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Bernard Warner - New York City
... Father at approximately age 12. He had recently arrived in New York City from Ireland and I do not know the street where this photo was taken. ... 
 
Posted by BeckyF - 03/23/2012 - 11:49pm -

This is a photo of my Father at approximately age 12. He had recently arrived in New York City from Ireland and I do not know the street where this photo was taken. I believe the year is 1920 or 1921. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
New York City
Taken on boat to Liberty Island, late 40s early 50s. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery) ... 
 
Posted by mhallack - 07/29/2021 - 11:49am -

Taken on boat to Liberty Island, late 40s early 50s. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Now Arriving from New York City
My Grandma and Grandpa arriving in Chicago, maybe? Late 40's Kodachrome. View full size. Prop planes When I was a kid I love to go to the airport and watch those big prop planes fire up. The trill has never been the same with jets. ... 
 
Posted by delworthio - 09/22/2011 - 7:35pm -

My Grandma and Grandpa arriving in Chicago, maybe? Late 40's Kodachrome. View full size. Prop planesWhen I was a kid I love to go to the airport and watch those big prop planes fire up. The trill has never been the same with jets. Security...was a little looser in those days. Not only could you walk right out to the plane to greet the visiting relative, the flight attendents were glad to show a curious little boy the plane's interior! Steve Miller Someplace near the crossroads of America, where the airport is likely to renamed -- to the name it had way back when! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
30 Rock: 1933
New York. December 5, 1933. "Rockefeller Center and RCA Building from 515 Madison ... Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. City of the gods In 1933, my father was a seven-year-old living up Lick ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:22pm -

