An Unsung Hero of NYC History: Spring Street between Mulberry and Mott

We're in the Nolita neighborhood and looking at a block with some important institutions. The most significant is the Judson Health Center, which is just next to DeSalvio Playground at the Mulberry corner.

The Judson Health Center originated in 1921 in the basement of Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square South. The church is still there:

The health center was started to care for the large Italian immigrant population in the area. The church's Reverend Alonzo Ray Petty asked Dr. Eleanor Campbell, who was also a Baptist, to start the clinic, which had to move a year later in 1922 to a bigger space on Thompson Street. It moved to its current location on Spring Street in 1950.

Dr. Campbell worked at the center into the 1950's and insisted on never receiving any pay for her work. In 1957 Italy gave her the Star of Italian Solidarity. From 1921 to 1957, the center cared for people in over a million separate visits. Here is a photo of Dr. Eleanor Campbell:

                         
I'd say that Dr. Campbell is pretty much the definition of an unsung hero. But there are many people who do great things to help others without wanting great rewards, and it's hard to always appreciate that because bad stories are often the ones in the news. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to keep your faith in humanity, but the examples are out there. 

She looks a bit like Meryl Streep in the photo. That would be cool if they made a movie about her.

Times change and different communities occupy different parts of the city, and today the Judson Health Center seems to serve different groups, at least based on their multilingual signs:

DeSalvio Playground commemorates a father and son who were leaders in the local Italian-American Community. It was originally named John DeSalvio Park before the name was altered, and it opened in 1955. 

John DeSalvio (1881-1948) was elected as a local district leader and helped those in need in his political and personal life. His son Louis (1910-2004) was also elected to local political office and was involved in the legislative process of getting this playground established. 

It's a very pleasant little park, with playground equipment, a basketball hoop, and many benches and tables. Unfortunately all of the ground is paved, but there are some big nice trees and it's in a pretty quiet area away from any big avenues. It was also host to the 1997 Citywide Bocce Ball Championships, which I believe was broadcast in prime time on NBC if I remember correctly.  

Near the park's entrance were some illustrations showing designs for the park's future, including more green space and expanded playground equipment.

The plans look really nice and I hope that can happen sometime soon. 

On the sidewalk outside the park there was a detailed leaf imprint that I enjoyed:

A wonderful work by Mother Nature (I'm not referring to a street artist named Mother Nature, I mean actual nature). 

Another important historical institution on this block is Lombardi's Pizza, which opened in 1905 and was the first pizzeria in the country. It is at the corner of Spring and Mott:

Of course, being the oldest pizzeria isn't as important as providing health care and political help to those in need, but pizza is still very important nonetheless. 

Also, there weren't any pizzerias in the U.S. before 1905? How did people live? I mean literally, what did they eat to survive? What a world, what a world.

Wikipedia says that Lombardi's was originally a block west from here on Spring Street. It closed at that location in 1984 and it opened here a decade later. Therefore it is no longer the oldest continuously open pizzeria. That distinction belongs to Papa's Tomato Pies of Trenton, New Jersey, operating since 1912. So congrats to them. 

In 2005 Lombardi's honored the 100th anniversary of opening as a pizzeria by selling whole pizzas for the original 1905 price of 5 cents. I'm glad I didn't know about that in 2005, because I might not be here today. Unless they had a way to pump my stomach from a pizza overdose. Either way, it would not have been pretty. 

Anyway, Lombardi's is very proud of its history: its website is firstpizza.com.

I always felt something was missing from the Mona Lisa and now I know: pizza. Sorry Leonardo, it's a really good painting but it could have been great. 

Let's look briefly at a few other things on the block, like a rice pudding shop called Rice To Riches.

The outside of the store has a bunch of slogans filled with wit and/or attitude that I'm assuming are meant to lure in customers.

 They can also send gifts:

The rice pudding may be shipped fresh but how is it after a cross-country journey?

Next to the rice pudding joint is a building with a bunch of graffiti and stuff on it, and then a cheese shop. 

I don't know much about cheese but I think if a cheese shop is French then that's probably a good sign. 

On the corner opposite DeSalvio Playground is an Israeli eatery called Taim, which also has a location in the West Village. 

Next to Taim is Birdbath Bakery, with a nice bicycle-friendly offer:

Do people need to prove that they arrived by bike, or could I just point to a bike outside and say 'Yeah that's mine'? I wouldn't do that, of course. I'm just asking. 

I think that's all from this small block in Nolita with lots of interesting and historic sites. John DeSalvio seemed to have a great impact in his community, and Dr. Eleanor Campbell helped and served so many people and seems to me a truly heroic figure that deserves to be better known. I'm glad I got to learn about her through the Judson Health Center. 

I hope you enjoyed the post, and thanks for reading.