Anyone From Rosedale, Queens? (Brookville, Springfield: for sale, sick, house)

[AliKaplan48]

Originally Posted by THE4THCLIFF

......HEY ALI.....WE JUST CANT GET AWAY FROM ROSEDALE CAN WE??? LOL!!....HAD TO DROP MY HUSBAND OFF AT HIS WAREHOUSE...LOCATED ON 147TH ACROSS FROM WHERE THE OLD DEW DROP INN USED BE.....AND ONCE IN ROSEDALE ...YOU JUST GOTTA TOUR IT A BIT!!....AND...IM ALWAYS OVERCOME WITH NOSTALGIA....I AM TRYING TO LOCATE ANY INDIVIDUALS WHO USED TO HANG OUT AT PS 138 IN THE EARLY 70S...THERES A SMALL PICNIC PLANNED AND I WOULD LOVE TO FIND ANY SURPRISE GUESTS.....THE GROUP THAT GATHERED THERE WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 52-54 YEARS OLD ...OR THEREABOUTS.....HOPE ALL IS WELL WITH YOU ALI AND YOU ARE ENJOYING SOME NICE WEATHER DOWN THERE!

Hi Annie It is weird reading the posts here, some are really not talking about the place we grew up in...I moved to the area in 1953 and it was surely a very different place. I believe it was the cheerleader girl who was talking about the mafia and stuff like that. I guess they didn't know that the Son's Of Italy was a restaurant before that, The Pizza King, where kids came from as far as Brooklyn to hear the local bands play and dance the night away. I heard mention of the diner on the corner of Farmer's and Rockaway Blvds.(there were no zip codes then, but the area was in zone 34, later becoming 11434, Jamaica) and remember that place as a kid as it was just around the corner from our house on 175th St. Or the Owl Tavern where many of the workers from the airport went after work to throw one back with their friends (think they had filmed part of Wall Street in there). There was mention of the conduit and 144th, Elsie's grandmother owned the candy store there and Ferdinand's restaurant was the place where many parties were held. One of my friend's lived over one of the stores on Conduit there. Everything past New York Blvd was in zone 13, later 11413 which was Springfield Gardens. Along 147th (or Cherry Ave before they turned everything to numbered streets sometime in the early 40s) there were many homes that were later turned into air frieght companies in the late 60s, early 70s. Across from the Dew Drop Inn was a junk yard, lots of old cars all down Sprinfield Lane there. A lumber yard was on one corner of 147th and New York Blvd., a gas station on the other and the Red Bus had a stop there for the bus that continues on to Far Rockaway or the one that went up 147th to Rosedale ending at Francis Lewis. Mr. Softee had their garage on the corner of 147th and 175th St just off Farmer's Blvd. Police raids or drug busts where never heard of back then. Brookville (it was NEVER known as Brookfield) Park was somewhere we kids could ride our bikes to and play all day. Springfield Park as another safe haven for us kids where with a home made fishing pole and some white bread, we would hope to catch a fish in the pond. There was Whitey's stable at the end of 147th Ave and Hook Creek where us kids could take a pony ride and there was so much open space, lots of the houses off 147th towards the swamps weren't even built yet. The closest high schools were either Andrew Jackson or Far Rockaway, Springfield Gardens High School wasn't even a dream nor was JHS 231, PS 181 or PS 195. We didn't know from race riots, color was never an issue. Rosedale was just about all white, but Springfield Gardens just up the road was another story. I graduated from PS 52 and we had a good mix there. We had two very wonderful black teachers (African-American was not a term back then) who were the favorite of most every student who they taught. In 1953, they were both brand new and the first Black teachers in the system there. By 1962, our neighborhood became mostly Black and it was very peaceful. Well, I could go on and on but I will say that the whole country seemed to have changed after 1968, not just Rosedale. By the way, life is great here in North Carolina!!

[jerryshap]

Originally Posted by deluca

I SAW THAT MOVIE AND ALSO WATCHED THEM MAKE THE MOVIE. I ACTUALLY WENT TO THE PREMIER. THAT WAS A FUNNY MOVIE. MY BOYFRIEND IS ACTUALLY COUSINS WITH JOHN TURTURRO. IF IT'S OUT ON DVD I'M DEF GOING TO BUY IT. I GREW UP IN ROSEDALE AROUND THE CORNER FROM ST. PIUS 2BLOCKS FROM 195.

