Whitestone is a residential neighborhood in the northernmost part of the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. The neighborhood proper is located between the

East River The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Queens ...

to the north; College Point and

Whitestone Expressway Whitestone may refer to: Places * Whitestone, Alaska, an unincorporated community * Whitestone, Devon, a village in the United Kingdom * Whitestone, Ontario, a township in Canada and a community within the township * Whitestone, Queens, a neig ...

to the west;

Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushin ...

and 25th Avenue to the south; and Bayside and

Francis Lewis Boulevard Francis Lewis Boulevard is a boulevard in the New York City borough of Queens. The roadway is named for Francis Lewis, a Queens resident who was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. The boulevard zigzags across Queens by inc ...

to the east. Whitestone contains the subsection of Malba, which is bounded to the north by the East River, to the east by the Whitestone Expressway, to the south by 14th Avenue, and to the west by 138th Street. Malba was cited in a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' article as one of the few "elite enclaves" of Queens. Whitestone is located in Queens Community District 7 and its ZIP Code is 11357. It is patrolled by the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

's 109th Precinct. Politically, Whitestone is represented by the New York City Council's 19th District.

History

Whitestone

Dutch settlers derived the name of the town from

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

that used to lie on the shore of the river according to a popular tradition. This tradition is supported by 17th century wills and deeds, which may be found in ''

The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record ''The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record'' is a scholarly publication devoted to the interests of American genealogy and biography. It is published on a quarterly basis by The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. History Sin ...

'', that refer to "the white stone" as a local landmark and survey reference point. Whitestone got its name because the settlers discovered that Whitestone was built on white limestone. The area was, in large part, the estate of

Francis Lewis Francis Lewis (March 21, 1713 – December 31, 1802) was an American merchant and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation as a representative of ...

, a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

and a signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

. The estate was the site of an English raid during the Revolutionary War. Lewis was not present but his wife was taken prisoner and his house was burned to the ground. For a period of time Whitestone was called Clintonville after Dewitt Clinton, the former governor of New York; this etymology is present in the name of Clintonville Street, located in the neighborhood. In the late 19th century, many wealthy New Yorkers began building mansions in the area, on what had once been farmland or woodland. Rapid development of the area ensued in the 1920s, however, as trolley and Long Island Rail Road train service on the

Whitestone Branch The Whitestone Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road, running north and east along the left bank of the Flushing River from the Port Washington Branch near the modern Willets Point/Flushing sections of Queens, New York. It crossed the ...

was expanded into the neighborhood. Although this rail service ended during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, part of the

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

was later used by

Robert Moses Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid 20th century. Despite never being elected to any office, Moses is regarded ...

to help construct the Belt Parkway, which includes the

which runs along the southeast edge of the former Flushing Airport and through Whitestone. Flushing Airport has been abandoned since 1985. Further development came with the building of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge in 1939. The bridge measures 2,300 feet and was the fourth longest bridge in the world at the time of its construction.

Malba subsection

The name of the subsection of Malba in northern Whitestone is derived from the first letters of the surnames of its five founders of the Malba Land Company: Maycock, Alling, Lewis, Bishop, and Avis. Malba is considered part of Whitestone, one of the more affluent communities in Queens. Demographically, the population is mostly white and of European descent (Greek, Italian, Irish), as well as Jewish, with a small minority of Asian Americans. Most of the residential properties in Malba are large homes. The first known resident of the area known as present-day Malba was David Roe, who arrived from England in the 1640s. According to Clarence Almon Torrey's book, ''David Roe Of Flushing And Some Of His Descendants'', Roe became a resident of

circa 1666. In 1683, Roe was taxed upon owning and thereafter increased his holdings substantially, ultimately acquiring the upland around what was to become Malba. Roe's farm was on the east side of the bay, which was then known as "Roe's Cove". He was among the most well-to-do citizens of Flushing, owning lands, farm stock, carpenter's tools and two slaves. In 1786, John Powell purchased Roe's parcel for 1,685 pounds, 6 shillings, and 8 pence. It has been reported that Roe lost his lands for his allegiance to the crown during the American War of Independence. Powell thereafter built a home and the cove was renamed "Powell's Cove", the name it bears today. During the 19th century, some of Powell's land passed into the hands of Harry Genet, a member of the

