Queens Public School Building Gets Landmark Status

SOUTH JAMAICA, QUEENS — A Queens public school building has been granted landmark status for its "novel" use of Art Deco design elements, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission announced Tuesday.

Commissioners voted to landmark P.S. 48 in South Jamaica due to its "highly distinctive decorative features" that set it apart from other schools of that style and era, the Landmarks Preservation Commission said in a news release. The school was completed in 1936.

The elementary school, which was designed by Walter C. Martin, the Board of Education's superintendent of buildings from 1928 to 1938, features bi-color brick spandrels and terracotta plaques, stylized foliate plaques atop the piers and a granite entrance with stylized eagles and bronze doors.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission previously called the building a "highly intact example of architect Walter C. Martin’s use of the Art Deco style in the 1930s" and "a significant early application of the style for New York City schools."

P.S. 48 is the agency's first landmark designation in South Jamaica. The designation helps safeguard New York City's architecturally, historically and culturally significant sites.

“For the past 70 years, P.S. 48 has both served the community and enhanced it with its beautifully executed design," Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Sarah Carroll said in a statement. "Its Art Deco style details, which are quite striking in person, make it unique, and it is one of the first elementary schools New York City to incorporate this architectural style.”

Meghan Weatherby, executive director of The Art Deco Society of New York, called the building a "striking and important example of an Art Deco styled public school."

For the school's landmark designation to become finalized, the City Planning Commission will review it and submit a report to the City Council on how the designation may affect zoning, projected public improvements and any other city development plans.

The City Council may then vote to modify or disapprove the designation, though the Council's approval is not required, according to the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

“The landmark designation of P.S. 48 is a vital part of preserving the architectural beauty of Queens,” City Council Member Adrienne Adams said. “Jamaica, Queens carries an incredible legacy which is under threat like never before and the designation of this building will certainly add to community pride in its history."