Elmhurst (formerly Newtown) is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue on the north; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Junction Boulevard on the east; and the New York Connecting Railroad on the west.
The village, originally named Middleburgh, was established in 1652 by English Puritans, approximately from New Amsterdam. When the British took over New Netherland in 1664, they renamed it New Town, which was eventually simplified to Newtown. It remained a rural community until the late 1890s, when it was renamed Elmhurst and became part of the City of Greater New York. Elmhurst became heavily developed with residential and commercial structures in the early 20th century, and many immigrants started moving in during the latter part of the century.
Elmhurst is located in Queens Community District 4 and its ZIP Code is 11373. It is patrolled by the New York City Police Department's 110th Precinct. Politically, Elmhurst is represented by the New York City Council's 25th District and small parts of the 21st, 24th, and 29th Districts.Current City Council Districts for Queens County, New York City. Accessed May 5, 2017.
History
17th and 18th centuries The village was founded in 1652 in the Dutch colony of New Netherland () by English Puritans from Connecticut and Massachusetts. They named it ('Middleburgh') after the capital of the Dutch province of Zeeland, which had been a refuge of Puritans fleeing religious persecution in England. The village was located approximately from the growing city of New Amsterdam () and just east of the settlement at Maspat (now called Maspeth), which had been abandoned following threats and attacks by local Lenape Native Americans. When the British took over New Netherland in 1664, they renamed Middleburgh as (New Town) to maintain a connection to its Dutch heritage. This was eventually simplified to Newtown. In a deed dated July 9, 1666, the settlers took title to the lands of Newtown from the Native American tribes.
A town building, near what is now Broadway and Corona Avenue, was erected to serve as both a community and religious building. Use of this building was shared by the different religious denominations in Middleburgh: the Church of England, the Dutch Reformed Church, the Presbyterians, and the Quakers. In 1669, the town planned a new church for all of these denominations, on a plot of land donated by Ralph Hunt near Grand Avenue and Queens Boulevard. According to the town records, the new building was to cost forty pounds, half in corn and half in cattle. The village of Newtown was established as the town seat for the township in 1683, when Queens County was reorganized as a "one county, five towns" model. The Town of Newtown, which had a town hall, jail, tax office, and town clerk's office, was the center of a municipality that comprised the villages that were located north of present-day Forest Park and west of Flushing Meadows.
By 1700, the town had a population of 1,000, including 405 youths under the age of sixteen, 434 adults, and 161 slaves. Among the English settlers in the present Elmhurst section of Newtown was Gershom Moore, who lived at what is now the intersection of Broadway, 45th Avenue, and Elmhurst Avenue. A chance seedling on his farm eventually produced the Newtown Pippin, Colonial America's most famous apple.David, Karp. "It's Crunch Time for the Venerable Pippin", The New York Times, November 5, 2003. Accessed September 20, 2018. "The Newtown Pippin arose in the late 17th or early 18th century as a seedling in the Moore family orchard, which stretched from the East River to what is now 54th Street in Elmhurst (formerly Newtown), Queens." The St. James Church was founded in 1704, followed by the Reformed Church of Newtown in 1731. The Colonel Bernardus Bloom Farmhouse at 90-11 56th Avenue, which existed from the 17th century to 2015, was one of the oldest surviving farmhouses in Newtown through the 21st century.
19th century
Newtown was also the center of a population of free blacks and slaves by the early 19th century. With the program of gradual abolition and the manumission of some slaves by masters following the American Revolution, the free population increased.Peace, Katy. 'Seven to Save Spotlight: Elmhurst African American Burial Ground", Preservation League of New York State, October 1, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2024. "Newtown, what is now Elmhurst, was settled by free African Americans in 1828, one of several such communities that popped up in New York City after slavery was abolished in 1827 (Seneca Village, which was displaced to create Central Park, might be the most famous of these communities)." In 1828, a year after slavery in New York state was finally abolished under the terms of a 1799 gradual abolition law,Benton, Ned. "Dating the Start and End of Slavery in New York", John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Accessed January 1, 2024. "Slavery officially ended in New York 1827. When the Gradual Emancipation law was passed in 1799 it did not apply to persons enslaved at the time, but gradually emancipated children of enslaved mothers born after the enactment of the law." landowner James Hunter and his wife deeded to the community for a church and parsonage. They had already been using land at Corona Avenue and 90th Street as a burial ground since about 1818. This was associated with the United African Society of Newtown, by 1906 known as St. Mark's A.M.E. Church. By 1886, more than 300 burials had been made in the cemetery. The church moved further east and gradually the burial ground was forgotten until the remains of a woman were discovered in an iron coffin in 2011 during development. The church is hoping to buy the land for preservation.
More concentrated residential development in the area was spurred by the completion of a horsecar line, the Grand Street Line, which reached New Town in 1854. The Long Island Rail Road's Main Line was built through Newtown in 1876, attracting more residents to the neighborhood.
