WHILE scuttling through Carroll Gardens en route to Red Hook in August 2024, I noticed this old school sign on Court Street off Luquer, for Battery Car Service. It seems to be the exact opposite of the adjoining sign for 486 Plant, next door. I say this because when you look at “Battery Car Service” you know just what you’re getting. “486 Plant” could be a plant or garden store. Instead, it’s an art gallery that seemingly pays homage to its predecessor tenant which had been a garden store.
I’ve often been down Court Street before and I wondered why I hadn’t seen this aged sign. That’s because for several years it was beneath a sign for Two Silhouettes On The Shade, a collectibles place. The old sign was revealed again just recently. I liked its simplicity, black handpainted letters on a white background.
Some elements on the sign perplex me, though. Phone numbers are prominent on car service signs, but what is that “3” after the number, 858-4444? The sign was painted before there were multiple area codes, and you didn’t need to dial it before the number. But what’s the “3” for?
Also, what is that smaller number on the right side? BAGE B00060. Comments, as always, are open.
Questions, questions, questions, flooding into the mind of the concerned young person today. Ah, but it’s a great time to be alive, ladies and gentlemen. And that’s the theme of our program for tonight. –Frank Zappa
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8/27/24