New York. December 5, 1933. "Rockefeller Center and RCA Building from 515 Madison Avenue." Digital image recovered from released emulsion layer of the original 5x7 acetate negative. Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. City of the godsIn 1933, my father was a seven-year-old living up Lick Branch Hollow in the Ozark Mountains. He would read books by kerosene light in the evenings. His family kept butter and milk (and Uncle Linus' hooch) in the cold spring-fed creek outside their house. It's astonishing to think he could have boarded a train and eventually arrived in this city of the gods, only a thousand miles away. Sign of the CrossThe double bar cross was the emblem used by the National Tuberculosis Association. Wonder if the lights were part of the campaign to fight TB. Gotta love those whitewalls!On the convertible by the front door. Double O's. Looks like it's ready to go somewhere in a hurry. Released emulsion layer?Dave, can you explain the technology of this image? How does an emulsion layer get released from a negative? [This is a process used on deteriorating acetate transparencies and negatives when they've begun to shrink. The negative is placed in a chemical solution that separates the emulsion from the film base. The released emulsion layer (the pellicle) is then placed in another solution to "relax," or unwarp, it. It's kind of like disappearing your body so that only the skin is left. More here. - Dave] Amazing viewThe shot is incredible! It looks almost surreal. I love it! Awesome scan job.I only wish I could see an even higher res version. Great work bringing this one back to life. WowI just can't believe how beautiful this shot is. Looks like the view from my New York Penthouse sitting there drinking martinis and listening to that new "jazz" music. High DramaThis marvelous building, reaching for the sky as if erupting from the ground, combines amazing delicacy, impressive size, and a feeling it is built for the ages to admire. SO much more breathtaking than today's typical glass box, although you need a view like this to really appreciate the classical lines and artful massing. A nice complement to the gothic cathedral in the foreground - a true temple of commerce! Churchly And Corporate SpiresThat's St. Patrick's Cathedral on the lower left, probably the only building from the 19th century left on Fifth Avenue, except for the Chancery House that's attached to it. Both styles of architecture are very dramatic. When I was a small child, at Christmas, my family would go to the Christmas Pageant at Radio City Music Hall every year, and then attend Midnight Mass at St. Patrick's. Ever since, I've never been able to separate religion from showbiz. Possibly because they really are the same thing. Take a peekThis picture makes me want to get out the binoculars and look in the windows. "Don't get much better"This image is a about as close to textbook perfect BW as you will find. It contains the complete range of grays from what looks like solid black in a few places to solid white in the highlights. The camera was level and the focus was dead on. As a photographer, I am envious. Old shooter Reaching New HeightsThe skyscraper is 30 Rockefeller Plaza before the RCA and current GE neon signage. Not that it wasn't famous before, but the TV show "30 Rock" has made it an even more iconic. Another claim is the gigantic Christmas tree on the Plaza, between the building and the skating rink, that when illuminated kicks off the Holiday Season in NYC. Hugh FerrissThis is like the photographic equivalent of one of Hugh Ferriss' architectural drawings, coincidentally of roughly the same era. MagicThe quality of this incredible photo captures the magic that New York City always longs for but seldom delivers. King Kong might have had a chance...had he chosen 30 Rock instead. OKLo mismo digo. Gracias. American Express BuildingThat hole in the ground, I believe, bacame the American Express Building. If you come out of the subway at the Rockefeller Center stop, and come up on the escalator in that building, you get an incredible view of St Pat's from below, with the spectacular statue of Atlas in the foreground as well. Very cool. Other noteworthy background details here include the Hotel Edison, and the old NY Times Building, at Times Square, before they went and utterly ruined it in the 60's by stripping all the detail off the skeleton. And check the skylights on the roof of what I think is the Cartier store, in the foreground! Send this to Christopher NolanHere's the art direction for the next Batman sequel. SpectacularWhat a wonderful, wonderful image! I love coming to Shorpy because you never know what Dave will come up with next. Thanks so much! The GreatestDave, this has to be one of the greatest photos you have posted. I work around the corner, and can look out my window at 30 Rock from 6th Avenue... my building wasn't built until 1973. Thank you. Time stoppedIs it 2:25am or 5:10am? Can you spot the clock? What Gets MeLooking at this photo - and it looks spectacular on my new monitor - is the sky. It has a sort of foggy twilight quality that is difficult to put into words but which emphasizes the the "star" of the photo - the RCA Building - and its nearby consorts or supporting cast over the buildings in the background which seem to fad into the mist. The building seems like the height of modernity, and one can easily imagine a couple of kids from Cleveland named Siegel and Shuster seeing this and making it a model for the cities of the doomed planet Krypton. Very neat picture...Can you give us an idea of what it looked like before it was restored? [There's an example here. - Dave] StunnedWhat a totally wonderful image, Sat here slack jawed at the incredible detail and the superb composition. I am amazedThe detail in the spires at St. Paul's Patrick's is fantastic. The amount of work that went into that building must have been enormous. I am very grateful not to have been on the crew detailed to put the crosses atop the spires! The Future Is NowInteresting that this photograph looks into a future in which many of the same buildings are still with us. At far left midground is the tower of Raymond Hood's American Standard Building. Next to it, with the illuminated sign on top, is the New Yorker Hotel (now Sun Myung Moon's) where Nikola Tesla spent the last ten years of his life. At center is the N.Y. Times Building with its flagpole convenient for deploying the New Year's Eve ball. And last, but not least, the Paramount Building topped by a globe and illuminated clock which is about as close to the Hudsucker Building as could hope to be seen. Of these four only the appearance Times Building has changed to any extent. A wonderful slice of time. TremendousTwo of my favorite photos on Shorpy consist of those like this one, showing the immense power of a huge city, even in the depths of the Depression, and those of small towns, especially when patriotic holidays were still celebrated. Samuel H. GottschoI'd never heard of him, but one look at this photo and I'm instantly a fan. This image is nothing short of spectacular. Ethereal, PowerfulThere have been many photos on this site that have impressed and pleased me, but this one is one of my favorites. Absolute magic. It's the quintessence of the power and style of 1930s design. Time machineI admire NY photos of the 1950s. And now I see that many of the buildings in NY I admire already were erected in early 1930s! What a discovery. What a shot. The Singularity of the MomentThis is an amazing photograph. As one earlier contributor observed, the pure technical aspects of the black and white composition are fabulous. The spread of detailed gray shadows and whites make this photo almost magical. It has the qualities of an Ansel Adams zone photograph that makes his work so arresting. But what really makes this photograph dramatic is what it reveals about New York City in 1933. A vision of the future of large cities, bustling twenty four hours a day and electrified. Today visions such as these can be seen on any continent in any large city. It has become the norm. But in 1933 there were only two places in the world that looked like this: New York City and Chicago. One can vicariously put oneself into the shoes of some kid from rural America or from Europe setting on Manhattan Island and seeing visions such as these for the first time. I can only guess it had the same effect as it had on 14th-century peasants in France, visiting Paris for the first time and entering the nave of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Beautifully put!I'm sure Samuel Gottscho would have been very gratified to know thoughtful and eloquent people like Bob H would be appreciating his work in the 21st century. PenthouseIs the Garden Patio still across the street from the skylights? I am in love with this photographExquisite doesn't even begin to describe it. In Your Mind's EyeYou can smell and feel the air and hear the traffic. It may be calm now...I have a feeling that all hell is about to break loose -- this picture was taken the day Prohibition was repealed. I worked hereI worked here in the 1960s for the "Tonight" show unit as as a production assistant for Dick Carson, brother of Johnny Carson. An attractive, dark-haired woman named Barbara Walters was working at the "Today" show at the same time. She is about 10 years older than I am. I also worked with the News department for a time. I was in the elevator with David Brinkley coming back from lunch when I learned that President Kennedy had been shot. We stayed up all Friday night and most of Saturday assembling film footage for a retrospective of JFK's life. When we weren't editing, we were visiting St. Patrick's Cathedral to light candles with others in the crowd. That's an absolutely amazing photo. I'm going to link this to other New Yorkers and broadcasters who might be interested. Thanks for all your work. Cordially, Ellen Kimball Portland, OR http://ellenkimball.blogspot.com 30 RockIs the excavated area where the skating rink is? I've been there once and it is very magical. Right across the street from the "Today" studio. Tipster's PhotoStunning, but in a different way than Gottscho's. It helps when the subject is beautiful. 30 Rock 09 Here's the view today made with a 4x5 view camera, farther back seen through the St. Patrick's spires and somewhat higher than the 1933 photo. Lots more buildings now. I was doing an interior architectural shoot, and went out on the terrace of a wedding-cake building on Madison Avenue. It was after midnight. Not much wind. Strangely quiet. As an architectural photographer I have great admiration for these Gottscho pictures. 30 Rock in Living ColorThat's a lovely photo, and it's nice to see the perspective so close to that of the original. Design Continuum of Bertram GoodhueThe proximity of St. Patrick's Cathedral to the newly constructed tower by Raymond Hood brought to mind two "bookends" to the unfulfilled career of Bertram Goodhue. During his early apprenticeship he undoubtedly worked on the St. Patrick's Cathedral, in Renwick's office, which greatly influenced his early career and success. The tower (30 Roc) represents what might have been...rather what should have been the end result of Goodhue's tragically shortened career (ending in 1924). Hood's career, which began to emerge after Goodhue's death is far better known, but is greatly in his debt. Hood's 1922 Tribune Tower clearly displays this link, as a practitioner of the neo-gothic style. Much of Hood's gothic detail is a through-back to design ideas that by 1922, Goodhue had already left behind. Goodhue was by this time already synthesizing elements of european modernism into an new original american idiom. Goodhue's last major projects were already working out the language of the modern/deco skyscraper; (the Nebraska State capital and Los Angles Public Library the best examples.) Goodhue's unique career was the crucible where concepts of romantic imagery of the Gothic, the sublime juxtapositions of minimal ornament on architectonic massing was being forged with modern construction technology. A close study of his career and work will show that not only Hood, but other notable architects of the era built upon the rigorous and expansive explorations that Goodhue was beginning to fuse at the end of his life. *It is also curious to me that Hugh Ferris is credited with so much of these innovative design ideas; no doubt he was a super talented delineator, his freelance services were utilized by many architects of the time including Goodhue. Some of his famous massing studies (sketches) owe much to Goodhue's late work. Amazing Execution and RestorationI agree with "Don't get much Better" ! This is as good as it can get for B&W. The exposure is so right-on and this in 1933!! Is this a "night" shot.. there is a lot of ambient light. Simply Amazing. I want it! Rock RinkThe not-yet-built skating rink is in front of the building. The empty space became 630 Fifth Avenue, where a statue of Atlas stands. Vanderbilt Triple PalaceA long time since this was posted, but I am surprised no one recognized the southern half of the iconic, brownstone-clad Vanderbilt Triple Palaces in the foreground (640 Fifth Avenue), just opposite the lower edge of the excavated building site. The northern half, with two residences, had been sold, demolished & replaced a long time ago, but the southern half stood until 1947 (Grace Wilson Vanderbilt continued entertaining in her usual style until WWII). The entrance vestibule to the three residences featured a nine foot tall Russian malachite vase, once given by Emperor Nicholas I of Russia to Nicholas Demidoff, now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art a couple of dozen blocks north on Fifth. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Ghost Crossing: 1915
... outnumbered as it is by the horseless versions. New York Avenue & 14th Street NW View Larger Map Wowzers ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 4:01pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1915. "Bond Building, Washington Herald." Watch out for the ectoplasmic pedestrians. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. A moment in timeAdd the streetcar tracks to the horse and buggy and early cars and we've got a crossroads in time as well as space. Going up?Wow - at first glance, the building looks pretty much the same in the photo and the google maps image, but there's actually a whole floor or two built up now on top of the original. Interesting, too, that there are now trees in the streetscape. Not sure what that says about urban living and our evolving relationship with nature... Checkerboard PlatesThose "checkerboard" plates, so regularly spaced around the intersections of track, provided access to the underground conduit for the middle or "third rail," which provided power to the streetcars. The conduit configuration required the trolleys to have a "plow," which sent the juice from the conduit source up to the streetcar motor. Unfortunately, the middle groove tended to collect sediment over time, which could disengage the plow and render the streetcar immobile until a track worker reconnected the whole contraption. Doing this required a shutdown of power for the segment of track in question. Access to the circuit was through the checkerboard plates. You can still see a few of these in the streets; at least one is next to the Peace Monument immediately outside the west face of the the U.S. Capitol. Bye bye buggy.The photo makes kind of a sad comment on the numbered days of the horse and buggy, completely outnumbered as it is by the horseless versions. New York Avenue & 14th Street NWView Larger Map WowzersWhat a fantastically smokey picture. The first thing I noticed was the strange "tiling" in between the tracks. Anyone know what they are? This is a Desktop background for sure! Ghost legsWow. What a spectacular photo. I have a question about the series of ghost legs crossing the street on the left side of the photo. Is that one person running or a number of people walking? [I think it's probably one person. There's another set of legs on the corner, and a third set crossing on the right. - Dave] Chevy Chase BankIs that a Chevy Chase Bank Branch on 14th Street? Wowzers! they were everywhere even back then! Ne'er do wellI'm fascinated by the character slouching against the light post on the right side of the building. He seems to have the classic "ne'er do well" pose. Charles H. Bond Office Building Planned Handsome Structure to be Erected at Fourteenth Street and New York Avenue The erection of a large and modern office building will soon begin at the southwest corner of Fourteenth street and New York avenue. The ground here, with the exception of the corner lot, is unimproved. It is said that the enterprise contemplated will involve the expenditure, including the value of the land, of more than $300,000. The plan is to be carried out by Mr. Charles H. Bond, of Boston and Messrs. H. Bradley Davidson and John C. Davidson, of this city, the owners of the property. They are having plans prepared for the new building by Mr. George W. Cooper, architect. The structure will be seven stories in height, it is stated. ... Washington Post, March 22, 1900 C.H. Bond Known Here Man Who Died Strangely the Owner of Local Property Cigar Manufacturer Often Visited This City - Singers, Among Them Geraldine Farrar, May Pendergrast, and Ada Chambers, Owe Vocal Training to Him - Generous in Many Ways. Charles H. Bond, multimillionaire, philanthropist, and cigar manufacturer, of Boston, whose death occurred Friday afternoon at his home, Peace Haven, Swampscott, Mass., under mysterious circumstances, was a large property owner in Washington. Although Mr. Bond never made Washington his home, he visited here several times each year and became the owner of several valuable pieces of real estate. With H. Bradley Davidson as a partner, he built the large office building at New York avenue and Fourteenth street which bears his name. Mr. Davidson afterward sold his share and Mr. Bond became sole owner. Mr. Bond also owned the piece of property at the northwest corner of Tenth and F streets northwest, where Rich's shoe store is located. Mr. Bond was twice married. His first wife was Martha Morrison and his second wife Belle Bacon, formerly prominent in Washington society. Miss Bacon's father was at one time a clerk in the civil service commission. Immediately following the second marriage, Mr. Bond bought a house at 1708 Nineteenth street northwest, which became the home of his wife's parents. ... Among the summer colonists at Swampscott Mr. Bond was known as the "Macaenas of the North Shore." Through his aid several young women attained fame as singers, for whenever a voice interested him and the owner could not afford to cultivate it he paid her expenses for training in this country and abroad. Among those were Geraldine Farrar, May Pendergast, and Ada Chambers, of New York. He allowed them $100 a month for their living expenses and gave them a thorough training by the best European Masters. ... Geraldine Farrar was at first brought to Washington by the multimillionaire cigar manufacturer to have her voice trained. She was afterward sent to Europe for schooling. Miss Farrar made her debut in Washington at a concert given at what was then known as the Lafayette Theater. After becoming successful on the stage, Miss Farrar is said to have paid back to Mr. Bond the money which he spent in having her voice trained. Recently Mr. Bond mortgaged his Washington property for about $350,000 and invested the money in the Lyric Theater in Boston. Mr. Bond was found dead Friday afternoon in a half filled bath tub in his bathroom connecting with his bedroom. In the bedroom was found this note: "I have been killed by my friends and enemies It is more than I can bear. I can stand it no longer. My heart is broken. I leave everything to my wife. - CHARLES H. BOND" ... Washington Post, July 7, 1908 P.S. In response to Anonymous Odie: Boss & Phelps were realtors who, among other interests, dealt a great deal with Chevy Chase properties. Lost DramaThis is a good example of why modern and post-modern architecture is so unappreciated or understood. Despite the efficiencies available today, the charm and detailing that set these wonderful old buildings apart is lacking. Many consider the majority of modern buildings to be sterile and inhuman. Sometimes I tend to agree with them. Then there's this ...Some believe that Mr. Bond might be haunting the Saugas, Massachusetts Town Hall. TransitionI love the time transition between the horse and buggy and motor vehicle, somewhat like the one between the steam locomotive and the diesel powered locomotive. With mayoThe ground floor tenant at the corner is now a Potbelly's. +95I drive by this building every day to work. Although the outside is as beautiful as it was when it was new, the inside is everyday nondescript basic offices occupied by employees of the Department of Justice. Below is the identical view taken in April of 2010. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Streetcars)
Night and the City: 1917
January 18, 1917. "New York Municipal Lodging House. Waiting for the doors to open." View full size. ... size as a bad joke. Yet that is exactly what New York City put up in 1909 at 432 East 25th Street. This shelter stood for 40 years ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 7:49pm -

