USA | NYC
 


Day 1210

No. 66 Public School

April 23rd, 2015



According to the school's 2010 landmark designation report:

Originally constructed in 1898-9, Public School (P.S.) 66 is a remarkable survivor from a time when Richmond Hill, Queens, was transitioning from a rural farming community into a vibrant residential neighborhood. Three identical schools (two now demolished) were constructed in anticipation of an influx of residents, expected as a result of improvements in transportation, the subdivision of farmlands into lots for residential development, and the consolidation of Queens with Greater New York City that same year. . . .

The two-and-a-half and three-story red brick building is Victorian Eclectic in style. Many of its features are characteristic of the Romanesque Revival style and give the building a fortress-like appearance, including prominent round arches highlighting window openings and the main entrance, a flared base, and a distinctive six-story tower . . . Elements of the Queen Anne style are also present in the building’s large entablatures featuring elaborate rinceaux, its gabled dormers, and the steeply pitched roofs of the 1905-6 addition, which was harmoniously designed in the style of the main section. The tower, which originally contained a bell used to call school children from neighboring farms and developments, is distinguished by round arches, brick corbelling, large masonry columns, and foliate details. An ornamental panel above the main entranceway survives and features the name of the school. . . .

By all accounts, P.S. 66 fared well architecturally until 1967, when wood deterioration in the distinctive bell tower required removal of the belfry above the second story. The Department of Education was unable to rebuild the tower at the time due to the fiscal crisis of the 1970s that affected all areas of New York City government. By the 1990s, the distinctive rinceaux that ornament the original school building were stuccoed over and the slate roof replaced with asphalt shingles . . . A major exterior modernization in 2001, however, returned many of the details that had been removed or altered over the years and included construction of a new bell tower.

Day 1210

Blossom and decay

April 23rd, 2015


Day 1210

Beneath the J train

April 23rd, 2015


Day 1210

LET’S NOT LOSE IT!

April 23rd, 2015



It's not clear what, but something is apparently in danger of bring lost here beneath the old Rockaway Beach Branch.

Day 1210

9/11 memorial #248

April 23rd, 2015



at the Engine 294/Ladder 143 firehouse

Day 1210




Like the Engine 285/Ladder 142 firehouse, this one celebrated its centennial not long after I passed by. Engine Company 294 can't yet claim 100 years of service, however, as it has twice been disbanded for budgetary reasons, only to be resurrected a few years later in each case.

Day 1210




Heterochromia iridum (closer look)

Day 1210

Graffiti or just gravity?

April 23rd, 2015



I can't tell if this drippy masterpiece beneath the abandoned Rockaway Beach Branch was intentionally created or not.

Day 1210

A ghost in the trees

April 23rd, 2015



This old railroad utility tower stands alongside the abandoned Rockaway Beach Branch (photos) at the southern edge of Forest Park.

Day 1210

Teleport chamber

April 23rd, 2015



I assume this was a Teleport Communications manhole. (The hexagonal pattern on the manhole cover denotes telecommunications.)

Day 1210




Woodhaven Manor, formerly Le Cordon Bleu/Cordon V Bleu, is a banquet hall located in the old Loew's Willard Theater, which opened in 1924 showing Buster Keaton's The Navigator (viewable in its entirety here). As you can see above, the ongoing renovation work is uncovering some of the building's long-hidden architectural details.

Day 1210

Swamper Stomper

April 23rd, 2015



There appears to be a Swamper Stomper inflatable obstacle course (video) jutting out of the All-in-One Entertainment party rental warehouse.

Day 1210

9/11 memorial #247

April 23rd, 2015



Ray York, for whom a nearby school is named, is remembered outside the Engine 285/Ladder 142 firehouse. You can see two previous phases of this memorial's evolution in Street View images from 2007 and 2011.

Day 1210




A couple of weeks after I walked by, this firehouse celebrated its centennial.

Day 1210

Enormous sewer manhole

April 23rd, 2015



"That's not a manhole. It's a horsehole."
  – Guy on the street