Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center To Reopen This Fall
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The historic Rego Park recreation center is getting upgraded for the next generation.
By Michael Perlman
Among the top ten questions from Rego Park and nearby residents is “When is Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center reopening?” Their long-awaited wishes will soon be granted by the Parks Department, as the historic building at 93-29 Queens Boulevard will offer improved accommodations, and its doors will reopen this fall.
Back in October 2017, the design phase originated, and construction followed in July 2022. “The $25.9 million capital project included a renovation of the building entry and lobby, as well as renovations to the fitness and weightlifting facilities,” explained the NYC Parks Spokesperson. “The upgraded facility will now be fully accessible and in compliance with ADA standards, while safety systems and stairs have been upgraded. Important interior and exterior upgrades to deteriorated stormwater systems have been made, improving the facility’s drainage systems. The historic Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals were carefully covered and protected throughout the construction process.”
The project became a reality due to the teamwork of the designers, 1100 Architect, and D & S Restoration, Inc., the construction contractor. Construction concluded, and it will reopen after the NYC Parks Public Programs team sets up Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center for public use, continuing a rich community tradition in Queens.
This historic site has served as a community beacon for nearly 90 years. From 1938 to 1939, the WPA funded an Art Moderne building for $100,000, which bears homage to the 77th Division of the U.S. Army for its heroism in the Battle of Argonne in France during WWI. Over half of its 550 American soldiers perished and are remembered as members of “The Lost Battalion.” The building was placed under Parks Department jurisdiction in 1960. It was adapted for the community as a recreation center for children to seniors with diverse programs and activities, including art, a media lab, weightlifting, ping-pong, basketball, and fitness classes.
Lost Battalion Hall, 1940, Courtesy of Historian Ron Marzlock.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented a proclamation and designated August 22, 2003 as “77th Appreciation Day” in recognition of the brave men and women who served on behalf of our nation. An excerpt read: “For 86 years, the 77th Army Infantry Division has protected our city and our nation in times of crisis. On its 86th anniversary, we salute its descendant, the 77th Army Reserve Command and its courageous and skilled members who continue this illustrious unit’s legacy of valor. The unit was established on August 25, 1917 in New York State, and was called the ‘Metropolitan Division’ because a large percentage of its membership was residents of New York City.”
Adorning the brick façade is a tributary limestone inscription with two bronze tablets of the Statue of Liberty. In a most unassuming place, the gymnasium, players encounter two “Sailor, Soldier, Marine” WPA murals of the Lost Battalion in action, which were painted in 1938 by influential American painter Oscar Julius (1882 – 1965), and underwent restoration in 1995. He pursued his studies at Boston Museum School, National Academy of Design, and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Back in 1921, he was among the founders of the Guild of American Painters.
Two bronze plaques are displayed in the lobby. One features Lady Liberty with an inscription that reads, “In Memory of The Lost Battalion. Built AD 1938 By Work Projects Admin. George U. Harvey, Boro. President of Queens.” Another memorial plaque features Borough President Harvey’s portrait as Lieutenant colonel, DSC (Distinguished Service Cross) dedicated by the citizens of Queens in 1946.
Lost Battalion Hall memorial plaque, Photo by Michael Perlman.
Historically, the building featured a firing range and drill hall for the Queens Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. This is also where the Civilian Defense Volunteer Office welcomed enrollees for World War II. In 1941, 2,000 guests celebrated President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s birthday with a dance to aid an infantile paralysis drive. Helen Becker would play piano for the GIs with the United Service Organizations (USO) during WWII. Among other diverse events are square dance festivals in the 1940s, an appearance by professional basketball player Bobby McDermott in 1950, boxing matches, a Perquackey contest in 1966, and testimonials for President Truman and President Eisenhower. It also accommodated nursery school, senior programs, arts and crafts, and 1980s breakdancing. The hall was also referenced in the four-season televised sitcom “Dear John” starring Judd Hirsch circa 1989. Among the humanitarian causes the center participated in more recent years were food donations and joining forces with the Department of Homeless Services’ community outreach initiatives.
