Broad Channel, Queens
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Broad Channel is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It occupies the southern portion of Rulers Bar Hassock (known colloquially as "Broad Channel Island"), which is the only inhabited island (pop. about 3,000) in Jamaica Bay. The neighborhood stands on Big Egg Marsh, an area of fill approximately 20 blocks long and 4 blocks wide. The community is also an inholding within the Gateway National Recreation Area, a unit of the U.S National Park Service
Lying between Howard Beach and the Rockaway Peninsula, it is connected to those communities by bridges at either end of the island—The Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge—which carry vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Cross Bay Boulevard is the only through road. The area consists of artificial canals separating dead-end residential blocks.
The IND Rockaway Line of the New York City Subway (A S) serves the Broad Channel station.
At one time, the streets of Broad Channel were numbered along the same continuum found in the rest of Queens besides the Rockaways[citation needed] (with the numbers of "Streets" increasing from west to east, the numbers of "Avenues" increasing from north to south, etc.). Today, however, Broad Channel streets have their own numbering format, independent of that used elsewhere in the borough. This change still causes occasional confusion.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early New York
Prior to European settlement, the Jameco and Canarsie bands of Lenape Native Americans frequented this area. During the 1600s, Dutch settlers established a community on the island and began harvesting oysters, clams, shrimp, and fish.
[edit] 1898 - 1915
Broad Channel remained a parcel within the Town of Jamaica until the consolidation of New York City in 1898. The northern (and larger) portion of the island is part of Gateway National Recreation Area and is managed as part of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, the only wildlife refuge in the National Park System. The waters and marsh islands of the refuge entirely surround the community.
[edit] 1915 - 1982
In 1915, the City leased the island to the Broad Channel Corporation, which in turn leased properties to private individuals for the development of summer bungalows and houses. The island prospered as an exclusive retreat for city residents. After the construction of the Cross Bay Boulevard in 1923, Broad Channel underwent a surge in popularity. Following the construction of the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge in 1939, the island became easily accessible by car. That same year, the Broad Channel Corporation declared bankruptcy. The City acquired the island’s property titles but, for many years, denied residents the right to purchase the land under their houses. The City made many attempts to alter the island’s purpose, but the local community resisted them all. Proposed changes included the construction of a commercial port and the extension of John F. Kennedy International Airport. In 1982, New York City granted Broad Channel residents the right to purchase their property. Broad Channel has two churches, a volunteer fire department, one elementary school, and a public library.
[edit] Education
Like all areas of New York City, Broad Channel is served by the New York City Department of Education.
Elementary school students attend P.S 47. The school has pre-kindergarten through eighth grades; the school facilities were completely remodeled during the 1990s.
[edit] Organizations
[edit] Broad Channel Athletic Club
The non-profit Broad Channel Athletic Club was established in 1961. The baseball teams are registered with Little League and host an in-house baseball league, and participate in the Catholic Youth Organization. The football league plays in the Nassau and Suffolk Football League. The soccer league is completely run by the organization and participates in the Catholic Youth Organization. The swimming team participates in the Police Athletic League and the Catholic Youth Organization. The basketball league also participates in the Catholic Youth Organization.
[edit] The Broad Channel Historical Society
The Broad Channel Historical Society was founded in 1994. Their mission is to document and preserve the history of Broad Channel, often referred to as the “Venice” of New York. The committee was initiated by then President of the Civic Association Danny Mundy, who came up with the idea from reading the “Glimpse of the Past” column in the town newsletter, Channel News. With seed money from New York State Senator Ada Smith, loose-leaf notebooks with plastic sleeves were purchased in order to begin documenting the colorful history of “The Channel”. After one year of articles, written memories, and videotaped interviews, they held their first Annual Historical Day in June 1995. This event brings out the townspeople and folks from the surrounding area to enjoy the collection, usually housed in the Broad Channel Public Library.
The Queens Borough Public Library has been the home for the historical collection. The collection was microfilmed in 1997. The microfilm is available for viewing at the Central Branch in Jamaica, Queens. Also in 1997 the first annual Historical Calendar was published. The calendars feature old pictures of Broad Channel and tidal information.
[edit] Parks
[edit] Broad Channel Park
Broad Channel Park opened in May 1995, located at the southern most end of Broad Channel, sits along Jamaica Bay. The park features two grass baseball fields, one asphalt baseball field, benches, water fountains, a parking area, four basketball standards, a roller hockey rink, and a small play area. The flagpole area is surrounded by a nautically themed sitting area. The park was given its present name in March 1998.[1]
[edit] Gene Gray Park
This playground is named in honor of Broad Channel community activist Eugene Gray (1927–1973). Gray was born on March 14, 1927 in Park Slope, Brooklyn and later moved to Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. After attending college, Gray married Lorraine Baker (1929–1977) with whom he had three children: Michael, Gary and Gregory. Gray later moved to Broad Channel and became involved in various neighborhood youth programs, including the Broad Channel Athletic Club, an organization for which he served as president. A community football coach for more than twenty years, Grey also helped to shape and maintain the Broad Channel football league and assisted in the creation of the local Teen Club, which provided safe recreational activities for the area’s youth.
Before his death on September 14, 1973, Eugene Gray also supported the construction of this site, the first adventure playground to be built in Broad Channel. In recognition of his dedication to the playground’s construction and lifetime of work for the neighborhood’s youth, the Broad Channel Civic Association and Queens Community Board 14 motioned to have the playground named in Gray’s honor. Their undertaking was successful in 1987, when a local law passed naming the park Gene Gray Playground.
Located on the corner of Cross Bay Boulevard and East 9th Street, Gene Gray Playground opened on November 12, 1987 and was built at a cost of $457,688. In honor of Broad Channel’s seafaring past, award-winning architect Richard Dattner incorporated a nautical fortress theme into the park’s wooden play equipment. The playground contains a walkway bridge intended to resemble a sailing ship, complete with bow, stern, and gangplank-like ramp. The park also contains a 75-year-old willow tree (Salix spp.), nine red maple trees (Acer rubrum), and ninety burning bushes (Euonymus atropurpureus) along the perimeter.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- BroadChannelNY.com
- BCVFD
- Forgotten NY: Broad Channel
- Google Hybrid
- Google Map
- Terraserver satellite photograph
- bcacny.com
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