Park Briar is a luxury residential cooperative building in Forest Hills, NY. It is centrally located in Queens with convenient access to shops, restaurants, movie theaters, parks, public transportation and major highways. It is known for its large apartments, convenient location, amenities, impeccable maintenance and excellent staff. The resident shareholders enjoy all the comforts of home in what is considered one of the best residential buildings in Forest Hills in one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in New York City.
Amenities
24×7 Doorman
24×7 Indoor Garage
Laundry Room
Fitness Center
High Speed Internet & Cable (Spectrum, FIOS, RCN)
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Storage Facilities
Backyard Garden
Video Camera Security
Handyman on staff
History
Three clay pots, empty lots, then the Park Briar
By Sharon Weinman, Shareholder
The Park Briar was completed in 1952 by architect Lawrence M. Rothman and owners The Fisher Brothers. It was built by the Saxony construction company. That year, it received a Bronze Plaque in the Apartment Houses class at the Queens Chamber of Commerce’s annual building awards competition. Later on, the Park Briar would be managed by the Trump family and Trump Management Inc. Park Briar became a co-op in the early 1980’s.
Prior to the 1950’s, the area where the Park Briar is located, was made up of mostly empty lots, billboard signs and service stations along Queens Boulevard. The 75th Avenue subway station opened in 1936. At that time, Forest Hills streets had names. 75th Avenue was known as Puritan Avenue, 112th Street was Seminole Avenue, 72nd Road was Dekoven Street and 72nd Avenue was Euclid Street. 71st Avenue still maintains its name, Continental Avenue. Queens Boulevard was originally called Hoffman Boulevard, and named after John T. Hoffman, Mayor of New York (1866-1868) and Governor (1869-1872).
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As you ride along Queens Boulevard you can see the famous moniker “CM” which stands for Cord Meyer. He was the developer of the area, and his corporation purchased the land in 1906 and called it Forest Hills, after nearby Forest Park.The 600 acres of farmland was purchased from various farmers who owned the land. One of those farmers was Ascan Backus, whom Ascan Avenue is named after. Austin Street was named for real-estate developer and 19th century Long Island Railroad president; Austin Corbin. Austin Corbin was also the owner of the Manhattan Beach Hotel and refused to let Jewish people in. It is ironic that Forest Hills, with such an active Jewish community, would have a main street named after an anti-semite.
Before it was called Forest Hills, the area was settled in the mid 1600’s and known as Whitepot. Legend has it, that English settlers bought the land from Native Americans for three white clay pots, thus the name Whitepot. Why the Indians, who usually made their own beautiful pottery, needed to buy it from the English, remains a mystery. This transaction occured about 30 years after the Dutch purchased Manhattan for $24. The English made a much better real-estate deal. The most lucrative real-estate deal was made by Olivia Slocum Sage in 1908, when she purchased some land on the South side of Hoffman Boulevard and made it into Forest Hills Gardens.
Some famous people who lived in Forest Hills include; Geraldine Ferraro, David Caruso, Hank Azaria, Dale Carnegie, Donna Karan, Carroll O Connor, Ray Romano, Captain Kangaroo and the great Helen Keller, who would often be spotted by neighbors trying to cross Queens Boulevard with her teacher Annie Sullivan and their Great Danes. The fact that they made it across Queens Boulevard (aka at the Boulevard of Death) Is probably how they got their names “The Miracle Workers”. Also from Forest Hills is the fictional character Peter Parker, better known as Spiderman. He fought cat burglars on Queens Boulevard and climbed The Queensboro bridge, all while residing at 20 Ingram street in Forest Hills Gardens. He undoubtedly passed over the Park Briar many times.
Year Built
PHOTO GALLERY
