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Captain Tilly Park is located at the heart of Jamaica Hills which comprises of 9.16 acres. The park is names after George H. Tilly, the son of a prominent family of Jamaica Hills, who was killed in the Philipines in 1898 in the Spanish American War. [1] The Tilly family used to own the land the park currently sits on. [1] Until 1908, the park belonged to the Highland Park Society, "a group of Jamaica landowners who raised ducks and geese at the site" [1]. In 1908, the landowners handed the deed to the park to New York City for one dollar, with the condition that the park always remain a park.
The park went through some name changes[1]:
n 1941, a monument dedicated to the heroes of the Spanish American War was created at the park.<ref="gov" />
The latest renovation to the park was completed in 1998 through the efforts of the Jamaica Hills Community Association. "The recent restoration included a full excavation and deepening of the pond, the installation of a new clay liner and filtration system to keep the water clean, the digging of a well, the construction of an island in the pond to provide a refuge for wildlife, and an extension of the playground. New plantings and sod were also installed in the park."<ref="gov" />
Saturday May 16, 2009
10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.On December 16, 2008, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on the proposal to make Jamaica High School a Landmark Site. The proposal was accepted and as of March 24, 2009, Jamaica High School is a Landmark.
The old Jamaica High School was located on 162-02 Hillside Avenue. Originally housing 115 students in 1896, the school served 826 students by 1909. By 1926, 3 annexes were required along with part-time study to accommodate all the students. The community required a new school due to the growing population. Lobbying for a new school began in 1922, plans were made in 1924, and construction began in 1925 once the site of the school was chosen.
The current Jamaica High School opened its doors in 1927 to accommodate the growing population of Jamaica. The increase in population was cause by the opening of mass transit (See: Significant Changes in Jamaica Hills) and the immigrant population. During the 1920s the demand for space increased as population increased. Many students were assign half-day sessions or were placed in rented facilities.
The capacity of the school at the time was 3,388 students. In its initial days, the student body consisted of predominately a European population, but as the years progressed, the European population was replaced by the turn of the century immigrants from South Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. At the time, the goal was to "Americanize" immigrant children of the student body.
The building was designed by William Gompert in the Georgian Revival style with “granite columns, brick walls, and a symmetrical design” The building sits atop a hill surrounded by a lawn and is only three stories high.
The Georgian Revival style was popular in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Since Georgian Revival is a classical style, it was believed that these would “Americanize” the immigrants and they would become “acculturated to American mainstream”.
Read What the Daily News had to say about Jamaica High School's Landmark Day