Kenneth Appell was born on Manhattan's Upper East Side, but spent much of his childhood and young adulthood in a house two blocks east of Queens’ iconic Steinway Street (named after the 150-year-old Steinway piano factory). Young Kenneth’s home from the age of four was at 2515 42nd Street, a simple brick two-family house bought by his parents in 1927 (seen in two views below in December 2008, at far left in second picture, its façade has remained practically unchanged in 80 years). He lived in the house with his parents and sister Florence -- and eventually her husband John, as well -- until he went into the Navy in 1942, and then again in 1946-47 while attending Manhattan College. His mother passed away in the house in 1929, his father in 1969, and Florrie and John continued to live here until the 1980’s, when they retired and moved to Sag Harbor, on Long Island’s south fork. Meanwhile, Ken’s grandparents, aunt, and uncle lived right next door; and it was his grandmother, Frances Bartunek, who essentially raised him after his mother’s passing.
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In the 1920's, this neighborhood was fairly new, settled by Czechs, Slovaks, and other Slavs as well as Italians, Greeks, and Germans (see two views below). Today, some of these ethnic groups are still in evidence, but it’s become much more diverse, including for example Colombians, Israelis, Koreans. The stretch of Steinway near Ken Appell’s childhood home has especially attracted immigrants from Muslim countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, and Bosnia; there’s even a mosque practically around the corner from where he grew up (last picture below).
The house at 2515 42nd Street:
A colorized shot of Steinway Street at 30th Avenue in the 1920's:
The Loew's Triboro Theater on Steinway Street at 28th Avenue in 1931:
Steinway Street at 25th Avenue in December 2008:
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