This interactive map explores the individuals whose names grace public spaces across the borough of Queens.
P.S. 24 Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) was the seventh president of the United States, serving from 1829 to 1837. Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, in Waxhaws, near Lancaster, South Carolina. He was orphaned at 14, after his father died shortly after he was born, and his mother and brothers died during the Revolutionary War. He was the first man elected from Tennessee to the House of Representatives, and also served in the Senate. Jackson was a general during the War of 1812, and fought against the British successfully multiple times. He quickly gained renown for his feats during the war, and became one of the most widely respected figures in the military in the United States, especially after his force’s stunning victory at New Orleans against the British in 1815. Jackson was elected president in 1828.
As president, Jackson consolidated and frequently used his executive power, which invited critiques from Congress and his political opponents, the Whigs. He was watchful over government expenditures, managing to pay off the national debt in 1835. Jackson also advocated for the removal of Native American tribes to the west of the Mississippi River, claiming that the U.S. policy of trying to assimilate them into white society had failed. Congress authorized the Indian Removal Act in 1831, empowering Jackson to make treaties with the tribes and arrange their removal. More than 15,000 members of the Cherokee nation were forced to migrate to present-day Oklahoma. As many as 4,000 died on the journey known as the “Trail of Tears.”
Jackson left office on March 7, 1837. He died on June 8, 1845, after fighting constant infections and pain. He was buried in the garden of his home, the Hermitage, two days later.
Don Capalbi Way
Don Capalbi (d. 2018) was a civic leader and community activist in the Queensboro Hill neighborhood of Flushing, Queens. Capalbi was the son of an Italian immigrant mother and an American father, and he grew up in Astoria. He was also a businessman and owned the College Green Pub on Kissena Boulevard, which he sold in the early 2010s. Capalbi served as president of the Queensboro Hill Flushing Civic Association and was a member of many other community groups. He also served as a community liaison for Assemblywoman Grace Meng. In addition to his street co-naming he has been honored with an engraved bench at the Queens Botanical Garden.
Benjamin Wheeler Place
Benjamin Wheeler (2006 -2012) was born in New York City and lived in Sunnyside, Queens for the first year of his life before moving to Connecticut. He was just six years old when he was killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Edgar Garzon Corner
Edgar Garzon (1966 – 2001), better known as "Eddie," was a young openly gay man and member of the Jackson Heights based organization Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association (COLEGA). Garzon was a creative talent who worked as a set designer and was known for his designs of floats for pride parades. Garzon was walking home from Friends Tavern, a local gay bar, in August 2001 when he was beaten in a hate attack. He died Sept. 4, 2001, after nearly a month in a coma.
P.S. 223Q Lyndon B. Johnson School
Lyndon B. Johnson was born on August 27, 1908 and grew up in rural Texas. Johnson served in the House of Representatives for six terms, from April 10, 1937 to January 3, 1949. He also served in the Senate from January 3, 1949 to January 3, 1961, becoming the youngest Minority Leader in Senate history in 1953, and then Majority Leader in the following year. As a Senator, one of Johnson’s greatest achievements was the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights law in 82 years. He also pushed the United States on space exploration. In 1961, he resigned to serve as Vice President for John F. Kennedy.
After John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, Johnson was sworn in on the same day, and became the 36th President of the United States. The next year he ran for President against Barry Goldwater and won with the widest popular margin in American history.
In the wake of Kennedy’s assassination, Johnson resolved to finish what Kennedy was unable to complete. He pushed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through the Senate, and moved on to focusing on his goal to “build a great society, a place where the meaning of man’s life matches the marvels of man’s labor”. His agenda included aid to education, a war against poverty, and the removal of obstacles to the right to vote. Although Johnson managed to achieve much of his agenda, one of his greatest obstacles was the Vietnam War. Johnson’s goal was to end Communist aggression, and while he pledged in his campaign to limit military involvement in Vietnam, he instead increased the number of U.S. troops. Along with the controversy surrounding the war, controversy around Johnson’s domestic policy also grew, as his Great Society failed to materialize and racial tensions increased significantly, especially in 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Tensions escalated, as did the casualties, and Johnson declared he would not run for re-election in the election of 1968, resolving to focus on achieving peace through negotiations. When he left office, peace talks had begun, but he died suddenly of a heart attack at his Texas ranch on January 22, 1973.
Detective Keith L Williams Park
Detective Keith L. Williams (1954 - 1989) Williams was killed on November 13, 1989, while transporting a prisoner from court to back to Riker’s Island.
