☞ REMEMBER: East 115th circa 1885

A rare photo from 1885 shows a very rural residential area of East Harlem at the end of the 19th century. There is one formal wood frame house at the center but the rest of the buildings in the photo appear to be shacks for the most part. That sign above the awning reads Standard Gas and Light Company so the more stately structure appears to be the main commercial building in the area.  Other than that, there is not much else known about the history of this particular block in East Harlem.

East Harlem rural or suburban area, ca. 1885 via the digital collection at the Museum of the City of New York