Before reliable metal street signs were put up on every corner of the city letting you know exactly where you were, it was probably pretty helpful to have the cross street names chiseled into the corner of a tenement or warehouse.
Now, of course, the cross street carvings have outlived their usefulness. They’re worn down by the elements, but it’s always a treat to look up and see one.
Like this sign on Market and Madison Streets, on a rundown tenement:
The carving at Third Avenue is missing its counterpart—it should read 110th Street:
This one at Fifth Street and First Avenue isn’t carved into the corner. The numbers look old, but not that old—perhaps the original corner blocks were replaced and new street numbers put up:
The loveliest street corner sign, of course, is in Tribeca, on Hudson and Beach Streets.
Ephemeral New York 