I'm going to start at the South West corner of 135th and Amsterdam. My first recollection of the store on the corner it was a dry cleaner. Maybe Spotless but I'm not sure. After they moved out, Mr. Miller moved his liquor store from 1512 to the corner. Harry Scott and Wes Bradley were two of his clerks. There was also two guys who used to hang around out side of the liquor store. Jimmy Sullivan and the Weasel, who was also known as Patches. When we were too young to buy liquor and wanted some, for the cost of a very cheap pint of wine, either one of them would buy the liquor for you. No doubt, they were two of Miller's best customers.
Next to the liquor store was Coyne's and then O'Rourke's grocery store which I have mentioned before. Also next to them was Jimmy the Barber. That store eventually became a luncheonette.
Next was where the liquor store was. That became Herman's Toy Store. Business waned and he divided the store with the southerly half becoming Bill's Radio shop. Herman, of course we called him Herman the German, had a Renault Dauphine auto. It was the one that had the directional signal between the front and back door. A little arm would pop out depending on which way you wanted to turn. The name Her Tone also sticks in my head.
Next was the stoop of 1512. 1512 held some great families. Most memorable of them for me was the Bradley's. Jimmy Bradley and I still get together for an occasional cocktail. Jimmy had a brother Jack and sisters Anna, Pat and Joan. Pat and Joan were both nurses. Jack was a great basketball player and later became a NYC school teacher, working down on the lower east side. Anna and Mary Mac from 500 were great friends growing up. I can remember Anna and Mary having conversations in the back yard with Mary out the hall way window in 500 and Anna out of the kitchen window in her apartment. Jimmy became a programmer and is now retired and living in Brick, N.J.
The Duncan's were there on the top floor. I don't remember all of them but I do hear from Bobby, via the blog, and later on I'll post his recollections of 1512. Bobby had an older brother,Buddy, who I guess you could say was a bit wild. (We were not all angels) One of the rumors I recall hearing was that he was involved in burning down the Claremont Hotel. As you came off the viaduct going south toward Grant's Tomb is was directly in front of it on the hill. Just a rumor now! There was also Flo Duncan and Kathleen and a younger sister, Bernadette. The Duncan's were related to the Lamarch's who lived up toward 136th. The Duncan's and the Bradley's were very good to a local neighborhood "waif" known as Warren Hoop. His real name was Warren Jordan and he lived in a hotel that was up on 142nd St. and Amsterdam. Although none of us knew it, he suffered from Turret's Syndrome. At least eight or ten times an hour he would holler out "Hoop" usually followed by "Hoop, God dam it." or "Hoop dee doo" His whole body would sort of shudder. Those two families always made sure he was fed and clothed properly. Warren, because of his affliction, could never hold a job and so he just "hung around". He was always ready to run an errand for you and that's all he did.
The Pappageorge Family was there. Two boys, George and I think Tommy. George got big into photography and he was one of my father's best customers for awhile. His mother bought him what ever he wanted. There was a Guyanese family there, husband and wife, and they were great picture takers, too. The Stack's were there, I remember Mike and Jimmy and I think there was at least one sister. The Blakes were there, the twin girls, Barbra and Joan and brother Bobby and Billy. Also the Pagano's, Madeline and Patricia. The Harkins were there, Winnie, Jimmy (Joker) Anne and I think an older brother.
Anne worked with me at Xerox for a time and then she became a nurse. Sadly she passed last year. I understand that Jimmy is living in Ireland. Winnie and her husband Hank, were living in Bergenfield but I think I heard that they moved. I can recall a guy who I believe lived in 1512 and the name Citron sticks in my head. He was a devoted Bongo player. When ever you saw him he had his Bongo drum strapped on his back or he was playing it on the stoop.
