Text size:

New York City real estate: St. Albans, Queens

By Joe Filippazzo | Special to amNewYork

February 21, 2008

Priscilla Gooden, 18 of St. Albans, Queens enjoys the selection of candy and ice-cream at Lilly's Ice Cream shop at 205-11 Linden Blvd. in St. Albans, Queens. (RJ Mickelson / February 20, 2008)

St. Albans is a quiet middle-class neighborhood in eastern Queens, but just beneath lies a level of culture, politics and heritage that not all New York neighborhoods can boast.

Once home to some of the greats of jazz and sports Count Basie, Jackie Robinson, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane and Ella Fitzgerald to name a few St. Albans is now home to modest working-class families, mostly African Americans and Caribbean Americans. But some residents believe the neighborhood is coming back.

"St. Albans is an old jazz area. And it's trying to wake itself up again," said resident Royden Paul, who runs a Guyanese/American restaurant. Paul lauds the low crime rate, as well as the housing stock and transportation, but his only complaint after living here for a decade: "It's not really on the map. If I go to Brooklyn and say I'm from St. Albans, people say, 'Where upstate is that?'"

Democratic Councilman Leroy Comrie, who has lived here for 25 years, believes a bit of a commercial makeover will revitalize St. Albans. "We need to bring the commercial strips up to the next level of service," Comrie said, "because right now stores are too small for national retailers." To accomplish this, Comrie initiated a major rezoning in November.

As important as commercial vitality is, community is the operative word in St. Albans, with its many families, myriad youth support services, and heavy union participation, among the highest in the city. The Jamaica chapter of the NAACP established a highly regarded day-care center here to guide the area's youth. Director Michele Rios-Jenkins said that quality early education services with music, dance and singing programs are their pledge to local parents and their contribution to a vibrant community.

Comrie believes the neighborhood can and will be something more, harkening back to St. Albans' heyday. "People definitely have a sense of pride," he said, "and though the neighborhood is changing, there is still the stability of a strong community."

Find it:

St. Albans is bounded by Hollis Avenue to the north, Springfield Boulevard to the east, Merrick Boulevard to the south and Farmers Boulevard to the west.

The basics:

Police Station: 113th Precinct, 167-02 Baisley Blvd., 718-712-7733; 105th Precinct, 92-08 222nd St., 718-776-9090

Transportation: LIRR to Saint Albans or Hollis stations; Q77, Q83 and Q4 buses; there are $2 private shuttle vans running from Jamaica's subway.

Crime: In 2007, there were 13 murders, 32 rapes, 413 burglaries, 327 felony assaults and 701 grand larcenies in the 113th Precinct. Neighborhoods included are St. Albans, Hollis, Springfield Gardens, South Ozone Park, South Jamaica, Addisleigh Park and Locust Manor.

Schools: IS 192 Renaissance, 109-89 204th St., 718-479-5540; Pathways College Prep School, 109-89 204th St., 718-454-4957; PS 118 Lorraine Hansberry, 190-20 109th Rd., 718-465-5538; PS 134 Langston Hughes, 203-06 109th Ave., 718-464-5544; PS 136 Roy Wilkens, 201-15 115th Ave, 718-465-2286; PS 233Q, 109-36 204th St., 718-465-1000; PS 36 St. Albans, 187-01 Foch Blvd., 718-528-1862; St. Albans Christian Academy, 205-12 Hollis Ave., 718-468-6060; St. Catherine of Siena School, 118-34 Riverton St., 718-528-1857

Libraries: Queens Library St. Albans Branch, 191-05 Linden Blvd., 718-528-8196; Queens Library South Hollis Branch, 204-01 Hollis Ave., 718-465-6779

Post offices: 195-04 Linden Blvd.; 197-40 Jamaica Ave.; 165-00 Baisley Blvd.; 209-20 Jamaica Ave.

Neighborhood Highlight: Beneath the LIRR on Linden Boulevard, a giant mural commemorates St. Albans' cultural contributions to New York City and indeed the entire country. "St. Albans Greatest," repainted in 2004, depicts just some of the likenesses of the many influential Americans that once called this neighborhood home.

To eat:

Great West Indian and Southern cuisine is not difficult to find. A few sit-down Caribbean restaurants are along Linden Boulevard in small storefronts. Adjacent neighborhoods also have some great eateries along Linden and Merrick boulevards, as well as on Hollis Avenue.

Jean's Restaurant
Of all the Jamaican eateries in St. Albans, Jean's is often referred to as the best. Jean's serves West Indian and America style breakfast, an assortment of rotis and curries, and an impressive list of Jamaican desserts. 188-36 Linden Blvd., at the corner of Farmers Boulevard, 718-525-3069.