Richmond Hill Past
Lives On In Photos
by linda j. Wilson

All photos from Images of America Richmond Hill The Olney House was built c. 1893 and shows how far apart houses were at that time.

A glimpse back into the past is always fascinating, and Images of America: Richmond Hill, by Carl Ballenas and Nancy Cataldi with the Richmond Hill Historical Society (Arcadia Publishing, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 128 pages, $19.99) provides one through more than 200 vintage black and white photographs and drawings.

Richmond Hill, published last month, was compiled by Ballenas and Cataldi with the help of the Richmond Hill Historical Society. It is the latest in Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series, which documents the histories of individual towns or regions from the earliest days of photography to the end of the 20th century.

The community known as Richmond Hill had its beginnings in 1868, when Albon Platt Man, a New York lawyer, and his associate, Edward Richmond, heard that a new railroad line to run from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to the village of Jamaica. By 1870, the two had sectioned off 250 acres of farmland into lots suitable for private residences. A passenger depot had been built for the new Richmond Hill stop as had well-constructed, cottage-style residences. By 1895, the hamlets of Richmond Hill, Morris Park and Clarenceville had been consolidated into the Village of Richmond Hill, with Alrick H. Man, son of Albon Man, as the village's first president. In 1898 Richmond Hill became part of New York City.

Cataldi and Ballenas follow their introduction with eight chapters delineating aspects of life in Richmond Hill from the 1870s to the 1920s, although a few of the photographs included depict scenes from the 1940s and '50s. "Early Village Life" depicts just that, with scenes of the original Triangle Hofbrau, later the four Brothers, schools, churches and the Richmond Hill depot. Family portraits from the period offer glimpses of the fashions of the day.

The Richmond Hill Hotel c. 1895. shown in front of the hotel is Ernest Weiden with children Carl, Louise and Robert, all born at the hotel. Maria Armbruster and daughters, c. 1866, who along with second husband, Charles Armbruster opened the hotel in 1871.

Chapter Two, "Business and Society," includes photographs of a number of business establishments, including the village Masonic Temple, Jamaica Hospital and the former Vetter mansion, now Simonson's Funeral Home. The four-photo spread on the Triangle Hotel and Hofbrau notes that New York Yankee baseball player Babe Ruth was a frequent visitor, as was actress Mae West—reportedly "routinely booted from the restaurant for smoking and creating a ruckus." The popular standard "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" was composed by Ernest Ball in one of the hotel's guest rooms. "An Old-Time Picture Gallery" is just that—scenes of village life, wedding pictures, group shots of baseball teams and Doughboys heading off to the great War, as it was then known. "On the Street Where We Live" shows the houses that once lined the streets laid out by Albon Man and notes that apartment buildings have long since replaced the single-family structures. Several interior shots give a glimpse into what life inside these homes was like.

"Simple Pleasures" depicts the amusements and diversions that entertained Richmond Hill residents during their leisure hours. While the Library Square, Keith's Albee and RKO Keith's motion picture theaters are long gone, as is the Garden Theatre, originally a vaudeville house, are long gone. The Richmond Hill library, a gift of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and Jahn's Ice Cream Parlor are still in existence and extensively patronized. "A Common Faith and Temples of Education" holds photographs of the churches and schools, both public and parochial, where the people of Richmond Hill worshipped and educated their children.

Perhaps the most famous resident of Richmond Hill was Jacob Riis, Danish-born reporter and photojournalist. Riis moved his wife and family to Richmond Hill in the 1890s, according to "The Celebrated of Richmond Hill." In 1900, Riis' daughter, Clara, married in the Church of the Resurrection. Then Governor Theodore Roosevelt attended. Roosevelt later became President of the United States, but maintained his ties with Riis and Richmond Hill. The speech he made during a brief stop at the Richmond Hill depot on Sept. 8, 1903 is reproduced in the same chapter.

The last photograph in "The Celebrated of Richmond Hill" is of a Queensmark Award. In 1996, 10 Richmond Hill homes, the Church of the Resurrection and the Carnegie Library were the first recipients of the awards, conferred by the Queens Historical Society in an effort to recognize and hopefully preserve significant structures throughout Queens. The eighth and final chapter, "Our Renaissance," holds photos of homes, some of which are Queensmarked, the RKO Keith's facade and the Richmond Hill Historical Society. The chapter heading, quoting Ivan Mrakvovic, architect and vice president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society, declares, "Richmond Hill has reawakened as the garden city it once was. Interest in these old grand Victorian homes is vivid and growing strong..."

Richmond Hill helps preserve and foster that interest. This book is for anyone with an interest in Queens history or who wants to experience, however briefly, a few of the elements of life in a long-gone era.

The Church of the Resurrection built in 1874. The Riis Memorial Window located in the north aisle donated by photojournalist Jacob Riis.