Modernism in Queens

1934, DeYoung Moscowitz & Rosenberg. The firm designed several early Modern or Moderne showrooms for Spear & Co., including one in the shadow of the Empire State Building. This one remains standing today along with the nearby similarly-designed Mullins & Sons building.

In New York City, when one thinks of modernism, one thinks of Manhattan, with its wealth of high-profile modern buildings by nationally and internationally significant architects. The other boroughs are largely undiscovered in terms of mid-century design. Besides Eero Saarinen’s world-famous TWA Terminal at JFK Airport, even the most knowledgeable architects and historians would be hard pressed to name another mid-century building in NYC from outside Manhattan that has made its way into the canon of American architecture. But of the other four boroughs, it is Queens that has the largest body of modern architecture and design to study. This virtual tour will take a look at some of the sites of lesser known modern design in Queens through the Urban Archive lens.