The recent closure of AN Elmhurst Car Wash and a bank have brought differing reactions from the community

On Broadway, bounded by 80th street and Woodside Avenue, the 1940s Car Wash was one of the longest serving businesses in Elmhurst. Service reviews shared by customers revealed a lot of pros and cons from their experience. The site, clearly intended as built for a car wash, was also a marker that you traveled through Elmhurst, even for a non driver, as the boldly colored signs and design seemed lifted from the past, and conjured up feelings of nostalgia.

Info gleaned online suggests the new overseas buyer may view the location as ripe for development. “We want the world to stand still, but it doesn’t work like that. Cars were washed well, but maybe not well enough to stop going to a closer car wash these days. It was inexpensive enough, but I think their prime location made it inevitable for the building to close,” said author Gloria Nash.

Meanwhile, the Santander Bank branch at 83-20 Roosevelt Avenue (at Gleane Street) served its last customer on November 21st. The familiar triangular framed, high ceilinged building opened in 1955 as the Jackson Heights Savings and Loan, before becoming Independence Savings, Sovereign, and lastly Santander.

Although not landmarked, the structure has been noted for its modernist architecture, designed by the firm Lapierre, Litchfield, and Partners. Many community residents have been taken aback by the news, as the nearest branch is on 89th St, and Northern Boulevard, just another indication of a bank downsizing, as the days of six tellers and thirty people on line are over, in lieu of online banking, and the less need for brick and mortar. Rumors indicate that perhaps another mini-mall may replace the bank. If this is the case, then hopefully the building’s integrity won’t be compromised.