Jackson Heights Life

Hi Everyone-I was a long time resident of Jackson Heights & mostly remember 1948 to 1958. I lived at 37-52 89th street & went to PS 89 & JHS 145. Next to my building was an empty lot we played in, called the Defense Yard.
My great aunt had a book store around the corner on 37th Ave, between 89th & 90tn street-Bookshop Ida Dormitzer. Does anyone remember this?
Carole

I grew up just up the block from you and across 37th Ave. from 1943 until I left for college in 1960. I remember your great aunt very well. Not only did she tolerate me and a friend just passing time in her store while ostensibly looking for a book in the dog days of summer, but before I was old enough to know what was going on, she kept a 3-volume copy of either Sandburg's bio of Lincoln or Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (I can't remember which) on layaway for my mom, a Christmas present for my dad. And she sold solid wood Stromberg model airplane kits, so I didn't always get out without a purchase.

I remember your Defense Field, although we didn't call it that. I suspect you called it that because it was fenced, a rarity in our area. I remember a lot of cars parked in it--the building beside it on the end of the block was a garage for a while.

Do you remember the electric substation for the elevated "subway," between 89th and 90th on Roosevelt?

There was also Nellie Speer's--see a separate thread on this forum for more.

I grew up in Jackson Heights, living on 89th St. What is described above as "Dukes Field" I didn't get to--I would have had to cross Northern Blvd., a hazardous act. But the other field described was just that--an empty lot, west of P.S. 149,  :-\totally undeveloped, as were a number of other lots at the time. I played sandlot ball in the early 50s on the next lot west, 91st to 92nd Sts., which was raised about six feet because the basements of other buildings previously built had been dumped there. (May have been between 90th and 91st.) Also played in the construction sites later in that decade as the lots were developed. By the 60s there were no lots left. No stadium in the 50s; not even benches or a backstop; just dirt and weeds.