Grace Hartigan and 49 Hester Street

hartigan-49-hester-st

49 Hester Street 1910

This picture was taken just around the corner from 27 Essex Street where garbage was to accumulate a year later. The gentlemen in the foreground is selling socks just in front of the obligatory corner German bar of that era. In time, as the neighborhood would be more densely populated with different Eastern European immigrants, those bars would be less popular and merchant stores would predominate. In 1968, the artist Grace Hartigan would write that Henry's fruit stand which was then located at this address would inspire the painting of her "East Side Sunday." Note: Henry's, at that time, was next to Hollander's Pickles

11 Hester Street 1896

This block is now incorporated into the Seward Park housing site, completed in 1960 . It would be just east of the intersection of Suffolk and Hester. An 1891 real estate map would show a coal yard just north of the address. An up close view would show J. Smith selling watches and jewelry at number 11 and a man viewing a candy display featuring what appears to be boxes of candied balls at 5 cents a box. Some of the young boys are wearing civil war era hats also known as cheese-cutters due to its narrow, sharp brim. It evidently was popular at the time. In 1891 five barrel lots of rock candy went for 7 cents a pound.

27 Essex Street 1891

Caution, no smoking near whiskey barrels.

27 Essex Street: Then And Now

The then has a reference to the 1911 garbage strike. The notation in the picture incorrectly refers to PS 26. What is meant is PS 62 which was across the street on the eastern side of Essex at that time. About the 1911 strike from secondat

An article in the New York Times gives some background. The men demanded that they be able to work during daylight hours, mainly for reasons of safety, and the Sanitation Department, which employed them, refused to grant this demand. A snide letter to the editor gives one person's reaction: The reason for the cleaners' strike Is plain to one who's smart; Like most of us they want to choose Their hours a la carte. The city hired strikebreakers and the work stoppage was soon brought to an end. Times letter writers saw the conflict as a test of power between the Teamsters Union and city government. Some supported the union and some supported government, but most simply wanted their ashes collected and the streets cleared of accumulating trash. LC's photos are from its Bain News Service collection. The garbage trucks of the day consisted of one man, one horse, one cart. The city operated more than 20,000 of them. I appreciate the dignity of the horses shown in the photos: alert, patient, and strong. The images seem to show a police force intent on preserving order without taking sides. In them the faces of strikebreakers show a lack of confidence, maybe just nervousness, maybe fear. The faces of the crowds in the street show everything from anger, to interest in the spectacle unfolding before them, to the well-known New Yorker's seen-it-all aloofness.

What I gleamed from David Ziskind's One Thousand Strikes The workers were striking for a 48 hour week and relief from annoying regulations and arbitrary discipline. When any driver was found with garbage containing ashes, even though they may have been mixed by householders, the driver was fined several days pay.

1934: Disgruntled KVer's Move Out

This may either refer to non-renewal of leases to tenant leaders who had protested move in conditions or tenants moving on their own volition because of that situation

KV: Clearing The Building Site 1933

The KV Basement During Hurricane Irene

Thanksgiving 50 Years Ago

Thanksgiving 1961

13 Market Street: Former Site of the Polish Benevolent Association/Library

In the 1900 census Stanislaus Sleszynski lived at this site and also had a cigar store in the building.

A Hidden 4th Ward Reference In Mr. Skeffington

The great screenwriters, Julius and Philip Epstein, lived at Market and Cherry. Mr. Skeffington is a 1944 American drama film directed by Vincent Sherman, based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth von Arnim. The film stars Bette Davis as a beautiful woman whose many suitors, and self-love, distract her from returning the affections of her husband, Job Skeffington. It also makes a point about Skeffington's status as a Jew in 1914 high society and, later, in relation to Nazi Germany. Dialogue from the movie with time stamps :35:00 Job, I was born right across the river there, near Grant's Tomb. :35:05 Of course, the tomb hadn't quite been built. :35:07 My governess used to take me there every day. :35:10 That's where she met her policeman. :35:12 Job, where were you born? :35:14 Right here in New York. The corner of Market and Cherry Street. :35:18 Market and Cherry? Where's that? :35:21 Foot of the East River. It's about 10 miles, I should say, from the nearest governess. :35:27 Job, do you realize I've known you only two months? :35:30 And that I practically know nothing about you at all. :35:34 Were you poor? :35:35 You have no idea how poor. :35:37 You weren't actually hungry? :35:40 My father sold chocolate bars with almond nuts on a pushcart. :35:43 When he had a good day, we ate meat. :35:46 When he had a bad day, we ate chocolate bars with almond nuts. :35:49 The bad days had a slight edge. :35:51 You remember a lot about when you were a little boy, don't you? :35:55 Especially the lack of plumbing. :35:59 Skeffington, that's a strange name for Market and Cherry. :36:03 You mean, is that my real name? :36:05 No. The immigration official on Ellis Island wasn't a good speller... :36:09 ...and "Skeffington" was the closest he could get to "Skevinzskaza." :36:13 Well, then, how did you become so successful? :36:18 I don't wanna go on with the story of my life. :36:20 It's routine, rags to riches. Of course, I sold newspapers. :36:24 I was a messenger during the day and went to school at night. :36:27 You can fill in the rest. :36:29 There's one difference. :36:31 You didn't marry the boss's daughter. :36:33 No. :36:35 But I married the woman everybody else wanted to. :36:38 That makes up for it. :36:51 Job, find out what's happening. :36:57 Attendant? :36:58 - Yes? - What's going on?

