New York's First Public Parking Lot Groundbreaking

Groundbreaking ceremony for a parking lot in Flushing Queens, NY.
The speakers include Queens Borough President James A. Lundy, Chairman of the New York City Housing Authority Philip J. Crews, "Commissioner of Everything," Robert Moses, Traffic Commissioner T. T. Wiley, and Department of Public Works Commissioner Frederick H. Zurmuhlen.

Queens Borough President James Lundy discusses his pleasure at the groundbreaking of the new parking lot in Flushing, Queens. It is the first public parking field in the City of New York. He thanks all involved and present. He congratulates future users of the field.

Next to speak is Phillip J Crews, chairman of the New York City Housing Authority. He thanks the guests, talks about searching for parking for 15 minutes often. He immediately praises Moses. He talks about how he'd worked on the project ten years prior when he was with Moses' Parks Department. The project was tied in with the (James A.) Bland Houses.
He describes the moving of the area's previous tenants to create the public housing project and the parking field. It cleared 11 acres and made 250 families and 38 commercial businesses move. 75% of the original tenants had been moved to the Bland Houses.

Coordinator of City Construction, Robert Moses speaks after Crews.
Moses speaks about first understanding the parking problem in one of the churches in Flushing. This is where he heard about the slum.
He talks about street widening, parking lot building, housing development, and slum clearance. He mentions the role of the city and state housing authorities.




Queens Borough president James Lundy discusses his pleasure at the unveiling of the new parking lot in Flushing, Queens. It is the first public parking field in the City of New York. He thanks all involved and present. He congratulates future users of the field.

Next to speak is Phillip J Crews, chairman of the New York City Housing Authority. He thanks the guests, talks about searching for parking for 15 minutes often. He immediately praises Moses. He talks about hoe he'd worked on the project 10 years prior when he was with Moses' Parks Department. The project was tied in with the (James A.) Bland Houses.
He describes the moving of the area's previous tenants to create the public housing project and the parking field. It cleared 11 acres. 250 families were moved and 38 commercial businesses. 75% of the original tenants had been moved to the Bland Houses.

Coordinator of City Construction, Robert Moses speaks after Crews.
Moses speaks about first understanding the parking problem in one of the churches in Flushing. This is where he heard about the slum.
He talks about creating a street-widening, park lot building, housing development, slum clearance in. He mentions the role of the city and state housing authorities.

He has two more things to say. Some groups do not like the field as a municipal program. He talks about resorting to every device available. He talks about the intent of the field they are unveiling. It is not a park-and-ride field. It is meant for people to come and go more frequently.
He talks about the need for a "Santy Claus" to pay for this sort of parking field/garages. There cannot be a business interest in this lot.
[audio drops out]

The next speaker is T. T. Wiley, New York City's Commissioner of Traffic. He draws an allegorical significance here. Typically when the ground is dug up at this time of year, there is cultivation of harvest going on. This facility will make Flushing grow.
He leaves a challenge to the area. It is up to the incoming enterprises in the area to reflect well on the area.

The next speaker is Commissioner of Public Works, Frederick H. Zurmuhlen, Zurmuhlen has one thought. It is about tax exemption of property for city, state, and federal uses has become a problem. The man who created it was against tax exemption, but it backfired because schools, parks, firehouses, etc. were part of the list.
We can't solve the parking problem through private enterprise. Parking is a community problem. The slum clearance took foresight. Land can only be seized for the public good.

A speaker lists the people involved in putting on the ceremony and the creation of the parking lot itself.

Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection

WNYC archives id: 150414
Municipal archives id: LT3422