As a preview of an upcoming Bell Boulevard page, here’s one of the few cobblestone-exterior New York City dwellings. At 35-34 Bell Boulevard stands a magnificent two-story building with an exterior made of cobblestone walls, very much a rarity in NYC. It was declared a NYC landmark in October 2004.
The stones are naturally shaped, i.e. not beveled or cut in any way, and give some idea of what NYC street paving was like before cobblestones gave way to flatter Belgian blocks and later, smooth macadam and asphalt. The stones are closely set in concrete.
The house was built in 1906 and in the past, according to local legend, has housed a speakeasy during Prohibition. Utahan actress Maude Adams (1872-1953), who played Peter Pan in over 1500 performances, is thought to have lived in the house during her Broadway days.
On either corner of 36th Avenue you’ll also find cobblestone-exterior posts bearing slate signs with the former names of the cross streets, Lamartine Avenue and Bell Avenue.
I can’t resist mentioning that in the 2020s part of Bell Boulevard received retro versions of Triborough Bridge poles that were first employed when the bridge opened in the 1930s. They can also be found on Ditmars Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue in Queens as well as Elton Avenue and Hunts Point Avenue in the Bronx.
Kevin Walsh is the webmaster of the award-winning website Forgotten NY, and the author of the books Forgotten New York (HarperCollins, 2006) and also, with the Greater Astoria Historical Society, Forgotten Queens (Arcadia, 2013)
12/29/23