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

, New York City's infamous political machine. Powell's house was destroyed by fire in the 1890s. During the second half of the 19th century, the Roe/Powell land passed to a succession of owners. A map dating from 1873 lists the Smiths, Biningers and Nostrands as landowners in the area. The Nostrand and Smith farms represented a large portion of what is Malba today. The area around Hill Court and 14th Avenue was known as "Whitestone Heights". In 1883 railroad service to Manhattan was extended on the "Whitestone and Westchester Railroad", later the Long Island Rail Road. The terminus of the Whitestone line was at "Whitestone Landing" (154th Street), a popular summer resort area during the late 19th century and early 20th century. William Ziegler, a self-made industrialist and president of the

Royal Baking Powder Company The Royal Baking Powder Company was one of the largest producers of baking powder in the US. History It was started by brothers Joseph Christoffel Hoagland and Cornelius Nevius Hoagland in 1866, It later came under the ownership of William Z ...

bought all these parcels in or about 1883 and his holdings became known as the "Ziegler Tract". Ziegler died on May 24, 1905, leaving his wife,

Electa Matilda Ziegler Electa Matilda Ziegler (, Curtis; after first marriage, Gamble; after second marriage, Ziegler; April 13, 1841 – September 1, 1932) was an American philanthropist who founded the '' Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind''. Early life Electa ...

(a philanthropist for the blind, among other things) and son, William Jr., then 14 years of age. William S. Champ (Ziegler's former secretary) and W.C. Demarest (Mrs. Ziegler's nephew) (both to become among the first families residing in Malba) formed a Realty Trust to purchase the Ziegler tract from his estate for development purposes. Champ was vice president of the Realty Trust, and also one of the executors of Ziegler's estate. The Ziegler Tract had been appraised for $100,000 shortly after Ziegler's death. In the spring of 1906, the Realty Trust secured over 100 investors from New Haven, Guilford, Bridgeport, and other Connecticut towns, to the planned purchase of the Ziegler Tract. Based on a review of early maps of the area, the developers, at one point, planned a very densely populated community; with homes on lots no bigger than wide. Obviously, this plan was modified and much larger properties were developed. The trust represented to the investors that the property could be purchased from the Ziegler estate for $640,000. In fact, the which ultimately became Malba, had been earlier purchased from the Ziegler estate for $350,000. Thereafter such Connecticut residents as Samuel R. Avis, Noble P. Bishop, George W. Lewis, David R. Alling and George Maycock were elected trustees (altogether these were the five names that combined to form the MALBA name) of the Malba Land Company. The true, lesser, amount paid to Ziegler's estate was not uncovered until 1912. (For a complete discussion of the Realty Trust's acquisition of the land and its subsequent defense of a lawsuit from the Malba Land Company, see Crowe v. Malba Land Co., 135 N.Y.S. 454, 76 Misc. 676 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 1912)). Development slowly began in 1908. A railroad station on the Whitestone line was added where 11th Avenue sits today. The Champs and Demarests were among Malba's first families to own homes in Malba. There were thirteen houses by the time of World War I and more than a hundred were built in the 1920s. The railroad station closed in 1932. The triangle by Malba Drive and 11th Avenue was dedicated as "Jane Champ Park" on November 16, 1969 and was renovated by the Malba Field and Marine Club in 2005.

