Adriana Palmer
In the 1920s, Metropolitan Avenue was a long, vital artery that cut across the central landscape of Queens, connecting the dense neighborhoods of Ridgewood and Middle Village with the developing areas of Forest Hills and Kew Gardens. The avenue was defined by the electric streetcar line that ran down its center, serving as the primary mode of transportation for thousands of residents. The clang of the trolley bell and the rumble of its wheels on the steel tracks were a constant presence.
The avenue’s character changed noticeably as it traveled east. In the western sections, closer to the Brooklyn border, it was a bustling commercial street. The ground floors of brick apartment buildings and two-story wood-frame houses were filled with businesses that served the daily needs of the community. These included German bakeries, butcher shops, hardware stores, and saloons that were adapting to the rules of Prohibition.
Pushing eastward into Middle Village, the urban landscape began to open up. While residential streets with modest single-family homes branched off the avenue, a dominant feature of the area was the large cemeteries. St. John Cemetery and others formed a vast “city of the dead,” and Metropolitan Avenue was the main route for funeral processions and for families visiting the graves of loved ones. Florists and monument makers were common businesses along these stretches of the road.
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Further east, as Metropolitan Avenue approached Forest Hills, it passed through areas that were still semi-rural. Stretches of the road were bordered by woodlands and the occasional small farm, remnants of Queens’ recent agricultural past. This part of the avenue was on the cusp of major development, as the growth of Forest Hills and Kew Gardens began to spread.
Automobile traffic was steadily increasing throughout the decade, sharing the road with the trolleys and commercial delivery wagons. The roadway itself was a mix of paved sections and older cobblestone, reflecting the ongoing modernization of the borough’s infrastructure. For the communities along its path, Metropolitan Avenue was more than just a street; it was the essential corridor that linked their homes, jobs, and the defining landmarks of their neighborhoods.
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