Addisleigh Park

Addisleigh Park is a historic residential neighborhood in St. Albans, Queens, that served as one of the most important African American communities in the United States during the mid-20th century.

The neighborhood was home to an extraordinary concentration of African American cultural figures including Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Lena Horne, Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis, and W.E.B. Du Bois. The community they created was one of the most significant black suburban enclaves in American history.

Jackie Robinson moved to Addisleigh Park in 1949, two years after breaking baseball's color barrier. His presence, along with dozens of other prominent black Americans, made the neighborhood a symbol of African American achievement and aspiration.

The tree-lined streets and Tudor, Colonial, and English-style homes of Addisleigh Park represent the kind of suburban living that was denied to most African Americans during the era of segregation. The neighborhood's success challenged racial barriers in housing.

Addisleigh Park's historic district preserves the physical landscape of one of the most culturally significant African American communities in New York City history.