Look up at this busy Park Slope corner, and you’ll see two street names engraved on decorative blocks: 5th Avenue (the numeral, lovely!) and Garfield Place.
The lettering is in remarkably good condition, considering that it could be 134 years old.
In 1883, two years after the assassination of President Garfield, Garfield Place became the new name of what used to be Macomb Street. (Though the Macomb name lives on engraved into another corner.)
Third Avenue and Dean Street both still exist, of course. But it’s unusual to see street names carved into marble, which decorates the facade of a New York Times‘ 20th century printing plant on this Boerum Hill corner.
The former printing plant now houses a school, which features these wonderful original Art Deco bas reliefs.
Tags: Brooklyn Street Addresses on Buildings, Brooklyn tenement, Downtown Brooklyn architecture, Garfield Place and Fifth Avenue Brooklyn, New York Times printing plant Brooklyn, Street Corners Carved Into Tenements
Ephemeral New York 
August 14, 2017 at 4:04 pm |
I love these. I don’t remember ever noticing them until you pointed them out.
August 14, 2017 at 4:58 pm |
These are lovely reminders for me of the street signage in London – street “place” names displayed on corners of buildings.
August 14, 2017 at 6:13 pm |
good
August 14, 2017 at 7:32 pm |
These chiseled signs also reflect how our worldview has rotated 180 degrees from the belief that what we do matters and will last.
August 14, 2017 at 10:13 pm |
What a great insight Ty!
August 15, 2017 at 6:49 pm |
Those are beautiful. When I see little embellishments like that I feel transported to the past.
August 15, 2017 at 6:53 pm |
Reblogged this on The Realm Of Olde Brooklyn and commented:
These carved names are remarkable. I wonder how many other pre-war buildings have carvings in Brooklyn? If you peruse her blog -Ephemeral New York has found plenty of these lovelies all around Manhattan.
June 4, 2018 at 6:22 am |
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June 4, 2018 at 8:26 am |
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