Williams was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens. He attended Jamaica High School, where he played varsity basketball for four years, and Long Island University in Brooklyn. He began his career in the Department of Corrections where he worked until his appointment to the Police Academy in 1981, serving in both Bushwick and South Brooklyn before becoming a detective for the Queens District Attorney’s Squad in 1987. Williams was a dedicated officer and citizen who coached teen-agers in a neighborhood basketball league and started the Keith Roundball Classics, a basketball tournament in Liberty Park. He also sponsored an after-school program at P.S. 116. He received two Excellent Police Duty citations and was honored posthumously with the Medal of Honor in 1990.
Aristotle
Aristotle (384 BCE-322 BCE) lived in ancient Greece, and is known as one of the most highly regarded philosophers and scientists in human history. Though he was prolific in many fields, some of his most famous contributions include creating a discipline of formal logic, zoology, and his ethical and political theories. He studied under and with Plato in Athens, which is reflected in many of his writings. In his later years, Aristotle founded his own school called the Lyceum where he taught students and lectured to the larger public for free.
Corporal George J. Wellbrock Memorial
This obelisk also honors those who died in World War I. It was erected by the members of the Oxford Civic Association, Inc. and friends of the “Boys who made the Supreme Sacrifice” in The Great War 1917 – 1918, erected in 1929.
The names on the Plaques:
George J. Wellbrock
Thomas Hurley
James G. Gaffney
Lawrence F. Condon
Herman Selner
Valentine E. Gross
Women's History Spotlight On: Activists and Organizers
In March, we celebrate Women's History Month by spotlighting the many female-identifying activists and organizers honored in the borough of Queens with place names.
Hoyt Playground
Edwin Hoyt (1804-1874) was a businessman who lived in Astoria in the 1800s. he was the millionaire senior partner in Hoyt, Sprague, and Co., a dry goods business, with Governor William Sprague of Rhode Island. Hoyt’s son, Edwin Chase Hoyt, and Governor Sprague’s son both married daughters of Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury under President Abraham Lincoln, and later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. When Hoyt died on May 15, 1874, at the age of 70, all prominent dry goods businessmen kept their doors closed on the morning of his funeral out of respect for the deceased.
Marie Curie Playground
Marie Curie (1867-1934) was a noted scientist and the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics. Born in Warsaw, Poland, Maria Skolodowska-Curie moved to Paris in 1891 to study at the Sorbonne. Soon after, she joined a research laboratory and in 1898, she and her husband Pierre expanded on Henri Becquerel’s discovery of radioactivity, discovering two new elements, Polonium and Radium. This discovery earned Curie her first Nobel Prize, in Physics. She won a second Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911, becoming the first person to earn two such awards. Curie died in France in 1934 from leukemia, thought to be caused by exposure to radiation.
Marie Curie Playground opened September 6, 1956, as a jointly operated playground at J.H.S. 158. Jointly operated playgrounds are under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education and maintained by Parks, so that parklands serve an adjacent school site’s recreational needs as well as the general public. In 1985 the park was renamed for Curie, and later renovations pay tribute to her career: an atom motif is featured in the spray showers, and the hopscotch grid is patterned after a chemistry table. Several plaques also feature Curie’s achievements and quotes.
Firefighter Paul Gill Street
Firefighter Paul Gill (1967-2001) died during fire and rescue operations following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Ann Buehler Way
Ann Buehler (1916 – 2010), began as a volunteer fundraiser in 1952 at the Boys Club, later known as the Variety Boys and Girls Club; eventually it became her career, and she became the first female executive director of the Variety Boys and Girls Club where she served for 30 years and was affiliated with for more than 50 years.
She worked as the Civil Service Commissioner under Mayors Koch and Beame and was president of the Astoria Women’s Club, member of the Ravenswood Lions Club, Astoria Civic Association, United Community Civic Association, Astoria Historical Society and board member of Central Astoria Local Development. She received a citation from President Truman for volunteer work during World War II and also volunteered for the Red Cross and Greater NY Fund and received many citations from the 114th Police Precinct. She was also responsible for obtaining many college scholarships for Variety Boys and Girls Club members.
MacDonald Park
Captain Gerald MacDonald (1882-1929) was a World War I veteran and former resident of Forest Hills, Queens.
Christopher Racaniello Avenue
Christopher Racaniello (b. 1971) a Little Neck native, worked for Cantor Fitzegerald at the World Trade Center. He was killed in the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.
Jacob Riis Triangle
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Rufus King Park
Rufus King (1755-1827) was a distinguished lawyer, statesman and gentleman farmer. The son of a wealthy lumber merchant from Maine, King graduated from Harvard in 1777, served in the Revolutionary War in 1778, and was admitted to the bar in Massachusetts in 1780. He was a member of the Confederation Congress from 1784 to 1787, where he introduced a plan that prevented the spread of slavery into the Northwest Territories. King was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and made his most famous contribution to American history as a framer and signer of the U.S. Constitution.
