Obelisks and Original Street Signs

Fans of the new historical-drama show on HBO, The Guilded Age, you're gonna like this post... 

Published 23 February 1881 - The Obelisk, aka Cleopatra's Needle, is installed in NYC in a ceremony overseen by John Taylor Johnston as Founder and President of the Met Museum along with his daughter Frances, better known in her youth as Fanny (eg. Fanwood Station).  Johnston Avenue directly across from the gatehouse at 901 E. Front Street marked the entrance to his summer estate.  Ironically, our street signs used to be pyramidal obelisks... hmmm.... 

Here is an article clip from 1936 describing the street signs:

The current neighborhood street signs were only replaced in 2020 with steel poles and maroon signs.  The originals were pyramid pylon styles like mini-obelisks of dark brown wood with yellow lettering.  I don't have original photos but these are screenshots from Google Street View. 

 

As Meadowbrook is the former summer Estate of John Taylor Johnston, he oversaw the installation of the Obelisk in Central Park as Founder and President of the Met Museum in February 1881, along with his daughter Frances, better known in her youth as Fanny (eg. namesake of Fanwood Town and Fanwood Station).

NY Times February 23, 1881

Baltimore Sun 1881

NY Times February 23, 1881
Article is to the far right under the masthead