J. J. Newberry was a prominent “Five and Dime” type store that went out of business in the early 1990s. This location most likely used for storage and distribution to the New York area. The corner of the building has a textured concrete block design, the rest is unrelieved brick.
This branch was designed by the bank’s in-house design team, although it is unclear if the architect was William Shenton, an in-house designer who was credited with the design of First National City’s Maspeth Branch the following year. The building is clad in brick and the front elevation is slightly recessed and clad in ceramic tiles. The exposed side panels of the entrance area have square cut-outs that give at least the primary facade some dynamic qualities.
Van Wyck Lanes lasted from 1961-2008. The building is three stories and originally had pastel colors on the exterior and interior and a engaging diamond-shaped canopy over the entrance. In addition to bowling there was also a restaurant and bar and grill. The building has been substantially altered and is unrecognizable except for its general shape and location. It is now a pharmacy.
George Sole, this building’s architect, is known mostly for designing buildings for the Catholic dioceses including prominent commissions at JFK Airport and near the United Nations. Here however, he designed an international-style public school on a steeply sloping site. The entrance, at the intersection of 60th Avenue and Marathon Parkway is one-story, clad in fieldstone and topped with a curved roof overhang. The school then spreads out behind the entrance, dropping to five stories above ground at the rear of the site. Other materials used include blue and red brickface, tan enamel panels, and aluminum detailing at the entrances and window surrounds.
The Balfour is essentially two separate brick apartment complexes tied together with a one story entrance wing in the middle. Built to serve a more luxury clientele, the complex is well-maintained and incorporates amply open space covering 60% of the site. The brick-clad, six-story apartment buildings have minimal exterior detailing but originally boasted a host of modern conveniences inside. The Cord Meyer Development Company developed this and several other Queens Chamber Award winners during this era.