Comments on: Ninety years of news on Third Avenue

By: (Not so) hot fun in the summertime « Just Wondering

(Not so) hot fun in the summertime « Just Wondering — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:56:11 +0000

[...] I have no data to present as a proper journalist would. My impression, and maybe I heard this from Ben Gant or one of my other contacts on the street, is that the City was making it hard for purveyors of [...]

By: A friend for the streetcorner « Just Wondering

A friend for the streetcorner « Just Wondering — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 07:19:06 +0000

[...] manager until she recently moved up to the shop next to the public library. Ben Gant of Turko’s Last Stand newsstand. Eddie the Shoe Shine, often of Pine Street. Ed, my Real Change vendor (and his dog [...]

By: Shine me on, shine me off, just don’t run me down « Just Wondering

Shine me on, shine me off, just don’t run me down « Just Wondering — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:44:44 +0000

[...] before, I am unfond. By contrast, having people in my daily routine like Officer Linda, and Ben at Turco’s Last Stand, and my Real Change vendor Ed, who sits in his wheelchair at the corner of Third and University [...]

By: mpg

mpg — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:28:07 +0000

I’ve walked by this many times over the years and thought it looked vaguely like a piece of European street furniture. I had just assumed it was a disused piece of Metro’s infrastructure, perhaps going back to the days when Helpful Employees were stationed to busy bus terminals to answer questions and offer helpful advice.

-mpg

By: jstwndrng

jstwndrng — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:19:23 +0000

Thanks Scott. Yes, I walked past many times, too. I knew it was a paper stand, but didn’t know its long history.

Louis, good eye. That is indeed the old Woolworth’s building. And wow, I didn’t know that about the old brick building at BJHS. Thanks for sharing that. I would have loved it if they’d kept it standing. I suppose I should be grateful that they left the outline of the administration builiding in the grass (like a meandering gravestone) and the handful of olde trees.

Yes, Turco’s LAST last stand was kinda cool in an art-deco way, but it actually caught (or was set a-) fire last year or earlier this year, so there was no chance of a spruce-up after that.

By: Louis

Louis — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:35:20 +0000

Well told, Matt. It does my heart well to see this guy giving it a go. I hope he succeeds. I like what you say about the word, “eyesore”. I remember when they were going to raze BJHS, Some folks wanted to keep the old brick building on the campus – the original BHS – standing. But they were defeated by the “eyesore” camp who argued they didn’t want an old, decrepit building in their nice, new park.

I have to say I really like the previous incarnation of Turco’s last stand. Hardly an eyesore. It had a real 1950′s “streamline” look to it. Like a stubby diner. Perhaps a nice, glossy paint job might have appeased the city. But we’ll never know.

The Ross store is the old Woolworth’s, isn’t it?

By: scott

scott — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:40:35 +0000

This is a great post. I used to walk by that old blue stand outside Ross when I transferred between buses downtown two summers ago. I had no idea what it was…