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A KHS member, Edward J. Rogan, was kind enough to share his memories about growing up in Kingsbridge in the early 1960s in his essay, “Errand Go Bragh,” which will be kept on the “Articles” page of the website. I know that a lot of our members grew up in the area in that time so I am very grateful that he sent it to us. Enjoy!
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Great article and fond memories…. As a side note I can remember the crowds that would gather for Confession at St. Johns and people would shy away from getting on line for Monsignor Scanlon as he was tough but my friends and myself knew that Fr. Flaratty had a hearing aid in one ear so we would get on the line for his bad ear. I think there were probably 7 Priest hearing confession in those days–changes happen.
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It was great reading this article. I lived at 3133 Corlear Avenue, then because of the construction of Corlear Gardens, my family moved up to 3453 Corlear Avenue. My 2 brothers and I attended and graduated from St. John’s. We regularly attended St. John’s Roman Catholic Church. My brother who recently had heart bipass
Surgery and likes to reminisce about the stores on w. 231st Street. Is there anyone who can shed light on the names of the stores. Any help would be greatly appreciated. My brother continues to need more surgeries. This is how I can make him stay focused.
We can’t remember the name of the religious bookstore, the children’s clothing store, names of the pharmacies, the jewelry store, the ladies garment store and of course the candy store, next to mcGlynns. -
This is one of our most widely shared articles as many folks are thinking back to their childhoods in Kingsbridge in the 60s. Unfortunately, I have not seen any photos in our archives of W. 231st Street in the 60s. We do have a great one that I think is just a decade or two earlier though. It is undated and apparently taken from the train platform:
Maybe someone who really knows cars could give this a date. Zooming in on the north and south sides of the street:
Best of luck to your brother.
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On the north side of the street going up the hill in the blow-up picture, there appear to be a Studebaker Starlight, vintage 1948, and a Pontiac Streamliner, circa 1948. The car parked on the south side in front of the Riverdale Delicatessen appears to be a 1948 Buick Roadmaster. Further up, the car parked next to the lamp post facing down hill appears to be a 1948 Nash Ambassador.
There are two other (light colored) cars that appear to be postwar further up from the Pontiac that I cannot identify. All the other vehicles appear to be prewar. I would say that the photograph was probably taken in 1948.
Going further west on the north side of 231st, past Kingsbridge Ave., a little more than half way down to Corlear Ave , was a store that sold baby carriages and cribs. I can’t remember its name, but, I worked there after school assembling things and cleaning up the store. That was around 1952 to 1954. Anyone else a DeWitt Clinton alumnus?
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Thanks for the soda fountain name (Loures) and the names /locations of the candy stores (Paula’s and Moe’s). On the south side of 231st at Corlear Ave on the corner there was the public library and around the corner on Tibbets Ave. Bohacks supermarket was located. On the north side of 231st right up from Broadway was Shelvyns Bakery (sp?) and I believe the bank on the NW corner of Bway and 231st was Chemical Bank.
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I grew up on Webb Ave by OLA in Kingsbridge Heights. When I was very young my mother and grandmother would bring me shopping down in Kingsbridge with my brother. We had no choice. The walk down was too bad but the street steps back up with packages was a hike. We hit Buster Browns for shoes on Broadway usually at the start of school. But their major shopping all year long was at Fuhrmann’s Department store, They loved that store, as a kid I hated it. The Woolworth’s toy dept was more to my liking. The main shoppers in Fuhrmann’s were older women buying house dresses, dishes, kitchenware, cloths and everything in between.
It was located on 231st St across from the Dale movie theatre and Dime saving bank, between Broadway and the Deegan, The original family store started in 1910 and later built this larger 2 floor building. After it closed for business, it was replaced by a John’s Bargain store. There was a central staircase to the lower lever in Fuhrmann’s. It was very long, wide and steep. I am surprised some older shopper never took a header down the stairs. I realized many years later why the lower lever was so deep. Back in the late 1890s they filled in the tidal swamp along Broadway created by Tibbett’s Brook meeting the Harlen River at high tide. The basement was at the level of the this filled in creek, hence it’s depth. Actually, it was the same reason if you ever were in the RKO Marble Hill movie theatre and had to use the bathrooms. It was a rather scary walk down a very steep staircase especially during a horror movie. But not as scary as the old matron in the white lab coat who kept watch over all the kids in the audience. But no I never threw a flattened popcorn box like a discus, wasn’t me, as she shined her flash light my way.
I’ve attached a link to a YouTube made decades ago by the grandchildren of the Fuhrmann’s family. For those of you who remember the store it will bring back memories. For those not familiar with the store I think you will enjoy as its well done and really captures the essence of what the store was like back in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.
