Sunday, January 30, 2022

Tiny Diner

[803 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, c. 1939–1941. From the NYC Municipal Archives Collections. Click for a much larger view.]

“Good Food for Good Health”? If you say so.

If you squint, you can see the HOTCAKES sign (neon!) in the window. And in the window of the dry cleaners and laundry, SPREADS WASHED FLUFFED DRIED. Today this stretch of Bedford Avenue is all apartment buildings.

Thanks, Brian, for finding this photograph.

Related posts
Harry’s Wagon : More photographs from the NYC Municipal Archives

comments: 6

Anonymous said...

I love this!!! We seem to have lost a lot of character in our cities by the constant tearing down and rebuilding better and bigger(?). I am really fascinated by this diner as it almost looks to have those glass architectural bricks in the front but I can't tell what the rest of body is. And of course, the ubiquitous Coke sign in the back.

While not on the same scale, I figure this place in Alexandria, Va will be gone at some point: Blue and White Carry Out : https://www.google.com/maps/place/Blue+%26+White+Carry+Out/@38.8123075,-77.0519832,635m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89b7b0fb9b4e4041:0x2f416ea5be56710c!8m2!3d38.8123082!4d-77.0498037 A link to their menu: https://places.singleplatform.com/blue--white-carry-out/menu?ref=google

I never ate there but a lot of males, mainly, did!!

Kirsten

Michael Leddy said...

That’s an interesting (idiosyncratic) menu — and low prices!

A great diner in NJ disappeared last year, a victim of development. A record store in the same city is set to disappear. Development is what killed the Eldorado too.

Anonymous said...

here's another restaurant from the tax photos

https://nycma.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/detail/NYCMA~7~7~794573~1203553:1336-Broadway?sort=borough%2Cblock%2Clot%2Czip_code&qvq=sort:borough%2Cblock%2Clot%2Czip_code;lc:NYCMA~7~7&mi=21681&trs=272507

Michael Leddy said...

That’s great!

Anonymous said...

https://digitalcollections.nyhistory.org/islandora/object/nyhs%3A62709

another small restaurant

Michael Leddy said...

Great-looking diner, great photograph.