Klugh's
Current photo of 109 Union Hall Street, Jamaica, New York where the 1947-1953 Klugh's Green Book listing was located.
This 1940s image depicts a 2 1/2 story home in Jamaica, New York where the Klugh's 1954-1955 Green Book listing was located.
A 1936 article about the Works Progress Association (WPA) holding homemaking courses at various locations including 109 Union Hall Street.
Known Name(s)
Klugh's () Klugh's ()
Address
109 Union Hall St. Jamaica, NY (1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953)107-21 171st St. Jamaica, NY (1954, 1955)
Establishment Type(s)
Tailor
Physical Status
Extant
Description
Klugh’s Tailor Shop was listed at two different locations in Jamaica, Queens, in the Green Book: 109 Union Hall from 1947-1953 and 171st Street from 1954-1955.
The 109 Union Hall Street building is at the corner of 109 Avenue and Union Hall Street Jamaica, New York. It was served as a public school, but more recently was the Freewill Missionary Baptist Church. The building is divided visually into a lower and upper level. The top of the building is clad in brick, red around the second story windows and brown above. There are 6 windows across the building facade. A white rusted cornice separates the first and second floor.
The lower level is clad in a stone veneer made up of uncoursed stonework. There is an entrance with double doors and a tan awning above. There is a ramp and stairs leading up to the entrance. The current church has signage with the name of their pastor and contact information on the exterior.
There is no known information on whether this building had this appearance during the time Klugh's was in operation.
The second location listed in the Green Book is 107-21 171st Street in Jamaica, New York. A 1940s image shows this residence as a 2 ½ story home with a gable roof. On the top level of the home, in the gable end, there was a singular 6 pane over 1 pane window. On the second floor there were 3 larger 6 panes over 1 pane windows and in front of the windows was a white railing. The lower level extended forward of the upper levels. It had a door with brick stairs leading up to it. Next to the entrance were two windows obscured in the photo by a tree. There were rocks along the front yard with a small fence.
The home at this address currently is very similar with some changes to the exterior. The siding for the whole home has been changed to either aluminum or vinyl. The windows were replaced to single pane over single pane. The railings on the second floor were removed. The lower level has a replacement large bay front window, and there is an awning over the door. The entrance has a decorative black storm door. The front stairs are no longer brick and include a railing which connects to the brick and metal fence enclosing the small area of grass. There is no known information on the interior of the house and if there have been any changes since its construction.
Detailed History
The origins of Klugh's are unknown currently as there is little information about the business itself. The 1950 census lists Alethia Klugh as the head of household at the 107-21 171st Street residence. Alethia at the time was a 53-year-old African American woman who was born in South Carolina. She was listed as a widow with no other information regarding her former spouse. Unlike her family members, she did not have an occupation listed.
According to a Long Island Daily Press article from August 31, 1928, Alethia had the maiden name Johnson and lived at the same address. She hosted a luncheon honoring Mrs. Harold Thompson. The home was decorated with yellow decor, and guests played five hundred while some were honored with awards.
Alethia had a son named James Smith who was 33 years old at the time of the 1950 census and was also born in South Carolina. He worked as a stencil cutter at Sign Contractors and during the year 1930 he was held without bail in Harlem Court for assault, violation of the Sullivan law, and causing hold ups in establishments. James' run ins with the law did not end there as he was arrested August 22, 1930, for shooting George Green of Manhattan, New York. This happened due to an altercation over 19-year-old Lillian Adams and in turn James admitted to both the hold-ups and shooting of George Green.
Alethia had a daughter Marion Jackson, who worked as a clerk at a collection agency. Her husband John L. Jackson was 44 years old in 1950 and worked as a gardener. The final member of the household was a young girl named Richard Soloman who was 19 years and listed as a foster child.
The earlier address listed for the tailor shop was 109 Union Hall Street. Two articles published in 1939 mention the Works Progress Administration (WPA) offering home and technical courses at this address. The technical courses were taught from 9 AM to 9 PM at 109 Union Hall Street Jamaica, New York. These classes took place at public school (P.S.) 44 and provided for a wide variety of work skills such as homemaking, cooking, Spanish, English, auto mechanics, and citizenship. While another source from December 1, 1939, discusses 450 women signed up for WPA homemaking courses. These took place throughout various public schools such as P.S. 44 located at 109 Union Hall Street. The classes taught students to make clothing at home using proper colors, patterns, and fabrics, as well as how to budget income and reconstruct old garments to revive them.
Years later, in 1950, the address included two different apartments. The tenants of 109-01 Union Hall Street were James and Eliza Glover an African American married couple. James was 34 and Eliza 28, and both were from South Carolina. Eliza's occupation was listed as a domestic in private homes potentially making her a maid while James was a laborer working in construction.
