River Crest Sanitarium

Before there was a Mater Christi. the Rivercrest Sanitarium operated on what would become the school grounds. The old entrance ramp to Rivercrest is still in place on Ditmars Blvd.

River Crest Sanitarium was a New York State licensed mental hospital River Crest was founded in 1896 by U.S. Rep. John J. Kindred, a Virginia native who moved to Queens and was elected to the House of Representatives, serving from 1911–13 and 1921-29.

Recently a restaurant has opened in Astoria named after the Sanitarium.