TYPE G CORVINGTON, Riverdale

by Kevin Walsh

I’m happy to say I “discovered” this remaining Type G Corvington post, one of the lettered series of NYC lampposts in the early 20th Century, as early as the mid 1980s on my pre-Forgotten New York scouting missions, at Mosholu Avenue and Post Road in Riverdale, Bronx. I was preparing for Forgotten NY then, but didn’t know it. I got some photos with my film camera, which still survive. NYC King of Lampposts Bob Mulero had, at the same time, also heard of its existence, and obtained this shot sometime in the 1980s while the Bronx still had its blue and white street signs.

Shortly after FNY went live in 1999 the Department of Transportation finally removed the pole, even though it had been landmarked. The DOT had allowed it to so deteriorate over the years that there was no choice but to remove it. A regular paint job could have saved it.

This was also a surviving example of what I called the “junior bell” lamps, which resembled the Bell fixtures that have since been revived, but with a cone-shaped housing instead of bell-shaped. These were usually employed on secondary roads, not as important as main drags but more important than side streets, which usually received lamps unprotected by reflector bowls.

I know, I know, I have more info on this kind of thing that’s actually the mark of a sane person. What can I tell you.

1/13/15

 

4 comments

Glen Norman January 13, 2015 - 2:33 am

Seems perfectly sane to me …

Reply
Jeff B. January 14, 2015 - 12:13 am

Hi Kevin –

I wouldn’t call it a mark of insanity – I’m sure many of your regular followers also have vast storehouses of odd knowledge about NYC and many other varied topics. One of the detectives I worked with called me a “virtual cesspool of useless knowledge,” which when he needed to remember something about an incident from years past I could recall it most times without my computer (I was the Records Guru and data manager for a very busy North Jersey PD). This was not insulting to me, I considered this title a badge of honor. Yes, we may get strange looks when we get going on different topics and minutiae that we know way too much about, but someone’s got to remember this stuff and with any luck, someone will actually be listening.

– Jeff

Reply
John January 17, 2015 - 10:59 am

I am also a repository of useless information. Being that there is a mail box in the photo, I will come clean with the fact that as a lad I used to check all the dates stamped into these types to see what year it was made.

Reply
Deborah December 8, 2015 - 10:03 pm

Boy this post (pun intended) gave me a heart attack. I know this area well. I lived on Post Road growing up. Not here Mosholu Avenue, but south a ways off 251st. Couple of houses down from the George and William Hadley Mansion…which I discovered on your forgotten tours website a few years back. Love seeing these. Wish the lamp post was still there.
Deborah

Reply

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