English Garden Homes – Introduction

Between 1924 and 1928 the Queensboro Corporationbuilt rows of
what it called “English Garden Homes” along many of the side streets
in the eastern and western sections of Jackson Heights (east of 83rd
Street and west of 76th Street).

The houses were built of brick, in groups of two to six units, making them either fully attached or semi-attached.  Only three or four rows of houses were built as fully detached units.  And because they were built along the side streets, every house has both eastern and western exposures.

Most of the houses are one-family dwellings of three to five bedrooms.  A few rows of two-family houses were built with a top-floor apartment of four rooms, which could either be used by the owners or rented to tenants.  All houses have a living room, dining room and kitchen on the first floor (for some reason, bathrooms were never included on the first floor).  The second and third floors each have two or three bedrooms and one bath.  The houses have fireplaces, either slate or terracotta tile roofs, and are typically of neo-Georgian, neo-Tudor or Romanesque design.  The architects of these homes included C.F. & D.E. McAvoy, Robert Tappan, Varrone & Glucroft, and Pierce Kieswetter.

While some houses have private driveways, most have party drives in the rear.  Garages are either detached, housing one or two cars, or built into the basement, located below the first floor’s dining room.  Some have backyards or small sitting areas directly adjacent to the house, while others have a backyard that lies across from the party drive.

Click here to view the buildings of residential historic Jackson Heights real estate and here to meet some of the best Jackson Heights realtors, and click here for links to a number of relevant sites containing more information about the Jackson Heights neighborhood and Jackson Heights restaurants.