Locust Restaurant
This is the most recent photo of the location. Much has changed, the large building nextdoor is gone and is an empty lot, and much of the decorative detail has been painted over.
This is a tax photo of the Locust Restaurant in the 1980s. The restaurant is actually to the far left of the large building.
This is a tax map photo of the Locust Restaurant from the 1940s. This is its original form.
This is the tax map for the Locust Restaurant from 2008. It is block 12367, lot 237.
This is the tax map for the Locust Restaurant from 1968. It is block 12367, lot 237.
Known Name(s)
Locust Restaurant
Address
117-02 Merrick Blvd. St. Albins, NY
Establishment Type(s)
Restaurant
Physical Status
Extant
Description
This former restaurant sits at 117-02 Merrick Blvd. in St. Albans (now Jamaica, Queens), New York. It was built in 1930 and has always been a commercial establishment. This restaurant has always been part of a row of attached commercial spaces, which have included other businesses such as a barber shop. The original building featured large display windows, framed with brickwork, and a front facing cross-gable roof with faux stick detail on the front. In the 1980s, it still had all those elements; a rectangular white space for signage was added under the roof and above the windows.
As of now, the site appears to be vacant. The windows are covered with sliding metal grates for security. The stick details are still visible but have been painted over, as has the space above the windows. The building next to it has been demolished, and the area turned into a community garden.
Detailed History
Built in 1930, this building was always meant to be a commercial space. It is not clear when the restaurant opened. However, it was in the Green Book from 1961-1966. In 1968, the establishment put out several want ads for waitresses in the paper. Sometime around 1972 it may have gone out of business or operated under new ownership, as it was listed in a for-sale advertisement in the N.Y. Amsterdam News. The ad described it as being a fully stocked luncheonette/candy store.
