1941.  Frankin Delano Roosevelt was the President.  Citizen Kane was released to the theaters.  Joe DiMaggio hits in 56 consecutive games.  Glenn Miller's Chattanooga Choo Choo is the top song of the year.  And by the end of the year the country would be at war. 

One day in 1941 a photographer walked down Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, and the images he captured that day have reached out to us across time to give us a little glimpse into what it was like back then.  The business disctrict appeared to be thriving -- you'll see a movie theater, and candy stores, and pet stores, and bars and restaurants. 

Men wore hats and coats and ties and the cars were classics.  This was a different era, a different time -- but the same place.  Woodhaven. 

This tour covers the south side of Jamaica Avenue between 80th and 85th Streets.  Let's begin our tour which is broken into two sections -- a video presentation and a list of Wiki updates.

Section 1. A Video Tour of 1941 Woodhaven

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

Part 4.

Section 2. A Listing of Wiki Updates

This section will detail the updates we just made to the Woodhaven Wiki.  This will give you an opportunity to view larger versions of the pictures that were used in the video --

1. The first picture is of the corner of 80th Street and Jamaica Avenue, currently the home of Boom-Boom Electronics.  The building looks very much the same with the exception of the missing cupola and smokestack.  Notable for a glimpse of The Haven movie theater in the distance.  Click here to view it.
2. An image of 80-10 Jamaica Avenue, the current location of "We Buy We Sell" - a place where you can get cash for your gold.  A small portion of The Haven is visible in the distance.  Click here to view it.
3. Where "80th Street Medical" now sits there used to be a barber shop.  This picture was posted earlier this week as it's the one with the best view of The Haven's marquee.  Click here to view it.
4. Right next to the Haven used to sit a window store and what appears to be a pet store.  Now it's a hair salon and a Subway's.  Click here to view the 1941 version of this stretch of Jamaica Avenue.
5. Here's a really nice find -- two buildings that no longer exist.  In 1941 these two buildings housed a Florist and an Ice Cream Shop.  At some point over the years they were torn down and an MTA Depot now sits here.  Click here to see more.
6. Along this stretch of Jamaica Avenue (where ElJay Drugs used to reside) we have two pictures -- one of a Bar& Grill, and another of the offices of The Leader-Observer.  Click here to see them both.
7. An old hardware store and paint store.  Click here to see it.
8. There's a small accountant's office along that stretch of Jamaica Avenue.  Back in the 40s it was a Pet Shop.  Click here to see it.
9. Royal Furniture is new to Woodhaven and it occupies a double-lot.  In 1941 one of those lots was a Fish Market.  The other lot was an empty space for a long time, but back in the 40s it was a small shack which was in the business of collecting rents.  Click here to learn more.
10. Forest Park Laundromat is a double-lot at the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and Forest Parkway.  Click here to see how this stretch of Jamaica Avenue looked in the 1940s.  The quality of these pictures are poor, but it is interesting to see the old stairway for the elevated train station.
11. One of Woodhaven's many 99 cent stores now sits here, but in the 40s there was a place called "The Forest Park Inn."  And next door may have been a funeral home.  Click here or here to see the image.
12. In the 40s we had a small white shop, a confectionery, and a paint store.  Today, it's a driveway and a double-lot laundromat.  Click here to see more.
13. Today, it's an alternative medical center.  In the 40s it was a gift shoppe.  Click here to see them both.
14. Along this stretch of the avenue you have a dry cleaners, a nail salon, and the Woodhaven Residents Block Association, all bunched together.  And, sure enough, we have a few stores bunched together in the 40s.  Click here to see them.
15. Today it's a Spanish bar/restaurant.  In the 40s it appears that it may have also been some sort of restaurant.  Click here to see what you think.
16. One of the few stores on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven where you need to climb a few steps to go inside -- today it's a men's clothing store, back then it was Kelly's Cleaners.  Click here to see them both.
17. For decades it served as a warehouse for Lewis' of Wooshaven.  But in the 40s it was a garage.  Click here to see it.
18. Once a bakery, always a bakery.  Click here to see what we mean.
19. The Forest Park Open Kitchen used to operate at the corner of 85th and Jamaica.  Years later it was the home of The Empire Diner, and today it's the home of Palacea Fried Chicken.  Click here to learn more.

And so ends our tour of 1941 Woodhaven, from 80th Street to 85th Street.  We hope you've enjoyed it.