Something Neat: What Do These Two Things Have In Common?

(Or: Meet Eddie)

This, a SRO (and formerly a home for the aged), at the intersection of Oak Street and Guernsey Street…

and this stretch of Green Street. The answer (as I discovered this week on the premises of the aforementioned SRO) is this!

It reads as follows:

H.C. Fischer Iron Foundry
234T324 Greene St. B.E.D.

For those of you who are not in the know before E.D. became a buzz phrase associated with “male enhancement” products it meant “Eastern District”: a moniker employed to describe the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area. So this manhole cover —which is found in the Garden Spot— was, in fact, made in the Garden Spot. Or to use the parlance of the day: Brooklyn Eastern District. Naturally I had to look into who this Fischer chap was (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle archives of course).  I couldn’t find anything for H.C. Fischer— but I did find something about a H.E. Fischer. Without further ado (and in nod to this week’s primary) here it is: an item from October 17, 1900 edition the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Enjoy!

Another item of (macabre) interest I found is this. It dates from December 18, 1885. One word: YIKES!

To close this post on a more informational (and upbeat) note:

1. You can read more about Greenpoint’s former home for the aged (as bequested by Samuel J. Tilden!) by clicking here.
2. Here are a few shots of the premises and my host: Eddie!

He muses:

When you sit out here at 5:00 a.m. with a cup of coffee you can hear at least sixteen different kinds of birds singing!

And of course Eddie’s on-again/off-again* companion…

Patrick! Eddie found him as a wee little kitten in an earth mover. He nursed him back to health.

Patrick loves squirrels. Or more accurately: killing them.

But Eddie told me that occasionally Eddie’s prey of choice have elected to fight back: one such varmint— in the heat of battle— ripped out part of Eddie’s throat! This set Eddie back $1,000 in veterinary bills.

They build ’em tough in Greenpoint!

Miss Heather

*As Eddie told me Patrick seems to sense when a vet visit is around the corner. Let’s just say this fetching feline is currently keeping his distance!

P.S.: This post goes out to my friend, Jen Blossom, who lost a very good friend today. Kali rests with (or would that be chases?) the angels now.