A PAST PRESERVED-In the Shadow of the Twin Gas Tanks, on E. 110th St.

Posted: June 15, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Angela's picture galleries, But Not Forgotten!, digital photography, East Harlem, Italian Americans, Italian East Harlem, New York City, NEW YORK ITALIANS, Tenements, Vintage Photography | Tags: , | 8 Comments
I was the type of child who sat at the table with all the adults, while the other children went out to play. I sat there, intently listening to all of the old stories about growing up in East Harlem. What joy I got out of of those wondrous stories! It seemed like such a magical place! A place where people were loving, friendly, giving, and united. A community of like minds, and life experiences. How I wished that I could have been born- back in the day- when my dad was a boy, growing up in “the old neighborhood.” Never once did he, nor his siblings ever complain about the tight housing conditions that they lived in. If anything, they always said how much they missed those “good old days” when they were free of worry, and spent all day outside playing with their friends, and selling fruits and vegetables on their father’s pushcart.
My dad’s family was a large family of 9 people, 7 children and 2 adults, living in a small tenement apartment. My dad’s grandmother, Teresa, owned 2 tenements, one next to the other. They lived at 346 E. 110th, directly across from the HUGE Consolidated Gas Company’s twin gas tanks! The tanks had a capacity of 5 million cubic feet-when full! These tanks supplied the upper portion of New York City, as far south as 79th Street. If they had exploded, I might not be here writing this article. (Lol)
Never once did I hear my dad complain about those gigantic gas tanks stealing the sunshine from their apartment! It really didn’t bother them, as they were used to them being there. I never heard him complain about the noise or the smells from the gas tanks. Surprisingly, he told me that mothers would often walk by the gas tanks, with their sick children, to try to alleviate their respiratory ailments- as the steam had some beneficial effects. Can you imagine? There they were, strolling babies and toddlers in strollers, hoping to receive some health relief for them! Also, my dad shared a personal story about his mischievous ways, and how he would sneak onto the gas company’s property, and climb the ladder to the top of the framing of the gas tank. One day, a company watchman, spotted him at the top of the ladder. He begged and pleaded with my dad to climb back down, and promised not to get him in any trouble. He kept his word. The man was relieved, and happy that my dad made it down without falling, as there were incidents in the past where children fell to their deaths, while trying to climb to the top. The top height, around the top rim of the skeletal framing, loomed at approximated 120 feet! That’s about 12 stories! My dad was just a kid, probably about 9 or 10 years old. Just another neighborhood kid, trying to make the best out of his urban “concrete jungle” environs. The year was circa 1934. So much fun, right?
My dad and his family, on the roof , at 346 E. 110th St. circa 1932.
1939 NYC Municipal tax photo of 346 E. 110th St.
My dad, Albert, with my son, Albert. Empty lot at 346 E. 110th. (2004)
The empty lot that once was 346 East 110th Street. A new building stands here today.
On the roof of 346 E. 110th St. circa 1932
Empty lot of 346 & 344 E. 110th St. April of 2006.
New buildings at 346-344 & 342 E. 110th St. 2016
East 110th Street, near 1st Ave. (side of building) 2006
April of 2006. Near the empty lot where 346 E. 110th once stood.
On the roof of 346 E. 110th. circa 1932.
The twin gas tanks on East 110th. 1920’s
304 E.110th. (2006) This is the same type of tenement as 346 was.
Although this is not located in East Harlem, I thought you would like to see a high-definition example of how huge these gas tanks were! I found this image on shorpy.com
The 2 large blue circles depict the twin gas tanks on East 110th, near 1st Ave.
East Harlem Aerial-circa 1950’s. Notice the twin gas tanks looming high above the new housing projects in the background.
These are the twin gas tanks of the Consolidated Gas Company, later known as Consolidated Edison. They loomed over the tenements on the 300 block of East 110th Street. 344-46-48 East 110th was directly across the street from the first gas tank. (foreground, on right.) Note the laundry hanging on the lower left. This aerial photo was taken when my grandparents lived there. I see mostly white laundry! They must be drying their bed sheets! Ha ha!

