Once the site of an 18th-century village called Dutch Kills, Queens Plaza as we know it began with the opening of the Queensboro Bridge in 1909. By 1915, a tangle of elevated tracks — eight in total — had begun (NY Times). The BMT operated the northern half of the station and the IRT ran the southern end. The Second Avenue El once came here until it closed in 1942. It’s abandoned tracks were demolished in 1964 (Pirmann). After a series of rail and service changes, Queensboro Plaza is presently serviced by the N and Q trains in addition to the 7. Since 2001, a major rezoning that allowed high-rises opened the door to increased development, including residential, commercial and hotel space (NY Times). With the City’s expanding development, the Q is soon to be rerouted to the Second Avenue line, and will be replaced by the W.

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