Here's a photo of Northern Blvd in Flushing from the 1970s before it became vibrant and diverse. You can see what a filthy slum it was back then... Actually, when you look at the entire set by SWC Photography, the only building that seems to be in disrepair is what is now Flushing Town Hall.
36 comments:
What a slum indeed...I think I see Frank Serpico chasing Tony Manero carrying a can of stolen paint down the street.....
Flushing Town Hall was a total dump from the late 60s up into the 80s - no one could make it work. Most thought the building should go. I'm glad they made that work
It kind of looks like the South Bronx circa 1980s.
I lived in that building
(the "Coronet")...
36-11 Bowne Street in apt. 6L
between 1966 and 1978...
just down from the historic
Bowne House.
I CAN ASSURE YOU,
it was nothing like the South Bronx
(which was originally where my family hailed from).
Was Flushing "BLIGHTED" in the 1970s?
HORSE CRAP!
It certainly is now!
the influx of Asians and Koreans really messed up Flushing. it stinks bad now
You newbie people have no idea do you? Flushing was a nice place to live in the 70s and 80s. In fact, it was better then than it is now. Its become so much more overcrowded, esp on and around Main St. Alot of comments on here indicate your imaginiation based on TV and movies of what you think it would have been. I grew up there at that time and loved it. I wish Laces was still open. Disco roller skating is something we'll never see again....
Laces? That was a great place. You brought back some nice memories of when I was in middle school.
Laces?
I am glad to see that you all enjoyed skating at Laces...as I was one of the people than operated the place back then. The problem was our neighbor next door didn't think that we should crank up the music, specially on a Friday night. This caused much friction. Skating still lives on.
Oh, I also lived in Flushing back then. I miss the Gloria's Pizza, Keiths, Grants, S Kleins and Korvettes!
Laces! RKO Keiths! Holy cow, I feel old....
Looks like New Jersey.
your flushing then, our flushing now. is just as beautiful to me now as it was beautiful then. all this nagging about overcrowding, "blighted", influx of asians. last time i checked this is america, immigrants come, neighborhoods change. you can have your nostalgic memories but i see nothing wrong with the flushing of today, in comparison to every other neighborhood that has undergone change in queens.
if you like downtown flushing, then you must smell yourself
"i see nothing wrong with the flushing of today, in comparison to every other neighborhood that has undergone change in queens"
Except for the stench of mile high garbage, the fact that no signs are in English and you can't walk in a straight line without bumping into someone, I agree totally! What are people complaining about?
"Except for the stench of mile high garbage, the fact that no signs are in English and you can't walk in a straight line without bumping into someone, I agree totally! What are people complaining about?"
is the same in every other queens neighborhood that has changed ethnically, i.e. corona in the 70's, corona present day.
i understand the nostalgic memories former residence associate with the neighborhood.
instead of complaining about the current state of flushing, why dont you complaine about the former property owners/residence deciding to sell/leave ? they could of maintained their neighborhood, but guess what ? they didnt, now it has changed. it is beautiful to a whole new generation of flushing residents. who will form their own memories here in this smelly, congested, prodominently asian neighborhood.
Sounds like that last post
came from one of John Liu's newbie "volunteers" (or Myra Herce's)
cranking up a rosy illusion of F-Liu-xhing so it's more salable to foreign investors!
Lot's of luck with your feng shui .
It won't improve the gloomy economic future that's been predicted despite the recent bailout by congress.
Those "investors" are also reading "Queens Crap" so they can follow the real deal on Flushing's filthy streets!
New projects seem to be on hold
lately due to international financial woes!
hey I grew up in flushing in the 70's, it wasn't perfect put alot better then after the asian occupation. anyone remember the roller rink in flushing meadow? al dente pizza, super A.
Hi, this is the Queens Machine. We don't like it when you call attention to the fact that we encouraged this to happen to your neighborhood. Please stop immediately. Times are tough and we don't have extra cash right now to hire hacks to keep discourse in check. Thank you.
Flushing today is disgusting.
And please stop using the neutral term "immigrant"....a good majority of the folks living in Flushing are ILLEGAL.
http://flickr.com/photos/chico0100/1092098617/in/set-72157601385958004/
Am I the only one that noticed how ignorant some of these comments are? First of all, Koreans are Asians. I'm not even Korean and I noticed how ignorant that comment was.
Second of all, every neighborhood changes and the fact that NYC's population has skyrocketed probably means that there will be more trash and more people in some areas. We're not really known for being evenly distributed throughout the five boroughs. So please, stop blaming Asian people. It's actually ironic because there is a pretty dominant stereotype that Asian people are super neat and clean.
