Foreshadowing the Destruction of 1967
For years, the local Businessmen’s Association had fretted about the inevitable elimination of Hicksville’s grade-level crossings with the LIRR tracks. Eventually, it received verbal assurances that when the grade crossings were eliminated, the affected local roads would not be submerged in open cuts, cutting off automobile access to local stores.
Unfortunately, the Association had worried about the wrong thing. In 1956, the Mid-Island Herald published an article about the possibility that, between the LIRR tracks and Old Country Road, buildings on the west side of Broadway might someday be demolished. As alarming as this would be, the article also had news of something that was certain: NYS had taken control of North Broadway. Because of sharply increased traffic attracted by the Mid-Island Plaza, Albany had decided to turn it into a six-lane road, all the way from Jericho Turnpike to the tracks at Hicksville Station. Many buildings would likely be demolished.
Archie K. would have been worried – yes, his diner could be moved if necessary, but no other lot in downtown Hicksville offered the same advantages the Empire enjoyed.
In late March 1958, the same newspaper published the final details.
Many businesses would have to leave; others – like the Broadway Diner at East John and North Broadway – might be able to stay, provided they could move further “inland” from Broadway. For the Empire, the news could not have been worse – the Triangle now was State land, and Albany wanted to flatten everything that stood on it. The Empire would have to move to an inferior location.
In the end, the Empire’s owner(s) did the best they could, and moved the diner across Jerusalem Avenue and around the corner to West John Street.
Moving to the new location felt like a step backward. A vacant house (which Kyriacou was not able to purchase as part of the new diner site, because it was tied up in probate) stood on the corner; the house and its foliage effectively screened the diner from passing traffic. Navigating the crazy intersection of John Street, Jerusalem Avenue, and Broadway during rush hours was not for the faint of heart. As time went by, the empty house on the corner became more of an eyesore. Archie Kyriacou’s frustration simmered, and a lot would happen as a result -- too much to fit into this article. His story will continue next time.
Until then, CIAO!
