Long Island downtowns then and now
Credit: Newsday / Ike Eichorn
Holiday shoppers jam the streets of Hempstead on Nov. 28, 1953.
Credit: Michael Cusanelli
North Franklin Street in downtown Hempstead is shown on July 11, 2017.
Downtown Huntington
Credit: Newsday / Cliff De Bear
Royal L. Green of Huntington holds a 1905 photograph of the northeast corner of Wall and Main streets in Huntington at the same location on July 25, 1963.
Credit: Joe Diglio
Courtney Maitland-White, of England, holds the 1963 photo of Royal L. Green at the same street corner -- the intersection of Wall and Main streets in Huntington -- on Aug. 4, 2016.
Credit: Newsday / Dick Kraus
Trees and gardens dot the new Freeport Mall on South Main Street in Freeport on May 18, 1978. The concept of shutting off Main Street to traffic to create a pedestrian mall setting didn't pan out, and was abandoned in 1986.
Credit: Kayla Dwyer
The intersection of Main Street and Merrick Road in Freeport in 2016.
Credit: Newsday / Jim Peppler
Businesses along Prospect Avenue in downtown New Cassel are seen in July 1990.
Credit: Michael Cusanelli
Businesses along Prospect Avenue in downtown New Cassel are seen on Sept. 5, 2017.
Credit: Bob Sacha/Newsday
The intersection of Main Street and Fire Island Avenue in Babylon has been an area of commerce for years, as pictured in 1978.
Credit: Michael Cusanelli
The intersection of Main Street and Fire Island Avenue in Babylon as seen on Sept. 1, 2017.
Credit: Newsday/John H. Cornell Jr.
Swezey's department store in downtown Patchogue Village is shown in this Jan. 14, 1980, photo. The department store was located at the intersection of Main Street and North Ocean Avenue.
Credit: Michael Cusanelli
The New Village Apartments were built on the site of the former Swezey's Department Store in Patchogue Village on the corner where Main Street intersects with North Ocean Avenue. The apartment complex is shown here on July 11, 2017.
Farmingdale Theater
Credit: Newsday / Dick Kraus
The Farmingdale Theater on Main Street in Farmingdale sold movie tickets for 77 cents on Feb. 15, 1978. The theater opened on the corner of Main and Prospect streets in 1942, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Credit: Kayla Dwyer
The site of the former Farmingdale Theater as seen in July 2016. The theater closed in 1984.
Credit: Newsday/Julia Gaines
Downtown Westbury Village near the theater is shown in March 1990.
Credit: Michael Cusanelli
The Space at Westbury on Post Avenue is shown in July 2017.
Credit: Newsday/John H. Cornell Jr.
Shops in downtown Westhampton Beach are shown in this May 1994 photo.
Credit: Michael Cusanelli
Several shops and restaurants on Main Street in downtown Westhampton Beach, including the Beach Bakery Cafe, are shown on July 18, 2017.
Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Shops in downtown Greenport are shown in this July 1989 photo.
Credit: Michael Cusanelli
Several shops, including the Fiedler Gallery on Main Street, are shown in downtown Greenport on July 18, 2017.
Credit: Newsday/Ken Spencer
Shops along Main Street in East Hampton's downtown area are shown in this August 1990 photo.
Credit: Michael Cusanelli
Bookhampton on 41 Main St. in downtown East Hampton is seen on July 18, 2017.
