4. Many sites throughout Woodside are named for Bulova
Bulova is a watch and clockmaker that was founded in Queens in 1875 as the J. Bulova Company. Bohemian immigrant Joseph Bulova founded the company nearly 40 years before opening his first plant dedicated to producing watches, Bulova received national attention in 1923, around when it opened operations in Woodside and Flushing. In fact, once Charles Lindbergh became the first solo pilot to cross the Atlantic nonstop, he received $1,000 and a Bulova watch. The company produced the world’s first television advertisement in 1941, and it has since produced watches such as Accutron, Computron, and an Apollo 15 watch.
Today, there are numerous locations named for or dedicated to Bulova in Woodside. The Bulova Corporate Center was first designed to house offices and production facilities of the company. The Art Deco building was built in 1953 and today features a modern interior. A small street in northern Woodside near Grand Central Parkway is named Bulova Avenue. On 62nd Street is the building which hosted the Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking, which was a tuition-free school built in 1948.