By Ivan Pereira
For years, several black celebrities of the 1940s and ’50s called Addisleigh Park their home and their presence transformed the southeast Queens neighborhood into one of the most prominent places to live in the borough.
On Tuesday, the city recognized the area’s significance by officially designating it as a historical district. The city Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously on the proposal that designated the area where jazz greats such as Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Rose Murphy lived.
“Addisleigh Park was a byword for African-American elegance, affluence and success by the mid-20th century, and its architectural integrity and charm continue to this day,” LPC Chairman Robert B. Tierney said in a statement.
The district includes 422 houses in an area encompassed by Sayres Avenue to the north, Linden Boulevard to the south, Merrick Boulevard to the east and 180th Street to the west and St. Albans Park. This is the 10th historical district in Queens and the first in southeast Queens, according to the LPC.
The designation will become official following a vote by the full City Council.
Manhattan attorney Edwin H. Brown purchased the land in the 1890s and developers built the homes between 1910 and 1930 in Colonial Revival, English Tudor Revival and Arts and Crafts architecture styles.
Several developers created legal covenants when the homes were being built to block the sale of homes to black residents, but famous black artists such as actress Lena Horne and musician Thomas “Fats” Waller were already living in the area in the late mid to late 40s. A 1948 U.S. Supreme Court decision nullified the covenants and more black homeowners moved into Addisleigh Park.
Among the celebrities were Jackie Robinson, the first black Major League Baseball player who lived on 177th Street while he played with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1949-56; singer James Brown, who owned a home on Linden Boulevard on from 1962 to the early ’70s; and civil rights activist W.E.B. DuBois, who resided at a house on 113th Avenue from 1951-52.
“The amount of talent and high achievement that was concentrated in one relatively small suburban enclave is remarkable,” Tierney said.
Their presence made the neighborhood popular among middle-class black residents and soon many families moved to the neighborhood, according to the LPC.
Adjoa Gzifa, chairwoman of Community Board 12, which includes Addisleigh Park, said the designation was a long time coming.
“It is rare that you get a historical district in our community,” she said.
Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) said many civic and historical groups pushed for the designation for years.
“It solidifies its place in history for years to come,” he said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
