Directing Traffic In Rural Far Rockaway, Post Labor Day

(Click on image to enlarge)

Our photograph was taken on a mild 64-degree day September 19th in the year 1932 - and shows a busy Central Avenue. The picture was taken at the intersection of Cornaga Avenue and is facing south, showing the east side of the center of town.

Obvious on the left side of the image which appears to be featuring The Strand Theatre - is the newly-erected branch of the Chase Manhattan Bank - a structure which has survived for almost 90 years and still sits at the southeast corner of Central and Cornaga - even though it is no longer owned or utilized by the bank which contracted to have it built back in 1918.

Several other important stores of the era are in view - such as the Spatz and Schein Furniture stores, Shirley's Hats (starting at only 97 cents) - and Far Rockaway Lumber which is still in business at this very same location. The buildings housing the several furniture stores (dry cleaners, food establishments) have long ago been torn down.

By 1932, The Strand theater which had opened as an independent movie (and vaudeville) house back in 1911, was now part of the massive R.K.O. theater chain -even though the original and existing marque does not indicate it. Shortly after this photo was taken, R.K.O. would add its own brand name to be incorporated into the "Strand" logo.

A small (narrow) store front located (left side) within the movie house is indicated as available for rent. Sometime during the period after the second world war, this location would be home to a local eye doctor. By the year 1950, the only operating furniture store in the small town would be "Neve", located on the west side of the Central Avenue - further north and closer to the railroad station.

As seen in this picture, the original roads in Far Rockaway were constructed of cobblestones and because this is the east side of

the main avenue, originally trolley cars traveled up and down this particular route. By 1932, the trolley system had been discontinued in favor of gasoline-driven bus service. Notice how the original trolley-car tracks have been "covered up" in a hap-hazzard way with a layer of asphalt - the policeman is standing on this temporary patch of road tar.

The Central Avenue in our period photograph was originally named "Catherine Street" back in the 1800s when the town first developed. This main roadway actually developed because of a large and imposing hotel (Marine Pavilion) which had been constructed on the most southern street in the area - South Street (now Seagirt Boulevard). The (independent) train station had been terminated at Mott Avenue and a main thoroughfare was needed to transport patrons (guests) to this very first (major) hotel in the Rockaways.

Shortly after the train station was established, a convenient roadway was "put through" connecting the station with the summer facility. Eventually., a single store was opened (on Central Avenue) and then several small hotels, inns, drinking and eating establishments were founded, and this one-mile strip evolved into the main commercial center of the Far Rockaway township.

Originally, it had been planned to extend train service from Mott Avenue directly southward towards the beach and ocean areas - a route was actually planned and in the drawing stage to run rails down (what is now) Beach 21st Street. The ideal development for the independent railway was to terminate service as close to the sea as possible - a plan which was "shot down" in its infancy by a cadre of important landowners and local politicos (specifically one wealthy judge) who did not want summer "riffraff" arriving to invade their privacy; an event some considered would eventually de-value real estate holdings in the area.