This is where I grew up and where my mother still lives. It may not look like much, but it is one of the nicer apartment buildings in my Queens neighborhood. My grandmother lived a few blocks away, in a lower-income apartment. When I was in elementary school and my mother went back to work, I went to my grandparents after school. My grandmother made an excellent tuna fish sandwich, with chopped celery and dill.
My father was a physical therapist at a city hospital and my mother still works in publishing, so they never made that much money. They worked hard to put me through two very expensive private colleges, just so I could obtain two completely useless degrees — a B.A. in English and an M.F.A. in Film. I was totally spoiled by them.
I had an excellent childhood growing up in the Flushing/Kew Garden Hills area of Queens. The public school was good, the public library was two blocks away, and the neighborhood was incredibly diverse — blacks, Jews, Puerto Ricans, Indians, Chinese. I’m still good friends with guys from the neighborhood who I’ve known all my life. They’re the first people I see every time I fly into New York.
I am so diverse — here I am with my Jewish childhood friend Barry at the Blue Bay Diner in Bayside last week, which looks exactly the same inside as it did when I was in high school.
When I was a child, Queens felt isolated from the excitement of Manhattan, but it was close enough to travel to by subway. (…ok, first you take a bus to get to the subway) My parents took me to museums and concerts all the time, so I was able to participate in the “high culture” of the city. We also lived near Queens College, which had a symphony orchestra. I spent many weekends in the audience with my parents, falling asleep to Schubert.
Although the stores in my neighborhood weren’t very fancy (still no Starbucks!), you could get everything you needed just by walking down the block. There were grocers, a bakery, a Radio Shack, a cleaners, a pharmacy etc. This was perfect for my parents, who didn’t drive a car. It also created entertainment for me. After school, my friend, Rob, and I could pass several hours just stopping in the Kissena Boulevard shops, or reading the comic books in the stationary store.
I only felt embarrassed about “Queens” once I went to Columbia, and met rich kids from the Upper East Side, Beverly Hills, Boston, etc. They had actually gone skiing in Aspen and visited museums in Florence. All of a sudden, Kissena Boulevard was very small time. I began to feel ashamed of my background, like a Jennifer Beals in Flashdance, moving from the steelmill to the hoity-toity ballet studio. It felt as if the entire borough of Manhattan looked down on Queens. The only reason to visit Queens was to go to the airports or see a sporting event. There was even talk about building a new stadium in Manhattan, so there would even be less reason to travel to Queens. Queens was the home of misfits, from Archie Bunker to Ugly Betty. During snowstorms, Manhattan was quickly shoveled by the plows since it is the center of the business and tourism worlds. Queens was always plowed last. Queens had her big moment in 1963-64 when the World’s Fair was in Flushing Meadows Park, but then most of the fair buildings was just left behind to decay.
“Sorry, we don’t have enough money in the budget to fix the NYS Pavilion.” – Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Eventually, I learned to embrace my Queens neighborhood. There was a cool mix of people on the street, and it felt more “New York authentic” than many of the streets of Manhattan. Today, “Sesame Street” reminds me of Queens, not Manhattan. Big Bird could never afford Manhattan. Sadly, whenever Sophia comes with me to visit my mother, I’m always disappointed that she can’t see the area in the same positive way I do.
“It looks like a slum,” she said recently, as we walked down Kissena Boulevard. This hurt my feelings, especially because, in my heart, despite my romantic view of the neighborhood, I believed the same. At one time, the street was lively, with all sorts of shops and ethnic food. Gene Simmons, who grew up nearby, even named his group KISS, after Kissena Boulevard. Now, the neighborhood has deteriorated almost beyond recognition.
Half of the stores on the block are gated and closed — some stores have been empty for five years! Can’t the management company find any tenants? What happened to the bakery, the pharmacy, the seafood store, the stationery store, the women’s clothing store? Surely some business can make a profit here? People are afraid to walk outside at night because everything looks so abandoned. Why has this happened?