The January 6, 1943 edition of the Long Island Daily Press captured Lost Battalion’s vibe. It read, “Besides the Civilian Defense Volunteer Office, it houses the Veterans of Foreign Wars welfare bureau which occupies two rooms. Various dances, rallies, and meetings are held from time to time in the auditorium, and on Saturday nights amateur boxing bouts are staged. The CDVO in Queens is headed by Mrs. John Adikes of Jamaica Estates and Charles G. Meyer of Bayside. It acts as the recruiting agency, the manpower reservoir and the morale arm for the Office of Civilian Defense agencies in Queens.”
Lost Battalion Hall helped shape the career of basketball legend “New York No. 19” Willis Reed, who passed away on March 21, 2023, but will always be remembered as “The Captain.”
From 1964 to 1974, he played with the New York Knicks, and then served as a coach and vice president of basketball operations for the New Jersey Nets to senior vice president of basketball. His incredible journey resulted in becoming a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 1982, and being recognized as one of the “50 greatest players in NBA history” in 1996.
In the early 1970s, Reed resided nearby in a three-room apartment at the 61-35 98th Street building of Park City Estates, and could be spotted at Lost Battalion Hall, where the New York Knicks would practice.
Lost Battalion Hall boxing circa May 1962, Courtesy of the Parks Dept.
The recreation center harbors distinctive memories, as it has played a diverse role in the lives of residents near and afar. “My Russell Sage Junior High School and Forest Hills High School friends and I played basketball there many Saturdays in the late 1960s and early 1970s,” reminisced Irwin Curtin of Parsippany, New Jersey, who was raised in Princeton Gardens at 88-11 63rd Drive. “I remember occasionally seeing the Knicks’ Cazzie Russell, who lived nearby, practicing free throws.” Basketball player and coach Cazzie Russell is recognized as an NBA All-Star, and for winning an NBA Championship with the Knicks in 1970, among his other achievements. Another famed basketball player, who could be spotted weightlifting, was the late Harthorne Wingo, a New York Knicks 1973 Champion.
Florida resident Alan Feldstein, formerly of Forest Hills, reminisced, “In the late sixties, my friends and I used to watch the Knicks practice there. They were all very friendly. We mostly played basketball at Russell Sage because it was closer to where we lived, but every couple of weeks depending on the weather, we would go to Lost Battalion, since the competition was much better.” Besides crossing paths with Willis Reed and Cazzie Russell, they would see basketball player and former Senator Bill Bradley and basketball player Jerry Lucas.
Perry Russell, who graduated from Forest Hills High School in 1967, resided at 105-38 64th Road. He explained, “When we were young, going to the Lost Battalion was a big deal. It was serious balling. You would be playing alongside kids from other neighborhoods. It was a tough place to play. We never played on the main courts, since that’s where the college players and top high school kids were. When I came back from college, I was a little out of shape. Pete Gottshalk, Fred Rosenthal and I started going twice a week. Pete was our tall guy at 5 ft. 9 in, I was 5 ft. 7 in, and Fred was 5 ft. 6 in. Red Holzman of the Knicks hit the open-man kind of ball. After a few weeks, I was playing as well as ever. You went to the Battalion for real ball.”
“I played basketball and remember being in the locker room with Walter Jones ‘The Big Bell’ Bellamy (6 ft. 11 in) of the New York Knicks in the early 1960s. I also attended High Holiday services for the overflow of congregants from Rego Park Jewish Center,” explained Westchester resident Marty Fiedler, formerly of Princeton Gardens at 88-04 63rd Drive.
“My father, Morris Weissbrot, started the weightlifting program and ran many meets. I went there as a teen to square dancing around 1962, and my friends and I had a blast,” said Binnie Aquilino. She was raised in Brooklyn and resides in Flushing.