Demographics

Based on data from the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, the population of Whitestone was 30,773, a decrease of 583 (1.9%) from the 31,356 counted in 2000. Covering an area of , the neighborhood had a population density of .Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
Population Division -

Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 16, 2016. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 68.1% (20,956)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.8% (242)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% (18) Native American, 17.4% (5,362)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.0% (2)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.3% (90) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.1% (351) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 12.2% (3,752) of the population.Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
Population Division -

Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2016. The entirety of Community Board 7, which comprises Flushing, College Point, and Whitestone, had 263,039 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 84.3 years. This is longer than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are middle-aged and elderly: 22% are between the ages of between 25 and 44, 30% between 45 and 64, and 18% over 65. The ratio of youth and college-aged residents was lower, at 17% and 7% respectively. As of 2017, the median

household income Household income is a measure of the combined incomes of all people sharing a particular household or place of residence. It includes every form of income, e.g., salaries and wages, retirement income, near cash government transfers like food stamp ...

in Community Board 7 was $51,284. In 2018, an estimated 25% of Whitestone and Flushing residents lived in poverty, compared to 19% in all of Queens and 20% in all of New York City. One in seventeen residents (6%) were unemployed, compared to 8% in Queens and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 57% in Whitestone and Flushing, higher than the boroughwide and citywide rates of 53% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, , Whitestone and Flushing are considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not

gentrifying Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

Points of interest

Notable buildings in the community include St. Luke's

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Church and Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church. The Grace Episcopal Church, on Clintonville street, was built in 1858 on land donated by the family of Francis Lewis. The Whitestone Hebrew Centre consists of two buildings on Clintonville Street and was founded in 1929. The Russian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, with its distinctive great blue

onion dome An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. These bulbous structures taper smoothly to a point. It is a typ ...

(added in 1991 after the Cold War, previous building from 1916), was built in 1968. The Greek Orthodox Church, Holy Cross, or "Timios Stavros", is located on 150th Street.

Economy

The following companies currently operate or have operated out of Whitestone: *

Kinemacolor Kinemacolor was the first successful colour motion picture process, used commercially from 1908 to 1914. It was invented by George Albert Smith in 1906. He was influenced by the work of William Norman Lascelles Davidson and, more directly, E ...

* Fairchild Recording Equipment Corporation founded by Sherman Fairchild * Lee Kum Kee International Holdings Ltd. *

Glacéau Energy Brands, also doing business as Glacéau, is a privately owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company based in Whitestone, Queens, New York, that manufactures and distributes various lines of drinks marketed as enhanced water. Founded in May 1 ...

White Rock Beverages White Rock Beverages (White Rock Products Corporation) is an American beverage company located in Whitestone, Queens, New York City. The company was established in 1871 by pharmacist H.M. Colver in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The Potawatomi Indians a ...

* ''

World Journal ''World Journal'' () is a Pan-Blue Taiwanese broadsheet newspaper published in North America. It is the largest Chinese language newspaper in the United States and one of the largest Chinese language newspapers outside of Greater China, with a ...

'' * ''

Queens Tribune The ''Queens Tribune'' was a free weekly newspaper founded as the monthly ''Flushing Tribune'' in February 1970 by Gary Ackerman. The ''Tribune'' was a member of the New York Press Association. From 1989 to 2002, the paper was owned by News Comm ...

Police and crime

Flushing, College Point, and Whitestone are patrolled by the 109th Precinct of the

NYPD The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

, located at 37-05 Union Street. The 109th Precinct ranked 9th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. , with a non-fatal assault rate of 17 per 100,000 people, Whitestone and Flushing's rate of

violent crime A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violence, violent act is t ...

s per capita is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 145 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole. The 109th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 83.7% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 6 murders, 30 rapes, 202 robberies, 219 felony assaults, 324 burglaries, 970 grand larcenies, and 126 grand larcenies auto in 2018.

Fire safety

Whitestone contains a

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...

(FDNY) fire station, Engine Co. 295/Ladder Co. 144, at 12-49 149th Street Whitestone, NY 11357.

