Junior's

33 Dekalb Avenue | also 386 Flatbush Ave Extension | Boerum Hill | built 1915

Open on the map4 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

  1. 1929

    The Rosen family opens a diner at DeKalb and Flatbush that becomes Junior's in 1950

    A diner run by the Rosen family has stood at the corner of Flatbush Avenue Extension and DeKalb Avenue since 1929. In 1950 Harry Rosen renamed it Junior's, which the restaurant says honors his two sons, Walter and Marvin. The cheesecake that made the place famous was developed with master baker Eigel Peterson, from a recipe the family had kept for three generations.

    “…the restaurant was founded by Harry Rosen in 1950, although his family had run a diner in that location ... since 1929…”

    Source: Wikipedia

  2. 1981

    A fire at Junior's draws a crowd chanting "Save the Cheesecake!"

    In 1981 the restaurant caught fire. Onlookers who gathered to watch the firefighters at work began chanting "Save the Cheesecake!" The interior was modernized after the blaze.

    “In 1981, when the restaurant caught on fire, a crowd of people watching the firefighters started chanting "Save the Cheesecake!”

    Source: Wikipedia

  3. 2013

    October

    President Obama buys two cheesecakes at Junior's while visiting with Bill de Blasio

    In October 2013 Barack Obama stopped at Junior's with Bill de Blasio, soon to be elected mayor. The president left with two cheesecakes and a pair of black-and-white cookies. The restaurant has long drawn politicians, from borough presidents up, and Senator Chuck Schumer later admitted to spending $8,600 on its cheesecakes over a decade.

    Source: Wikipedia

  4. 2014

    February

    Alan Rosen lists the Junior's building for sale, then takes it off the market in September

    In February 2014 the owner, Alan Rosen, the family's third generation, listed the building for sale so that it could be redeveloped as an apartment tower, hoping a developer would keep Junior's as a ground-floor tenant. Offers reached $45 million but none made room for the restaurant. In September 2014 Rosen withdrew the listing, deciding the existing building was Junior's identity.

    Source: Wikipedia

Further reading

Nearby

All 27 buildings with stories in Boerum Hill