NORTH SHORE SHOPPING MART, one of the first post-war, suburban-style shopping centers in Greater New York City, was completed in May 1951. Located in Long Island's Town of North Hempstead, it was a small strip center of around 216,500 leasable square feet.

Sol G. Atlas, developer of the SHOPPING MART, also built the region's -and state's- first mall-type venue. CROSS COUNTY CENTER was located in the Westchester County suburb of Yonkers (not on Long Island) and was dedicated in April 1954. By late 1958, the complex, which incorporated retail, office and medical components, encompassed over 906,000 leasable square feet.

The NORTH SHORE SHOPPING MART and CROSS COUNTY complexes were followed by five shopping malls built on "The Island." Original names are used...

*ROOSEVELT FIELD CENTER [August 1956]

*GREEN ACRES CENTER, [October 1956]

*MID-ISLAND SHOPPING PLAZA, [October 1956]

*WALT WHITMAN CENTER [November 1962]

*SOUTH SHORE MALL [August 1963]

The first controlled-access highway in Greater New York City was a 4.6 mile section of the Brooklyn-Queens Connecting Roadway (later known as Brooklyn-Queens Expressway). This thoroughfare extended between Queens Boulevard (in Sunnyside, Queens) and Kingsland and Meeker Avenues (in Greenpoint, Brooklyn). It opened to traffic in August 1939. 

In addition to being New York City and State's first shopping mall, CROSS COUNTY CENTER was also the first "freeway friendly" mall in Greater New York City. A section of the New York State Thruway, running along the west side of the shopping hub, opened to traffic in September 1956.

 

 

A map shows locations of post-war shopping hubs in Westchester County and in the Long Island counties of Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk. The inaugural section of New York's IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit) subway is also depicted in red.
-Click on image for a larger view-

New York City's labyrinthine subway was originally built as three independently owned and operated  systems. The IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit) was the city's first underground transit line. It was a privately-funded venture. The IRT began revenue service in October 1904, with 9.1 route miles and twenty-eight stations. 

 

 

A map of the original IRT system appeared in the October 27, 1904 issue of The (New York) Evening Post.

 

The city's second rail rapid transit system, originally known as the BRT (Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company ), pre-dated the IRT system. Like the IRT, the BRT was a privately-owned system. Established in January 1896, it was formed out of several previously-existing streetcar and elevated routes. The first BRT subway station opened in June 1908. In 1923, the BRT was re-incorporated as the BMT (Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation).

 

A third Big Apple-based subway network was originally known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System or Independent Subway System. Built by New York City, it was dedicated in September 1932. The city's three separate subway systems merged in June 1940. At this time, the third network was renamed IND (Independent System).  Although the three systems were now -technically- one, they would continue to be known and promoted by their original names; IRT, BMT or IND. In 1967, the entire network was renamed as the New York City Subway. 

 

In the here and now, the New York City Subway operates over 248 route miles and serves 423 stations. Only one suburban-type shopping mall is subway-adjacent. QUEENS CENTER is 257 yards northeast of the Woodhaven Boulevard-Queens Mall station.