Health

preterm birth Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the Childbirth, birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks Gestational age (obstetrics), gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 we ...

s and births to teenage mothers are less common in Whitestone and Flushing than in other places citywide. In Whitestone and Flushing, there were 63 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 8 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Whitestone and Flushing have a higher than average population of residents who are

uninsured Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to Hedge ( ...

. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 14%, slightly higher than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of

air pollutant Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different type ...

, in Whitestone and Flushing is , less than the city average. Thirteen percent of Whitestone and Flushing residents are smokers, which is lower than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Whitestone and Flushing, 13% of residents are

obese Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

, 8% are

diabetic Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased app ...

, and 22% have

high blood pressure Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

—compared to the citywide averages of 22%, 8%, and 23% respectively. In addition, 15% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Ninety-five percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is higher than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 71% of residents described their health as "good," "very good," or "excellent," lower than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Whitestone and Flushing, there are 6 bodegas. The nearest major hospitals are NewYork–Presbyterian/Queens and

Flushing Hospital Medical Center Flushing Hospital Medical Center (also known as Flushing Hospital) is one of the oldest hospitals in New York City. It survived a 1999 bankruptcy and subsequently affiliated first with the New York Presbyterian Hospital and then with the MediSys ...

Post offices and ZIP Code

Whitestone is covered by the ZIP Code 11357. The

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...

operates two post offices nearby: * Whitestone Station – 14-44 150th Street * Linden Hill Station – 29-50 Union Street

Education

Whitestone and Flushing generally have a similar rate of college-educated residents to the rest of the city . While 37% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 23% have less than a high school education and 40% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 39% of Queens residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher. The percentage of Whitestone and Flushing students excelling in math rose from 55% in 2000 to 78% in 2011, and reading achievement rose from 57% to 59% during the same time period. Whitestone and Flushing's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is less than the rest of New York City. In Whitestone and Flushing, 9% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per

school year A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

, lower than the citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 86% of high school students in Whitestone and Flushing graduate on time, more than the citywide average of 75%.

Schools

The

New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...

operates public schools in the area, including P.S. 79 Francis Lewis, P.S. 184 Flushing Manor, J.H.S. 194 William H. Carr, P.S. 193 Alfred J Kennedy, and P.S. 209 Clearview Gardens. Private elementary/middle schools include Holy Trinity Catholic Academy and St Luke's School. Private secondary schools include Whitestone Academy (grades 8–12) and The Lowell School (grades 3–12). The

Queens Public Library The Queens Public Library (QPL), also known as the Queens Borough Public Library and Queens Library (QL), is the public library for the Borough (New York City), borough of Queens, and one of three public library systems serving New York City. It ...

's Whitestone branch is located at 151-10 14th Road.

Transportation

The

Bronx–Whitestone Bridge The Bronx–Whitestone Bridge (colloquially referred to as the Whitestone Bridge or simply the Whitestone) is a suspension bridge in New York City, carrying six lanes of Interstate 678 over the East River. The bridge connects Throggs Neck and ...

gives access to and from

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, as Whitestone is located across the

from the Bronx. The Bronx-Whitestone Bridge carries

I-678 Interstate 678 (I-678) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway that extends for through two boroughs of New York City. The route begins at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Jamaica Bay and travels north through Queens and ...

(Whitestone Expressway) across the

. The

Cross Island Parkway The Cross Island Parkway is a parkway in New York City, part of the Belt System running along the perimeter of the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. The Cross Island Parkway runs from the Whitestone Expressway ( Interstate 678 or I-678) i ...

merges into the Whitestone Expressway approximately before the bridge. On the Bronx side, the bridge leads directly into the

Bruckner Interchange The Bruckner Interchange is a complex interchange in the New York City borough of The Bronx in the United States. The junction connects four highways: the Bruckner, Cross Bronx, and Hutchinson River (or Whitestone) Expressways, and the Hutchinso ...

