Queens · Neighborhood guide
Bayside
Bayside's houses show several stages in the change from farms to a rail-connected suburb. Compare a 19th-century villa, an unusual cobblestone house and a garden-apartment complex. These are exterior stops on public streets.
Understanding Bayside
Rail service reached Bayside in 1866, and later the 1910 tunnel to Manhattan strengthened its commuter role. Earlier houses and later garden apartments survive from different phases of that growth.
Places to explore
John William and Lydia Ann Bell Ahles House
39-24 to 39-26 213th StreetLook for the mansard roof that preserves the house's Second Empire form. The house was moved and altered in 1924 as 213th Street was extended. Do not enter residential grounds.
35-34 Bell Boulevard
Bell BoulevardCompare the rough cobblestone walls, arched bays and tile roof with the Ahles House. A surviving gateway pillar recalls the Bellcourt subdivision.
Hawthorne Court Apartments
43rd Avenue and 216th StreetLook at the varied roof lines and Tudor-influenced materials from the sidewalk. The 1930-31 complex arranged apartments around a courtyard; its design does not grant visitors access to that residential space.
Planning a visit
Choose the house exterior or apartment streetscape you want to see, then check current MTA service to that street.
Keep homes, stoops and courtyards private. View the architecture from public sidewalks and check the street approach for your access needs.
Sources and visitor information
- Hawthorne Court Apartments designation reportNYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
- Bell Ahles House designation reportNYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
- 35-34 Bell Boulevard designation reportNYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
- 2020 Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (NTAs), NYC Open Data 26BNYC Department of City Planning / NYC Open Data