Essex Street
North of Atlantic

Essex St. sits within the borders of the old Gilliam Schenck farm. It was originally known as Eldert Avenue, which can confuse people looking at old maps with the current Elderts Lane.

See Zone 6 for Essex south of Atlantic


Click on thumbnails to enlarge

Jamaica Avenue and Essex Street, 1966
From our Accidents Part 2 series. On the left the view is east toward the YMCA, on the right the view is the opposite direction west. Highland Park’s ballfields are visible in the background.
These shots from the same accident evoke specific memories of the exposed cobblestone (and in some places, exposed trolley tracks) that presented a real danger to bike-riding 10 year olds (me!) at that time. Those stones, by the way, were later removed. The slope up to Highland Park made errant throws on the ballfield an adventure, and also represented the last drop for sleigh riders coming down from the top.
This is the Southwest corner of Essex and Jamaica, 1939 and today. Thanks to Ron Rosenbaum for correcting my orientation on that.
June (Giannuzzi) Marmo sent this shot of her friend Lucille Gerace looking north up Essex towards the park circa 1950. The building in the background on the right is 3 Essex Street, and Frank De La Rosa sent in that shot of the building in 2006.
Frank De La Rosa sends in this 1975 shot of himself in front of 15 Essex St. He also provided the 2006 update shot of 15 and 17 Essex St., noting the evergreen tree had survived.
Frank follows up with a 1940 photo of 17 Essex St and also includes an update shot as well.
> 24 Essex Street
Those who lived in the area may recall my aunt's artistic talents; Halloween was a favorite holiday for displaying those skills. The photo on the right is from 2005. Sadly the man who bought the house from them was murdered there in 2006.
24 Essex Street, Go-Karts
Taken in front of 24 Essex Street, this shot is more about the activity than location. That's my cousins along with Mary Jane Prizzi and Linda Visone working on Go-Karts in 1967.
I've improved these shots and left them large to see the Highland Park detail in the background. These are of my cousin on Essex Street in January 1966. The first is a view of the west side, and the second a view north up towards Highland Park.
This 1966 photo was taken in front of 31 Essex St. In the picture are; Linda Vissone, Mary Jane Prizzi, Mike P., Chris Wilenski, and Georgie Horst. On the right my cousin Rich shoveling snow in 1969.
Block Party, 1972
I also raided my cousin's photo albums for this one, an Essex Street block party in 1972.
Essex St, 1948
June (Giannuzzi) Marmo contributes shots of the block from a different era. The first was taken on Easter, 1948 in front of 25 Essex and includes Coralie Maher, Ella Van Zanten, and Diane Maher. Note the low wall in the background, I believe it is the same wall as in the shot above. I was surprised to see those neat shutters on 19 Essex visible in the tax photo gone by 1948. Frank was kind enough to add a 2006 update shot of 25 Essex.
June also provided this 1953 shot of herself attending future hubby Tony's prom. Visible in the background are 33,35, and 39 Essex. The second shot is circa 1950 in front of 28 Essex of friend Harriet Heibel.
Essex St. Blizzard, Circ. 1965
8mm Footage looking north of Essex, including shots of Highland Park, circa 1965.
Anniversary Parade, 1966
I like to sneak in reminders we have a seperate page devoted to the Anniversary parades. Therese Panariello identified this shot as the corner of Essex and Ridgewood and recalled the drugstore was named Brenner's. Thanks to Tim O'Reilly we have a view of the corner in 1941 from the tax photos.
I slipped in an update shot of that location in 2007. On the right, the view is on Ridgewood Avenue looking east to Essex, Brenner's can be see in the background. Those are my cousins heading off to P.S. 108 in 1968.
Dee Gordon sent in these shots from 1963 with the corner in the background. Both views are looking east, with "My Fair Lady Hairstylists" (northeast corner) and Brenner's in view. Pictured are: Susan Rogers Nolan, Dee Gordon, Donna Gordon, Mickey Rogers, Cathie Donovan, Debbie Gordon, Eddie Donovan. On the right, the Gordon sisters.
From Tim O'Reilly, 141 Ridgewood sits on the northwest corner of Ridgewood and Essex, catty-corner across from the old Brenner's. This is the 1941 tax photo.
Mystery House
