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Ghost Signs: Clues to Downtown New York's Past Hardcover – November 28, 2019

by Frank Mastropolo (Author)

4.7 27 ratings

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New York City's oldest neighborhoods are downtown, where scores of timeworn ads have improbably survived for decades. These "ghost signs" hold the secrets of businesses and products that vanished decades ago. Clues to our jobs, schools, places of worship, cafés, and concert halls lurk in their faded outlines. Journalist and television producer Frank Mastropolo brings more than 100 of these signs to life through insightful commentary on the history of downtown's distinct neighborhoods and the eclectic businesses that anchored them during the first half of the 20th century. The collection offers an important and timely look at New York City's rich economic and social fabric, especially today, when long-established businesses are rapidly being priced out of their neighborhoods.

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From the Publisher

old New York City, ghost signs, vintage signs, archaeology, photography

Hecht Liquors

Hecht Liquors thrived for almost fifty years as the neighborhood became more upscale. In the 1990s the Hecht family, which owned the building, closed the shop. Its new tenant: the Liquor Store Bar, which retained the signage from the liquor store. The bar was open for ten years until it lost its liquor license.

Hygrade's All-Beef Frankfurters

Sir Winston Churchill Square is a garden and sitting area at the juncture of Downing Street and Sixth Avenue. The site was purchased by George Vellonakis, was rebuilt in 1998-1999, adding a garden, an armillary sphere, and a decorative fence. The square is named in honor of the British prime minister who guided the UK through WWII.

Emerald Pub

Opened in 1972, the Emerald Pub was a low-key SoHo haunt that closed in 2015. Its sign was replaced with one for the Terminal Bar for director Martin Scorsese's 1985 film After Hours.

Moe's Meat Market

Artist Robert Kobayashi created pointillist paintings and folk art sculptures made of discarded cans that had held coffee, beer, and olive oil. In 1977, Kobayashi and his wife, photographer Kate Keller, bought a building in Little Italy. Its storefront had been Moe's Meat Market, a neighborhood butcher shop.

235 West Broadway

281 Sixth Avenue

308 Spring Street

237 Elizabeth Street

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"New York's rich history of its changing neighborhoods is well-documented, but what Mastropolo has done is take a new twist. By using the backdrop of ghost signs--those of the past and those remaining--he has created a unique and more personalized storyline street by street, business by business. His book can be enjoyed by many audiences." --Tod Swormstedt, Founder, American Sign Museum"Mastropolo treats his oft-forgotten subjects with wonder and respect. This book is a charming tribute to New York's built fabric, and one that nurtures the deeply human story at the heart of all our city's historic streets."--Chelsea Dowell, Director of Public Engagement, Museum at Eldridge Street"Ghost Signs feeds the yearning all New Yorkers share to leave our mark on this ever-changing metropolis, a shout to the future that we were here. If you've ever squinted up at a fading message from the past, pick up this book. Frank Mastropolo has solved their mysteries for us."--Dean Karayanis, The History Author Show, iHeart Radio"Ghost Signs is a thrilling visual tour of the iconic nineteenth and early twentieth century signs hiding in plain sight above New York's doorways, underfoot on sidewalks, and on building facades. Mastropolo brings these signs out of the shadows and provides historical context that will charm and fascinate anyone interested in peeling back the layers of the contemporary city."--Esther Crain, author of The Gilded Age in New York, 1870-1910 and founder of Ephemeral New York

From the Back Cover

New York City's oldest neighborhoods are downtown, where scores of timeworn ads have improbably survived for decades. These "ghost signs" hold the secrets of businesses and products that vanished decades ago. Clues to our jobs, schools, places of worship, cafes, and concert halls lurk in their faded outlines. Frank Mastropolo brings more than 100 of these signs to life through insightful commentary on the history of downtown's distinct neighborhoods and the eclectic businesses that anchored them during the first half of the twentieth century. The collection offers an important and timely look at New York City's rich economic and social fabric, especially today, when long-established businesses are rapidly being priced out of their neighborhoods."Ghost signs remind us of long-gone times, reminding us all that this (our time) too shall pass. In capturing and preserving these images, Frank Mastropolo has created an invaluable documentation of New York's history before it (literally) fades away. A must-buy for any history buff!"--Kevin Jennings, President, Lower East Side Tenement Museum

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Schiffer; 1st edition (November 28, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764358316
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764358319
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.21 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 0.71 x 6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #255,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #37 in Advertising Graphic Design
- #283 in Travel Photography (Books)
- #3,121 in U.S. State & Local History

Customer Reviews:
4.7 27 ratings

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Frank Mastropolo

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Frank Mastropolo is the author of Fillmore East: The Venue That Changed Rock Music Forever, chosen by Book Authority as one of the Best Classic Rock Music Books of All Time and by Best Classic Bands as one of the Best Music Books of the Year.

"Fifty years on from its closure, Mastropolo's written Fillmore East: The Venue That Changed Rock Music Forever... With interviewees including Taj Mahal, John Mayall, Dave Davies, Mark Farner, Roger McGuinn and many more, the story takes in a magical place at a magical time. There are heavy bills and many choice recollections." – MOJO magazine

Mastropolo is a journalist, photographer, and former ABC News 20/20 writer and producer, winner of the Alfred I. DuPont–Columbia University silver baton and the Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists. His rock concert photography is licensed by Getty Images and featured in the Bill Graham Rock & Roll Revolution exhibition.

For more information on Mastropolo's writing, please visit Edgar Street Books.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

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Book Freak

A trip down memory lane

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2023

Verified Purchase

Wow, this brings me back to the days when the streets of NYC were filled with colorful ads, fanciful logos and exquisite type. They survived but for how long. This book a great document of a slice of time we'll never see again.

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2023

Verified Purchase

I loved this book. The pictures are great and it gives you just enough informatoin about lost, forgotten signs around New York City.

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CS

Delightful book highlighting a vibrant era.

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

Thoroughly documented as if the writer once worked in a news library as a researcher.

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2021

Verified Purchase

Great idea for a book and the author pulled all the material together amazingly well. It's history anyone in NYC can walk right by without even knowing it!

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2020

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Great photos and beautifully researched. A delightful book to read.

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Alan Esner

Fascinating look at New York City's vanishing Lower East Side

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2020

Charming well researched book by a skilled veteran journalist. Filled with images of largely forgotten aspects of mercantile New York. This appears to be a personal love of the author. Richly illustrated with photos accompanied by incisive informative and witty text. Lots of gee whiz little known facts and anecdotes. A pleasure to experience.

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