Sunday, May 15, 2022

Gnome Bakers

[316 E. 59th Street, Manhattan, c. 1939–1941. From the NYC Municipal Archives Collections. Click either image for a much larger view.]

I’ll let this New York Times article (1990) tell the story of Gnome Bakers. The Times mentions a papier-mâché gnome that once sat atop the roof, leaning against the chimney (“Unusual Breads & Rolls”). The word “Energy” is spelled out vertically above the small window between the dancing gnomes. Now there’s a sentence I could never have imagined writing.

Here, from 2015, when 316 E. 59th was for rent ($14,000 a month), are photographs of the building’s exterior and interior, with a nice glimpse of the rooftop gnome as seen from the entrance ramp to the Queensboro Bridge. Slow down, you move too fast. You got to see the gnome at last.

Nowadays 316 houses a chiropractor’s office.

Thanks, Brian.

Related posts
More photographs from the NYC Municipal Archives

comments: 6

Anonymous said...

great article

Anonymous said...

a few more pictures, here

https://www.urbanarchive.org/search?q=316%20east%2059th

Michael Leddy said...

Thanks, Anon.

Anonymous said...

this might be a later location, sign looks similar to a later business card

https://nycma.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/detail/NYCMA~5~5~248437~1164317?sort=borough%2Cblock%2Clot%2Czip_code&qvq=q:block%3D1439%20and%20lot%3D42;sort:borough%2Cblock%2Clot%2Czip_code;lc:NYCMA~5~5&mi=1&trs=2

Michael Leddy said...

it took me a while to spot the sign.

An article behind a paywall says that Fink Baking closed in 2002.

Michael Leddy said...

While deleting spam comments (hydroxychloroquine, anyone?), I accidentally deleted a comment with more photos of the Gnome address: https://www.urbanarchive.org/search?q=316%20east%2059th.

Thanks, Anon.