with the upcoming street art show at Flux Factory I got to thinking more than usual about the area in which I live and how we navigate it. So I invested some research in my immediate and surrounding neighborhoods; I really love the area of Queens in which I live, and am inclined to learn more about this area and Queens at large. In the past, in conversations, questions have been raised about the street order/numbering system of Queens, which is… unique, to say the least. I’ve never heard a distinctive answer, and then in my research I stumbled upon this:

Prior to becoming part of New York City in 1898, Queens was primarily a collection of villages scattered throughout farmland, and had no single identity. As well, the borough had no single street naming pattern and the names and numbers from village to village created a confusing map of multiple Main Streets and Broadways.

In the 1920s, the borough of Queens copied the street grid pattern and numbering system used in Philadelphia and renamed and renumbered most of the streets throughout the country [sic]. This created a grid with streets running roughly north and south and avenues running east and west. Street numbers increased going east (from the East River) and avenue numbers increased going south (from Long Island Sound.)

The new hyphenated numbering system is the only one in the five boroughs that gives a descriptive coordinate of the location. The first two digits are the cross street or avenue. The two digits after the hyphen are based on simple numbering system — so many feet are one lot, which is given a unique house number. For wide lots they skip a number every so often . Looking south, the odd numbers are to the left, and even numbers to the right in ascending order.

Starting with College Point, all East West routes are Avenues. Starting with Astoria, all North South routes are Streets. Sometimes the system skips numbers. 32nd Avenue is all but skipped in Astoria, but exists in other communities further east.

If there are additional streets, say between say 65th and 66 Aves., they are named by a protocal. First street is a ‘Road’, second is a ‘Drive’ and finally a ‘Court’ or ‘Terrace’ Conversely the system for extra ‘Streets’ is ‘Place’, ‘Lane,’ and ‘Court’ or ‘Terrace’ Not certain as to where ‘Crescent’ fits in. Special system in Rockaways, where numbers are proceeded by ‘Beach.’

The first part of the hyphenated numbering system is logical. If you were to walk around Queens enough you would figure it out. But the second part, where ‘so many feet are one lot’ I find really intriguing. Still can’t find a reference as to exactly how many feet = one lot = a number (makes me think of the arshin or vershok, old Russian measurements used by some avant-garde Modernist artists in the pre- and post-Revolutionary era). I wonder what would happen if you mapped this numbering sequence onto other grids, how would the numbering sequence change? This reflects my intrigue of copying a system from somewhere else: in this case Philadelphia, the original capital of the United States.

Additional intrigue in the original naming of my locale: Laurel Hill Ave., or 43rd Street, is where I live. Would someone do me a favor and send me a piece of mail:

Nick Normal
c/o Flux Factory
38-38 Laurel Hill Ave.
Long Island City, NY
11101

Ta!

Related websites:
above blockquote originally found here.