Woodside, Queens

Woodside is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside and on the east by Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. Its ZIP code is 11377. Some areas are widely residential and very quiet, while others (especially closer to Roosevelt Avenue) are more urban. The neighborhood is located in Queens Community Board 1 and Queens Community Board 2. [ [http://www.nyc.gov/html/cau/html/cb/cb_queens.shtml Queens Community Boards] , New York City. Accessed September 3, 2007.]

In the 19th century the area was part of the Town of Newtown (now Elmhurst). The adjacent area of Winfield was largely incorporated into the post office serving Woodside and as a consequence Winfield lost much of its identity distinct from Woodside.

Throughout its history, Woodside has been the largest Irish American community in Queens, and has a large number of Irish expatriates. In the early 1930s, the area was approximately 80% Irish. [cite book|author=Bayor and Meaghar|title=The New York Irish|year=1996|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|id=ISBN 0-8018-5199-8 (p. 414)] Woodside has served as the primary destination for more recent immigrants from Ireland as well, with many arriving in the mid-eighties searching for economic opportunities in New York City. Even as the neighborhood has seen growth in ethnic diversity today, the area still retains a strong Irish American presence with many Irish, although the growth in the Irish economy since the mid-1990s has slowed the arrival of new Irish. There are Irish pubs/restaurants scattered in Woodside.

In the early 1990s, many Asian American families moved into the area, particularly east of the Woodside–61st Street. Woodside's population is now 30% Asian American. Woodside has a large population of African Americans, Korean Americans, Chinese Americans and Filipino Americans (see Koreatown, Chinatown, and Filipinotown), each with their own respective ethnic enclaves. There are also South Asian Americans, particularly Indian Americans, Bangladeshi Americans, and Pakistani Americans, as well as a large Latino population, mostly immigrants from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.

Reflecting its longtime Irish flavor, the neighborhood is filled with Irish pubs, many catering to natives of particular cities and regions in Ireland. It is also home to some of the city's most popular Thai, Filipino, Colombian, and Ecuadorian eateries. A rather unofficial "Little Manila" stretches from 65th-71st Streets at the strip of Roosevelt Avenue, where many Filipino businesses have flocked to serve Woodside's large Filipino American community.

Woodside's diversity lends itself to a number of festivals and street fairs. It commemorates Saint Patrick's Day with a parade prior to the famous celebration in Manhattan. The parade in Woodside is known for being an all-inclusive event, embracing many ethnic and cultural groups, notably including LGBTQ contingents excluded from the larger Manhattan St. Patrick's Day Parade. Woodside also hosts several events in the summer, including an Independence Day street fair.

The neighborhood has many places of worship, as well as many schools (including [http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/30/Q011/default.htm?searchType=school PS 11] , [http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/30/Q012/default.htm?searchType=school PS 12] , [http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/30/Q151/default.htm?searchType=school PS 151] , [http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/30/Q152/default.htm?searchType=school PS 152] , [http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/30/Q229/default.htm?searchType=school PS 229] , [http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/30/Q125/default.htm?searchType=school IS 125] , Corpus Christi Elementary School, and Saint Sebastian's Elementary School). The parks in the area include Windmueller Park, Big Bush Park, [ [http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/park_info_pages/park_info.php?propID=Q205A Big Bush Park] ] and Laurel Hill Park. Winfield Reformed Church is also located in Woodside.

Doughboy Park

Doughboy Park is located at the intersection of Woodside Avenue and Skillman Avenue and is maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Although the park received its name by local law in 1971, its eponymous monument has stood on the site since 1923. During the first World War British soldiers referred to their American counterparts as doughboys because of the large round buttons on the American uniforms; these buttons reminded the British soldiers of the cakes or biscuits known as doughboys. Statues of American infantry soldiers are similarly called doughboys, and there are bronze doughboys in each of the five boroughs of New York City. The sculptor of the Woodside Doughboy also created a doughboy for the Flanders Field Memorial in DeWitt Clinton Park in Manhattan.

The Woodside Doughboy was erected by the Woodside Community Council in remembrance of the local men and women who served in World War I. Funded by public subscription, the statue was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1923. The ceremony included music by St. Marys Military Band, a rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" by the children of P.S. 11, the doughboy's unveiling by Gold Star Relatives, and blessings by ministers from St. Paul's and St. Sebastian's Churches.

The sculptor, Burt W. Johnson of Flushing, was a student and brother-in-law of renowned artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Johnson portrayed a somber World War I soldier holding his helmet in front and his gun to the side. The sculptor's health was failing as the piece was being completed, and he supervised the final work from his wheelchair. The bronze statue stands upon a granite pedestal designed by architect C.N. Kent and inscribed "LEST WE FORGET 1917 1918." Although the work was originally titled "The Returning Soldier," it is popularly known as the Woodside Doughboy.

Woodside residents remember that even before the statue was erected, local soldiers gathered here at the "mustering ground" before departing to fight in World War I. Ten men who left from this site did not return as they made the supreme sacrifice and gave their lives for their nation. Since the dedication event in 1923, community members have gathered at the monument every Memorial Day for patriotic ceremonies. In 1928 the American Federation of Arts selected the Woodside Doughboy as the best war memorial of its kind in this century.

The City of New York acquired this land in 1893 as a play area for P.S. 11. The land was eventually deemed too steep and overgrown for children's use; it was assigned to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in 1957. The site was transformed from a children's play area to a sitting area for adults, in keeping with the dignity of the statue. Improvements included the addition of drinking fountains, macadam walks, shade trees, and maintenance facilities.

Reconstruction of the park in 1988 provided a new path in the western portion of the park, and additional work in 1995 added new plantings. A 1998 requirements contract replaced fencing in the park. In 1990 the beloved Woodside Doughboy received an extensive conservation treatment which included cleaning, repainting, and treating with a protective wax coating [ [http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=6434 Doughboy Park] , accessed September 20, 2006] .

In 2006, on the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks upon the United States a memorial plaque in the park was dedicated which reads:

:"On September 11, 2001, the following who lived or worked in Woodside died in the World Trade Center attack. Their lives touched our hearts, their sacrifice changed us forever."

:"We remember them with love and honor.":(34 names follow)

Notable Residents

*Eric Gioia, member New York City Council (2001-2009)
*Edward Burns, actor

Transportation

Woodside is easily accessed from the rest of the city. The IRT Flushing Line (NYCS Flushing local) of the New York City Subway has stations at 52nd, 61st and 69th Streets on Roosevelt Avenue; the IND Queens Boulevard Line local services (NYCS Queens local) make stops at Northern Boulevard and 65th Street along Broadway. In addition, the LIRR makes a stop at Woodside station, which provides a direct connection to the 7 train at 61st Street. The Q18, Q39, Q45, Q53, Q60 and Q32 buses connect Woodside to the rest of Queens, while the latter two run to Manhattan. Access by car is provided by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278) and Long Island Expressway (I-495).

References

See also

* Irish Americans in New York City

External links