Grand Avenue

A grand community avenue

In contemporary times, Grand Avenue remains one of Baldwin’s busiest roadways from the Southern State Parkway, across Sunrise Highway all the way south to Merrick Road.

Stepping back into the community’s past, the Baldwin Inn was at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Merrick Road. Francis Baldwin, whose family ultimately gave the community its name, was an early settler and well-known member of the Assembly in Albany. He owned the inn, which did not survive the passage of time.

The community was officially founded as Baldwinsville in 1855, named in honor of Thomas Baldwin, Francis’ father and a sixthgeneration member of the Baldwin family. Entrepreneurs by nature, the Baldwins owned a general store named T. Baldwin and Son, the inn, and a sawmill that Thomas operated by Silver Lake just southeast of the inn.

A decade after being called Baldwinsville, the South Side Railroad began operating a station in the hamlet, which was still part of Queens. After two reorganizations, the railroad merged with the Long Island Rail Road in 1889.

Baldwinsville was changed to Baldwins by

the U.S. Postal Service to avoid confusion with an upstate community that shared its name. By 1892, an act of local government officially changed the name of the Long Island community to Baldwin.

Today, Grand Avenue remains one of the primary roads through community. As part of the state’s downtown revitalization initiative, planned upgrades to façades and signage, and style changes to the existing buildings are expected to create a new and more pleasing aesthetic to attract more people to the community.

With the plans to redevelop the retail space at 1891 and 1893 Grand Ave., and build a mixed-use development at 2130 Grand Ave., as well as 2134 and 2138 Grand Ave., Baldwin’s grand roadway could become a 21st century center of hustle and bustle.

— Karina Kovac

Top: The Baldwin Chamber of Commerce can help local businesses learn to thrive in the downtown area.

Middle: The Baldwin Historical Society is another stop along Grand Avenue certainly worth spending a little time in.

Bottom: Once the South Side Railroad began operating in Baldwin in 1867, the U.S. Postal Service had to change Baldwinsville to Baldwins, as to not confuse the area with another Baldwinsville upstate.