January 18, 1917. "New York Municipal Lodging House. Waiting for the doors to open." View full size. 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. Hatsit's a real sign of the times that no matter how down on your luck you were, you always wore a hat. NYMLH1991 New York Times article on the Municipal Lodging House. Excerpt: IF Mayor David N. Dinkins has been perturbed by the opposition to his plan for 100-bed shelters for the homeless, he would surely take a suggestion for a facility 10 times that size as a bad joke. Yet that is exactly what New York City put up in 1909 at 432 East 25th Street. This shelter stood for 40 years but the chilling irony is that the 1909 Municipal Lodging House remains the only city building built in Manhattan for single homeless men and women. Homeless ShelterThat's a lot of tenants who did not have the freedom to get into their own bed until someone else said they could! I'd love to learn more about this one too. [So far we have six photos of the New York Municipal Lodging House, with more information in the comments. - Dave] ShelterThe hangdog expression on the policeman's face speaks volumes. What was the story on the New York Municipal Lodging House? Sure seems like a popular place. Covered FacesIt's also very interesting to note that a number of men have purposefully covered their faces or lowered their heads, as if to not be identified. It's also interesting to note the group of men standing off to the right toward the back of the picture. Why have they remained separate? Just interesting. LiteraryReminds me of Down and Out in Paris and London. Many scenes just like these with all the "tramps" waiting to see if they would be allowed in for the night (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Fifth Avenue: 1912
New York circa 1912. "Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street." At left, the East Coast outlet ... long as you like Black. Early movie of 1911 New York City In this speed-corrected early movie with sound added of New York City ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/10/2018 - 7:58pm -

