1927 Maps of Forest Hills Gardens

The following text has been extracted from the printed pages 35, 36, and 37 of “The Maps of Forest Hills Gardens”:

Printed Page 35

FOREST HILLS GARDENS, 1927 N.M.F.

This decorative map was executed after the style of the flapper-age artist John Held by the unknown artist “N.M.F.” in 1927. It is the third of four maps that were reprinted for distribution with this issue of Forest Hills Gardens. We note that the triangular tip of land just west of the West Side Tennis Club, which was originally part of Forest Hills Gardens, would disappear from the property within the following decade, possibly to finance future development of other parts of the Gardens. Although several Kessel Street properties in the vicinity of 75th Avenue bear deeds which indicate that the properties are within the Gardens, this 1927 map of Forest Hills Gardens does not include the area.

Illustrations:

Actors on a stage, with director. Gardens Players, see “Ye Olde Forest Hills” map listing. The director in this silhouette sports the distinctive nose profile of Walter Hartwig.

Arbor Close, private development designed by Robert Tappan and built by Cord Meyer.

Architect with ornamental letter G. Grosvenor Atterbury, supervising architect of Forest Hills Gardens.

Artist at easel, with big brush. See “Roundtree” in “Ye Olde Forest Hills” map listing.

Card players. Cards (poker hand).

Cats fighting, girl standing on head, roller skater.

Carolers; Santa. The Forest Hills Gardens Celebrations Association was a community group that organized the yearly Christmas event—Santa on his motorized sleigh continues the practice of visiting Gardens children on Christmas eve to this day—and the 4th of July celebrations.

Closians’ Club (jitterbuggers). This establishment catered to the residents of Arbor Close and Forest Close, the private developments north of Austin Street which Robert Tappan designed and Cord Meyer built. The Club consisted of a clubhouse, two tennis courts, and a small golf course on the strip of land opposite the Closes, between Austin Street and the railroad tracks.

Commuters running for train (milkman and top-hatted gentleman). This obviously refers to Station Square where the commuters stepped off the Long Island Railroad directly into the heart of Forest Hills Gardens. It was long-rumored that the apartment houses which lined Burns Street housed the mistresses of railroad-commuting gentlemen who stopped off in Forest Hills and then continued to their final destinations on Long Island.

Printed Page 36

Cowboy with lasso. Will Rogers, the famous performing comic cowboy, lived in Kew Gardens and sent his children to the Kew Forest School, the co-educational school which had classes from kindergarten through college preparatory and was located on Union Turnpike at the easterly border of the Gardens.

Davis Cup (tennis insignia around name of map “Forest Hills”). The international team competition was held at the West Side Tennis Club between 1914 and 1959. The Davis Cup competition was one of the main public match draws which, over a period of ten years from 1923, helped to finance the building of the concrete 14,000 seat horseshoe-shaped stadium at the West Side Tennis Club.

Diner (pitchfork and wieners at formal table)..

Flapper (with silhouette of Inn)..

Fireworks. July 4th was celebrated in Forest Hills Gardens with gatherings, competitions, speeches, and performances, all created and performed by residents.

Forest Close, private development designed by Robert Tappan and built by Cord Meyer.

Forest Hills Gardens (weeping man and woman tennis players). Since 1913, Forest Hills Gardens has been the home of the West Side Tennis Club. American players Helen Wills and William Tilden dominated play in 1924 and 1925. In 1926 Tilden was defeated by Rene Lacoste in Davis Cup play and by Henri Cochet at Forest Hills. In 1927 Tilden again lost to Rene Lacoste, hence his sorrow.

Honeymoon couple. Honeymoon in Niagara Falls. Washington, D.C..

Ice block on man’s head..

Jockey on race horse. Possibly refers to Hirsch Jacobs, 176 Slocum Crescent. Although Jacobs did not come to national prominence as a breeder and trainer of race-horses until the 1940s, this drawing may refer to his early days of involvement with racing.

Man axing radio. John Vincent Lawless Hogan of 239 Greenway South was a pioneer in radio technology and was the inventor of the single dial for AM/FM reception. He owned several radio stations, including WQXR, in 1936. A lecturer and consulting engineer, Hogan founded the Institute of Radio Engineers.

Mosquitos (from Flushing)..

N.M.F. 1927. Who was the artist who created this map?.

Ocean Club at Forest Hills (to Long Beach)..

Orator with declamation. Albert Sidney Howson, of 34 Tennis Place, was a Broadway thespian and later played Shakespearean repertory. Warner Brothers employed him as censorship director and scenario editor. He was deeply involved in the Forest Hills Gardens community, serving as president of the Community House in the early 1930s and managing director of the Gardens Players.

Orchestra conductor with note. James Hal Kemp of 53 Continental Avenue was a radio orchestra conductor who worked internationally, and at the New Yorker and Pennsylvania hotels in Manhattan.

Park bench, couple under the moon..

Parrot/monkey..

Pianist. Edward Abbe Niles, of 14 Beechknoll Road, was a prominent attorney and an expert on music copyrights. He was an enthusiastic and accomplished pianist and co-authored, with W.C. Handy, the book, Treasury of the Blues.

Printed Page 37

Real estate companies (sunny weather over Forest Hills Gardens, rain elsewhere). The 1920s saw enormous real estate development in Forest Hills. Neighborhoods were established and fortunes made.

Sculptor with hammer and chisel. Adolph Alexander Weinman, of 234 (studio) and 236 (residence) Greenway South, was a sculptor most famous for his design of the Mercury dime (issued 1916-1945) and the Liberty half-dollar (1916-1945). He designed the facades of the New York City Municipal Building (1912) and the Washington, D.C. Post Office (1933). His best known local work is the granite and bronze War Monument on Flagpole Green.

Singers (marionettes)..

Shopping expedition (man carrying towering load of purchases). Eugene Denton.

Starrett’s..

Tennis player in stadium. Center Court at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills Gardens hosted the Davis Cup matches and the American National Championships and featured tennis greats like “Big” Bill Tilden. Tilden won seven United States singles championships and three Wimbledon championships.
Water tower. Homer Croy, author of West of the Watertower.
Writer with quill. Robert Burns Mantle or Ralph Renaud..