, the northern terminus of I-678, where the Cross Bronx Expressway (

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

to the west,

I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States: *Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville * Interstate ...

to the east),

Bruckner Expressway The Bruckner Expressway is a freeway in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. It carries Interstate 278 (I-278) and I-95 (and formerly I-878) from the Triborough Bridge to the south end of the New England Thruway at the Pelham Parkw ...

(

I-278 Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New Yor ...

to the west, I-95 to the east), and

Hutchinson River Parkway The Hutchinson River Parkway (known colloquially as The Hutch) is a north–south parkway in southern New York in the United States. It extends for from the massive Bruckner Interchange in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx to the New York ...

meet. The segment of I-678 between the bridge and the

is a depressed freeway.

New York City Bus MTA Regional Bus Operations (RBO) is the surface transit division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It was created in 2008 to consolidate all bus operations in New York City operated by the MTA. , MTA Regional Bus Operations ru ...

and

MTA Bus Company MTA Regional Bus Operations (RBO) is the surface transit division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It was created in 2008 to consolidate all bus operations in New York City operated by the MTA. , MTA Regional Bus Operations ru ...

serve Whitestone on the local routes and the routes. Most of the local buses provide access to and from Flushing–Main Street on the

IRT Flushing Line The IRT Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, named for its eastern terminal in Flushing, Queens. It is operated as part of the A Division. The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), a private operator, ...

() of the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...

. No subway service directly serves this neighborhood. The

was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road, running north and east from Flushing. It ran north along

Flushing Bay Flushing Bay is a tidal embayment in New York City. It is located on the south side of the East River and stretches to the south near the neighborhood of Flushing, Queens. It is bordered on the west by LaGuardia Airport and the Grand Central Park ...

and east along the East River to Whitestone. Originally intended to lead into

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

, it was consolidated into the Long Island Rail Road in 1876. Stations consisted of Flushing–Bridge Street, College Point, Malba, Whitestone–14th Avenue, and Whitestone Landing at 155th Street, which later became the Beechhurst Yacht Club. Flushing–Bridge Street Station was built in 1870, College Point, and Whitestone–14th Avenue stations were opened in 1869, and Whitestone Landing Station was built in 1886, all by the F&NS Railroad. Malba station was built in 1909 by the LIRR. The line was abandoned on February 15, 1932, despite efforts by affected commuters to turn the line into a privately operated shuttle route.

Notable people

Notable current and former residents of Whitestone (including Beechhurst and Malba): *

Gracie Allen Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964) was an American vaudevillian, singer, actress, and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns, her straight man, ...

(1895–1964), actress and comedian *

Roberto Alomar Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez (; ; born February 5, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball player for the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Arizon ...

(born 1968), retired

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

second baseman *

Lottie Alter Charlotte Alice Alter (January 16, 1871 – December 25, 1924) was an American actress on stage and in silent films. Early life Alter was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin on January 16, 1871, the daughter of Frederick Pernal Alter and Ida Alter (n ...

(1871-1924, actress *

Fatty Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked w ...

(1887–1933), actor *

Tony Avella Anthony Avella Jr. (born October 27, 1951) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the New York State Senate's 11th district in northeast Queens from 2011 to 2019. The district included the mostly affluent n ...

(born 1951), NY State Senator *

Ernest Ball Ernest Roland Ball (July 22, 1878 – May 3, 1927) was an American singer and songwriter, most famous for composing the music for the song "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" in 1912. He was not himself Irish. Early life and education Born in C ...

(1878–1927), singer and songwriter * Jill E. Barad (born 1951), former CEO of

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

* Minnette Barrett (1880–1964), actress * Richard Bassford (born 1936), artist * Mike Baxter (baseball), Mike Baxter (born 1984),