New York circa 1912. "Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street." At left, the East Coast outlet of California's Cawston Ostrich Farm. 5x7 inch glass negative. View full size. Driving rightI know we've always stayed to the right in the US when traveling down a road, but I wonder when the driving position within the vehicle shifted to the left side? All the drivers in the photo are sitting on the right hand side of their vehicles. [There was a gradual transition from a mix of left- and right-hand drive cars. By 1920 they were almost all LHD. - Dave] More dangerous than the TitanicI wonder how many pedestrians were lost on the streets of New York in 1912? Street Clock at 522 Fifth Ave.Still standing! Great old time outfits.As long as you like Black. Early movie of 1911 New York CityIn this speed-corrected early movie with sound added of New York City in 1911, it's amazing how these first people in human history to have access to self-propelled vehicles seem to have so quickly adapted to them without benefit of any rules or traffic lights, both pedestrians and drivers--it's almost like we had some kind of hard-wired affinity for the advent of the automobile. Of course, skill sets in other areas no doubt helped. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aohXOpKtns0 Men in WhiteThe vehicle in the middle of the street heading away from the photographer appears to have a police officer and a Good Humor man in back. Any ideas as to what the vehicle would be used as? Paddy wagon, ambulance or ice cream truck? [The white suits on New York's streets in photos from this era are generally sweepers with the Department of Sanitation. - Dave] You couldn't pay me enoughNo sirree, not me. Those two gents in the upper left working on the sign need hazardous duty pay. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets)
On the Beat: 1915
New York City circa 1910-1920. "Police Orchestra." Another view of New York's finest. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 5:27pm -

