This sign did not make much of an impression on me, and I did not intend to include it in this series until I learned that the Albert Building today used to be known as the Mortimer Building. This building was home to the J.C. Johnston Company from 1872 until at least the late 1880s. This is of great interest to me because of my research into the mighty Johnston Mausoleum at Calvary Cemetery in Queens. That majestic tomb is the final resting place of the Johnston brothers. By virtue of their store name the Johnston name was once as well known in Manhattan as the names Bloomingdale's and Macy's are today. My research into the Johnston brothers, and in particular the discovery that their store once occupied the Albert Building, came several weeks after I got this picture. The coincidence made me laugh.
