A TEANECK RETROSPECTIVE -
Photographs of life in Teaneck from the 1950's-1970's

WILLIAM MOORE ENGLISH TEACHER - William (Bill) Moore is outside on the lawn of Teaneck High School next to the flag pole where he is teaching his English course.  After his day job at the high school he was a long time Teaneck Library Trustee.  His daughter Dorothy Anne Moore was in my Teaneck High School graduating class.  

HELEN HILL - Someone should write the definitive book about Helen Hill who was the principal of Teaneck High School.  Did her students love her?  She told me when she was losing her eyesight one of her former students offered up one of his eyes for an operation so she might be able to see again.  Just look at this image of her if you never knew her, to get a glimpse of what a great woman she was.

VOTEE PART BANDSHELL - Donald Mairs, Fred Streckfuss and Frank Panettieri were just some of those who conducted music in the Votee Park Bandshell.  Often the music had to compete with the passing freight trains but the audience never seemed to mind very much.  The music under the stars was just one more reason as to why people enjoyed so much by living in Teaneck.

TEANECK POSTAL CARRIERS - Teaneck postal carriers receiving awards for safety suggestion and safe driving.  Left to right: Postmaster Merrill M. Tucker, Frank Uber, Adolph Boyer, Kenneth Olsen, Alfred Kerner and U.S. Postal Safety Supervisor Vincent Vanderbeck.

TEANECK CITY CLUB - The Teaneck City Club was founded to recognize superior performing Teaneck High School students in an effort to counter the few juvenile delinquents who were receiving most of the publicity.  Dr. Milton Bell had an outdoor barbecue for club members at his home.  I was glad to be a member and a vice president of this great group of public spirited men.

ELSTON HOWARD - Elston Howard was the first black member of the New York Yankees.  Number 32 was retired in respect for his achievements during his career.  The day that I took this photograph of him giving autographs to some local kids at his home he was just as the Yankees described him, “A man of great gentleness and dignity.” 

HANK AARON - Home State Bank in Teaneck was built on the site of the former Ronald’s Furniture Store opposite the Teaneck Municipal Building.  Hank Aaron showed up to promote the bank and, as usual, a large crowd gathered to see this famous baseball hero.

JOE LOUIS - Boxing matches were held at the Teaneck Armory.  Joe Louis was the referee which probably drew more people to attend the fights just to see this legend once more.  Congress awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award it can give.  He is buried in Arlington Cemetery.

CEDAR LANE AND PALISADE AVENUE - The Cedar Lane Diner is pictured here.  As a boy I can remember the cobblestones that paved Cedar Lane as you went from Palisade Avenue up to Queen Anne Road.  Those cobblestones were wickedly wet when it rained.  If you happened to be on a bicycle going downhill you were at great risk of the bike going out from under you. 

SHOPRITE - Shoprite Supermarket was built on the site of the former Casa Mana Restaurant.  It was the catering hall for many of the area’s political events.  Art Deco in design it gave way to progress.  Just up Cedar Lane on the opposite side of the street was another catering hall where some of my Jewish friends celebrated their bar mitzvah or took their marriage vows.  It was called Ambassador Caterers. 

ROUTE 80 CONSTRUCTION - This swath of highway looking west from Teaneck Road took many homes on the southern end of Teaneck to make way for Route 80.  It was the last part of the highway to connect Route 80 with Route 95.  It took a few years to complete the last phase of the roadway and it was known as “The Missing Mile.”

HACKENSACK RIVER - The old Anderson Street Bridge and the Sea Scout Barge are seen in this view of the Hackensack River.  The photograph was taken from former Bergen Boat Landing where hydroplane boats would race up and down the river.  I remember a more quiet time taking an Old Town canoe up the river with a friend of mine after we had spent the summer restoring it. 

TEANECK ARMORY - Teaneck got a name for itself when it became the place to go for events such as roller derby, midget car racing, car shows, a rodeo, boxing and even religious meetings.  Built in 1938 to accommodate the 104st Engineers it was known as Bergen County’s Madison Square Garden.  As kids looking to earn gas money to go down the shore we parked cars there for the events.

AMERICAN LEGION - Pictured is a Garrison Avenue view of the long gone meeting place for the American Legion.

PANZENHAGEN FAMILY - The American Dream was played out on Cedar Lane for Herbert Panzenhagen.  He opened his simple butcher shop with his family and after a number of years they built Foodtown Supermarkets all over Bergen County.  This photograph shows the opening of the Foodtown on Cedar Lane with the Panzenhagen family and second from the left is Frank Perdue of the poultry company that carries his name.

BISCHOFF'S - If ever there was an icon of business on Cedar Lane it is Bischoff’s, known far and wide for its homemade ice cream.  Most of it was made by Bill Jonsdotter over the thirty something years that he worked at Bischoff’s. 

NEW ENGLANDER RESTAURANT - One of the lighter moments in the days of the Cold War was when John Kuehn offered his 13 inch Fallout Sandwich.  Containing boiled ham, Swiss cheese, spiced ham, American cheese, bologna, cooked salami, olive loaf topped off with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, gherkins and pimentos.  A television news crew came out to photograph this gastronomic event.

ROCKLINS' GRAND OPENING - Robert H. Henderson is to the right of Charlie Rocklin on the opening of Rocklins which used to be Kahn’s Korner.  To Charlie’s right is Mayor Mathew Feldman doing the ribbon cutting while Teaneck Councilmen Samual Bartoletta, Max Hasse Jr. and Jack Walsh are to his left.  Standing behind Max Hasse is Township Manager Werner Schmidt.  Chestnut Avenue now dead ends at Cedar Lane where the popular corner store has been since the 1930s.  Directly across the street was Hi and Harry’s which closed many years ago.  You could always find the local newspaper readers waiting for the next day newspapers to be dropped off late at night just before both stores closed so they could read the news the night before.