In the heart of Forest Hills, just off Queens Boulevard, the 11-story Forestal condo development is close to everything — a grocery store around the corner, the subway a block away and within easy reach of Austin Street and its myriad shops, restaurants and cafes, many of which are housed in charming, Tudor-style buildings. Dating to 1960, the 73-unit property is sheathed in pale pink brick and adheres to a streamlined postwar aesthetic with minimal ornament. The structure's boxy silhouette tapers near the top, creating a stepped crown that provides residences on the upper floors with private terraces. On the street level, a glazed entryway cuts into the building at a diagonal, leading to a mosaic-clad lobby with terrazzo floors. Until 1983, the building was entirely comprised of rental units — and the co-op’s sponsor, Midforest, still co-owns and leases many dwellings within the property today. <br><br>The Forestal contains studios, one- and two-bedroom residences, many with hardwood floors and built-in HVAC units. Decorative elements like crown moldings and beamed ceilings are rare, and some finishes and appliances appear dated. The dwellings on the top three floors are equipped with terraces created from the building's setbacks, and a line of balconies runs down the tower on the street-facing side. Three-panel windows, a building signature, fill many interior spaces with natural light, while spacious floorplans generally include walk-in closets. Prices for a studio start at $350,000, while one-bedrooms range between $400,000 and $570,000. A revamped two-bedroom penthouse with a large terrace hit the market in January 2025 for $1.3 million. Stylish elements in that dwelling include Italian-imported bathroom tiles and a Miele range in the kitchen. <br><br>The property has limited amenities but has an elevator, shared laundry room and live-in super. Between 2018 and 2021, the building added an ADA-accessible wheelchair ramp to the front entrance. It was previously only accessible via a short set of stairs, making it suitable for those with physical disabilities. The building is secured with a video intercom system that leads to a buzzer-secured entry vestibule. Rounding out the amenities is an on-site parking garage for those with a car. While no gym is on-site, Planet Fitness is just a few blocks away. <br><br>Residents frequent Austin Street, less than two blocks from the Forestal, for shopping, dining and entertainment. As the neighborhood's main drag, the strip and its surrounding blocks are home to various popular bars and restaurants, a Regal movie theater, casual delis and small businesses like salons and dry cleaners. White Radish is a standout restaurant serving a menu of new American dishes in a cozy setting with leather banquettes and wooden tables. Also on Austin Street is the original location of acclaimed mini-chain Martha’s Country Bakery, plus national retailers such as Target and Sephora. A Key Food is two doors down from the building for groceries, while Trader Joe's is less than half a mile away. <br><br>Housed within the Forestal are two floors of professional suites occupied by medical practices, and the building shares a block with a UPS, a CVS and a Starbucks. The Queens Public Library at Forest Hills is one block over and offers free Wi-Fi, computer workstations, classes, and other programs. For recreation, compact MacDonald Park is just two blocks away and includes lawns, plazas and chess tables. Less than half a mile from the property is Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which encompasses nearly 900 acres on the 1939 New York World's Fair site. Today, the sprawling green space holds baseball fields, sports courts and miles of trails along with Citi Field, home of the Mets, and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which hosts the U.S. Open. <br><br>The E, F, M and R trains stop less than two blocks from the Forestal at the Forest Hills-71st Avenue subway station. Riders taking the express E or F trains can reach Manhattan in as little as 20 minutes. Additionally, some neighborhood residents utilize the Long Island Rail Road, which stops a third of a mile from the building, to take them to Manhattan or parts of Long Island. Several buses stop in the immediate vicinity: the Q64, Q23, QM4 and QM44. For those needing to fly, the building is roughly halfway between JFK and LaGuardia airports, making them both accessible in about 20 minutes by car. While the neighborhood has never had Citi Bike docks, the local government plans to install them in Forest Hills and Rego Park starting in the fall of 2025.
The Forestal is a condominium located in Queens and the 11375 ZIP Code. This area is served by the Queens County attendance zone.
