Queensboro Corporation
| Industry | Housing |
|---|---|
| Founded | Queens, New York, United States (August 12, 1909) |
| Founder | Edward A. MacDougall |
| Headquarters | Queens, New York, United States |
The Queensboro Corporation was a real estate company founded by Edward A. MacDougall that played a major role in developing the Jackson Heights area of Queens, New York City.
The Queensboro Corporation was formed by a group of investors from New York headed by Edward A. MacDougall. The corporation was founded on August 12, 1909, with the purpose of developing the area that was then called Trains Meadow. The first land purchase of 128 acres (52 ha) was completed in 1910, and the corporation had bought about 350 acres (140 ha) by 1914. MacDougall renamed the area Jackson Heights, after Jackson Avenue (now Northern Boulevard), the main east-west road at the time. There were no prominent "heights" in the area, but the word was presumably chosen to denote social exclusivity. At first the area could most easily be reached via a ferry from Manhattan. The Queensboro Bridge opened in 1909, making the area more accessible.
The corporation started to energetically exploit the potential of the property. MacDougall's corporation went well beyond simply erecting buildings. It planned the community, divided the land into blocks and building lots, and installed streets, sidewalks, power, water and sewage. By 1912, 8 miles (13 km) of paved roads had been built with sidewalks, curbs and gutters, and there were 5 miles (8.0 km) of sewers. The elevated IRT Flushing Line reached Jackson Heights in 1917, reducing the travel time to Manhatta twenty minutes. There were four stations in Jackson Heights at 74th Street, 82nd Street, Elmhurst Avenue, and Junction Boulevard. In 1922, prompted by the Queensboro Corporation, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company launched a direct service of double-decker coaches to Jackson Heights.
...
Wikipedia