Do you know where the house is that they used in the movie? I am thinking that it is on your old side of Rosedale?

[deluca]

Originally Posted by jerryshap

do You Know Where The House Is That They Used In The Movie? I Am Thinking That It Is On Your Old Side Of Rosedale?

The Movie Was Filmed In All Different Parts Of Rosedlae But The House They Filmed In Was On The Other Side Of Sunrise Highway And Hook Creek.

[MikeTheEss]

Does anyone else remember that tunnel in Rosedale that used to go under the Belt Parkway? It was a pedestrian underpass near Brookville Park?

It has been paved over for some time now.

I just want to reference this:

Cedarhurst Cutoff

There used to be a branch of the LIRR that cut off from the main line in Rosedale, that ran down Edgewood, through what is now Brookville Park, down to Cedarhurst. The website explains it very well.

That tunnel under the parkway always seemed weird to me. It started in a weird place and came up in a weird place.

Could it have been related to that old LIRR line?

Once upon a time the Rosedale Station was west of where it currently is, sort of near Edgewood & Conduit. Could the tunnel have been built to service the railroad customers? Otherwise, what purpose could it have served? Pedestrians could have walked to either 225th or Brookville Blvd to cross. Of all the places on the Belt Parkway to build a pedestrian underpass, that location seemed like the least useful.

And as I recall, it only went under the parkway, not the Conduit. So going from the southside to the northside, you came up in the middle of nowhere, and still had to cross the Conduit.

Why was the tunnel there?

[MikeTheEss]

Oh, and one more thought... J&S Pizza is still there, and the pizza is STILL the bomb

[JetsCheerChick]

Originally Posted by AliKaplan48

Hi Annie It is weird reading the posts here, some are really not talking about the place we grew up in...I moved to the area in 1953 and it was surely a very different place. I believe it was the cheerleader girl who was talking about the mafia and stuff like that. I guess they didn't know that the Son's Of Italy was a restaurant before that, The Pizza King, where kids came from as far as Brooklyn to hear the local bands play and dance the night away. I heard mention of the diner on the corner of Farmer's and Rockaway Blvds.(there were no zip codes then, but the area was in zone 34, later becoming 11434, Jamaica) and remember that place as a kid as it was just around the corner from our house on 175th St. Or the Owl Tavern where many of the workers from the airport went after work to throw one back with their friends (think they had filmed part of Wall Street in there). There was mention of the conduit and 144th, Elsie's grandmother owned the candy store there and Ferdinand's restaurant was the place where many parties were held. One of my friend's lived over one of the stores on Conduit there. Everything past New York Blvd was in zone 13, later 11413 which was Springfield Gardens. Along 147th (or Cherry Ave before they turned everything to numbered streets sometime in the early 40s) there were many homes that were later turned into air frieght companies in the late 60s, early 70s. Across from the Dew Drop Inn was a junk yard, lots of old cars all down Sprinfield Lane there. A lumber yard was on one corner of 147th and New York Blvd., a gas station on the other and the Red Bus had a stop there for the bus that continues on to Far Rockaway or the one that went up 147th to Rosedale ending at Francis Lewis. Mr. Softee had their garage on the corner of 147th and 175th St just off Farmer's Blvd. Police raids or drug busts where never heard of back then. Brookville (it was NEVER known as Brookfield) Park was somewhere we kids could ride our bikes to and play all day. Springfield Park as another safe haven for us kids where with a home made fishing pole and some white bread, we would hope to catch a fish in the pond. There was Whitey's stable at the end of 147th Ave and Hook Creek where us kids could take a pony ride and there was so much open space, lots of the houses off 147th towards the swamps weren't even built yet. The closest high schools were either Andrew Jackson or Far Rockaway, Springfield Gardens High School wasn't even a dream nor was JHS 231, PS 181 or PS 195. We didn't know from race riots, color was never an issue. Rosedale was just about all white, but Springfield Gardens just up the road was another story. I graduated from PS 52 and we had a good mix there. We had two very wonderful black teachers (African-American was not a term back then) who were the favorite of most every student who they taught. In 1953, they were both brand new and the first Black teachers in the system there. By 1962, our neighborhood became mostly Black and it was very peaceful. Well, I could go on and on but I will say that the whole country seemed to have changed after 1968, not just Rosedale. By the way, life is great here in North Carolina!!

