FORGIVE me for being behind the times, but that’s nothing new. I was puttering around Forest Hills this past weekend with two quarries in mind: get a photo of Forest Hills High School, where at least some of the Ramones went to school; and the last Olive stoplight standing, at 69th Road and 110th Street. For the latter, a careful inspection of Google Street View would have informed me that that bit of history has been gone since 2021, lost to a curbside pavement replacement program.
As for “Rock and Roll High School” it was shrouded under construction netting and scaffolding in 2020, when I happened by during the pandemic. Imagine my non-surprise when in 2025 it was once again hidden from view (above). I’m not privy to what they’re doing but I’d have to think that whatever they did in 2020 was inadequate and they have to do it all over again in 2025.
There are archival photos, in case the exterior is never seen again.
As for the Olive stoplight, a little history. From about 1930 to 1985, on many intersections, traffic was controlled by relatively short stoplights painted olive green (hence my name for them) that carried two-color Ruleta or Marbleite stoplights. Originally black, the stoplight fixtures were painted yellow in the 1960s. Very occasionally the original fixtures had the amber light between red and green; this was rare, with “caution” indicated by flashing red and green simultaneously for a few seconds. Beginning in the 1960s the “Olive” poles began to be phased out by the Department of Transportation, and replaced either shiny, cylindrical poles and/or large, guy wired octagonal-shafted stoplights.
That’s what happened at 69th Road and 110th Street, with the guy wired stoplights. When I first encountered the Olive at this corner, it still carried a 3-color stoplight, but by 2009, the new stoplights had been installed and the Olive had had its “head” cut off, with the stoplight removed. Remarkably, it remained in place in that condition for over a decade but had been removed by 2021. Google Street View is skimpy with historic pictures of this corner, with 2017 the latest photo with the Olive available.
Thus, I went 0 for 2, but that’s nothing new.
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop. As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.
8/18/25
4 comments
If I remember correctly,each light had a visor over each one like you
see on railroad signal lights.
There was a Safety street in Central Park once where kids could learn
traffic safety.Everything was kid sized,even those “olive” lights which were
a scaled down version of the real ones.
OK,this just in.According to my calculations those type of streetlights
were made by the Horni company of Newark,NJ
Funny how whenever an area gets replica vintage streetlighting, the NYCOT will install M2A masts that incorporate them, but the 12- and 15-foot box-base posts for crosswalk and additional traffic signals are still used with a coat of black or green paint slapped on them. Meanwhile outside of the city, you’ll find lots of towns using replicas of the olive posts of varying heights for signalized intersections in their main business districts.
Huntington has some.