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Long Beach, New York
1950's Photos
1956-1959
Joe Behar dug these great shots out of hi album for us to enjoy
depicting what life was like in Long Beach in the late 1950's...
Thanks Joe! (Some of these photos are also from the extensive collection of Dr. Kenneth Tydings thru his son Albert, thank you too !)
Taken from the President Hotel on Laurelton Blvd and looking to the East, this is how the boardwalk looked in 1956. The crane that is barely visible in the distance was most likely 210 Shore Rd under construction. The President was totally destroyed by fire in 1965.
Gruberg's Amusements, taken about 1958. This was a great place for the kids which once stood between Edwards and Riverside Blvds.. Visible here is the "Caged Wheel" on the extreme left, the "Whirl Around", the Boat Ride, the Rocketship ride and the Fire Engines in the back left. Probably taken from the Ferris Wheel
The Ferris Wheel. What a great view of the ocean and the city could be had from the top !!
The Roller Coaster at Gruberg's. It looks small now, but to a 5 yr old the thrill was unmatched !! circa 1958
Looking East on Broadway from the old President Hotel in 1956.
Filling up at the Mobil Station on Lafayette Blvd and Park St.
Fulton St at Washington Blvd.
Laurelton Blvd at Penn St. The former Jacovitz home is in the foreground.
Lion Drug Co. This store sat across the street from the old Fire House behind the original City Hall on Center Street. Park St. is visible in the background.
National Blvd and the Boardwalk, 1959. This is the old Tower Baths complex, destroyed by fire in the early 60's. Izzy's Knishes is on the corner. Faber's Skeeball and some of the other amusements and stores are visible.
Taken from the Nassau Hotel at National Blvd and looking East down the boardwalk.
Long Beach (Lifeguard) Patrol Headquarters
on National Blvd. Beach as it appeared in 1959.
Under the boardwalk in 1956.
Washington Blvd at Olive Street.
The water towers and the old incinerator in the late 50's.
Shooting hoops at the Rec Center (Central School) about 1958.
Joe also passed along these next few photos taken in 1982. It was all that remained of the old amusements after they were torn down.
The white building in the background here was the old Long Beach Bowl on Riverside Blvd. It too met with the wrecking ball shortly after these photos were take.
Not another hot dog or Coke would ever be served from this little refreshment stand that stood next to Gruberg's. It was the end of an era. Note the old brick streets are still in this photo.
Thanks again to Joe Behar for this short glimpse into Long Beach of the 1950's.
On the very left of the photo here --->
you will see what was called by many the "Submarine Lookout Tower". Actually it was a fire control tower for the 16 inch guns at Fort Tilden which protected the entrance to NY harbor in WWII (now part of Gateway Park)
Sam Schrwarzman provided this info on Kalin's:
Kalin had two custard stands, I had worked for them as a kid. One was in the old Jackson hotel on the corner of Edwards and the boardwalk, the other was further west of the one in the photo. The custard stand shown was originally Henry Wallers. Later on, Kalin bought that stand and renamed it Kalins. I think that it might have been after the Tower Baths burned down but I'm not sure. Kalin prided himself in his lemon ices, not in his custard. He made his ices from fresh squeezed lemons, the best ices I have ever tasted!
These two shots came from Phil Franck. On the left is Phil standing in front of his mother's house at 329 E. Chester Street. Picture was taken looking west toward Monroe Blvd in 1952. On the right Phil is on the boardwalk at Monroe Blvd taking a picture of the surf in 1959.
Two more photos from Phil Franck.
On the left by the old firehouse on Centre Street (Phil is the one playing the cymbals). On the right is on National Blvd, in front of the old Central Federal Savings and Loan Building.