“A BETTER TOMORROW” 1945 filmed in East Harlem

Posted: May 26, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: But Not Forgotten!, East Harlem, East Harlem Maps, Italian Americans, Italian East Harlem, Movies Filmed in East Harlem, New York City, NEW YORK ITALIANS, Pleasant Avenue, Tenements, Video | Tags: , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is holding a collection of photos, files, and ephemera that belonged to Leonard Covello, the former principal of Benjamin Franklin High School. As kismet would have it, I stumbled upon an extremely rare, short film, filmed by Alexander Hammid, a Czech film director, and cinematographer. Technically, for all intents and purposes, this was a US government propaganda film. I’m not a fan of some of the statements that were made in this film, but it’s a fabulous “portal to the past”, and that’s good enough for me! This is a short film on American public education, intended for public use. It was filmed in 1945, in several New York City locations, with a special focus on Benjamin Franklin High School, located on Pleasant Avenue in East Harlem. I cropped the film to reflect what I would prefer to emphasize-which is daily community life in East Harlem. Oh, and you’re welcome! (wink) 🙂 If you wish to view this film in its entirety, here’s the direct link: https://digitallibrary.hsp.org/index.php/Detail/objects/13235

I must tell you that I have a personal collection of rare papers, photos, letters, and maps-some of which are shown in this film. Long story, but I’ll tell you a bit about how I acquired them. About 5 years ago, I received a phone call from the wife of a bookseller that I frequently bought from. I was asked if I would like to have the remainder of files from the archives of Leonard Covello. I was stunned! I had been searching for years, scouring the planet for anything remotely related to the East Harlem community, and in one phone call, I was given a fabulous gift! The book seller’s name is Michael Cordasco. Michael’s father, Francesco Cordasco, was a well known sociologist, Columbia graduate, and a close friend and colleague of Leonard Covello. When Leonard Covello died, Francesco was given Covello’s files, books, photos, etc. Most of the Covello collection went to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and, with sheer luck and serendipity, the rest went to yours truly! I will never forget that afternoon, when I received that phone call! I’ll post a video soon, talking more about how I acquired the collection. 🙂

I have been meaning to digitize my collection, for years now, but found it difficult to set aside the time to do so. Also, I’m a terrible procrastinator! Ha ha, there, I said it! 🙂 Now, due to the Covid-19 situation, I am not working outside my home, so I have the time to move forward with my digitization and preservation project. Aside from the Covello collection, I have a huge archive of “all things East Harlem” that I have been collecting since 2004. I also have a large photo library of vintage photos that were given to me by family and friends, and I have ephemera which relates to East Harlem as well. Oh, I haven’t mentioned the books, which I have been scouring the internet to find, for almost 15 years!
There’s so much for me to do. When I think about it, I get overwhelmed! Lol However, the clock is ticking, and I owe it to my readership, and to my East Harlem ancestry, to get the ball rolling! 🙂

So, watch this movie, and if you click through to my YouTube page, don’t forget to follow me! Oh, and if you are so inclined, watch my metaphysical videos on crystals, astrology, numerology, tarot, and all that fun stuff! Yes, I wear many hats! Lol 🙂

Antonino Carroccio: A Day in the Life

Posted: February 3, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Angela's picture galleries, digital photography, East Harlem, Italian East Harlem, NEW YORK ITALIANS, Tenements, Vintage Photography | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

TA Carroccio Cheese Truck 07 10 18 (2)About a month and a half ago, I checked my email inbox, and found this wonderful vintage photo. It made my day! Grazie mille, Paolo!

The man standing near the doorway is Antonino Carroccio. He is the paternal grandfather of Paul Carroccio, who was kind enough to share this fabulous vintage photo, circa 1928. The man sitting in the truck, was Morris Croot, a farmer from Holland Township, New Jersey.

