Open Thread Wednesday

While I never met him, i used to love pointing out (to visiting friends) the paper copy of that obituary that was taped in the window for a decade or so. I was disappointed to see that the new owners of that house or apartment took it down.

They also removed the tree bench that was in front of the house, hand built by Salvator. According to a plaque, the bench was dedicated to Salvator’s wife.

If you were wondering, the Public Art Fund is setting up an installation in the northern oval of Cadman Plaza Park

https://www.publicartfund.org/view/exhibitions/6689_harold_ancart_subliminal_standard

Courtesy the Municipal Archives, here’s the south side of Montague Street from Clinton toward Court in 1940:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e5c8efc17cf7088d8c17a51eda286fb8af59ab2d88ed59dfd4cc3387a8882090.png

Nice story. Which building was it?

I’m as pro-public art as they come but I’d rather see the priority in Cadman Plaza Park be on replanting the grass where it’s been worn bare, trimming weeds and fixing the crumpling sidewalks in and around the park. Make the infrastructure upgrades first, then the art will have a much nicer “frame” as a result.

North side of Joralemon, Between Hicks and Henry (almost right across from Garden Place), a narrow brick house one house to the right of 99 Joralemon’s side garden (99 is the big apartment building on that block). So maybe it’s 101 or 103 Joralemon?

I also agree. The park is in need of attention. Park police and other employees have been carelessly driving this winter, digging big grooves in the sod as well as further damaging the rubberized “track” with their vehicles.

I keep that NYT obit in my papers to this day. Dr. Altchek was my landlord from the time I moved into Brooklyn Heights in 1997 until his death. He was an incredible person with an impish sense of humor and a smile to match. He greeted me every day with a “hey ya, kid!” (I was nearly 40 at the time). He was still practicing medicine at nearly 90 and as mentioned in the article, occasionally Hispanic workers who likely were uninsured would knock on our front door to see him and he happily took them in. I lived on the second floor of his three-story walk-up at 103 Joralemon St. And amazingly, he lived on the third floor and slowly walked those steps until his last year when he finally moved down to his office on the first floor. Even as an elderly gentleman he flirted shamelessly with my mother when my parents visited. And when they visited, he offered them a place to stay in his apartment (as you might guess, my father politely declined the offer) To call him a mensch is an understatement by several degrees of magnitude. As someone mentioned, he had a lovely bench built that encircled the tree in front of the building that was dedicated to his wife. It was quite sad they had to remove it, but at least the plaque on the building remains. I was proud to have known him. He was a gentleman and no small part of this neighborhood’s rich history. It’s hard to think of him without smiling.

I remember Dr Altcheck 60’s 70’s Yep house calls, imagine that these days…
There were a couple of other old school docs in the hood as well Anyone remember Dr. Hauer on Montague or Dr. Swersky on Remsen?

Very good piece on the BQE options – some of them – NOT in print, but rather a kind of podcast. Very well put together & interesting:

https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/03/21/listen-where-do-we-stand-with-the-bqe-rehab-plan/

All those parking places!

I found the answer! The original Grimaldi’s which has been closed since January is being subsumed by its spawn, the spinoff national chain of the same name. Frank’s son, Joseph is consolidating the original Grimaldi’s under his corporate umbrella, and on March 29th, will reopen the famous pizza parlor that’s been mysteriously shuttered for months.

according to MTA website the escalator should be back in service on Monday 3/25 (not that i necessarily believe that). apparently you can call 511 – http://web.mta.info/mta/phone.htm#nyct

I used to go to Dr. Swirsky; he had that office right in the front of the building. According to the NY Times, he died July 7th, 2000.

“SWIRSKY-Leo J., M.D. The Medical Society of the County of Kings Inc. mourns the loss of its esteemed past president, Leo J. Swirsky, M.D.”

I remember when they were mahogany. Then came the fire on the escalators in London’s Underground, and shortly after, the ones at High Street were converted to gleaming stainless steel.

Haven’t worked very well since!