Perhaps the answer can be found on the website of the management company, Pelcorp. On the site, they advertise the entire block, not as available individual stores catering to a community, but only as a 240,000 sq. ft. shopping center. There had been rumors that the landlord isn’t renting out the stores because it’s interested in selling the entire block to a big-box entity like Kmart. This might explain why no stores never seem to be rented, despite having “For Rent” signs plastered on the gates of shuttered stores. Is the management company waiting for the opportunity to unload the entire property at once?
A view of Kissena Boulevard at noon, a far cry from what this busy street used to look like.
The management company has every right to sell the entire complex if they want to, but should they be allowed to thrust the entire neighborhood into a downward spiral? Who wants to live in an area where more than half the stores have been closed for years?
It is pretty sad state of affairs. I remember how The Garden Bakery made the best onion rolls I’ve ever tasted. There was “Sweet Donut,” a little coffee shop/donut store. Dr. Sakow, the friendly optometrist, fitted me with my first pair of dorky eyeglasses in the third grade. All of these stores are now gone, with no replacements.
Even if the management company does want to sell the entire property, shouldn’t they at least be responsible for its upkeep? What about all the garbage and graffiti everywhere? Why should I be embarrassed to show my wife the “old neighborhood?” Why should my mother have to walk past the junk in the parking lot? People still LIVE in the neighborhood.
At one time, the landlord/management company was a local one, headed by a New York builder. He was always seen around the area because he also created middle-income housing across the street. After his passing, his son took over the real estate property, and it didn’t surprise me at all that his management company is based in Palm Beach, Florida! Out of sight, out of mind.
From their website:
Our President, Prescott Lester, is the fourth generation of Builder Developers. He is responsible for building and developing nearly 3,000 residential units in Palm Beach County, Florida. Projects included Lakes of Laguna in West Palm Beach with 2,204 residential units and Cascade Lakes in Boynton Beach having 556 dwelling units.
Mr. Lester’s Greatgrandfather began building in Brooklyn, New York around the turn of the century. He was followed by his son David Minkin who became one of New York City’s Master Builders. Mr. Lester assisted and succeeds his great uncle, David Minkin, in running the family’s building, management and brokerage operations.
Here is a promotional photo of the late David Minkin, Prescott Lester, and former NY Mets (yeah, Queens!) pitching great Tom Seaver, who has apparently sold his New York baby boomer appeal for some hard cash.
Despite a history of New York building, the fourth generation of builders now “specializes in the marketing and sale of luxury properties in Palm Beach County. This includes waterfront, country club, and other estate properties.”
The Kissena Boulevard holdings, one of their four retail holdings still in New York, must be their least attractive holding, compared to their shiny new malls in Florida. No wonder they seem so disinterested in the upkeep of Kissena Boulevard!
I talked to a few people in my mother’s building and they are very unhappy with the way Kissena Boulevard looks. Some say they would even move away, if they could afford it. The shopping area is pretty disgraceful, and much of the blame must go to the management company. They have played a major role in making the area look like a slum. Of course, since Pelcorp is in Palm Beach, and the executives don’t get to come to Queens very often, I’ve included some photographs of Kissena Boulevard for Prescott Lester and his partners to see.
The Pharmacy, now closed, the letters falling from the sign
The Laudromat, closed
The shoe store, closed
The graffiti along the “Wholesale Liquidators” wall
The garbage along the wall, opposite the closed shoe store
The kosher deli, closed
The Rainbow Women’s Clothing Store, closed
The pharmacy, closed, is now a haven for pigeons
The Bakery, closed for years
The fish market, closed
Ugly graffiti and disrepair along the property walls
From a guy who grew up down the block (Kissena Blvd @ Kissena Park) thanks for a well written piece about the neighborhood.
I think the point is what is this situation is very similar to what is happening to much of Queens. Properties are being allowed to be turned in to something completely out of context to the rest of the community. Either by turning single family houses in to 4 and 5 families dwellings or here, the elimination of numerous stores that served the community. K-mart would do just as well on Kissena as it did on 188th St, which is to say, not well. It doesn’t serve the community of which it is a part of.
Queens has always been diverse and growing up I had friends of every nationality and religion. But then it was about fitting in, making the place you lived a better place. Now it’s about making as much money without thought to the community.
