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Photo of the Triangle Hofbrau at the turn-of-the-century
Photo of the Triangle Hofbrau at the turn-of-the-century

Early Postcard of the Richmond Hill Republican Club- circa 1913
Richmond Hill Republican Club Post Card- Circa 1913

Photo of the Richmond Hill Club- circa 1888
Photo of Richmond Hill Club, circa 1888-89 on Hillside Avenue
between Lefferts Blvd. and 121st Street

These are some of the many images that were contributed by Carl Ballenas for our website from his extensive collection on Richmond Hill

About Carl Ballenas
Richmond Hill Historian

Carl Ballenas is one of the credited contributers of Willam Krooss' book entitled, "A Peek at Richmond Hill Through the Keyhole of Time" 

E-mail: cetus@mindspring.com

Thanks to Carl Ballenas, much of what we know about Richmond Hill's history comes from his thoughtful and dedicated research which he has so kindly offered to share with our website.

Born in Brooklyn, Carl was raised in Richmond Hill, NY and resided there for many years. He attended Our Lady of the Cenacle School and is presently a teacher at the Immaculate Conception School – Jamaica Estates. Among his many achievements and awards in regard to his caliber as a Richmond Hill Historian are as follows: 

  • The History Channel receipent for bringing the preservation of local history to life in the classroom.
  • "2007 Save Our History Teacher" award for distinguished work with his students and enabling them to take an active role in the preservation process.
  • Listed with the Queens Borough Office as an official lecturer for Queens County.
  • Has given symposiums on Queens history and presented a number of written papers.
  • Richmond Hill Historian 1985 – Present
  • Board Member of the Richmond Hill Historical Society
  • Board member Central Queens Historical Society 1988 – Present
  • Member of Community Board #9 1986 – 1988
  • Received Award- Who’s Who of American Teachers
  • 1999 Grant Winner – United Federation of Teachers
  • 1999 Science Teacher Award – Association of Science Technology Centers
  • Henry Dopwell Foundation Grant Winner
  • New York Hall of Science – Teacher Consultant
  • 1999 White House Artisan – Washington DC
  • 2005 – Grant Winner and Teacher Ambassador for the Peacewords Foundation
  • The National Catholic Educational Association
    Department of Elementary Schools
    2006 NCEA Distinguished Teacher Award
    In Honor of Sister Miriam Joseph Farrell
  • 2006 Siemens Science Teacher Initiative Award
    In Partnership with the New York Hall of Science
  • Winner of the Diocese of Brooklyn/Queens Futures in Education Foundation Grant for the Labyrinth Project