OuterB on Queens Real Estate

Commercial Real Estate Deal News reports, “Safe Art Storage & Transport has purchased a two-story industrial building in the Jackson Heights [AKA East Elmhurst] section of Queens, N.Y., for $10.75 million

.” They’ll be moving just up the street from their current location of 19-26 Hazen, having found the new location very convenient. The new location is huge - 80,000 square feet.

The seller’s identity is unknown, and wants it that way. Why, who knows?

I walked along Hazen when I was returning from the Lent-Riker-Smith homestead tour. What a contrast! When you’re on the property of the historic residence, you’re really oblivious to the industrial area just a block or so away.

This weekend, the new online community forum, Jackson Heights Life

, was launched! Modeled after the successful astorians.com, it is a place for Jackson Heights residents to communicate with each other on various topics, including real estate, restaurants, and other aspects of the community. Anyone can read the forums, but you must log on to participate. Congratulations to all involved with the development. Definitely check it out!

I love the Apartment Therapy site - there’s always something interesting there. They often times hold contests where readers submit pictures of their apartments. This fall Jackson Heights residents Natasha and Alfred submitted their 2 bedroom apartment to the Third Annual Fall Color Contest. The apartment looks wonderful. Love the colors!

#27 - Natasha and Alfred’s Unexpected Solutions [Apartment Therapy via Jackson Heights NYC

]

This past Sunday I took a tour of the Lent-Riker-Smith home in Jackson Heights, Queens. This is a historic home located in the northern part of Jackson Heights, on 19th Road at 78th Street; the original part of the home dates from the middle of the 17th century and is landmarked by New York City. Its current residents, Michael and and Marion Smith, have lovingly taken care of it for close to 30 years now. The house is filled with all sorts of antique furniture, knick-knacks from times past, and of course the 17th and 18th century architecture in different parts of the home. I loved all the wood and rich fabrics, and the wooden floors were particularly appealing to me.

The cemetery on the property contains primarily the graves of the Lents and Rikers. As you may know, the name “Riker” is the named shared by Riker’s Island, the prison off the coast of NY. The cemetery is amazing. The grounds overall are just lovely and I enjoyed sitting in the backyard relaxing after having seen the house and grounds.

The Smiths hold this tour once a year, usually in the fall. It is done through the Queens Historical Society. While I was there it was fun to hear snippets of conversations between people who are descendents of the Lents or Rikers.

I highly recommend this tour. I took a lot of photos, and have included my favorites here. Please enjoy!

Astoria
Condo/Co-op: 1 bedroom/1 bath
$435,000
30-63 32nd Street
Saturday September 15, 1-4pm
NY Times listing [NY Times Web Listing]

Forest Hills
House: 2 bedroom/1 bath
$749,999
Ascan Avenue
Sunday September 16, 1-4pm
NY Times listing [Exit Kingdom Realty]

Jackson Heights
Co-op: 3 bedroom/2 bath
$585,000
83-10 35th Ave/The Fillmore (landmarked)
Sunday September 16, 2-3:30pm
NY Times listing [Prudential Douglas Elliman]

Little Neck
Co-op: 1 bedroom/1 bath
$263,000
54-40 Little Neck Pkwy, #3J
Sunday September 16, 11:30-1pm
NY Times listing [Century 21]

Sunnyside
Condo: 1 bedroom/1 bath
$400,860
41 44th St, #4B
Saturday September 15, 1-3pm
NY Times listing [Prudential Douglas Elliman]

Back in January, the Real Deal ran an article about Jackson Height’s Stratford Hall (80-09 35th Avenue) converting to condos, and that it was the first conversion in 20 years. And, at the time of the application to the attorney general’s office, the only other project that was bigger than these 190 units was Arris Lofts in LIC. Local brokers considered this project “groundbreaking”. But note that this is a landmarked building, so the building’s exterior (facade and lobby) was not expected to be altered.

And, according to a Craigslist posting I came across, there are a couple of two-bedroom units for sale:

ASKING: $335K, CC: $231, TAXES: $1,774, DOWNPAYMENT: 10% (OFFER MADE)
ASKING: $476K, CC: $292, TAXES: $2,241, DOWNPAYMENT: 10%

Who knows if they are still available, though. I have a feeling these units have the possibility of being snapped up fast. And be aware that the Department of Buildings site says there is no certificate of occupancy just yet.

