Newlyweds in New York

When my parents were newlyweds they lived at 86-15 Elmhurst Ave., in Queens, Long Island. I found this address on an old envelope in a letter from my parents to my grandparents.

I was able to pull up this neighborhood on Google Earth and find 86-15 Elmhurst Ave.- on the corner of Elmhurst and Judge Street; a three story building with two balconies.

Corner of Elmhurst and Judge St. Today

18-15 Elmhurst Ave. Today

This building is now showing its age; but the details on the concrete railings of the balconies clearly match the pictures I have of my parents standing in front of their apartment on Elmhurst Ave. In their day it was new and stylish;  my mother said they moved into a brand new apartment and bought all new furniture for it.

Elgin and Pauline Garrison

              
                  

Pauline and Elgin Garrison, Elmhurst 1942

     


 Mom's sister, Helen Allen, and Dad's sister, Aletheia Garrison, came to visit them in Elmhurst in 1941.

Elgin and Aletheia Garrison and Helen Allen in Elmhurst- 1941

At the end of the block, Elmhurst Ave. met Broadway beside a pretty little park. On the edge of the park was the Elmhurst Subway Station. This was a new station, opened in 1939, which was a great boost to the growth of the community. It was the gateway for commuters to Manhattan.

The Elmhurst Ave. Subway Station

 My mother told me that the subway was extremely safe in those days; she and her friends could travel into the city and ride the 5th Avenue bus for shopping and sightseeing. They had just a short walk to the station, and could be in downtown Manhattan in 20 minutes. Once a week they would take the subway up to the Bronx for Ladies Day at Yankee Stadium. My mom saw Joe DiMaggio in action!

The ladies also socialized at luncheons, and one of mom's friends taught her how to sew- something that became a lifelong hobby for her. On weekends the Shell couples would also get together to socialize.

Jackson Heights, the home of  their friends Rollie and Anita Bayless, was just one subway stop from the Elmhurst Station. Rollie also worked for Shell, and Anita, who was also from Illinois, was an actress doing shows, soap operas, and commercials.  I remember them as always smiling and happy and very kind.They had no children of their own and they were my godparents. It became a tradition to meet at one home or the other on Friday or Saturday nights and the menu was almost always the same- hamburgers!

My parents having friends for dinner at their Elmhurst Apt.- Anita and Rollie Bayless on the far right (my mother on the left)

My father took the subway daily to the Shell Oil Company offices which were located in the RCA Building (now "30 Rock") in Rockefeller Plaza at 5th Avenue and 50th St.

John D. Rockefeller had built Rockefeller Center in the midst of the Great Depression, planning a "city within a city" and employing thousands of people when many were without work. These iconic photos were taken during it's construction. I remember my dad saying that they used Mohawk Indians for constructing the skyscrapers of the time, because they had no fear of heights! I have no idea if that is true.... but surely these men were courageous!

A brave construction worker with St. Patrick's Cathedral in the background

  By 1939 more than 125,000 people came to the Rockefeller Center daily for work. It was truly a city within a city, with its own subway station and post office, along with business offices, shops, and restaurants and an observation deck that had a beautiful view of Manhattan.  The RCA building, newly completed in 1939, was at the center of the complex. It towered above the city at 70 stories tall and was a beautiful example of art deco design. The views from the building were spectacular and my dad enjoyed taking photos overlooking Manhattan from this vantage point. Below are some of his photographs.

Looking up at the RCA building

A view of the Empire State building looking south from the RCA building

A view of Central Park, looking north from the RCA building

My childhood memories of visiting my father's office include fast moving revolving doors at the entrance (I was always afraid I would get stuck in them) and a beautiful art deco designed lobby with brass inlaid designs on the floor. There was a line of elevators which went up so high so fast that it made your ears pop!

My father's photo- see the scary revolving door in the back?

An online photo showing the lobby floor (flickr)

 By the time I visited, the NBC studio was on the ground level, and at that time you could watch them broadcast through glass windows. I remember seeing Dave Garoway broadcasting, but being more interested in the parrot in the cage next to him than the news star! (I also remember being in the "Peanut Gallery" for the Howdy Doody Show with my Brownie troop, and Buffalo Bob telling me to "Shut Up!" I was shocked- smiling, happy Buffalo Bob yelling at me? (I was a rather boisterous child.)

My father's photo of Dave Garoway broadcasting at NBC Studios (I think that is Dave in the center....)

In this neighborhood on fashionable Fifth Ave. were many famous buildings and shops; St. Patrick's Cathedral, Saks Fifth Ave., Radio City Music Hall, etc.  I think my favorite as a child, though, was Horn and Hardarts "Automat" a restaurant that seemed to be a vision of the future; food choices behind glass compartments which you could see to choose and put in a coin to open the door, helping yourself and then lift the selection onto your cafeteria tray.

                                             Courtesy of Museum of the City Of New York

 The proomenade leading to the RCA Building was especially pretty and at Christmas time my father took many pictures of the angels and pointsettas leading up to the skating rink with Prometheus catching fire in the background and the famous Christmas tree.

My father's photo of the Promenade and Christmas Tree in front of the RCA Building

My father's photo of Prometheus catching fire in front of the RCA Building in summertime

What I took for granted as a child must have seemed a very long way from the farms of my parents' childhoods and a nearly impossible dream come true for the young newlyweds in New York City.