I lived in Electchester from 52-69. I went to 200, 168,Francis Lewis an then Queens College. I even worked in J and J Liquors situated in that very same shopping center. This take on Kissena Blvd is exactly the same as old diehard Dodger fans have of Brooklyn of the 50s.
Face it, the neighborhood changed. My mother moved out as did the others who supported that businesses. Populations changed—look at downtown Flushing. So the businesses changed too.
As children, Kissena Blvd was new and exciting, but now 50 years later, it’s older and falling apart. The state of Kissena Blvd mirrors what’s become of us. It got old.
Thanks for the photos and memories–they will remain fresh and vibrant forever.
I love this entry. I like hearing about your past.
Dear Neil,
Really enjoyed your article (and felt the same way about my childhood.) I also appreciate your concern for the area in its present condition…My parents are still there too..
Hey Guys, Literally grew up hanging out on Kissena Blvd (when you could just “hang out”)- a veerrryyy long time ago – But hey “Regina’s Pizzeria” is still there, I should know, my family has delivered pizza for them for years – what a blast!!!!! went to PS 163, IS 237 & Francis Lewis – the house “my grandparents” bought and I grew up in, has now been torm down – how sad
progress – yeah right!! – Seeing the empty lot before they “put up a parking lot” (hahahaha-NOT) made me feel “lost”-Thanks for a great piece. “L.S.”
FYI: Pelcorp is an entity with many corporations, their Queens office is on Queens Blvd. in Rego Park.
A sad tale, well told. Better than much of the journalism out there Neil.
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That’s the same feeling I get when we’re driving through small towns out here and all the businesses are boarded up. Our little town used to have a grocery store and a hardware store, not to mention a doctor’s office. All we have left is a mini-mart where you can pick up a gallon of milk or gas up the car. And it’s not open Sundays.
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I can’t believe how down trotten it all looks even on a sunny day. I remember walking to any or all the stores, they were local they we good and reliable and it was easy on the pocket and easy on the feet. What a shame all local business’ have to go the way of the dinosauors. It breaks my heart to realize that the times they have a changed but not for the better. Neighborhoods are too important not to have the local businessmen and women included in its makeup and diversity. Have we as a society really alienated ourselves from each other so much that we can be over run without a shoot simply because we have no sense of who and what we are anymore. We are all little islands floating, and drifting in a sea of selfish and alturistic behavior, how sad for a generation that wanted to make a difference in the world and now we die with a whimper.
Wow,
I have not been back home for a few years. I lived right across from Parson’s Junior High my old school. Now I live in Florida.
This is very disappointing. Very good article though.
I grew up in that neighborhood too. My heart is broken…Loved the article though.
I was born at Hillcrest Hospital, I grew up on 72nd avenue and 160 street. I went to PS 154 briefly, attended IS 237 in Flushing, went to Jamaica HS and then went tot he State University of new York at Albany, although I attended classes at Queens College one summer. I had paper route at age 12 that covered a wide area, worked for Colony’s Card Shop from age 13 until I turned 16. I then worked for Wainrite’s until I graduated from HS. Although I came back to work for Wainrite’s 2 additional summers before their closing. Growing up there was like growing up in small Norman Rockwell-esque town with great ethnic diversity.
I had a wonderful childhood and I often return to visit my parents and friends that are still there. I now live on Long Island, I am married and have two children.
Wow i never thought it would have turned out like this. When i was young i used ta Bomb the Neigborhood From Parsons jhs to P.s. 165 to Pomonok break dancin and other things. Alot of good times and friends Valentinos pizza, Wainrites,comic store, olinskys
God! I was devastated when I saw how Kissena Blvd looked. I grew up there. It’s dirty and disgusting. I loved your site, it brought back great memories but also alot of tears. Even the pizzeria is not the same anymore. No more wendy’s either. Thank you for showing my neighborhood
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Interesting article. I live two blocks from Kissena Blvd.for the last 34 years. It’s been a slow process with the closing stores. I’ve wondered about that Bakery forever. Until your article I didn’t realize just how many stores were closing. You can now add the liquor store to your list. They reopened across the street. I enjoyed reading the comments, it took me back to my childhood. I never thought of Kissena Blvd. as a slum, but I guess all these closing stores don’t make a pretty picture.
