Myrtle Avenue
The Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District in Ridgewood
|
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| Owner | City of New York |
|---|---|
| Maintained by | NYCDOT |
| Length | 8.1 mi (13.0 km) |
| Location | Brooklyn, Queens |
| Arrondissement | Cent |
| Nearest metro station |
Jay Street       Myrtle–Willoughby Avenues  Myrtle Avenue    Central Avenue Knickerbocker Avenue Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues 
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| West end | Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn |
| Major junctions |
 Jackie Robinson Parkway in Forest Park
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| East end | Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill |
Myrtle Avenue is a 8.1-mile-long (13.0 km) street that runs from Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn to Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens, in New York City, New York, United States.
Myrtle Avenue has been a major thoroughfare since the early 19th century, named after the myrtle trees that were plentiful in the area. Most likely, Myrtle Avenue began in Queens and was a plank road that charged a toll. The road eventually hosted the Knickerbocker Stage Coach Line, that ran stagecoach and omnibus services. After World War I, Myrtle Avenue in Glendale was a popular destination for picnickers. With a steam trolley running on the avenue, and its ample adjacent beer gardens and park space, people from as far as Eastern Brooklyn came to Myrtle. In the mid-1920s, the parks closed as a result of Prohibition. Ultimately, the parks became incorporated by the city into what is known today as Forest Park.
Currently, Myrtle Avenue is one of the primary shopping strips of Ridgewood, along with Fresh Pond Road whose south end is at Myrtle Avenue. It is also the primary shopping strip in nearby Glendale, although this stretch of Myrtle Avenue isn't as busy as the Ridgewood stretch. It was also home to the Ridgewood Theatre, which was the longest continuously operated theater in the United States, having operated for 91 years before its closure in March 2008.
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Wikipedia