Wantagh/North Wantagh Then & Now (mcmansions, condominiums, home)

[sean sean sean sean]

Inspired by the McMansions thread....I found these old pictures of Wantagh & North Wantagh on the website linked below last year. They're from 1961, the newer shots are from 2005. I wasn't alive when they were taken but it's pretty interesting to see how dramatically things have changed in only 44 years...I'm sure Wantagh was considered "way out on the island" back then! The older cars were definitely a lot more stylish, wish there were more of these pics.

All pictures from: http://home.comcast.net/~chabrol/Wantagh-daydream.html

Carvel, Wantagh Ave 1961


Souvlaki Place, Wantagh Ave 2005


Cherrywood Shopping Center, Jerusalem & Wantagh Ave 1961


Cherrywood Shopping Center, Jerusalem & Wantagh Ave 2005


Daurenheim Nursery, Jerusalem & Wantagh Ave 1961


Willow Wood Condominiums, Jerusalem Ave 2005


Strip Mall, Park Ave & Wantagh Ave 1961


Strip Mall, Park Ave & Wantagh Ave 2005


St. Francis de Chantel, Wantagh Ave 1961


St. Francis de Chantel, Wantagh Ave 2005


Wantagh Theatre, Jerusalem Ave 1961


Office Building, Jerusalem Ave 2005

[boomvang]

I moved to Wantagh in '64 when I was 9 years old and those pictures bring me back. It was a great place to grow up in, with woods, lakes and close to the canals and beach. Wantagh Ave was a truly impressive street, with great trees shading it for miles. They were removed to make way for sewer construction in the early '70s, and never regained its former glory. The elevation of the LIRR tracks and the wholesale demolition of many charming old victorians in the late '60s also contributed to the loss of charisma. The church exterior was rather drab, but inside was a different story. A shame it burned.