Second Lives: The Changing Buildings of Jamaica, Queens

In downtown Jamaica, theaters have become churches, churches have become cultural venues, a library became a courthouse, then apartments, and a hospital transformed into housing. Buildings often outlive the purposes they were designed for, leaving clues about earlier eras hidden in plain sight.

This walk explores the many “second lives” of Jamaica’s buildings and what they reveal about the neighborhood’s changing community, economy, and institutions. Together we’ll look for architectural hints of past uses and talk about how cities adapt when the needs of a neighborhood shift. Stops include the Jamaica Performing Arts Center (former First Reformed Church of Jamaica), the Tabernacle of Prayer Lifeline Church (former Valencia Theater), Parkhill City Apartments (former Mary Immaculate Hospital), and others.