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While searching for Bronx Postcards on Ebay, I always find a few interesting facts or leads that develop into deeper research. When I reach a dead end, then I look for your help. I found a 1958 postcard sent from Gallaghers Used Car Dealership, located at the corner of West 240th St & Broadway, now known as Riverdale Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram at 5869 Broadway, Bronx, NY 10463. According to the postcard, they have been at that location since 1921. However I could not find any old images on the internet. Enjoy the photo snapped at a time when there are no cars parked on the Broadway sidewalk.
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I was interested to see the tax authority photos. I learned about this trove in a book I read last year, Urban Legends: The South Bronx in Representation and Ruin by Peter L’Official (Harvard UP, 2020). The city had photos taken of every single address in NYC for property tax purposes in the 1940s and 1980s and still keeps them on file. L’Official used the 1980s photos to give an idea of the physical decay in the South Bronx during that time in his study of artists that incorporated imagery of that place in their art.
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Many years ago, my father told me that he bought his 1951 Plymouth from Gallagher, for $1,500. He remembered driving it down a ramp in a building in the area of present-day dealership. By the time we discussed this, in the late 1970’s, the site was a furniture store (perhaps called Sloan’s?). He kept the car running for 32 years, then sold it to hobbyist who restored vintage cars. I always associated that building with the old car.
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