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Hi there
I am Swiss and still holding good memories about Kissena Bldv 68-39 (Appartment) back in 1986 – 1989. That was the time, when I lived there as a foreigner working for the good old, but past Swissair at JFK!
Reading your comments about slummification makes me feel sad a little bit. I used to have good contacts and friendships to many owners of local stores from that age! Most of them seem to have moved away or closed.
Anyway …
Best regards from Switzerland
Urs
Neil, wonderful writing about a neighborhood I grew up in and knew very well. The original name of the drug store was whalen drug. There were two bakeries Garden Bake Shop and across the street Butterflake Bakery. Host was the name of the delicateesen and it was Kosher. The food was wonderful too. Father and Son was the original shoe store, Miles shoes was two or three stores down the line. Mc Rorory’s was a five and dime store that sold notebooks, makeup and even tropical fish and parakeets. There were no gates on the storefronts. No parking meters. When you parked your bike in front of the store you shopped in, it was still there when you came out. You could always count on seeing a schoolmate, a friend, a neighbor, a teacher or the neighborhood bully. I grew up in this neighbor from 1948 until I was eighteen years old. My mother was there until 1980. We lived on 72bd avenue and 164th street, the first attached houses in the area. Kissena blvd was all a swamp we used to catch frogs and tadpoles there. No stores, Electchester was a golf course. Notice all of the hills it is built on. My humble opinion of the decline of Kissena blvd. This neighborhood was built and formed by the greatest generation. The fathers went to work by bus and subway from this wonderful unusually diverse ethnic neighborhood. Our Mothers stayed home and baked cookies. They cooked ethnic meals from their own roots. They always knew where we were or house house we were in. Mom’s were Cub Scout Den mothers. Fathers were Boy Scout leaders. You went to synagogue, or church. It did not matter if you were black, white, Jewish, Italian, Irish or Chinese. You attend your friends Bar Mitzvah, your friends Conformation. Sweet sixteen’s. The Bar B Q. on the corner of 160th street and 73rd ave. The black neighbors that lived in the neighborhood before any other ethnic peoples moved in sponsored this wonderful Bar B Q. We all were welcomed and we all knew eachothers names and parents names. The common denominator, was Middleclass working people with the desire to educate protect their children and teach the values from our homes that our own parents grew up with. I still live close by my old neighbor , about half an hour away in Nassau County NY. I drive through the old neiborhood every once in awhile. I would love to hear from my old friends and neighbors. Pete Tessler petetessler@optonline.net
Please disregard my poor spelling. Pete Tessler………
Today most people in heavely populated neighborhoods like this don’t realy get to know their neighbors on a personal level. Language and work schedules added to very little leisure time does not afford people to develope the personal relationships that develope over long periods of time. Pete Tessler
This is so sad. The change to corporations instead of small, family owned businesses is killing Kissena Blvd. The neighborhood would be better served by the small businesses that once populated these storefronts. Instead, the company would rather have one rent and a store that doesn’t fulfill all the necessities that the community has.
Sad to report that the anchor department stores, the National Wholesale Liquidator located in the former Wainrite and MCCory buildings will be moving out as soon as all the merchandise is sold. So sad. NWL has
been there since 1984. I remember as a child going with my mom and dad to Wainrites, McCrory’s, Father & Son Shoes, the Food Fair (now Kissena Farms). Nearly half of the stores are currently shuttered and with the closing of NWL, it will be a very sorry situation if the landlord doesn’t take immediate action.
Bryan — I just heard the news. The whole block will be abandoned except for Valentino’s. I would have expected a K-mart or someone would have come in, but now with the bad economy –
Neil, that’s bad news. A block away there’s new development going on. The Wendy’s property is being transformed into an upscale Walgreen’s. The neighborhood isn’t really a slum. In fact the Electchester Shopping Center just two blocks away has been completely remodeled with cobblestone sidewalks, an immaculate Met Food’s store. Every store there has a tenant.
