COLUMN
In the good old springtime of Queens, 1894
In conjunction with the
Greater Astoria Historical
Society, the TimesLedger
newspaper presents
noteworthy events in the
borough’s history.
Welcome May 1894!
By May, the summer
resort season at North
Beach was under way and
venues of every description
advertised their charms.
Silver Spring Park claimed
it was the coolest retreat
at Bowery Bay with old
shade trees, nicely arranged
dancing pavilions, and
picnic grounds.
At Sanford’s Point Hotel,
which served George Ehret’s
Extra Beer on draft, singing
societies and chowder clubs
were a specialty. Kohler’s
New Pavilion had sausage and
soda water stands, shooting
galleries and swings, dancing
(afternoon and evening),
and a band concert at night.
At Henry Daufkirch’s Bay
View House and Pavilion,
one could enjoy variety
performances by first class
talent on Sundays. Muff’s
Bowery Bay Boat House
was widely known for its
boating and fishing.
The North Beach Heights
Resort touted itself as ideal
for parties societies and
families. The Club House and
Grand Pavilion had choice
wines, liquors, and cigars,
meals at all hours (served
to order), and theatrical
performance daily (with a
change of program weekly).
And finally, the famed Bath
Pavilion at North Beach
offered 25 tickets for $4,
single tickets at 25 cents, and
children’s tickets at 15 cents.
North Beach was one of
the first venues catering to
a mass market. It was easy
to reach with hourly ferry
boats from 92th Street in
Yorkville and
129th Street
form Harlem
on Sundays.
T r o l l e y
service from
both the 92nd
and 34th
Street Ferries
was frequent.
(The North
B e a c h
resorts were
closed by
Prohibition
in 1920. Today
they are
buried under
the runways of LaGuardia
Airport.)
Trolley service from
both the 92nd and
34th Street Ferries
was frequent.
The North Beach
resorts were closed
by Prohibition in
1920. Today they
are buried under
the runways of
LaGuardia Airport.
Filling the niche of today’s
car service or limo rentals,
places like Dexter’s Boarding
Stables offered coaches for
weddings, shopping tours,
funerals, and the like. Horses
were also taken in by day,
week or month. Advertising
noted that careful attention
was paid to wagons
and harnesses.
As today, Long Island
City-Astoria had first rate
restaurants and
entertainment
venues. At
Schwalenberg’s
Hunters Point
Hotel (at Borden
and Vernon
Avenues –
recently the
Waterfront Crab
House), the bar
was stocked with
choice brands of
imported and
domestic wines,
liquors and
cigars.
Commodious
billiard parlors and a large
hall suitable for lodges or
meetings were attached to
the hotel. In Ravenswood,
Louis Merckel owned
The Old Homestead Hotel
and Summer Garden at
222 DeBevoise Ave (30th
Street, between 35th and
36th Avenues).
The Queens Country
Hotel, 525 Flushing Avenue
(today 49th Street and
Astoria Boulevard) was next
to St Michael’s Cemetery.
The venerable Astoria Hotel,
at the corner of Astoria
Boulevard and 1st Streets
in Old Astoria Village, had
furnished rooms and took
in boarders by day or week.
They served meals at all
hours and had special tables
reserved only for ladies.
On a little pastoral note,
the ‘Star’ noted that people
are fixing up the walks about
their houses now that hogs
and goats were prevented
from roaming around ‘at
their own sweet will.’ Grass
plots and trees began to
grace the spots that had been
barren wastes. The paper
noted that enforcement of the
city ordinances pays.
For further info, call the
Greater Astoria Historical
Society at 718-278-0700 or
www.astorialic.org.
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