Jackson Heights Life

One of the insidious things about still living here is that the changes creep up. A store here, one there, then you forget about Baar's, the toy store. Schrafft's, the book store at the corner of 84th and 37th.  I could go on, but if you are old enough, no one else knows about these things except here.

The Victory Gardens all over the neighborhood are one of my strongest memories.

Sigh

Further up was Dairy Queen (across from the Post Office), Numbers records and tapes (probably the second Indian business) KFC, an old used book store, Guilietta pizzeria (which had the first Sicilian slices that I can remember) Fields Department store, and of course Jahns. On Roosevelt was the great Toy City toy store. This had sporting goods, hobbies, dolls, games, everything you could imagine!

Fields Department store

http://www.loc.gov/resource/gsc.5a16607/

Just read your missive about Fields and buying your Boy Scout uniform there. The Cobra Patrol was led by a great scout named Ted Schroetter. Was wondering if he was there when you were. I spent time as the patrol leader of the Shooting Star patrol and then was the SPL (senior patrol leader) at Troop 217 in P.S. 69. I hear from Ted frequently and I'm sure he would be happy to hear about a former Cobra patrol member on the Jackson Heights Life. All the best to you.

Great memory of Scoutmaster K's closing admonition. In 1953 a bunch of 217 scouts went to the Jamboree at the Irvine Scout Ranch in Irvine, California. Ted Schroetter, Burt Herman, Alfie Tisch, Rolf Barth, Jimmy Robinson and myself all went by train, no a/c, stopping along the way to visit D.C, St. Louis, Kansas City, Pike Peak, Albequerci, Nevada, and then the northern route home. Quite an experience meeting scouts from all over the world and swapping our kerchifs for theirs and bringing Texas horned toads home to JH. There were some fantastic night ceremonies with celebrity entertainers and 40,000 scouts joining in and being dazzled by the lighting and the moment. At 217 we were fortunate to have an excellent scoutmaster named Bob Howard for almost 3 years who was a doer, teacher, solid leader who everyone admired. A Boys Life editor, Bob Brooks, took over on a temporary basis when Mr. Howard moved to New Jersey. Brooks was a whirlwind of activity and camping trips. JH had 3 Boy Scout troops in 1950, P.S. 69, Community Church and St. Mark's.

There was a couple who lived in our 82nd Street apartment, I can only remember his name Kelvin Keech, who was a NBC radio announcer for the show Terry and the Pirates and several others. His wife was Russian and her brothers were Whites with the Russian Cavalry who battled against the Reds. Lots of young people interested in the theater and radio business used to say Mr. Keech was very helpful to them in their interest with advise and introductions. Right on the block with the Continental Restaurant, past the Singer Sewing Machine Store and Womrath Book Lending Store was a dry cleaning store, I believe Columbia Cleaners, with a lovely owner Mrs. Kramer who always wore the U.S. Army Aircorp pilot "Wings" that belonged to her son who was killed in action. This lovely lady was our local Mrs. Minever with a courageous attitude, always pleasant and upbeat. The padres from St. Joan of Arc rectory around the block were big fans of hers and pointed to one and all that she was a hero and we should all  honor her.

I was born and pretty much raised in JH from 1959 on. MY parents moved here in the 50's, when they finally let Irish in.  Their friends and neighbors were from around the world and my first crush was on my neighbor Adele, from England when were were 6.  My mom at one point worked at King Edward's on 77 Street across from PS 69 and my sister's high school job was at Field's.  At this time JH had a very large population of Jewish people from the holocaust, of which my parents were friends with.  The first big change in the neighborhood was the Elmhurst hospital's treatment of drug use in the 60's.  While I don't remember it I heard of countless protests as this was seen to have a negative impact to the neighborhood.  There was still segregation here as there were few Blacks or Chinese in the JH.  In the 70's the next big turn was the opening off the drug trade with Columbia. JH was the centerpoint  for cocaine for the US and even Escobar took up residence here.  Little by little the shops around JH ( especially 82nd Street) that rivaled Manhattan were disappearing.  As it turns out now much of the white flight is now exposed to the banking practices of redlining.  This was the time JH lost it's community to be replaced by drug trade.  It was so bad that that it was not uncommon to find a body in PS 69 or someone's backyard.  At this point all the buildings started to fence up what was once open. As kids we could go around ten blocks across through the backyards. By the 80's crack and freebase were now ubiquitous,  and the Irish bars all over Roosevelt Avenue were being robbed.  These old timers had enough and packed it in, changing hands to the new neighbors moving in and not only a direct line for drugs but prostitution, which is where Roosevelt Ave has stood, all while the police either made money on this or just refused to do anything. I surmise the first as Serpico pointed it out. To be continued...

Actually that is where I read it first, it must have been edited out

Reading the posts made me think back to when my friends use to travel to visit me just to go shopping at Bang Bang on 82nd Street and then go eat Cuban-Chinese food at El Dorado.

Stores come and go ... but few stores leave a memory.