Utopia Parkway (Queens)

For the album, see Utopia Parkway.

Utopia Parkway is a major street in the New York City borough of Queens. Starting in the neighborhood of Beechhurst and ending in the Jamaica Estates neighborhood, the street connects Cross Island Parkway and Northern Boulevard in the north to Union Turnpike, Grand Central Parkway and Hillside Avenue in the south.

Utopia Parkway

Utopia Pkwy
The parkway crossing 19th Avenue in Whitestone
Owner	City of New York
Maintained by	NYCDOT
Length	5.1 mi (8.2 km)[1]
Location	Queens, New York City
Nearest metro station	169 Street-Hillside Avenue
Coordinates	40.729472°N 73.793333°W / 40.729472; -73.793333
South end	Grand Central Parkway in Hillcrest
Major junctions	I-495 in Utopia NY 25A in Murray Hill Cross Island Parkway in Clearview
North end	Dead end in Beechhurst

History and naming

Simon Freeman, Samuel Resler, and Joseph Fried incorporated the Utopia Land Company in 1903.^[2] The following year, the Utopia Land Company bought 161.25 acres (65 ha) of land between the communities of Jamaica and Flushing.^[3][4] The Utopia Land Company intended to build a cooperative community for Jewish families interested in moving away from the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They intended to name the streets after those on the Lower East Side, where there was already a large Jewish population.^[4] After its initial acquisition, the company was unable to secure enough funding to further develop the area.^[5] In 1909, 118 acres (48 ha) of the land was sold to Felix Isman of Philadelphia for $350,000.^[6] Utopia Parkway was named after Freeman, Resler, and Fried's unrealized plan.^[5]

Utopia Parkway also shares its name with Utopia Playground, a park built atop a filled-in pond bound by Utopia Parkway, Jewel Avenue, and 73rd Avenue.^[7] Utopia Playground was opened by the New York City Department of Parks in 1942.^[8] It was the site of the Black Stump School and later the Black Stump Hook, Ladder and Bucket Company.^[8]

Transportation

Utopia Parkway is served by the following:

• A branch of the Q16 runs between Cross Island Parkway and 26th Avenue. The QM20 also serves this branch, but heads east on 26th Avenue and west on Willets Point Boulevard.
• The Q30 and Q31 run on Utopia south of Horace Harding Expressway and Hollis Court Boulevard, respectively.
• The Bay Terrace-bound QM2 and QM32 run from 14th Road to Cross Island Parkway.

In Popular Culture

The American Rock band Fountains of Wayne named their second studio album, Utopia Parkway, after the street.

References

1. "Utopia Parkway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
2. "New York Incorporations". The New York Times. May 13, 1903. p. 14. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
3. "In the Real Estate Field; Harlem Plots Bought for Improvement -- Ex-Gov. Morton's Purchase -- New Building at Broadway and Fifty-Fifth Street -- Dealings by Brokers and at Auction". The New York Times. March 26, 1904. p. 15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
4. "A Hebrew Utopia". The New York Times. June 7, 1905. p. 16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
5. Schneider, Daniel B. (January 26, 1997). "F.Y.I.: A Utopia in Queens". The New York Times. p. CY2. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
6. "Isman's $350,000 Purchase; Philadelphia Operator Buys Tract of 118 Acres Near Jamaica". The New York Times. June 13, 1909. p. 14. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
7. "Utopia Playground Highlights". NYC Parks. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
8. Shaman, Diana (December 21, 2003). "If You're Thinking of Living In/Utopia, Queens; A Neighborhood Aspires to Its Name". The New York Times. p. 11.7. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 23, 2019.