Ever wondered what helped shape neighborhoods like Ridgewood, Woodside & Astoria into the vibrant communities they are today? The story of the Mathews Model Flats is a major chapter in Queens’ urban history! In the early 1900s, Bavarian immigrant Gustave X. Mathews and his brothers built rows of innovative brick apartment houses that were a huge step up from the cramped tenements of Manhattan. These spacious, bright, and well-ventilated homes offered working-class families healthier living condi