Detail of S. Oppenheimer & Co., 170 Eldridge Street. (Photos: Frank Mastropolo).
When we first brought you our top 10 favorite ghost signs in January, there were still many more examples of the past on walls throughout the neighborhood. In April we featured another ten signs.
All photos: Frank Mastropolo.
With the rapid pace of development in the Lower East Side and East Village, it’s remarkable that so many ghost signs – ads that have long outlived their businesses – have survived. As you’ll see, sometimes progress can also reveal long-hidden signs. In January we brought you our Top 10 favorite ghost signs but there are too many good ones left to stop now. Click through the slideshow that follows to see our picks, then leave your own in the comments.
(Photo: Frank Mastropolo)
While researching our recent story on ghost signs, we were saddened to discover that a Lower East Side classic has disappeared. The façade of 19 Kenmare Street used to boast a 1940s-era sign for two companies still in business: P. Zaccaro Co. Real Estate and J. Eis and Son, an appliance store. Workers have removed the iconic hand-painted ad.
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(Photos: Frank Mastropolo)
Though many lament the frenzy of change in New York’s oldest neighborhoods, there are still remnants of the past to see if you’d look up from your smartphone. Ghost signs, advertising signage that has survived long after a business has gone bust, are still around… but are disappearing fast.
Click through the slideshow to see our favorites, then leave your own in the comments.
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