Jane’s Walk 2025: Sat. May 3 | 3pm | “The Hill” – As Far Out As You Can Get and Still Be in NYC

Join us for a walking tour celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the designation of the Douglaston Hill neighborhood–“The Hill”–as a New York City Historic District.

This distinctive neighborhood of single family houses, many with wrap around porches, dates from the late 19^thcentury.  Located in the extreme Northeast corner of Queens, the Hill neighborhood is as far out as one can go and still be within the boundaries of New York City. The elegant houses of this quiet neighborhood are surrounded by gardens and green space. The neighborhood is anchored by the elegant white spired Zion Episcopal Church (1925) and its historic 200 year old, seven acre graveyard.

Preservation architects Victor Dadras and Kevin Wolfe will lead the tour through streets designed for horses and carriages, and cover architectural highlights of the 31 houses that comprise the District.

Queen Anne style houses from the late 1890s predominate, with some eclectic architectural styles that were built through the 1920s. Front porches dominate here, where residents still meet and greet their neighbors to entertain or just to wave and say hello.

The District was largely developed as a turn of the century garden suburb located just a few minutes’ walk from the Douglaston station of the Long Island Rail Road. The completion of the tunnels under the East River to Penn Station in 1910 allowed commuters to reach midtown from this most remote corner of the City in just a half hour, and new 21^st tunnels recently completed, now allow trains to also reach Grand Central Terminal in the same amount of time.

Some older buildings survive that date back to the area’s mid 19^th century rural farming past. Spacious lots, many as large as half an acre, create a dreamy landscape of gracious gardens with century old trees.

Our walk through The Hill neighborhood will begin and end at Zion Church, which has been a presence since 1830, when the first church building was dedicated. At the end of the walk, The Reverend Lindsay Lunumm, the Rector of Zion Church, will open the doors to the Church sanctuary and talk about the new memorial sculpture and plaque that was unveiled last fall as a memorial to those men, women and children who were once enslaved by some of the original 12 founding families of the Church.

The approximately two hour program will conclude with a reception at the Zion Church Parish Hall with light refreshments. The neighborhood is hilly (The Hill!) and the walking tour will require good walking shoes–and stamina–rain or shine.

Saturday, May 3, 2025
3:00 PM (2 hours)

Details and Event Registration:

https://www.mas.org/events/the-hill-as-far-out-as-you-can-get-and-still-be-in-nyc/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJ6D0dleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFnM0hrSldxb0pBTFJDNnJhAR4QZNV1ZXHRZ8_P1eHV0gyhZWSE25V5cawA9m8lFABppx0yHuxSiwGE9YdbWw_aem_mGfGks7WyC8LtRaJ5fbXjw