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VOLUME 9:
LONG ISLAND RAILROAD SERVICE TO LONG ISLAND CITY'S STERNBERGER
By Nicholas Kalis
Ninth in a series of glimpses into industries or warehouses that made
for interesting freight operations on the Long Island. Information presented
has included, where available, a brief history of the firm, how it was
served by the LIRR, and what commodities were received or shipped from
this facility.
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Sternberger Warehouse showing sign advertising
available space
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Sternberger Esbitco Warehouse, located at 45-55 Pearson Street, Long
Island City, was known as Spot 9 according to page 1 of Maps of Freight
Stations and Private Sidings published in June 1966. Your author surmizes
switching crews did not actually use these spot numbers to identify these
industries as the map book previously referred to has not assigned unique
spot numbers to each industry - the Spot numbers are "recycled",
so to speak, on different maps. This 1966 publication puts Sternberger
facing Yard A. According to this track plan, Sternberger is immediately
east of C.J. Slicken but I suspect Slicken (Spot 8) was simply a co-tenant
in 45-55 Pearson Street. According to the Hyde Atlas, Queens Vol.
1, updated through 1955, this building, then known as "Ludwig Bauman
Warehouse" was situated west of the Queens County Court House and
was bounded by Court Square and Pearson Street. Prior to that it was Ludwig-Bauman
Co. It would be interesting to learn when this warehouse was built
- can any of our readers assist in this regard? According to a Robert
Emery map, Sternberger was served by a siding that ran alongside this
building. Fabrizi believes two sidings ran into the building.
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Sternberger seen in the context of neighboring
Peter Mallon building
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Forty-five fifty-five Pearson Street appears to be a ten-story tan brick
building with 20,000 square foot floors. Sternberger may have been roughly
160 feet wide and 120 feet deep. In the 1960s, a script "LB"
graced its fascia. A 1939 photograph from the Carl Fabrizi Collection
shows the name Ludwig Bauman spelled around three sides of this
structure from about the second story and up. Fabrizi notes that there
was anther logo painted on its façade during the post-war forties.
A lighter color broad horizontal band above its ninth floor distinguishes
this building. A wooden water tank graces its roof. Can anyone tell us
what name to apply to the three roof structures almost apparent from trackside?
Also noteworthy is Sternberger's external fire escape.
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Sternberger seen with the LB logo apparent
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Retired railroad employee Howie Waelder recalls furniture was shipped
in boxcars in the 1940s and 50s into this facility; I assume this continued
into the early 1960s. Howie cautions that this facility may have had more
than one tenant. Indeed, C.J. Slicken (Spot 8) may have been just such
a co-tenant. These boxcars may have originated from southern cities we
have yet to ascertain and from furniture factories we have yet to name.
This is where the memories of retired LIRR clerks would prove useful.
As a warehouse, Sternberger Ebistco was a furniture delivery service according
to the telephone directory. It servied as a distribution and service center
for the Metropolitan New York market. Hence, only empties likely left
this facility by rail.
MODELING
I have built a foam core mock-up of this building. I am still open to
advice about parts to use to build this structure in HO scale.
CREDITS
Thanks to Carl Fabrizi, Bob Miller (Volunteer at the Long Island Division
of the Queens Borough Public Library), and Bill Myers
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Author Unknown Maps of Freight Stations and Private Sidings (Reprint)
June 1966
Please send photographs that show how Extrin appeared
in the 1960s and direct any comments on or corrections to this manuscript
to:
Nicholas Kalis
Suite 600, 1420 Spring Hill Road
McLean, Virginia 22102
Any illustrations or maps contributed will be gratefully acknowledged.
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Logo, Long Island Railroad
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Maps of Freight Stations and Private Sidings
(Reprint) June 1966
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