Beach Haven Hotel
Beach Haven Hotel in the 1940s, Courtesy of NYC Municipal archives, accessed via 1940s.nyc
Known Name(s)
Beach Haven Hotel
Address
243 Beach 19th St., Far Rockaway 91 Queens, NY
Establishment Type(s)
Hotel
Physical Status
Demolished
Description
Beach Haven Hotel faced east onto Beach 19th St. A set of steps in the center of the building led visitors up onto a porch that spanned the length of the first floor. There were two more floors above it, and on top of that a mansard roof. The upper two floors had rows of nine-over-one windows to let light into the rooms. The 1940s photo of the building shows a pile of chairs stored on the porch, to set out and allow the guests to enjoy in the warm weather. In the 1930s, there was a tennis court on the premises.
Detailed History
The oldest reference to what would become the Beach Haven Hotel appears in 1910, when it was the New Hedges. A newspaper advertisement praised its large rooms and excellent food. It was able to host events, like a gathering of the Companions of the Forest in 1933. From at least 1928, the hotel was owned by Teresa Egan, who was living and working there. She was active in her business community; when the city threatened to make Beach 19th St a one-way street, she started a movement to prevent it, as she saw it as a detriment to her business. The 1950 census shows her still there, then 69 years old.
In 1933-34, the name of the establishment had changed to Hedge’s Hotel. The newly renamed hotel continued to be advertised for its excellent meals and proximity to the ocean. In 1958, a few years before its first Green Book appearance, it was advertised in the same way, “nr. beach, transp, shop’s.” Looking at the Sanborn maps, there were an abundance of hotels in Far Rockaway. The area has a history as a beach resort, boasting large hotels, amusement parks, and a boardwalk, all accessible to city residents by train since 1869— until Robert Moses began to destroy neighborhoods, buildings, and the boardwalk for a beachfront path in the 1930s. The tourist summer market suffered after that.
The latest reference to the Beach Haven Hotel referred to it by a fourth name, Beach View Hotel. The newspaper advertisement from 1973 boasted small rooms with kitchenettes. In 2001, a multifamily home was built at 243 Beach 19th St. The Beach Haven Hotel must have been demolished sometime between its last ad and then.
