QUEENS
Flushing
This English Tudor Revival residence in Flushing, Queens,
was designed in 1924 by John Oakman, for the Fitzgerald
family, on the original putting green of the Old Flushing
Country Club. Oakman, a prolific architect originally
from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, was already well-known
for designing the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse
in Jersey City, and the marquee-clad Christopher Street
and 33rd Street subway stations. He also designed the
New York City townhouse and country estate in Massachusetts
for the Wesson family (of Smith and Wesson handgun fame),
in addition to buildings for his alma mater, Williams
College.
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| Fitzgerald-Ginsberg-Carelitz Mansion,
145-15 Bayside Avenue, Flushing, constructed in
1924. PAUL GRAZIANO |
The residence was featured in the October, 1924 issue
of Architecture magazine. In 1926, Morris Ginsberg,
a local lumber baron, and his newlywed wife, Ethel,
moved into the house, and planted the almost one-acre
property with rare ornamental trees and shrubbery. Remarrying
after her first husband’s death, Ethel remained
in the house until her death in 2003 at the age of 101.
To the concern of immediate neighbors, the property
was sold to a real estate developer in October 2003,
and stood vacant for six months. After receiving numerous
letters and calls from area residents, the New York
City Landmarks Preservation Commission calendared the
building in late Summer 2004.
Source: Paul Graziano
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