After his marriage to Mary Alsop in 1786, King relocated to New York and was appointed to the first U.S. Senate, serving from 1789 to 1796 and again from 1813 to 1825. An outspoken opponent of slavery, he led the Senate debates in 1819 and 1820 against the admission of Missouri as a slave state. King served as Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain from 1796 to 1803 and again from 1825 to 1826. In 1816 he was the last Federalist to run for the presidency, losing the election to James Monroe.
In 1805, King purchased a farmhouse and 90-acre farm in Jamaica for $12,000. He planted orchards, fields and some of the stately oak trees that still survive near the house in the park. By the time of his death in 1827, the estate had grown to 122 acres. Cornelia King, granddaughter of Rufus, was the last family member to occupy the house. After her death in 1896, the house and the remaining 11 acres were bought by the Village of Jamaica for $50,000. The village was absorbed into City of New York in 1898, and the property came under the jurisdiction of the Parks Department.
Joe Imp's Way
My husband, Joseph Imparato, better known in Long Island City as Joe Imp, was a native of LIC, and he set an example for everyone to follow.
He helped the elderly, whether it was bringing them shopping, taking them to the doctors or shoveling snow. He did this for them on his day off. His life was dedicated to helping his community.
He opened his restaurant on Jackson Avenue, Joe Imp's, which introduced many people to the area.
Saint Mary’s Church was an extremely important part of Joe’s life. His dedication to the people in his community was evident by his dedication to the church.
If there were those who couldn’t afford a tree for Christmas and he found out about it, he would buy a tree for them and decorate it, put presents under the tree and would never take credit for doing it.
Joe wasn’t only a gem to me, he was a LIC gem. That’s why my husband Joe deserved the honor of having a street named after him.
J.H.S. 074 Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School
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L/CPL Thomas P. Noonan Jr. Playground
Lance Corporal Thomas P. Noonan Jr. (1943-1969) was a Vietnam War Veteran born in Brooklyn, New York. In 1961 he attended Hunter College in the Bronx, graduating with a B.A. degree in Physical Education in 1966.
Noonan enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in Brooklyn at the end of 1967 and was discharged to enlist in the regular Marine Corps early 1968. Noonan completed recruit training with the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, and was promoted to private first class in spring 1968. Summer of 1968 Noonan was ordered to the Republic of Vietnam. He was first assigned duty as a mortar man with H&S Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Later Noonan was reassigned to the 3rd Marine Division as a rifleman, where he saw combat with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines.
Noonan was promoted to Lance Corporal January 1st, 1969. Lance Corporal Noonan was killed in action February 5th, 1969 while participating in action against the enemy during Operation Dewey Canyon south of Vandegrift Combat Base in Quang Tri Province.
Noonan was awarded the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze stars, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously by President Richard Nixon. As described in the citation, Noonan was awarded this medal for his indomitable courage, inspiring initiative, and selfless devotion to duty.
Noonan died attempting to bring wounded men away from enemy fire and back to safety. Noonan dashed across the hazardous terrain of the area and commenced dragging the most seriously wounded man. Although wounded and knocked to the ground by an enemy round, Lance Corporal Noonan recovered rapidly and resumed dragging the man toward the marginal security of a rock. He was however, mortally wounded before he could reach his destination. His actions inspired his fellow Marines to such passion that they initiated a spirited assault which forced the enemy soldiers to withdraw.
In December 2004, Jack Lincks wrote: "You are gone from our presence, but never forgotten. You would be amazed that so many remember you, and that our childhood playground is now named for you. Till we meet again - Semper Fi !" The L/CPL Thomas P. Noonan Jr. Playground holds Noonan's memory, as well as those who knew him.
Wilson Rantus Rock
Wilson Rantus (1807-1861) was a free African American businessman, farmer and civil rights activist who owned land in both Flushing and Jamaica in the mid-1800s. He built a school for Black children and took part in the struggle for equal voting rights in New York State, seeking to end property requirements for African American citizens. He also was a financial backer of Thomas Hamilton’s "Anglo-African" magazine and newspaper. The Rantus family farm and cemetery were located adjacent to the site on the Queens College campus where this commemorative boulder is found.
Tenzing Norgay Sherpa Way
Nepalese mountaineer Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (1914-1986) and Sir Edmund Hillary became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953. In 1999, they were among TIME’s 100 most influential people of the 20th century. The neighborhood in which Norgay's honorary street is located is currently home to a large Nepali community.
