I believe the stable for mounted police on 6th, behind the 5th Precinct. My grandfather used to go there often to help tend to the horses; and, when he came home he smelled like he'd been there. It drove my mother crazy.
The horses were stabled on the 2nd floor. When, going for my merit badge in horsemanship the duties of grooming,feeding and of course shoveling it. "EXICITING"
We lived at 115 Sixth street. Behind the stable was the jail. Relative that would come to visit would become intoxicated. He would be picked up on Orange Street & put in jail. As a lesson my Father would take my sister & I to bail him out. To this day I can rem the smell.
My Dad, who had a very green thumb for a city boy, grew all his own vegetables in our little backyard. Thanks to the barter system, and bags and bags of horse manure from the precinct, our garden always flourished!
When we saw the police on horses, we would shout "Can we pet the horses?". My mother would carry sugar cubes in her purse so that we could also offer them a treat. We lived at 99 North 6th and I remember often walking past this building and getting a whif. I also remember the sound of the horses as they went up 6th street toward Sussex Ave.
Almost everyone who posted comments here remarked about the smell of the place. The precinct itself (which would be to the right of the stable, out of this pic) was permeated by an overwhelming stench, so strong as to make the eyes water. And it got worse in the summer. This was greatly relieved by the installation of air conditioning, which allowed us to shut the windows.
There was a stable hand named Frank Martin who used to drink with us at Boyle's Tavern at Orange & 7th Sts. We'd all moan when he came in the bar, 'cause he'd bring the odor, and some of the flies, along with him.
The Mounted Squad was disbanded in 1975, after they killed a guy in the midst of the Puerto Rican disturbance of Sept. '74. There was a subsequent grand jury investigation, and indictment of a police officer for murder. Thankfully, an eyewitness came forward at his trial and refuted the allegation.
In the late 1980's a new Mounted Squad was formed and is presently stabled on Green St, near City Hall.
