Starting at the Ditmars Blvd. subway stop, walk south on 31st St. & then west on 24th Ave. to the Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden. Next, keep walking west on 24th Ave. to Astoria Park & explore the park & WWI memorial along the East River from the Triborough bridge to Hell Gate Bridge. You can loop back to the Ditmars subway stop by walking east on Ditmars Blvd. & south on 31st St.

Bohemia was part of what later was called Czechoslovakia and now the Czech Republic. Many Czech and Slovak immigrants came to Manhattan and Queens in the nineteenth century. From 1900 to 1903, eighty children attended classes in the Bohemian language on Saturdays in New York City Public School No. 8. Their parents paid for teachers, fuel for the day, and a janitor. The Superintendent of Schools abruptly ordered in early 1903 that the classes be ended. Members of the Astoria Bohemian Association then held a meeting where "harsh things" were said about Superintendent Maxwell. That seems to have spurred the group to build themselves a building where their children could continue to be taught in the Old World tongue.Architect Frank Chmelik designed Bohemian Hall in 1910.The building was labeled "Astoria Bohemian Benevolent Association School &amp; Gymnasium" on the 1915 Sanborn map (image below). The brick rectangular main block of the building (on the north edge of the property) was two stories tall and contained bowling alleys and a stage. The smaller brick portion to the southeast (then along "Woolsey Ave.") was one-story and contained a bar, with a small rear wing of brick. An entrance to the open-air courtyard was south of the bar, and the rest of the complex was surrounded on three sides with 1-story wooden structures; the rear (west) wooden structure was labeled "bowling on stand." The open-air interior was the "Summer Garden." In 1910 and to this day, Bohemian Hall was just a stone's throw away from Public School 85, built in 1906. The Beer Garden managed to serve alcohol during Prohibition because it operated as a non-profit cultural center.The structures at Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden looked unchanged on a 1936 Sanborn map. By 1950, the smaller brick portion of the building was a "store" on the Sanborn fire insurance map, but the rest looked similar to 1915. The school playground expanded by 1950 to the vacant lots west of the Beer Garden. The wooden structures around the exterior and entrance to the garden have now been replaced by a cinderblock and brick wall, with metal double doors. The enclosed outdoor space contains picnic table seating and can hold about 1,000 people. The double-door entrance to the main block of the building is at the top of a set up steps with cast iron railings, facing 24th St. The transom above the double door is lettered "BOHEMIAN HALL" and above the recessed entryway are the words "CESKY DOMOV." Cast iron fencing separates the sidewalk from the spaces outside the basement windows.Language classes in Czech and Slovak are still offered at Bohemian Hall, over 100 years after they started. The Beer Garden has become an incorporated for-profit and is the last of the historic beer gardens in New York City. It still offers food and drink.

The Bohemian Hall &amp; Beer Garden is a social club with food, drinks, and entertainment. It was built in Astoria, New York in 1910. The building is owned by the Bohemian Citizens' Benevolent Society, whose mission is to support Czech and Slovak immigrants. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 for its significance in architecture, social history, and entertainment.

Looking north to Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in 2009 photo (Jim.henderson)

The Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden

<h1>Location &amp; History</h1>The Astoria Park War Memorial is not readily noticeable upon entering Astoria Park, as it is tucked on Shore Boulevard (which runs along the water), behind the large swimming pool, which was added almost ten years later, in 1936.1 The monument itself was commissioned by the Long Island City Committee in 1926, which erected and dedicated the piece to the residents of Long Island City who had perished in the war from 1914 to 1918.2 In total, the combined death toll for the neighborhoods of Astoria and Long Island City (Astoria had been part of Long Island city for a brief time, and the neighborhoods were often grouped together) was 101, with 39 from Astoria3 and 62 from Long Island City.4 The monument itself was designed by architecture firm Ruehl and Warren, and the art on the stone stele was sculpted by renowned American sculptor Gaetano Cecere.5 <h1>Design</h1>The monument consists of a 10" by 20' base, with a 3' by 15' pedestal, topped with a 6' by 3.9' stele.5 The decorative stele, which is a type of stone or wooden slab used as a memorial, features a female victory symbol, in which an angelic figure holds a sword in her right hand and a laurel in the other, representing the two sides of war and peace.1 The ends of the pedestal are capped with circular markings, and the sides of the stele are adorned with sculpted wreaths, additional symbols of peace. The pedestal features an inscription with a Biblical quote and a note of dedication. <h2>Inscriptions</h2>The large type of the inscription reads:<blockquote>GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS</blockquote>This quote, which comes from John 15:13, encapsulates the sacrifice that the men the monument honors demonstrated by giving up their lives for their fellow soldiers. Below the quote reads, in smaller text:<blockquote>ERECTED 1926 BY THE PEOPLE OF LONG ISLAND CITY IN HONOR OF ALL THEIR FELLOW CITIZENS WHO SERVED IN THE WORLD WAR 1914-1918</blockquote>The wording of this dedication does not specifically single out just citizens of Long Island City who laid down their lives, and does not restrict its dedication to the years 1917 and 1918, when the United States was a participant in the war. The side of the monument facing away from Shore Boulevard does not feature any designs or inscriptions. World War I, described as the Great War at the time of the monument's dedication, ended on November 11th, 1918, although many of the deaths associated with the war didn't occur until later due to injuries and illnesses.

