Last week, while browsing some old digital photos I
took back in 2006, I came across a shot of a relic sign I'd
completely forgotten about. The sign belonged to Kosches Furniture, at
2171 Third Avenue in East Harlem. Having
no recollection of even taking the photo, finding it was like
discovering this great sign all over again. It's amazing how recently
such relics were common enough in the city to be forgettable.
E. Kosches & Son, at 2171 Third Ave. (T. Rinaldi)
Some light Internet delving turns up nothing
particularly informative about Kosches Furniture, and no other photos of
its lovely sign. The DOB web site suggests that the business installed
this sign in 1935, which sounds about right to
me, from the looks of it. This is when a sign was a sign. Just look at
that streamlined silhouette!
The splayed "eagle's wing" effect high up on the spire of the Empire State Building seems to have inspired the design of the Kosches sign. (T. Rinaldi)
Whoever designed this made especially nice use of what one might call the splayed "eagle's wing" effect – the tiered taper of the vertical part of the sign, that seems to reference the winged spire of the Empire State Building. This was a common device among sign designers of the 1930s and 40s (see, for example, the sign of the Veniero Pasticceria). The lettering, too, is superb period work (get a load of that "E"!).
The neon sign of the Veniero Pasticceria on East 11th Street, with similar silhouette. (T. Rinaldi)
At this point, you're probably wondering: is it
still there? The answer, of course, is no. If it were, I'd run right
up, re-shoot it from several angles, bask in its interwar aura, maybe do a
sketch of its elevation to satisfy my documentary instinct. But Google Street
View says don't bother. There is a new sign in its place, advertising
the liquor store that occupies 2171 Third Avenue today. As often
happens, the new sign echoes the basic shape of its predecessor, looking
something like an up-side-down letter T, with no eagle's wings. An echo
not loud enough.
(Google Streetview)
