The Interview

Here is the interview with John Smith, a resident of Queens Village since 1957.

Question 1: How long have you lived in the neighborhood of Queens Village?
J.S.: "I have lived here ever since I can remember. I grew up here and still live here 'til this day. This year would make it 50 years that I've been here."

Question 2: What attracted you or your family to move to this neighborhood?
J.S.: "Well, my parents moved here prior to when I was born. I guess it would be because of the type of people that were here already. Most of us were Italian families of middle income. It was like a 'normal' neighborhood to grow up in."

Question 3: What schools did you attend while growing up in this neighborhood?
J.S.: "My brothers and I all went to St. Gregory's Catholic School from grades 1 to 8. I then went to Martin Van Buren High School up the block. I hated Catholic School because all the priests would 'teach' me to do one thing while they were being hypocrites and doing the opposite."

Question 4: Have you seen any dramatic changes within the scenery and have they improved or degradeed the look of Queens Village?
J.S.: "A lot has changed here. There's a heck of a lot more businesses here now a days. There has been an increase in churches, car dealers, auto body shops, and corner stores. Before there would be one corner store we would all go to but now they're all over the place. It's great that we have that but the young teenagers are hanging out in front of there doing god knows what. Oh! I remember that Theatre on Jamaica Avenue used to be a real theatre before they made it into a religious center. I would say that Queens Village has changed into a more "Corporate America" neighborhood with still some hints of suburbia that lies within it. It's actually a better neighborhood if you really look at it."

Question 5: What is your most memorable childhood memory that you can think of that happened in Queens Village?
J.S.: "I remember playing stickball over there at Braddock Park with my friends and brothers afterschool and on Saturdays. We were all on YMCA baseball team. We broke this man's window one time we all ran out of there like our lives were on the line. Everytime I drive by that house I always remember what happened there."

Question 6: What are your favorite parts of Queens Village and why?
J.S.: "My favorite parts.....that would have to be the neighborhoods with the houses that are still standing from back when I was your age. These houses really show the origin and roots of Queens Village. By just looking at these houses you get memories of your past but as they slowly are demolished and 4 family houses are being put up Queens Village begins to lose it's 'originality'."

Question 7: Has there always been a diverse variety of ethnicities in Queens Village as it is today and which ethnicities are they?
J.S.: "No. Today, there is a huge variety of races here. When I was a kid, it was mostly Italian families with few black families here and there. There were also a lot of Jews here too. but now there are people from the West Indies, Asia, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Pakistan, Germany, and a whole lot more. It's remarkable how all these ethnicities came in within the last 35 years. As soon as all the Italians moved out a huge amount of African American families moved in as well as Hispanic families."

Question 8: Is there any store or monument that still stands today that you remember from your childhood and what is it?
J.S.: "Well the school and church that I went to when I was a kid still is up and running. I don't know how old it actually is but it's been around for a while. St. Gregory's Catholic Church."

Question 9: What was the neighborhood like back when you were a teenager?
J.S.: "The neighborhood was quiet. It was like a typical ideal American community. There were of course few minor crimes here and there but other than that it was 'normal.' We (the boys) would all go to the YMCA and hangout or play baseball. Everybody pretty much knew each other and greeted each other. But as times change, it slowly became a more 'isolated' society where everyone at once just ignored each other. We all would just hangout with each other."

Question 10: What do you think about the new developments going up in Queens Village? Are they a disgrace or something to be desired?
J.S.: "Well, they just build that new school over there on Jamaica Avenue which I think would really bring up the property value of our houses. It also improved the look over there in that area. There used to be a huge empty lot and now that that school is there it's great! But what really annoys me is the new houses that are being built. They tear down a one family house and convert it into a 4 to 6 family house. It's disgusting! It really is a gross and disgusting advancement in our community. It doesn't even look right! It's just like putting a builing in the middle of an open field. It doesn't look right!"

Two Sources of Evidence and Thesis Statement

My thesis statement is : Because of the advancement in the technology of construction, Queens Village has undergone many positive renovations with it's scenery.

