Flushing, Queens, NYC in the 1950s

Reader Bill Leahy recently scanned a number of slides that his father took in New York City during the 1950s. Above is a picture of the intersection of Main St. and Northern Blvd. in Flushing, Queens. There are many more pictures that are fascinating looks at the city more than a half century ago. Looking westward up Wall St. at Trinity Church. City Hall when pedestrians could still stroll right past the front steps. St. Paul's Church from across Fulton St. The Manhattan Supreme Courthouse from across Lafayette St. Nuns on a quiet street in front of a church. A meeting house in Flushing. And Federal Hall on Wall and Broad Sts. in Manhattan. What's most striking about these photos is how little has changed in NYC from certain perspectives over the last 50 years. In many of these pictures, one could change the hats men wear and the cars on the street and they could have been taken last week. Thanks to Bill Leahy for making them available online.

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By Dave Hogarty in Miscellaneous on August 12, 2007 2:10 PM

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Flushing

SO MUCH FOR THE " RICE PADDY" CONDITIONS OF DOWNTOWN FLUSHING ALLUDED TO BY AN ASIAN BUSINESSMAN AT THE 109TH POLICE PRECINCT MEETING A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. PLEASE NOTE THE CLEANLINESS AND LACK OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION. THE SIMPLICITY OF BUSINESS SIGNS DID NOT HINDER BUSINESSES FROM SHOWING A PROFIT. YOU COULD WALK ON THE SIDEWALKS AND ROAD WITHOUT SLIPPING ON GREASE OR GARBAGE. THIS WAS TAKEN FOR GRANTED BY THE CITIZENS OF FLUSHING BECAUSE THE RESIDENTS AND MERCHANTS RESPECTED THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF A CIVILIZED SOCIETY. TOO BAD YOU CAN'T HEAR THE QUIET THAT PREDOMINATED EVEN WITH THE SOUNDS OF TRAFFIC WHICH TRAVELED AT A DISTINCTLY SAFER SPEED. NATURALLY, THE SCENT OF RANCID GREASE, ROTTING VEGETABLES AND FISH DID NOT LEAVE ONE NAUSEOUS, THE WORST SMELL WAS THE EXHAUST FROM THE BUSES, AND THE BEST CAME FROM GLORIA'S PIZZA ON MAIN ST. PEOPLE WERE POLITE AND DID NOT PUSH YOU OUT OF THEIR WAY AND A SIMPLE SMILE TO A STRANGER WOULD USUALLY BE RETURNED BY A SMILE OF ACKOWLEDGEMENT. WHAT WERE THEY ACKNOWLEDGING? A SENSE OF COMMUNITY IS MY GUESS !!! BEVERLY MCDERMOTT FLUSHING RESIDENT

guest

I'm Black and I grew up in Flushing on Juniper Ave. Race was not an issue unless you ventured up Main Street just past Booth Memorial Hospital(known as the "Hill") and the hate mongers came out their seedy littel holes.

guest

On the right, a few stores down from the corner, you can see the sign for Peck's, which is still there today. It's a great stationery store. I used to buy my science fair poster boards from there. And, yes, the RKO Keith located behind the photographer used to be a great theatre. I saw White Knights (w/ Gregory Hines) and Airplane there. Thanks for the good memories. Flushing, like all of New York, has always been a revolving door for immigrant populations since the days of Peter Stuyvesant. That hasn't changed.

guest

#2 said: "ahhh the good old days. When blacks had to go to the back of the bus. Gothamist is sooo goddamn racist."

What could possibly make you say that?

What is racist about posting a picture of some area from 50 years ago?

I don't see any racism in the accompanying article either.

You're the type of asshole that steals the meaning from that word making it weaker where it's really called for.

Dumbass.

Reality Czech

wow, it actually looks civilized. A far cry from today.

JMH

Thanks for those - great pictures!

guest

The Meeting House on Northern Boulevard just east of Main has not changed much. Not surprising as it was built in 1694. http://www.nyym.org/flushing/history.html

guest

Great picture, but behind the photographer was the RKO Keith's movie palace, which I remember going to as a kid.

Too bad it has been "destroyed"