Junction Boulevard

Junction Boulevard is a heavily used commercial avenue that separates Corona from Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. The land usage along this street varies with respect to other nearby main roads. Here I’ve documented the types of businesses and buildings that you can see as you walk along Junction starting at 57th Avenue in Corona/Elmhurst and ending at Northern Blvd in Corona/Jackson Heights.

All photographs I took myself. The land usage maps were made on oasisnyc.net in Make Maps>Steward Search.

A key for the land usage maps constructed with NYC OASIS.

Junction Blvd from the Horace Harding Expressway to Corona Ave.

57th Ave looking towards the Horace Harding Expressway. The buildings in the background belong to LeFrak City.

Traffic wise, Junction Blvd is usually most congested from 57th Ave to the Horace Harding Expressway. This is due to the proximity to the Long Island Expressway and the Queens Center Mall, bus congestion, and other developments related to LeFrak City.
Buildings present include:

• “LeFrak City” building, which houses government offices, drug stores, commercial offices
• Elmhurst/Corona Post Office
• supermarket
• diverse and compact grouping of different medical specialty offices: dentistry, orthopedics, physical therapy

Residential buildings along Junction. Most are single or multifamily residences.

Junction is mostly residential from 57th Ave to Corona Ave. These residences are usually 2-3 story, single or multifamily homes, much like many homes in neighboring Elmhurst.

Corona and Junction. Corona is another main corridor that runs through Elmhurst and Corona.

Corona Ave runs through the heart of Corona and then into Elmhurst. Especially around Junction Blvd, this street is crowded with Latino-run restaurants, groceries, night clubs, laundromats, hair salons, etc.

Land usage along Junction from Corona Ave to Roosevelt Ave.

An auto repair shop on Junction and Alstyne with both Spanish and Chinese signage.

This portion of Junction Blvd consists of mainly residences and mixed use buildings.  Pictured above is an autoshop on Alstyne Ave. There is much less foot traffic around this area.

The Port Washington LIRR runs through Corona and Elmhurst.

The LIRR line here separates Corona Heights from Corona. The streets that run along have long been a concern of residents because of the higher rates of crime and vandalism that occurred there. More recently there has been a push for cleanup of these streets.

Near by the railroad towards Corona are also some industrial use buildings. These buildings are associated with food processing. This makes sense given the high number of restaurants in the area.

A Colombian restaurant on 41st Ave and Junction.

Junction begins to get very crowded with storefronts and foot traffic as we approach Roosevelt Ave. This mostly happens after 41st Ave, pictured above.

A row of Hispanic restaurants on Junction close to Roosevelt Ave. Each is specific to a different Hispanic country.

From 41st Ave to Roosevelt, Junction is heavily crowded with an assortment of Latino-run businesses. On the Corona side of the street (pictured above) is a row of nationality based Hispanic restaurants. The Elmhurst side hosts a collection of law offices, convenience stores, and seasonal stands.

A view of Roosevelt Ave from Junction Ave.

The intersection of Roosevelt and Junction. The 7 train platform for Junction Blvd is seen above the street.

The intersection of Roosevelt and Junction is also the intersection of three neighborhoods: Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Corona. This intersection is nearly always congested with car, bike, and foot traffic. The combination of all three in one place is no doubt hazardous to pedestrians. The 7 train platform blocks out much of the sunlight from reaching Roosevelt Ave.

Junction Blvd from Roosevelt Ave to Northern Boulevard. Here, Junction acts as a border between Corona and Jackson Heights. This section of Junction is included in the proposal for the Jackson Heights Corona BID.

A variety of shops to the north of Roosevelt.

Junction is very much a commercial street from Roosevelt to 35th Ave. Unlike other sections of Junction or Roosevelt, this length of Junction is more open and lined with trees, which makes it more inviting. Many stores are small businesses of a wide variety, but there are also several national chains. Most of the national chain stores are on the Jackson Heights side. Most stores are not oriented around specific nationalities.

Junction Blvd is wide and open in this area – quite different from Roosevelt Ave.

A business offering multiple services (all aimed at Latinos) close to Roosevelt.

The businesses that are located here change hands often. Several appeared to be in transition, and there were at least two moving trucks parked outside.

Junction and 37th Ave. To the east is North Corona.

Past 37th Ave, the concentration of stores and the amount of foot traffic begin to decrease. The street resembles the types of businesses you’d see on 37th Ave in Jackson Heights. There are also more businesses related to specific Hispanic nationalities.

35th Ave and Junction.

Junction and its side streets become much less commercial and much more residential after 35th Ave. This area resembles North Corona. Nearby is a building for the NYC Department of Health, a supermarket, and a playground.

A co-op building typical of Jackson Heights on 34th Ave and Junction.

34th Ave has garden planters in the middle of the road and is lined with trees. This street leads right into the heart of Jackson Heights’ historic district. North of 34th Ave, Junction is mostly residential with a few row of combination stores/residences on the Corona side of the street.

Mixed use buildings on Junction near Northern Blvd.

Junction and Northern Blvd. Northern Blvd is a major thoroughfare in Queens.

North of Northern Blvd, Junction is almost entirely residential, matching the feel of East Elmhurst.

Through my analysis of Junction Blvd, we can make several clear observations:

• the land usage along Junction varies according to the neighborhood that it’s a part of
• the residential buildings along Junction mirror the style of the neighborhood that it’s a part of
• the usage becomes more commercial near other major commercial streets (57th Ave, Corona, Roosevelt)

Most importantly in terms of our study of Roosevelt Ave, we can note that Junction Blvd becomes most congested and trafficked near Roosevelt. In fact, the further you get from Roosevelt, the less commercial Junction becomes (with a few exceptions). This further highlights the idea of Roosevelt being a neighborhood epicenter.