Third, "there are no signs in English". Maybe you don't know how to read english and that's why you don't see the signs. Maybe you never passed by the GIANT ASS Flushing library which does have a significantly large collection of materials in ENGLISH.
Fourth, those of you lamenting the closing of Laces. I agree that it's sad that it's gone, but i also know that it was inevitable. There are very few establishments like that left ANYWHERE.
I too lived in Flushing in the late 70s to the Present. I also, may have had some nostalgia and sadness when seeing these pictures. Unfortunately, the blatant racist comments on this site really overshadowed my nostalgia. Thanks a lot.
It's pretty obvious that esthetics are not important to Asians. They always seem to build and move into crap. They just don't care. I guess it comes from living in a country with a billion people.
Neat and clean are their stereotypes? Not when the live in NYC, apparently.
Xenophobes unite!
Hi, this is the Queens Machine. We don't like it when you call attention to the fact that we encouraged this to happen to your neighborhood. Please stop immediately. Times are tough and we don't have extra cash right now to hire hacks to keep discourse in check. Thank you.
The inv-Asian turned Flushing into
an overcrowded filthy Bankok type city filled with vice, mice, lice
and political vermin exacting payment for favors!
Only people who are used to living in such an under-civilized manner would want to flock here.
Is it the whore houses, illegal gambling operations, human smuggling rings, counterfeit goods shops, mystery meat restaurants, easily bought politicians, drugs, unsanitary produce (in Lippman Arcade), "DVD-video-DVD-video"
hawkers, "exotic" stench, garbage dumping down the manholes, grease
flushed down drains, money laundering, Asian gang extortion
opportunities, abilities to fake voter registration, SARS, virulent strains of TB and STDs that make F-Liu-xhing a "destination of choice"?
C-mon ....
even Wellington Chen refered to it
as "...a crappy Chinatown..." in the news media!
wow im glad we're the majority in flushing or i would be worried bout being lynched tonight.
thank you helen, the only sensible voice in this place.
sincerely, john liu "newbie"
p.s. the flushing economy is self-sustaining. china towns rarely if ever go bust.
womp womp
Of course Flushing is crap now. Asians don't bother speaking the English language, their signs are mostly in Korean and Chinese, they spit constantly on the street, they keep the sidewalks in filthy conditions and they make themselves live in overcrowded conditions. They are a disgrace to behold. For anyone outside the area who might find any of the above untrue, just walk down the main thoroughfares in downtown Flushing.
White flight = asian invasion (in the case of flushing). I thank all you old timers for leaving flushing and letting it become a dump.
You think "white flight" is the reason for the Asian invasion? Try borough hall.
I lived in Flushing in the late 70's and early 80's - graduated from John Bowne HS just before the height of Asian influx -when it was a more solidly White/Jewish community. And oh yes, I remember places like Gloria's pizza on Main/Franklin - I had my first date there! While some of these statements are true, it is only fair to also note that Flushing library is now the single most utilized library IN THE COUNTRY and has one of the highest per capita college entrance rates. In many ways Flushing is a contradiction - filthy main street poorly maintained by elders - and kids who are enter institutions like Cornell, MIT and other Ivy’s in droves - a fascinating social profile. It's common for all persons who feel displaced to feel resentment. I know I did for quite a while. But we need to grow up and realize that change is the cycle of America and life in general.
Any photos of my dad's deli in the 70's called Sokal's Deli, Flushing, NY?
Thanks!
Andy
http://www.andymarsphotography.com
Does anyone have any pictures of the OLD Flushing Library on Main/Kissena?
And Ronnies - Mary Quant makeup, little smudge pots for smoky eyeliner, full-on sample size 4 1/2 shoes for going to clubs in the 70s. All kinds of clothes. The coolest place in Queens..then there was another store for jeans - remember my first pair of gold colored bells. By Main Street - took the bus from Bellerose/Glen Oaks to shop on Saturdays. Oh, and Green's shoe store. Maybe it was Gloria's we used to go to. Just remember that the pizza was really good.
does any one remember the pizzeria under the train trestle
Barone Pizza! They had good pizza. Now it's a fancy BS skin treatment joint.
Flushing Queens in the mid to last 60’s was completely different. Jewish and Italian wall to wall. It was a safe place to walk last at night with a great variety of wonderful shops.
It's now an unsanitary illegal mess...no local pride at all!
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