What Queens looked like at the Turn of the 20th Century

Step back in time to the early 1900s, and you’ll find Queens, New York, buzzing with change. From bustling streets to quiet farmlands, Queens offered a little something for everyone. Let’s take a peek into this fascinating era.

While Manhattan’s skyscrapers were reaching for the clouds in the 1900s, Queens was still holding onto its rural roots. Farms dotted the landscape, supplying fresh produce to the city. Yet, change was in the air. Factories were popping up, offering jobs and drawing people from all walks of life. German immigrants settled in Ridgewood, Italians in Astoria, and African Americans established thriving communities in Flushing and Jamaica.

Life wasn’t all work and no play in Queens. The Rockaways, a thin strip of land stretching into the Atlantic, became a popular summer getaway. Families hopped on ferries and trains, escaping the city heat for sandy beaches and refreshing ocean breezes. Amusement parks like Steeplechase Park, with its gravity-defying rides and thrilling attractions, added to the excitement.

Coney Island’s Cousin: North Beach

North Beach, known as “Coney Island’s quieter cousin,” offered a more relaxed seaside experience. Families enjoyed picnics on the sand, while adventurous souls took dips in the ocean. The amusement park boasted a scenic railway, a carousel, and a dance hall where folks could cut a rug to the latest tunes.

Culinary Delights: A World of Flavors

Queens’ diverse population brought a smorgasbord of culinary delights. German bakeries filled the air with the aroma of fresh bread and pastries. Italian restaurants served up steaming plates of pasta, and oyster bars offered the freshest catches from the sea. In Flushing, Chinese immigrants introduced their unique cuisine, laying the groundwork for what would become one of the largest Chinatowns in the world.

The early 1900s saw a construction boom in Queens. The Queensboro Bridge, completed in 1909, connected the borough to Manhattan, opening doors for easier commutes and increased trade. Residential areas like Jackson Heights and Forest Hills sprung up, offering spacious homes and a suburban escape from the crowded city.

Getting Around in Queens

With the borough expanding, transportation became vital. Trolley lines crisscrossed the streets, connecting neighborhoods and ferrying people to work and leisure. Elevated trains rumbled overhead, offering a faster way to travel longer distances. The Long Island Railroad also played a crucial role, bringing commuters from the suburbs to the heart of the city.

Entertainment Extravaganza: Vaudeville and Nickelodeon

Queens residents knew how to have a good time. Vaudeville theaters showcased a variety of acts, from singers and dancers to comedians and acrobats. Nickelodeons, early movie theaters, offered silent films and flickering entertainment for a nickel. These venues provided affordable entertainment and a welcome escape from the daily grind.

#1 109th Road and Farmers Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#2 113th Place and 76th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#3 223rd Street and Merrick Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#4 Astoria Boulevard and 1st Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#5 Astoria Boulevard and 90th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#6 Beach 19th Street and Seagirt Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#7 Borden Avenue and DeBevoise Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#8 Borden Avenue and DeBevoise Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#9 Borden Avenue and 50th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#10 Cloverdale Boulevard and Northern Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#11 Colonial Avenue and Van Doren Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#12 Colonial Avenue and Nassau Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#13 Cooper Avenue and 80th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#14 Cooper Avenue and 72nd Place, Queens, 1900s.

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#15 Cooper Avenue and 73rd Place, Queens, 1900s.

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#16 Cooper Avenue and 59th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#17 Corona Avenue and 90th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#18 Cross Island Boulevard and 7th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#19 Cross Island Boulevard and 10th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#21 Cross Island Boulevard and 30th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#22 Cross Island Boulevard and 14th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#23 Cypress Avenue and Summerfield Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#24 Ditmars Boulevard and 43rd Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#25 Douglaston Parkway and 42nd Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#26 20th Road and 37th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#27 24th Drive and 21st Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#28 26th Avenue and 215th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#29 30th Street and 36th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#30 30th Road and Vernon Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#31 31st Avenue and 36th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#32 35th Street and 20th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#33 37th Avenue and Lawrence Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#34 38th Avenue and Prince Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#35 39th Avenue and Main Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#36 39th Avenue and 49th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#37 41st Avenue and Main Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#38 41st Avenue and Union Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#39 42nd Avenue and 213th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#40 43rd Avenue and Junction Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#41 45th Avenue and Parsons Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#42 45th Street and Astoria Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#43 46th Street and 30th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#44 53rd Avenue and 97th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#45 53rd Street and Roosevelt Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#46 57th Avenue and Queens Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#47 59th Drive and Fresh Pond Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#48 60th Street and 60th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#49 60th Street and Metropolitan Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#50 63rd Street and Cottage Place, Queens, 1900s.

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#51 63rd Road and Queens Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#52 69th Street and 59th Drive, Queens, 1900s.

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#53 70th Road and 153rd Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#54 114th Street and 38th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#55 Willets Point Boulevard and Pilgrim Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#56 Fresh Meadow Lane and 65th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#57 Fresh Pond Road and Madison Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#58 Fresh Pond Road and Menahan Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#59 Furmanville Avenue and 77th Place, Queens, 1900s.

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#60 Furmanville Avenue and 77th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#61 Goethal Avenue and 164th Place, Queens, 1900s.

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#62 Grand Avenue and Remsen Place, Queens, 1900s.

