LeFrak City (originally spelled Lefrak and pronounced le-FRAK) is a 4,605-apartment development in the southernmost region of Corona and the easternmost part of Elmhurst, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located between Junction Boulevard to the west, 57th Avenue to the north, 99th Street to the east, and the Long Island Expressway to the south. [1]
The complex of twenty 17-story apartment towers covers 40 acres (16 ha) and houses over 14,000 people in 4,605 apartments. (Each building's topmost floor is signed as 18, and there are no thirteenth floors.) [1] [2] The buildings are all named after cities or countries around the world and are grouped in clusters of four based on their theme. This naming system came about during the 1964 New York World's Fair, which was located in nearby Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. [1] The development is part of Queens Community Board 4. [3]
The site includes sitting and play areas (including two artificial turf fields), sports courts, a swimming pool, a branch of the Queens Borough Public Library, a post office, two large office buildings, shops, and over 3,500 parking spaces. A $70 million renovation project, which ended in 2017, entailed installing solar panels atop the complex's roofs; updating the facades, boiler rooms, building interiors, swimming pool, and roofs; constructing new play areas; adding wheelchair access; and landscaping the grounds. [2] LeFrak City also contains New York City's first robotic security guard. [1] The Queens Center Mall and Rego Center are both two to three blocks away from the development, as is the Woodhaven Boulevard station on the New York City Subway's E , F , M , and R trains. [1]
Named for its developer, the LeFrak Organization (founded by Samuel J. LeFrak), LeFrak City was built in 1962–1971 primarily for working- and middle-class families who were interested in modern facilities but could not afford or did not desire to live in Manhattan. [1] The complex was built atop Horse Brook, a small stream that once wound through Elmhurst along the path of the LIE. The land on which LeFrak City is located was previously undeveloped marshland, and the megablocks of LeFrak City are a remnant of the lack of development on the site. [4] [5]
The fortunes of the buildings have been closely tied to housing and social trends in New York in general, and after a period of decline in the 1970s and rapid white flight, the complex became home to a very diverse population. The development remains popular with 98% occupancy due to its reasonable rents and large apartments. [1]
Notable current and former residents of LeFrak City include:
Corona is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. It borders Flushing and Flushing Meadows–Corona Park to the east, Jackson Heights to the west, Forest Hills and Rego Park to the south, Elmhurst to the southwest, and East Elmhurst to the north. Corona's main thoroughfares include Corona Avenue, Roosevelt Avenue, Northern Boulevard, Junction Boulevard, and 108th Street.
Archbishop Molloy High School is a co-educational, college preparatory, Catholic school for grades 9–12, located on 6 acres (24,000 m2) on 83-53 Manton Street, Briarwood, Queens, New York. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.
Queensbridge Houses, also known simply as Queensbridge or QB, is a public housing development in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, New York City. Owned by the New York City Housing Authority, the development contains 96 buildings and 3,142 units accommodating approximately 7,000 people in two separate complexes. The complex opened in 1939 and is the largest housing project in North America.
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Samuel J. LeFrak was an American real estate tycoon. He was a noted landlord who chaired a private building firm, the LeFrak Organization, which was ranked 45th on the Forbes list of top 500 private companies. The development firm is best known for major development projects in Battery Park City; LeFrak City in Queens; and Newport, Jersey City.
Springfield Gardens is a neighborhood in the southeastern area of the New York City borough of Queens, bounded to the north by St. Albans, to the east by Laurelton and Rosedale, to the south by John F. Kennedy International Airport, and to the west by Farmers Boulevard. The neighborhood is served by Queens Community Board 12. The area, particularly east of Springfield Boulevard, is sometimes also referred to as Brookville.
Kenneth Anderson is an American former professional basketball player. After a college career at Georgia Tech, he played point guard professionally from 1991 to 2006, mostly in the National Basketball Association.
Newport is a 600-acre (2.4 km2) master-planned, mixed-use community in Downtown Jersey City, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, consisting of retail, residential, office, and entertainment facilities. The neighborhood is situated on the Hudson Waterfront. Prior to development, the area was home to the Erie Railroad's Pavonia Terminal. The area is located opposite Lower Manhattan and the Tribeca neighborhood in New York City. Redevelopment of Newport began in 1986 as a $10 billion project led by real-estate tycoon Samuel J. LeFrak and his firm The LeFrak Organization.
The AND1 Live Tour, formerly known as the AND1 Mixtape Tour, was a traveling basketball competition and exhibition that existed from 1998 to 2008. It was presented by B-Ball and Company and the basketball apparel manufacturer AND1. A group of streetball players, along with Emcee Rell and B-Ball and Company CEO Linda Hill, travelled from town to town and challenge teams composed of local talent. Games tended to be characterized by isolation one-on-one ball handling moves and acrobatic slam dunks and alley-oops.
The Queens Community Board 4 is a local government in the New York City borough of Queens, encompassing the neighborhoods of Elmhurst, Corona, Corona Heights, Newtown, and also includes LeFrak City, Queens Center Mall and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. It is delimited by Roosevelt Avenue to the north, the New York Connecting Railroad to the west, the Horace Harding Expressway to the south and Flushing Meadows Corona Park on the east.
The James Monroe is a 312-foot-tall (95-m) residential skyscraper in the Newport neighborhood of Jersey City, New Jersey. It was completed in 1989 and has 34 floors and stands at a height of 312 feet. The 443-unit, 34-story residential condominium tower contains studio apartments, one and two bedroom units, and three bedroom duplexes. It was developed by the Lefrak Organization of Rego Park, Queens together with Melvin Simon & Associates of Indianapolis and the Glimcher Company of Columbus, Ohio.
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Lawrence Woodmere Academy, also known as "LWA", and "Woodmere Academy", is an independent school located in Woodmere, New York, United States. It is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools and the New York State Board of Regents.
Richard S. LeFrak is an American billionaire businessman. He is chairman and CEO of LeFrak, a privately held, family-run company based in New York City that owns, develops, and manages real estate. He is one of the biggest landlords in the New York tri-state area.
Horse Brook is a buried stream located in the neighborhood of Elmhurst in the New York City borough of Queens. Its historic course flows beneath Queens Center Mall, Rego Center Mall, LeFrak City, and the Long Island Expressway, before emptying into Flushing Creek in present-day Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Flushing Creek is a tributary of the East River.
Telfar Clemens is a Liberian-American fashion designer and the founder of the fashion label Telfar. Clemens has won the 2017 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, the CFDA American Accessories 2019, and the CFDA American Accessories 2020.
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