THIS photo from the 1940 NYC Municipal Archives of the SE corner of Jerome Avenue and East Fordham Road has been making the Facebook rounds, at least my humble corner of it, and I noticed there’s plenty of infrastructure here to talk about. On the left we see one of the original fire alarm boxes likely placed on the corner in the early to mid-1910s. It’s already gone through several illumination styles, the latest being an illuminated red glass globe.
In the center the building has an angled, or chamfered, corner, in 1940 supporting a cigar store that no doubt also sold newspapers for commuters getting on the El, now the #4 train, at the Fordham Road station.
On the right is an unusual post top lamp that has the traditional heavy cast iron base that is still used in retro versions today. Post top lamps, so common in other USA cities, were rare on NYC streets (though plentiful in the parks). Why was a post top lamppost employed here?
When you look at the same corner about 80 years later, the reason is obvious. The headroom is quite low here because the fare control area of the elevated train is directly above the street, and the city decided to use a post top because that was the best choice under the circumstances. The firebox has been updated to a streamlined version, and on the right, a “Brownie” lamp with a New Gumball lamp can be seen; there were frequently used beneath elevated trains beginning in the 1980s. The same building with the cigar store now features a pharmacy.
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1/6/22
5 comments
It’s always so fun to be able to jump back and forth between time periods like that, thanks as always.
I’ve been looking for photos of my old stomping grounds, 167th Street and River to Jerome Avenue, on the Municipal Archives, and there are all sorts of shots of what was, there. Amazing that my era in the Bronx is now 65 years ago!
Fifty-plus years ago, when I was an undergrad at NYU’s uptown campus nearby, I was very familiar with the entire stretch of Fordham Road between University Ave. and the Grand Concourse. It was an unrivaled collection restaurants, bars, shops, and people-watching. Used to frequent the Olympic Restaurant at Fordham and Jerome. Alexander’s flagship store was at Fordham and the Concourse.
A funny coincidence is that on City Island, at the far end of The Bronx, there is a “Fordham Street” the crosses the island’s one main drag, City Island Avenue. The #12 bus on Fordham Road/Pelham Parkway used to go all the way to City Island, so it would take a passenger from Fordham Road to Fordham Street. For the last 25 years or so the #12’s eastern terminal has been Pelham Bay Park #6 train station, requiring a transfer to the #29 bus at that location for passengers who to reach City Island.
I grew up close by. I believe that the stairway shown in the present day photo was relocated from the Jerome Ave side to the
Fordham Rd side to accommodate what I suspect is an ADA elevator in the glass box.
Kevin, You are showing pictures of the SE corner of E Fordham and Jerome Ave not NW.