It's so rare to see hand-lettered signs these days. Getting professionally designed and manufactured letters might give most businesses and residences a more finished look but the price of that polish is a certain dull uniformity and lack of spontaneity. I'm all for uniformity in highway signs and street signs. I'll even concede that zoning codes have their place. But for me, finding a beautifully hand-lettered business sign or street number is like finding a fifty dollar bill on the ground. It's so unexpected, so delightful.
When I pass this street number, I try to stop and admire it. I wonder about the person who drew it. That person had the presence of mind to paint a layer of white on the concrete substrate before drawing the black numerals so there would be more contrast between the numerals and the background. Genius! Upon closer inspection, you can see the texture of the concrete breaking through the paint -- who would have thought the ravages of time and weather could look so beautiful? The vigor of the strokes says the writer has some training in lettering or is just extremely confident; quite possibly both.
There is no house or brownstone at 49 Clarendon Street right now. It's just a vacant lot that some folks use for parking. It's just a matter of time before it gets developed and it's goodbye hand-lettered 49 and hello spiffy, store-bought, brass numbers (visibly affixed with screws, no less). While it's here, I'll visit it. I'll take pictures of it. I'll build a little home for it in my memory where it will always be bold, confident, and alive.
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