Blumstein's on 125th Street has had some major events happen in front of the old Harlem department stores over the decades but we have been informed that the famous sign out front has been dismantled. Touro College took over the building more recently and covered up the original sign with their own logo a few years back. A Bespoke reader mentioned that the aforementioned sign now has been removed completely but hopes that it is just out for restoration. The building between 7th and 8th Avenue is not landmarked so we do not have such high hopes for any preservation efforts for the old neon. As recently as 2007, the Blumstein's sign was intact and could be seen on this page:
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The sign was damaged in a storrn and as a result fell or was removed as it was unsafe. Touro would like to have it reinstalled, but the sign is not permitted under current zoning and the building is not landmarked, which would have been an arguement for reinstallation.
ReplyDeleteThe sign did not fall. I actually saw them removing the sign almost a year ago and thought it was being restored. The building may not be a landmark structure, but it could be. Shame of the residents of Central Harlem and the community board and agencies like Harlem CDC for not being more proactive in saving some of Harlem's historic sites and insisting on re-adaptive use of some of the buildings located on the commercial corridor.
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