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Friday, July 27, 2012

1946: FRONT STREET: CAPITOL TOMATO PIE

Did any visitors to this blog go to the Capitol Tomato Pie restaurant? If you did, was it a real Trenton tomato pie or a thick crust cheese-filled pizza with more cheese than tomato? I never knew of the place, but would bet that one of our old center city visitors from the past will fill us in. By the way, I am still a die hard Ricky DeLorenzo Hamilton Avenue tomato pie lover. I have been a DeLorenzo fan since way back in the 1940's when they had a location on Hamilton Avenue in the area of today's Hamilton Avenue post office.
rayfromvillapark said...

Hi Tom, This closed gas station, sits at the corner of South Warren and Front Sts. The tow truck sitting behind the 1941 Chrysler Club Coupe, is one of the fleet of Tex Wrecking Service, 10 East Front St. I emailed you photos of a model I manufactured of one of their trucks, along with a license holder, given out by them in the 1930s. I don't know if you received them. Just to the left and out of the photo, is their huge garage. The building to the right, just out of the photo, is the old Capitol Motors Chrysler Plymouth dealership. Lots of car activity going on around this intersection. It's just before Christmas; you can see the wreaths in the windows of Gimbel's Department store, and a huge ribbon and bow on the side of the Swern's Department store building, down at the corner of Front and South Broad. I owned a duplicate of that Chrysler, back in the 1970s, with a Highlander plaid interior, and a horn that played, The Campbells are Coming. Sold it to Mr. Peters, who with his son Bill, had a repair garage on Liberty St. Boy, lots of memories from one photograph. Don't ever remember eating at the Capitol restaurant, but my favorite tomato pie, was at Top Road Tavern, on Brunswick Ave. rayfromvillapark

Anonymous said...

Tom:

If I'm not mistaken, Capital Tomatoe pies was owned by Pete (Pete the gink) Picardi. It was on the left side of Front across from "Pauls",what became Commini's resturant, and Next to Ken's ( last name escapes me) faboulous meat market.
Big Money Mike had a pawn shop, jewelry store on that side of the street, and I bought my than girlfrien's ring from him. Kraus's Deli was also on this block, as was "Sun Ray" Drug store on the Corner where now sits the NJ Dept. of Community affairs from where I retired in 1989. What goes round, comes around.

Regards
Mike Kuzma

Anonymous said...

Tom:

Finally got around to enlarge the photo,, and the name of the meat market where Mary Roebling was often seen picking out what her chef would prepare for Dinner was:
Ken Applegates Market.
Pete's Capital Tomatoe pies were goodd, but nothing like Ricky DeLorenzo's my old Jr.4 buddie's.
Pete the Gink was married to my cousin (by marriage) sister. Cousin "Fat Louie" got his start cokking for Pete.

Mike Kuzma

Anonymous said...

I guess I was born at the beginning of change in Trenton. In the 60's I can remember a corned beef on rye with the trimmings at Krause's or the lunch special at Commini's.

As hard I as I may, I can never recall Gimbles in Trenton, being born in 1948, I have to wonder when they closed?

I can clearly remember the Fire Department rescuing folks in row boats where this picture is taken, during the flood of 1955, the water being to the bottom of the gas station windows.

Ed Millerick

Anonymous said...

Ed:

Gimble's in those days was more of store full of concessionaires.
When you shopped at Swern's (where I worked in 1950) Sam Swern himself would meet and greet you at the foot of the new contraption; the Escalator!
Goldberg's had "floor managers" as did Nevious Voorhees" who were distinguishable by the buttonaire they wore.
Personal service ( somthing long gone from commerce) was the hallmark of the successful stores.

The flood you speak of was 1955, I than lived on South Warren St. and used my rowboat to help the neighbors, and those in the "Island" neighborhood off Sanhican Dr.

Regards

Mike Kuzma

SJBill said...

Turn around 180 degrees from the gas station in this picture and you will see Allstate Blue Print, that was owned by Mike Pagano.

Mike ran for City Council in about 1953 or so, and lived at 811 S. Clinton Ave, back in the day. Our family bought that house in 1957, where we lived until we left Trenton for Lawrence Township in 1963.