Ivan Mrakovcic Way
The following was received from Helen Day, president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society:
Ivan Mrakovcic, president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society, passed away on February 27, 2020, after a valiant battle with brain cancer. Ivan was one of the founding members of the Richmond Hill Historical Society in 1997 with the late Nancy Cataldi and other like-minded individuals who looked to preserve historic Richmond Hill. Ivan loved this community and worked tirelessly in so many ways to preserve its historic character and charm, leading the charge for the historic preservation of Richmond Hill after Nancy’s passing in 2008. Ivan’s perseverance resulted in the establishment of a Historic District in North Richmond Hill on the New York State and National Historic Registers in March 2019.
Ivan was much more than our president; he was our dear friend and neighbor, like a brother and definitely a kindred spirit, who will always be with us. As one of our board members said, we were so lucky to have known him and to have had him be part of our lives. That is a great testimony for anyone. Ivan left a legacy of accomplishments that will always be remembered, and we have many memories that bring a smile to our hearts.
Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor Way
Curated Collection: the STEAM Society
This STEAM collection spotlights the famous scientists whose achievements set in motion pivotal moments in history.
ANATOMY + ART
**I.S. 061 Leonardo Da Vinci**
Although he is most recognized as the painter of projects like the Mona Lisa and the Burlington House Cartoon Da Vinci was invested in inventing and how art, science, and mathematics intersect.
BIOLOGY + PIANO
**George Washington Carver High School for the Sciences**
George Washington Carver invented machinery to make cultivating crops more efficient and used the fruits of his labor to invent household essentials like bleach, glue, and flour.
ELECTRICIAN/ INVENTOR + PUBLICIST
**Benjamin Franklin High School for Finance & Information Technology**
Benjamin Franklin’s career extended way outside of politics. Outside of founding his own business and contributing to the moral pillars of the United States, Franklin was committed to inventing and experimenting with how electricity could assist everyone.
PHYSICS/ SOUND ENGINEERING
**P.S. 205- The Alexander Graham Bell School**
Alexander Graham Bell invention of the telephone was revolutionary for communication. It allowed for the public access of long-ranged conversations and local information, connecting communities nationwide.
CHEMISTRY
**M.S. 158 Marie Curie**
Marie Curie was well known in both the science community for being the first woman to earn a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903. Curie went on to earn another Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE + LITERATURE
**Rachel Carson Intermediate School**
Rachel Carson set environmental advocacy in motion when she argued against anthropogenic stresses on wildlife. Her works of writing have allowed for the education of the public to these dangers as well as voiced a call to action for the ban of the chemicals.
MECHANIC and DRAFTSMAN + LITERATURE
**Latimer Gardens**
Along with the greatest inventors of the times, Lewis Latimer was self-taught in mechanical engineering. He worked with names like Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Alva Edison and Hiram S. Maxim to form the base plans for the inventions we have today. Latimer was just as much an artist as a scientist.
Geraldine Ferraro Way
Geraldine Ferraro (1935-2011) was a Democratic Party politician, a member of the United States House of Representatives and the first female candidate of a major party for Vice President of the United States.
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
Edward Irving Koch (1924-2013) was born in Crotona Park East in the Bronx, NY. He was the second of three children to Louis and Joyce Silpe Koch, Polish Jewish immigrants. His family then moved to Newark, NJ, where he was raised. Koch worked at a hat-and-coat check concession when he was just 9 years old. Later, he worked as a delicatessen clerk and attended South Side High School in Newark. He was president of his school debating society and enjoyed stamp collecting and photography. He graduated from high school in 1941.
After Koch’s graduation, the family moved to Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. Koch attended City College of New York and worked as a shoe salesman. He was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II and earned two battle stars in Europe as a combat infantryman in the 104th Infantry Division (1943-1946). After the war, Koch went to New York University Law School and graduated in 1948. He took the New York Bar, practiced law (1949-1968) and became a founding partner of Koch, Lankenau, Schwartz, and Kovner in 1963.
Then Edward Koch made a significant impact on New York City politics. He joined the Democratic Party and defeated power broker Carmine DeSapio to become the Greenwich Village district leader (1963 and 1965). He served on the City Council from 1966 to 1968 and in the U.S House of Representatives from 1969 until December 1977. In 1978, Koch became the 105th mayor of New York City, serving three terms. He was known for his intelligence, strong opinions and colorful personality. He supported gay rights, addressed the AIDS epidemic, reduced crime in the city, and helped resolve the city’s financial crisis.
In honor of Koch’s 86th birthday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed to rename the Queensboro Bridge after him. It was officially renamed on March 23, 2011. Ed Koch passed away on February 1, 2013, at the age of 88.
