Frthom's Blog

          About 55 years ago Huntington Town government decided to put forth a misguided, ill-fated “urban renewal” project which succeeded in transforming Huntington Station from a vibrant suburban business district into what was at the time, one big commuter parking lot.  It certainly wasn’t “renewal” but it did take something charming and turned it into something exceptionally “urban.”

          “They took the heart right out of the Station,” said the late State Assemblyman James Conte back in 1995.  And Jim knew firsthand because his family’s business–Conte’s Burger Haven on Pulaski Road–was on the fringe of what was formerly the Huntington Station business district.  No one had heard of anything like “MacDonald’s” back in the 1960’s when you could get a delicious 15 cent hamburger at Conte’s.  Then you could walk across the street to buy some do-it-yourself chop meat from Joe at the Community Market.

          An old man who grew up a couple of blocks from what is left of the old Huntington Station was reminiscing recently about his old newspaper route which circumscribed the old Station business district.  He recalls that during the winter of 1961, from about the time that John Kennedy was inaugurated, there was so much snow, the former Newsday Master Carrier delivered his papers more often by sled than on his bicycle.

          First on his newspaper route was Fearn’s Volkswagen, which was located adjacent to the railroad tracks where the monstrous parking garage now sits.  Then it was onto the Soup & Snack Luncheonette where he’d eat some his daily profits.  He remembers the distinct smell of fresh draught beer when he brought newspapers into Porco’s Tavern.  He would then make stops at Rolston’s Market, the neighborhood  liquor store, Frank’s Barber Shop, John Trioffle’s jewelry store, upstairs to dentist Dr. Bill Kampel’s office, then next door to Jacobson’s Pharmacy before passing midpoint at the Bank of Huntington at the corner of Broadway and New York Avenue. 

          From there, it was onto the law firm of Ben Salee and Gene Levitt, George’s Market, Augie’s Barber Shop (Frank’s estranged brother), the original Abboff’s paint store, and Gatto’s Music Studio.  He remembers having few customers on the west side of New York Avenue because there were two stationery stores selling newspapers within close proximity.  He tried but couldn’t get as regular clients businesses such as Tony’s Market, Freddie the Shoemaker, Ben Franklin’s Five and Ten, Popkin’s Department Store or Coopers Clothing Store.  He does remember delivering newspapers to two other barber shops in the area, Pouncies’s and Charlie’s barber shops, so many haircutters in that relatively small shopping district.  He recalls delivering newspapers to the other paint store in the Station, Habberstadt’s, where the young and future automotive entrepreneur Howie was messing with go carts in the back lot.  And, of course, there were newspaper deliveries for the legendary Dr. Sam Teich who delivered that Newsday carrier into the world not so long ago.

          The old man winces when he remembers returning home from college back in the 1960’s to see the wasted remains of what the bulldozers had done to Huntington Station.  His entire newspaper route within the business district and some surrounding residential areas were left among the ruins.

          “It was as if I had been personally violated,” said the former newspaper boy.  “Certainly, the buildings had been getting old and tattered, but they were in no worse shape than those that had been renovated in Northport, Greenlawn, or Huntington Village revitalization.  It was utter destruction without a war.” 

          Today, fifty-five years later, the slice of life that was known as the Huntington Station business district is gone.  The wrecking ball wiped out memories and traditions that could fill fifty books.  Residents of various ethnicities were forced to migrate out of their homes, out of their own very special community to South Huntington, South Greenlawn or perhaps off of Long Island all together. 

In what was once a quaint little hamlet etched out of a newly created 11746 zip code, we now find the parking monolith, contiguous parking lots, a nondescript housing project, and the relatively recent gentrified town houses at the southwest corner of Broadway and New York Avenue, near where the Bank of Huntington proudly stood as sentinel over the old Huntington Station. 

          Town politicians from back in the day might tell you that they never got to finish the plan to rebuild Huntington Station, although the old man probably wonders whether there ever was any real intention to do so.

TGL 01/20/2020