JC / Railbird - Once Upon the 1970s

Once Upon the 1970s

Via Brooklyn Heights Blog comes this photo (taken from a 1976 New York Department of City Planning revitalization proposal) of a long-closed Montague Street OTB branch:

Montague Street OTB storefront, Brooklyn Heights, 1976

Google Maps, oddly, still locates the betting shop at 180 Montague, even though the street-level spaces are now taken up by a grocery store, bank, and parking service — which I think is a real loss, since it sometimes would be pretty convenient to have an OTB right around the corner. And who wouldn’t want these guys in their neighborhood? Check out the dapper man in the back — he’s styling in his pork pie hat.

Posted by JC in Miscellany on 03/26/2009 @ 10:51 am / Tagged Brooklyn, Montague Street, OTB / Follow @railbird on Twitter

5 Comments

Facebook has ruined me, my lower brain stem reaction was that I wanted to “Like” this. I think this is what it was like when people who used AOL ventured out in to the world wide web 10 years ago.

Posted by dana on March 26, 2009 @ 10:56 am

The banality of Montague Street would be much improved by an extant OTB, especially one on the site of an upscale, streetscape ruining luxury high-rise.

What a loss…

Posted by Teresa on March 26, 2009 @ 12:00 pm

Wow, Montague Street. I haven’t been there since about 45 years ago when I went to Packer, ate at the Hamburger Stop (or dined at Foffe’s), went to dances at the Pierpont hotel (the “pont”). A long ways from my 30 acres in the woods of Quilcene Washington.

Posted by smitty on March 27, 2009 @ 1:18 pm

Come to think of it, I seem to remember someone with a sense of humor opening a restaurant called Capulet’s on Montague. Anyone?

Posted by smitty on March 28, 2009 @ 12:25 pm

I had to look that up. Your memory is right on, there was once a restaurant called Capulets on Montague, which some long-time Heights residents still miss. Sounds like the strip was much more interesting not that long ago … and I agree, Teresa, an OTB would perk things up in the neighborhood.

Posted by Jessica on March 28, 2009 @ 4:59 pm

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