By DAVID CRUZ

The Keeper’s House in Norwood has long been a source of intrigue by history buffs who’ve come as far as Queens to admire its granite stone structure. Deemed a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Commission, the house standing at the corner of Reservoir Oval East and Putnam Place once served as the home to ever-present maintenance men overseeing the reservoir that’s now home to Williamsbridge Oval Park. Its landmark status protects it from ever being bulldozed.

But the house has also fascinated Steven Mager and Howard Kaminsky, two retirees who look to raise the image of the house, considered a hidden cultural gem in a borough whose past aligns with its present these days.

“I know this neighborhood, my parents spent a lot of time. I didn’t even know there was a Keeper’s House,” said Kaminsky, a native and principal of City Landmarks Publishing Inc. “I didn’t know that a reservoir was there.”

The pair has now embarked on an ode to Bronx landmarks, which include the Keeper’s House, by producing a book immortalizing 30 of the borough’s landmarks. At least on paper.

“It’s not a testament to the buildings,” said Kaminsky, a Hunts Point native who settled in Westchester County. “It’s a testament to the tradition and to the people who are living here today. They can take pride in these historic landmarks that are still around.”

The Bronx Landmarks Book is part inspiration and part series, modeled after The New York City Manhattan Coloring Book of the same style. The original book was published in 1975, with Mager retaining exclusive rights.

“The Manhattan book has always been marketed as a book,” said Mager. “The Bronx landmark book is being marketed as an event.”

The coffee table-style book will feature 30 familiar Bronx landmarks professionally hand drawn, with a short explanation of the building’s historical value. Some finalized structures include Poe Cottage in Fordham and The Banknote Building in Hunts Point.

It’s a rah-rah of sorts, but also one that underscores landmarks often overlooked by passersby, often with a gaze and that’s quickly dismissed. For Kaminsky and Mager, the pair didn’t know much about the Bronx’s history, never learning it during grammar school.

“In the Bronx you studied Manhattan,” noted Mager. “What is with that?”

The duo admit to having expended plenty of “sweat equity” to launch the book. They scoured the Bronx to vet 92 buildings, boiling it down to 30 landmarks that include the Keeper’s House. Cobbling strategic partners has drawn some challenges, though the pair has secured sponsorships from Mosholu Montefiore Community Center on DeKalb Avenue.

The book is due out in May, with a book tour slated for several upcoming events that include the annual Bronx Week celebration, a 10-day extravaganza with sponsored celebrations held across the borough.

The going price is $14.95 for a single book. Reduced rates are available to readers who donate $50 or more to be considered a sponsor. The book project is for profit, yes, though an educational component geared for younger Bronxites courses through the project largely after the two men realized that Bronx history is sometimes put off.

“I went after George Steinbrenner when he was alive with the New York Yankees, and I chided him for giving out caps, and bats and bobbleheads,” said Mager. “Why not give out something educational?”

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.