Richmond Hall residents find preservation lacking

A 79-year-old Queens movie theater, RKO Keith’s in Richmond Hill, has had its name stripped off
the marquee; residents are wondering whether more changes are planned for the Hillside Avenue
fixture. Another community mainstay, Jahn’s old fashioned ice cream parlor,
closed in November after almost 80 years in business. The 1887 Simonson’s
Funeral Home was demolished early last year after a failed landmarking bid. And
the 1908 Richmond Hill Republican Club is being gutted by a developer, who has
only spared its exterior walls because they are protected with landmark status.
“Everything historical down there is gone, almost,” said Nancy
Cataldi, president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society.