By Philip Newman
PS 66 in Richmond Hill became the first elementary school in Queens to gain landmark status after the city Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the designation in a unanimous vote Tuesday.
The school opened in 1896 when it overlooked farmland and was constructed with Victorian features, including arches and a bell tower that tolled to call nearby children to class.
The school has been renamed for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis because the late First Lady showed a great interest in historic preservation and history. At a hearing last year, LPC Commissioner Robert Tierney read a letter from the late Onassis acknowledging the renaming of PS 66.
The school was originally called the Brooklyn Hills School after a nearby housing development. It was renamed for Onassis in 2001.
“PS 66 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School has been a staple of Richmond Hill for over a century. It is important for future generations to understand our history, and landmarking this innovative and striking structure will do just that,” said City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village).
The LPC voted 11-0 to landmark PS 66, making the school the first elementary school in Queens to receive the designation. The commission also unanimously voted to landmark the Ridgewood Theatre.
“The word describing my feelings is ‘elated,’” said Michael Perlman, chairman of Friends of the Ridgewood Theatre. “We are happy to have this appropriate designation for a beautiful and historical structure.”
The Ridgewood Theatre opened Dec. 23, 1916, and for years featured not only silent films but also vaudeville acts. It closed in March 2008 and for a time was festooned with a banner advertising “Available for Retail.”
Originally it accommodated 2,500 people, but at closing it had a capacity of 1,950 with five screens.
Designed by Thomas White Lamb, the theater can be considered a treasury of architecture features. It is replete with orate decorations, geometric patterns, medallions, friezes, pilasters and other elegant features.
“Theaters are the ultimate public institutions which bridge the generations,” Perlman said.
A third Queens structure, the Queens General Court on Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica, has been proposed for landmark status and a hearing will be held soon to allow testimony on why it should be preserved.
Howard Koplowitz contributed to this story.
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at timesledgernews@cnglocal.com or phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 136.
