The Bronx, in Bits and Pieces, Part 2

By Bill Twomey and Erin Salvo

Take another walk down memory lane to the old Bronx with the late historian, Bill Twomey. The first volume of The Bronx, In Bits and Pieces held stories of taverns and restaurants, sports, the shoreline, schools, places of worship, monuments, notable people, and more. Part 2 holds over a hundred additional stories of interesting people, places, and things. Read as much or as little as you like, whether you have a few moments or a few hours. All stories were previously printed in the Bronx Times Reporter and written by Twomey himself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781532038594

Bill Twomey

Bill Twomey wrote historical essays about the Bronx for over 30 years and authored eight books on the subject. He gave walking tours in all areas of the borough and lectured widely on all phases of Bronx history. Many of his insights were captured in print in the first volume of The Bronx, In Bits and Pieces. Erin Salvo, daughter of the late Bronx historian, Bill Twomey, has chosen to carry on her fathers legacy through a second volume of articles previously printed in the Bronx Times Reporter .

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Copyright © 2017 Erin Salvo.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-3860-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-3859-4 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 12/22/2017

Dedicated to

Eugene J. Twomey and Thomas X. Casey

Contents

Foreword

Introduction*

Chapter 1 - Revisiting the Past

Horn and Hardart Automats

The Days of Pen and Ink

In 1885 Two Parades Were Held for St. Patty’s Day

Bickford’s Cafeterias Were Popular Meeting Sites

Miniature Golf Popular in the Bronx

Memories of Woolworth’s

Memories of Howard Johnson’s

Carvel Stands of Yesteryear

Frank Bee Stores Established in 1957

Popular Jingles and Slogans of Yesteryear

The Zoo Train Comes to the Bronx

Mile Markers Once Showed the Way

New York Bus Service Quietly Faded Away

Outdoor Billboards in the Bronx and Beyond

Farberware, A Bronx Fixture Since 1944

The Civil Defense Volunteer Corps

The Young Men’s Christian Association

Stepstreets Abound in the Bronx

The Life-Saving Stations of the Bronx

The Bronx Flag Took Years to Become Official

Throggs Neck Volunteer Ambulance Corps

Duck Boat Excursion to Goose Island

Art Deco in the Bronx

Chapter 2 - The Sporting Life

Johnny Murphy with the Yankees and Mets

Eddie Grant, Soldier, Scholar, Athlete

The Belloise Brothers, Bronx Boxers

Ray Nester, Local Midget Racing Celeb

Tami Mauriello Was a Contender

Roland LaStarza, Boxer and Actor

Gertrude Ederle Swims the English Channel

The Belmont Stakes in the Bronx

Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg from the Bronx

The Morris Park Racecourse Remembered

Gaelic Football at Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds

Baseball at South Brother Island

Polo Was Once Popular in the Bronx

Myrtle Huddleston, Endurance Swimmer

The Stuyvesant Yacht Club

Chapter 3 - Prayerful Places

Rev. William Tieck, Pastor and Historian

Confederate Soldier Resettles in Bronx

St. Philip’s Parish House on Boston Road

Union Reformed Church of Highbridge

St. Angela Merici Church

Mount Sinai Temple Becomes Baptist Church

The Early History of Beck Memorial Church

Church of the Mediator Founded in 1855

Greek American Institute: Bronx Beginnings

Fr. Fiorentino and St. Dominic’s Parish

First Jewish Temple in the Bronx

Holy Cross Parish and Old Clason Point

St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish

Our Lady of Grace and Early Wakefield

St. Anselm’s School Centennial

Mott Haven Reformed Church

St. Anthony of Van Nest Centennial

St. Paul’s Church of Morrisania

New Bethany Evangelical Congregation

The Greater Universal Baptist Church

St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church

St. Francis Xavier Parish Established

St. David’s Episcopal Church, Melrose

St. Clare of Assisi Church Established

Saints Peter and Paul Church

