The initials M.B.D., inscribed above two gated passageways to either side of the main structure, mark what was originally home to one of the first major dairies to establish itself in this neighborhood. The 1903 McDermott-Bunger Dairy building has survived the contemporary Sheffield Farms stable that once stood just blocks away, on Broadway; the larger Sheffield facility nearby was built several years afterward.
The aforementioned passageways would have accommodated foot traffic and horse-drawn delivery wagons, at least at first. It's unclear when McDermott-Bunger moved its operations from Manhattan, or whether the dairy ever found need to swap its stables for a garage.
McDermott-Bunger Dairy
Surviving signage at 527-535 West 125th St. (Amsterdam Ave.-Broadway), Manhattan