Designated August 25, 1981
One of the most important and essential parts of New York’s historical fabric is its “street furniture”–lamp posts, street clocks, sign posts, and benches that enhance and maintain the intimacy and scale of neighborhood blocks. Perhaps the most striking of these street amenities are the oversize cast-iron post or sidewalk clocks. Introduced in the 1860s, cast-iron street clocks were popular both as everyday conveniences and as novel advertising devices. Brooklyn’s only surviving sidewalk clock is the Bomelstein’s Jewelers clock at No. 735 Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint. It is a typical street clock example, with a rectangular, beveled base, fluted column and double sided face.
STATUS Designated Individual Landmarks
The Neighborhood
Greenpoint
Spurred by a period of economic growth and an influx of European immigrants during the 1850s, more than a dozen shipbuilding firms turned the neighborhood into a major shipbuilding center. While shipbuilding declined after the Civil War, Greenpoint’s other industrial enterprises, which included porcelain making, glass making, and...
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