New York City circa 1910-1920. "Police Orchestra." Another view of New York's finest. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. The boys in the bandI never heard of a police department having an orchestra! Do large police departments still have such things?? The PoliceDo large police departments still have such things??... Sure they do, they even have special police band radios. And they occasionally include perps singing their lungs out. Maybe..they put you in the orchestra when you got to old to chase down perps. Toronto Police BandThe Toronto Police Service has had a band continuously since 1926, and it is still in full swing. It occasionally plays gigs in the U.S. in the summertime, largely at the bandsmen's personal expense. I think police bands/orchestras were once quite common in North American cities. New York Police Band Then and NowFormed in 1903 discontinued in 1954. Reinstated in 1991 and still going strong. Also included in their ranks are a percussion ensemble, jazz ensemble and steel drum ensemble. Check them out here: http://www.policeband.org/ No, Probably Not DanceableBrass and woodwind bands were featured in the early days of recording, simply because they came across better, volume-wise, on the cylinders and discs better than, say, a solo piano did. For the same reason, Vaudeville performers like Billy Murray, Bert Williams, Al Jolson, and Sophie Tucker made a lot of hit records because they could really "belt" a number into the recording horn. And it would come out well on the other side. I don't have anything by a Police Band, but the Sousa and Edison and Victor Military bands probably sounded much the same. Examples are available by request, at the Pilsner's Picks page on MySpace. Which is me. New friends are always welcome. From Bullets to Bar ChordsYes, police departments still have such things. Some bands even get so good that they quit being policemen and go professional as in the case of the Norfolk Southern Lawmen. http://www.norfolksouthernlawmen.com/ Bad Conduct?The conductor's had more than his fair share of donuts. The back row gets a photo of its ownYesterday's "Police Brass" photo had the tuba players, all of whom (I think) can be seen and rear/center in the band's photo -- apparently in the same left-to-right order. On the left is one of those bell-up sousaphones, on the right the bell-forward ones. True tuba geeks will notice, in yesterday's photo, all the four-valve instruments (rather than three) -- a true "premium" model. Further tuba trivia: my local professional tubist identifies most of yesterday's instruments as made by Conn or Holton. Lots of bands My utility company had a band at the beginning of the century, composed of streetcar conductors and linemen. Most of the Southern mills fielded baseball teams in the minor leagues. There were much better opportunities for cheap family entertainment back then. Yeah, but you could dance to it?With all that brass and woodwind, I'm thinking they specialized in marches. Kind of hard to waltz or even polka to the beat of a big brass band. NYPD OrchestraIf Louis Armstrong were a NYC Police Officer there would have been no place for him in that orchestra. That would have been true for just about any city in the country. New York's FinestThis band was very good, from recorded evidence. The New York City Police Band made at least one record contemporary with this photo: Victor Herbert's "American Fantasy" on Brunswick 2007, recorded in July 1920, of which I have a copy. The performance is first-class, equal to any of the professional bands of the day, and Brunswick's recording technique is surprisingly lively, considering the company had just really begun full scale lateral record production. The group used in the recording studio would have been considerably smaller than that shown in the photograph. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Music, NYC)
On the Radar: 1952
... airfield? View full size. Idlewild Airport - New York City Based on the location of the radar antenna and the runway ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/11/2014 - 1:48pm -

September 1952. "Man in an airport control tower looking at radar screen." From photos by Phillip Harrington for the Look magazine assignment "International Airport." Who'll be first to locate this anonymous airfield? View full size. Idlewild Airport - New York CityBased on the location of the radar antenna and the runway configuration depicted on the radar screen it appears to be a view of Idlewild Airport in New York City. It was renamed to JFK airport after Kennedy was killed in 1963. The two runways that form the "X" are long gone now but the other runways depicted are the part of the current runway infrastructure. Here is a 1951 runway diagram for the airport. Ground Radar Device New York Times, September 17, 1952. Idlewild Airport Dedicates Tower The tallest airport control tower in the world was formally dedicated and put into operation yesterday at New York International Airport, Idlewild, Queens. The structure, equivalent to an eleven-story building, is 150 feet high; with its ground radar antenna, 166 feet. … The tower is unique it its location with respect to runways. It is the only tower completely surrounded by runways, with its nearest runway 1,900 feet away. This was necessarily so, it was said, because of the airport’s size, 4,900 acres, the largest in the world. Because of its height, the structure will not infrequently be in or above the “stuff.” To aid the C.A.A. controllers under these conditions, the Federal Government has installed a ground radar device that gives the controllers an image of virtually everything on the ground in the immediate vicinity of the airport. The device, an experimental model, was borrowed from the Air Force for experimentation. Thus far the results have been satisfactory. … Today's Kennedy InternationalUnless it's changed since I retired two years ago, Kennedy International (former Idlewild) has four active runways. 31L&R, 4L&R and their reciprocals. Parts of the old runway system may have been incorporated into the taxiways, but it's not obvious. Operated there hundreds of times. SSDD (Same Screen, Different Day)FAA is still using those 50s-vintage oval screen CRTs, I believe [The shape here is a circle, not an oval. - Dave] Everyone is counting on himBut did he ever get over Macho Grande? (Technology, The Gallery, Aviation, LOOK, Phillip Harrington)
New York World: 1905
Circa 1905. "City Hall and New York World building." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:47pm -

Circa 1905. "City Hall and New York World building." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. World Building in early movie SpeedyI used this photo of the World Building, and another great Library of Congress view of the New York skyline, to identify all of the New York skyscrapers appearing in this opening shot from Harold Lloyd’s final silent comedy Speedy, filmed on location in New York during the summer of 1927. Here’s how the World Building appears in my book Silent Visions, and how it appears (marked with an oval) in the movie. You can see more vintage New York settings from the movie at my blog http://SilentLocations.WordPress.com GoneThe New York World Building was demolished in 1955 for the expanded car ramp entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. The newspaper folded in 1931 after being sold by the heirs of Joseph Pulitzer. Weird Coincidence!I was just checking out John Bengtson's Silent Locations web site yesterday, connected via Leonard Maltin's recommendation. Well worth checking out by all the Shorpy fans, and no, I received nothing for this endorsement! HA!Excellent! George B. PostThe New York World Building was one of the finest efforts of George B. Post, sometimes known as the father of the New York skyscraper. This building was built using a conservative variant of skeleton frame construction known as "cage construction." In this technique, the exterior facade walls are self-supporting, but the floors and the interior structure are carried on an iron framework built right next to the exterior masonry walls. The World Building made a rather questionable claim for the title of the world's tallest building, topping out at 309 feet, but that number was valid only when measured from the back door down the hill on Frankfort Street (a full story lower than the front door facing Park Row) to the top of the flagpole. The Masonic Temple in Chicago -- seen here last year on Shorpy -- had a much better claim at 302 feet. As for the critical reception of the World Building in the architectural press, the less said the better. Classical The New York World building is incredible. It stretches the limits of "classical" to its virtual breaking point; imagine if it had been as tall as the Empire State building. The mind reels at the implications. Please tell us that it is still there. Magnificent AtlantesThose are the male supporting figures near the top of the building. They are also called telemones. Both new words to me. The female version btw is caryatids. The World in colorThe photo below was taken by Charles W. Cushman in June 1941: The entire Cushman collection of Kodachromes from all over the world over 32 years (from 1938 to 1969) can be seen on the Indiana University Archives site. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Back the Invasion: 1944
June 6, 1944. "New York. Part of the parade on D-Day, Madison Square." Medium format negative by ... with a death wish. Especially in NYC! New York City slickers Thank goodness I can finally get rid of this unsafe rainwear ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 6:18pm -

