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THE NEWSPAPER OF JAMAICA, HOLLIS & ST. ALBANS
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Oct. 8 - Oct. 14, 2021
Elmhurst honors Polish WWII heroes
in hopes of preserving historic home
BY BILL PARRY
Elected officials, historians
and community leaders
gathered at the Janta House
in Elmhurst to celebrate the
street co-naming of 43rd Avenue
and Judge Street as Janta-
Połczynska Polish Heroes Way.
The co-naming highlights
the historic home and contributions
of Polish World War
II heroes Walentyna Janta-
Połczynska and her husband
Aleksander Janta Połczynska.
The Elmhurst community has
been actively petitioning the
NYC Landmarks Preservation
Commission to landmark their
home as a historic cultural site
since 2020.
“The Janta-Połczynska
home in Elmhurst is a pillar
of my district and a symbol of
the Polish immigrant contributions
in Queens,” Councilman
Daniel Dromm said. “The
house stands as a monument
to Polish citizens who fought
against the scourge of fascism
in Europe. I’m so proud to have
named this street Polish Heroes
Way. We hope to preserve
homes like this that are rooted
in history.”
The couple dedicated their
entire life to undermine the
oppressive totalitarian regimes
of Europe in the 1940s
before they were exiled from
their native Poland and moved
Councilman Daniel Dromm celebrated a street co-naming in Elmhurst to honor two Polish WWII heroes
who settled in the neighborhood after the war. Photo courtesy of Dromm’s offi ce
to 88-28 43rd Ave. after their
marriage in 1949. Their home
became a gathering place for
other notable Polish expatriates
in the post-war era including
Czesław Miłosz, Jerzy
Giedroyc, Jan Karski and
Marek Hłasko. Walentyna died
in 2020 at the age of 107.
“Walentyna and Aleksander
Janta-Połczynski were
humanitarians who fought
valiantly against Nazi occupation
and later Communist
oppression,” Councilman Robert
Holden said. “Their house
in Elmhurst often served as a
meeting place for Polish revolutionaries
and is a part of Polish
history. This street will forever
memorialize the Jantas’
heroism. The NYC Landmarks
Preservation Commission
must landmark this house.”
Community leader Alfonso
Quiroz has organized Elmhurst
residents and preservation
organizations to push for
the landmarking status in an
effort to thwart a developer’s
plan to demolish the home to
make way for an apartment
house on the property.
“Today’s street renaming
is an important part of recognizing
the historical importance
of Elmhurst, Queens.
This place is one the oldest
established neighborhoods in
New York City, with a history
dating back to before the Revolutionary
War, and it’s being
swallowed up by unscrupulous
developers,” Quiroz said. “The
clock is ticking and time is of
the essence. We can no longer
sit back and watch these cultural
gems disappear from our
landscape.”
Preservation consultant
and NYU Adjunct Instructor
Kelly Carroll explained
that the street co-naming
celebrates real people who
embodied service, sacrifice,
leadership and Walentyna’s
non-traditional women’s role
in a leadership position.
“Mrs. Janta’s education
and bilingualism put her at
the nexus of Polish intelligence
during World War II,”
Carroll said. “Because of her
skill set, she transcribed Nazi
atrocities for the world to see.
In a world where women’s
education is still not a right,
her story is a story worth preserving
and sharing. Our only
hope is that the celebration
today will propel the house to
priority status for the Landmarks
Preservation Commission
to act and save it for future
generations.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
Vol. 9 No. 41 32 total pages
YU-CHING PAI (James)
for CITY COUNCIL
DISTRICT 20
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