Poor Clare Monastery Comes to the Bronx

Hunts Point Church Pioneers

St. Anthony’s R. C. Church of Wakefield

St. Barnabas Celebrates 95th Anniversary

St. Brendan Church Shaped like a Ship

The Westchester United Methodist Church

Sacred Heart Church Established in 1875

St. Stephen’s Methodist Church

The Fort Schuyler Presbyterian Church

St. Roch’s Still Serves Hub Community

Holy Family Parish Pioneered in Unionport

Our Lady of Pity Still Serves Worshipers

Chapter 4 - Some Notable People

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers

George Meany Began His Career As a Bronx Plumber

Mayor Ed Koch Had Bronx Roots

Fiorello LaGuardia and the Bronx

Andy McGann, the Bronx Fiddler

Sholem Aleichem Lived on Kelly Street

Memories of John McGiver

Theodore Kazimiroff

The Willys Jeep Designed by Bronxite

Mitzi Green Hailed from the Bronx

Early Mobster, Dutch Schultz, Controlled Bronx Speakeasies

Schultz’s Deathbed Ramblings Created Buried Treasure Legend

Ronald Schliessman, Bronx Historian

Famed Sculptor Called Van Nest Home

Ben Nolan Loved Baseball and the Law

Dennis Day Remembered As Eugene Denis McNulty

Tuesday Weld, Model and Actress

Bobby Darin’s Rise to Fame

John Lawe Remembered

Al Pacino Raised in the Bronx

Chauncey Olcott Laid to Rest in the Bronx

Hungarian Composer Bėla Bartȯk Lived in the Bronx

Russian Revolutionary Called the Bronx Home

The Heyday of the Waterbury Estate

Henry Bruckner and his Expressway

Thomas J. Kelly Monument Unveiled

Edward G. Robinson Lived in the Bronx

Lincoln Look-Alike Was Early Film Star

Author John Robben Raised in the Bronx

Joe Darcey, the Vaudeville Comic and Songwriter

Mae Questel Becomes the Voice of Betty Boop

The Great Japanese Impersonator

Dwight James Baum, Fieldston Architect

The Little Drummer Boy of the Civil War

Nora Bayes Interred at Woodlawn

Gus Schurmann, the Little Bugler, in Woodlawn

Bronx Sculptor Won Coveted Award

Henry B. Dawson, Early Newspaperman and Historian

The Chantels – A Popular ‘50s Group

Astronaut Mario Runco, Jr. from Highbridge

Foreword

Bill Twomey was a well-known Bronx historian for over 30 years. He was referred to as a local expert by CBS News and a guru by family and friends.

Bill’s journey into writing began unexpectedly. One afternoon, while engaged in conversation at the office of The Bronx Times Reporter, he was asked to write an article about a historic area. Bill requested a pen and paper, and minutes later, his first article was written.

After producing more and more articles, Bill committed himself to writing regularly. For years Throggs Neck Memories and Do You Remember? were bi-weekly columns published by The Bronx Times Reporter. In time, Throggs Neck Memories faded and Do You Remember? became a weekly feature. Bill’s final article, Aircraft and the Bronx, was published in October 2012.

From the 1960s to 2012, Bill loved writing about the Bronx and its tales. He delved into the history behind buildings, statues, people, roads and whatever else he could think of. He somehow always found a way to connect a topic of conversation to something that happened in his hometown.

Somehow, I believe he is still roaming the streets of the Bronx, inspiring others to tell new tales of changed neighborhoods. His legacy will always be with us, particularly with the co-naming of Revere Avenue and Dill Place to Bill Twomey Place.

Erin Salvo

Introduction*

The first volume of The Bronx, In Bits and Pieces was put together to preserve some of my history columns as they appeared in The Bronx Times Reporter. I’ve written over a thousand of them, so there are more than enough for future volumes, including this Part 2. I produced one column a week for almost thirty years and have enjoyed reading many of them once again. They bring back many pleasant memories of my travels around the Bronx researching my stories. There are still many places and events that I haven’t yet had a chance to look into and write about, but surely others will come after me to continue exploring the streets and avenues of the borough we love so much.

