Photo Courtesy of the Borough President’s Office
The new atrium at Queens Borough Hall has been named in honor of former Borough President Helen Marshall.
By Forum Staff
Family, friends, and former colleagues in government on Tuesday honored the 18th Borough President of Queens, Helen Marshall, at the official grand opening of the Helen Marshall Cultural Center at Borough Hall.
Current Borough President Melinda Katz hosted the event, which featured remarks by Marshall’s daughter, Agnes “Marie” Marshall, and her son, Donald Marshall, Jr.; and reflections on her life and career by Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry, who represents the 35th Assembly District, which is comprised of East Elmhurst and parts of Elmhurst, Corona, Woodside and Jackson Heights. Marshall represented this area in the Assembly for nine years until she was elected to the City Council in 1991.
The celebration included musical performances, a poetry reading from students from the Dual Language Program at the PS 127 Aerospace Science Magnet School in East Elmhurst and renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” by PS 127’s Middle School Chorus.
Helen Marshall was born on Sept. 30, 1929, and attended public schools before she enrolled at Queens College, where she graduated with a B.A. in education. She and her husband, Donald Marshall, raised two children: Donald, Jr. and Agnes Marie.
Marshall began her professional career as an early childhood educator, but she left the teaching profession in 1969 to help found the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center in Corona. MMarshall was the Center’s director for five years and later served as director of Elmcor’s Testing and Placement Program. Marshall also became involved in politics and in 1982 was elected to the first of her five terms in the Assembly.
Marshall left the Assembly when she was elected to the City Council in 1991. As a Council member, Marshall served as the founding chair of the Higher Education Committee and co-chair of the Council’s Black and Latino Caucus.
In 2001, Marshall was elected to the first of the three terms she would serve as Borough President. She was the first African American and second woman to be elected to that position.
As Borough President, Marshall allocated more than $600 million to capital projects that included the renovation and construction of libraries, schools, parks and other community institutions. She also opposed budget cuts to senior centers and programs, and sought to ensure that Queens received its fair share of City funding, Katz said.
The Helen Marshall Cultural Center is an enclosed, 11,000 square-foot, multi-use event space built as an addition to Borough Hall. As Borough President, Katz said, Marshall spearheaded efforts to construct the facility and envisioned it as a place where groups could hold cultural, civic and entertainment events that would provide enrichment to the community. The Center includes a large performance stage and has a seating capacity of 275 people when set up with chairs and tables, and 418 people when set up with chairs only. The Center’s standing-room-only capacity is 634 people.
Groups interested in renting the Cultural Center for an event should contact the Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ Office of Special Events by phone at (212) 386-0243 or by email at specialevents@dcas.nyc.gov.