Moving down the block I have a little void about the next store. I think there was a store right next to the 1512 stoop but I can't remember what was there. The next store I remember was Matson's Butcher Shop. When he wasn't busy you could always see Mr. Matson sitting in the window reading his Journal American. If he knew you he'd wave to you. He always had a cat in the store, Blackie sticks in my mind. He was a big very well fed cat. Mom would send us to the shop and every now and then she's say, " and get twenty cents worth of liver for our cat". I think Blackie got a dollars worth. Could you imagine the Board of Health allowing a cat in a butcher shop, today?
Next to Matson's was Henry's candy store. There was Mrs. Henry sitting behind the counter eating her sunflower seeds. There was always a pile of shells in a little box in front of her. I don't think I ever saw that woman eat anything else. Henry's was good for a lot of things. They had Mello Rolls. It was a round cylinder of ice cream that fit into a specially made cone that held the cylinder side ways. They also had Hooten bars. Hootens were not wrapped and were bigger in weight than Hershey bars but they were short and squat. The big thing was that they were only four cents when Hersheys were five so you were able to buy an extra pennies worth of candy. Henry's always had great penny candy and they would wrap it up in a little wax paper cone. The other thing they had was Mission sodas. When we got finished playing over in the playground we would always head over to Henry's, go all the way to the back of the store and dig into the cooler with the big block of ice for an ice cold Mission soda. Pineapple or Orange were my favorites and Cream was pretty good too!
The 1508 stoop was next to Henry's and you could usually find Tillie guarding the door. Jimmy Cavanugh,who lived up stairs, tells me that her real name was Clara Dara. I like Tillie better. She was a little lady but boy was she tough. Yes. as I said, the Cavanugh's were upstairs, Jimmy, and his two sisters, Betty and a younger sister who I can picture but can't think of her name. The Talty's were on the top floor and Joe was in my class. He had a bunch of brothers and sisters. I got to talk to John Talty at the last reunion and he tells me that they are spread out all over. The Burkes were high up in the building also. Mary was a brilliant girl and she was in my class. Her brother Harry, was also brilliant and he was in Regis and then went into the Seminary and became a priest. He was in a parish for a short while and then started teaching up at Cardinal Hayes. He has been there for many years. It's been about five years now, but I saw him helping to carry the Cardinal Hayes banner in the St. Patrick's Day parade. Another guy that lived in the building was Baby. That is the only name I knew him by for years. I later heard his name was Hiram Rivera.
On the south side of the 1508 stoop was Kaplan's Dairy Store. When the Kaplan's had the store I remember getting little miniature loaves of Bond bread. They were free samples that Bonds would give out. The Kaplans sold the store to the fellow who was their store clerk. George was his first name and his last name was something like Keoun (that's what I recall). George was the nicest guy. We always got our butter and cheese there. They were never packaged ,they were sold "in bulk" The cheese was in big wheels and the butter was cut from what looked like a fifty pound block. I have never been able to find an American cheese as good as what George sold. Around Easter time he always sold duck eggs and my Mother loved them. She'd have a big soft boiled duck egg and load it up with pats of butter as she ate it. Cholesterol a problem? Not for Mom, she lived to be 98. I also remember getting a package of Yankee Doodles on my way back to school, after lunch break, for five cents. There was four cupcakes in the package and I'd have them finished by the time I got to school.
Next door to George was the Castle Tavern. I don't know too much about the Castle but I remember they were one of the first bars with TV. I can remember trying to peek in the window to see what was on. They were also one of the first to get an air conditioner. It was a big unit that sat right in the middle of the back of the store. The boys that hung out in the Castle were a hostile bunch. Many a night at two or three in the morning there would be a fight at closing time. They were great to watch in the summer time, peering out of the window. There was never any knives or guns, just good fist fights, somebody won and somebody lost.
Next to the Castle was Gus's meat market. Can you imagine two butcher shops in one block? Both of them were very good. If Mom got a bad piece of meat from Matsons the next trip to the butcher would be to Gus's. Both of the shops always had sawdust on the floor. I'm a little fuzzy on what was next to Gus but in that area I recall a Botonical shop that sold all kinds of religeous statues and incense and tropical related stuff. They catered to the Spanish people in the neighborhood. Also somewhere in that area was the stoop for 1504.
