A Carroll Gardens Life: Mrs. Agatha Messina

Tony's Baptism in 1941,
In the backyard of his family's house.
He is being held by his glamorous Aunt Louise
Who was a buyer and designer for Best & Company.

March 1, 1942
in front of the house were he grew up and still lives now.

Tony with his cousins at Easter.
He is the smily kid on the right in the middle row

Tony with his grand-mother Agatha in 1953
That's Smith Street in the background.

Here he is in 1955 on Graduation Day with his grand-father Rosario.

Tony knows everything about Carroll Gardens. He also knows most everyone in this brownstone neighborhood. No wonder! He was born and raised here and spent his entire adult life in this wonderful Brooklyn enclave.
It is a real privilege to count Tony amongst my friends. He is a real gentleman, much like his father, who was still alive when I moved to Carroll Gardens.
Tony is a great story-teller. He is full of entertaining anecdotes. He knows that I will always find the time for one of his reminiscences of the Carroll Gardens he knew and I wished I could have experienced.
As a child, Tony shared a one floor brownstone apartment with his parents and grand-parents. He attended school at St. Agnes and later at Boys High School.
Tony remembers a quieter time, when there hardly were any cars on the block and the local kids would play stickball and fist ball. Handball was played in Carroll Park whereas softball was reserved for the playground at P.S.32. Mr. D'Agostino, the nice ice man who lived on Tony's block, would give the children ice lumps to cool off in the summer.
9 Pm was curfew time and all the kids needed to go home. By 9:30 Pm, Tony told me, his block was deserted.
A sugary treat could always be gotten at the candy store at 361 Smith Street, now the home of Swallows. Next door, at 363, in what is now Giardini's Pizza parlor, there was a Rolston's grocery store.
Occasionally, Tony and his friends would venture to Columbia Street at the corner of Union, then a happening shopping strip. They would treat themselves to an egg cream for 5 cents or a "Charlie Rooster", pieces of delicious pound cake with whipping cream and a cherry on top, all served in a paper cup. The price? 3 cents.
Now, that was living!
Thanks so much for allowing me to show everyone these super photos of you as a baby, Tony.



Related Reading:


A Carroll Gardens Life: My Friend Dolores

A Carroll Gardens Life: Mrs. Agatha Messina

A Carroll Gardens Life: Meet Antoinette Pirrone, The Twinkies Lady


For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking