The John T. Brush Stairway was constructed by the New York Giants in 1913 to memorialize Brush, the team owner who died the year before. The stairway connected Edgecombe Avenue, at the top of the 175-foot Coogan's Bluff, to the entrance of the Polo Grounds below. Here is an image from a post by the Pecan Park Eagle blog which shows the location of the stairway in relation to the stadium.
When the stadium was torn down in 1964, the staircase remained, a useful shortcut for residents of the housing projects which replaced the Polo Grounds. By the turn of the 21st century, the stairway had fallen into disrepair, and it was closed for renovations from 2011 to 2015. The renovations were partially funded with contributions from the five pro sports teams who once called the Polo Grounds home - baseball's Giants, Yankees and Mets, and football's Giants and Jets.
The once-crumbling stairway and lettering have been given new life:
A couple years ago I was reading about Ebbets Field apartments and that led me to wonder what replaced the Polo Grounds. Kinda strange and sad that there isn't more of it there, but at least you were able to visit this staircase and marker.
ReplyDeleteLooks like kind of a nice little area around the stairs as well.
ReplyDeleteLove it! Something I wouldn't know to look for in New York.
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