Douglaston Hill Historic District
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Douglaston Hill is a neighborhood district in northeastern Queens, near the Nassau County line, bounded by the Long Island Railroad, Northern Boulevard, Douglaston Parkway and Udall's Cove park. It contains 85 contributing buildings and sites, including a church, a cemetery, a public park, houses, garages and commercial blocks. Zion Episcopal Church, first built in 1830 from plans by Richard Upjohn and rebuilt after a fire in 1924 to designs by local architect Aubrey Grantham, anchors the district from the top of the hill. Most development came after the 1890s, when large lots were subdivided and filled with Queen Anne, Shingle Style and Colonial Revival houses, many built by local builders such as William J. Hamilton. In the 1920s more modest homes, a few multi-family complexes in Tudor Revival style and commercial strips near Douglaston Parkway completed the area. Belgian block curbs and gutters, mature trees and consistent siting add to its coherent character. The district retains much of its historic appearance and layout.
Significance in brief: The district is significant for its intact collection of late 19th and early 20th century houses, churches and commercial buildings in Queen Anne, Shingle, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and Craftsman styles. It also reflects the growth of Douglaston from a small church community into a suburban village linked to New York City, with Zion Church, its cemetery and the surrounding streetscape as the historic core.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 00001016, listed August 31, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Douglaston Pkwy., Northern Blvd., 244th St., 243rd St., and Long Island RR, Douglaston |
|---|---|
| County | Queens |
| Listed | August 31, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00001016 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c. 1890 to 1940 |
| Architect / builder | Richard Upjohn (original Zion Church plans); Aubrey Grantham and Samuel Lindbloom (rebuilt church); D.S. Hopkins; W.J. Hamilton; Palmer H. Ogden; Alfred Auslander |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Queen Anne, Shingle Style; Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival; Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic residential, commercial, religious and park uses continue; the district retains a relatively high degree of integrity. |
| Acreage | 22.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.76823, -73.74557 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 00001016.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5302200
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.