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so I’m new to this block, but I grew up at the same time. I was born in 52 and also went to St. John’s served as an older boy on the fall Flaherty. I just remembered his nicotine stain hands and at our meetings since he was relatively deaf in one year, we would fall around and play pranks on him. I was a bit of a jokester back then And he would pick a few of us out to see the confetti or in Latin, which as you know, if you’re an older boy, you could bend down and mumble it if you didn’t know it from beginning to end when you’re on the altar, I also remember being in a funeral group And the day John F. Kennedy was shot. I happen to be in the bathroom when they announce in school and I came back cracking jokes and was wondering why everybody was so solemn remember the funeral groups were great because the principal would announce all the loudspeaker that OMalley‘s group or were to leave and go to a funeral that day and the rest of my classmates would envy look at us because we were getting out of school for a little while. It was a great place to grow up as the article says there were so many great stores and I really remember Shelvin’s bakery. That was my mother and father‘s favorite. We were always getting something from there and I remember up on the corner. I think it would be where the church was And was 2 31st St. there was a soda shop where you would get these joint egg creams that were like the best going really tall glasses and expertly made. I initially grew up on terra Hill Avenue and later on my family moved to Valley Ave., West 2 31st St. and growing up in tears. Everything was awesome because in our backyard we have what we call the banks and it was a gigantic open area where John F. Kennedy high school is now and we had the freight yards as our playground. We will be down by the tracks. We will go over to the cut swim in the river. There was a 6 o’clock SH blank blank line that completely was sewage into the river right there which is insane now taste I remember we would put our ear to the rail to see if there was a train coming and we would climb up on the cut which is the big rock that has the big sea for Columbia because they played across the river and Inwood park at Bakerfield. It was truly a lot of fun and it wouldn’t have traded growing up in that area for nothing. I have a lot a lot all the memories of it, but that’s enough for now. One thing I do remember about father Flaherty, which the article mentioned as well was how generous he was to everybody he used to take us to ride playland for an outing every year and would give us money and I also do remember running errands for him and you know a sandwich here or like the other gentleman said cigarettes and things like that as well. I ended up going to Manhattan prep and also Manhattan College and because I was in the private it seemed like it was just the fifth year of high school at the time so I pretty much spent a lot of my form and if he is in the Bronx growing up even into my early 20s my mother worked at Alexander’s in Fordham Road and I still remember her coming down this big steps from the bus onto bit onto Bailey Avenue where we lived in the apartment homes there
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I lived at 3104 Kingsbridge, caddy corner from the Church of the Mediator. I remember most of the stores that lined 231st Street. On the northeast side: McGlynn’s grocery, Leitner’s candy store, the shoemaker where you sat in an enclosed booth to wait for your shoes to be ready, Kopf’s wallpaper store, The Little Shoppe where my mother bought our birthday gifts, Beth Hayes’ childrens clothing, the tavern DNK name, the drug store where my sisters and I bought our makeup, the fish store, and finally, the bank at 231 and Broadway. I recall less about the south side of 231, but still recall Henry’s delicatessen (best German potato salad); another candy store which I found less interesting that leitner’s on “my” side of 231st; a pizza place with fifteen cent slices that were served through a window; Mildred’s hat store (I loved looking at her window and doing jumping jacks at the mirrored posts outside on the way to and from St. John’s. Any time I looked out our kitchen window which looked out at 231st Street, I never saw anyone go into Mildred’s; I suspected it was a government front.) Farther down the street was Peter Reeves Irish groceries; then, the florist where we had our First Communion bouquets made (we returned to have the center white Communion rose replaced with a red carnation–for Confirmation which took place 3 days following Communion.) Then came the cigar store, and finally Horn and Hardhart’s where my mother bought fishcakes every Friday, per contemporary holy writ, along with White Mountain bread. Graduation and birthday cakes, including the one my father transported in dry ice to my August birthday in our summer place in Windham, always came from Shelvyn’s.
Going west on 231st St, from KB Avenue to Corlear Ave, I recall a drug store on the corner; then Riverdale Real Estate; the Victory Gardens where we spent many hours with the gardeners who grew vegetables there during and after the war. Farther down was the Chinese laundry where the only murder I recall took place; Lee, the proprietor was reportedly hatched to death. Across the street, as far as I can recall, was the side yard of the Church of the Mediator, with a beautiful fountain at the southwest corner of KBA and 231st.
Passing the fountain and heading south on KBA, one came to the most magical place of all–the Kingsbridge Library. There aren’t enough words to properly honor and thank the librarians, Ms Adomo and Ms. Martin who made visits there shapers of our lives and souls with the seriousness and care with which they filled their roles. the library shared a chain link fence with St. John’s Church which shared custodianship of my soul in those days. I can still recall the smell of the incense and the growl of the organ that signaled us to raise our young voices at several points throughout the Mass. So, yes, how privileged we were to be in Kingsbridge when it was indeed a village of the kind one reads about in English mystery novels. One where you knew everyone and which building they lived in, and where everything you needed was just a few steps away.
Thank you for providing this site for reliving a wonderful life!
I wanted to also share that the convent on Godwin Terrace was originally inhabited by the sisters of the Religious of Jesus and Mary who taught across the street at St. John’s Grammar School.
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