The Astoria Park War memorial honors the men who fought and died in World War I from the neighborhood of Long Island City. Erected in 1926, it is located on the far end of Astoria Park, along Shore Boulevard. The monument consists of a wide pedestal with a decorate stone stele. A large engraving on the pedestal features a Biblical quote from John 15:13, followed by a smaller, specific dedication.

A view of the monument from Shore Boulevard Human for scale.

Astoria Park War Memorial

The summer of 1936 was one of the hottest on record for New York City with temperatures reaching 106 degrees some days. With people looking for places to cool off, they often turned to the rivers around New York. In Astoria, this was the East River. However, these rivers were often filled with disease and bacteria. That's what led Robert Moses, the New York City Parks Commissioner in 1936, to oversee the construction of several pools around New York City. The largest of these pools was constructed in Astoria, which opened in July of 1936.&nbsp; The Astoria Public Pool was and still is the largest city pool in New York City. The Pool extends an astounding 54,450 square feet and has a capacity of about 3,000 people. The spot for the Pool was chosen by Robert &nbsp;Moses because it overlooked two bridges, the Hell Gate Bridge and the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. These two bridges run over the East River, which can also be seen in the distance, providing a beautiful landscape to swimmers. The original plan for the Pool also included an Olympic sized diving board which towered over a smaller circular pool. Bleachers were built around the diving board to provide onlookers somewhere to sit as people put on diving and swimming spectacles.&nbsp; The Astoria Public Pool has developed an interesting history since its construction. Not long after the Pool was completed, it was used for tryouts by the 1936 U.S. Olympic Diving and Swimming teams. It was used again for the same purpose in 1964. The Pool was also the birthplace of a diving show put on by a group that called themselves the "Aqua-Zanies." The Aqua-Zanies was a group of boys in the 1940s who used the diving board and pool to put on comedy performances that included acrobatic stunts. They would eventually start touring New York with their show.&nbsp; Today, the Pool is still used&nbsp;to cool off the community of Astoria with thousands of people piling in each summer. The diving board, however, was closed down in the 1970s because of decay and neglect. The circular pool below the diving board will soon be turned into an outdoor plaza. The City of New York is also trying to raise funds to preserve the diving board itself as a monument to the history of the pool.&nbsp;

The Astoria Public Pool was constructed in 1936 under the guidance of Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, who wanted to support recreation in the City of New York. It was at the time and still is the largest pool in New York City, extending an astounding 54,450 square feet. The Pool hosted tryouts for the U.S. Olympic Swimming and Diving Teams in 1936 and 1964. In the 1940s, a group of boys, calling themselves the Aqua-Zanies, got together and began putting on shows at the Pool for the enjoyment of the people that would gather there. The diving board for the pool was closed down in the 1970s after it became unsafe. Today, people from all over Astoria still gather at the pool and swim each summer. 

