Hunters Point is a neighborhood in west Queens next to Long Island City and Greenpoint. It contains most of the highrises that make up the Queens central business district. The area has seen major growth in the 2000s with the boom of highrise construction and midrise apartment construction at Hunters Point South, along the waterfront.
In the midst of all the highrise construction, there is the Hunters Point Historic District – forty-seven townhomes built between 1871-1980 of the Italianate, French Second Empire, and Neo-Grec styles. The district is centered on 45th Ave between 21st and 23rd Streets (right off Court Square).
History
Hunters Point is named for Robert Hunter, a colonial governor of New York from 1710-1719. He began developing the largely farmland area previously known as Ravenswood, turning it into an industrial center, particularly shipbuilding.
5Pointz was located here, though torn down in 2014 to begin construction of highrise residential buildings. The site was a mural hub after numerous factory buildings were left unused and underused.
Features
Hunters Point is at the center of many crossroads: old and new, historical industrial and modern residential, classic architecture and glass skyscrapers. Because of the later annexation of Queens by the City of New York, there was not a single central business district. In the 21st century, Hunters Point has grown to claim the crown from other business districts like Flushing and Jamaica.
There are many rail lines that run through here, including rail yards for the MTA Subway and LIRR trains. There is very little left of the freight lines, but you can see signs of its past everywhere.
- Hunters Point South Park
- Luminescence – seven cast concrete domes representing the phases of the moon
- Overlook ramp – curved pathway that rises above the park and points towards Manhattan
- Gantry Plaza State Park – parks along the redeveloped waterfront
- Pepsi Cola Sign – historical remnant of the Pepsi factory that was kept on site
- Long Island Gantries – historic remnant of the dock days, prominently reads “Long Island” from the Manhattan side. Also doubles as a music/performance venue: Live At The Gantries.
- Long Island City ferry – stop along the Astoria route
- Newtown Creek runs along the south edge of the neighborhood. It is a heavily used and quite polluted waterway that gives access to the many industrial sites in western Queens and northern Brooklyn
Transportation
Despite the compact size and growing collection of highrises and skyscrapers, Hunters Point is also the epicenter of a major transportation intersection. Trains, subways, cars, ferries, and trails all connect here.
Alongside Hunters Point and Long Island City is Sunnyside Yard, a large freight and passenger train yard owned by Amtrak. It is used by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit. It is a turn around point for trains that terminated at Penn Station. There is a plan to put a deck over the yard, similar to Hudson Yards in Manhattan, which would provide new area for residential development.
- NYC Ferry: Long Island City stop along the Astoria line
- Midtown Tunnel goes underground here
- Pulaski Bridge to Brooklyn and Queensboro Bridge to Manhattan (goes over Roosevelt Island but does not have an exit there)
- Start of Queens Boulevard, the de facto main street of Queens
- LIRR routes: Montauk, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson all start here
- Long Island City Yard & Facility
- NYC Subway:
- E, M at Court Square/23rd St.
- 7, G at Court Square
- 7 at Vernon Blvd/Jackson Ave
- 7, N, W at Queensboro Plaza
- E, M, R at Queens Plaza
- (F train is at 21st/Queensbridge, but due to construction ’23/’24 it will make E line stops through Hunters Point)
Sources
- City Neighborhoods NYC: Hunters Point