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#63 Grand Avenue and 64th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#64 Grand Avenue and 73rd Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#65 Grand Avenue and 79th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#66 Hancock Street and Wyckoff Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#67 Hawtree Creek Road and 130th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#68 Hazen Street and 135th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#69 Hillside Avenue and 118th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#70 Hillside Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#71 Hillside Avenue and 120th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#72 Hillside Avenue and 162nd Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#73 Hollis Avenue and 102nd Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#74 Horace Harding Boulevard and Springfield Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#75 Jackson Avenue and 2nd Avenue, Queens, 1902.

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#76 Washington Avenue and Willoughby Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#77 Jacob Riis Park, Rockaway Beach, Queens, 1900s.

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#78 Jacob Riis Park, Rockaway Beach, Queens, 1900s.

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#79 Jacob Riis Park, Rockaway Beach, Queens, 1900s.

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#80 Jacob Riis Park, Rockaway Inlet, Queens, 1900s.

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#81 Jaggar Street and 41st Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#82 Jamaica Avenue and Kew Garden Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#83 Jamaica Avenue and 116th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#84 Jamaica Avenue and 126th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#85 Jamaica Avenue and 148th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#86 Jamaica Avenue and 150th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#87 Jamaica Avenue and 150th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#88 Jamaica Avenue and 150th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#89 Jamaica Avenue and 150th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#90 Jamaica Avenue and 212th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#91 Waterfront, Canarsie, Jamaica Bay, Queens, 1900s.

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#92 Juniper Valley Road and 70th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#93 Kissena Boulevard and 65th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#94 Kissena Boulevard and North Hempstead Turnpike, Queens, 1900s.

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#95 Laurel Hill Boulevard and 58th Place, Queens, 1900s.

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#96 Lawrence Street and 37th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#97 Lawrence Street and 37th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#98 Lawrence Road and Fresh Meadow Lane, Queens, 1900s.

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#99 Lincoln Street and 109th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#100 Little Neck Parkway and 60th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#101 Little Neck Parkway and Albert Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#102 Little Neck Parkway and 39th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#103 Main Avenue and 30th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#104 Main Street and Sanford Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#105 Main Street and 41st Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#106 Main Street and 41st Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#107 Main Street and 56th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#108 Main Street and 59th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#109 Main Street and Northern Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#110 Marathon Parkway and Schenectady Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#111 Maspeth Avenue and 59th Place, Queens, 1900s.

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#112 Maspeth Avenue and 59th Place, Queens, 1900s.

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#113 Maurice Avenue and 65th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#114 Mott Avenue and Dickens Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#115 Myrtle Avenue and Briggs Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#116 North Hempstead Turnpike and 98th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#117 Northern Boulevard and Linden Place, Queens, 1900s.

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#118 Northern Boulevard and Main Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#119 Northern Boulevard and Main Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#120 Northern Boulevard and Main Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#121 Northern Boulevard and Bowne Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#122 Northern Boulevard and Union Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#123 Northern Boulevard and Union Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#124 Northern Boulevard and Union Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#125 Northern Boulevard and 147th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#126 Northern Boulevard and Parsons Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#127 Northern Boulevard and 123rd Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#128 Northern Boulevard and 147th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#129 Northern Boulevard and 162nd Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#130 Northern Boulevard and 245th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#131 Old Brook School Road and Newton Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#132 Otis Avenue and 108th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#133 Parsons Boulevard and Highland Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#134 Parsons Boulevard and 15th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#135 Parsons Boulevard and 76th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#136 Parsons Boulevard and Willets Point Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#137 Parsons Boulevard and Grand Central Parkway, Queens, 1900s.

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#138 Parsons Boulevard and 77th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#139 Parsons Boulevard and 82nd Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#140 Peck Avenue and Main Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#141 Perry Avenue and Remsen Place, Queens, 1900s.

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#142 Pidgeon Meadow Road and Burndale Lane, Queens, 1900s.

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#143 Pinegrove Street and 109th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#144 Pitkin Avenue and 88th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#145 Queens Boulevard and Woodhaven Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#146 Queens Boulevard and Broadway, Queens, 1900s.

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#147 Queens Boulevard and Simonson Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#148 Queens Boulevard and Woodhaven Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#149 Queens Boulevard and 55th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#150 Queens Boulevard and 57th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#151 Queens Boulevard and 62nd Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#152 Queens Boulevard and 83rd Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#153 Queens Boulevard and 63rd Drive, Queens, 1900s.

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#154 Queens Boulevard and 68th Drive, Queens, 1900s.

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#155 Queens Boulevard and 55th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#156 Queens Boulevard and 55th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#157 Queens Boulevard and 55th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#158 Queens Boulevard and 55th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#159 Queens Boulevard and 55th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#160 Remsen Street and Alderton Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#161 Beach 101st Street and Edgemere Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#162 Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Beach 94th Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#163 Rockaway Boulevard and 133rd Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#164 Rocky Hill Road and Bell Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#165 Rodman Street and 58th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#166 Sanford Avenue and Parsons Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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#167 Sanford Avenue and Bowne Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#168 Springfield Boulevard and 139th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#169 Springfield Boulevard and 138th Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#170 Trains Meadow Road and Old Bowery Road, Queens, 1900s.

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#171 Utopia Parkway and 75th Avenue, Queens, 1900s.

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#172 The Nameoke, Far Rockaway, Long Island, 1903.

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#173

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#174 109th Avenue and Pinegrove Street, Queens, 1900s.

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#175 45th Avenue and Queens Boulevard, Queens, 1900s.

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