This book is largely the result of my daughter Erin’s quest for a gift for me that I would really enjoy and appreciate. I had already created a list of the weekly columns I would include if I were to create a Part 2 of The Bronx, In Bits and Pieces, and Erin dutifully copied each story, thereby creating the basis for this volume. She also wrote the Foreword, so all I had to take care of was the Introduction and a few odds and ends. I am grateful and flattered by her efforts on my behalf.

It is also proper that I extend my sincere gratitude to my good friend Nan Clark, not only for her encouragement, but also for her expertise at editing. I would not have gotten very far without her constant support. Thanks are also extended to my wife, Carol, for a multitude of caring gestures, without which I’d still be at the keyboard. I’ll round out my expressions of appreciation by including my son, Sean, for those many times I needed something sooner than I had anticipated.

Many people have made helpful suggestions or provided useful material in the creation of this work. Among them are John Robben, John McNamara, Catherine Twomey, May Mastrarrigo, Nick DiBrino, Tom Vasti, Tom Casey, Bill Dengler, Bill Clifford, Bill Wolf, Jorge Santiago, Nick Falco, Jack McCarrick, John Collazzi, Laura Guerriero, Bart Fitzsimons, Joe Gannon, Jim Danielson, Wayne Baker, and the staff at The Bronx Times Reporter. Although some of them are no longer with us, that will not deter me from remembering them here. My sincere gratitude is extended to each one of them, living or deceased, for the support they gave me when I truly needed it.

*Bill Twomey passed away on Friday, June 20, 2014 at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx.

Chapter 1

Revisiting the Past

Horn and Hardart Automats

(July 2, 2009)

During the late 1960s, I worked on First Avenue in Manhattan not far from the United Nations building. My first stop on the way to work was almost always the Horn and Hardart Automat at 42nd Street and Third Avenue. What an eclectic assemblage of personalities could be found in that place! And, you got to meet many of them as there were no private tables or separate seating arrangements unless you were there at an off-hour. Otherwise, you shared your table with whoever wished to sit there. It was wonderful for people-watching as well as for eating.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the cashiers who could tell how many nickels they were giving you without even counting them. They could tell by the weight alone. The nickels were required for the myriad vending machines dispensing foods of every description. If I’m not mistaken, there was a chrome dolphin that dispensed a single cup of coffee, and that would be the last stop with your tray. First, it was necessary to pick out a roll with butter or whatever you wanted to eat by dropping the appropriate number of nickels into the slot and then opening the window to retrieve your purchase.

Some of you may recall the restaurant’s theme song, "Let’s Have Another Cup of Coffee," written by Irving Berlin. Apparently, he liked going there. The service was fast and efficient and the food was always fresh, with the coffee never more than twenty minutes old. Only occasionally would I stop there for lunch, but when I did, I would enjoy their baked beans or their macaroni and cheese. Other hot foods would be served at the steam tables.

Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart opened their first automat on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia in 1902 and the idea quickly spread. New York City got its first automat in 1912 at Times Square and before long, automats could be found throughout the city. The Bronx had its fair share and everyone had their favorite. There was one in Parkchester across from Macy’s and another one on the Grand Concourse at the northwest corner of 183rd Street. The automat on 170th Street off the Concourse later became a Dollar Savings Bank. There was one on Webster Avenue near Fordham Road as well as automats on 161st Street, 167th Street and, of course, at West Farms. They were, in fact, located throughout the Bronx. The rise in crime and the advent of fast food chains are among the many factors that led to the decline of the automat. Their numbers began to dwindle in the 1970s. My old haunt at 42nd Street and Third Avenue was the last to go and that sad event took place in April of 1991. I understand a new chain under that revered old name has been established, but you can’t bring back yesterday. Now those little chrome and glass windows have found a new home in the Smithsonian.

The Days of Pen and Ink

(July 16, 2009)

Somewhere around the house I have a bottle of ink left over from the days of yore. I also recall having two bottles of India ink, one black and one red. I believe I gave them to my friend John McNamara, who used them for his pen and ink sketches. He was quite an artist and drew cartoons for Looney Tunes in his youth.

