You are reading

Two Predominantly Black Areas in Southeast Queens Designated as Historic Districts

Cambria Heights-227th Historic District (Photo courtesy of the LPC)

June 29, 2022 By Christian Murray

Two residential areas in southeast Queens were designated historic districts yesterday by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The commission created two separate historic districts—the Cambria Heights-222nd Street district and the Cambria Heights-227th district. Both areas, which consist of Tudor-style houses, have traditionally been occupied by the African American and Afro-Caribbean communities.

The districts contain row houses built in 1931 that are remarkably intact along two blocks, according to the commission. The Cambria Heights – 222nd Street Historic District contains 46 row houses between 115th Road and 116th Avenue and the Cambria Heights – 227th Street Historic District, which is five blocks away, contains 50 houses between 116th Avenue and Linden Boulevard.

“The designation of these two historic districts, the first in Cambria Heights, was a priority for me and fits within LPC’s equity framework, as we seek to increase designations in communities not well represented by landmarks, and to better tell the story of all New Yorkers,” said Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Sarah Carroll.

Cambria Heights is located in southeast Queens (GMaps)

The 222nd and 227th Street Historic Districts, according to the commission, consist of two cohesive and intact groups of Storybook-style row houses incorporating Tudor-style elements.

The Storybook style is primarily associated with California, where it flourished as a small-house style in the 1920s—influenced by fantasy architecture and movie backdrops. Storybook features of the 227th Street houses include half timbering, diamond-pane windows and stucco with brick and stone accents, as well as whimsical red, blue, and green slate shingles.

The 222nd Street houses feature Tudor-arched window openings, brightly colored terra-cotta roofs and windows, brick facades with random stone accents, and whimsically decorated chimneys with patterned brick and stucco panels. The design of the row houses gives the street a “stage-set” quality consistent with the Storybook style, of a Hollywood backdrop or fairytale illustration come to life.

Initially, residents of both 222nd and 227th Streets consisted of mainly white middle-class families. Black families began moving to Cambria Heights by the 1950s and the makeup of the community began to change.

By the 1980s, immigrant families from Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Barbados moved to the area. Today, Cambria Heights remains one of several prosperous predominantly Black residential communities in Southeastern Queens.

“These homes are significant not only because of their appearance but also because of what they represent to the communities…that the American Dream was within reach,” said Mayor Eric Adams.

Adams noted that Black Americans had long been denied the opportunity of homeownership and that these historic districts clearly state why access to homeownership must be made available.

Both districts are exceptionally well-preserved, according to the commission, retaining their characteristic stylistic features and continuous, landscaped front lawns, with a highly distinctive sense of place.

“This was a project that was started by my predecessor, Council Member I. Daneek Miller and I am excited to see it come to fruition and have another neighborhood in my community designated as a historic district,” said Council Member Nantasha Williams.

“The 27th Council District is full of rich history and this neighborhood in Cambria Heights captures a unique architectural design not commonly found.”

Cambria Heights-222nd Street Historic District (Photo courtesy of the LPC)

 

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Off-duty paramedic spots South Richmond Hill two-alarm house fire that injures nine firefighters, two civilians on Friday morning: FDNY

Nine firefighters were injured, two of them seriously, and two civilians sustained minor injuries during a two-alarm house fire in South Richmond Hill on Friday morning, but it could have been worse if not for the actions of an off-duty veteran EMT.

Paramedic Craig Biscuiti was driving to work when he noticed a column of thick black smoke and heavy flames coming from the first floor of a two-story home at 95-36 111th St. just before 7:10 a.m.

Masked gunman wanted for allegedly robbing a Hillside Avenue convenience store in Hollis: NYPD

Police from the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica are looking for an armed robber who targeted a Hollis convenience store during the early morning of Tuesday, Aug. 5.

The suspect entered the storefront at 187-42 Hillside Ave. just before 5 a.m. and allegedly pulled out a firearm and demanded items from a 26-year-old man behind the counter. The perpetrator removed $100 from the cash register and merchandise from behind the counter before casually walking out of the shop onto Hillside Avenue. The store employee was not injured during the armed robbery.

Queens Together launches ‘Unofficial US Open Dining Guide’ encouraging fans to sample restaurants along the 7 line

Aug. 20, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

The US Open returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park this Sunday, with more than 1 million attendees anticipated to take mass transit to the iconic annual tennis event. With hundreds of thousands of fans set to take the 7 out to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, there is a world of delicious local eateries lying beneath the elevated train tracks should any fan wish to stop en-route to the US Open.