LIC Spot

Well it’s that time again for another “Then and Now”, brought to you by the Greater Astoria Historical Society!

This week we get to see what Monitor Square looked like in the early 1860′s. Who knew it would end up hosting massive billboards for the entrance of the Midtown Tunnel!

If you like these pictures, feel free to check out some of the other awesome stuff the Historical Society has for sale!

Monitor Square in Hunters Point, where Vernon and Jackson Avenues meet.
Laid out in the early 1860s, this area was once the hub of a new and
growing Hunters Point.

Monitor Square in Hunters Point, at the intersection of Vernon and
Jackson Avenues faces west as a brand new condominium has risen on Borden
Avenue behind the billboard’s steel latticework.

Our new feature entitled “LIC Then and Now” is part of numerous books sold by the Greater Astoria Historical Society. We will be featuring these “before and after” pictures of Long Island City from now on and we are grateful to the society for allowing us to publish them for your viewing pleasure.

Yeah, that means go to their site and buy some of their cool stuff!

LIC THEN: Monitor Square, facing north from the intersection of Vernon and Jackson Avenues in Hunters Point. St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church towers in the distance and is still an iconic structure in downtown Hunters Point. Vernon Avenue (now Blvd.) was established in 1838 and Jackson Avenue opened in 1861. Courtesy Greater Astoria Historical Society

LIC NOW: A new condominium at the corner of Vernon and Jackson Avenues in Hunters Point. To the left is St. mary’s Roman Catholic Church and to the right, looking northeast along Jackson Avenue is the 663-foot tall Citicorp building. Courtesy Gary Vollo