outfielder * Willow Bay (born 1963), TV correspondent * Denis Belliveau (born 1964), photographer, author and explorer * Bertha Belmore (1882–1953), actress * Robert Benchley (1889–1945), actor and newspaper columnist * Armando Benitez (born 1972), retired MLB, Major League Baseball relief pitcher * Warren Berger (born 1958), journalist * Maurice Black (1891–1938), actor * Tex Blaisdell (1920–1999), cartoonist * Constance Binney (1896–1989), actress * Clara Bow (1905–1965), actress * Borden Parker Bowne (1847–1910), Christian philosopher and theologian * Sully Boyar (1924–2001), actor * Harry C. Bradley (actor), Harry C. Bradley (1869-1947), actor * Edward C. Braunstein (born in 1981), member of the New York State Assembly * Elton Britt (1913–1972), country singer * Margaret Wise Brown (1910–1952), children's book author * Roscoe Brown (1922–2016), Tuskegee Airman * Floyd Buckley (1877–1956), actor * George Burns (1896–1996), actor and comedian * List of multiple births, The Carpio Sextuplets (born 2008), first Hispanic sextuplets to be born in the United States * Penelope Casas (1943–2013), cookbook author * Edmar Castañeda (born 1978), harpist * John Cena (born 1977), wrestler * Whittaker Chambers (1901–1961), writer, editor and Soviet spy * Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977), actor * The Law of Compensation, John Charles (1885–1921), actor * Julie Chen (born 1970), journalist * H. Cooper Cliffe (1862–1939), actor * Andrew Climie (1834–1897), businessman and politician * DeWitt Clinton (1769–1828), Mayor Of New York City * Downtown Julie Brown#References, Stuart Cohn, TV producer * Charles S. Colden (1885–1960), Queens Supreme Court Justice, Founder of Queens College * Wilson Collison (1893–1941), author and playwright * Ben Cooper (1933–2020), actor * Alice Crimmins (born 1939), convicted murderer * Dorothy Dalton (1893–1972), actress * Gussie Davis (1863–1899), songwriter * Frederic De Belleville (1855–1923), actor * Drea de Matteo (born 1972), actress * Doris Doscher (1882–1970), actress and model * Simeon Draper (1804–1866), chairman of the New York Republican State Committee * Arms and the Girl (film), J. Malcolm Dunn (1869–1946), actor * Eddie Egan (1930–1995), NYPD detective * Dustin Farnum (1874–1929), singer, dancer, and actor * Fred Fear & Company, Fred Fear, founder of Fred Fear & Company * Tom Fexas (1941–2006), yacht designer * Harvey Samuel Firestone (1868–1938), businessman, founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company * The Fleshtones, garage rock band * Hazel Forbes (1910–1980), actress * John Frankenheimer (1930–2002), film director * First Piano Quartet, Adam Garner (1898–1969), pianist and composer * Paulette Goddard (1910–1990), actress * Stan Goldberg (1932–2014), comic book artist * Brian Gorman (born 1959), umpire (baseball), umpire in

O'Connell, Jack
"Umpire Gorman to make Shea history"

. Accessed July 9, 2016. "Home for the Gormans was the Whitestone section of Queens, just north of Shea, until the family moved to Closter, N.J., in the mid-1960s." * Tom Gorman (umpire), Tom Gorman (1919–1986), umpire (baseball), umpire in

* The Home Town Girl, Oscar Graeve, writer for the Saturday Evening Post * Mi destino#Personnel, Jimmy Greco, Grammy Award, Grammy nominated producer * Angela Greene (1921–1978), actress * Michael Greenfield (racing driver), Michael Greenfield (born 1963), racing driver * Dan Halloran (born 1971), former member of the New York City Council * Arthur Hammerstein (1872–1955), Broadway producer, uncle of Oscar Hammerstein II * Chas. H. Hansen Music Corp., Charles Henry Hansen (1913–1995), music publisherDwellings Dominate Long Island Trading, New York Times, May 8, 1951 * Frank Harding, music publisher * Lumsden Hare (1874–1964), actor * Heart Attack (band), Heart Attack, hardcore punk band * Holmes Herbert (1882–1956), actor * Alexander Herrmann (1844–1896), magician * Chris Higgins (ice hockey), Christopher Higgins (born 1983), New York Rangers forward * Frank T. Hines (1879–1960), chief of the U.S. Veterans Bureau * Willie and Eugene Howard, comedy duo "Tom Patricola, of George White's "Scandals" at the Apollo, has bought a home at Beechhurst, L. I. Already residing there are Harry Rlchman, Willie and Eugene Howard Dnd Rose Perfect. Ann Pennington and Frances Williams have rented summer cottages there. * Harry Houdini (1874–1926), magician * Graham Ingels (1915–1991), illustrator * John William Isham (1866–1902), vaudevillian * Burl Ives (1909–1995), actor and singer * Chic Johnson (1891–1962), actor and comedian * Howard Johnson (baseball), Howard Johnson (born 1960), retired

