By Dustin Brown
Short of dragging a giant eraser down Eliot Avenue, there was little more community leaders could have done Tuesday night to celebrate the sudden disappearance of the zip code boundary line dividing Middle Village from Elmhurst.
They rechristened the sidewalk by shattering a bottle of champagne, then led a crowd of residents parading through the newly united neighborhood.
They even cut a red, white and blue ribbon stretched along the former border but only after the Middle Village Welcoming Committee crossed to the other side to embrace their new Elmhurst neighbors.
Perhaps it was a bit contrived, maybe even hokey.
But for the crowd of 50 or so people who came out for the party, it was the least they could do to mark a historic event.
“Officially, this will be Middle Village in a few minutes,” proclaimed Robert Holden, the president of the Juniper Park Civic Association, which had lobbied on and off for two decades to secure the zip code change. “It only took us 21 years, 22 years to do this, and it was worth it. We finally will be united. This area has long been misnamed.”
On Tuesday, the thin slice of Elmhurst sandwiched between Eliot Avenue and the Long Island Expressway shed the 11373 zip code it shared with the rest of Elmhurst and merged into Middle Village's 11379.
The U.S. Postal Service agreed to change the zip code after two years of campaigning by the Juniper Park Civic Association, which insisted the different zip codes failed to reflect the identity of the community.
The problem dates back to the construction of the Long Island Expressway in the 1950's, which cut off the southernmost section of Elmhurst from the rest of the neighborhood, creating a wide boundary that eventually prompted residents to ally themselves more closely with Middle Village.
After calling their neighborhood Middle Village in conversation for years, as of Tuesday they could finally do the same on their mail. The change affects about 15 blocks from 74th Street to 86th Street between Eliot Avenue and the LIE, an area with about 1,800 residences.
Acknowledging the frigid air that kept the newly united neighbors huddled beneath multiple layers, Holden kept the 7:45 p.m. ceremony mercifully short to prevent noses from looking like Rudolph's or freezing off entirely.
But he could hardly contain his enthusiasm as he raised the champagne bottle high in the air.
His neighbors agreed.
“It's about time,” said Tom McNamara, 84, who has lived on 79th Street for 21 years.
“The post office was way the hell over on Junction Boulevard,” said Kathleen Meehan, 65, McNamara's girlfriend. “We would never go over there. People got lost with deliveries.”
“I think it's really great,” said Kathy Foglino, whose family has lived off Caldwell Avenue since 1956. “When I'd take a cab, if I said Elmhurst, then they wouldn't think of this area. This area is known as Middle Village.”
Maria Koutalides, 56, only learned about the new zip code as she walked by the celebration, and she shared in the fun.
“For some reason, Middle Village sounds better than Elmhurst,” she said. “I love this neighborhood. Everyone's so nice, so friendly.”
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