The bridge itself was designed by engineer Gustav Lindenthal and architect Henry Hornbosted. Construction began in 1901 and it eventually opened to traffic on March 30, 1909. The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge has upper- and lower-level roadways. Major renovations have been made over the years and in 1973 the bridge was designated as a national landmark. 
Robert F. Kennedy Hall
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Baisley Pond Park
David Baisley (1792-1875) was a farmer. he and his wife Sarah owned the land and operated the mill that was located on the pond that now bears his name.
Tony Mazzarella Way
Anthony Mazzarella (ca. 1937-2015) was a boxing enthusiast as well as a dedicated fundraiser for people with cancer. He owned the Crab House restaurant, known for its seafood and for its sports and boxing memorabilia. He donated to the precinct council, which used such donations to feed and clothe the homeless and also donated food for various events. He was a member of the New York State Boxing Commission, the NY State Wine and Grape Foundation, and the American Cancer Society Queens Division. He founded the Patty Fund for Childhood Cancer to help families with the financial burdens of medical bills. He started an annual Fourth of July block party that raised thousands of dollars for cancer patients, and also hosted a Christmas party for kids with cancer. He was honored with the American Cancer Society’s St. George Medal, its highest award for service and leadership in the fight against cancer.
84th Avenue/Abigail Adams Avenue
Abigail Adams (1744-1818), was the wife of John Adams, patriot leader, lawyer and second president of the United States. She was a patriot in her own right and a supporter of education for women. She married John Adams in 1764. From 17874 to 1784, she raised four children alone and ran the family farm. Her son, John Quincy Adams, was the sixth President of the United States.
FRANCIS LEWIS PARK
Francis Lewis (1713-1802) was a merchant, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Born in Wales, he attended school in England before working in a mercantile house in London. In 1734, he came to New York to establish a business. While working as a mercantile agent in 1756, Lewis was taken prisoner and sent to prison in France. Upon his return to New York, he became active in politics and made his home in Whitestone, Queens. A member of the Continental Congress for several years before the Revolutionary War, Lewis played a significant role in the nation's founding.
P.S. 26 Rufus King
Rufus King (1755-1827) was a distinguished lawyer, statesman and gentleman farmer. The son of a wealthy lumber merchant from Maine, King graduated from Harvard in 1777, served in the Revolutionary War in 1778, and was admitted to the bar in Massachusetts in 1780. He was a member of the Confederation Congress from 1784 to 1787, where he introduced a plan that prevented the spread of slavery into the Northwest Territories. King was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and made his most famous contribution to American history as a framer and signer of the U.S. Constitution.
After his marriage to Mary Alsop in 1786, King relocated to New York and was appointed to the first U.S. Senate, serving from 1789 to 1796 and again from 1813 to 1825. An outspoken opponent of slavery, he led the Senate debates in 1819 and 1820 against the admission of Missouri as a slave state. King served as Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain from 1796 to 1803 and again from 1825 to 1826. In 1816 he was the last Federalist to run for the presidency, losing the election to James Monroe.
In 1805, King purchased land and a farmhouse in Jamaica; this house is now the King Manor Museum, a New York City landmark. It is located approximately 4.5 miles from P.S. 26, a public elementary school serving grades pre-K through 5.
Austin Street
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Reverend James Pennington Place
James William Charles Pennington (1807-1870) was an African American orator, minister, writer and abolitionist who served a congregation at what is now 90th Street and Corona Avenue in Queens, in the mid-19th century.
Born into slavery in Maryland, Pennington became an expert blacksmith and carpenter and taught himself to read, write and do math. In 1827, at age 19 he escaped via the Underground Railroad to Pennsylvania. In 1830, he traveled to Long Island, where he worked as a coachman and studied, teaching himself Greek and Latin, and devoted himself to Black education and antislavery. Pennington attended the first Negro National Convention in Philadelphia in 1829, and was a leading member, becoming the presiding officer in 1853. He was hired to teach school in Newtown (Elmhurst), and wishing further education, he became the first Black student to take classes at the Yale Divinity School, although he was not allowed to be listed as a student and was required to sit in the back row at lectures. Pennington was ordained as a minister in the Congregational Church and after completing his studies, he returned to Newtown to serve as a church pastor. In 1838, he officiated at the wedding of Frederick Douglass and Anna Murray.
Pennington continued to work as an educator, abolitionist and minister in the New York and Connecticut area. While working in Hartford he wrote "A Text Book Of The Origin And History Of The Colored People" (1841). In 1843 he attended the World's Antislavery Convention in London and toured Europe, giving antislavery speeches. His memoir, "The Fugitive Blacksmith," was first published in 1849 in London.
