Dunningham Triangle

82 St., Ithaca St., Baxter Ave.

Queens, 11373

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

Jabez E. Dunningham (1868-1945), an Elmhurst resident, was celebrated as a father of civic progress. Born in England, Dunningham became the London representative for the publisher Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911) in the early 1890s. He moved to New York in 1896 and worked for Pulitzer until the publisher’s death in 1911. After his publishing career ended, Dunningham devoted himself to fighting for public improvements.

Dunningham moved to Elmhurst, Queens, in the early 1920s and founded the Queens Council of Civic Associations. He lobbied against pollution, excessive garbage, and other problems affecting Queens. He was also an early and vocal supporter of mass transit on Staten Island. Dunningham lived at 40-71 Denman Street, within walking distance of this triangle, and died on April 28, 1945, at the age of 77.