Posted on by bunnyhugger

Taft St., Cantu, 2002

I made this discovery while walking in and around Bancroft Park recently. It’s on the north side of Taft Street between Ohio and Indiana (Avenues, not States).

I know, you’re thinking, “Another Cantu stamp, big deal.” But look closer! It’s not a dime-a-dozen Cantu & Sons or even a Cantu & (singular) Son, but it’s Cantu simpliciter. While I know that Cantu Builders is the current name of the still-extant company, I had never turned up a stamp without Sons or Son. This is also the most recent Cantu stamp I’ve found, with the previous record-holder being one from 1993. I was beginning to think they didn’t do any sidewalk work after that.

I need to make some more trips into the north side and see what else I can find.

Posted on by bunnyhugger

Drury Ln., Cantu Const., undated

This one is just a couple of paces further west from Wednesday’s, on the northeast corner of Drury Lane and Ballard Street. Though Cantu & Sons stamps are extremely plentiful, this is the first Cantu simpliciter I have found. I would estimate its age at 1980 or earlier, because the earliest Cantu & Son (singular) stamps I have found were from 1980, and the earliest Cantu & Sons (plural) were from 1984. This one appears undated, which is unusual for Cantu.

There’s something else odd about this spot. The house it’s in front of, an exceedingly plain little box, has a Ballard street address, but unambiguously faces Drury, which breaks the usual numbering rules. There is no door on the Ballard side at all. My guess is that the property acquired the number of the first house built there and kept it even when a newer house was built that faced the other way. This one was built in the 2000s, making it a very new house for the neighborhood. I wonder why the builder chose to make it a Drury house instead of a Ballard house?