June 6, 1944. "New York. Part of the parade on D-Day, Madison Square." Medium format negative by Howard Hollem, Office of War Information. View full size. Were there any anti-invasion people?I know during WWII this country had a very small minority of objectors but it's hard to believe at that time there would be any anti-D-Day people out counter-marching. Unless they were daredevils with a death wish. Especially in NYC! New York City slickersThank goodness I can finally get rid of this unsafe rainwear and pick up some of the good stuff at the Safe Rainewear Co. That's the Flatiron Building at the far rightThe Nic Nac, Freud Bar, and Adam Hat buildings are still there. The view looks to the SW from the SE corner of Madison Square Park. View Larger Map Who Were They?Any idea what group this was? There seem to be quite a few draft-age men in it: what looks like "ime" and a ship's wheel on the banner makes me wonder if it might be some sort of maritime or merchant marine union. [National Maritime Union of America - CIO. - Dave] That Nurse better be carefulThere are Rogue Sailors going around sweeping Women off their feet and kissing them hard on the lips. Mayor's D-Day CommitteeThe next morning, the New York Times reported on the events surrounding a rally held on June 6 near the Eternal Light at Madison Square Park, featuring clergy and rabbis, singers of the major allied nations, and of course Hizzoner, Mayor LaGuardia. It also described the work of members of the "Mayor's D-Day Committee" in publicizing the rally through leafleting. Bar sign is still thereThe bar sign for Metro Bar is still prominent as a sign for the Live Bait Restaurant and Bar. Either it's the original or an identical one. Check out that AmbulanceWhat model of truck was that ambulance? I never saw one with a window in the shape of a cross! Much more stylistic than utilitarian. "Good Like Nedick's!"Nedick's had a superb orange drink that could never be duplicated and the hot dog on a toasted bun was a special treat. When Mom bought you a "dog and an orange" you knew she loved you dearly. On the radio when the Knicks sank a basket you'd hear announcer Marty Glickman exclaim, "Good like Nedick's!" Nic-NacNic-Nac is now a Quiznos, the Metro Bar is now Live Bait, a Cajun themed bar/restaurant. The building that housed The Safe Rainwear Co and those to the west of it were destroyed by fire October 17, 1966. Twelve firemen died fighting the blaze. 1944New York City police used Plymouth coupes, white on the top and dark blue-green on the bottom. The one in this picture looks so good to me. That bus type was used on the cross towns. Safe Rainwear Co connectionFunny that Jon commented on the Safe Rainwear Co. - That was actually my wife's grandfather's store. He hailed from Poland, emigrating to Italy in the 1930's, finding himself an Austrian wife (also originally from Poland) and settling down in Rome. Just prior to the start of WWII he prudently realized it was time to say goodbye to Hitler's Europe and emigrate to the US. With his wife and two (soon to be three) small children in tow, he embarked on a 2 1/2 year long journey which took them through France, Cyprus, Spain, and Portugal, finally arriving in NYC in 1941. Not speaking a lick of English when they got here (although they both spoke multiple languages), they quickly achieved English proficiency, and opened up this store on 23rd Street. Over the years he opened up several stores in NYC, including one down on Nassau street. When his son (my father-in-law) took over the 23rd street store, he changed the name to "Victor's", and eventually sold the store in the early eighties. Update: Talking to my father-in-law yielded the origin of the name "Safe" rainwear - his father concatenated the first two letters of his and his wife's first names (Samuel and Sadie) and last name (Feiwel). (The Gallery, Howard Hollem, NYC, Patriotic, WW2)
Take This Fire. Please.
... Loewinger Brothers printers, a pool hall and Greater New York Film Rental. We also see women at two of the windows. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 7:32pm -

