18 The Courier sun • AUGUST 22, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Famed designer dead in fatal fire BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] A fatal fire took the life of one of the world’s last mid-century designers, said police and a close friend. Charles Pollock, 83, of Charles Pollock Designs, created one of the best-selling office chairs in history, the Pollock Executive Chair. He moved to 157th Street in Jamaica just a few years ago after a lifetime of designing, said Constance Smith, longtime friend and business partner. “He was wonderfully creative,” Smith said. Around 7 a.m. on Tuesday, August 20, the FDNY got a call about a basement fire at Pollock’s private, two-story dwelling. Fire officials do not know who made the call. Minutes later, four to five fire trucks appeared on the scene, according to the FDNY and neighbors. An unidentified male, who neighbors and Smith say is Pollock, was pronounced dead. “He had a lifelong love for design,” Smith said. “He lived for it.” Before beginning his career, Pollock graduated from the Pratt Institute, which he attended on a full scholarship, according to Smith. Throughout the years, Pollock was featured in publications such as The New York Times for his designs, and his work appeared in various museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan and the Louvre in France. In Jamaica, neighbors said Pollock kept to himself and lived a low-key life. He had difficulty walking and was wheelchairbound. Charles Pollock, 83, was found dead after a fire broke out in his Jamaica home. Cambria Heights Library expanding BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] Hammers crashed through the wall at the Queens Library branch in Cambria Heights, breaking down barriers and creating room for young minds to grow. Councilmember Leroy Comrie and Queens Library president and CEO Thomas Galante swung the hammers through the wall to clear the way into a space that will become the new Teen Center. “Queens Libraries remain a critical part of our communities,” said Comrie, who funded the expansion. When complete, the library will have an additional 4,000-square-feet, giving youth access to a community center equipped with a cyber center, lounge, reading room, reference and school work resources, a meeting room and a digital recording studio. The center will be located on the lower level with a separate entrance, which will allow teens to use the site during non-library hours. The $1.34 million project is expected to be complete by next spring. “With Comrie’s support, the library will be the coolest place in Cambria Heights and we couldn’t be happier,” Galante said. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE QUEENS LIBRARY PHOTO BY ROBERT STRIDIRON Councilmember Leroy Comrie, Queens Library president Thomas Galante and local youth celebrated the beginning of expanding the Cambria Heights library branch. Some days, neighbors saw him waiting outside his home for Access-A-Ride to pick him up. Rumors Pollock had mental health issues circled his neighborhood the morning of the fire, but Smith said those issues were addressed back when he was 22 years old. He was not married and had no children, but had a girlfriend who lives in Manhattan, according to Smith. The cause of the fire was not yet determined as of press time, and the investigation is ongoing. A firefighter on the scene sustained minor injuries but refused medical attention, according to the FDNY. QueensWay study moving forward BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] Over three miles of abandoned railway could become the much-debated, yet eagerly anticipated, QueensWay Park for the borough. The nonprofit Trust for Public Land introduced a design team on Tuesday, August 20 set to study the 3.5-mile greenway that was once the Rockaway Beach LIRR line, running from Rego Park to Ozone Park. If approved and the project moves forward, the QueensWay would be double the size of Manhattan’s High Line, The Courier reported in December. The year-long study, starting after Labor Day, will be conducted by WXY architecture + urban design and dlandstudio and will look at a variety of ways to convert the abandoned rail line into parkland, including engineering requirements, environmental impact and community feedback. “The QueensWay is going to be New York’s next great park,” said Marc Matsil, New York state director of the Trust for Public Land. “Our mission is to protect land for people, and this is a perfect fit with that goal.” The walkway will connect multiple communities and provide green space for 250,000 people in the borough, said Trust for Public Land officials. Art, sculptures and food from around the world will also be included. Jack Friedman, Queens Chamber of Commerce executive director, said this initiative will provide a “muchneeded boost” to the borough’s economy and local businesses. The study will be funded by a $467,000 grant from Governor Andrew Cuomo as well as $140,000 from the Department of Environmental Protection and private donors. However, not everybody is on board with the study, or the QueensWay itself. Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder said he believes local residents would greatly benefit from “a complete restoration of the Rockaway Beach Line.” “I am confident that any objective study regarding the best use for the abandoned rail line will conclude that a transportation option is the only real choice,” he said. “The current lack of public transit options in Queens is strangling our businesses and hurting our families.”
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