By Kelsey Durham
The Queensbridge housing development in Long Island City was once home to some of pop culture’s most famous names — like rapper Nas and NBA player Metta World Peace, formerly Ron Artest — but the residents who live in the area believe not many people know about the wonders their neighborhood has to offer.
Nasir Jones, better known by his stage name Nas, is a 13-time Grammy nominee who grew up in the Queensbridge before making it big in the rap and hip-hop scene. Metta World Peace is a former St. John’s University basketball standout who is now one of the NBA’s biggest names.
With so many high-profile people getting their start in the western Queens neighborhood, the nearby residents believe they should show off their homes to anyone willing to look.
A group of about 20 people gathered Saturday in front of the Queensbridge North buildings, at the corner of 21st Street and 40th Avenue, to begin a tour of the largest public housing development in the country, with 26 buildings spanning more than six blocks of the western Queens neighborhood.
Sponsored by the Municipal Art Society of New York, the self-organized walk was led by Bishop Mitchell Taylor, a former Queensbridge resident who has spent more than 40 years serving the Long Island City community and working to improve the quality of life.
Taylor said he reached out to the society about hosting the walk through Queensbridge with the hope that it would show people the side of New York City that many people have not seen.
“My dad always said Long Island City is ‘seven minutes from the world,’ because it’s seven minutes from Manhattan, seven minutes from Brooklyn and seven minutes from LaGuardia Airport,” Taylor said. “It’s a very interesting place. I’m hoping this will help people understand the demographics of our neighborhood and see what Long Island City is all about.”
While guiding the walk down 21st Street, past the housing development’s north buildings, Taylor pointed out many parts of the neighborhood that had sentimental meaning for him as well as areas he and his peers worked to improve over the years.
He pointed out the first apartment he and his new wife lived in several years ago, and he took the group inside a credit union he worked to establish for the lower-income residents in the neighborhood.
And as he walked at the head of the group, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) walked along with him.
“I love Queensbridge and I think it’s a great neighborhood,” said Van Bramer, who said he represents more constituents in public housing than any member of the Council. “There are great families and great neighborhoods here, and there are so many good things happening in public housing that too few people know about.”
Marion Jeffries, a lifelong resident of the area surrounding the Queensbridge Houses, said she has seen many positive changes take place in the neighborhood where she was raised.
Jeffries, who also serves as president of the Astoria and Long Island City chapter of the NAACP, said she understands that the area has its share of crime and poverty issues, but when she takes a step back to look at the big picture, she said she could not imagine hailing from a better place.
“It’s a joy to be here and I think people should take pride in their community,” she said. “I’ve been here since 1956 and I think it’s a wonderful place to live, believe me. They’re going to have to carry me out of Queens.”
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