Ann Jawin Way
Ann Juliano Jawin (1922 - 2019) a Douglaston resident, was an educator, author and activist who was part of the Second Wave of women’s liberation in the 1970’s and a very active member of her community. Jawin was the founder of The Center for the Women of New York (CWNY).
Ann Juliano Jawin was born in Barnesboro, Pennsylvania on May 29, 1922. Her family moved to Brooklyn, NY when she was a child and she remained a New York resident. She attended Hunter College, and soon after met her future husband Edward H. Jawin (d. 2008). Ms. Jawin began her career as a high school teacher and became a Guidance Counselor. She was always active in political movements including opposition to the Vietnam War and support for civil rights and the rights of Italian-Americans and women. Ann and Edward Jawin were founding members of the Bay Terrace Civic Association and the Doug-Bay Civic Association. She was very active in local democratic politics. She served as a State Committeewoman and ran for the NY State Senate against Frank Padavan. She joined the National Organization for Women and became Chair of the Task Force for Education and Employment. In 1979 she published “A Woman's Guide to Career Preparation: Scholarships, Grants, and Loans”.
In 1987 Ms. Jawin founded the Center for the Women of New York (CWNY), a voluntary, non-profit organization in Queens that is a one-stop, walk-in resource center for women. CWNY focuses on issues impacting women, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, healthcare, employment, crime prevention and victims’ services. Over the years, the programs have grown to include a weekly Job Readiness Workshop, career counseling, a help line, a Legal Assistance Clinic, a Money Management Clinic, Support Groups for crisis situations and life issues, instruction in computers and other job training courses. CWNY’s new location in Fort Totten, Queens will allow resumption of programs in self-defense, English as a Second Language, General Equivalency Diplomas, and a Walking Club.
Ms. Jawin was honored by the New York City Police Department at its 3rd annual women's history month breakfast at the NYC Police Museum on March 14, 2012 and was featured in the Veteran Feminists of America (VFA) Pioneer Histories Project. News of Jawin’s death came less than a month after she celebrated the grand opening of a brand-new women’s center in Fort Totten. Members of the community expressed condolences for the pioneer who dedicated her life to women’s equality and empowerment. Ann was an outspoken activist who, for decades, devotedly dedicated herself to improving the lives of all women throughout the City of New York. “Ann was a tenacious and unstoppable trailblazer who devoted her life to empowering women and never took no for an answer. Just last month, she succeeded in her 16-year legal battle with the City to open CWNY’s beautiful new facility in Fort Totten, which is the only building completely dedicated to full equality for women between the New York metropolitan area and Seneca Falls. This new building will ensure that Ann’s unparalleled service and dedication to women’s rights will be remembered by our community for generations to come,” read a statement from the Jefferson Democratic Club.
George Washington Carver Botanical Garden
George Washington Carver (1864-1943) was well-known for being ahead of his time in the world of natural science. He sought to find cash crop alternatives to discourage straining labor of cotton picking. In addition, he invented tools and methods to make agriculture more efficient.
As a Black man born in the early 1860s, Carver faced significant barriers to obtaining his education and pursuing his research interests. He developed his understanding of agricultural labor for three years on his own plot of land before becoming the first Black student at Iowa State University. After graduating Iowa State in 1896 with a Master of Science Degree, he went on to teach agriculture at Tuskegee Institute. Carver taught for 47 years passing down lessons such as crop rotation and other farmer techniques.
Carver was a prodigy in learning, specifically curious as to the different uses of produce like peanuts, and the invention of new products. His many contributions include glue, the Jesup Wagon, a vehicle to carry agricultural exhibits to town, instant coffee, shaving cream, and 325 uses for peanuts.
George Washington Carver High School for the Sciences in particular was established after the closing of Springfield High School by the NYC school board in 2007. Springfield High School became an educational campus housing George Washington Carver, as well as Excelsior Preparatory High School, and Queens Preparatory Academy. G.W.C. High School is most known for maintaining Springfield’s veterinary program.
Linnaeus Park
Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) was a Swedish botanist known as the father of modern taxonomy.
"Linnaeus Park," New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, accessed February 3, 2023, [https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/linnaeus-park](https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/linnaeus-park)
Tom Garlinghouse, "Who was Carl Linnaeus?" LiveScience.com, updated February 02, 2022, [https://www.livescience.com/carl-linnaeus.html](https://www.livescience.com/carl-linnaeus.html)
John F. Kennedy Expressway
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963) was the 35th President of the United States (1961-1963), and the youngest man and first Roman Catholic elected to the office. On November 22, 1963, when he was hardly past his first thousand days in office, he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, becoming also the youngest president to die.
