136-50 Roosevelt Avenue, near Main Street. Old Central Bus Terminal building, three-stories, 330 feet long, faces west. 1942
![136-27 to 35136-27 to 35 Roosevelt Avenue. Vincent Astor estate. [Row of shops.]](http://collections-static-2.mcny.org/Doc/MNY/Media/TR3/3/5/b/6/MNY242181.jpg)
Roosevelt Avenue. [Row of shops.] 1951
![136-20 to 30 Roosevelt Avenue. Vincent Astor estate. [Row of shops.]](http://collections-static-3.mcny.org/Doc/MNY/Media/TR3/3/2/5/6/MNY242182.jpg)
136-20 to 30 Roosevelt Avenue. [Row of shops.] 1942
Roosevelt Avenue. Looking N.W. along north side at N.W. corner of Roosevelt Avenue and Union Street. 1951
Roosevelt Avenue. Looking S.W. along south side, at S.W. corner of Roosevelt Avenue and Union Street. 1951
Roosevelt Avenue. Looking S.E. at Main Street. 1951
Roosevelt Avenue. Looking S.E. from L.I.R.R. platform at corner of Kissena Road and 41st Avenue, also shows park in front of library. 1951
136-21 Roosevelt Avenue. Consolidated Edison Building, view looking N.E. from near corner of Main Street along Roosevelt Avenue. 1951
136-31 Roosevelt Avenue. Stores. 1951
![39-01 Main Street. Vincent Astor estate. [Row of shops.]](http://collections-static-1.mcny.org/Doc/MNY/Media/TR3/5/7/b/b/MNY242184.jpg)
39-01 Main Street. [Row of shops.] 1944
23 comments:
Nice!
This is how most places in Queens should look like, not the shit holes that so many are today, over crowded, dirty and filthy, everything looking completely out of place.
Compare these photos with any of today's photos of Flushing or compare these to the above photos of Jamaica from above.
Now it's all one BIG FILTHY DUMP!
Wonderful nostalgic photos of an area that prospered decades ago. Unlike the cesspole it has become today
what's the point in complaining? Nothing can/will be done. We can't go back in time. It is what it is.
Its horrible looking today. I grew up in flushing and now we cant even read a sign in english. Nobody to blame but ourselves for selling out to the asian market. They have distroyed our home town.
Blame the International Bankers and the Federal Reserve. America would have done better to listen to Ross Peror and Ron Paul. Unfortunately, Americans are stupid and can not think beyond the moment. Our Constitution has failed. :(
Every time this country engages itself in a war somewhere else it brings more unwanted people to our land. Recall the Korean war and Vietnam, Central and South America where the US and the USSR fought their dirty wars back in the 70's and 80's.
Now we are crowded with Asians, Rusians and many other nationalities from which a very slight minority brings something to the plate. A few of them have become citizens that have contributed to the progress of the nation but the majority has become a burden.
It's like bringing in an alien plant or fauna into our ecosystem that makes more damage than good.
This is in no way a pregidist or racist comment, it's more a sociological observation of a demographical effect.
How did you manage to spell "sociological" and "demographical" but totally fail at "prejudiced?"
I Luv Frushing!
Then "then" pictures show what happens when the culture shares an aesthetic vision of what a city should look like.
The pictures of "now" show Flushing's transformation into a clone of a slum of Taipei or Shanghai.
Oh...but...
Thank God for the Asians. We didn't want Flushing to turn into a south Jamaica or south Bronx".
Q.
Which politician said that?
A.
One from the Stavisky crowd...
Democratic Assemblyman Mort Hillman to be exact).
That exact sentiment was echoed by others.
Flushing's dirtiest little secret was the social engineering that went on 30 years ago.
Introduce the Asians, like a predatory species, to eliminate the darker hued people of color.
I guess it worked, and the "cure" is worse than the original "disease".
There is a lot more grace and restraint in the old photos. It just goes to show what unchecked capitalism and a cultural void gives you.
re: anon's complaint about "unchecked capitalism" - the city regulations on zoning, signage regulation and business licensing did not exist when the old pictures were taken.
Do you really want to double down on zoning, signage regulation, and business licensing to "fix" this?
As I mentioned in a previous comment it's the culture that determines what a city will look like. There was far more "unchecked capitalism" at work in the 1920's thru the 1940's than at the present and somehow it produced the serene images we have of that time.
Actually, there was a zoning code put in effect in 1916, the signage regulations were in place since 1911.
One of the main differences is that back in the 40s and 50s, Flushing was seen as a destination to live, not just temporary digs until you made enough money to move elsewhere.
Today's Flushing is just the opposite. And that comes from someone who lives there.
Flushing once had a bus terminal? As opposed to today's mess of having buses dump and pick up people all over Main Street.
They never should have gotten rid of the bus terminal.
Looking at these photos and thinking about what Flushing and Queens has me torn between crying and throwing up.
Bus terminal?? you think today's horrendous drivers would even yield to busses trying to drive out of the depot? Aside from late night White Castles workers, the people I feel the most sympathy for are the bus drivers trying to make their way out of the old Victor Moore arcade at Roosevelt and Broadway.
"Its horrible looking today. I grew up in flushing and now we cant even read a sign in english. Nobody to blame but ourselves for selling out to the asian market. They have distroyed our home town."
selling out? What are you smoking. People always look at one side.. I'm a devils advocate so I looked at the other side too.. because
Without them, main street will be 'dead'.. long dead..no prosperity what so ever despite the fact that it looks like 'crap' or overcrowded which I agree. Also if asians wasn't there, then hispanics will flood it from the side near citifield. So either way, you lose. Asians or Hispanics -take your pick. If you don't like it, move to some place else. I did.
In fact, it used to be korean mostly and it was so much cleaner.. now it's chinese taking over.
In fact, manhattan used to be nice and quiet like that too.. so why don't you take a time machine and travel back in time to see how you fare without modern tech. I would rather take the current manhattan.
Here's what I don't understand. The Asians move into a place that enjoyed lovely homes on tree lined streets with a good quality of life. they choose to move in because of what it was...and then proceed to change it totally. It makes no sense at all. The pretty single family homes of the hill have been totally taken over, demolished and turned into six family monstrosities. Don't they realize that when there is no one left but themselves they will have nothing more than where they moved from!
Who ever the developer was who did this, should feel guilty for what he did, turned a quaint little great town into a mess!!!
I think it's all a matter of social norms that we are accustomed to. You can call it filth, a dump but I think it's a difference in quality of life that is how they are used to living. I believe that as these immigrants groups live here longer, their kids and kids' kids will start to develop point of views vastly different and more in line with America's view of the norm. I think it will take time and you will see a revival in this area for the better.
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