Sliver between buildings (c) lostnewyorkcity.blogspot.com

Keen observations of NYC’s oddities and intrigue is the norm over at the excellent blog Lost City and recently it focused its attention on small, but significant detail in our own Cobble Hill layout. While most row houses in our city’s dense urban fabric touch the structures adjacent to them, our own Baltic Street has an unusual quirk.

Across from P.S. 29, on Henry Street, in Cobble Hill, there’s a row of residences. Taking up the south side of the block is a group of austere buildings composed of yellowing off-white stone. Composing the north end are a couple of old, wide, red-brick structures, some with ornate detailing, followed by two brownstones. And in the middle is a gap, about two and a half feet wide.

Diving into the history of this detail, Lost City’s entry reveals building plenty of backstory including that toy icon F.A.O. Schwartz himself owned in that area. Check out the post at this link and look our for plenty more Cobble Hill history coming your way with the soon to be released Cobble Hill History Project.