Precolonial and colonial history The area now known as Holliswood was originally settled by the Jameco (or Yamecah)
Lenape of the
Algonquin Nation. In 1656, Dutch colonists operating out of New Netherland purchased the area known as Jamaica from the Jameco Indians. The Dutch colonial administration urged colonists from nearby Hempstead to settle this newly acquired area known as Jamaica. Eventually the area that would become Holliswood was dubbed East Jamaica, a sparsely populated, mostly agricultural region now situated between Jamaica proper and Queens Village. Until the onset of the American Revolution, this area saw very little growth.
19th century development The development of Holliswood is attributed to Frederick W. Dunton, who was the supervisor of the Town of Jamaica and the nephew of the president of the
Long Island Railroad. In 1884, Dunton proceeded to purchase of then farmland in East Jamaica. For himself, Dunton reserved the largest lot of land at the southern edge of Holliswood on Dunton Avenue. There, he built a large stately mansion called Hollis Hall with views all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Hollis Hall, was constructed on the bluffs where British
General Howe encamped during the Revolutionary War and captured the American General
Nathaniel Woodhull. A small portion in the southern part of Holliswood was developed after 1906 as part of Hollis Park Gardens. Sluggish sales for property in Holliswood ultimately led to its failure as a business venture in 1918. However, increased demand for housing revived the area in the following decade, and subsequently a large portion of the housing stock in the neighborhood date from the 1920s. == Land use and zoning ==