In the 1930s Meyer’s Restaurant stood in the far southeastern section of Queens. It was a modest joint, poorly lit and offering only two types of beer — George Ehrets and Ruppert. Heating was provided solely by one pot belly stove, and there was no ceiling fan to cool customers in the summer. There was no decoration beyond the tin ceiling and walls. But neighborhood residents didn’t seem to mind after a day’s work.
With soft marshes and occasional flooding, only brave people chose to live in the area, alternately known as Springfield Gardens, Laurelton or Rosedale before the days of ZIP codes. Meyer’s was located at 231-02 Rockaway Boulevard, at the corner with Springfield Boulevard — a junction that no longer exists. The flooding led to the closure of Springfield south of 147th Avenue long ago.
Nearby on Rockaway were also Frank Davis’ gas station and Sol Weinberg’s gas station. With the construction of Idlewild Airport (formally New York International Airport, Anderson Field and later, of course, John F. Kennedy International Airport), homeowners and businesses were forced to leave the area by way of eminent domain. Today there are no more stores on Rockaway Boulevard from Guy R. Brewer Boulevard until Brookville Boulevard in Rosedale. Instead the area is dominated by air freight businesses.
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