Antonino was part owner of a family-run cheese shop, “Latticini” located at 311 East 107th St., N.Y.C.  His father, Alfio Carroccio, came to America in 1890, and settled in a tenement building at 311 E. 107th Street.  Subsequently, Alfio opened this latticini/cheese shop, selling mozzarella, ricotta, eggs, butter, milk, etc. After establishing this business in East Harlem’s Italian quarter, Alfio returned to Sicily around 1904, and left the business to his sons, Antonino, and Alfio, Jr.

Paul mentioned in his email to me, that the cheese was originally made locally in East Harlem, but the milk they bought to make the cheese, came from New Jersey.  However, the family continued to do that until 1908, when they decided to rent a location in New Jersey (to make the cheese) nearby to where they bought the milk, for freshness sake.  So began the shipping of cheese (in ice) to East Harlem! The cheese from the Carroccio’s Latticini shop was sold to local residents, Rao’s restaurant, on Pleasant Avenue, and many other establishments. Hey, come to think of it, I bet that my grandparents, and great-grandparents bought cheese and other items from this cheese shop! If only I could ask them! AIEH…thanks for the memories!

 

 

On the Inside Looking Out: My America, a Voice from Italian Harlem’s Past…

Posted: April 8, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: digital photography, Immigration history, Italian East Harlem, Tenements, Vintage Photography, Voices of East Harlem | Tags: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Asked if she liked America, an Italian homeworker replied in 1911: “Not much, not much. In my country, people cook out-of doors, do the wash out-of-doors, tailor out-of-doors, make macaroni out-of-doors. And my people laugh, laugh all the time. In America, is “sopra, sopra!” [up, up, with a gesture of going upstairs]. Many people, one house; work, work all the time. Good money but no good air.” 

Source: Elizabeth C. Watson, “Home Work in the Tenements,” Survey, 25 (1910), 772

In hindsight, perhaps, the above statement could have been spoken by the hard-working Italian woman portrayed in this iconic, social journalistic photo. Her name was Mary Mauro. Mary lived in Italian East Harlem, in a 5 story “old-law” walk-up tenement, along with her family in 1911. By some “synchronistic serendipity,” Mary was one of the “homeworkers” chosen by sociologist and photographer, Lewis Wickes Hine, to be portrayed in his photographic documentary series, on immigrants in the United States… in this particular case, child labor and tenement homework. In December of 1911, Mary lived at 309 East 110th Street, adjacent to the Metropolitan Gas Light Company’s massive twin gas tanks. (Predecessor of Consolidated Edison.) Coincidentally, for my family history research, My paternal great grandmother, Maria Altieri, her husband, Andrea, and their 5 children lived in the same building, later on in time, during the 1920’s. It’s highly possible that this woman is the grandmother-in-law of my father’s first cousin, Kiki Aiello Mauro, as her husband, Louie Mauro hailed from this Italian enclave. (Note to self: I really need to ask my Aiello cousins if there is a connection here.) 🙂

Upshot: The old adage, “snap a picture, it lasts longer!”, is so true in Mary Mauro’s case, as she and her family are forever etched in the virtual superhighway of our existence! Thank you, Mr. Lewis Wickes Hine! God Bless our ancestral heritage…God Bless America!

New York. December 1911. “5 p.m. Mrs. Mary Mauro, 309 E. 110th St., 2nd floor. Family works on feathers (sewing them together for use as a hat trimming). Make $2.25 a week. In vacation two or three times as much. Victoria, 8 yrs. Angelina 10 yrs. (a neighbor). Frorandi 10 yrs. Maggie 11 yrs. All work except two boys against wall. Father is street cleaner and has steady job. Girls work until 7 or 8 p.m. Once Maggie worked until 10 p.m.”