Haym Saloman Square
Haym Salomon (1940-1785) was born in Leszno, Poland to a Jewish family. He immigrated to New York in 1772, where he worked as a businessman and financial broker. When the American Revolutionary War broke out, he strongly supported the patriots and joined the New York branch of the Sons of Liberty. He worked closely with Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance, and was the prime financier during the American Revolutionary War against Great Britain.
Sal Anzalone Place
Sal Anzalone (d. 2005) was much loved by his family, friends, neighbors and peers. He was a civic activist dedicated to the improvement of the Hunters Point area. Sal owned and operated the Cassino Restaurant in Long Island City for more than 40 years and was a fixture in the neighborhood. He served on Queens Community Board 2 from 1985 to the time of his death and founded the Hunters Point Community Development Corporation. The street co-named in his honor is adjacent to the former site of his restaurant.
EMS Lieutenant Edith Elida Torres
Edith Elida Torres (1970 – 2017) was a paramedic for 23 years. Like many of her fellow emergency workers, on the morning of September 11, 2001 she rushed to the World Trade Center despite being to help with the aftermath of the attack. She spent the rest of the day working the pile, rescuing survivors and looking for her colleague Carlos Lillo, who unbeknownst to Torres, had lost his life in the collapse of the south tower. She continued to serve as an emergency worker, rising to the rank of lieutenant in 2005. She also collaborated with Lillo’s family to honor him by having a park named in his memory as well as with the Carlos Lillo Memorial Paramedic Scholarship. She died of 9/11 related illness.
Archie Spigner Park
Archie Spigner (1928 - 2020) was a local politician who served for 27 years as a City Councilman for District 27 in southeast Queens, from 1974 to 2001, serving his last 15 years as deputy to the majority leader. He also served as the head of the United Democratic Club of Queens from 1970 until his death in 2020, a role in which he helped shape the borough’s Democratic Party leadership. During his tenure, he advocated for education, infrastructure, and the underserved community.
Archie Hugo Spigner was born on Aug. 27, 1928, in Orangeburg, S.C., his family moved to New York when Archie was 7, and he grew up in Harlem. As a young bus driver engaged in union activism, Mr. Spigner drew the attention of the labor leader A. Philip Randolph, who charged him with forming a Queens branch of Mr. Randolph’s Negro American Labor Council. While looking for a meeting place for his group, Mr. Spigner met Mr. Kenneth N. Browne, who was running for the State Assembly, and who became the borough’s first Black member of the New York State Assembly and its first Black State Supreme Court justice. Mr. Browne took Mr. Spigner to the local Democratic club and introduced him to the district leader Guy R. Brewer, and Spigner’s career in Queens politics began. Mr. Spigner went on to attend college, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Queens College in 1972.
Spigner went on to become a major power house in an area that reliably voted Democratic, a nod from Mr. Spigner all but assured election. He was known as “The Dean,” and considered “The Godfather of Politics” in southeastern Queens. As a local-minded city councilman, Mr. Spigner helped shepherd the sale of the oft-criticized Jamaica Water Supply Company, New York City’s last privately owned waterworks, to the city government in 1997, bringing down costs for residents of southeast Queens. To spur local business, he successfully pushed for the construction of a permanent building for York College, part of the City University of New York, in the Jamaica section; a subway extension to downtown Jamaica; and a regional headquarters of the Social Security Administration.
Sergeant Colyer Square
Sergeant Wilbur E. Colyer (1901-1918) was an American soldier who served in the U.S. Army during World War I. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and later moved to South Ozone Park, Queens. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the army and served as a member of Company A of the 1st Engineers, 1st Division.
On October 9, 1918, near Verdun, France, Colyer volunteered to lead a team of soldiers to locate and destroy enemy machine gun nests. While advancing on the enemy positions, Colyer became half surrounded by machine gun nests. He killed the gunner of one nest with a captured German grenade and then turned the gun on the other nests, silencing them all. He then returned to his platoon, having saved them from heavy fire.
Colyer was killed in action the following day, October 10, 1918. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and selfless actions, the first and youngest Queens resident to do to so.
This small triangle in South Ozone Park named in his honor features a historic stone marker and plaque commemorating Colyer's service and sacrifice.
Langston Hughes Walk
Poet, novelist and playwright Langston Hughes (1901-1967) grew up in the Midwest and moved to New York City to attend Columbia University. Hughes is known as a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural mecca for Black intellectuals and artists in the early 20th century. He wrote about African American life between the 1920s and 1960s, including "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," "Montage of A Dream Deferred," and "Not Without Laughter," which won the Harmon Gold Medal for Literature. His ashes are interred beneath a mosaic in the NYPL's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, in Harlem.
Allen-Beville House
The Allen-Beville House on Center Drive in Douglaston, built circa 1848-1850.
