A mystery in Forest Hills, Queens has been partially solved, thanks to the discovery of five concrete slabs that are now being stored at the historic Forest Hills Stadium.

"There's so much great history here, that anytime we find a piece of it we want to bring it back and make it part of the current experience as well,” said Jason Brandt, general manager of the stadium, which is nearly a century old.


What You Need To Know

  • There was a "celebrity walk" outside the Forest Hills Inn in the 1960s, featuring hand and foot prints and autographs of performers and tennis stars

  • The Inn was a popular spot for those performing or playing at nearby Forest Hills Stadium

  • Five concrete slabs from the celebrity walk were tracked down in a garage in Forest Hills Gardens

  • The slabs are at the stadium and there are plans to restore and preserve them to teach visitors about the stadium's history

The slabs feature the autographs, handprints and footprints of performers Woody Allen, Buddy Hackett, Trini Lopez, Herb Alpert and tennis greats John Newcombe and Clark Graebner.

In the 1960s, the slabs were part of a celebrity walk located in front of the Forest Hills Inn, kind of like at the famous Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The Inn was a swanky hotel back then, attracting stars of the stage and the court who were performing or playing at the stadium a few blocks away.

"It was really the center of classy social life in the heart of Forest Hills,” said Michael Perlman, chairperson of the Rego-Forest Preservation Council.

Perlman has been on a quest for six years to track down some of the estimated 15 to 20 slabs, which had seemingly vanished from in front of the inn, which is now co-ops. Earlier this month, five of the slabs were located blocks away in a homeowner's garage.

"We were able to track these down and put together a little clue to go pick them up locally and like super exciting to get a real piece of history here,” said Brandt.

Perlman hopes to have the slabs restored and preserved so visitors to the stadium can learn more about its history. Meanwhile, the search continues for the rest of the slabs.

"We are still trying to find the handprints of Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and Sammy Davis Junior,” said Perlman.