Russo Realty on Smith Street by Ninth couldn’t be missed, even on the trains that passed overhead and stopped at the Smith & Ninth Street subway stop. Vinnie Russo began buying properties in 1947 and this was the headquarters for his neighborhood real estate empire. Mr. Russo died in 2006. Today his old buildings have been restored and rehabbed.
Counting the number of times the business’ name is shown, is part of the experience of this location, but Mr Russo was its source, an original character from the Gowanus Canal portion of Carrol Gardens and Red Hook. The shot, taken in 2006, was the second biggest snowfall in the city’s history.