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City Living: Jamaica Estates

By Patrick Verel, Special to amNewYork | patrick.verel@am-ny.com

At the last stop on the F train in Queens, you can head south into the sprawling, bustling urban enclave of Jamaica. Head north uphill though, and you'll find yourself in a suburban neighborhood where it seems there are more squirrels than people plying the sidewalks.

Jamaica Estates, which was designed in the 1920s to look and feel like a quintessential English Tudor village, could not be more different from the area to its south whose name it shares, or for that matter, the rest of Queens.

This is changing though. Unlike Forest Hills Gardens, the Tudor house neighborhood five miles west, Jamaica Estates is not a landmarked historic district. So it's not uncommon to drive through the winding roads on either side of the Grand Central Parkway and alongside St. John's University and see distinctly new houses that are symmetrical, built from light brick, and feature columns and a crystal chandelier hanging from a two-story center foyer.

Arthur Flug, chairman of the Jamaica Estates Association, said that just like nearby Fresh Meadows and Bayside, his neighborhood is changing as homebuyers demand bigger dwellings.

"Usually that means it's going down the tubes, people are leaving, people are getting out," he said. "When you talk about change here, the change is a visual change, in architecture."

The trend toward so-called McMansions is nothing new, but it's particularly jarring in Jamaica Estates because the style of the newer houses (one realtor charitably called it "Mediterranean") is radically different from the area's trademark Tudor architecture. In some cases, ancient maple, ash and oak trees are taken down to make room for the houses, upsetting longtime residents.

"They really resent it. They feel the area has lost its charm and its uniqueness," said Julia Shildkret, owner of Julia Shildkret Realty Group. "These structures are taller, imposing, dwarfing the houses around them, taking away the light."

Flug agreed that the issue is divisive.

"A lot of people look at these and say they're beautiful. An equal number of people say, 'This isn't the community that we moved into,' and they don't like the change," he said.

Nevertheless, Jamaica Estates is still highly desirable. Its public schools always rank high, its library is well attended, and the Union Turnpike commercial district has all the basics. Add to the mix neighbors like the Hillcrest Jewish Center, Mary Lewis Academy, the Bishop Malloy retreat house and St. John's University, and you have a place that's got a lot going for it.

"It's an exciting neighborhood," Flug said. "We've worked very hard to make it that way."

Find It Jamaica Estates is bounded by Union Turnpike to the north, 188th Street to the east, Hillside Avenue to the south, and Utopia Parkway and Homelawn Street to the west.

The Basics Transportation: Subway: F to 179th Street; Bus: Q1, Q2, Q3, Q17, Q30, Q31, Q46, Q75

Crime: The 107th precinct, which also includes Fresh Meadows, Kew Gardens Hills and Flushing South, has had no murders, one rape and 137 robberies this year, compared to one murder, nine rapes and 160 robberies at this time last year. There were a total of three murders, 19 rapes and 327 robberies last year.

Schools: P.S. 131, 170-45 84th Ave.; P.S. 178, 189-10 Radnor Rd.; I.S. 238, 88-15 182nd St.; J.H.S./H.S. 680, 150-91 87th Rd.; H.S. 505, 160-05 Highland Ave.; H.S. 470, 167-01 Gothic Dr.; H.S. 620, 165-65 84th Ave.

Post Offices: Jamaica, 88-40 164th St.; Utopia, 182-04 Union Tpke.

Banks: Astoria Federal, 179-25 Hillside Ave.; Bank of America, 175-57 Hillside Ave.; Citibank, 176-50 Union Tpke.; Chase, 176-70 Union Tpke., 186-03 Union Tpke., 184-01 Hillside Ave.; Dime Savings Bank, 176-47 Union Tpke.; Washington Mutual, 187-15 Union Tpke.

Real Estate Thinking of buying a house in Jamaica Estates? Start saving those pennies now. Although the market has slightly slowed in the last year, the average price of a home in the last three months, according to Ellen Katz of Surrey Reality, was $815,000. Starter homes are typically three-bedroom, two-bathroom, Tudor-style houses that start at $700,000.

Aside from the winding, tree-lined streets, manicured lawns and a private security force that patrols the neighborhood, the other appeal of Jamaica Estates is its preponderance of large lots, on which owners often expand existing structures or demolish old ones to build new, larger homes.

Julia Shildkret, owner of Julia Shildkret Property Group, noted that recent sales in the area have included a brand-new, 5,000-square-foot house that sold for $2.3 million, as well as a historic Tudor home with turrets on a double lot that went for $2.225 million. Bigger lots fetch bigger dollars. As a general rule, more affordable houses can be found near Cunningham Park. Newly constructed luxury condos just north of Hillside Avenue are being advertised for $465,000 to $599,000.