What I think was one of the greatest nicknames in the neighborhood belonged to "Snoggy" McCabe. I have no idea where it came from but I'm sure someone around still knows.I never knew his real first name. Snoggy lived in 1504 and hung out with the Rochford brothers, Tommy and Donny. I think they had a sister, too. The Coogans were in the building also. Eddie was in my class and he had a younger brother and sister. They all resembled Mrs.Coogan very closely. Pete and Abby Henriquez were there. Abby always wore these big eyeglasses. I think, fashion wise, she was way ahead of her time.
On the corner was Mantell's drug store. I have heard people say that he had a soda fountain but, if he did, it was before my time. I just remember a nice pharmacist working there and not much else. We complain about there being a Walgreen's or a Rite Aid on every corner now. We were ahead of out time. We had a drug store on the corner of 135th and one on the corner of 134th St. There was another one on the corner of 135th and Broadway.
If you wonder what the block looks like now, click on this link: http://www.viewofhouse.com?e=40.818589,-73.952482:299.07 To move up and down the block use the arrows in the upper left corner of the picture. The sign on the scaffolding says that the permit expires Jan. 2010 so I suspect this picture is at least a year old. Check out the grass that is in the playground now.
Here is Bobby Duncan's memory of 1512:
I'm astonished by so many names from the past. Liz Molnar and I were lindy hop partners at the Annunciation dances. For a girl of Hungarian and Puerto Rican antecedants she sure could dance around the best of them. "Baby" was Hiram Rivera who lived at 1510 or 08. He was buds with Pete Henriquez and Tommy Ruiz ("Mr. Cool"), The Taltys lived in Baby's building along with the Morans. The girl was Daisy but I don't remember her two brothers' names - much older than me. The older brother was an exec at Sinclair Inks. The Cavanaughs also resided I believe on the 2nd floor.
You really must get into the buildings on Amsterdam Avenue. My cousins were the late Albert and Donald La March. And of course you know Artie and Catherine.
1512 Amsterdam Avenue was a veritable melting pot. The Stacks were on the first floor. The second floor had the Mendoncas (Portugese Guyana), Mrs. Birnbaum (not sure of her first name); the Pappageorges (Greeks) (2 sons who went to either public school or Greek schools). The Third floor had the Bradleys. Joan was my nurse when I had my appendix out at good old Knickerbocker. I believe Mr. Bradley work for transit. The fourth floor is where the Paganos lived next door to the Harkins. Anne is certainly missed. Oh I forgot the Dukes - George was the son and Tootsie the daughter. At last on the top floor there was us, the Duncans and next door the Blakes - Sonny, Billy, Joan and the late Barbara.
The Rochfords lived at 1504 where Abigail Henriquez and her brother Peter also lived there.
Memory is a tricky thing. So many people have gone like Edgar Rodriguez and Lydia Melandez who lived in the same building next to the Pentecostal storefront church. Luis Fuentes passed away many years ago as a teenager but his family lived on 136th Street.
The Knights were the group that Baby, Pete and Tommy had aligned themselves with. The Rebels were more a 136th gang.
Robert Duncan
Bobby McKenna sent me this picture:
found this in my archive. taken at PS 192? on amst ave
mike pirrone, bob mckenna, charlie villegas, patty coughlin, ed brady, john lopez, bill o'rourke, pete markel (youth board worker), mike healy, anthony ricchio, jim harkin, audrey hills, andy rodriquez, duke frascati, tommy branchini, chips crimmins
Pat McKenna Woods wrote to tell me that the name of the store on the corner of 133rd St. was Heinicks. All the Donaghue girls and their Mom worked there at one time or another. Pat had a Christmas job there one year and they paid her fifty cents an hour.
That's it for now. I still have a "million names" rattling around in my brain and before all the gray matter rots away I'll try to share some more of it with you.
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