QUEENS — A new mural in the heart of Forest Hills will soon honor five people who significantly contributed to the rich history of the neighborhood.
The mural, on the wall under the long-neglected Ascan Avenue Long Island Rail Road overpass, between Austin and Burns street, is currently being painted by artists Crisp and Praxis, who last year also created a mural depicting the Ramones on 71st Avenue.
The new mural will portray financier and railroad executive Russell Sage and his wife Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, a philanthropist, who founded the Russell Sage Foundation and bought 142 acres of land which was later developed into Forest Hills Gardens.
Architects and urban planners Grosvenor Atterbury and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., who designed Forest Hills Gardens, will also be included in the mural along with Ascan Backus, a German immigrant who owned a large farm in the area during the 19th century. Ascan Avenue was later named in his honor.
A rendering of the new Forest Hills mural that will depict people who played important roles in the history of the neighborhood. (Courtesy of Michael Perlman)
The mural will also include an image of the Backus family barn which once stood on the northeast corner of Queens Boulevard at 69th Road, where Walgreens is currently located, and a Forest Hills Gardens street lamp shedding light over the new community.
“I wanted to pay tribute to Forest Hills in a creative way and enhance our local art scene,” said Michael Perlman, a local historian and author of "Legendary Locals of Forest Hills and Rego Park" who initiated the project and raised nearly $4,000 for the mural among local residents and business owners.
Historian Michael Perlman (left) with artists Praxis and Crisp (Photo: DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska)
Perlman said he expects the mural, titled "A tribute to Ascan Avenue & the Forest Hills Gardens,” will boost interest in local history.
“I’m hoping that children will acquire an appreciation for our local history which in many ways is just as important as the history of America in its entirety.”
The neighborhood initially consisted of farms and was once known as Whitepot, until Cord Meyer Development Company purchased 600 acres in the area and renamed it Forest Hills in 1906.
Forest Hills Gardens, founded in 1909, was "the first planned garden community in the United States," according to its website.
The artists, who began working on the mural Sunday, expect to complete it by Tuesday evening.
“We worked with Michael on the design using historical images of each person,” Praxis said.
Passersby who watched them paint the mural Sunday embraced the idea.
“This is fantastic,” said Susan Weinstein, a copy editor and history buff who lives in Forest Hills. “So few people know about their neighborhood."
