Springfield Gardens is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

in the southeastern area of the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, bounded to the north by St. Albans, to the east by Laurelton and Rosedale, to the south by

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

, and to the west by Farmers Boulevard. The neighborhood is served by Queens Community Board 12. The area, particularly east of

Springfield Boulevard Springfield Boulevard is a major north/south roadway that runs through the eastern section of Queens, New York. It is long and goes from Northern Boulevard in Bayside, to 147th Avenue in Springfield Gardens. Springfield Boulevard runs throug ...

, is sometimes also referred to as Brookville.

History

The area was first settled by Europeans in 1660, and was subsequently farmed until the mid nineteenth-century. Major residential development came in the 1920s as

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...

service was expanded to the area at the Springfield Gardens station (closed in 1979). Between 1920 and 1930 the population increased from 3,046 to 13,089, with a lot of the newcomers being people from Brooklyn seeking out suburban homes. In 1927, the community became known as Springfield Gardens. Farmers Boulevard, Merrick Boulevard,

Rockaway Boulevard Rockaway Boulevard is a major road in the New York City borough of Queens. Unlike the similarly named Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Rockaway Freeway, it serves mainland Queens and does not enter the Rockaways. Route description It begins as ...

, and Guy R. Brewer Boulevard all are major streets in the area. Today the area maintains its low-rise suburban nature. It is home to majority

Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean or African Caribbean people are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern Afro-Caribbean people descend from the Indigenous peoples of Africa, Africans (primarily fr ...

and

Indo-Caribbean Indo-Caribbean or Indian-Caribbean people are people from the Caribbean who trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent. They are descendants of the Jahaji indentured laborers from British India, who were brought by the British, Dutch, and ...

populations including immigrants from

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

. Many homes have been torn down and remade for more families as more people move into the neighborhood. Part is in a Registered historic District. Springfield Gardens is located within ZIP Codes 11434 (western part) and 11413 (eastern part).

Recreation

Springfield Park consists of , including the sizable Springfield Lake at its center. It is located on the west side of

between 145th Road and 147th Avenue. The Brookville Park is located on the eastern border of Springfield Gardens (next to Rosedale). It is bounded by South Conduit Avenue, 149th Avenue, and 232nd and 235th Streets. It contains Conselyea's Pond.

Transportation

Brookville is served by the Rosedale and Laurelton

stations. Service is provided by the

Far Rockaway Branch The Far Rockaway Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at Valley Interlocking, just east of Valley Stream station. From Valley Stream, ...

and Long Beach Branch. The CityTicket program is available at these stations. The Q3 bus travels along Farmers Boulevard towards to the

165th Street Bus Terminal The 165th Street Bus Terminal, also known as Jamaica Bus Terminal, the Long Island Bus Terminal (the name emblazoned on the entranceway's red tiles), Jamaica−165th Street Terminal (as signed on buses towards the terminal), or simply 165th Stre ...

JFK Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is t ...

. The Q6 bus travels along

and Sutphin Boulevard to Jamaica-165th St Bus Terminal from the JFK Airport North Boundary Road. The Q85 bus travels along South Conduit Avenue towards Rosedale or

Green Acres Mall Green Acres Mall is an indoor shopping mall located in South Valley Stream, New York, South Valley Stream, New York (state), New York, off Sunrise Highway in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County near the border of New York City and the Incorpo ...

, and North Conduit Avenue. towards the Jamaica Center – Parsons/Archer subway station (). The Q111 travels to Rosedale and

via 147th Avenue along with the Q113 and Q114 via 147th Avenue to Jamaica and Far Rockaway. No express bus routes serve Brookville directly however the X63, provides rush hour only service to neighboring Rosedale. The Q77 bus travels along

and

Francis Lewis Boulevard Francis Lewis Boulevard is a boulevard in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Queens. The roadway is named for Francis Lewis, a Queens resident who was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. The boulevard z ...

to Jamaica-165th Street Bus Terminal and terminates at the border of Brookville and Springfield Gardens on 145th Road and Springfield Boulevard.

Notable residents

* Khandi Alexander (born 1957), dancer, choreographer, and actress. *

Frances Goldin Frances Axler Goldin (June 22, 1924- May 16, 2020) was a housing rights activist and literary agent in New York City. She was a founding member of the Metropolitan Council on Housing and the Cooper Square Committee. Beginning in 1959, she led a ...

(1924–2020), housing rights activist and literary agent in New York City. * John Robert Grant (1729–1790),

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

who fought in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. * Cynthia Jenkins (1924–2001), librarian, community activist and politician who served in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

from 1983 to 1994. * Anthony Mason (1966–2015), professional basketball player who played for 13 seasons in the NBA. * Lil Tecca (born 2002), rapper, singer and songwriter.Skelton, Eric
"Lil Tecca Is a 16-Year-Old Rapper Making Hits on the Weekends"

Complex (website) Complex Networks is an American media and entertainment company for youth culture, based in New York City. It was founded as a bi-monthly magazine, ''Complex'', by fashion designer Marc Eckō. Complex Networks reports on popular and emerging tr ...

, June 6, 2019. Accessed September 26, 2020. " You grew up in Queens, right? Yeah, I grew up in Springfield Gardens. Then in seventh grade I moved to Nassau County, Long Island." * Eric Truvillion (born 1959),

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

who played in the USFL for the

Tampa Bay Bandits The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team in the United States Football League (USFL) which was based in Tampa, Florida. The Bandits were a charter member of the USFL and was the only franchise to have the same principal ...

and in the NFL for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

References

{{Queens Caribbean-American culture in New York City Guyanese diaspora in the United States Haitian-American culture in New York City Jamaican-American history Neighborhoods in Queens, New York Working-class culture in New York City