The Deli #56 - Altopalo, NAMM 2019, Queens takes over Brooklyn

and Bushwick have furnished denizens of New York with
a variety of performance spaces, and it certainly doesn’t
show any signs of slowing down soon, but the inevitable
process of gentrification will likely continue to push
musicians further into Queens. And while one would be
inclined to just chalk up the immediately adjacent neighborhoods
of Middle Village and Glendale (both of which
are situated right next to Ridgewood), the residential elements
of these areas set them apart from the visually
unappealing industrial spaces of eastern Brooklyn that
have proven fertile ground for art.
Rather, it’s more likely that neighborhoods like Maspeth,
with its large industrial lowlands, and Ozone Park, with
its recent development investments, will become spaces
where artists, promoters, and entertainment companies
will set up shop. Both neighborhoods are characterized,
at least in part, by recent real estate acquisitions of unused
warehouses and factories, and fit with the general
trend of movement that has characterized Brooklyn’s
development over the last twenty years. That being said,
DIY has never necessitated “venues” and established
performance spaces for art to flourish, and as industrial
spaces become increasingly scarce it may force a return
to form. It’s entirely possible that Cypress Hills and its status
as a diverse, residential community (plus its proximity
to the burgeoning scenes of Bushwick and Ridgewood)
may see an influx of creators in the next five years.
Regardless of where exactly the next wave of musicians
and scene-makers lands, their choice of Queens as “the
place for artists” — at the expense of Brooklyn — is not
simply written in the stars: it’s a process that’s already
well on its way. d
A
RIDGEWOOD HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE By Sara Nuta
s the fringes of Bushwick and Ridgewood seem to blur into
one another, many loathsome acronyms have appeared––
from the cringey “Ridgewick” to the somehow even worse
“Quooklyn.” Bad names aside, the trend is noticeable and has
become only more apparent as venues shift over to Queens, too.
choice to be the new “hot” neighborhood. With its quiet treelined
streets and safe yet modest residential sensibility, it’s an
area that seems more conducive to raising a family than starting
a punk band. Yet, the neighborhood was attractive for its convenient
location, proximity to the M train and affordability.
However, the historic Queens district is not simply an extension of
Brooklyn or Bushwick and to refer to it as such would be a) misguided
b) and oversight of Ridgewood’s rich history. Formerly a sturdy
blue collar German enclave and later a predominately Italian and
Latino neighborhood, Ridgewood was able to remain more or less
out of harm’s way during the most chaotic points of deindustrialization
in the ’70s. Pre-World War I, Ridgewood sustained a viable
beer and knitting industry largely due to its population of German
immigrants and proximity to what was previously farmland throughout
Queens. Around the 1960s and 1970s, the white flight epidemic
spurred many Brooklynites to flee to bucolic areas of Queens. This
was especially salient when Bushwick became a hotbed for chaos
and looting in the Blackout of 1977, leaving much of the area vacant
and burned. However, Ridgewood and Bushwick were, in fact, entwined
at one point, sharing the same zip-code (11227) up until the
wake of the ’77 Blackout when Geraldine Ferraro advocated to split
the neighborhoods and finalize a border.
More recently, when rising rents have pushed artists out from
their loft-style Brooklyn apartments, Ridgewood has presented
a viable option. Ostensibly, Ridgewood appears to be an odd
Unlike Bushwick, which has certain historic buildings, Ridgewood
has designated historic districts (Stockholm Street, Ridgewood
North, Ridgewood South and Central Ridgewood). It’s one
of the reasons you see blocks of uniformed row houses uninterrupted
by modern, plasticky apartment complexes. Architecturally
speaking, crossing over into leafy Ridgewood feels and
looks starkly different from the distinctly industrial look and feel
of Bushwick. Louis Berger, a German born, Pratt-educated architect
who designed around 5,000 homes in the two neighborhood,
is partially responsible.
However, now that the trendy vegan eateries, rustic pizza shops,
novelty pinball bars, and hip galleries dot the streets alongside
stalwart pork stores and bodegas, Ridgewood’s status is no longer
pegged as an up-and-comer but rather a full fledged destination.
As real estate developers and tastemakers have caught
on to the trend and attracted a wide range of millennial newcomers,
new zoning is being put in place to foster more housing and
mixed-use residential buildings. Inevitably, this may cause speculation
to sky-rocket and land values to rise, further propelling
the cycle of displacement.
18 the deli Winter 2019