Then and Now: 836 Coney Island Avenue

New York is a study in what changes, and what stays the same. If you’re interested in this study, take a closer look at the many low-slung brick buildings along the commercial streets in Flatbush. Thrown up during a 1930s building boom, they were designed to be torn down easily if a better development came along, but many are still around almost 100 years later. This one, at 836 Coney Island Ave near Ditmas Ave, makes you wonder. Its ornamental facade has been removed, leaving ugly siding and a noticeable empty space above its new, larger windows (do they bring more light in, or just more noise?). Having a mural on the side of the building is certainly nicer than the advertisement shown here in the 1940s. I ponder all the things that were painted there in between. A “plaza” for family health care has taken the place of hardware and plumbing stores (the latter selling oil-burning furnaces). But it looks like the spot next door was always a mechanic, or filling station. Today, there are more cars, more garbage, more pigeons. And probably a lot of differences we can’t see….the next time you spot a building like this and are curious, check out 1940s.nyc or the Urban Archive app, which allow you to see old photos of New York buildings overlaid on a map.