June 29, 1916, fire at the Fox Playhouse between East 13th and 14th Streets. Tenants in the building owned by restaurateur August Luchow included the vaudeville house (showing "photo plays"), Loewinger Brothers printers, a pool hall and Greater New York Film Rental. We also see women at two of the windows. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. Misleading Information?Do you think "7/16" could represent July 16th, unspecified year, instead of July, 1916? According to this article on New York Times Archive, "The Greater New York Film Rental Company" occupied a space at 114-116 East 14th Street as of November 9, 1913, but they were relocating to "the 7th Floor of the Leavitt Building at 126-132 West Forty-sixth Street." Assuming the address on 14th Street is accurate, Google Maps says that that location is between 3rd and 4th Avenue, right near Irving Place. Furthermore, a search of "114 E. 14th Street" turns up "City Newsreel Theatre" which is listed as "closed" on CinemaTour.com. " That name, as well as "Fox's City Vaudeville" didn't come up on any of the searches I tried on the NYTimes Archive, even one stretching from 1900 to 1920. I did all kinds of searches for fires on Thirteenth Street (they spell all the street names out in the New York Times) in July of 1916, but couldn't find one that seemed to match. "Loewinger" comes up twice, once is an obituary in 1920, but not in relation to a fire. I can't be sure, but it looks to me like Loewinger Bros. was a "Printer," but the last word is obscured by smoke. [The year is correct. See next comment above. - Dave] THEATRE AUDIENCE FLEES FROM FIRE"900 Leave Fox City Playhouse by Rear Exits and Fire Escapes." - New York Times, June 30, 1916. The article gives the address as 116-118 East 14th with the rear of the building on 13th, where the theatergoers made their escape. Luchow'sLuchow's, a favored "German" restaurant in NYC as late as the fifties and sixties, was located on East 14th Street between Third and Fourth Avenues. The article states that the building was owned by restaurateur August Luchow and that seals the deal. The picture is of 114-116 East 14th Street, the location of Luchow's Restaurant. I don't know whether the restaurant occupied that building when the fire broke out but as the article states that the building was owned by August Luchow it makess sense to assume that it already did in 1916. [Luchow's restaurant was in another building: 110-112 East 14th. - Dave] Nitrate Film.If this fire started on the ground floor in the Greater New York Film Rental Co., that would make sense since if it contained quantities of 35mm nitrate movie film. That was extremely flammable stuff. Once it started burning, it could not be extinguished; it would burn till it was completely consumed. (The Gallery, Fires, Floods etc., G.G. Bain, NYC)
Starlight Park: 1921
... Broadway Production, 1927 Lady of the Ensemble More New York City photos requested... More photos of people and places in New York ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 12:24pm -