Not so much a mystery as an oddity, this house at 81 Essex and the one at 101 Pine Street both have these greek columns added on. Pat Ammirati contacted me and told me that grandparents Frank and Caroline Ammarati bought that house in 1969 and it was sold in 1973 after they passed away. I did find the tax photo from 1941; though the microfilm copy is poor, we can see the columns are there so the work pre-dates this time period. Further research indicates the house may have been built this way originally circa 1900.
These 1961 shots are courtesy of Pat Howard, who lived at the house in the early 1960s. The trellis ornamentation on the side is an original feature and if you check the update photo above, it is now gone. Thanks to Tim O'Reilly for his assistance in tipping Pat off about our site and getting the images.
89 Essex St.
1941 tax photo. Thanks to Neil for 2006 image. We heard from Lou Caracappa who lived there from 1969 to 1980 and confirmed the porch was still enclosed in his time. His dad owned the pharmacy on Elton and Fulton, which is pictured on the Elton Street page.
89 Essex St.
Lou supplies a shot of 89 Essex from the 1970s, dressed up for a block party.
Essex St.
This great RPPC from about 1915 shows the west side of Essex Street; on the right is a current day image.
317 Arlington Avenue
Mary Ann (LaNeve) Massey sent in these pictures circa 1960 of 317 Arlington, which is just east of Essex Street. In the first, the view is east towards Shepherd, and Mary Ann identifies Mr. Barries and her best friend Maria Byrne in the background.
22 Folsom Place
A little known block tucked between Essex and Linwood, south of Fulton is Folsom Place. 22 Folsom sits on the south corner of Folsom and Essex St. Thats the 1941 tax photo on the left and an update shot in 2007.
175 Essex Street
Joe Perrone sent in this shot from 1959 taken in front of 175 Essex Street. The shot is looking north towards Fulton Street. That's his younger brother Mike, uncle Mike, and grandfather Augustine. Joe points out the fence in the background which surrounded the "Allen" lot, which was a parking lot for the Allen Company trucks. It was eventually taken by the city to expand the power station. On the right, that's Uncle Mike in the window, his dad "Ju Ju" beneath him and Uncle Ciro to the right in this 1948 photo by the house.
175 Essex Street
Joe Perrone sent in these great shots from the earl 1950s. The first, looking north, shows Joe and his dad "JuJu", who ran the luncheonette on the corner of Elton and Liberty. On the right, in front of the house, is grandfather Augustine "Louie" Perrone.
175 Essex Street
Two more great shots from Joe, from the early 1950s. That's his cousins Anthony and "Big Jimmy" sitting on the car wearing those popular cowboy-style shorts of the era. On the right his mother Bea holding Joe with a good view of the block in the background.
175 Essex Street
One more gem from Joe; the view is north to Fulton with the el in the background. Joe IDs his mother Bea in the middle and Aunt Vita on the left. He also points out the Alen fence in the background, and notes it was blown down in Hurrican Donna.
Essex and Fulton, 1941
This poor tax photo from 1941 is of the southwest corner of Essex and Fulton Streets in 1941. The unique curve of the building was once complemented by a very ornate dome at the top. We still don't know why the building had such fancy ornamentation or when the dome was removed. The building is no longer standing, there is actually a garden there now, seen in the local live shot.
Essex and Fulton, 1949
From John Clemente II, a shot of James Aresco looking towards the northeast corner of Essex and Fulton in 1949.
Essex and Fulton Streets, April 1965
Both these views are north up Essex Street
Essex and Fulton Streets, April 1965
These views are east along Fulton Street from Essex. I thought that was 'Junky Joes' on the left, but Judy Close corrected me- that was on Linwood Street.
The address in the photographs is 3016 Fulton Street, midway between Linwood and Essex Street on the south side. There was a short-lived craze for miniature golf, and this building was newly constructed at the time of the photo. A few years later it was known as Marwede's Hall. The family was in the restaurant business and it may have served as a catering hall. Joe Schuchman recalls it was a tudor-style building, a bar in our time which burned down. Jack Russell identified the bar as the Essex Tavern. The 1941 tax photo was poor, but it confirmed a one-story tudor style building. The building was gone by the 1980's.