Our house in Lawrence was two doors away from Charlie Commini, who owned the restaurant on Front St.

The flood made it all the way to S. Broad and Front St, as Assunpink Creek flooded all over everything. I remember dead catfish and suckers all over the place in the dried up mud afterwards.


6 comments:

rayfromvillapark said...

Hi Tom, This closed gas station, sits at the corner of South Warren and Front Sts. The tow truck sitting behind the 1941 Chrysler Club Coupe, is one of the fleet of Tex Wrecking Service, 10 East Front St. I emailed you photos of a model I manufactured of one of their trucks, along with a license holder, given out by them in the 1930s. I don't know if you received them. Just to the left and out of the photo, is their huge garage. The building to the right, just out of the photo, is the old Capitol Motors Chrysler Plymouth dealership. Lots of car activity going on around this intersection. It's just before Christmas; you can see the wreaths in the windows of Gimbel's Department store, and a huge ribbon and bow on the side of the Swern's Department store building, down at the corner of Front and South Broad. I owned a duplicate of that Chrysler, back in the 1970s, with a Highlander plaid interior, and a horn that played, The Campbells are Coming. Sold it to Mr. Peters, who with his son Bill, had a repair garage on Liberty St. Boy, lots of memories from one photograph. Don't ever remember eating at the Capitol restaurant, but my favorite tomato pie, was at Top Road Tavern, on Brunswick Ave. rayfromvillapark

Anonymous said...

Tom:

If I'm not mistaken, Capital Tomatoe pies was owned by Pete (Pete the gink) Picardi. It was on the left side of Front across from "Pauls",what became Commini's resturant, and Next to Ken's ( last name escapes me) faboulous meat market.
Big Money Mike had a pawn shop, jewelry store on that side of the street, and I bought my than girlfrien's ring from him. Kraus's Deli was also on this block, as was "Sun Ray" Drug store on the Corner where now sits the NJ Dept. of Community affairs from where I retired in 1989. What goes round, comes around.

Regards
Mike Kuzma

Anonymous said...

Tom:

Finally got around to enlarge the photo,, and the name of the meat market where Mary Roebling was often seen picking out what her chef would prepare for Dinner was:
Ken Applegates Market.
Pete's Capital Tomatoe pies were goodd, but nothing like Ricky DeLorenzo's my old Jr.4 buddie's.
Pete the Gink was married to my cousin (by marriage) sister. Cousin "Fat Louie" got his start cokking for Pete.

Mike Kuzma

Anonymous said...

I guess I was born at the beginning of change in Trenton. In the 60's I can remember a corned beef on rye with the trimmings at Krause's or the lunch special at Commini's.

As hard I as I may, I can never recall Gimbles in Trenton, being born in 1948, I have to wonder when they closed?

I can clearly remember the Fire Department rescuing folks in row boats where this picture is taken, during the flood of 1955, the water being to the bottom of the gas station windows.

Ed Millerick

Anonymous said...

Ed:

Gimble's in those days was more of store full of concessionaires.
When you shopped at Swern's (where I worked in 1950) Sam Swern himself would meet and greet you at the foot of the new contraption; the Escalator!
Goldberg's had "floor managers" as did Nevious Voorhees" who were distinguishable by the buttonaire they wore.
Personal service ( somthing long gone from commerce) was the hallmark of the successful stores.

The flood you speak of was 1955, I than lived on South Warren St. and used my rowboat to help the neighbors, and those in the "Island" neighborhood off Sanhican Dr.

Regards

Mike Kuzma

SJBill said...

Turn around 180 degrees from the gas station in this picture and you will see Allstate Blue Print, that was owned by Mike Pagano.

Mike ran for City Council in about 1953 or so, and lived at 811 S. Clinton Ave, back in the day. Our family bought that house in 1957, where we lived until we left Trenton for Lawrence Township in 1963.

Our house in Lawrence was two doors away from Charlie Commini, who owned the restaurant on Front St.

The flood made it all the way to S. Broad and Front St, as Assunpink Creek flooded all over everything. I remember dead catfish and suckers all over the place in the dried up mud afterwards.