37-15 87th Street

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

1924
Queensboro Corporation turns from apartments to houses, starting with this 87th Street row
In 1924 the Queensboro Corporation moved from building garden apartments in Jackson Heights to building houses, for one family or convertible to two. The landmarks report says its president, E.A. MacDougall, reportedly made the change in answer to young World War I veterans who wanted homes of their own, and that buyers were also balking at the rising prices of the apartment complexes. This house is part of the first such row, twenty houses by C.F. & D.E. McAvoy on 87th Street.
“…the firm's president, E.A. MacDougall, is said to have made this change in policy in response to the requests of the young veterans of World War I…”
Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
1924
McAvoy's 1924 houses hide garages in their basements, reached by a shared rear driveway
Built under permit NB 328-1924 with its neighbors from 37-11 to 37-21, this house was designed by C.F. McAvoy for the Queensboro Corporation. Each house in the group has a terraced front yard and a basement-level garage at the back, served by one common driveway. The 1993 landmarks report found some original six-over-six wood windows and many paneled doors still in place, though many shutters had been removed and the front yards and steps altered.
Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

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