Jan, 1, 1916 – Apr. 22, 1916 (Volume 1: Issue No. 8 – No. 16)
Community Milestones & Progress
As 1915 concludes, the Gardens Club reports a successful inaugural year with a healthy financial status and a growing membership dedicated to civic pride. The community has transitioned to the Citizens’ Water Supply Company of Newtown for direct service, and a new volunteer fire company of 70 members now stands ready to protect residents. Looking ahead, the Taxpayers Association has outlined an ambitious 1916 schedule featuring lectures on infectious disease prevention, fire safety, and suburban school development. Founded in 1909 by nineteen residents, the Forest Hills Taxpayers Association was established to secure adequate local schooling. Under Chairman F. L. Holmes, it successfully established a North Side school within four months. The organization later expanded its focus to resist unfavorable telephone rate changes and represent the growing “Gardens” community.
Group 33, located at the junction of Middlemay Place and Bow Street, exemplifies the architectural and practical benefits of the “Group Plan” in Forest Hills Gardens. This design approach is particularly effective for the community’s signature curvilinear streets and irregular plots, where traditional straight-line housing would appear discordant.
By utilizing party walls and intentional placement, the Group Plan economizes land area without sacrificing privacy or aesthetics. Furthermore, it provides homeowners with guaranteed environmental stability and protected views. Ultimately, these well-designed clusters anchor the neighborhood’s character, ensuring the development remains distinctive and sophisticated.
Infrastructure & Development
Significant investments continue to shape the Gardens. Mrs. Russell Sage has generously gifted a splendid pipe organ and chimes to the Church-in-the-Gardens, while Robert W. DeForest presented a historic Brittany-screen pulpit. New transportation extensions, including the Metropolitan Avenue trolley and the Hunterspoint Avenue subway station, promise improved connectivity to Manhattan and Brooklyn. Additionally, the Anti-Mosquito Committee successfully secured a $150,000 city appropriation to drain local salt marshes.
The above photograph shows the second of the Series of Pictures now being published in the Bulletin, the selection being that of the residence of Joseph Barrett, located on the corner of Puritan Avenue and Shorthill Road. The type selected was inspired from English sources, but has all the livable qualities of American taste.
Social & Seasonal Highlights
The winter season was marked by vibrant community spirit:
Safety: Residents are reminded to “swat every winter fly” to prevent summer infestations.
Music: A “score of male singers” performed traditional carols on Christmas Eve, accompanied by a mule-team.
Athletics: The Gardens Club bowling team triumphed in a deciding series against Englewood.
Nature: The Audubon Society urges residents to use window-shelf feeding stations to support bird life during the cold months.
