St. Albans

Understanding St. Albans

The railroad station opened in 1898 as St. Albans developed from farms into a residential community. In the 20th century, musicians including Lena Horne, Count Basie and Fats Waller lived in the Addisleigh Park enclave. The lawn now called Musicians Oval recalls that local history.

Roy Wilkins Park occupies part of a former golf course and naval-hospital site. The recreation center and theater reused hospital-era buildings; the Black Spectrum Theater moved here in 1986.

Allen’s congregation began in rural Jamaica in 1834 and built an early church at what is now 160th Street and South Road. Its later move to Merrick Boulevard and Sayres Avenue in 1968 placed the congregation in this part of southeast Queens. That institutional journey adds a separate faith and community history to the nearby park landscape.

Places to explore

• Archie Spigner Park / Musicians Oval

  Merrick Boulevard

  Look for the lawn's paved constellations and the flagpole designed as a shadow timepiece. The park was renamed for Archie Spigner in 2022.

• Daniel M. O'Connell Playground

  St. Albans

  Look for the pair of lion sculptures at the entrance. The playground was one of the 1934 war-memorial playgrounds, and now offers play equipment and courts.

• Roy Wilkins Park and Black Spectrum Theater

  Nearby, in separately mapped Roy Wilkins Park

  Choose outdoor recreation or a specific theater program. Indoor recreation and performances have separate arrangements; check the responsible operator rather than assuming unrestricted entry.

• Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral

  110-31 Floyd H. Flake Boulevard, also known as Merrick Boulevard

  The congregation welcomes visitors to in-person Sunday worship. Check its current schedule and contact it about entry and access needs. This is a working church; a worship invitation does not offer unrestricted sightseeing through its buildings.

Planning a visit

Choose the park, playground or a scheduled indoor program, then check current transit to that destination.

Check the recreation center or theater operator for the selected indoor program and access needs. Outdoor park and playground entrances have separate arrangements.