Main Street), it is one of two large regional centers (the other is found in the neighborhood of Jamaica). The library has 3 floors, with an auditorium in the basement for many public events.

Flushing is also well-known when it comes to sporting events. Major League Baseball's New York Mets, who play in Shea Stadium, and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Tennis Center, home to the U.S. Open tennis tournament, are located in Flushing, near the border with another Queens neighborhood, Corona.

Flushing's historic Town Hall is located at Northern Boulevard and Main Street. Many small concerts, and cultural events take place in the recently renovated and restored Town Hall.

The Queens Botanical Gardens can be found in Flushing just adjacent to Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Interesting facts

• Archie Bunker, the fictional character from the 1970s American television sitcom All in the Family, attended Flushing High School.
• North Flushing, the area nearest to Bayside and Whitestone is predominately an area of older, single family homes, and centers upon Bowne Park which is between 29th Ave and 32nd Ave, and 155st and 161st St.
• It's also called Little China/Korea/India/Philippines by residents in south Flushing (after the Long Island Expressway/Horace Harding Expressway to Main Street and Queens Boulevard).^{([Disputed statementdisputed]—see [F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby used to be the ash dumping grounds in what is now Flushing Meadows Park.}
• The 1964 New York World's Fair was held in Flushing Meadows Park, remnants of which, such as the Unisphere and the New York State Pavilion, are still standing.
• The 1939 New York World's Fair was also held in Flushing Meadows Park, the New York City Pavilion from that event now houses the Queens Museum of Art.