The ink bottle that I kept held blue writing ink from my school days. When we first started using pen and ink in about the fourth grade, there was a little hole off to the right rear in our school desks. A glass ink well fit the space perfectly. When the wells ran dry, we would tell the teacher and she would fill them up for a nickel. There were no ballpoint pens in that era so there was no alternative to learning to write with pen and ink.

The first pens I used had simple nibs that fit nicely into a wooden holder. I still have a few of them around and recall that you had to press somewhat gently to prevent the tips from spreading and ruining your paper. They were good for only a word or two before having to be re-dipped in ink. Later, nice plastic pens came on the market for ten cents and they had a device built into them that made the ink last for a full line or two. What a marvelous invention! The worst part about writing with pen and ink was the inevitable blotches, which would mean that you had to write the whole paper over, carefully blotting as you went along.

We were soon permitted to use fountain pens which had little built-in tubes for storing ink. It was not at all unusual to see some boys bearing ink blotches on their white uniform shirts as the less expensive pens occasionally sprang leaks. I believe we were permitted to use ball point pens by the eighth grade and what a difference they made!

There was one other invention worth noting and that was ink eradicator. It came in a little amber bottle with a stopper cover to which was attached a glass rod. You simply ran the rod back and forth over the letters you wished to remove and they disappeared. I still have my old bottle, which still has fluid in it. The bottle was made right here in the Bronx by the Empire Chemical Company.

There was also an ink plant in the Bronx and a rather formidable one at that. It was called the Sigmund Ullman Company and was located on the south side of 146th Street, east of Park Avenue. The plant was built circa 1897 and occupied ten lots. It had the capacity to make 75,000 gallons of ink per day, which was primarily used in the printing business. Ullman had other plants here and there and offices in every major city in the world. The Bronx, however, was home to the company’s first independent plant.

In 1885 Two Parades Were Held for St. Patty’s Day

(March 17, 2011)

The year 1885 was an odd year for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York because of a conflict within the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH). As a result, there were two separate parades. One went south from 23rd Street, past City Hall and then over the Brooklyn Bridge to join up with the Brooklyn parade. The other went uptown from Cooper Union to Jones’s Wood. Jones’s Wood was a popular recreation area that ran about a half mile north from East 66th Street and east from Third Avenue to the East River. Although not officially a park, Jones’s Wood became the unofficial meeting place for many of the city’s residents-especially the Germans-seeking fresh air and entertainment. Beer gardens, bowling alleys, shooting ranges, and the like sprang up along the way. There was even a hotel for those revelers who wished to remain awhile. Because of its great popularity, Jones’s Wood was chosen as the finishing site for the big parade. The following year, 1886, there was but one New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade and that one went uptown to Jones’s Wood.

1885 was the year that 63-year-old Owen Joseph Clinton, the blacksmith from what is known today as Westchester Square, was chosen to lead the Westchester contingent of the parade uptown to Jones’s Wood. (At that time Westchester Square was still part of Westchester County). Clinton was a longtime member of the AOH and active in a variety of other organizations. In short, he was one of the most well-known members of the community and county. He was born on March 23, 1842, in Ardee, a small farming town on the Dee River near the center of County Louth, Ireland. It is still a small town of perhaps 5,000 residents, and farming is still an important part of its culture, although tourism is beginning to grow in the area.

Clinton emigrated to America circa 1852 just as the Irish Potato Famine, known as an Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger) in Ireland, was coming to an end. He was just ten years old when he came to New York to live with his uncle, Peter Clinton, who ran a blacksmith shop at the corner of today’s St. Peter’s and St. Raymond’s Avenues in the Bronx. The shop handled the horses from most of the grand estates that once dotted the area, including the two owned by Frederick Havemeyer. One, which was on today’s Schurz Avenue, was sold to Collis and Arabella Huntington in 1883; the other was located in today’s Silver Beach community. Contrary to popular belief and published sources, Frederick Havemeyer’s cousin William, a former mayor of New York, did not own or reside at either of these estates, opting instead to remain in his New