Thanks for verifying/detailing some of the things I mentioned. Growing up in Rosedale my neighbors were really cool about passing on the history of the place. 'Sons of Italy' was a restaurant and I think I mentioned that my parents were given the opportunity to attend many functions because Sons of Italy sponsored so many community events, sports, churchs, etc. that we were included in (our race meant little after awhile). Racism was alive but as you mentioned it was also individualized. Once my family was accepted as 'good hardworking folk' we had few incidents directed at us personally. I was lucky to have so many friends looking out for me and telling me about the place. It really was an exciting neighborhood to grow up in. Rosedale has alot of historical value. I remember the White Owl (although I was never old enough to go in there). I remember the underpass to catch the Q-5 bus (it was a scary place) and since then they have permanently closed it off. By the time I moved around there all the schools had been erected but I do remember my brother attending Andrew Jackson because Springfield was just finishing construction and it didn't have a full staff yet. Prior to living in Rosedale my family lived in Hollis. So we've always lived in pre-dominantly white neighborhoods.
I remember the Dew Drop Inn, took me a while to catch the double meaning. And I did the stick fishing with bread too. We also used to let our dogs go swimming in Brookville pond and my sister used to go ice-skating there. I used to go over and feed the ducks. They've redone the park. A 2.5 million dollar renovation. They fixed up the football field, redid the playground (twice) and are supposed to be putting in stands and a clubhouse and concession stand and bathrooms nearer the fields for games. Theres a soccor/croquet field by the old field two and a second field across 147th ave for baseball as well as the old one near the football fields.
My mom retired to Winston-Salem NC and let me tell you the place is really wonderful and I think I might very well end up there myself one day. I happen to be a romance writer and my first novel takes place in the mountains near there. Check it out 'Come With Me'. My other novel is 'If You Were Mine'. Each of them starts out in NY so it'll be like visiting. You can order both from Amazon.com.
Cheer Chick
I think I'm gonna check out the Cigarette movie mentioned. I think it's on pay per view this month.

[JetsCheerChick]

Originally Posted by MikeTheEss

Does anyone else remember that tunnel in Rosedale that used to go under the Belt Parkway? It was a pedestrian underpass near Brookville Park?

It has been paved over for some time now.

I just want to reference this:

Cedarhurst Cutoff

There used to be a branch of the LIRR that cut off from the main line in Rosedale, that ran down Edgewood, through what is now Brookville Park, down to Cedarhurst. The website explains it very well.

That tunnel under the parkway always seemed weird to me. It started in a weird place and came up in a weird place.

Could it have been related to that old LIRR line?

Once upon a time the Rosedale Station was west of where it currently is, sort of near Edgewood & Conduit. Could the tunnel have been built to service the railroad customers? Otherwise, what purpose could it have served? Pedestrians could have walked to either 225th or Brookville Blvd to cross. Of all the places on the Belt Parkway to build a pedestrian underpass, that location seemed like the least useful.

And as I recall, it only went under the parkway, not the Conduit. So going from the southside to the northside, you came up in the middle of nowhere, and still had to cross the Conduit.

Why was the tunnel there?

I lived in the between point and it was much easier to catch the Q-5A bus by using the underpass. Even though you had to cross the conduit, you were able to by-pass the Belt and come up on the other side where there was a bus stop going to Jamaica. At the time it took you up to 169th street where you caught either the E or F trains. There was no Archer station yet.
Coming home the bus had a stop adjacent to that on the conduit that let you off on lansing ave right past Edgewood Avenue.
Once they closed off the underpass we walked either to 225th street Q-5A or Springfield to catch the Q-77.

