Bridgeport 1900-1960, CT (PHS) (Postcard History)
Title: Book reviewAuthor: John LinsenmeyerPublisher: Greenwich TimeDate: 4/21/09Travelling the Merritt ParkwayLarry LarnedArcadia Publishing; $19.99, 128 pages.GreenwichWilliam J. ClarkArcadia Publishing; $19.99, 128 pagesBridgeport: 1900-1960Andrew PehanickArcadia Publishing; $21,99, 127 pages.TrumbullThe Trumbull Historical SocietyArcadia Publishing; $19.99, 128 pages.No, I have neither purchased stock in, nor taken employ as a publicity person for, Arcadia, even though they are headquartered just outside Charleston, S.C., one of my favorite cities on the planet.Rather, it is that "Spring is sprung, the grass is riz / A season for the day-trip is." We have the good fortune to live in a fairly interesting part of the world ourselves, and most of us tend not to see what is right around us until somebody points it out. A case in point is a book I read perhaps 30 years ago called "Gritty Cities," which described the architectural treasures in places then regarded as dumps, such as Hoboken, Norwich, Wilmington and our very own Bridgeport -- which was, and is, full of architecturally-interesting buildings like the Brightonesque brick apartments next to the Cathedral, or the Victorian houses of now-decrepit Iranistan Avenue. Of course, not all our local jewels are surrounded by dross, and that is the theme of several of today's "good stuff right around here" books.When I was courting my bride, who then lived in Trumbull, and later moved here from Alexandria, a jewel of a road was the Merritt Parkway. Our first book, then, honors the highway built at the urging of nine-term Congressman Schuyler Merritt in the 1930s as an alternative to the narrow, congested Post Road (then the only east-west highway through the county). The first little stretch, built in Stratford, was so blah and uninspiring that a committee of Fairfield County bigwigs was formed to improve the aesthetics of the rest of the road. This neat little book "Travelling the Merritt Parkway" tells how well they succeeded, with a picture on virtually every page, town-by-town from here to Stratford. I said that we sometimes need books to point out neat stuff which we take for granted. If you only get this book for the portions on the Parkway's bridges -- many of the originals survive -- you'll enjoy your next ride a lot more.Speaking of gritty cities, "Bridgeport 1900-1960" illustrates our historic county seat entirely through vintage postcards, arranged by categories such as transportation (including the fleet of passenger boats predating the Port Jefferson ferry), notable houses, the university, and even restaurants.Some of those grand houses, such as 207 Grove St. and the 1852 mansion at 528 Clinton Ave. are still standing, as are some of the Remington Arms, hospital or commercial buildings, and restaurants our parents and grandparents liked. The next time business, or a visit to the city's museums, calls you to the east, take along this photo guide.Adjoining Bridgeport to the north is "Trumbull." I added this guide because it's interesting, because my wife spent her teen-aged years there, and because I remember when it still had active farms including the Mallett place (now blessedly preserved as a handsome town golf course) next door to Christ Church, a beautiful old wooden structure also still an active parish. The athletically-inclined might think Trumbull is worth a trip just for the beautiful hike or a day's fly-fishing in the unspoiled valley of the Pequonnock River, now a public park.Finally, we come to our very own Greenwich.For a town founded in 1640 (quite a while, by American standards! Only 20 years after Plymouth Rock and 33 after Jamestown, Va.), we have lost a good bit of our history -- but a lot survives, or at any rate lasted long enough to be photographed. Curiously, Greenwich Avenue photographed from the northeast across the Post Road hasn't changed much in 70 years, and the old town hall, high schools (albeit put to different uses), and J. K. Tod's estate, minus the mansion. Even the Post Road bridge over the Byram River looks the same as it did in 1907. We live in a grand, and in some spots lovely, town and this nice book will help us to enjoy it even more.Title: A book of postcards -- the past in picturesAuthor: Brad DurrellPublisher: The Bridgeport NewsDate: 4/2/09One postcard of Bridgeport will always have a soft spot in Andy Pehanick's heart.It depicts the inside of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church on the East Side, a largely Slovakian congregation where the Pehanick family went to church when he was growing up.For years, the postcard was in a vase on top of the refrigerator in the Pehanick family home in Bridgeport. "I'd always see it as a kid," Pehanick said.His father eventually gave the postcard to Pehanick, who has just authored his second book on Bridgeport postcards for Arcadia Publishing, titled "Bridgeport, 1900-1960."When the St. John congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary, Pehanick was the only one with a copy of the postcard that showed the original church's sanctuary. An enlargement then was made and now is on display in the new St. John the Baptist Church's foyer in Trumbull.Pehanick will give a presentation about his book Saturday, April 4 at 3 p.m. at Rainy Faye Bookstore, John and Broad streets (call 336-6911). Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. He also will talk at the Barnum Museum on April 18.The book includes more than 230 images. It has chapters on Main Street, the University of Bridgeport, the waterfront, notable homes, restaurants and recreation, transportation, advertising, mechanical and multiple views, and bird's-eye views.Pehanick said he always has admired the Victorian structures on the UB campus, but only a few have survived. One that didn't is Waldemere Hall, shown in the book, where a prominent national political leader had lived when it was built as a private residence. Hubbell Gymnasium stands where Waldemere Hall was located.Some of the city's most ornate homes were on Washington Avenue, but the eastern half of the road was demolished to make way for the Route 8 and 25 connector in the 1960s. Pehanick fondly remembers the former Knights of Columbus hall, a former mansion, where professional wrestling bouts would be televised in the 1950s.One home shown in the book is the Bartram estate in Black Rock, which was called "The Anchorage." It's near where Anchorage Drive is today. Franklin Delano Roosevelt once stayed in the estate, which has survived.Some of his favorite postcards in the book are ones showing a horse's rear-end for Matt Lucey's Hotel and Bar, the entire Harding High School class of 1932, and well-known photographer Lew Corbit.Owns thousands of cards:Pehanick put out his first postcard book in 2005, also for the New Hampshire-based Arcadia. The publisher contacted him to produce another one, he said.He is the owner of one of the largest collections of Bridgeport postcards, with more than 3,000 different cards.The 1978 Bassick High graduate has been collecting them for decades. Nowadays, most purchases are made on the Internet rather than at postcard shows because he owns so many cards already.With eBay, he can easily check his collection to see if he already owns a particular card before purchasing it. "It's convenient," he said of using the computer from home.Pehanick suggested anyone hoping to start a collection should just go to a postcard show, As a seasoned collector, though, he finds most of those cards to be in less than perfect condition because so many people have been "picking through them."He keeps his postcards organized and protected in plastic sleeves in three-ring binders.Postcard prices have been dropping in recent years, Pehanick said, partly due to the economy and to a general decline in the value of collectible cards.He knows the other major Bridgeport postcard collectors, even listing what kind of cards they have that he doesn't.Pehanick collects more than postcards of Bridgeport. He collects all kinds of Bridgeport souvenirs. "I just keep my eyes open for anything interesting that's for sale," he said.Many postcards were printed in the early 1900s, when mail was delivered twice a day and many people still didn't own phones due to the expense. People would send frequent postcards to each other, often with the goal of helping them create a collection.Bridgeport scenes were particularly popular because of the city's prominence at the time and its large population.Although he now makes his home in northern Fairfield County, Pehanick still spends a lot of time in Bridgeport. While downtown for the parade on St. Patrick's Day, he was able to get a look at the renovation of the Arcade Building."The developer actually used postcards to help with the restoration," Pehanick said. "That's what you need to do. Make it original. I'm optimistic about that project."Pehanick, 48, helps run the parts department at Sikorsky Aircraft. He will celebrate his 30th anniversary at the helicopter manufacturer this year.Andy Pehanick's "Bridgeport 1900-1960" is $21.99 at local retailers, online bookstores, arcadiapublishing.com or 888-313-2665.Title: Visual NostalgiaAuthor: Joe MeyersPublisher: Connecticut PostDate: 4/3/09Bridgeport residents should have a deeply nostalgic experience paging through another new historical tome, "Bridgeport 1900-1960," which is part of Arcadia Publishing's ever-growing "Postcard History Series," in which an area's evolution is traced through postcards and other photo memorabilia.The material in the book was compliled by Bridgeport native Andrew Pehanick, who has been collecting postcards for more than 30 years and who chose from over 3,000 cards for the book.The book includes commercial and tourist images, divided into chapters such as "On the Waterfront" and "Restaurants and a Little Recreation."Pehanick uses his knowledge of city history in the book's unusually detailed captions.Under a postcard of the The Ritz Lunchette in the Black Rock section of the city, for instance, the author notes that actor and Bridgeport native John Ratzenberger worked there as a soda jerk when he was a teenager.The book includes shots of buildings on Thomas Street, which were flattened in 1956 for the construction of the Connecticut Turnpike.Arcadia Publishing has already released a number of books devoted to Connecticut cities and towns. A complete list can be found at www.arcadiapublishing.com.