Roy’s Tavern

[4017 Avenue U, Marine Park, Brooklyn, c. 1939–1941. From the NYC Municipal Archives Collections. Click for a much larger view.]

I’ve posted three other tax photographs from Avenue U. I fear that the fourth will not be the last. What drew me to this photograph: it reminds me of David Plowden’s photographs of fading midwestern towns. Was this really Brooklyn? It was.

Roy’s Tavern was still going in 1949, when it found a new owner. To my surprise, the building still stands, still with a vacant lot to its east. Google Maps shows a Chinese-Japanese-Mexican restaurant in 2012. By 2017, a Chinese restaurant took over. By 2022, a Thai restaurant. By 2024, an Asian fusion restaurant.

If you click for a much larger view, you’ll notice some choice details: the flag (why?), the beer mugs on the sign, and “Ladies Served.” Just don’t fall into the open cellar.

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