IF WALLS COULD TALK
The Aurora Factory Demolition
The images on these  pages are of the final days of the ex   AURORA factory located in West Hempstead, New York
   6-2006

Cherry Valley ( This page may take some time to load as there are many images )

Print the article

This entry was posted on 6/23/2006 9:55 PM and is filed under Aurora.

The following photos are the beginning of the end for a factory that at one time manufactured some of the best known models and slot cars of its time.  I will add more pictures as the demolition progresses.

Though used for other businesses after Aurora the factory basically looked the same as the day the company left it behind in the late 70’s.





                                      


                                                             

At one time this door now a hole one would enter and pass the guard room that had closed circuit monitors. On the side of it was an eye wash.

The photo above is what is left of the loading docks on Cherry Valley Ave. To the left of the docks there was a large boiler room.Then to the extreme left that is not pictured was Auroras photo studio. I got a chance to meet the photographer (nice guy), at the time he was taking pictures of  Star Wars toys? Did Aurora ever make anything to do with Star Wars?.

                             

If you look closely you can still see some of the green paint that was painted on the walls and girders. The large building in the back also housed Aurora. I remember seeing a long slot car test track in the building when I toured it  way back when. Does anyone know what else was made in this building? What year did it go up?

                              






                                  This is a look through what was once the front entrance.


                                             


              Ok I admit it sometimes my imagination get the best of me!

                                                                              







The following photos show that it will not be long before the factory is only a memory




   The following photos are all that is left of the building. This is were 44 Cherry Valley once stood.



Some how out of all the ground up pieces this controller survived. How after all these years somewhere in that building it survived is beyond me. An up close look of it shows that it was not filled with dirt but it was rather oily and in bad shape. Maybe it was in a drain? or in a rafter but it survived. Out of all the time photographing this sequence of photos I was wondering if there was even a small reminder of anything, and sure enough this controller was sticking out of the rubble. One can only wonder what other things were dug up during the demolition.



         Thanks for the memories Aurora.


                  Stage 2 of demolition The Final Chapter


 

What did you think of this article?




Trackbacks
Trackback specific URL for this entry
  • Trackbacks are closed for this entry.
Comments
    Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

    • 6/24/2006 2:52 PM geoff wrote:
      Tempus Fugit...A sad reminder that time keeps on ticking, and there's absolutely no turning it back. Not that we would really want to, but I'm sure there are many who would love to "visit" another time and place, like maybe take a tour of the place in 1963 or 1964. Aurora collectors of all types will wonder why this relatively small building couldn't be preserved or made into a museum, or whatever. However, from looking at the pictures, it appears that the property is on a corner, which combined with it being in an office/industrial setting probably makes it a pretty desireable location. I doubt there will ever be toys made *by* Americans *for* Americans that will be as loved as those made inside that building. Maybe someone should lay a PLASTIC wreath at the site as a lasting reminder!
      Reply to this
      1. 6/24/2006 9:57 PM C U wrote:

        It sure is a sad reminder that time keeps on ticking. It feels like yesterday that I was playing Little League across the street from the factory, and then as I got older the factory shut down. As a kid it was fun because the dumpsters were overflowing with stuff. I got a tour of the building from an employee just as they were cleaning out the last of it. I left there with a  shopping cart filled to the top , I wish I had saved all that stuff but I traded it all for a minibike, If I only knew then what I know now/that’s life. As for the building being small it was not small at all. You see the building goes way back and then goes up into another building that was like 3 or stories tall. If you check back often I will be adding more pictures that will give you a better idea of its immense size. Some of the building that were used for stock and shipping I guess were housed across the street and are not being torn up as they are occupied by other companies. Just as you say the building is in a office/industrial setting but I bet they will not put another factory up as we hardly manufacture anything in the USA anymore sad to say We can thank our government for that one.  My guess is in year from now this will be loaded with high priced condos that no one can afford.


        Reply to this
    • 6/24/2006 10:40 PM rick wrote:
      Makes me sad. I was into slots the first time in the late 70s and through the 80s, and at the time I never thought much about where Aurora was. Then I discovered girls and the stuff got thrown in a box in the closet. When I rediscovered slots a few years ago through a yard sale find, I read everything I could find on the Net and found out about the West Hempstead plant. Never had any idea as a kid growing up in Huntington that these things were made just a few towns away. Anyway, I'm living in PA now, but last summer we visited my parents in Huntington for a few days... I found myself out driving around alone very late one night. I went and drove past the building, just to be able to say I had seen it. At the time, I kinda thought that I must be half crazy to be driving around in the middle of the night like that, but now I'm glad I did...