Back to Kissnea Blvd at 71St Ave…. the other side that has Astoria Federal,
Rite Aid, etc has a 100% occupancy. Guess there’s a different landlord on that side of the Street. The old Mobil Station on that same side was torn down and a new group of stores on the ground level will be available. Go figure!
I grew up there & my Mom still lives there. I remember when Valentino’s first opened. I used to get “goodies” from Garden Bakery every Sunday. It’s so depressing when I go there to visit Mom now.
get involved with your neighborhood association..give back..we have to look ahead..queens can become a special place.. kissena blvd..needs help…GET INVOLVED!
I moved into this neighborhood (into the Electchester Development) in 1975 as a newlywed. I still live here. I still love this neighborhood and it hurts to see it withering away. This letter, with photos, should be sent to every political arm possible – local, city-wide, and state-wide.
I attended Queens College in the early 1970′s and this neighborhood was unique. As an African-American I really appreciated this diverse commmunity. Although, I grew up in Williamsburg(Brooklyn,NY), very Hassidic and also
very diverse in those days. Slums are created by the abandonment of the major business players. They leave in their wake boarded up unrented commerical property, disparity, and hopelessness: a gift to the community that gave them the American Dream. Thanks alot, pal!!!
I live on Jewel Ave and have since 1969. My kids grew up in thre neighborhood. I just came across a ring my daughter bought for me in Wainwrights at least 25 years ago. My younger daughter (who lives on “the island”) often asks me “How can you still live there?” The neighborhood has good memories, and my neighbors are the best you can find anywhere. I hope the area will make a comeback soon so i don’t have to defend it!
can i get a job there im a technician in rite aid pharmacy on kissena blvd also and i have tooooo many problems in that place because apparently she doesnt like me but iam a hardd worker
Well you can add Kissena Farms (which you mentioned) to the Closed list.
Remember that old Carvel store owned by the Korean guy next to the Chinese restaurant back in the 80′s? I think that Chinese restaurant is one of the only thing that remains from the old neighborhood lol.
Government alone, stands in the way of new investment.
look again!! Liquidators has reopened it slarger store and Kessena Farms will re-open on November 1st. please update.
Your post is remarkable and brings an insight like none other. I was born and raised in Pomonok houses. I am a registered nurse. My Mom was and RN as well and my Dad a social worker. I went to PS 165 and remember Wainright’s, Olinsky’s, Host Deli…even Copper Penny and Jack-in-the=Box..a few blocks down.
I still live in the neighborhood and am appalled at the condition of Kissena Blvd. Kissen Farms (which used to be Food Fair and Pantry Pride) closed about a week ago. The strangest thing is that they continue to build new commercial buildings further up Kissena (near 71st Avenue) instead of trying to refurbish what’s standing.
It is so sad. I’ve lived in my neighborhood for 50 years but am contemplating moving to Jersey City (sigh)
i lived in kissena all my life, I moved 2 years to Glen Oaks i miss my town kissena so damm much. so much had happend when i had left. alot of stores have closed down but they are reopending the nhl for example if they dont opn i have a tema of people coming in i love my town kissena and i will protecht it al all cost
Im glad to see all the posts. FLUSHING, is/was a prime example of what happened to Greenwich village. THeres no regret to be had in it… it just had it place in time– from the (in)famous World’s Fair to the huge rock/punk explosion in the 80′s– it had its place in time. Gentrification messed it up; some pple think this for better than nought. NYC (manhattan) was always for sale, which is why i move on to Greenwich. Used to be HOT, now– is a joke. A touristy joke. “Hey dude, where do you get those hot t-shirts, those posters, your metal gear?” A few years ago– the Village. 10 years before that– FLUSHING! Go to the ‘Jolly Joint,’ on Main. Now, Greenwich has nothing but TOFU. Flushing has nothing but, qwik-E-Mart scrastch-offs and fish heads. Im not gonna comment any further, but Gene Simmons didnt exactly bring it back to the community, did he? I like your site. No one would ever know. I dont think anyone does. When i grew up as a kid of 5 yrs old, i had skinheads on the elevator, 10yr olds practicing (not PLAYING but PRACTICING Metallica from their parents apts, while their babysitters were glamming up for that night’s ‘concert,’ only a few blocks away. THe ‘gangs’ hung out behind the local Photomat booth, drinkin. No violence, just taking the TIME to act stupid. To be REAL. THe skaters did more of the drugs, but said ‘hello’ to everyone in the neighborhood. Flushing was the place between the cruelty of the CITY, and the dullness of the suburbans (who were just using to learn to use hairspray without inadvertantly committing arson.’
