Mar. 27, 2024 By Ethan Marshall
As Cord Meyer Development Company celebrates its 12oth anniversary, its impact on Queens cannot be overstated. Built on decades of accomplishment, the company remains firmly focused on the future, here in Bayside and beyond.
Cord Meyer Development was officially incorporated in 1904 but its roots trace back to the Cord Meyer family in the mid-to-late 1800s. At the time, they were operating a sugar refinery and fertilizer farm and factory. While Queens was comprised mainly of farmland at the time, pockets of development were forming. Cord Meyer recognized the growth opportunity and acquired more property across Queens, including farmland in what is now Elmhurst from Lord & Taylor department store founder Samuel Lord.
Thanks to Cord Meyer Development, that neighborhood started to grow, with businesses and homes being built. Cord Meyer subdivided property into lots, aligned the street grid, funded the extension of a trolley into Elmhurst, and brought water to the area through Cord Meyer’s Citizen’s Water Company.