History

AWNY Photomat

Corner detail of the former J. Kurtz & Sons furniture store on Jamaica Avenue by Allmendinger & Schlendorf, 1931.

The End is Nigh: Dead Rising in Bay Ridge

Preservationists fear that the end may be coming for the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church at Ovington and 4th Avenues. This week the church erected protective screening and began the process of exhuming the remains of 211 former parishioners from an underground crypt at the church site. The fate of the church has been up [...]

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AWNY Video Connection

Watch “Elektro,” the Westinghouse spokesrobot at the 1939 New York World’s Fair from the film “The Middleton Family at the New York World’s Fair” (also conveniently sponsored by Westinghouse). Elektro walks, talks, hits on the ladies in the crowd, and even smokes cigarettes. You can view his insides here, and learn about the recent rediscovery [...]

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AWNY Photomat

The Tabernacle of Prayer on Jamaica Avenue, formerly the Loew’s Valencia Theater, by John Eberson, 1929.

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AWNY Photomat

Completed in 1929, the St. George Theater seats 2,800 and was recently restored. The Brighton Heights Reformed Church at left is a 1999 replacement of the landmarked 1863 original John Correja church, which was destroyed by fire in 1996.

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Robert Moses’ TBTA Turns 75

The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. To celebrate we’re taking a look at the sculptures that used to adorn the Robert Moses-built (and TBTA-owned) New York Coliseum convention center at Columbus Circle–now the Time Warner Center. The sculptures were removed from the Coliseum before it was demolished in [...]

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AWNY Photomat

The Loews Paradise Theater is one of the brightest gems along the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. Designed by John Eberson and completed in 1929 (six weeks before the stock market crash), the $4 million Paradise seated 4,000 moviegoers. It featured a grand lobby, grand balcony, grand restrooms, and atmospheric effects that included glowing stars [...]

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