I did a Forgotten NY tour in October 2017 and had to make a detour around this stop, so I’ll do it here. Paul and Rosalie Walken opened a bakery at 29-13 Broadway in Astoria in 1931, and the business thrived for several decades. The family had three sons, Kenneth, Ronald and Glenn, and purchased a house in Bayside. The three sons had the showbiz bug and made their way to early TV soap operas such as The Guiding Light and Secret Storm. However, while the other two sons went on to other endeavors the youngest, Ronald, met with the most success. Changing his name to Christopher, he became a major Hollywood actor and dancer, appearing in The Deer Hunter, Biloxi Blues, Pennies from Heaven, Pulp Fiction and many more. Rosalie passed away in 2010 at the age of 102.
In this New Yorker article, Walken discusses his Astoria roots.
Walken’s Bakery survived until the 1980s after moving next door to 29-17 Broadway. Today, a hardware store occupies the site.
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop, and as always, “comment…as you see fit.”
10/16/17