Here we have a small collection of various items related to Forest Parkway that have been sitting on our desk. Forest Parkway is one of the more interesting streets of Woodhaven. Only six blocks long, but instantly recognizable, this broad street stretches from a T-Junction at Jamaica Avenue up to the mouth of Forest Park Drive. Woodhaven's Post Office and Library are located on Forest Parkway, and it is here, near the War Memorial and where the town Christmas Tree is decorated each year, that you'll find the closest thing we have to a "town square."
First up in this collection of odds and ends is an old image from 1941 of Forest Parkway, right off Jamaica Avenue:
Unfortunately, the quality of this image is poor. But it is at the right side of this image where the war memorial would someday sit. At the time this picture was taken World War 2 was months away from beginning.
The next picture concerns the War Memorial itself, and an oddity about a few of the names that appear on it. Please note that in no way is this meant to be disrespectful. These were two young men who gave their lives for our country, but fate has put them together thusly:
Here is wording of the dedication on this memorial:
1941 - Honor Roll - 1945
The Woodhaven Patriotic League
On behalf of the citizens of Woodhaven dedicates this tablet in grateful memory
of those who died in the service of their country in World War II.
They sacrificed the promise of youth in a war for freedom.
Now they stand with the immortals who helped to make America
the dream and hope of all liberty loving people.
Erected July 4, 1955.
Further along Forest Parkway is something you don't see very often any more - a sign directing you to the nearest public shelter. From the looks of the condition of this sign, it's been hanging there for quite a while. I wonder if the shelter is still there?
Here's an interesting composition - the Woodhaven Public Library as it looked in 1941, and as it appears today:
Directly across the street from the library is the house where Betty Smith wrote "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." It's a beautiful house, and the owners have done a fantastic job of restoring it. Here's a nice picture of the landmark sign that sits in front of the house, and you have your pick of trees growing in the background.
And we wrap up this edition of "Odds and Ends" with a couple of videos. This first one was kindly offered to us by Mikey8052, who edited together the exterior scenes from "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom," which was filmed on location in Woodhaven in 1974.
And this last video is a film made by residents of Woodhaven in the early 1980s and is truly a walk up Forest Parkway, through Forest Park, and ends up at the Seuffert Bandshell.
If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com .
