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| On December 17th, 2002 the
Richmond
Hill Republican Club was officially designated a Landmark and it is
now safe from being demolished.
Due to the strong support from all of our members with special mention to Nancy Cataldi, Carl Ballenas, Ivan Mrakovcic, and NYC Council members Dennis Gallagher & Melinda Katz; the Richmond Hill Republican Club will be protected by its new Landmark designation. Although this is a recent honor, the struggle began back in the 1980's when the Richmond Hill Development Corp. fought hard to protect and restore its architectural integrity. From the outset, the goal of the Richmond Hill Historical Society was to gain this Landmark status in recognition of its architectural significance which is tightly woven into the history of Richmond Hill and also to resurrect the Club back to a community center for all to enjoy. This marks a great day for
Richmond Hill and is the start of a promising bright future for the New
Year of 2003!
|
About The Richmond
Hill Republican Club
From the Book- 'Victorian Richmond Hill' Located- Richmond Hill, NY between Hillside Ave., and Jamaica Ave. on Lefferts Blvd.
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The
Richmond Hill Republican Club building looks virtually the same as it did
at the turn of the century. Plate glass double doors still admit visitors
to the oak columned interior with its leather-cushioned booths. Oak pews
originally used for seating in the main meeting room have been replaced
by, more modern, moveable chairs. An elaborate tin ceiling soars to about
25 feet above a solitary mission podium table. Other examples of the old
mission furniture are around the clubhouse or in the section of the building
where the post office used to be. Oak sliding doors span about 18 feet
of the main meeting room. They are in four sections and operate on two
tracks. The lower part of the building was used as a club bowling alley
but it is now a public archery range. Much of the original oak paneling
remains, and lincrusta-walton lines the Club's bar. An old Western Electric
phone booth has been converted to a closet, but the whole building, especially
with its signed photographs of Coolidge, Harding and