College Point, Queens

College Point is a working-middle class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located north of Flushing on Flushing Bay and the East River and is part of the Queens Community Board 7. Willets Point Boulevard and the Whitestone Expressway are often the neighborhood's approximate boundaries with Flushing and Whitestone. The 109th precinct NYPD serves College Point. College Point is a diverse community, mostly residential with some industrial areas.

History


College Point was named for St. Paul's College, a seminary founded in 1835 by the Rev. William Augustus Muhlenberg. The college closed around 1850. Former names include Lawrence's Neck, Tew's Neck, Flammersberg, and Strattonsport.

The original European settler of this area was Captain William Lawrence. He was also the largest land holder of the original incorporators of of the Town of Flushing, now in Queens. He arrived in America on the ship Planter in the 1630s. He married the oldest daughter of Richard "Bull Rider" Smith who founded Smithtown L.I. With his first wife he had a son, William Jr., who married the Smith's youngest daughter.

In 1854 the German-American industrialist, Conrad Poppenhusen arrived, already a prosperous manufacturer in Brooklyn of hard rubber goods, expanded his operation to this small farming community. College Point became a factory town primarily for his workers, most of them German immigrants like himself, and the tycoon became a philanthropist contributing to churches, libraries, and the Poppenhusen Institute, an educational beacon of College Point. He is responsible for the first free kindergarten in America. He connected College Point to Flushing by the Flushing and North Side Railroad, later called Whitestone Branch. A special monument on College Point Boulevard, one of the main streets in College Point, stands testament to Poppenhusen.

College Point became a center for breweries and day trip resorts, and in the 1920s shifted towards airplane parts manufacturing.

In 1997, the Queens Historical Society bestowed a "Queensmark" award on College Point, in hopes of encouraging historical preservation of local landmark architecture.

Transportation
New York City provides public bus service to College Point via the Q20A/B, Q65, Q25 and Q76 lines. No subway service is available.

Notable structures
The First Reformed Church — A church built in 1873 in the small town New England style. The church is on a large lot, has a bell tower, and is adorned with "gingerbread" trim. On June 6, 2008 a fire caused damage in the steeple. The damage has been repaired and the congregation is hoping to be worshiping in the sanctuary soon. (up on 119th ST)

Flessel's Restaurant — Recently demolished in the construction boom, Flessel's stood as a testament to the summer resorts and beer gardens that once marked College Point.

Flushing Airport - Opened in 1927 along the shore of Flushing Bay, the airport had been a busy aviation hub before LaGuardia Airport was built in 1939 about one mile away. It carried the IATA code FLU. In 1977, a Piper Twin Comanche crashed shortly after taking off from the airport. The incident eventually led to the closing of this airport in 1984. The site remains abandoned, although plans have been proposed over the years to convert it into a blimp-port or office park. Given natural deterioration of the hangars and concrete runways, however, it is likely that the site will simply return to being natural wetlands.

Poppenhusen Institute — Built in 1868 by Conrad Poppenhusen, the founder of College Point. The architecture features a French Second Empire Mansard roof topping off the three Italianate style stories. Originally a town hall, this City Landmark now serves as a cultural and historical center and offers a variety of classes and activities.

Schleicher Court — A mansion built in 1853 that also operated as the Grand View Hotel. The house was divided into apartments and literally sits in the center of 123rd street. The house suffered an electrical fire on July 9, 2008 and was forcibly vacated by the Department of Buildings.

The Spangelberg Mansion — A yellow and white mansion circa 1860 now also divided into apartments.

Poppenhusen Library — An Andrew Carnegie library, built in 1904 featuring a copper roof, is still active as a branch in the Queens Library system.

Academy Mailbox & Intercom Company - a gray warehouse on 15th Ave. circa 1870. The building was originally used as an ice house to chill beer from a local brewery.

Schools and churches
Public elementary schools, defined as kindergarten through 5th grades, include PS 29 and PS 129. College Point is home to St. Fidelis, a Catholic school for nursery through 8th grades. It is also home to St. Agnes Academic High School and St. John's Lutheran School, another elementary program.

St. Fidelis Roman Catholic Church, St. Paul's Episcopal, St. John's Lutheran, and The First Reformed Church of College Point host the community's four largest congregations.

Parks
McNeil Park, formerly known and still affectionately called Chisholm's by many locals (after the family that owned the mansion that once stood in the park), features a water front view, full playground, basketball and handball courts, and baseball fields.

Poppenhusen Playground is a park for primary school aged children.

College Point Park, the former location of P.S. 27, is located across the street from Poppenhusen Library.It is called "27" by many locals. It has basketball and handball courts as well as an adjacent municipal parking lot. A hot-dog vendor is often in the park on days with good weather and has handballs available for sale.

Powell's Cove Park, an environmental waterfront park, lies on the border of College Point and Malba and affords a great view of the Bronx Whitestone Bridge

Frank Golden Memorial Park, located behind the strip mall on 14th Avenue, features 4 baseball diamonds and is used by local softball leagues.

Sports
College Point is home to a newly reconstructed hockey rink on Ulmer Street complete with floodlights and bleachers, which was part of a larger reconstruction of the College Point Fields. The baseball fields and hockey rink are now New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Fields, but the entire property used to belong to the College Sports Association, which leased the fields from the City for $1 a day. The fields were to be rebuilt in the late 1990s, but due to complications due to the EnViroFill dumping construction debris, in 1999, the construction was stopped, the fields closed and the lease revoked. The local leagues nearly collapsed due to the closure of the fields, but under the leadership of Jerry Castro, President of the Little League until 2006, and Tony Mongeluzzi, President of the Roller Hockey League, the leagues survived and are now thriving.
 * College Point Sports Park

The College Point Little League is chartered by Little League Baseball in Williamsport, and serves the College Point, Flushing, and Whitestone areas of Queens. The College Point Little League is an all volunteer organization dedicated to providing boys and girls, ages 5 through 18, a place where they can build their baseball skills while learning good sportsmanship, fair play, teamwork, and most of all, having fun.
 * College Point Little League

The College Point Stars (not affiliated with the College Point Little League) are a youth baseball team that advanced to the 2007 Cal Ripken Babe Ruth League Division World Series, coached by Nelson Santiago, who was involved with the Little League for several years, including managing a team of 11 year olds to a second place finish in New York State in the summer of 2006.
 * College Point Stars

Shopping & Entertainment
Empire Market on College Point Boulevard has sold German meats and groceries since 1920 and is owned by a third-generation German family. The store also offers a wide variety of candy in glass jars and is a favorite among children.

College Meat Center, family owned and operated since 1963, has been serving local residents for over 40 years, surviving a fire in the 1980s.

Shopping centers on 20th Avenue include Target, TJ Maxx, BJ's Wholesale Club, Old Navy, Babies R' Us, and Waldbaum's supermarket.

The College Point Multiplex Cinemas offers 12 screens of movies, as well as a mini-arcade.

Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of College Point include:
 * David Gallagher - Actor that portrayed 'Simon Camden' on the show 7th Heaven.
 * Steve Karsay - Major League Baseball pitcher.
 * Conrad Poppenhusen - Founder of College Point, education innovator, hard rubber manufacturer, railroad tycoon, and philanthropist from Germany.