The Shrinking Footprint (and Signage) of a Brooklyn Business

Solving an intriguing sign-based mystery.

While running some errands in Brooklyn yesterday, I was stopped at a red light at the corner of Third Ave. and Bay Ridge Ave., where I was amused by the Lowen’s Pharmacy sign shown above. The “LOWEN’S” lettering had obviously been repositioned at some point, and it also looked like there had once been some lettering or graphics beneath the word “PHARMACY.”

When I got home, I wondered if Google Street View’s archived photos could help me piece together what had happened to the Lowen’s sign. The earliest available shot was this one, from August 2011: