Fading Ad Blog Rotating Header Image

February, 2010:

Samuel Rubel – The Fabulous Career of a Not-So-Nice Coal & Ice Mogul – Rubel Coal & Ice Corp – Rubel Bros Inc – Brownsville, Brooklyn

© Vincenzo Aiosa

© Vincenzo Aiosa

Samuel Rubel (1881-1949) was an immigrant from Riga, Latvia in 1904. – Wikipedia Commons

Samuel Rubel was a celebrated entrepreneur and a man obscured by controversy. In 1912, he pressed charges against his then fiancée, Dora Nachumowitz, whom he later married and fathered two daughters. Here is an excerpt of the New York Times article (February 4, 1912, Sunday).

HAS GIRL WHO SUED JAILED.; Coal Dealer Accuses Employe to Whom He Had Been Engaged. – – – New York Times – February 4, 1912, Sunday

Hailed for Rubel’s business acumen, Arthur Brisbane of the Milwaukee Sentinel wrote in 1925:

Young gentlemen, it pays to save even a LITTLE.

On Monday, Apr. 11, 1927 – Time Magazine labeled Rubel as the Iceman and reported the following about his business practices:

An Iceman. Twenty-one years ago one Samuel Rubel, immigrant from Riga (Latvia), peddled ice in Brooklyn. Now he is president of Rubel Coal & Ice Co. and worth $25,000,000. But withal he is not a nice man, declared sundry petty ice peddlers, when Mr. Rubel tried to freeze them out of business the past year by giving free ice to their customers. For that, the Kings County grand jury last week indicted him, and 28 people sued him for damages.Time Magazine

From a New York Times obituary (April 30, 1949):

The career of Samuel Rubel verged on the fabulous… His first route was the north side of Watkins Street, in the East New York section. He covered it with a horse and wagon… Up the tenement stoops Mr. Rubel personally carried his cakes of ice and bags of coal. His next move was to a coal platform, with an office on Pitkin Avenue. ‘That year I started selling to other peddlers,’ he said later… In 1925 he bought the majority stock of the Ice Service Corporation and also two other firms… Two years later his firm was merged with the Commonwealth Fuel Company and the Putnam Coal and Ice Company. The new concern, the Rubel Corporation, of which he became head, then had thirty-five coal pickets, forty ice factories and fifty coal and ice stations in the greater city. The same year Mr. Rubel bought the Ebling Brewery then in trouble with prohibition authorities for the manufacture and sale of beer. He planned to convert it into an ice-cream factory.Wikipedia

According to Walter Grutchfield:

Rubel was still president of Ebling Brewery at the time of his death (undoubtedly it reverted to legal production of beer with the repeal of Prohibition in 1933) and his net worth was estimated at $8,000,000. A 32-room home in Roslyn, Long Island, was destroyed by fire in 1946. Rubel died at a later mansion called Sunset Hall in Ridgefield, Conn. The Rubel contents of Sunset Hall were sold at auction by the Parke-Bernet Galleries, 980 Madison Ave., Oct. 1950. An interesting history of Sunset Hall can be found at acorn-online.net. Apparently it was once considered as a site for the United Nations headquarters.

Sunset Hall Mansion – Ridgefield, CT – Site of Samuel Rubel’s Death – Acorn Online dot net

The life of Samuel Rubel is steeped in the mythology of the American Dream: a penniless immigrant comes to New York to find his fortune – but at what cost? Rubel’s unscrupulous business practices and conflicted and icy personal life is ripe for a torrid Hollywood screenplay. Although Rubel’s story has long been out of the public eye, his legacy continues through his progeny and property. Below is an example of how the quest for the American Dream can still inspire through art and an unwitting lens.

