Some photos of a ghost ad on a brick building, arched windows, the Bronx River Parkway, a nice home, and the Allerton Coops.
close-up of brick ghost ad
ghost ad at Williamsbridge station
My sister and I saw this ghost ad late one afternoon and concluded that they had used white bricks in the wall, only painting a few angles. “How wonderful that someone imagined this building would always be a garage!” But with a better camera and in better light, I’m somewhat saddened to note that the letters were entirely painted.
BRPR Gun Hill Road, stairway and underpass
Bronx River Parkway, Stoughton, Architect
These sturdy posts on the Gun Hill Road bridge over the Bronx River Parkway are almost wholly decorative. One does identify “Gun Hill Road,” and is utilitarian in that sense. But, for the most part, these posts are just nice, ornamental touches on the graceful bridges built in the 1920s.
bridge post on BRPR, gun Hill Road
brick row house on Bronx Boulevard
Just below Gun Hill Road, on Bronx Boulevard, neat and attractive brick row houses face the park. Most have secure ironwork around their windows and doors. Some of the protection, like on this house, is done in shiny stainless steel, relieving the grimness of the work.
brick rough arch over window head
I’m fascinated by the details of brick window construction. The first photo below shows what is called a “rough arch,” which is ordinary rectangular bricks forming an arch over the window head. Note that this type of construction indicates that the bricks comprised the load-bearing wall. Or, a heavy granite lintel might span the opening in a brick load-bearing wall.
But when we see bricks running straight across the window head (neither arched nor supported by a lintel), then we know that those bricks are merely a non-load-bearing facade, “very thick paint,” if you like.
combination brick arches over window head
This second photo shows an interesting combination. Over each one of the two windows is a rough arch, just like the one above, and a mullion between the two windows. But then, in a neat touch, an outer layer of brick forms another arch, spanning both windows.
Below the pair of windows is another decorative rectangle, with the bricks indented into the wall. Beautiful!
All of this detail on an ordinary industrial building/warehouse.
Allerton Coops, stairs up to open courtyard
The Allerton Coops, originally built for leftist Jewish workers in the 1930s. They were successful architecturally and, one might say, socially, but not financially. They converted to rentals in the 1940s, but retained the same population for many years. As with the rest of The Bronx, things changed in the ensuing decades and the Allerton Coops deteriorated considerably. When I walked by, they looked to need some maintenance and TLC, but seemed quite safe and reasonably clean.