Astoria Public Pool

Prior to the Dutch colonization period, a Native American village&nbsp;flourished along the banks of the&nbsp;East River. The town sustained itself&nbsp;by&nbsp;cultivating maize, fishing in the Hell Gate area, and drawing water from&nbsp;small streams that still flow today. Once the Dutch arrived, however, land was split among various families. Almost a century later, the park became a battlefield during the American Revolution. In 1780, the HMS Hussar, part of the royal navy fleet, was sunk in the Hell Gate waterway. To this day, some of the ship's wreckage still remains at the bottom of the strait. &nbsp; During the 19th century, families like the Barclays, Potters, Woolseys, and Hoyts lived along the shore. The Barclay family owned a mansion near Hell Gate. Henry Barclay took over the house when his father passed away in 1863. &nbsp;After his death in 1917, Barclay's youngest daughter, Clara, offered to sell the old house. A few months later, the land was claimed by the government to become&nbsp;part of Astoria Park. In 1914, the Barclay Mansion was torn down to make room for the construction of the Hell Gate Bridge. Although attempts have been&nbsp;made to remove dangerous rocks in Hell Gate between 1850 and 1870, it became the site of one of New York's worst maritime disasters on June 15, 1904. En route to Long Island's North Shore with the congregation of St. Mark's&nbsp;German Lutheran Church on board, the steamer General Solcum caught fire and a little over a thousand people either burned on the ship or drowned in the turbulent waters of the East River.&nbsp; &nbsp; As the Queens waterfront succumbed to industrial expansion after the Civil War, a strong public sentiment for public access to the East River emerged. In October 1913, more than 56 acres of land was acquired along the river for a park. It was originally called William J. Gaynor Park after the mayor and later known as East River Park, but it was officially named Astoria Park in December 1913. Stephen Halsey, founder of the village of Astoria in 1839, named it after his friend John Jacob Astor. Astoria Park contained two playgrounds, six tennis courts, an athletic field, three baseball fields, a wading pool, bandstand, comfort stations, and walkways.&nbsp;Improvements to the park, including a new pool complex,&nbsp;were made during the summer of 1936. In 1936 and 1964, this pool was used to host swimming and diving trials for the U.S. Olympic Teams. In 1937, 4.5 acres of land&nbsp;beneath the Triborough Bridge was added to the park. In 1937, a 5-acre strip of land along the East River was also added to the park. In the 1980s, the park was restored in a three part project. In phase one, the playgrounds in the southern section of the park, the park fields, and the drainage systems were restored. In phase two, the comfort stations were restored and new equipment such as swings, drinking fountains, and game tables were added.&nbsp;Phase three restored the park's northeast section and included repaving of roads and walkways, rerouting pedestrian entrances, installing new benches, and planting trees, shrubs, and ground cover.

Astoria park is located at the edge of East River, falling between the Triborough Bridge and Hell Gate Bridge. The 59.96-acre park provides great views and other surrounding qualities that make even the benches along the outskirts an attraction. Along with its popular pool, Astoria Park offers outdoor tennis courts, a track, a bandstand, multiple pedestrian trails, basketball courts, and playgrounds to attract visitors from all over New York.

Astoria Park

Hell Gate Bridge is a series of three railroad bridges that run&nbsp;over the East River in New York City. Construction of the Bridge began 1912 when New Yorkers needed quicker passage from Astoria to&nbsp;the Bronx. The&nbsp;Bridge was completed in 1917, running from 50th Street in Brooklyn to 141st Street in the Bronx. It is over three and a half miles long, which made it the longest steel arch bridge in the world when it was first constructed.&nbsp; The Bridge was part of a project by the Pennsylvania Railroad which sought to connect New York to the rest of&nbsp;New England. It was designed&nbsp;by Oliver Barnes and&nbsp;Gustav Lindenthal. Lindenthal was already part of other bridge building projects which included the Williamsburg Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, and the Queensboro Bridge. He had hoped to be part of a project that built a suspension bridge over the Hudson River, but he was never provided the opportunity as the city decided to use tunnels instead of a bridge. Since Lindanthal was largely in charge of the Hell Gate Bridge design, he decided to hire other engineers to focus on the support system and weight distribution aspects of the Bridge, while he focused on the aesthetic quality.&nbsp; The first train, a Federal Express using the Pennsylvania Railroad, passed over the Bridge on March 9, 1917. This would complete the first nonstop rail service from Washington D.C. to Boston. The Bridge is still used today though less frequently since passenger cars have been replaced by automobiles. It is still structurally sound as well, with some engineers saying it could outlast the human race. Since the Bridge was covered in graffiti, the City provided money in 1991 to have the Bridge painted. They choose the color red, and the project was finished in 1996.

Completed in 1917, Hell Gate Bridge allowed for rail traffic across the East River in New York City, connecting Astoria Park to Ward's Island. The bridge is official named the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge, although its original moniker is used more often by locals. The Dutch were the first Europeans to explore and settle in this area, and the name "Hell Gate" is a variation of the original Dutch word "hellegat" which referred to a narrow strait. The bridge underwent construction beginning in 1912 and was finished in 1917. When the bridge was completed, it was the longest steel arch bridge in the world. Hell Gate Bridge has a rich history that includes secret plans by Nazis to destroy the bridge to local stories of mysterious events. The bridge is still in use today. 

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Ditmars Subway Stop to Astoria Park Historical Walking Tour, Queens

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