Renaming and incorporation into city Cord Meyer bought land at Broadway and Whitney Avenue in 1896. He proposed that the town be renamed "Elmhurst", meaning "a grove of elms"; in 1897, one year before Queens County was incorporated in the Greater City of New York, the town was renamed. The renaming was done partially to disassociate the town from nearby Maspeth and the smelly, polluted Newtown Creek, and partially to celebrate the elm trees (Ulmus americana) that abounded in the area.
Elmhurst developed as a fashionable district due to a housing development built by the Cord Meyer Development Company between 1896 and 1910, north of the Port Washington Branch railroad station. Cord Meyer expanded its holdings between 1905 and 1930, including Elmhurst Square, Elmhurst South, Elmhurst Heights, and New Elmhurst. Elmhurst also was the site of the Grand Street LIRR station just west of the current Grand Avenue – Newtown subway station. The Grand Street LIRR station was served by the Main Line and the former Rockaway Beach Branch. In the 1930s, the Independent Subway System's Queens Boulevard line was built through the neighborhood, spurring economic development but also destroying many old buildings.
Prior to World War II, Elmhurst had become an almost exclusively Jewish and Italian neighborhood, made up of early 20th century immigrants and their descendants. Following the war, Elmhurst evolved into what has been considered one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in New York City, as immigrants arrived from new areas.Middleburgh Triangle, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Accessed January 1, 2024. "Elmhurst, which before World War II had comprised predominantly white, middle-class residential areas with a strong Jewish and Italian influence, has evolved into one of the most ethnically diverse sections of Queens." By the 1980s, there were persons from 112 nations in residence in the neighborhood, which has continued to diversify since then. Among the most numerous ethnic groups that have settled in the area are Latinos and Chinese Americans.
For many years, the Elmhurst gas tanks, a pair of large natural gas storage structures built in 1910 and 1921 on 57th Avenue between 74th and 80th Streets, were well-known landmarks, standing high. Because the Long Island Expressway frequently became congested in that area, "backup at the Elmhurst Gas Tanks" became a familiar phrase in radio traffic reporting. The gas storage facilities were removed in 2001. The site was redeveloped and opened as Elmhurst Park in 2011.Elmhurst Park, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Accessed July 7, 2016. "Elmhurst Park, once an eyesore and traffic landmark, opened to the public in 2011 as a magnificent community greenspace. The site of Elmhurst Park was once the location of two KeySpan Newtown gas holders, a highway landmark popularly known as the 'Elmhurst gas tanks.'"
Land use Elmhurst contains a variety of zoning districts, including manufacturing, commercial, residential, and mixed-use. Much of the neighborhood is composed of detached or multi-family houses, though there are also rowhouse districts, apartment buildings of up to six or seven stories, and large developments such as LeFrak City. Commercial overlays are located primarily along Queens Boulevard, Broadway, and Grand and Corona Avenues. Several tracts are also zoned for shopping centers, which are occupied by Elmhurst's malls. Light-manufacturing zones are located near the western end of the neighborhood, mainly between the LIRR's Port Washington Branch and 51st Avenue.
Official landmarks Some buildings in Elmhurst are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and/or are designated New York City Landmarks (NYCL):
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge Number 878 (NRHP, NYCL), built in 1923–1924, once the largest Elks lodge in the Eastern United States First Presbyterian Church of Newtown (NRHP), built in 1895 Newtown High School (NYCL), a Flemish Renaissance Revival-style building erected in 1921 and expanded in 1931 Reformed Church of Newtown (NRHP, NYCL), one of the oldest wood churches in New York City, first established by Dutch immigrants in 1731 St. James Church (NRHP, NYCL), built in 1735 and the oldest surviving Anglican building in the city
The Elmhurst branch of the Jamaica Savings Bank was previously a New York City Landmark, but the designation was removed in 2005.
Demographics Based on data from the 2022 census, the population of Elmhurst was 160,534, an increase of 72,107 from the 88,427 counted in 2010. Covering an area of , the neighborhood had a population density of .https://furmancenter.org/neighborhoods/view/elmhurst-corona#demographics Accessed February 2025
The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 6.7% White, 8.1% African American, 0.2% (133) Native American, 33.8% Asian, 0.0% (28) Pacific Islander, 0.4% (338) from other races, and 1.6% (1,423) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 49.6% of the population.https://furmancenter.org/neighborhoods/view/elmhurst-corona#demographics Accessed February 2025 Elmhurst's Latino population is 20.4% South American (9.8% Ecuadorean, 7.2% Colombian, 1.8% Peruvian, 0.4% Argentinean, 0.4% Bolivian, 0.2% Chilean, 0.2% Venezuelan), 11.6% Mexican, 3.1% Dominican, 1.8% Puerto Rican, 1.5% Central American (0.5% Salvadoran, 0.4% Guatemalan, 0.3% Honduran), and 0.7% Cuban.