Berenice Abbott – Photographer

[Thomas Casey]

I get many Kingsbridge leads from searching things for sale on Ebay.  A Museum of the City of New York, reproduced a 1935 photograph by Berenice Alice Abbott (July 17, 1898 – December 9, 1991) into a postcard that was quickly sold before I could think about it.  It was an interior photograph of an old style country store located in Spuyten Duyvil.  It was part of an WPA art project and I was wondering what other local images were published in her book.   Her work provides a historical chronicle of many now-destroyed buildings and neighborhoods in Manhattan. Abbott had her first exhibition in New York in 1937 entitled “Changing New York” at the Museum of the City of New York.

[Maurpat]

Hello Thomas. Sorry to tell you this but this item was in an email I received from eBay yesterday. I bought it right away as the option to “Buy it Now” was there. When items that I want are for bidding, I never win. There’s always someone with one or two minutes left and they win. So I was determined not to lose this time. Sorry. Haven’t gotten it yet but I’m sure it’ll be here soon.

[ndembowski]

I always wondered where that store was located that is depicted in the Abbott photo.  Perhaps part of the “lost village” of Spuyten Duyvil that used to be on the east side of Spuyten Duyvil Hill (as shown in this Percy Sperr photo):

Berenice Abbott also took this photo of a Spuyten Duyvil home:

[jbakerjonathan]

The domed building, of course, was P.S. 24.

[Thomas Casey]

I am glad you got the postcard.  I generally do not buy Bronx Postcards anymore, since I donated my 6,600 different postcards to the Huntington Free Library.  A little more about the image.  Berenice Abbott
OUTER BOROUGHS: Country Store: Interior, “Ye Olde Country Store”, 2553 Sage Place, Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx, NY, October 11, 1935
Silver gelatin print. Vintage
10 x 8 inches
Image: 9 1/2 x 7 9/16 inches
Paper: 9 15/16 x 8 inches
Titled, and dated with annotations in pencil, and Federal Arts Project ‘Changing New York’ photographs by Berenice Abbott stamp verso.    The name  “Sage Place” came from the Warren B. Sage estate.  His mansion became the Edgehill Inn, which was near Fort #2

 

 

[Thomas Casey]

Irwin Ave North from of Sage Place 1927

[Thomas Casey]

On Jan 1, 1944  Documents were filed for the Estate of  Peter Tarantino who lived at 2553 Sage Place.  AKA Spuyten Duyvil Road.

[Thomas Casey]

It appears that 2553 Sage Place is located where Sage & Irwin meets.

[Thomas Casey]

Peter Tarantino who lived at 2553 Sage Place, died June 26th 1935. and the photograph was taken at “Ye Olde Country Store”, Bronx, NY, October 11, 1935

[Peter Ostrander]

The Sage mansion later Edgehill Inn was located on Netherland Ave below 230th st on the East side of the street.. The  site of Fort # 3 during the Amer Rev and connected by an Atlantis abbattis that ran to Fort #2. If you in the area you can see where  it was located  by  homes that were built on the site as they are set in from the street and homes on that side.  In older photos of the Kings Bridge showing todays Ewen park hill and Spuyten  Duyvil hill there is a large house that dominates the hill.

[Peter Ostrander]

The word in my reply should have read abbattis not atlantis, !@#$%& auto correct

[Thomas Casey]

Peter was born  29 JUN 1853 • Palermo, Palermo, Sicilia, Italia.  According to the 1930 Census, Peter ran his Barbershop at 2553 Sage Place and lived with his wife Victoria who was 65 in 1930.  Next door at  2551 Sage Place ( aka Spuyten Duyvil Road ) was Jacob Hansen who

[Peter Ostrander]

Peter Tarantino was born in 1853. Not Peter Ostrander  8:)

[Author]

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