16 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 25, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM Gertrude McDonald, fi rst woman to run for offi ce in Queens, dies at 100 BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected] / @Angela Matua Sunnyside resident Gertrude “Gert” McDonald, a pioneer in Queens politics and longtime civic leader, died on Sunday, May 21. She was 100 years old. In 1968, McDonald became the fi rst woman to run for elective offi ce as a Democrat in Queens County. She ran for a seat on the New York State Assembly and although she lost, local leaders such as Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan credit her for inspiring other women to run. “Gert McDonald was a wonderful, community-minded person who cared about making our neighborhoods of Sunnyside and western Queens a better place,” she said. “She paved the way for many woman elected offi cials like myself to be more active in government.” McDonald also served on Community Board 2, was the president of the 108th Precinct Community Council and member of both Sunnyside Community Services and United Forties Civic Association. She, along with other community leaders, fought in 2009 to bring back a decommissioned bus stop near Sunnyside Community Services to provide easier transportation access to seniors. Congressman Joe Crowley called her “a true giant within our borough.” “For nearly eight decades, Gert harbored an unrivaled passion for civic engagement and for making a diff erence in her community,” he said. “Gert shattered barriers for women in local politics and became a true inspiration for generations to come.” McDonald leaves behind her daughter Eileen Auld, seven grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Th e wake will be held at Edward D. Lynch Funeral Home, 43-07 Queens Blvd. on May 24 and May 25 from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held 10:30 a.m. on May 26, 2017, at St. Teresa Church, located at 50-20 45th St. in Woodside. Th e burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, located at 49-02 Laurel Hill Blvd. In lieu of fl owers, the family is requesting donations in Gert’s memory to Th e New York Women’s Foundation at 39 Broadway, Suite 2300, New York, NY, 10006. Photo courtesy of Facebook/Sunnyside Community Services Gertrude McDonald, a Sunnyside community leader, died at 100. Luxury condos approved for Flushing RKO Keith’s Theater BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI [email protected]/@smont76 Th e city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) gave the green light on Tuesday to plans for the construction of a luxury condo building atop the historic RKO Keith’s Flushing Th eater. Th e movie palace at 135-29 Northern Blvd. opened in 1928 and was granted partial interior landmark status on its ornate grand lobby and ticket foyer spaces shortly before its closing in 1986. Vacant ever since, the site has passed between several developers who have tried unsuccessfully to bring their envisioned projects to fruition. Th e historic property was most recently purchased in July 2016 for $66 million by Xin Development, an arm of China’s Xinyuan Real Estate. Th e development group presented their plans for the site at the May 16 LPC public hearing. Plans fi led by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and Ayon Studio Architecture and Preservation show developers will build a glassy 16-fl oor building standing at just over 189 feet containing 269 apartment units. Th e existing landmarked ticket lobby and grand foyer will serve as the entryway for the residential building. Th e commission unanimously voted to support the project with the stipulation that developers work with the city agency to ensure that the public still be able to access and view the landmarked space for at least a limited time a day, according to a report from Curbed. Photos within the presentation illustrate the disrepair the landmarked areas have fallen under over the years. Th e developers will enclose the landmarked areas during construction and disassemble, restore off -site and reinstall salvaged ornamental plasterwork, woodwork and replicas. Th is approach has been used on other landmarked sites in the past, including Th e Lyric and Apollo Th eaters in Manhattan. Non-landmarked areas of the theater, like the auditorium, will be demolished. According to the current estimated project schedule, removal of historic material will begin next month and the demolition of the non-landmarked surrounding building will begin in late October. Th e new building will begin to be constructed in late April 2018 and the project will closeout two years later. Th e development group presented plans for the site to Community Board 7’s Landmarks and Land Use committees two weeks ago, according to fi rst vice chair Chuck Apelian. “We were very excited that they have taken on the project,” Apelian said. “We just think that it’s something that’s long overdue.”
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