ALUMINUM BAHAMA SHUTTERS

Central Avenue Historic District, Glendale, Queens, New York City, New York, United States of America

Description

The Central Ave. Historic District consists of 104 structures, built in 1916, that line 65th Pi. and 66th St., between 70th Ave. and Myrtle Ave. The ten-acre district, which covers parts of five city blocks, is made up entirely of three-story brick tenements with two apartments per floor. The district's boundaries were drawn to exclude the surrounding frame houses, commercial and industrial buildings, and other structures that are not in keeping with the architectural character of the district. The boundaries of the district are those delineated on the accompanying map.

The buildings along 65th PI., such as 70-01 to 70-45 65th PI., have flat facades that feature amber iron-spot brick arranged in elaborate patterns including piers with corbelled bottoms, corbel courses, and textured panels. There is cast-stone detailing such as lintels, sills and bands, and brownstone stoops with elaborate ironwork.

The buildings are topped by pressed metal cornices featuring swags, blocks and dentils. The buildings are set back from the lot line to create small enclosed gardens, while the stoops extend out to the broad sidewalks.

The buildings along 66th St., south of Central Ave., are identical in appearance to those which line 65th PI., while those that lie north of Central Ave., such as 70-45 66th St. (Photo 45), feature brick parapets rather than pressed metal cornices.

The buildings in the Central Ave. Historic District remain largely intact. Typical alterations include new doors, ironwork, and awnings. There are no non-contributing buildings in the district. An annotated list of buildings included in the district follows.

Significance

The Central Ave. Historic District ia historically and architecturally significant as an intact and cohesive residential neighborhood containing examples of tenements built in imitation of the famous "Mathews Flats" model tenements that were originated in Ridge wood by G-.X. Mathews, one of New York City's biggest tenement house builders in.the early twentieth century.

All of the tenements in the district were built in 1916 by Henry W. Meyer, one of Ridgewood's biggest entrepreneurs, who in addition to being one of Ridgewood's largest land developers, also owned a tobacco company, a paper box company, and a hat company, all of which were once located either in Williamsburg or Ridgewood. Meyer employed Louis BergSr and Co., Ridgewood's most prolific architectural

firm, to design the tenements in the district. They feature many of the innovative features that are characteristic of the "Mathews Flats," such as wide building lots, interior airshafts, large windows in every room, and separate sanitary facilities in each apartment. Berger's treatment of the facades, however, differs considerably from the detailing on the Mathews Plats," which were designed by Louis Allmendinger.

The deep amber brick Meyer/Berger rows feature recessed brick banding, brick piers, protruding panels, flat cast-stone lintels, and dentils, all of which create playful contrasts of light and shadow, rather than yellow brick facades on burnt orange brick bases and radiating header brick arches that distinguish Allmendinger's "Mathews Flats." Berger also designed the imitation "Mathews Flats" found in the Cypress Ave. East Historic District.

The rows on 66th St., north of Central Ave., feature masonry parapets rather than pressed metal entablatures that characterize most of the i-ows in the multiple-resource area. This represents the early stages of am architectural transition in Ridgewood during which traditional details, such as cornices and decorative lintels, were simplified or eliminated in order to achieve a "modern" appearance.

A selection from Patrick McDonough's Awning Studies: Socrates as part of the Open Space exhibit at the Socrates Sculpture Park.