Hoyt Avenue in the 1930s: Rare Photos and Forgotten Corners of Astoria

Hoyt Avenue in the 1930s: Rare Photos and Forgotten Corners of Astoria

In the early 1930s, Hoyt Avenue in Astoria, Queens, was a traditional neighborhood street. It was lined with three-story wood-frame houses, local shops, and the occasional small apartment building. The elevated train tracks of the BMT Astoria line ran directly above its western portion, casting shadows on the sidewalks and the storefronts below. Residents lived, worked, and shopped along the avenue, which served as a familiar, local corridor. Th…