Benjamin P. Allen (1819-1893), a wealthy farmer residing in Flushing Township, constructed the house. Son of Philip Allen (1780-1829) and Eliza Treadwell Platt Allen (1788-1862), Benjamin inherited land amassed by the Allen family before 1820. After acquiring the final piece of the family farmstead in 1847, he began building his home.
This house, one of the few surviving 19th-century farmhouses in Queens, is a unique blend of architectural styles. Designed in the Greek Revival style, the cornices on the main house and porches display Italianate brackets. Between 1855 and 1874, Benjamin Allen and his wife Catherine raised seven children here. Notably, in 1865, Allen established a school within the house for the community's children. He was also quite active in his church, serving as a vestryman and warden at the local Zion Episcopal Church.
Following Benjamin Allen's death in 1893, William P. Douglas, a wealthy banker, financier, and Vice-Admiral in the New York Yacht Club, acquired the property. Son of George Douglas, the namesake of Douglaston whose manor bordered the Allen farm, William added the property to his estate and used the Allen house as a guest house.
In 1906, William Douglas sold the estate to the Rickart-Finlay Realty Company. The area surrounding the Allen house became Douglas Manor, a planned upscale suburban community. Anne R. Faddis purchased the Allen house around 1910. It subsequently changed hands through Walter Scott Faddis (1945), Alan Warner (1946), before finally being acquired by Hugh and Elinor Beville in 1946. When designated an individual landmark in 1977, the house remained in the Beville family's possession, thus earning its official name, the Allen-Beville House. The house was further recognized by being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Neir's Tavern Way
Neir's Tavern is one of the oldest and most famous bars in Woodhaven, Queens. The tavern was originally named the Old Blue Pump House and opened near the now defunct Union Course racetrack in 1892. Loycent Gordon bought the property in 2009 and renamed it Neir's Tavern in honor of the family that had owned the property from the 1890s until 1967.
The tavern had many owners and a colorful history. When the Union Course race track closed down in 1898, it was purchased by Louis Neir. Neir added a ballroom, built the first bowling alley in Queens, and added rooms upstairs for a hotel, calling it “Neir’s Social Hall”.
Neir’s Hall was very successful, and was at its height of popularity between 1900-1910. Louis Neir’s nephew Joseph Neir, worked as a cleaning boy, cleaning the racing stables that were across the street and originally part of the Union Course Race Track.
When Louis died in 1929, Julia, his wife, became owner, and Joseph the manager of the business. In 1945, Julia turned over the title and ownership to Joseph, who continued to work at the bar until his own death in 1963. Lulu Neir (until 1967), and Carol (Neir) Foley ran the tavern until an arson fire, and declining revenue led to the Neir family selling the property in 1980.
Beach 38th Street/Duke Kahanamoku Way
Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968), also known as "The Duke" was one of Hawaii's best-known athletes, but he may not be well known outside the surfing community. Born in 1890, Kahanamoku is known as the father of modern surfing - but he is legendary in the Rockaways, where he visited briefly in 1912. Ask almost any Rockaways surfer and you will get the same account: the Duke demonstrated surfing here in 1912, putting the Rockaways on the world surfing map for good.
At age 21, he entered his first organized swimming competition using a new stroke now called the American crawl to win easily. In 1912, he arrived in California and introduced surfing. Kahanamoku was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team in 1912, winning gold and silver medals in Stockholm. He was also on the Olympic teams of 1920, 1924 and 1928, and holds the distinction of winning gold medals in 100-yard freestyle in two different Olympics, 1912 and 1920. In his native Hawaii, Kahanamoku was elected sheriff for nine consecutive terms by the people of Honolulu. He also acted in a number of Hollywood movies. His street in the Rockaways is a major access road to a part of the beach that has been set aside for surfing.
General Hart Playground
Brigadier General Joseph T. Hart (1902-1962) was a distinguished resident of Elmhurst, renowned for his exceptional contributions in both the military and civilian realms. His commendable military career began in 1920 when he joined the National Guard and enlisted in the 69th Regiment, later known as the 165th Infantry. Hart's remarkable leadership skills led to his appointment as brigadier general in 1940. He notably served in crucial World War II battles, including Makin and Saipan in the South Pacific, and commanded the unit during the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945.
Recognized for his bravery and commitment, General Hart received prestigious accolades such as the Silver Star with a Cluster, the Purple Heart, the American Defense Force Medal, and the New York State Conspicuous Service Medal. Post-war, he continued his dedicated service in the Queens Borough President's Office, serving under prominent officials Maurice Fitzgerald and John T. Clancy until his passing. In 1964, the New York City Council name the park in his honor.