My Two Sources of Evidence that will support my thesis statement are:

1. My interviewee, Thomas Aydinian.

2. The book The Story of Queens Village by Historian and Author Vincent F. Seyfried.

Interview Questions

I am going to interview my little sister's best friend's dad, Thomas Aydinian, who has been living in Queens Village since he was a little kid.

1. How long have you lived in the neighborhood of Queens Village?

2. What attracted you or your family to move to this community?

3. What schools did you attend while growing up in this neighborhood?

4. Have you seen any dramatic changes within the scenery and have they improved or degraded Queens Village’s look?

5. What is your most memorable childhood memory that you can think of that happened in Queens Village?

6. What are your favorite parts of Queens Village and why?

7. Has there always been a diverse variety of ethnicities in Queens Village as it is today and which ethnicities are they?

8. Is there any store or monument that still stands today that you remember from your childhood and what is it?

9. What was the neighborhood like back when you were a teenager?

10. What do you feel about the new developments going up in Queens Village? Are they a disgrace or something to desire for?

The Response to Revolution

Tiedemann, Joseph S. Response To Revolution: Queens County. New York: Xerox University

Microfilms, 1976.

In the book, Response To Revolution: Queens County, by author Joseph S. Tiedemann, he describes the political change in society during the Revolutionary War. Britain had colonized the “New World”, which is today the United States of America, and was seeking to add more British power into the colonies. The setting of the book takes place during the 1770s when the colonists in New York, Queens specifically, began to rebel against the British armies. The movie, The Gangs of New York, has a huge similarity with this book as it shows the bitter feud between colonists and officers of British Parliament rule. After the 13 Colonies had beat the British Empire and became known as an independent nation it then began to set up many different city states all over the country. Queens was divided into different religious groups from Quakers to Jews to Protestants. Many lives were lost during the Revolutionary War because although the colonists had the advantage of knowing the land they fought they were still weaker in the sense that they had fewer weapons than the British had. Farms were destroyed and many widows and their children were left to live by themselves as their fathers and husbands were fighting in the war. Many families began to migrate into Queens County as it was found to be rich in fertilization of crops since it was near the waters and few rivers and streams ran through.

The Story of Queens Village

Seyfried, Vincent F. The Story of Queens Village. Long Island:

The Centennial Association, 1974

The book titled The Story of Queens Village by author and historian Vincent F. Seyfried describes the change in the community of Queens Village since the Revolutionary War. Many changes have occurred such as the changing of the name from Little Plains to Brushville to finally Queens Village. This city used to be a major farming community that gradually started to switch over to manufacturing as the Industrial Revolution started. There were many small and local shops that were privately owned. Of them was a famous blacksmith shop that was owned by Mr. Brush who had the privilege of having the town named after him. Before there were cars on the streets people were still using carriages with horses back in the 1800s. After that they had placed trolleys in the streets, which were the main source of transportation before buses and cars came onto the scene. The streets weren’t even paved as of yet until the First World War. Many churches and schools still remain and stand in Queens Village today. There was a great housing boom in Queens Village during the 1920’s which brought many to settle into this newly formed community due to the Industrial Revolution that made it easier to build houses more efficiently and faster.

MY HOOD!

The Community of Queens Village was first established in the year of 1856. This little community goes back all the way to the 1600s even before this country became a country. The area was colonized in the 1640’s and was known as Little Plains because it was a place where cattle would graze the land. In the 1700’s a village was established where farms where forming. In the years of 1824-1834, the name of the city had changed to Brushville, named for Thomas Brush who opened a very prosperous black smith shop. Then, in 1834, when the Railroad arrived and the first station was established, they had decided to rename the city to Queens. Later, the Long Island Rail Road had added “Village” to the name thus the final name of Queens Village still exists today.

