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Corona was a late 19th Century development in the old Town of Newtown. The name may have had origin in reference to the crown used as an emblem by the Crown Building Company, (and fashioned, "Corona" by Italian immigrants who moved into the area).
In the last several decades, Corona has seen significant demographic change.The predominately Italian American neighborhood of the 1960's and 1970's has been modified by a very large influx of Dominicans. While some areas near a park located in the southeast ( known locally as "spaghetti park"), have a small number of Italian families, the immigration waves of the 1990s firmly established Latin American residents as the majority, with many coming from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, Bolivia and Peru. The community also counts among its number many Asian Americans, (particularly Koreans, Filipinos Chinese), Pakistanis and African Americans.
There is a particularly rich African American history here with Corona having been home to a number of renowned musicians, (e.g. Louis Armstrong, Nat Adderly, Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald), and athletes, (e.g. Willie Mayes, Charlie Shavers), as well as the publishers of Queens first African American newspaper, Kenneth and Corien Drew. Appropriately, Corona has become home to one of the largest collections of African American art and literature in the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center, (named for the noted poet and author).
Together with Community District #4 and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the LDC is focused on several tasks for the Corona community. Important among these are:
The FWCLDC is also working with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Corona Business Corporation to make certain that the Willets Point redevelopment project fully benefits the Corona community. Of particular importance will be provision for affordable housing, superb public transportation and business development opportunities.
Louis Armstrong Home
Exciting Changes for Corona
The FWCLDC is working to assist Corona in the development of affordable housing, green streets, improved access to and maintenance of public transportation.
