LOOKING south on Cleveland Place from Kenmare Street. Cleveland Place was renamed from Marion Street to honor President Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), who had been Governor of NYS, toward the domed former NYPD Headquarters, 240 Center Street, located in a wedge between Centre, Grand, Broome, and Centre Market Place. Currently a super-luxury apartment building called Police Building Apartments, it was designed by Hoppin & Krohn and completed in 1909 just as the Beaux Arts movement was beginning to wind down and modernism was around the corner. The lions in front look rather more fierce than the two at the New York Public Library – as befits Police HQ. It was converted to luxury use in 1988, a very early harbinger of the luxe trend that would take hold in Soho in the following decade.
Grover Cleveland, the only President to complete two nonconsecutive terms (Benjamin Harrison was elected between Cleveland’ s two) is remembered by Cleveland Place, Cleveland Street in East New York, Brooklyn (and the J train station on it), and Grover Cleveland HS and Park in Ridgewood, Queens. Cleveland’s nonconsecutive record was threatened to be tied by one Donald J. Trump, who is running for the White House for the third time with a 1-1 record (though in his mind it’s 2-0) in 2024.
The street layout in these parts wasn’t settled before the early 20th Century, when Delancey was extended west of the Bowery as Kenmare, and Lafayette was extended south along the routes of Marion and the former Elm Street; a short piece of Elm still exists as Elk. Street evolution has always been a favorite subject for me to tackle in FNY.
In case you’re wondering, Cleveland Place runs for two blocks, and so won’t be included in FNY’s Manhattan One and Done series.
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2/12/24
4 comments
Been a fan since the beginning. Did you just sneak a left wing dig at Trump? I’ve never known you to get political Kevin.You of course are entitled to your opinion but hope you are not trying toalienate your conservative followers!
I zing everyone but keep it light.
I might have been too critical. I truly enjoy Forgotten NY
Anon, what was “left wing” about it? One could deduce “leanings” from the snippet, but certainly Kevin did not write a single thing that wasn’t factual. I would think that a group of “conservative followers” would necessarily have thicker skin, in order to conscientiously support someone with 91 felony charges pending, but to go any further could render the convo a theoretically “political” one, and therefore not for these pages.