A Flatbush Ave Street Scene

Imagine you’re a kid in short pants, walking up Flatbush Ave in the 1940s. These photos — taken between Albemarle and Snyder, going north — make it pretty easy to picture.

Taken by the NYC government for tax purposes, these photos have been colorized by a some very good AI, thanks to 1940s.nyc. But bright glare (like on the car) can still show up wrong. In this photo, Erasmus Hall can be seen in the distance, but not much else looks the same! The first building on the right is now a truly iconic Burger King with a great paint job.

Many of the 1940s NYC tax photos are a little boring, but you occasionally get a fantastic street scene like this one. WHO LOVES SIGNS?!

i get a little excited anytime one of the tax photo guys actually shows up in a photo. Look at him with his clipboard and jaunty hat! He’s too focused on being a civil servant / history hero to be distracted by the lady in the snazzy gray suit or anyone else out on these streets.

The building in the foreground (and behind the “Flatbush Hardware” sign in previous photos) is now a Latin Dance Studio that has affixed two giant high-heeled shoes to the top of the building. Incredibly, this photo shows a sign in the second floor that indicates this space was a dance studio in the 1940s as well.

Finally, we come to J. Kurtz & Sons, a booming 3-story business that sold furniture along with radios and other home electronics. This was one of several stores they had in New York; the former site of heir Queens location is on the National Register of Historic Places. This building on Flatbush was torn down, and the spot is now a residential space with a Five Below on the ground floor.

(Photos: NYC Municipal Archives, colorized by 1940s.nyc)

More Old Photos Taken on Flatbush Ave…