The Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday, the first day of Black History Month, designated the Addisleigh Park Historic District in southeastern Queens, an attractive suburban-type enclave with a history of very prominent black residents such as Jackie Robinson, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Count Basie, Joe Louis and Lena Horne.

The neighborhood lies in a rough triangle between Linden Boulevard on the south, the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road on the east, Sayres Avenue on the north and Marne Placeon the west.

A report by the Historic Districts Council noted that the area has many fine examples of English Tudor-style and neo-Colonial Revival houses, many of which are quite sizable. It was developed largely in the 1930s, the council told the commission, "as part of the pre-World War II building boom that shaped large swaths of eastern Queens," adding that "architecturally, the buildings are remarkably intact with few examples of inappropriate alterations or teardowns" and "original materials such as stucco, wood siding and stone are predominant."

"A walk along Murdock Avenue, its principal street," the council continued, "reveals a pristine and attractive community. The broad, sweeping, well-manicured lawns, the charming landscaping and the near complete lack of fences combined lend a graciousness not often found in similar neighborhoods. Together with the handsome architecture, it is obvious that on its physical merits alone, Addisleigh Park warrants serious consideration as a potential historic district. However, the true secret and fascination of this neighborhood lie in its social, rather than its architectural, history."

"Built when race-restricted covenants dictated the segregation of the city's neighborhoods, Addisleigh Park eventually transformed from an exclusively white neighborhood into one of New York City's premier African-American enclaves by the early 1950's. Lured by the promise of seclusion, quietude, space and beauty, many of the newcomers were world-famous. The area would eventually become home to notables such as Count Basie, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Illinois Jacquet, Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Joe Louis, Milt Hinton, Roy Campanella, Percy Sutton, Cootie Williams and many others.

An article by Nicholas Hirshon in today's edition of The New York Daily News said that the designation protects 422 buildings in the district from changes or demolition without the commission's approval.

"They're great American stories," said Landmarks Commissioner Christopher Moore. "This is top shelf."

"Their contributions were so significant that we thought it was fitting to honor them with these votes at the start of Black History Month," said Landmarks Commission Chairman Robert Tierney.

The article said that Landmarks Vice Chairman Pablo Vengoechea called the area "an East Coast version of a Hollywood tour."

Count Basie, the band leader, lived at 174-27 Adelaide Road, James Brown, the singer, lived at 175-19 Linden Boulevard, Roy Campanella, the Brooklyn Dodger catcher, lived at 114-9 179th Street, Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodger second basement who broke the color barrier in the major leagues, lived at 112-140 177th Street, Ella Fitzgerald, the singer, lived at179-07 Murdock Avenue, shown in the illustration at the right, Lena Horne, the singer, lived at 112-45 178th Street, and Joe Louis, the boxer lived at 175-12 Murdock Avenue.

The historic district is the city's 102nd.

The council's report on the community noted that "what is most remarkable...is that Addisleigh developed as an exclusive white community, and originally, its homes and land carried restrictive covenants that barred blacks from purchasing homes in the area."