New York. December 1911. “5 p.m. Mrs. Mary Mauro, 309 E. 110th St., 2nd floor. Family works on feathers (sewing them together for use as a hat trimming). Make $2.25 a week. In vacation two or three times as much. Victoria, 8 yrs. Angelina 10 yrs. (a neighbor). Frorandi 10 yrs. Maggie 11 yrs. All work except two boys against wall. Father is street cleaner and has steady job. Girls work until 7 or 8 p.m. Once Maggie worked until 10 p.m.”

mauro-family-1911-color.png zeldave2014 wp (2)Colored photo source: https://zeldave2014.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/mauro-family-1911-color.png

309 East 110th Street- March 29th 2015

Note: 309 East 110th Street, East Harlem. (309’s “stoop” is on the far right of this photo.) The gas tanks are long gone. I believe they were taken down in the 1970’s. Photo by Angela Puco

Festa di Monte Carmela, by Daniel Celentano 1934

Posted: August 22, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Italian East Harlem, New York City, Pleasant Avenue, Tenements | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Festa di Monte Carmela, by Daniel Celentano 1934

Children around Sprinkler, Harlem by Todd Webb / American Art

Posted: August 22, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: New York City, Tenements, Vintage Photography | Leave a comment

1985.38.15 001 1985.38.15 001Children around Sprinkler, Harlem by Todd Webb / American Art.

Source: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=26922

Well/Privy Diggers Come to East Harlem to search for Vintage Trash!

Posted: August 6, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: East Harlem, Just for fun, New York City, Pleasant Avenue, Tenements | Tags: , , | Leave a comment
…Mid-December we returned to East Harlem and realized the catalyzing Mansard structure sat on a double width lot. The side of the yard that once contained the privy was covered with old crumbly concrete and under that lay the filled-in basement of an early 1900s apartment house.A block away a row of circa 1860 houses awaits the most recent sprawl. During the late 1870s the homes along the length of Pleasant Avenue became part of the first Little Italy in New York City. All but forgotten today the area once contained the largest number of Italian and Sicilian immigrants in the city and is still home to the famous “Rao’s Restaurant” (frequented by movie stars, pop artists, writers and other noteworthy figures). Yet, running into someone of Italian birth living there today is as unlikely as locating an intact privy. While canvassing the area we met at least one person, a septuagenarian who had grown up in Italy. We probed in his garden for a privy and later learned that his house had not come into existence until the tenement explosion of the 1880s; long after indoor plumbing had become standard there.
Situated within earshot of traffic on the FDR Drive, running along the Harlem River just south of the Triborough Bridge, is a cul-de-sac one block from Pleasant Avenue. It retains a 19th century feel with its cobblestones and old homes. We connected with two artists walking a dog. Fey and Rio were not convinced at first about a dig claiming the potential to produce antique bottles but we mentioned cleaning up, and their eyes widened. There was a large above ground pool which had been drained and left standing, and, there was a good chance the entire house was coming down soon anyway. We agreed to help dismantle the pool and drag it out to the curb whether we found anything or not.

Pre-plumbing buildings in East Harlem.
Backyard without pool.
A sidewalk and concrete curb were laid over the privy and a small tree grew from the center. We decided to continue the excavation anyway, entering, exiting, and bucketing material from one tight corner. One wall was missing and the entire box was in shambles, disturbed by several large tree roots over the decades. Reaching the far side of the hole, about six feet back, was difficult due to the elfin space being navigated. While Rio, a photographer, documented the dig, the sun was setting and there were still three feet to go. A luminous quarter moon rose over the Harlem River, heading directly for the flickering skyline but we still needed more light. An extension cord and a droplight were rummaged from the basement.
Our first find after rigging the light was an early pharmacy bottle, Miller & Co. 245 Third Avenue COR. OF 20th Street NY from nearly one hundred blocks south of our location. Then, an R.R.R. Radway & Co. New York, a tan and white ginger beer, a whiskey bottle (Whitney Glass Works), two Dr Porter New York, a W. Ellis & Co. Phil and a darning egg.As the evening wore on the wind picked up and a winter storm saturated the sky, then more bottles began appearing. Despite the cold weather we were sweating and the formidable crisscrossing roots from earlier were now above us. Among the discoveries were a pontiled, gasoline-puce, B & P N.Y. LYONS POWDER, a pontiled, GUERNSEY’S BALM NEW YORK PATENT, an umbrella ink, three beers and numerous examples of generic pontiled medicine and utility bottles. Returning to fill in the hole we discovered a D. L. Ormsby beer bottle, a wine bottle and a six sided ointment jar that had eluded us the previous night.

