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Hi, I think it’s Roosevelt Field mall before it was enclosed.. the orientation is northeast ? The car .... maybe 57 Chevy? I moved to Hempstead in 1963, so I’m guessing the year of the photo is 1960? Maria Pisano

Looks like the Roosevelt Field of my youth. I think the photographer is looking southeast, because the Macy’s was at the south end and the shopping center was west of the Meadowbrook Parkway, which can’t be seen.

The cars (left to right):

1956 Chrysler
1953 Dodge
1953 Chevy
1956 Ford
1951 Ford (or a ‘49 or ‘50)
1956 Pontiac (or a ‘55)

The cars on the extreme left and extreme right, not enough is visible for me to tell.

Date: 1956, the year the mall opened, based on the cars.

Roosevelt Field Mall from a parking lot on West side of mall looking south east.
Date: Some time in late 1950s early 1960s judging by the cars and the open mall.

Roosevelt Field, from the South parking lot looking Northwest at Macy’s.  Approximately from the Fall of 1957.  Pictures below are from the same vicinity and time frame as the mystery shot.  Cars have era appropriate license plates.

Roosevelt Field, Garden City. The cars are facing south so the photographer is facing southeast. The cars right to left: 56 Pontiac, 50 or 51 Ford, 56 Ford, 54 Chevy? I believe this was taken in 1957 because the license plates are dark with light numbers. I remember the mall well! I use to ice skate there as a kid. The giveaway for me was the mention of Horn & Hardarts.

The car on the far left of the Mystery Friday Foto #6 is a 1956 Chrysler Windsor four-door sedan. The “V” emblem on the lower quarter confirms that it is a Windsor.

This looks like Mid Island Mall, later renamed Broadway Mall in Hicksville.

Since I’m a Californian, I have no idea about the mall.  I might be able to identify the cars, however.  From the right (a) ‘55 Pontiac, (b) ‘49 Ford, (c) ‘55 Ford, (d) ‘54 Chevy, (e) ‘53 Olds (or maybe a Pontiac), (f) ‘56 Chrysler. . . . . . . . . Date of the photo is probably circa 1958-59.

The Mystery Photo was taken at the new Roosevelt Field Shopping Center in 1956.
Photographer is shooting from southwest to the northeast direction.
The first six cars from closest to farthest are:
1956 Pontiac Star Fire
1949 Ford
1956 Ford
1951 Chevrolet
1953 Plymouth
1956 DeSoto

I think we’re looking at the southeast corner of Roosevelt Field Shopping Center so the view would be to the northwest. The cars from left to right are: 1956 Chrysler, 1953 Dodge, 1953 Chevrolet, 1956 Ford, 1951 Ford, 1956 Pontiac, and maybe a 1950 Nash. It’s difficult to tell but the parking lot could still be unpaved and there are no stripes so I’ll guess the date to be late 1956, soon after the opening. Attached is a photo I found from 1965 taken at the same angle.

Looks like Roosevelt Field when it was still an open air mall, my guess around 1958.Other than the Pontiac on the right, I didn’t have time look over the cars.

Roosevelt Field                                                                         Looking northwest.                                                                    After August 28, 1956,  newly planted trees in planters still staked.                  second photo, looking south east.

Another clue is the lettering on the outside of ‘Macy’s’ in lower case as it appeared when the store was built in 1956.  When the store was enlarged, the signage was switched to uppercase, ala, ‘MACY’S’ in keeping with most of its other stores as seen in Steve Lucas’ photo from 1965.

Al Prete got it right about cars ID! The Ford is ‘51.

My mom had a 1955 New Yorker Deluxe Victoria Convertible (memory jogged by the 56 New Yorker sedan above), 2 door, 2 speed Torqueflite with shifter on the dash, hemihead engine, piles of power.  My dad, who did lots of business with the car companies in and around Detroit and Kenosha hauling cars with Arco Auto Carrier (and built the best trailers for that at Troyler in Scranton PA), drove it home from the factory back to Scranton.  We still had that car until the early 1970’s - I wish we’d kept it!

Some of you didn’t quite get the ID of all the cars including Al Prete I thought he got but one more, I have spotters guides to ID’s
Left to Right
‘56 Chrysler Windsor sed. with 2 spd. Powerflite, 3 spd. Torqueflite a bit later.
‘53Dodge Coronet 2dr. HT
‘53 Chevrolet 2dr.
‘56 Ford Fairlane sed.
‘51 Ford Custom Deluxe
‘55 Pontiac Star Chief 4dr. HT
Corner car unknown
These days a look up on Google Search also.

Interesting mistake on my part.” Powerflite 2-speed automatic transmission standard”
  for the New Yorker in 55.  I wonder what the difference was between it and the Torqueflite 2 speed.

Ron

Ron, I had mention the Torqueflite was a 3 speed auto trans. Over time Powerflite was phase out and Torqueflite was use for years on. There was no 2 spd. Torqueflite.

After the previous comment I googled it.  About all I remember from actual rides was that it was easy to use, up on the console - but I don’t remember if it was an up down lever or something else.  2 speed is rather wasteful but the car did have plenty of power to handle it’s weight.  Funny thing - it was the last time my father got a car with good performance.  He did have a couple ramblers (he delivered cars for them) and later a couple K cars that I thought were junk.

In all the photos only one Cadillac (a 1958).