[MikeTheEss]

Thanks for the input JetsCheer

Do you remember what street the tunnel was at the end of? Lansing? 231st? It only went under the Belt Parkway right, not the Conduit also?

I don't think the tunnel was built because there was a bus stop there. I think its more likely that the bus stops were put there because the tunnel happened to be there.

Looking at the maps on the link, and realizing that the original Rosedale LIRR station was somewhere in the vicinity of 231st Street and Edgewood, and the LIRR owned still owned a right-of-way through the area, I'm guessing the tunnel was built with the LIRR station in mind.

[mikeavolio5]

Originally Posted by loreanny

hi ya mike : my sis Susan deLuca told me you was on here .
It is me LoreAnn now Yanatos married 17 years now in oceanside and have three son's WOW OMG ! lol
how are you
how your family - i have been reading this and wow i really loved rosedale no other place to grow up. My area in oside remeinds me of our block always kids out school yard right around the corner i love it .
be well gonna get on with my reading

Hi Loreann--great hearing from you--always loved your Dad, Tommy....3 sons, wow that awesome..I miss Rosedale--some great times there...


Mike

[vikingprincess]

Originally Posted by jetscheerchick

thanks For Verifying/detailing Some Of The Things I Mentioned. Growing Up In Rosedale My Neighbors Were Really Cool About Passing On The History Of The Place. 'sons Of Italy' Was A Restaurant And I Think I Mentioned That My Parents Were Given The Opportunity To Attend Many Functions Because Sons Of Italy Sponsored So Many Community Events, Sports, Churchs, Etc. That We Were Included In (our Race Meant Little After Awhile). Racism Was Alive But As You Mentioned It Was Also Individualized. Once My Family Was Accepted As 'good Hardworking Folk' We Had Few Incidents Directed At Us Personally. I Was Lucky To Have So Many Friends Looking Out For Me And Telling Me About The Place. It Really Was An Exciting Neighborhood To Grow Up In. Rosedale Has Alot Of Historical Value. I Remember The White Owl (although I Was Never Old Enough To Go In There). I Remember The Underpass To Catch The Q-5 Bus (it Was A Scary Place) And Since Then They Have Permanently Closed It Off. By The Time I Moved Around There All The Schools Had Been Erected But I Do Remember My Brother Attending Andrew Jackson Because Springfield Was Just Finishing Construction And It Didn't Have A Full Staff Yet. Prior To Living In Rosedale My Family Lived In Hollis. So We've Always Lived In Pre-dominantly White Neighborhoods.
I Remember The Dew Drop Inn, Took Me A While To Catch The Double Meaning. And I Did The Stick Fishing With Bread Too. We Also Used To Let Our Dogs Go Swimming In Brookville Pond And My Sister Used To Go Ice-skating There. I Used To Go Over And Feed The Ducks. They've Redone The Park. A 2.5 Million Dollar Renovation. They Fixed Up The Football Field, Redid The Playground (twice) And Are Supposed To Be Putting In Stands And A Clubhouse And Concession Stand And Bathrooms Nearer The Fields For Games. Theres A Soccor/croquet Field By The Old Field Two And A Second Field Across 147th Ave For Baseball As Well As The Old One Near The Football Fields. :d
My Mom Retired To Winston-salem Nc And Let Me Tell You The Place Is Really Wonderful And I Think I Might Very Well End Up There Myself One Day. I Happen To Be A Romance Writer And My First Novel Takes Place In The Mountains Near There. Check It Out 'come With Me'. My Other Novel Is 'if You Were Mine'. Each Of Them Starts Out In Ny So It'll Be Like Visiting. You Can Order Both From Amazon.com.
Cheer Chick
I Think I'm Gonna Check Out The Cigarette Movie Mentioned. I Think It's On Pay Per View This Month.