Related:
Stable, quiet Jackson Heights set for major condo project [The Real Deal]
STRATFORD HALL CONDOS - TWO UNITS AVAILABLE [Craigslist]

Curbed highlighted the following ad by MPC Properties (one of our advertisers) this week:

Illustrating how you get more bang for your buck here in Queens.

Jackson Heights is a great neighborhood, and in the words of one of the commenters on Flickr, “1/2 the price for twice the value, twice the quiet and fives times as many trains.” Jackson Heights also has the plus of amazing food, beautiful gardens and architecture in the historical district, and a nice mix of cultures. Plus the subway stations are in a good location, and when heading to the city you arrive in Midtown, which is more centrally located for what most people want to do (it’s just as easy to get downtown as it is uptown from midtown, she says, stating the obvious). Plus, we don’t have to deal with the pain in the ass train that is the L.

Related:
Billy Burg, Meet Jack Heights. Really. [Curbed]
More Park. Less Slope [previously on OuterB]

Photo credit: bondidwhat on Flickr

Did you know that Jackson Heights has what is considered to be the oldest dwelling in America? That would be the 1654 Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead, located in the most northwestern corner of Jackson Heights (Google maps calls it East Elmhurst, actually). This Dutch-colonial farmhouse is a private home, currently occupied by Michael and Marion Smith. Marion has been instrumental in the home’s restoration - the gardens especially are the work of this dedicated couple, not to mention preserving it as nicely as they have. The property also contains the Riker Family graveyard, which contains 132 marked graves.

On Sunday, September 16, from 3-5pm, the Queens Historical Society is sponsoring a tour. You’ll get to see the house, the graveyard and the gardens, and learn about the history of the homestead. You can reserve your space with the Historical Society at 718-939-0647, ext. 17. The cost is $15 in advance, $20 general. I’m sure this is going to be a very interesting look into Queens’ past.

Related:
The Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead [Manhattan Users Guide]
The Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead [Website]
Queens Historical Society [Website]

As I write this, thunderstorms and bad weather are coming out way. Hoping for clearer weather this weekend - I’ve got baseball to watch!

Man breaks up with Flushing because of a communication issue. [NY Daily News]

Diversity in Jackson Heights - the changing storefronts are telling (be sure to read the interesting discussion in the comments). [Nueva York]

Queens Libraries are top in the nation in circulation (did you also know you can link you Queensborough Public Library card to the NYPL?). [City Room]

A writer predicts that in 20 or 30 years, that generation will officially be known as the Generation of Queens. [School Kids SG]

Zillowblog’s new infographic tells us that Far Rockaway’s market is up year after year, whereas LIC’s and Flushing’s is down a bit. [Zillowblog via nyc24.us]

Forest Hills Rezone Proposal Gets CB 6’s Unanimous Nod [Queens Chronicle]

Eastern Queens is uneasy about new development [Queens Chronicle]

NY1 finishes its week-long series on Queens with the focus on LIC and Queens West. [NY1]

Photo credit: Meg Cotner 

Last night, Mayor Bloomberg came to Jackson Heights for a dinner meeting with the Jackson Heights Merchants Association at the Jackson Diner. At the same time across the street were about 25 residents led by the Western Jackson Heights Alliance. They came with placards and loud voices, hoping to get the Mayor’s attention. They chanted, “Mayor Bloomberg, talk to us!”. So, he went over and talked to them, albeit briefly. He has (or his office has) been aware of the demands of the community regarding overdevelopment, noise, and litter. The WJHA has strongly supported the creation of a city task force to investigate such issues. The city basically says, that a task force can’t be accommodated right now (”putting the cart before the horse.”).

While inside the Jackson Diner, the Mayor talked to the Merchants Association about public transportation issues (extending the 7 eastward), development and homeless issues, among other things. The Merchants seem to really like Mayor Bloomberg. While talking to them, he referred to the peeved residents outside, which I think was a good move. He could have totally ignored them both inside and outside the Diner, but chose not to.

Related:
Mayor Visits Jackson Heights Amid Protest From Residents [Queens Chronicle]
Noise and Congestion in Jackson Heights [previously on OuterB]