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THE VIRTUAL TOUR
 Upon
exiting the 82nd Street subway station at 82nd and Roosevelt Avenue,
one is in the midst of the Jackson Heights commercial
district. It is a vibrant, multicultural location bustling
with crowds on the weekends. The buildings are relatively
low rise, few being higher than four stories. The street has
a preponderance of modern clothing and footwear stores, cell phone
outlets and kiosks advertising money transfers to Latin American
countries. back to the top.
 The
buildings to the right on 82nd Street were designed as part of the
Queensboro Corporation’s English Garden’s landscape known as the English
Gables I (built in 1928) and the buildings on the left are English
Gables II (1935). back to the top.
 At
the end of the block one arrives at the intersection with 37th Avenue.
The original neo-Tudor style Queensboro Corporation Building is
located on the southwest corner of 82nd Street and 37th Avenue.
The building originally constructed in 1929, was home to the new
office of the Queensboro Corporation when they moved to Jackson
Heights from Manhattan. The upper levels house law offices. The
lower floor has had numerous occupants over the years. A branch
of the North Fork Savings Bank currently occupies the space. back
to the top.
 On
the north east corner of the same intersection are newly constructed
buildings. The A&C Clark Building's original plan had been to build
a modernist glass tower for offices. However, the plans came to
a stall in the early 1980s when the economy was declining. When
plans resumed in the late 1980’s, the Jackson Heights Beautification
Group worked with architects to redesign the building as a post-modernist
blend of Italianate and French Chateau styles to blend with the
historic buildings around it. back to the top.
 Along
82nd Street on the intersection with 35th Avenue is the St.Joan
of Arc R.C. Church, established in 1920 but incomplete until 1953
due to diocesan politics. This was the first Catholic Church
in the US dedicated to a French Saint. Church services are
held in both English and Spanish as are the signage and publications.
Many of the neighborhood’s children attend the adjacent junior
high school. back to the top.
 The
Community United Methodist Church is located at 81-10 35th Avenue,
is one of the mainline Protestant churches established in Jackson
Heights. Originally established in 1919, it currently reflects
the changing nature of the neighborhood, offering separate services
in Chinese, Spanish, Korean, Brazilian, Urdu and English. back
to the top.
 The Latin
American Business District (between 74th and 79th Streets) is particularly
busy on weekends. Here the business owners tend to use symbols
and colors of national flags, heroes and toponyms etc. to communicate
where they are from and who they are seeking to serve. Many
mini-malls in the area advertise in Korean and Latin American languages.
Most of these while owned by Koreans are leased to Latin Americans.
The Poblano/Mixteca population though still one of the smaller communities
in the city, is rapidly growing in terms of both documented and
undocumented immigration. back to the top.
 Little
India, roughly situated between Roosevelt and 37th Avenue on 74th
Street and the surrounding blocks, is a neighborhood that caters to
South Asian populations such as Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi.
It is cluttered street with vibrant store displays of saris, traditional
henna tattooing and precious jewelry. The Jackson Diner has earned
its reputation, over the past 10 years for an affordable culinary
indulgence. It serves north Indian food from tandoori to curries.
For those with a sweet tooth, the variety of traditional Indian sweet
stores is too tempting to resist. Palace Theater features Bollywood
films while video and DVD versions of the drama, song and dance are
found in narrow retail stores along the street. back
to the top.
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