third baseman * Selene Johnson (1976–1960), actress * Helen Kane (1904–1966), singer * Artie Kaplan (born 1935), musician, singer-songwriter and saxophonist * Katerina Katakalides (born 1998), model and 2016 Teen Miss New York * Buster Keaton (1895–1966), actor and director * Kick Kelly (1856–1926), catcher, manager and umpire for

* Alfred J. Kennedy (1877–1944), politician * Andy Kindler (born 1956), actor and comedian * Robert A. Kindler, business executive * John Reed King (1914–1979), radio and television host * My Christmas (Plácido Domingo album), Eugene Kohn, opera conductor * Winifred Kingston (1894–1967), actress * Charles Kramer (attorney), Charles Kramer (1916–1988), lawyer * Fiorello H. La Guardia (1882–1947), Mayor of New York City * List of The Amazing Race (American TV series) contestants, Joey "Fitness" Lasalla, contestant on The Amazing Race (American TV series), The Amazing Race * Brian Lehrer (born 1952), radio talk show * Warren Lehrer, author and artist * Mickey Leigh (born 1954), musician and author, brother of Joey Ramone * Murray Leinster (1896–1975), science fiction author *

(1713–1802), United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration Of Independence signer * Ronnie the Limo Driver from the Howard Stern radio show * Tommy Lucchese (1899–1967), mobster * Charles Hill Mailes (1870–1937), actor * Thalia Mara (1911–2003), ballet educator * Jesse Malin (born 1967), musician * D. Keith Mano (1942–2016), author, TV screenwriter and journalist * Patricia Marmont (1921–2020), actress * Percy Marmont (1883–1977), actor * Stella Mayhew (1874–1934), actress * John Maynard (New York), John Maynard (1786–1850), lawyer and politician * Bobby McDermott (1914–1963), basketball player and coach * Claire McDowell (1877–1966), actress * John McHugh Sr. (1924–2019), World War II veteran * Beryl Mercer (1882–1939), actress * Matthew J. Merritt (1895–1946), member of the U.S. House of Representatives * Malcolm Moran, sportswriter * Clara Morris (1848–1925), actress * Andy Narell (born 1954), jazz musician and composer * Jill Nicolini (born 1978), reporter and former model, actress, and reality TV show participant * Daniel A. Nigro, FDNY Fire Commissioner * John Nihill (1850–1908), U.S. Army soldier * Sonny Fox#Other media activities, Gloria Okon, TV personality * Bianca Pappas, first Miss Whitestone United States 2011, and later competed in Miss New York USA * Split This Rock, Ishle Yi Park, poet * Norman Parsons (1931–2013), former mayor of Sea Cliff, New York * Anne Paolucci (1926–2012), author and literary scholar * Tom Patricola (1891–1950), actor, comedian and dancer * Ann Pennington (actress), Ann Pennington (1893–1971), actress, dancer and singer * Ig Publishing, Lila Perl, author * Mary Pickford (1892–1979), actress * Lew Pollack (1895–1946), songwriter * Joshua Prager (doctor), Joshua Prager, physician * Dee Dee Ramone (1951–2002), Ramones bassist * Nicholas Rescher (born 1928), philosopher * Harry Richman (1895–1972), actor and singer * Artie Ripp (born 1940), music industry executive, entrepreneur and record producer * Richard Roth (journalist), Richard Roth (born 1955), journalist * Douglas Rushkoff (born 1961), media theorist, writer, columnist, lecturer, graphic novelist, and documentarian * George Santos (born 1988), politician and businessman * Gia Scala (1934–1972), actress * Joseph M. Schenck (1878–1961), film producer * John F. Scileppi (1902–1987), judge of the New York Court of Appeals * James Baillie (merchant)#Monumental portrait, Charles H. Sneff (1841–1911), sugar merchant * William Shea (1907–1991), lawyer, founder of the Continental League, namesake for Shea Stadium * Reginald Sheffield#Life, Flora Sheffield, actress * Claire Shulman (1926–2020), former Queens Borough President * Fred Spira (1924–2007), inventor * Vincent Starrett (1886–1974), author and newspaperman * Leonard P. Stavisky (1925–1999), New York State Senator * Toby Ann Stavisky (born 1939), New York State Senator * Pearl G. Curran#Musical compositions, William Stickles (1882–1971), composer * Norma Talmadge (1894–1957), actress * Howard Thurston (1869–1936), magician * Mike Tirico (born 1966), sportscaster * Carmine Tramunti (1910–1978), Underworld crime figure * Herb Turetzky (1945–2022), Basketball statistics, official scorer for the Brooklyn Nets for 54 years, including all of its incarnations, starting with the franchise's inaugural game in 1967. * Walter Underhill (1795–1866), member of the United States House of Representatives * Rudolph Valentino (1895–1926), actor * Christina Vidal (born 1981), singer and actress * Lisa Vidal (born 1965), actress * Tanya Vidal (born 1971), actress, writer, director and producer * Susie Steps Out#Cast, Percival Vivian (1890–1961), actor * Arthur W. Wallander (1892–1980), former New York City Police Commissioner * Benjamin Ward (1925–2002), former New York City Police Commissioner * Jacob B. Warlow (1818–1890), law enforcement officer, detective and police captain in the New York Police Department * John B. Watson (1878–1958), psychologist * Hy Weiss (1923–2007), record producer * Walt Whitman (1819–1892), poet * Sea Tiger (film), Charles Yerkow (1912–1994), author * John Lloyd Young (born 1975), singer, actor and composer * Peter Zaremba (musician), Peter Zaremba, musician and TV host * Jane Yolen bibliography#Children's books and picture books, Jane Breskin Zalben (born 1951), author and illustrator

In popular culture

TV shows filmed in, or set in, Whitestone include: * A scene in the season five episode "Where's Johnny?" of ''The Sopranos'' was filmed in a bar in Whitestone formerly known as "Fiddler's Green". * The character of Barbara Lorenz from ''The Cosby Mysteries'', played by Lynn Whitfield, is originally from Whitestone. Movies filmed in Whitestone include: * ''Cruise (film), Cruise'' (2018) * ''Show Me a Hero'' (2014) * ''A Walk Among the Tombstones (film), A Walk Among the Tombstones'' (2014) * ''Pride and Glory (film), Pride and Glory'' (2008) * ''Dear J'' (2008) * ''Dummy (2002 film), Dummy'' (2002) * ''Boiler Room (film), Boiler Room'' (2000); a scene was filmed in the same bar as "Where's Johnny?". * ''Celebrity (1998 film), Celebrity'' (1998) * ''Shaft in Africa'' (1973) * ''Taking Off (film), Taking Off'' (1971)

References

;General ;Specific *

External links

We Love Whitestone Civic Association

Malba community website

* [http://forgotten-ny.com/2008/02/whitestone-queens/ Forgotten New York - The Whitestone Neighborhood]
Mets Sandlot Baseball League - Youth Baseball as it oughta be....
{{Queens Whitestone, Queens, Former villages in New York City Neighborhoods in Queens, New York