Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Hidden Tresures from the Local History Room: The Four Corners- Then and Now

I grew up in Hartsdale near the the Four Corners, where West Hartsdale Ave, East Hartsdale Ave and Central Ave all converge. It is a very busy intersection particularly on the weekend, as a lot people can attest to.  A couple years ago a friend, with whom I share a strong interest in the history of Hartsdale, shared a impressive old photograph of the Northeast corner of Four Corners in Hartsdale.

What makes this picture so unique to me is that the car in the foreground is actually moving.  I often wonder where the car is heading. Perhaps home? Above the car and above the building you will notice a steeple, but no spire at this point. This is St. Paul’s Methodist Church (now on the corner of Jane Street and Central Ave about a ½ mile north of the four corners) Looking to the right down the street East Hartsdale Ave., you will notice a line of utility poles all the way down the street.  The cars are parked diagonally on the street in front of the Spaghetti Bowl Restaurant.

In late March, 2018, some eighty years later this is what the same view looks like.  

A white car is heading the same direction as the car in the older picture.  Utility lines still dominate and obstruct our view.of the area (some things never change). The church in the background has been replaced by a apartment building. The front of the building extends further up Central Ave and the cars are now paralleled parked in front of the building. Traffic is still heavy traveling up East Hartsdale Ave.

Looking at old photographs allows us to capture a moment in time.  As a local historian, I enjoy looking at these moments in time that are a glimpse into our past.  We cannot fully understand our sense of community if we do not understand where we came from as a community.