Food

Vintage Jewish Deli Sign Found Behind Bodega

By Rachel X. Landes July 31, 2014

Earlier this month, renovators uncovered the sign for an old Jewish Delicatessen behind a closing bodega at 2705 Broadway, according to New York Neon.

Classic Art Deco lettering in blue porcelain letters contrasts with a white background. Its blue neon lights are long gone, but the nostalgia remains.

Although the name in the left corners of the sign is obscured, a search through old telephone directories revealed that B. Hudes and Sons owned the deli back in the 1930s and ‘40s, making the sign around 75 years old.

In 1942, one of the “sons,” Max Hudes, moved on to operate the famous Carnegie Deli. He was the second owner, reported Eating In Translation, and wanted to try his hand at a sit-down delicatessen, instead of his old takeout-only at 2705 Broadway.

“The neighborhood is changing so much, so quickly… to have the history unveiled like this is very exciting,” preservationist and photographer Everett Scott said to pix11.

After Hudes Delicatessen closed, it merged with the space next door and reopened as the Olympia Superette, which lasted for several years. Most recently, the Grocery & Flower occupied the space. That business recently folded — once the Grocery & Flower’s signage was torn down, Hudes Delicatessen was revealed.

The future of the sign remains a mystery. Does it deserve to be scrapped or preserved?

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