Street Renaming To Honor Armenians In Bayside

BAYSIDE, QUEENS -- The roadway behind a popular community church in Queens will soon boast a new name honoring the thousands of Armenians that helped mold the borough's history.

Community Board 11 voted unanimously on Monday to change the name of a Bayside street behind the Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs to "Armenian Way" at the request of the church's religious leaders. The co-naming will assign the symbolic street name to the section of 210 Street between 58th Avenue and Horace Harding Expressway.

Abraham Malkhasyan, a pastor at the Armenian church said its parish council pushed for the "Armenian Way" street designation to honor the roughly 2,000 Armenians who've settled in the borough since the early fifties.

"We are very indebted to the Queens community," a representative from the church said at the Monday meeting. "We just feel like we love Queens and hope Queens love us back."

The love was indeed reciprocated by board members, who broke into applause when the co-naming was approved. Several of them shared their own fond memories of the church, namely its famous annual Oceania Street Armenian Festival.

Board President Christine Haider said the church has always had a reputation for being welcoming to all members of the community, no matter their religion. She recalls being able to put her son in daycare at the church when nowhere else in the area had any openings.

"Usually we see the co-names for people who’ve passed away or have done a lot in the community, but in this case it’s fully acceptable," Haider said.

Lead image via Google Maps.