NYC:Queens hoods-Ravenswood

Heading north brings us into the hood known as Ravenswood. It goes from Queens Plaza to 34th Ave between Northern Blvd (NY 25A) and the East River. This hood is mostly residential. It was originally known as Dutch Kills when it was settled by Richard Bruntall in 1642, who was the first European to settle in Queens. In 1650, a gristmill was built on what's now Jackson Ave between 40th Ave and 40th Rd. It was part of the town of Newton that was named by the English when they had the land in 1664. In 1814, George Gibbs accquired the land. His intentions were to make an industrial center that would rival NYC, where he was from. When he died in 1833, his property was divided into nine parcels and was left to other developers to build on that land. Starting in 1848, mansions were built along the shoreline to offer views of Manhattan. In 1875, commercial buildings were built along Bridge (now Queens) Plaza. In the early 1900's, Sunswick Creek was filled in and a road had replaced it. In 1909, the Queensboro Br was built to allow for vehicular access from Manhattan. In 1917, the subway was extending to include Ravenswood. In 1928, filming hit the area when Paramount Pictures built Kaufman Astoria Studios for the recording of their movies, and it later became home to a number of sitcoms as well as shows on PBS. In 1939, the Queensbirdge Houses were built as the largest housing project in NYC. The Ravenswood Houses were built not too long after that, though not as tall. In 1955, the Roosevelt Island Br was completed as the only vehicular access to Roosevelt Island. In 1977, the Astoria Motion Picture and Television Center Foundation (now the American Museum of the Moving Image) was founded to give educational tours on both movies and TV. Ravenswood remains a quiet residential area these days. You can get here by taking the subway to Queens Plaza (E, F, G, R, V), Queensboro Plaza (7, N, W), 21st St-Queensbrige (F), 36th St (G, R, V), 39th Ave-Bebe (N, W), and 36th Ave-Washington Ave (N, W). Here is what you will find in Ravenswood.





















































































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