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Poring over books and maps in his mom's Ozone Park apartment, Jack Kerouac planned the most famous road trip in literary history - and embarked on it in 1947.
But neither the walk-up where Kerouac plotted his cross-country exploits, nor a South Richmond Hill home where he worked on the classic novel "On the Road," are protected with city landmark status.
"Without question, they should be city landmarks. No book has captured the public imagination like 'On the Road,' " said Douglas Brinkley, a CBS News history analyst and Kerouac scholar.
To aid a landmark push, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay told Queens News he would consider loaning the original 120-foot "On the Road" manuscript - a unique, continuous scroll that he purchased for $2.4 million in 2001 - for display at the borough sites.
"You always consider putting it in a place where it's conceived," Irsay said. "The man has left the building, so to speak, but, at the same time, these places that are preserved, they mean a lot."
It's unknown whether the city Landmarks Preservation Commission has Kerouac's homes on its recent survey of 12,495 Queens structures. The commission has repeatedly declined to provide the survey to Queens News, fearing its release would alert developers to the sites before they can be protected.
Writer Patrick Fenton helped put a plaque outside the apartment in 1996 - just after the Lindenwood Volunteer Ambulance Corps moved in and gutted the space, without realizing its link to Kerouac.
"The organization would have tried to save more of the history if we knew," said Corps Chief Chris DeLuca. Still, the walls and door frames are original. "There's a lot of history up there," Fenton said.
In the early 1950s, Kerouac's mom moved to 94-21 134th St. in South Richmond Hill, where the author lived on and off over five years, and wrote "Maggie Cassidy," Fenton said.
The home's current owner, Lester Holt, arrived in 1984 and oversaw a major renovation. When told landmarking would require him to consult the commission before making more changes, he said, "I ain't interested in all of that."
But the next spot where Kerouac lived - a cottage in Orlando, Fla. - offers inspiration to preservationists. A grassroots effort saved it from destruction.
Kerouac was living there in 1957, when the publication of "On the Road" made him the voice of the Beat Generation. Forty years later, despite the home's history, it appeared destined for demolition.
Enter Florida book dealer Marty Cummins, who helped raise $10,000 for a down payment on the home in 1997. But he was short $100,000 to close the deal - until corporate titan Jeffrey Cole pledged the funds.
Now, the house is provided rent-free to writers for three-month stays. Cummins predicted a similar result in Queens.
"The key is finding an advocate or an angel backer who will step up to the plate," he said.
That could be Cole, the former chairman of Cole National, who promised to look into Kerouac's Queens homes. "It's always a good idea if some of these artists' and writers' places can be saved," Cole said.
[location: 94-10 133 Avenue, Ozone Park, NY 11417]