Very reminiscent of the Diana Coal & Oil photo © Ivan Koota

Fading Ad Campaign © Frank H. Jump

Topless Diana Coal Oil – © Frank H. Jump

Previous Rubel Coal & Ice postings:

Other Rubel Internet postings:

Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company – Paint & Glass – Tucson, AZ

August 2009 © Frank H. Jump

Hardware Co – Brownsville, Brooklyn

© Frank H. Jump

7up Ad – La Conner, WA – Featured Fade – Fred King

BLUESTAR2012's Blog © Fred King

Hi, Frank-

Attached is a photo I  took in La Conner, Washington last year. I thought you might find it usable for your blog. I apologize for the tilt. I have subscribed to your blog for a year and really enjoy your work.

Best regards,
Fred King

Thanks Fred! Don’t apologize for the tilt! Without it, how would it go down the hatch?

Fred says: Currently 58 years old. I’m a grandfather. I have a chronic illness that has not allowed me to work the past few years. Lots of meds, no cure. Love photography as a hobby and love to write, as therapy of sorts. The blogs I subscribe to and run across are truly inspiring. There is just so much imagery being captured and shared around the world. Visual imagery as well as that evoked in writing. I’m humbled to play a small part in this community.

Check out his blog at BLUESTAR2012

Cucumber Billboard Offends Some Texans – North Texas in a Pickle!

At first glance, it looks like a cartoon character. But a closer look reveals something much more revealing. The billboard was put up by the companies Condoms to Go and Sara's Secret. KTVT / KTXA

LANCASTER, Texas (CBS) ―At first glance, it looks like a cartoon character. But a closer look reveals something much more revealing. A billboard along Interstate-35 in Lancaster is packing quite a sexual punch and some North Texans aren’t amused. – WJZ13

Here’s a peek at Sara’s Secret’s ad campaign:

North Texans usually aren’t amused. While driving through this past summer, it was all about cows, anti-abortion billboards, and most counties were dry counties (you have to drive over a hundred miles for a beer). Given the problem of the flies and the dust, maybe these billboards are the least of their problems. Sure sounds like someone will be in a pickle!

On Nostalgia – New York Times Online Mentions Fading Ad Blog – FAB!

J. David Goodman of the New York Times Online was kind enough to mention our blog today.

Another place where the city’s past continues to endure: the sides of buildings. Fading Ads tracks these in daily dispatches from our enduring landscape. Plus ça change … –  J. David Goodman

Here is my response to his article:

Gloria Steinem said on the Bill Maher Show that “nostalgia is a form of obstructionism.” Can we move forward without looking back? Some do very easily- progress without looking where they’ve been. Others need the past as a reference. Nonetheless, the old ways are surely fading and the new ways need a tutorial. The challenge is keeping oneself ahead of the learning curve. Thanks for the mention Mr. Goodman!

Bill Maher show - Close Captioning - Fading Ad Wiki on Nostalgia

Check out my page on Nostalgia @ Fading Ad Wiki!

Home of Palagonia – World's Finest Italian Bread – Brooklyn, NY

Junius Street - Brownsville, Brooklyn - © Frank H. Jump

Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The development of leavened bread can probably also be traced to prehistoric times. – Wikipedia

At one time, Palagonia was the ONLY Italian bread you could buy at a corner deli. I wouldn’t call it the best anymore. Vincenzo is a fan (see Enzo’s View) of Cityline’s Rosa Maria Bakery & Deli on 101st Avenue – if you want a really good semolina bread. Another favorite of ours is Paneantico Bakery off 65th Street & 14th Avenue in Bensonhurst.

101st Avenue - Cityline - Brooklyn/Queens - © Vincenzo Aiosa

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Visit Dan Tobey's Liquor Store – New Lots Train Station – Brownsville, Brooklyn NY

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

© Frank H. Jump

Collection of: David Pirmann - NYC Subways dot org

Collection of: Joe Testagrose - Date: 11/8/1970 - NYC Subways dot org

San Valentino, l'amore é di tutti – America Oggi – February 14, 2004

America Oggi - February 14, 2004