History

Nobody Beats the Signs From the Past on This Downtown Brooklyn Building

There’s a bit of 1970s style temporarily on view in Downtown Brooklyn and some Brooklynites might be able to guess the origins of the rainbow “Z” there.

The old advertising signs on the exterior of 366 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Photo by Susan De Vries

by Susan De Vries

06/15/2022 5 minute 0

There’s a bit of 1970s style temporarily on view in Downtown Brooklyn and some Brooklynites might be able to guess the origins of the rainbow “Z” there. It is actually one of two vintage sign remnants visible on the Fulton Street building; the other is a much older ghost sign uncovered after the demolition of an adjacent building.

The building itself, 366 Fulton Street, has housed some businesses with familiar names over the centuries since its circa 1870s construction, including Woolworth’s, a Childs Restaurant and the first location of The Wiz, an electronics chain known for their slogan “Nobody Beats The Wiz.” That connection should give a hint about the source of the “Z” on the front of the building.

Founded by four Jemal brothers, The Wiz shop opened here in 1976 — a year after the musical of the same name premiered on Broadway. Tax photos from circa 1981 show the signage in full; presumably the remaining letters and the stylized lightning bolt are still hidden underneath the facade layers. The colorful font was a precursor to the ubiquitous red logo that would spread around the city as the business expanded and became an iconic New York City chain in the 1980s and 1990s, meriting a nod in an episode of Seinfeld before a bankruptcy filing in 1997.

exterior — Tax photos of the block from circa 1981 show The Whiz signage along with a banner handing from the building. Photos from the New York City Municipal Archives via PropertyShark

The origins of the older, painted sign are a bit harder to trace. Portions of the sign are gone, but still legible are the words “developing printing and bromide enlarging,” making it clear the sign was advertising photography services. The word above is a bit harder to decipher but could be the name of the business. Based on its location on the side of the building, it would only have been visible before the one-story building that once stood next door was built circa the early 1920s.

A number of businesses offered photo services in Downtown Brooklyn at the time. A search through newspapers of the period turn up a few, including department store A.D. Matthews, in business a few blocks away at Fulton Street and Gallatin Place until 1915. The store advertised camera equipment and developing services in the Brooklyn Eagle in the early 20th century.

The signs likely won’t be visible for long. Records show that a demolition permit was issued for the building on June 3. This is after its neighbors on the block were already demolished this spring for the construction of a mixed-use tower. The Feil Organization recently leased the “shovel-ready” site to Extell Development. A press release from JLL, which arranged the deal, notes a 43-story rental building with affordable units utilizing the controversial 421-a tax break — which expires today — is planned for the site.