      --rick
      Reply to this
      1. 6/24/2006 11:17 PM C U wrote:
        Sure glad you had that moment. Strange how we look at things as we get older right? Things seem more important to preserve. Most of the guys that I work with here in NY had no idea that Aurora was local here on LI either. Though they made products worldwide West Hempstead was their home base. 
         

        Reply to this
    • 6/26/2006 8:30 AM geoff wrote:
      CU,
      Is there any possibility of getting hold of a batch of bricks from the building? I bet you could make pretty good money selling them! I'd like one! You could add a 'certificate of authenticity", and a picture and brief history too. I wouldn't underestimate the interest if you have close access. Your story about filling a grocery cart when you were a kid was great. That was a prime place to grow up! Geoff
      Reply to this
    • 7/20/2006 2:47 PM John Walter wrote:
      It is very sad to see such a great piece of slotcar, modeling, and hobbies in general history pass from our midst. I had the opportunity to visit 44 Cherry Valley road on August 24, 1970 while on a family vacation. ( I lived in Missouri, where I still reside today) I had heard from a fellow racer how to get to the factory and which enterance to go in to get to the Aurora Hobbies Raceway. I purchased many of the vibrator cars that I have as well as a few T-Jets on that day.( I still have most of them today) It is amazing to again see a building that I had been in on that long ago day, and it is sad to see that it has been reduced to a pile of rubble. Aurora was in the right place, both in location and history at the right time. And thanks to Aurora's decision to over produce the T-Jet chassis many of us are able to enjoy racing them yet today. Thank You, Aurora.
      Reply to this
    • 8/27/2006 6:44 AM Mitch Serini wrote:
      Hello,
      What a great story about Aurora.
      Which I'm a big fan of.
      I was raised on long Island too.
      My parents own a Stationary store in East Islip. And the reason I'm writing this letter. My dad opened a small hobby shop around the side building, in a small store. It was called Country Village Hobby Center.
      Its Funny I was looking through a model motoring service manual. Its in the back of the book.
      I remember as a kid. My dad order cases of models, tracks,cars. Boy If I new then these model I collect today. Yes I,m a big Aurora Fan. And only Aurora models.Anyway I,m out of room.
      Please get back to me.Thankyou, MITCH
      Reply to this
    • 11/9/2006 11:33 PM Artie wrote:
      It is a sad statement that we can no longer manufacture products in the United States and We have lost all the memories we had growing up. Aurora was the first model I made as a kid and it was the Seaview & Batmobile. Yeah I had models built in 1 hour and then on to the next model. Money was no object being my parents bought them, Then on to their Aircraft and military models. I was never really into monsters but they were fantasdtic too. I still have a collection of Aurora models and now that Polar Lights was purchased and virtually destroyed by Racing Champs {RC ERTL} we might never get to see any more re-issues of Aurora greatness.
      This site is fantastic in 1 way {For memories} and sad in another {Seeing them destroyed even though Aurora was not there for decades}
      Hopefully someone will post more pictures maybe from the time that Aurora was producing Plastic models. Maybe an old time employee of Aurora will read this and have some pictures around.