Queens Village today is a multicultural community with people of all types of ethnicities from Japanese to Hispanic, Jamaican to German, and African American to Pakistani. Of these residents are many World War II veterans who settled down after the war. There was a big housing boom in the 1920’s in Queens Village that attracted many people to move into the neighborhood. Many houses of that period still stand today and are renovated to keep up with modern technology such as insulation and heat capturing windows. This somewhat “average” size community is mostly made up of middle to high middle class families. Queens Village has a huge variety of churches that have been around for decades and some for centuries. Although, an “old” city it is still being industrialized and modernized. With the building of a new school that just opened and many new stores being developed, it has been growing to fit the needs of the residents of Queens Village.

B4 1950!!!

When the community of Queens Village was first developed no body knew that it would become a community where so many World War I and World War II veterans would settle down to start families. This, once called Brushville, community in Queens became a well known place for soldiers of war to live in because it was a newly developed city for the middle class to live in. The veterans of war even began to hold meetings specifically to talk about their experiences at war and better ways to help the community. In reminder and dedication to all the men and women who served their country in war a Memorial was built and encrypted onto the monument are their names. The monument still stands today located in the Queens Village Veterans Plaza located on the corner of Springfield Blvd. and Jamaica Ave.
This gray, dull colored monument was first built in 1932 to act as a dedication at first to the men and women who died in World War I but later changed to dedicate all the soldiers who died in the America’s Wars. It stands around 10 ft. tall, 6 ft. wide, and 2 ft. thick. On the top of monument reads, “THESE MEN DIED TO KEEP YOU LIVING WITHOUT FEAR”, to honor the ones who sacrificed their lives in order for us to be here today. The names of hundreds of soldiers killed in action are from the Korean War, Vietnam War, World War I, and World War II. Although many years of weathering, this great and strong monument still remains as strong as those valiant men who fought for their country and a better future for their children and grandchildren and great grandchildren and so on. Still many residents of Queens Village take this monument for granted by just passing by not knowing it’s significance. Even I do it sometimes, but now knowing why this concrete wall was put there, in the middle of a park, I will acknowledge it look a it differently.

Demograhics of Queens Village 2

United States. BrainyZip. 11428 Demographics. Jan. 2007.


This website gets in depth with the statistics of Queens Village. When it comes to talking about the different races in Queens Village it talks about the many different races there are in the community. It also gives the percentages of the number of males, females, children, and races that make up the neighborhood. Household types are also shown on the graph. The people that make up the household, such as senior citizens or young adults, are depicted by the graph as well. The average family size is given too.

Queens Village Demographics

Demograhics of Queens Village 1

United States. Sperling’s Best Places. Zipcode 11427 (Queens Village, NY) people. Jan. 2007
http://www.bestplaces.net/zipcode/Queens_Village_NY-71142700010.aspx

This website gives the demographics of Queens Village as it presently is now in 2007. It shows the population of Queens Village. Also depicted on this website is the median age of those who live in my community. The marital status of Queens Village is also displayed to show the number of separate, divorced, and married individuals in Queens Village. There are a variety of different races in the neighborhood as well.

Queens Village Demographics

THE 1950s!!!

The setting of the city of Queens Village was after World War II where many coming back began settling down to raise a family. Of these many veterans returning from war most of them, if not all, were of the Christian faith. This church was one of the few that residents went to for worship. Built in 1955, the name of the church is the REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH. The church is located in the residential part of Queens Village where it somewhat blends in with the other neighboring houses. churches made in the 1950s were mostly made of brick as pictured in the image.
Like all churches of Christendom, it firmly represents Jesus Christ as their Lord by displaying The Cross. The white cross on the church is on the top above the bell cover. This picture kind of reminds me of those churches that were also schools for the children in the community in the late 1700s and 1800s. Like those church schools, it is made from the same kind of "school red" brick, it was shaped like those schools, and has those burgandy doors that make this place seem serious. This church, ironically, is a nursery as well to many little infants and children in the community. The different types of people that go to this church are Koreans, Irish, African Americans, Caucasian, Giuanese, and Hispanics.
The Church still has this "old-fashioned" type of feeling in it because they reserved and maintained it's original look. The church did experience an extension to the east where the nursery is held. The extension is about 3 feet above ground. You can literally walk on top of the church, (take my word on it because I did it before), because rather than build up they decided to build down. They did decide, though, to keep the same red, white, and peach colors of the original building and put it into the new part. The roof is still the same gray dull color too. The entrance of the church still remains the same where, unlike the gray concrete we use on sidewalks, they used the tannish colored gravel and pebbles to make up the walkway of the church. The black railings along the steps have been rusting it's brownish orange color onto the concrete steps due to decades of weathering. On the end of the railing is a wooden post that declares the name of the church. There is also a black postboard that displays the name of the church in both English and Korean and gives the times of the different sermons.

