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Now...
Each
of the "right side" photographs depict the current
conditions at each of the locations photographed in the images on
the left side. A few years can make an amazing difference!
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FIRST POWELL HOUSE, (c. 1905) looking northwest,
Conklin Street, west of Merritts Road.
Thomas
Powell, the first European settler in what is now the
Farmingdale-Bethpage area, arrived in 1687. Within the first
few years, he and his family constructed a home on what is
now Hempstead Turnpike. The structure endured until 1931,
known in later years as the Lawrence homestead.
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PARAMOUNT DINER, (c. 1930s), NE corner, Conklin and
Washington Streets.
Ever
since the Hook, Ladder and Hose Company of the
Farmingdale Fire Department vacated their old building in
early 1932 to move into the present Village Hall/Firehouse,
the location has been the site of a restaurant. The
Paramount Diner(shown) later became the Lido Diner,
and now is the Lotus Garden. |
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FARMINGDALE LIRR STATION, (c. 1905), looking
northwest.
This
was the appearance of the building from its construction in
1896 until 1909, when the two-story tower was added onto
the west side to house electrical equipment necessary to
power the Cross-Island Trolley Line. |
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ST. KILIAN SCHOOL, 1926-1997, looking northwest,
northeast corner of Conklin and Elizabeth Streets.
In
1926 St. Kilian RC Church established a parochial school
serving grades 1-8. . The 1926 school was largely
replaced by a new school on Cherry Street, which opened in
1963. It was razed in 1997, and the site now serves as
a church parking field. The 1963 school has been LaSalle
Regional School since 1992. |
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BAUSCH PICTURE FRAME COMPANY looking east-northeast,
Rose and Richard Streets.
In the
1880s Robert Bausch established a picture frame and molding firm
where Richard and Rose Streets now intersect, employing his
seven sons among other workers. In 1914 Lawrence
Sperry, the aviator, moved into the former Bausch factory
with his Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Company, the area’s
first aviation firm. |
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OTTEN BROTHERS BICYCLE SHOP, (c. 1907), south side
of Conklin Street, just east of Main Street.
The
Otten brothers opened a bicycle shop early in the twentieth
century. When motorcycles and automobiles became more
common, the brothers began servicing them also, becoming
Farmingdale's first auto repair facility. By 1911 three
Farmingdale businesses were advertising auto repairs. The
site is now occupied by Weichert Realtors/Dallow Agency. |
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521 CONKLIN STREET (1955-1980) Conklin Street,
west of Secatogue Avenue, looking north.
About
1928 the New York Telephone Company built this building to
house equipment and staff serving the Farmingdale area.
Administrative offices of the Farmingdale Public Schools
occupied this building from1955 to 1979, followed by the
Bi-County Postal Workers Federal Credit Union which was
merged into the Sperry credit union in 2007. |
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MAIN STREET NEAR VILLAGE
HALL: c.1912,
Tracks of Cross-Island Trolley Line which operated between
Halesite and
Amityville, 1909 to 1919, are visible .At right, to
right of wagon and largely obscured by foliage, is the
original Village Hall of
Farmingdale, a small frame structure which was razed
in 1931 to allow for construction of the present Village
Hall/ Fire House. |
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MAIN STREET JUST NORTH OF
GRANT AVENUE
Main Street
School as it appeared from 1930 to 1960. South wing
(far left) was built in 1912, and razed in 1960. Middle wing
was built in 1922 and North wing (foreground) was built
1928-1930, Both of these were demolished in 1980. |
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HEISELMANN OPERA HOUSE:
Main Street, just south of Richard Street, c. 1912,
The "opera house", built in 1909, served as a community
auditorium until 1915. It then became a woodworking shop,
but was destroyed by fire in 1923. The "opera house" was
the scene of locally produced shows, touring vaudeville
programs, and stock performances, but apparently never an
opera. |
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294-296 MAIN
STREET: Main Street south of Conklin Street, mid-block,c.
1920s,
The three-story building housed DeMarco's Department Store,
specializing in clothing and housewares. |
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ORIGINAL
BANK OF FARMINGDALE, c1912 "Main St and
Conklin St. Looking North". The brick Bank of
Farmingdale stood at NW corner of Main and Conklin
1912-1930. Immediately adjacent north of it is Brown's
Hotel.
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MAIN
STREET SHOWING POST OFFICE, c1912 - Post Office
at that time was located in storefront at right, near
present day Clock Plaza, looking north toward LIRR
crossing.Original Methodist
Church (1843-1926) with steeple can be seen on
left.
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DURYEA
STORE General
store of John
Duryea, c1880's Location is Main
Street at North
Front Street, NW corner, looking NW, at the LIRR
crossing.Station was at this location until 1896 when
present station was completed.
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Merritts
Road near Conklin Looking North - 2008
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Original site of
Nazareth Trade School.
Currently, it is Howitt Middle School's athletic field.
View is southeast from Conklin and Cherry streets |
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Homes
replace
Stern's Pickle Works
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