The community was a breeding ground for its neighborly spirit and influential figures in the arts and recreation, as reinforced by Lisa Reskakis Rodriguez, who would visit Lost Battalion Hall in the late 1960s. “We were practicing for an ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ production and had fun,” she recalled. It felt like a Friday tradition. “I lived in Park City until 1983 and moved to Wetherole Street, followed by Westchester in 1991. Sometimes we would see Willis Reed and Cazzie Russell walking up the path outside my terrace, since they lived in Park City Estates.”
Sunnyside resident Michael Cassara, president of the Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City, explained one of many roles that Lost Battalion Hall played in politics. “When Covid hit in 2020, there was an anticipated shortage of Election Day poll-workers. I signed up, as did a number of friends, and Queens ended up having a surplus of worker options. A few hundred people were instructed to report to Lost Battalion by 5 AM on Election Day before awaiting a next assignment. I ran into people I hadn’t seen in months, and by 8 AM, they gave me a same-day assignment in Richmond Hill, but the energy at Lost Battalion was quite special that morning.”
WPA mural 2 by Oscar Julius, Photo by Michael Perlman, 2020.
Retired longtime Forest Hills High School teacher Patty Bugland of Forest Hills praised the center for its huge difference in the youth scene. “A number of former students from my I.S. 8 years used to take the Q60 there and back after school, on weekends, and during summers for whatever recreational activities they could.” Looking forward, she added, “I was hoping that the building would be restored, not destroyed or redesigned, since so many of our older buildings have been lost. An upgrade can keep a meaningful building largely intact while modernized.”
In 2020, Lost Battalion Hall Manager Angela Elie, who served the community since 2011, was interviewed by this columnist. “We engage people of all ages and abilities through art, music, technology, and so much more. I enjoy watching seniors get active through various programs,” she said.
Elie pointed out her diverse experiences, including working with professional basketball players. She said, “One of our former teen members plays for Oklahoma City Thunder and won the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest in 2019. I felt a sense of pride watching the content and even told my husband, ‘That’s my kid!’” Other unforgettable moments included a holiday event with Derek Jeter portraying Santa Claus. “A most notable perk is that I get to work in a building with so much life, character, and history every day. I love meeting people that visit who are relatives of those that were part of the Battalion,” she said.
Square Dancing at Lost Battalion Hall, Courtesy of the Parks Dept.
In affiliation with her staff, she was noted for developing enrichment programming, including culinary arts. At the time, she explained, “This program is tailored for children ages 8 to 13, and helps them get comfortable in the kitchen. Participants prepare three-course meals inspired by international cuisines with the assistance of New York Cares volunteers. We also host a Study The Stars Program that actively explores the field of astronomy. Participants utilize our state-of-the-art telescopes on the rooftop, and are encouraged to engage with our natural environment.”
As of 2020, when the center’s youth coach Eric Friedman served for 25 years, he considered the historic building a second home. “Knowing that Lost Battalion Hall bears homage to the 77th division of the US Army makes me feel proud to be an American.” As the coordinator of tiny tot programs for ages 1 to 3, he said, “Watching children learn, grow, and develop is truly enriching. My programs teach and prepare toddlers for preschool, and it’s been a pleasure to work with families of the surrounding communities.” He was also recognized for coach street hockey and directing the afterschool program. “I tell all my athletes, members, and program participants to enjoy life and respect their families and communities. As long as they focus on that, they can always reach for the stars,” said Friedman.
He fondly recalled Derek Jeter’s holiday event. “Jeter handed out gifts to hundreds of children, and I can’t begin to describe the priceless expressions on their faces when he walked in.” Another highlight was hosting the New York Rangers during a street hockey clinic. He said, “The players were so receptive to the children, and truly engaged our members to help them master the sport of hockey. It was great to see children interact with these athletes.” He also explained, “A few Golden Glove fighters trained as part of our boxing program. We run an Olympic weightlifting competition and had a few NBA players that played here before their professional careers began.”