Hello Jetscheerchick:

I Lived In Rosedale For 34 Years. I Moved Away Only 2 Years Ago. I Read A Post That You Sent In About When The Bridges Were Broken And The Tennis Courts Were Ruined And I Remember That Time Vividly Even Though I Was Between The Ages Of 4-6 Years Old. I Had A Sister Who Was Quite A Bit Older Than Me - 11 Years To Be Exact - And So I Remember Going With Her To The Park Alot And I Always Wondered Why Everything Was Broken Back Then. I Remember How Racist Rosedale Was - And I Am A White Woman By The Way. I Remember Being Very Young And Sitting On My Babysitter's Porch - She Lived About 4 Blocks Away From "town" - And All Of The Horrible Things That Her And Her Neighbors Would Say Whenever A Black Person Walked Down "their" Street. I Remember Thinking Even At Such A Young Age That They Were Crazy. When They Would Start Their Rantings I Would Go Inside, I Never Wanted To Be Associated With Individuals Like That, You See, I Lived On "the Other Side Of Brookville Park" (in Between 225th Street And Brookville Park) When I Was Growing Up In The 1970's There Were Kids Of Every Race On That Side, So I Was Friends With Black Kids, Spanish Kids, Indian Kids, Chinese Kids. I Didn't See Color Then And I Definitely Don't See It Now. I'm Tired Of Hearing All Of These "old Timer Rosedalians" Talking About How Bad The Neighborhood Is And How It Isn't Like The Old Days. They Are Soooooooooo Wrong! I'm 36 Years Old And I Loved Growing Up In Rosedale! Me And My Friends Had A Blast And We All Played Together;however, Whenever We Would Go To "town" We Were Constantly Harrassed By Numerous Racists Whites. I Remember Them Burning A Cross On The First Black Person's House Who Moved Into The "white Side" - I Was 10 Years Old And I Was Horrified. And There Was A Person On One Of These Message Boards Who Said There Was No "kkk" Or No "clan" In Rosedale, Well Then Tell Me Why When I Was Growing Up I Saw "kkk" In Grafitti All Over Brookville Park And Why Was A Cross Burned On A Black Family's Front Lawn Back In 1981? I Remember When My Side Of Brookville Park "changed" And All Of The Different Ethnicities Moved Away Making My Side Completely Black By 1983 - With The Exception Of Me And My Mother And A Few Very Elderly Whites. The "white Side" Of Rosedale Started To Change In The Early 1990's When I Was In My Early 20's. There Were For Sale Signs All Over The Place! I Think They Call It "white Flight". They Ran As Far Away As They Could And Now They Are On These Message Boards Crying About How "bad" Rosedale Is! Unbelievable. When I Was A Little Kid - Brookville Park Was Full Of White "drug Addicts" And The Park Was Ruined By Them. I Remember All Of The Cars Parked Inside Of Brookville And All The Broken Beer Bottles All Over The Place - And These Were Whites That Did This, Not Blacks. I Wonder Why All Of These Former Rosedalians Think Rosedale Is Sooo Bad? Is It Because It Is Mainly Black Now? Does Black = Bad? Hmmn, I Wonder If Rosedale Was Still White Would They Still Feel The Same Way. Let Me State For The Record, My Son Is 10 Years Old And He Was Raised In Rosedale Until He Was 8 Years Old. The Kids Were Wonderful! I Would Take Him And All Of His Friends To Brookville Park Every Weekend, And Guess What? They Would Go To The Playground, Play Baseball, Play Basketball, Ride Bikes Up And Down The Giant Hill By The Tennis Courts, Go And Feed The Ducks By The Lake Where There Are Only Steps Now And The Boathouse Is Gone, My Son And His Friends Loved "the Gully" As The Old Rosedalians Called It - We Call It The "brooke" - Which Is By The Old Pipe And The Tennis Courts, They Played Tennis, Frisbee, Jumprope, Hopscotch, Etc... I Could Go On And On. Rosedale Is Not A Bad Place, It's Just Filled With A Group Of People Who Are Of A Different Complexion. That Doesn't Make It "bad". I Will Admit That During The 1980's There Was Alot Of Crime, But By The Time My Son Was Born - 10 Years Ago - The Crime Went Down And Rosedale Became The Place That I Remembered As A Child Except Now My Son Was Able To Enjoy It Just As Much As I Did. I Wish There Were More People In My Age Group That Wrote In To These Forums Who Could Set The Record Straight. I'm Sick And Tired Of People Saying Negative Things About A Place That I Hold Very Dear In My Heart.