ANYWAY, Love the site, love your stance. No matter where I go, Flushing @ Kissena will have my heart. Where things go from here? Idunno.
THanx for this moment,
Bryan R.Jones 2010
Kissena Blvd is a slum because people like yourself moved away. You decided to leave New York for better surroundings. You never stayed , raised a family and supported the area. Why are you surprised?
Neil you are typical of the liberal hypocrites. You are trying to blame NYC and the Mayor for the problems of Kissena Blvd Flushing as if you and your fellow types are innocent. Your people fled to Five Towns, and Great Neck and L.A. and left behind the poorer people. Why don’t you move back to Queens and deal with the Third Worlders and act like a man instead of whining like a girl.
Brad L,
Many, many different kinds of people dream of moving away from home and finding their fortunes. For many people, this journey greatly broadens their horizons. Open-minded people frequently discover, on these travels, that their backgrounds, and their worldviews, and their politics are actually just one background, one worldview, one politic, among many.
One thing I took away from this photo essay was how much Neil loved the diversity of the old neighborhood. I didn’t find his writing whiny, and I don’t happen to think that girls whine any more than boys. The only time in my recent memory that an adult male challenged *my* manhood, as you appear to do with Neil, it came from a bully (and quite possibly a ‘roided up at that…). I told him I thought he was acting like he was stuck in 8th Grade.
Eighth grade, for most people, is an regrettable time. Our hormones are raging out of control, making us uncomfortable in our own skins. It’s also a time, depending on education and experience, in which it starts to dawn on us just how little we know of the world and just how insignificant our lives are in a cosmic sense.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to travel the world and meet many wonderful people, which gives me a much fuller sense of my own surroundings, and a greater sense of appreciation for my brothers and sisters. (other humans). I go out of my way to find moments of kindness with strangers, but I will cop to occasionally calling people out when they’ve displaying an unusual sense of cultural narcissism and ignorance, as you have done here.
If you were actually intending to be “helpful” to Neil from a “tough love” standpoint, you could have made any number of complex arguments that touched on community and involvement and self-awareness. What you chose to do, however, appears to be straight out of the 8th-Grade playbook–a less-than-paper-thin definition of manhood. Brother Neil is a gifted writer who puts himself out there again and again and again. It’s a considerably braver lifestyle than most, and you may be surprised to learn that many people consider it quite manly. What a good writer tries to do, or any good artist for that matter, is to whittle away at his surroundings in an effort to try and expose a little truth about what it means to be alive on the planet, right now. Women do it, too–in ways that are feminine, manly and everything in between. People whose narrow worldviews, narrow experience and narrow politics are threatened by such art viewings often react without thinking, changing the topic to something they think they understand, and something they can handle: in this case, a limited definition of manliness.
So help a brother out. If you’re trying to change Neil’s rhetorical ways–or encourage him to raise a kid where the kid’s gradmother may no longer feel comfortable–by trying to make him feel bad, let’s see a thoughtful effort. Dazzle me with your analysis of his post. Make my voice irrelevant with irrefutable evidence of “you and your fellow types” and “Your people.” Force me to bathe in my own hypocrisy.
In short, Brother Brad, show me you have an inkling of what the hell you’re talking about, or even of who you are. If you weren’t meaning to be “helpful” then maybe you could explain to your fellow blog commenters what you *were* hoping your terse anger will accomplish. Because you might just come to the conclusion you owe Brother Neil an apology.
That’s the kind of challenge I’m interested in throwing down. That’s tough love. And that’s manly.