A rectangular vault at night.
The odyssey involved seven different digs, and investigating a dozen other yards which turned out to be barren. The first with its abundance of opium vials through the most recent, a cistern made of stone, took place between October and February. This elusive period in Harlem’s history revealed many of the same bottles, wares and artifacts which have been discovered in middle-class neighborhoods around the five boroughs and elsewhere. In a blaze of activity we caught a unique glimpse of Harlem, then and now.
 

An assortment of mouth-blown bottles from Harlem privies, pontiled and smooth base examples, ranging from 1850s to 1875.

http://www.themanhattanwelldiggers.com/harlem.html

A Sunny Day in Vintage East Harlem: November 9, 1919

Posted: August 5, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Angela's picture galleries, East Harlem, New York City, Tenements, Vintage Photography | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

1919 nov 9

East 119th Street and Second Avenue, looking toward the Third Avenue elevated.
Photo Source: NYPL Digital Gallery.

An East Harlem Scene from “The Godfather”: Sonny Corleone(James Caan) beats up his brother-in-law Carlo(Gianni Russo.)

Posted: July 6, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: East Harlem, FYI, Italian East Harlem, Movies Filmed in East Harlem, New York City, Pleasant Avenue, Tenements | Tags: , , , , | 7 Comments

The Godfather Movie:Click on this link to view YouTube video-  Sonny Corleone(James Caan) beats up his brother-in-law Carlo(Gianni Russo.)

In this scene from The Godfather, James Caan seeks revenge for the unmerciful beating of his pregnant sister, Connie Rizzi. He heads for East Harlem’s E. 118th Street, to brutally beat up his wife-beating brother-in-law Carlo Rizzi(played by Gianni Russo.)

The scene was filmed on the 500 block of East 118th Street. My family and I lived there before this movie was filmed. The stoop that Carlo(wearing an orange and tan suit) is standing on-before he attempts to run from crazed Sonny, is 503 East 118th Street.

 Note of Trivia: Most of the principal photography took place from March 29, 1971 to August 6, 1971, although a scene with Pacino and Keaton was shot in the autumn. There were a total of 77 days of shooting, fewer than the 83 for which the production had budgeted. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather#Production)

This particular scene was filmed in the summer of 1971.(My educated guess, based on the filming timeline, and the fact that the children are being soaked by the “johnny pump.”) Ahun 18 Gianni Russo503 E. 118 The Godfather

STORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face of New York

Posted: July 2, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Architecture, digital photography, Just for fun, New York City, Tenements | Leave a comment
Signed copies now available!STORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face of New YorkSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New YorkSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: ZIG ZAG RecordsSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: VESUVIO BakerySTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: SUBWAY INN
STORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: ALBANESE Meats & PoultrySTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: RALPH'S Discount CitySTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: M & G DINERSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: MANHATTAN FURRIERSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: LONG ISLAND RestaurantSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: REYNOLD'S Bar
STORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: ITALIAN AMERICAN GROCERYSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: IDEAL HosierySTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: DITMAS Kosher Meats & PoultrySTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: KATY'S Candy StoreSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: IDEAL DinettesSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: D. D'AURIA and Sons Pork Store
STORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: CIRCO'S Pastry ShopSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: CHEYENNE DinerSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: CAFFE CAPRISTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: BRAND'S LiquorsSTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: ASCIONE'S PharmacySTORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face Of New York: PUBLIC Fish Market

STORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face of New York, a set by James and Karla Murray Photography on Flickr.

Can you spot the East Harlem storefronts?(Albeit long gone.) Bet some of you can! Have fun!

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