310 class photos from 80 years of PS 99 in Queens NY

"The story of any community is mostly about its people, not its streets and buildings. The P.S. 99 class photographs taken over the years are one of the best records we have of the people who have grown up here over the past decades. There are links below to 310 class photos."


Ps99 kewgardens entrance


Kew Gardens was an immigrant neighborhood in Queens, New York which rapidly flled with European war refugees during the early 1940's. PS 99 was the one public school. Building construction had been halted due to the war efforts, so morning classes were given in the auditorium. Children wore ID tags like the one below "in case of a bombing."


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Kew Gardens is now one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the US. The Kew Gardens History site is collecting class photos that show the evolution of this New York neighborhood.