Thanks to Alice Kasten, president of the Great Neck Historical Society and Leila Mattson, the former head reference librarian at the Great Neck Library for their most informative presentation on the history of Great Neck from the 1600s to 1950s.
This was based upon publication of their recent book, “Images of America – Great Neck.” Students at both Great Neck South and North Junior and Senior High Schools would benefit by reading this book to understand the roots of our community. Ditto for current and new adult residents of Great Neck.
I remember my parents moving from Brooklyn in 1961 to the Terrace Circle apartments. During my first year here, I attended the old Terrace Circle Elementary school which only served students up to the third grade. The following year, we moved to a home in the Lakeville area. That started my journey through Lakeville Elementary, Great Neck South Junior and Senior High Schools.
Many of the stores I patronized in the 1960s have become distant memories.
During those years, my parents would send me to Mangel’s Delicatessen on Northern Boulevard, at the city line. A dollar would buy milk, bread, a head of lettuce and still leave some change.
In 1964, a two story medical office building was built on the vacant lot next to Mangel’s Delicatessen. My dentists, Dr. Herman Belkin and Dr. Martin Wenig, practiced there for many decades. There was a barber shop just around the corner and a haircut was a $1 or $1.25.
The barbers were either World War II or Korean War veterans. In those times, a crew cut was the norm. The liquor store at the city line succumbed to a fire several years ago and the site stands vacant today.
My first two-wheeled bicycle was purchased at North Shore Bicycle. It is now Brickwell Cycling today.
On the next block on the south side of Northern Boulevard, one block west of the city line in Little Neck was a bakery.
Sundays, my parents would send me out to buy rolls which were only seven cents each. The Little Neck Movie theater was just 50 cents. There was a matron and children had their own section.
I also remember going to the movies at both the Playhouse and Squire Movie Theaters and shopping at Gertz Department store in Great Neck Plaza. There was a bowling alley in Great Neck Plaza where the CVS Pharmacy stands today. I also frequented a second bowling alley, on Northern Boulevard, one block west of Jason Avenue.
It has been replaced by a series of ten small storefront stores. On the next block, Cutlers Lighting was originally a supermarket. Down the block at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Great Neck Road stood the original Scobee Diner.
This site is occupied today by Danny Automotive Group of Great Neck. On the south side of Northern Boulevard where Auto Expo stands today was a Kosher Poultry Market. You could buy a fresh chicken for a few dollars. Down the block was the old Copper Penny restaurant. A Korean fast food restaurant took over the site several years ago and just recently closed its doors.
On Great Neck Road, adjacent to the Terrace Circle apartments, was a Sears Roebuck, Terrace Chemists, a old fashion luncheonette and supermarket. Terrace Chemists is now Petlands Discount.
The Sears Roebuck has become the H Mart Plaza Indoor Mall.
If you went upstairs to the management office at Sears, they would offer children a free lollipop. The old luncheonette has become Mayflower Cleaners. I remember the great ice cream malteds and purchasing Newsday for a nickel. In those days, Newsday published Monday to Saturday with no Sunday edition.
The original supermarket changed hands several times before becoming the H Mart. I spent many hours at the Lakeville Library and fondly remember Ms. Tisdale. She was a friendly and supportive librarian. Across the street was the Great Neck American Legion Post.
A three-story office building housing the Great Neck Medical Group, NYU Langone Medical Center of Great Neck and Charles Schwab stands there today. The Great Neck Veterans of Foreign Wars had a building on Great Neck Road located directly across the street from Cutter Mill Park. It was replaced by a three story small apartment building.
The old cleaners on Northern Boulevard would give kids a free piece of bazooka bubble gum. It evolved to AT&T today. The old Cities Service gas station, which changed its corporate name to CITGO has come and gone to be replaced by a small five store shopping strip.
My family physician Doctor Alexief on Jayson Avenue charged $20 for a visit. He kept my medical records on three by five index cards. Lakeville Park at the corner of Pembrook and Concord Avenue which opened in the 1960s was built on a vacant lot.
In 1970, my local chapter of the Young Americans For Freedom (a conservative/libertarian youth group) hosted Honor America and Support Our Serviceman rallies during the height of the Vietnam War at the local Great Neck American Legion Post. We attracted speakers such as the late Jewish Defense League founder Rabbi Meyer Kehan and many politicians including Republican Raymond Rice and Conservative Lolla Camardi, who were both running against then Great Neck Democrat Rep. Lester Wolff. They ended up splitting the opposition vote against Wolff in the November 1970 general election. This gave the liberal Democratic Wolff another term.
After the shooting of four students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State in Ohio, Great Neck South High School, like many around the nation was shut down due to protests and teach-ins. In the interest of equal time, I convinced our principal to conduct a seminar for those who supported our intervention in Vietnam.
He wasn’t happy about classes having to be suspended twice within a few weeks. Being a young conservative/libertarian, it was swimming upstream with a handful of friends going against the always politically correct positions of faculty, other students and many Great Neck residents.
I organized two bus loads of over 100 participants from the American Legion Post to attend the national Honor America Day Rally in Washington, D.C. on July 4, 1970. In recognition for all of my activities that year, the local Great Neck American Legion post nominated me for a patriotic student award. One Sunday, my picture with award in hand made the front page of the old daily Long Island Press.
I remember going to the Flushing World’s Fair in 1963 and 1964. We rode Schenck Bus, a private bus operator. They extended their route from Glen Cove via Northern Boulevard in Great Neck to downtown Flushing, right up to the World’s Fair entrance.
In those days, the drivers made change and drove the bus at the same time. Nobody would dare bring soda or food on the bus or leave any litter behind. I would also ride the Universal Auto Bus route from Middle Neck Road to Great Neck Plaza and on to the Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy. There was also the Great Neck to Lynbrook route operated by Schenck Bus. Riding that route, I would switch for the Bee Line Bus and pay another fare taking me to either Hempstead or Freeport. There were no free transfers in those days.
I would also ride the original New York City Transit Q12A bus which ran along Little Neck Parkway. In 1990 it was renamed the Q79 probably due to avoiding confusion with the Little Neck to Flushing Q12 route. The bus would take me to Union Turnpike and after short walk, to the old Glen Oaks Movie Theater along with Mays Department Store. A transfer to the Q46 Union Turnpike bus provided connections to the Lake Success Shopping Center with a full Sears Department Store, other businesses and the adjacent bowling alley.
I look forward to another presentation by our Great Neck Historical Society to cover the period from the 1950s to today. Perhaps they will ask me to join them to share my own experiences over time as well.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
