A Photographic Tour of Grand Central Parkway, Queens from the 1930s

The Grand Central Parkway opened in sections during the 1930s, introducing a new kind of driving experience to New Yorkers. Construction, a major project of the New Deal era, began in 1931. The first section, connecting Queens Boulevard to the Nassau County line, opened to traffic in July 1933. By 1936, the parkway was complete, stretching from the new Triborough Bridge to the Interborough Parkway.

As a “parkway,” it was built exclusively for passenger cars. Commercial traffic, like trucks and delivery vans, was not permitted. The road itself was a modern roadway. Early portions had four lanes, without a central divider. The later sections, however, were constructed with a grass median separating the opposing lanes of traffic, a design intended to increase safety. The posted speed limit was 35 miles per hour.

Driving on the parkway was meant to be a pleasant activity. The route was designed by Robert Moses to be scenic, following the rolling hills of Queens. The road was lined with carefully planned landscaping, including trees and shrubbery, giving the sensation of driving through a park. This was a direct contrast to the city streets drivers were used to.

#1 160th Street – Grand Central Parkway, 1930

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#2 168th Street – Grand Central Parkway, 1930

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#3 Douglaston Parkway – Grand Central Parkway, 1927

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#4 Edgerton Boulevard – Grand Central Parkway, 1930s

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#5 Grand Central Parkwa – Corona Avenue, 1935

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#6 Grand Central Parkway – Corona Avenue, 1930s

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#7 Flushing Meadow Park – [Fountain Lake – Grand Central Parkway.], 1937

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#8 Flushing Meadow Park – [Grand Central Parkway – 76th Avenue.], 1937

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#9 Grand Central Parkwa – Union Turnpike, 1939

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#10 Grand Central Parkwa – Roosevelt Avenue, 1937

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#11 Northern Boulevard – Grand Central Parkway, 1935

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#12 Flushing Meadow Park – [Between Grand Central Parkway and Willets Point Boulevard.], 1935

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#13 Grand Central Parkwa – Roosevelt Avenue, 1939

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#14 Grand Central Parkwa – 50th Avenue, 1935

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#15 Union Turnpike – Grand Central Parkway, 1939

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#16 Grand Central Parkwa – Alpine Avenue, 1938

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#17 Grand Central Parkwa – Alpine Avenue, 1938

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#18 Grand Central Parkwa – Roosevelt Avenue, 1937

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#19 Grand Central Parkwa – Roosevelt Avenue, 1938

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#20 Grand Central Parkwa – Union Turnpike, 1939

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#21 Grand Central Parkwa – Hollis Court Boulevard, 1927

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#22 Grand Central Parkwa – Edgerton Boulevard, 1932

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#23 Grand Central Parkwa – Horace Harding Boulevard, 1936

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#24 Grand Central Parkwa – Horace Harding Boulevard, 1937

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#25 Grand Central Parkway – Hollis Court Boulevard.

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#26 Grand Central Parkwa – Northern Boulevard, 1935

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#27 Grand Central Parkwa – Northern Boulevard, 1936

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#28 Grand Central Parkwa – Parsons Boulevard, 1932

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#29 Grand Central Parkwa – Parsons Boulevard, 1932

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#30 Grand Central Parkwa – Roosevelt Avenue, 1936

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#31 Grand Central Parkwa – Roosevelt Avenue, 1936

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#32 Grand Central Parkwa – Vleigh Place, 1936

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#33 Grand Central Parkwa – Union Turnpike, 1936

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#34 Grand Central Parkwa – Utopia Parkway, 1930s

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#35 Grand Central Parkwa – Utopia Parkway, 1930s

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#36 Grand Central Parkwa – 46th Avenue, 1935

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#37 Grand Central Parkwa – 65th Avenue, 1939

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#38 Grand Central Parkwa – 69th Road, 1935

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#39 Grand Central Parkwa – 82nd Road, 1930s

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#40 Grand Central Parkwa – 31st Street, 1937

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#41 Grand Central Parkwa – 48th Street, 1935

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#42 Grand Central Parkwa – 74th Street, 1935

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#43 Grand Central Parkwa – 77th Street, 1935

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#44 Grand Central Parkway – 77th Street, 1935

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#45 Grand Central Parkwa – 85th Street, 1935

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#46 Grand Central Parkwa – 85th Street, 1935

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#47 Grand Central Parkwa – 95th Street, 1939

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#48 Grand Central Parkwa – 76th Court, 1930s

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#49 Grand Central Parkwa – 168th Street, 1932

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#50 Parsons Boulevard – Grand Central Parkway.

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#51 Roosevelt Avenue – Grand Central Parkway, 1935

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#52 Roosevelt Avenue – Grand Central Parkway, 1936

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