Astoria, Queens
1914-2014
By: Adriana Kelly and Sahan Ratnayake
Location & History
 Queens, New York
 Bordered by East River, Long Island City, Sunnyside,
and Woodside
 Orignally known as Hallett’s Cove after William Hallett
 Renamed to Astoria after Jacob Astor, one of the first
multi millionaires in New York.
 Incorporated into Long Island City in 1870
Demographic Breakdown
Demographics
 In Astoria’s early history, settlers were Dutch and German.
 Later came Irish in late 1800s to early 1900s.
 They were of lower class
 Post World War II saw a large influx of Italians and Jews.
 1960s saw the immigration of Greeks
 Neighborhoods populations are made of Dominicans, Indians,
Ecuadorians, Koreans, Chinese, Filipino, Romanian
 The low education levels in the area are representative of the
income in the area, which is mainly from small businesses
Economy
 1800 Astoria was composed of farmland
 Incorporated into LIC in 1870, then later incorporated
into New York City in 1898
 Astoria became more industrial in later years
 1899 Queens had 400 factories, producing $35 million in
goods, compared to 1914 Queens, which had over 1,000
factories, making $225 in products.
One such company was American Ever Ready,
manufacturing batteries, lamps, flashlights
Economy in 1914
 The New York State Barge Canal was being completed
 Queens Chamber of Commerce had the BCTC build terminals
in many locations in Queens, including Halletts Cove.
 Increased profit lead to construction of better apartments
with increased amenities
 Hot water, lights, refrigerators
 Prices varied from $15 for 3 rooms to $25 for 5 rooms.
 Homes were located at Steinway and Washington Avenues.
New York Barge Canal
Present Economy
 Asotria’s unused industrial sites are being revived and
its waterfront is being redeveloped
 This will bring in more housing units, supermarkets, retail
stores, restaurants, and schools
 Astoria has hundreds of small businesses, employing
an average of four people
 Queen’s main employment establishments are
construction, retail trade, healthcare services, and food
services
Economy of Queens
Queens Economy
Transportation
 New York Connecting Railroad
 The Hell Gate Bridge - Crosses between Astoria and
Wards Island, Manhattan
 Triborough Bridge – Connects Manhattan, Queens, and
Bronx via Randalls and Wards Islands
 E, M, R, N, Q, F trains
 Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport – used for
shuttle service between New York and Boston
 Ninety-Second Street Ferry
 Queensboro Bridge
 Astoria Line street car : 1910-1939
Transportation
Transportation
Corruption in Queens
 The years leading up to 1914 were wrought with
corruption
 Scandals followed three of Queen’s Borough
Presidents
 These scandals involved attempts to defraud the
municipal government
 Members of the Democratic Party
 Joseph Bermel, Lawrence Gresser, Maurice E.
Connolly
Joseph Bermel
 Borough President of Queens
 1906 – 1908
 Served as Commissioner of Public Works
 Involved in Kissena Park Scandal
 Fled to Europe, ultimately dying in Carlsbad,
Czechoslovakia in 1921
Lawrence Gresser
 Commissioner of Public Works under Joseph Bermel
 Elected to Borough President of Queens in 1909
 Resigned six months later, based on accusation of
incompetency and the abuse of the office.
 Removed from office by N.Y. Governor John Dix in
September 27, 1911.
 Succeeded by Maurice E. Connolly
Maurice E. Connolly
 Borough President of Queens (1911-1928)
 Member of Democratic Party
 Resigned in 1928.
 Investigated for involvement in a sewer graft scandal.
 Found guilty of defrauding municipal government.
 Sentenced to one year and $500 fine.
John Purroy Mitchel
 95th mayor of New York City (1914 -1917)
 Second-youngest mayor in the City.
 Member of the Fusion Party
 Staunchly Anti-Tammany
 As a lawyer, he investigated city incompetence,
inefficiency, and waste.
 Introduced widespread reform, especially the Police
Department
Martin H. Glynn
 40th Governor of New York ( October 1913 – December
1914)
 First Irish American Roman Catholic head of
government.
 Member of Democratic Party
 Active member in Progressive movement, and Irish
American Affairs
 Committed suicide in 1924.
Kaufman Astoria Studios
Located in Astoria, Queens
Part of the Paramount Studios Complex
Built in 1920 by Famous Players-Lasky
During the 1920’s, many short subjects were filmed, most
notable being The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers
Used by U.S Army Signal Corps in 1942 to make Army
training films
Designated a national historic district in 1978.
Kaufman Astoria Studios
Astoria Park
 Located on West Shore of Queens, from South of
Triborough Bridge to north of Hell Gate Bridge
 City of New York obtained 56 acres of this land in
October 1913.
 At this time, the location was called William J. Gaynor
Park after the mayor
 Park was renamed Astoria Park in December 1913.
 Park was expanded twice over the years: in 1937, and
later in 1969
 Park was renovated in 1980s
St. Demetrious
 One of 11 Greek Orthodox churches
 Probably one of the largest Orthodox churces outside of
Greece
The Socrates Sculpture Park
 Outdoor exhibition space for sculptures.
 Located on intersection of Broadway and Vernon
Boulevard