Dia Numero DOS!

My Neighborhood of Queens Village is urban yet suburban in a way. Certain parts of my neighborhood are busy with a lot of businesses while other parts are residential houses with rarely any traffic running through the streets. With such a diverse ethnicity in my community it makes others who visit very welcome because you can meet almost any type of nationality.
I took this picture of my neighborhood outside my house. The time was around 6:30pm and everyone, who went to work or school, are back home settling in and getting ready to eat dinner. The mood of my neighborhood is very calm. You can see the the red sky as the sun slowly and gradually disappears behind the tall oak trees in the back. The winds are calming down as well but you begin to feel the air chill as the night approaches. The radiant red sky makes the colors of the houses, flowers, and grass more lively. You can hear the mother birds chirp as they fly by above you toward their nest. It kind of reminds me of when I was a little boy playing outside with all my friends until my mom or dad would call me in to eat dinner.
The houses on my block are all distinctly different in the way they're shaped and painted. Some houses are white, baby blue, yellowish, and so on. Many houses on my block have a basement, first floor, second floor, and an attic. All the residents of my community basically fight to see who has the best lawn. Who has the best front lawn and house is an ongoing competition that everyone faces on this side of Queens Village. The sidewalks in front of each house are often altered by the owner to reflect the house as well. For example, my neighbor in the middle of the picture put two small brick pots on the sidewalk to make his house look better. But the predominant item everyone has is green. As in green grass, green trees, green plants and green bushes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queens_Village,_Queens

http://queenscrap.blogspot.com/2007/02/queens-village-crap.html

Wassup! Sam here doing his one of many homework’s. Well I checked out that website, http://www.forgotten-ny.com, and found some pretty interesting stuff there. It’s weird because you don’t really notice how strange and crazy New York City is until you stand aside and look at it. Even though we all live in the same city there are so many things to see in New York City. You can literally take a vacation in New York City even if you still live in New York City because the 5 boroughs that make up New York City have many different sceneries and cultures.
The website, http://www.forgotten-ny.com, seems to be a website devoted to the different landmarks in New York City both old and new. The Board members of this website also talk about many issues that New Yorkers face daily. Subjects vary from the infamous new constructions of 3 family houses being built all over Queens to the disgraceful Porno Stores near Times Square, Manhattan. In addition, we see some things that we, New Yorkers, take for granted. The website points out many landmarks such as old roads, buildings, and houses that have been in New York for decades. There are many different topics that, although seems stupid, are really quite interesting when get to read it. For example, there may be an article about the city that you live in. After reading that article you will never look at your neighborhood the same way because of the history or issue that comes with living there.
What I really liked about this website is that they have a section devoted to the crap in Queens called QUEENS CRAP. Here we see many articles about how the city is destroying Queens by building good-for-nothing structures. But this week they ran the article about the 6 foot long Thresher Shark that washed up onto shore at Rockaway Beach. It’s so cool how there’s sharks in New York. It’s nice to know at least something NORMAL lives in the waters of New York besides 3 eyed fish and fish with two heads. But the shark didn’t live because it washed onto shore again but this time it was dead. By looking at the picture of this 6 foot long shark it reminds you of JAWS. I was just hoping that this shark wouldn’t go on a killing spree like JAWS did. This really shows how New York City is very interesting. We have unusual things such as Tornados ripping roof tops off in Brooklyn to Sharks swimming in Queens!