HOLLISWOOD, LONG ISLAND

Another world, close at hand

The ruthless pace of New York seems far away, though downtown Manhattan is within relatively quick and easy reach. Residents can relax under the gentle shade of trees and flowers of brilliant colors steal very glance. There is a comforting sense of quiet and security in the air, and home frontages hold out the promise of a desirable and superior quality of life. Birds seem to outnumber people as far as the eye can see and their harmonious and cheerful calls sit pleasantly on the ear. It seems easy to introspect and commune with the divine. Welcome to the rare environs of Holliswood, a top residential part of Queens.

We owe the luxury of Holliswood to the inspired vision of Frederick W. Dunton. It took him just a fleeting glance from the confines of a coach of the Long Island Rail Road which his uncle had led, to fork out money and buy almost 150 acres of pristine forest, for development as lots for homes. Holliswood was conceived from the start to be a neighborhood where select families with business in Manhattan could reside in stress-busting woods. It is apparent that much thought and detailed planning has gone in to the zoning of Holliswood.

Mr. Dunton was consistent in branding Holliswood as a deluxe resort in the public mind. He chose Hispanic and Latino names for streets and provided a full-sized race-course for trotters. The most reassuring sign for investors and potential residents was that Mr. Dunton reserved a plot with a view of the Atlantic for himself and built a palace-like home on it.

Frederick Dunton's role in developing Holliswood was so pervasive that his eventual demise marked an inevitable downturn for the neighborhood of his dreams. His dream house is rumored to have been used in illegitimate manner during the drought of the prohibition, and later became a restaurant with an awfully common name. However better sense prevailed in 1949 and the former Dunton estate is now a fashionable apartment block.

The Grand Central Parkway on top and the Hillside Avenue below mark the length of Holliswood, which lies between the Francis Lewis Boulevard on its right and 188th Street as the Western limit. It is left to the Holliswood Civic Association to carry forward the caring legacy of Frederick Dunton. The Association has a record of almost 4 decades of active service. Its influence and effectiveness are quickly evident as one enters the neat and orderly territory of Holliswood.

The Holliswood Hospital adds a new and modern standard of community achievement to the neighborhood's admirable pedigree of sustainable living. The hospital is at the vanguard of Mental Health management and research. It offers comprehensive diagnosis and care for people of all ages and has high relevance in the social environment of today. The hospital has over 100 beds and has the signature garden setting of Holliswood. It is poised to make a growing and significant contribution to the profession and cause of Psychiatry during the coming years.