My Brooklyn: Draft Board 39, Coney Island

In 1967 this corner building was local Draft Board No. 39. It has thankfully lost it’s purpose now. You used to enter on the side street and climb the flight of stairs to the second floor offices with its rows of desks and clerks. I guess I’m not the only person to have stories about this building, and what it stood for back then.

If you enlarge the picture, and look way down the block you will see Garguilo’s restaurant, Brooklyn’s second best-known Italian restaurant…the first one always being your local pizzaria.

Let's have a chow mein on a bun at Nathan's to celebrate the fact that it'll never be used as a draft board again.

I share your sentiments whole-heartedly! Never had a chow mein on a bun. It's always been a hot-dog stop for me (french fries too).

Hank

Hank,

You can't beat the french fries at Nathan's. It's been way too long for me. Thanks for the trip back to the old neighborhood. The next time you go to Nathan's, you should try the chow mein on a bun, if it still exists.

Will do. Thanks for the tip.

Hank

Hi Hank, I can't tell you how much I enjoy your photos. Who says "You can't go home again?" Perhaps we passed in the night, so many of your shots are so familiar, as if you were walking in my footsteps. This was MY draft board too, an ugly building (even then) for ugly wars. Born in Coney Island in '49, and then lived on Ave U + Ocean, then Ocean Bet S+T. . Thanks for the memories Mark

Sounds like you went to Cunningham after 206. I went to Shellbank. BTW, born in 1945; lived on East 13th Street, then, in 1947 moved to East 24th between W and X. Stayed there until November 1969.

Thanks for adding a new dimension to these photos. They're more than just lplces to me too.

Hank

Hank, YUP! Cunningham it was. My brother In -Law 's family owned the grocery store on the corner of E24th and Ave U.

The more places you mention the more I realize I traveled the neighborhood more than I realized. I don't remember the grocery store, but the Phillips Press was down there, and I remember that store. I delivered newspapers for the Journal American and the route office was on East 26th and Avenue U.

I remember starting that - my first job - right after the newspaper strike sometime around 1958. The strike had gone for a couple of weeks, and there was no one around to show me the route.

It went from Avenue at 21st, south to Voorhies and then down Ocean Avenue to Avenue P. My first day was freezing, and I was going up and down those apartment houses. I was frozen. After a couple of weeks I changed routes over to 27th, 28th and 29th between u and Voorhies...much better.