      Great Site
      Reply to this
    • 2/27/2007 2:46 AM paul wrote:
      Thank you for recording the passing of an American Iconic brand- Aurora. Growing up as a kid in the UK in the 70's I was lucky enough to find Aurora kits which I spent many hours (months!) making. I always remember the Cherry Valley Rd address on the boxes and hoped I could visit there one day and see where these inspirationa model kits were made. I ended up having the oportunity to live in the US but never managed to travel to the Aurora factory. Youre photos brought back many memories for me, and my imagination has run wild thinking about how this place, and those pile of bricks housed so many talented people and such an inspirational Amercian company. Thank you so much.
      Reply to this
    • 3/17/2007 8:50 PM Lefty wrote:
      Thanks for the pictures,did not know the Aurora factory was torn down.Sad to hear.Living in Toronto Canada I got to see the Aurora factory located here but never knew what happened to the one on long island.I Will always have great Aurora memories,and still have all those great Aurora models.
      Reply to this
    • 9/15/2007 12:29 AM James wrote:
      Found your site through a link at Kelly Pickell's slot site. I didn't know the former Aurora Plastics Co. factory at 44 Cherry Valley Rd. in West Hempstead NY had been demolished. I grew up in nearby Valley Stream, about 20 minutes away. I still remember when I found the Aurora address on an instruction sheet, looked it up in the telephone book and called to see if merchandise was available for sale directly at the factory. My father used to bring me there and most of my early collection- cars, tracks and other accessories were purchased at the service window. When you entered the employee entrance, there was a small waiting room to the left with a window to make purchases. You could also look into the factory and see many aisles of stock, as well as workbenches scattered with cars and parts. I remember thinking "What a cool place to work".
      My first set was Vibrators, and I still have home movies of myself at around 2 years old watching the cars go around the track on Christmas Day, their speed set with the old green "steering wheel" controllers. When I was a little older, I found the set packed away in the basement and set it up on a card table. I remember my father yelling "SHUT THAT THING OFF!" because it interfered with the TV set. I used to listen for the commercials to come on, then race the cars for about 2 minutes until the show came back on. When the vibrators died, my next set was an "O" gauge set I got for Christmas, with a '49 Merc and '57 T-Bird. The "O" gauge were discontinued and when the cars died I began collecting HO Thunderjets, many of which were purchased at Dave's Hobby Shop in Freeport. Then I discovered the Aurora factory...
      Several years ago I fulfilled a lifelong dream by pulling out all my slot car stuff, which had been carefully packed away for many years, and setting up 2 permanent tracks in the basement of my house (I now live in Suffolk County). I still have the "O" gauge track, which works great with the HO cars, giving them plenty of room to race and slide through the turns. I also set up a four lane HO scale track, both tracks mounted on painted boards with scenery and bumpers around the edge to prevent "fall-offs". Around the tracks, the basement was decorated with all automotive stuff I have collected over the years- posters, pictures, toys, racing shirts, jackets, etc, and every license plate I have ever had. The four lane track was a blast! Four Thunderjets racing side by side by side by side. Both layouts were figure 8, each lane being exactly the same in length. Hours of fun for my four sons and me! When my marriage broke up, the first thing I did was go back to the house and pack up all my slots. I am now divorced and live in my own home, and still collect slots through ebay and online dealers. I only have room for one track, the "O" scale figure 8. Hope to move into a bigger place someday, with a hobby room for both tracks and all decorations. Now fifty years of age, I still LOVE these little cars! :^)
      Reply to this
    • 10/20/2007 8:42 PM michael novak wrote:
      Thank you for making it possible to view the sad final days of the Aurora plant.In my childhood I built many of Aurora models.I think what most intrigued me was the box artwork.I am now starting to built an Aurora collection as sort of shrine.I guess I'm still a kid at heart.Thank you for the memories.
      Reply to this
    • 10/29/2007 9:42 PM Larry Risko wrote:
      Hello, and thank you SO very much for the last days of Aurora Plastics on 44 Cherry Valley Road.I thought I would grow up, (I'm nr 50 now) and forget about Aurora Monster Models. No way. I had all the monsters, and Man From UNCLE"s and James Bond, SO excited to build them, and paint them. I"ve started collecting again, and will paint them, as I am an artist. My inner -child excitement will never die, knowing I can re-live this, and continue the story. My brother -We lived nr Pittsburgh Pa, and we always looked at 44 Cherry V. road, West Hempstead on the box flaps, and wondered in our little heads, WHERE this was, and WHAT this was. Now I know, thanks to your tribute. I could nearly cry when I see all the rubble. But- I will be a great modeller again, and keep this dream alive as alot of you are out there. I'm actually going to an old -time hobby shop in New Jersey tomorrow, to buy tiny bottles of paint- I won't say where because somebody may beat me to it there , and possibly buy them up!!! Good luck everyone, and THANKS!! Larry Risko
      Reply to this
    • 2/18/2008 7:35 AM John wrote:
      Thanks! Many fond memories of Aurora model kits. My favorite were the dinosaur models and the "Ready Ranger Backpack"!


      Reply to this
    • 3/4/2008 12:40 PM scott williams wrote:
      Thanks for sharing. I grew up building Aurora kits (mostly planes and tanks), and I still collect them today. Aurora kits are one of my fondest memories. I 've always wanted to make a pilgrimage to L.I. to see the old buildings that produced the objects that enriched my childhood. I was sorry to see it torn down, but thankful that you documented it. Maybe someday I'll just go visit the site anyway...
      Reply to this
      1. 3/5/2008 9:29 PM C U wrote:
        Thanks for leaving the nice comment. It really is amazing how many people stumbled upon this site while searching for some of their Aurora childhood memories.
        Thanks to all who have left comments or have sent me an email. It made it worth my time.

        Reply to this
    • 12/16/2008 9:57 AM Larry wrote:
      Just great photos is there any way you could send me a copy of these photos on a dvd disk. I would be happy to pay you for them. I have collected Aurora models all my life and have a library devoted to them. I would like to put some of these photos in that room. Please let me know thanks Larry
      Reply to this
    • 1/13/2009 2:35 PM ralph wrote:
      Did they actually make the models (circa 1970)at this location? It was only about an hour from where I lived as a kid. Aurora was GREAT! Marx toys too.
      Reply to this
    Leave a comment

     Enter the above security code (required)

     Name

     Email (will not be published)

     Website

    Your comment is 0 characters limited to 3000 characters.



      
    Copyright . http://AURORA.PROTO1.NET. All rights reserved.