Who's Almost Who In Knickerbocker Village History: Moses Solomon

About Moses from passion4baseball:

Moses Solomon was born on December 8, 1900 in New York City. He was the son of Russian immigrants, Benjamin and Anna Solomon. The elder Solomons were married in Russia in 1884 and came to the United States in 1891. They had eight children in all and Moses was the fifth of the eight. In 1906, the family moved to Franklin, Ohio and Benjamin worked for a junk dealer. Moses also worked for the dealer and is listed in the 1920 census as a time keeper for the dealer. A year later, Moses played baseball for the Vancouver Beavers in the Pacific Coast International League. He played in 115 games and batted .313 with 13 homers. Not bad for a first year in professional ball. He only played in a few games in 1922 but still batted .303. But it was 1923 that would make him a legend. By 1923, he had signed to play for the Hutchinson Wheat Shockers in the Southwestern League, a Class C league. He played mostly first base for the Wheat Shockers and had one of the most memorable seasons in minor league history. In 134 games, he batted 527 times, piling up 222 hits for a .421 average. He hit 40 doubles, 13 triples and 49 homers. The 49 homers set a minor league record and only the great Babe Ruth had more in professional baseball. McCarthy heard of Solomon's exploits and amidst much hoopla, purchased his contract and brought him to the Giants in September of 1923. He made his major league debut on September 30 and played two games. In eight at bats, he had three hits including a double and drove in a run. It would be the only two games he would ever play in the major leagues. The Giants found out about an aspect of Solomon's game that would prove to be his undoing. He couldn't field. The same minor league season where he set the record for home runs, he made 25 errors. He made an error in the two games he played in the outfield for the Giants. He was the Ron Bloomberg of his time. All hit, no field. Moses Solomon continued after the 1923 season to bang around the minor leagues. He played through 1929 and batted over .300 three times, but his total home run output of all those seasons did not come close to totaling as much as his 49 in 1923 alone. One source indicates he also played football, but no record can be found as such. By 1930, he is listed in the census as being back in Franklin, Ohio with his wife, Gertrude and two young children. His occupation is listed as, "Agent." His Wiki page states that he went into real estate and did quite well. The Rabbi of Swat died in Miami, Florida in 1966. Moses Solomon (or Mose) only played two games in the major leagues, but not many people could state that his career ended with a .375 average. Imagine if the guy with the .313 minor league career batting average could have caught the ball. His minor league record of 49 homers was broken in 1924 by Clarence Kraft who hit 55. Kraft didn't hold the record long himself as a guy named Tony Lazzeri (you may have heard of him) hit 60 in 1925.

28 Henry Street: Flight of the Conchords

The apartment of Bret & Jemaine from the HBO series is located here. From a walking tour that features location sites for this show

Discover Inner City Pressure with this Flight of the Conchords walking tour If you're a big fan of Flight of the Conchords and are visiting New York, checking out the filming locations of this Emmy-nominated series is an absolute must. Flight of the Conchords has a worldwide cult following, and wandering the streets of their filming locations will complete any Conchords die-hard's claims to be the ultimate fanatic. For those that don't know, Flight of the Conchords (comprising Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement) started off as a two-piece comedy act from New Zealand. Tongue and cheekily billed as 'Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo', the Conchords built a small cult following in New Zealand before hitting the big time and impressing HBO executives in the United States, and were quickly signed up to produce 2 award winning seasons of the self-titled television series. The Locations Whilst (like every TV series) there are several exterior locations, as well as a vast amount of studio filming, Flight of the Conchords has been shot at many landmarks and well known areas of New York City. Since this is a walking tour, we will concentrate on the Lower Manhattan locations, where the majority of exterior filming takes place. The beauty about this part of the tour is that the neighborhood undertakes very little adjustment between what you see on the show, and what you will see in person. As you wander around these Chinatown areas of Lower Manhattan, one finds it hard to comprehend that an award winning TV series was filmed there.

How To Make It In America; Season 2 Opening

KV is clearly visible in several shots
Lyrics to I Need A Dollar, by Aloe Blacc (abridged)

I need a dollar dollar, a dollar that's what I need
hey hey
Well I need a dollar dollar, a dollar that's what I need
hey hey
 I said I need a dollar dollar, a dollar is what I need
And if I share with you my story would you share your dollar with me

Well I don't know if I'm walking on solid ground
And all I want is for someone to help me
And I need a dollar dollar, a dollar is what I need
And if I share with you my story would you share your dollar with me

How To Make In America: On Old Delancey Street

from Season 2, episode 5. Walking west on the north side of Delancey from Norfolk towards Essex and then turning north on Essex.

How To Make It In America: 16 Monroe Penthouse, Part 2

Cam Calderon has his pal Domingo Brown over for breakfast to discuss business prospects. Since the last posting about this penthouse apt I've learned from Bob Wilson that this was not filmed in Duke Viggiano's old apartment,but in a one bedroom apt that is situated between Bob's apt and Duke's old one. It does not have an entrance onto the terrace, that's why Cam climbed out of his kitchen window to gain access in that previous scene.