Elmhurst activists rally to preserve historic hub of Polish culture
/
Local children made signs urging the Landmark Preservation Commission to grant landmark status to the historic Janta home. Photo courtesy of Alfonso Quiroz
By David Brand
World War II and the rise of the Iron Curtain thrust generations of Polish scholars, artists and leaders into exile during the mid-20th Century. Many of them made their way to Queens, finding community at an unassuming wooden house in Elmhurst owned by Walentyna Janta-Połczyńska, a former government official who played a key role in exposing the Holocaust.
Community leaders and preservationists say it’s time for the city to grant landmark status to Janta-Połczyńska’s former home at 88-28 43rd Avenue, lest the current owners destroy the site to build an apartment complex.
A few dozen residents rallied in a park across from the house at 88-28 43rd Avenue Sunday to urge the Landmarks Preservation Commission to protect the building and preserve the legacy of the Janta House. Several children carried signs and drew messages in chalk to urge the city to landmark the historic home.
“We believe it’s a huge part of this community. We want to keep it,” said Elmhurst resident Milenka Paredes. “We want to show kids how important it is to our community.”
During World War II, Janta-Połczyńska, who died in April at 107, translated crucial reports into English that exposed the Holocaust and conditions inside Nazi-occupied Poland.
The Janta Home in Elmhurst. Eagle file photo by David Brand
After the war, she and her husband Aleksander Janta-Połczyński left Communist Poland and headed to Elmhurst. They turned their home into a cultural hub, hosting prominent expats as well as a who’s who of 20th Century luminaries, including Mahatma Gandhi, Vladimir Nabokov and Charlie Chaplin,according to Nowy Dziennik.
In 2015, an LLC purchased the home according to property records.
Activists say the company, 88-28 43rd Ave LLC, wants to tear down the building. The LLC representative, attorney Fuqiang Zhang, has not responded to requests for comment.
“To take that house and turn it into a developer’s greedy dream is not what this community is about,” said Assemblymember Catalina Cruz Sunday.
A site’s historical significance is not necessarily enough to earn landmark status, however. The Landmarks Preservation Commission also considers architectural, historical and cultural significance in making its decisions.
Assemblymember Catalina Cruz and City Council candidate Alfonso Quiroz spoke at a rally to landmark the historic Janta Home.
In September, LPC spokesperson Zodet Negron told the Eagle that the agency had evaluated the Janta House in August and will consider further study.
“After carefully reviewing the materials of the request, LPC determined that further study is needed to determine whether the building retains sufficient integrity to convey its cultural and historical significance,” Negron said.
The landmark application has earned the backing of the influential Historic Districts Council.
Kelly Carroll, HDC’s Director of Advocacy and Community Outreach, described the cultural and architectural relevance of the home in a letter of support in August.
“This house was known as the nucleus of the Polish emigre elite and the couple hosted esteemed Polish authors such as Czesław Miłosz, Jerzy Giedroyc, and Marek Hłasko. Jan Karski also paid visits to this home,” Carroll wrote.
In addition to its cultural importance, the home reflects early 20th Century design and has had just one alteration since it was built in 1911, she said.
“The house’s value as a physical touchstone to the story of these people’s lives far outweighs its negligible alterations,” Carroll wrote. “We urge you to designate this home of these heroes so that their stories will not soon be extinguished.”
