Sorry I've been so lax here for the longest time. I'm going to try to get back in the saddle and all that jazz and start writing/posting again. Here's an appetizer - Forest Avenue, 1917 from Greenwood Avenue all the way west to Bement Avenue.
It's a pretty amazing transformation over the past century. In the east there's the south extent of Sailors' Snug Harbor. Hart Boulevard running north from Forest served essentially as an entrance road. Now it's lined with houses.
The lot where the Starbucks sits at Bard and Forest (and before that, the much missed standalone Carvel Ice Cream - I like the iconic design much better than the same as everybody else storefront of present day Carvels) was the property and large home of one "H. O. Rambout". Most noticeably, though, was the absence of much housing at all. Most of that stretch of Forest, long a commercial hub, was tree lined and sparsely populated. Hard to imagine - if I didn't have the picture below you might just find it impossible.
Intersection of Bard and Forest Avenues
