Long Island City |
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Address
City Hall
Long Island City, NY 10007
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Phone
212-NEW-YORK |
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Long Island City, often abbreviated L.I.C., is in the Queens borough of New York City. It was created in 1870 from the communities of Astoria, Hunters Point, Blissville, Ravenswood, Dutch Kills and Bowery Bay. It is located in the northwest part of Long Island, adjoining the east bank of the East River. Locals now use the term only for the area south of Astoria.
Long Island City surrendered its independence in 1898 to become part of New York City. However, Long Island City is still one of the four main post offices in Queens. It is also the eastern terminus of the Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge, which is the only non-toll automotive route connecting Queens and Manhattan.
At and around the bridge terminus are found the Queensbridge Housing Projects. Major thoroughfares include 21st Street, which is mostly industrial and commercial, Queens Boulevard, which leads onto the bridge, and the western-most portion of Northern Boulevard. The most prominent feature aside from the bridge is the community's lone skyscraper, the Citibank building, which was built in 1989.
Long Island City was once home to many factories and bakeries, some of which are finding new uses. The former Silvercup bakery is now home to Silvercup Studios, which produces notable work such as HBO's The Sopranos. The Silvercup sign is visible from the 7 Train going into and out of Queensboro Plaza. The former Sunshine Bakery is now LaGuardia Community College. Artist Isamu Noguchi converted a photo-engraving plant into a workshop; the site is now a museum dedicated to his work. High-rise housing is now being built on the former Pepsi-Cola site, and from June 2002 - September 2004 the old Swingline Staplers plant was the temporary headquarters of the Museum of Modern Art. Other factories included Fisher Electronics, and Chiclet Gum.
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, an affiliate of The Museum of Modern Art, is the oldest and second largest non-profit arts center in the United States solely devoted to contemporary art. It is named after the former public school in which it is housed.
Long Island City is also home to several special high schools: Academy of American Studies (a history high school), Aviation High School, Information Technology, International High School, Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, Middle College High School, Newcomers High School, and Robert F. Wagner HS. Not to be confused with SHSAT-based high schools, these schools offer programs that are included at those schools.
Eagle Electric, now known as Cooper Wiring Devices, is one of the few major factories left in the area. Long Island City is also home to the largest fortune cookie factory in the United States, owned by Wonton Foods and producing four million fortune cookies a day. Lucky numbers included on fortunes in the company's cookies led to 110 people across the United States winning $100,000 each in a May 2005 drawing for Powerball.
Long Island City was featured in Steven Spielberg's Munich (film). The final scene was shot on location in 2005 at the East River pier at Gantry Park in Hunter's Point. The pier and Pepsi-Cola sign are visible in this scene.
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