The small western enclave of Addisleigh Park is a U.S. historic district where many notable African Americans have lived, including Jackie Robinson, W. E. B.

Du Bois, Lena Horne, and many jazz musicians such as Fats Waller, Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie.

[7] Part of a land grant to Dutch settlers from New Netherland Governor Peter Stuyvesant in 1655, the area, like much of Queens, remained farmland and forest for most of the next two centuries.

By the 1800s, the lands of four families—the Remsens, Everitts, Ludlums, and Hendricksons—formed the nucleus of this sprawling farm community in the eastern portion of the Town of Jamaica.

[14] Francis Lewis Boulevard (named for a signer of the Declaration of Independence, from Queens), which does not yet appear on maps from 1909,[15] nor in 1910,[16] is now the eastern boundary of St. Albans.

By July 1, 1898, the St. Albans Long Island Rail Road station opened where the tracks crossed Locust Avenue (now Baisley Boulevard).

[24] The club brought rich and famous golfers, including baseball star Babe Ruth,[25] and hosted the 1930 Metropolitan Amateur.

[32] Within St. Albans is the small western enclave of Addisleigh Park, a U.S. historic district that consists of single-family homes built in a variety of styles between the 1910s and 1930s.

[5] Today, it remains a predominantly African American & Jamaican enclave that is more upscale than surrounding areas in southeast Queens.

[33] Between 1900 and 1940, the village of Addisleigh Park was developed by a handful of eminent white entrepreneurs including Edwin H. Brown, Gerald C. English, and Alexander Rodman.

[35] A 1926 New York Times article insists, "Addisleigh, together with the St. Albans Golf Club, was laid out under the personal direction of Edwin H. Brown, and carries a land and house restriction of the highest type.

"[36] Two lawsuits were filed successfully by white residents who accused their neighbors of breaking the contractual segregation imposed on the neighborhood by its developers.

Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the New York Historic Districts Council, says about this backlash, "It was unpleasant, as it was a case of a number of narrow-minded neighbors trying to fight what they saw as an invasion of unwanted people in their area.

"[37] Affluent white New York City-based public figures moved into Addisleigh Park to experience the privacy of suburban seclusion.

For this reason, many successful African American jazz musicians began to recognize Addisleigh Park as the newest suburban haven for wealthy, influential artists.

In 1948, the United States Supreme Court ruled that racially restrictive covenants violated the equal-protection clause of the 14th Amendment, though by that year, Addisleigh Park had already become a haven for world-famous African Americans in jazz and sports.

[39]: 14 The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in St. Albans and Jamaica is 0.007 milligrams per cubic metre (7.0×10−9 oz/cu ft), less than the city average.

It contains facilities for baseball, basketball, cricket, handball, swimming, tennis, and track-and-field, as well as a recreation center, fitness equipment, playground, and spray showers.

[57] Railroad Park, a nature area, is located on a triangular plot bounded by 129th Avenue, 176th Street, and the Long Island Rail Road's Atlantic Branch.

The painting of the rock in red, black, and green, the colors of the Pan-African flag, represents the community's commitment to civil rights, group identity, and fostering ties between all people of African descent.

The location of the rock, at the intersection of St. Albans and Hollis neighborhoods in Jamaica, highlights its significance as a shared symbol for the entire community.

The Liberty Rock serves as a symbol of resistance and resilience, reminding the community of its rich cultural heritage and ongoing struggle for equality and justice.

[39]: 6  The percentage of St. Albans and Jamaica students excelling in math rose from 36% in 2000 to 55% in 2011, and reading achievement increased slightly from 44% to 45% during the same time period.

Famous stride pianist Fats Waller was the first well-known musician to move into Addisleigh Park at the peak of his career in the late 1930s.

In 1946, Basie and his wife, Katy, bought a home in Addisleigh Park, where the couple lived until 1973 when it was sold to bandleader/singer/pianist, Robert (Bubber) Johnson.

[102] Singer, film actress, and Civil Rights Activist Lena Horne also moved into the Addisleigh Park neighborhood in the year 1946.

[103] While residing in Addisleigh Park, Mercer Ellington employed Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Dorham, and Charles Mingus.

Bostic's neighbors on Murdock Avenue were Ella Fitzgerald and her then-husband, famous bassist and cellist Ray Brown.

[101] In his younger years, he had lived and worked in Chicago alongside celebrated jazz musicians Art Tatum and Eddie South.