PIANO SIGNS, Jamaica

by Kevin Walsh

A few years ago I found this pair of signs on Sutphin and Archer, a block south of the LIRR Jamaica station. I haven’t walked south on Sutphin Boulevard (perhaps I should) and haven’t found similar signs elsewhere in town.

The piano keys, I’d guess, are in honor of southern Queens’ (especially the Addisleigh neighborhood) claim to fame as being home to quite a number of jazz luminaries. The nearby Chapel of the Sisters, in Prospect Cemetery, was recently rebuilt as the Illinois Jacquet Performance Space; Jacquet lived in southern Queens. [ForgottenTour #51 in April 2012 paid a visit]

Queens Jazz Trail Map, Tony Millionaire, Ephemera Press

12/12/13

3 comments

The Cheese December 17, 2013 - 3:45 am

What face are those signs rendered in?
It isn’t Highway Gothic or ClearView and I’m pretty sure it’s not straight-up Helvetica; its too authoritative.

Reply
James Gutbrod February 22, 2014 - 4:14 am

Archer Avenue runs on the north side of the LIRR. The street on the south side is 94 Avenue. By the way, Sutphin and Archer are buried maybe 30 feet away from each other right outside the original office building in Maple Grove Cemetery.

Reply
Lesley August 16, 2015 - 10:05 pm

I googled after visiting and found that the New York Times answered this: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE5D8113DF931A25754C0A96F9C8B63

Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.