June 1921. Eleanor Tierney at Starlight Park on the Bronx River at 177th Street. Eleanor, a Broadway chorus girl, married a banker and ended up in Larchmont. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Hairy gamsShe has more hair on her legs than some of those Confederate soldiers had on their chins. I bet it's a good thing her arms aren't raised. EleanorYou could almost think this was a recent photo. She has a very modern look. The suitWas this bathing suit considered risque at the time? I wonder, only because so-called "modesty suits" which are marketed to (mostly extremist) religious women these days (i.e. http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/11745.htm ) offer significantly more coverage than this item from nearly 90 years ago. [It's not unusual for a 1920 bathing suit. - Dave] Itchy & ScratchyThat suit looks mighty itchy... Is it wool? A Little ChubbyA lot of those 1920 bathing beauties seem to be slightly pregnant I guess they weren't into washboard abs or heroin chic. Grooming NotesWow, I guess women of the 20s were not too worried about shaving their legs. Of other interest, it appears that there is more material on the men's bathing suits of the day than on Eleanor's! A real woman*sigh* every chorus girl's dream: to marry a banker and move to Larchmont.... RE: "Chubby," Seems that some men today are too used to the hyper airbrushed "perfect 10's" they see in the media. As apparent in comments seen here and elsewhere on Shorpy. Someone always seems to pipe up about weight. Most women share a shape similar to Eleanor's. Not fat, not skinny, not hard-bodied, not total slobs--just real and healthy. That being said, most of us do shave our legs nowadays. Comment criteria?I find it interesting that every comment I've submitted to this site -- which have had to do with artistic decisions in photographs or societal conditions at the time the photos were taken -- has not appeared in the threads, and yet comments about the hair on this woman's legs or that say she looks "slightly pregnant" (please, calling her "a little chubby" is absolutely ridiculous) pass muster. This is a private blog, of course, and you may post comments or not as you please, but this thread is a bit annoying. [Indeed. - Dave] I like her attitude.I would seriously like to go back in time and hang out with this girl. Concrete beach?What is she standing on? [Concrete paving. - Dave] Starlight ParkFrom what little I can find about Starlight Park, it was at 177th and Devoe and closed around 1940. The site is now occupied by a city bus barn. From other writings, Eleanor was apparently standing on a "beach" at the edge of a large wave pool on the park grounds. The chin-up pose is striking. Eleanor had confidence. She's all that...and she knows it! Here's a woman with a healthy confidence and outlook! Real women, indeedI agree that normal women are shaped like this young lady, if they're lucky; she was indeed a beautiful girl. As a guy in his 60s, I would point out that the rage for anorexics is a fairly recent one, and I think that even young men would largely prefer a healthy woman to one who is obsessed with her weight. It seems to me that this is something that women have brought on themselves in the last 25 years or so. Maybe not. It's also true that men like me knew lots and lots of unshaven European and American girls in the '60s and '70s. Natural and feminine women can be devastatingly attractive. ShowboatAccording to http://broadwayworld.com/people/Eleanor_Tierney/ Performances Show Boat [Broadway] Original Broadway Production, 1927 Lady of the Ensemble More New York City photos requested...More photos of people and places in New York City that are no longer "there" would sure be welcomed here, a la' the vast file of DC scenes you've published to date. [We have more than 400 NYC photos on the site. - Dave] Where it was...If I'm reading my Yahoo! Map correctly, Starlight Park in the Bronx was just about where the northern terminus of Sheridan Parkway feeds off to East 177th Street, very close to East Tremont Avenue. The Bronx River is basically clean where in runs through the NY Botanical Garden, but I don't think I'd want to take a swim it it today where Starlight Park used to be. Who wants plastic anorexia?I'm a relatively young man myself (37) and it's all the starved carpenter's dreams walking around these days that makes me really appreciate the beauty of this photo. Nothing fake or plastic here - to paraphrase, "it's all her, baby!" - and that's how I personally prefer women, inside as well as outside. Since we're on the subject of "modern" women vs. the extremely appealing jazz babies I've seen here thus far, my question is, why on God's green earth have hips and real busts been outlawed the last 3 decades or so? Dave, I can't tell you what a wonderful job and service you're doing. The streetscapes - as well as the jazz babies, among the many other things here - are exceptional!!! Twiggy Go HomeTo answer the SwingMan's question: It's that darn Twiggy in the early 1970's. I wish she had quickly crawled back into the golf hole from whence she came. *sigh*"It's also true that men like me knew lots and lots of unshaven European and American girls in the '60s and '70s. Natural and feminine women can be devastatingly attractive." Heck, yes. That's a reason I keep coming back to this site. The Hepburn FactorTwiggy was a latecomer in the thin-is-stylish sweepstakes. It actually dates back to Audrey Hepburn, the quintessential high-fashion template of the 50s. On a related note, let's not forget that of Katharine Hepburn (no relation), Spencer Tracy said, "Not much meat on her, but what there is is cherce." YMMV, of course. Almost Nekkid!For its moment, ca. 1920, this is a mild news service cheesecake photo produced for one of New York's many illustrated dailies. Eleanor Tierney's two-piece wool jersey bathing suit is acceptable in 1920 but a bit risque in its lack of a skirt. Many women continued to wear corsets under their bathing suits until the mid-teens at least, and one-piece bathing suits for women would remain illegal on many American beaches until the early 1930s. Many viewers at the time would have considered her "almost nekkid." With her casually proud stance and short hair, Eleanor is expressing modernity and liberation from older values, embodying social changes that were exciting, controversial and hotly debated throughout the country. Real WomenOnce again, Shorpy proves why it is my daily online morning ritual. Cup of coffee in hand, I have to peruse the jewels set up for daily display. As a woman who would have been described a "sweater girl" back in the good old days, I have always been amazed and a bit irritated how normal, healthy women in pictures such as this are berated in the comments on Shorpy for their weight when they have the curves and lovely meat a woman is supposed to have. I'm very glad I resemble Mae West rather than Twiggy, and I know not a few men who are as well. Flat-Chested FlappersOdd that so many readers view thinness as a purely modern fashion phenomenon, although our rail-thin models are a record-setting extreme. By the mid-1920s the ideal beauty was "boyish," with very slim hips, long legs, a flat chest and very short hair. This was the culmination of a revolutionary fashion trend that began during World War I with "mannish" dresses that suppressed the hourglass body shapes of the 1890-1910 period. In the 1920s John Held's covers for Life and Judge magazines featured girls with barely noticeable breasts and no waistline. This is the basis for the joke in "Some Like It Hot," when Marilyn Monroe envies Jack Lemmon's figure (in drag). She says that his beaded necklace hangs straight, and complains that hers just go all over the place. The Boyish LookSetting aside the fact that had the current fashion for anorexic actresses been in place fifty or sixty years ago we would have been robbed of the pleasure of watching Marilyn Monroe, the boyish look of the '20s was quite common, and would later come to be thoroughly misunderstood. If you've ever seen a not very good movie called "Getting Straight" which starred Elliott Gould and Candice Bergen, you may recall a scene in which Gould's character is defending his thesis on his favourite book "The Great Gatsby." One of the professors insists that Fitzgerald's description of Daisy is distinctly boyish and points to this as proof of Gatsby's (and maybe even Fitzgerald's - it's been a long time since I've seen the film) suppressed homosexuality. I at least see it as being as much a product of the fashions of the times as the descriptions of blacks in other novels of the period. My Two CentsNot to belabor the point regarding women's curves, I can only think of the classic artists whose magnificent paintings of beautiful, fleshed-out female forms are unintentionally so much more interesting (as in erotic) than would be bone-thin, shapeless females exhibiting a dearth of both feminine hormones and sex appeal. Take for example Venus, September Morn, the entire works of Rubens, Botticelli and hundreds of other artists and paintings that celebrate the true nature of the female form. Of course, then we have Botero, who makes all his figures very short and very stocky, but they are such great fun to look at. I can't imagine the great painters even desiring to paint the anorexic girls on the runways today. Just had to add my humble opinion to the mix. Thank you for not only the fascinating photos but also the stimulating discussions they inspire. EleanorEleanor, gee I think you're swell, and you really do me well, you're my pride and joy, etcetera... ©the Turtles ...this beauty can model for me any time. WOW...That is some hairdo! Very pretty woman. Can this be back in style?I absolutely love her bathing suit. I may need to get to work on one not made out of wool... Re: Show BoatShe's a chorus girl, too? Can she GET any more awesome? Why this photo?DO you know why this photo was taken? Was it a private photo? Or was it taken as publicity for the show she is appearing in at the time (being a chorus girl) or for the park itself? It has all the hallmarks of a professional photo due to the angle and her stance. [The Bain News Service photos were all professional. - Dave] EleanorSomething about the way she is standing and the look on her faces tells me that Eleanor might have been that girl who knew how to have a good time. Love the photo. Eleanor TierneyAccording to census records and the NY Times archives, Eleanor married John A. Van Zelm. He died of pneumonia on August 1, 1937. Eleanor died on June 22, 1948. Chubby? Slightly Pregnant??!!Honestly, get a clue. She just happens to have internal organs. Gee,if only they could come up with plastic surgery to remove them. Starlight Park in my LifeI admire the candid of Ms. Tierney, but the background is most interesting. I knew Starlight Park more than a quarter century later. By then there were no remnants of roller coasters or the like. The arena had been converted to a bus barn by Third Avenue Transit( taken over and operated now by the government transit op.) Many of the stucco buildings with red tile roofs were either destroyed,falling down or abandoned playgrounds for kids. That pool she is standing beside had a large sandy beach area and was of monumental proportions. It was the length of a football field, oriented east-west. At the west end, beyond the paved promenade, was a retaining wall and the land fell off sharply to the Bronx River. When this photo was taken this was largely an area that was undeveloped. The 180th Street Crosstown trolley (X route) went by and there was the West Farms junction of several trolley routes (after 1948 all buses) about a quarter mile away. The White Plains Road IRT elevated line with a Bronx Zoo destination had a stop another few blocks further west. In the 1940s when I frequented the place, it was because I accompanied my father, who was a soccer buff, when he went there on Sundays to doubleheaders of the German-American Soccer league. Not withstanding the leagues moniker; the NY Hungarians, Praha, Savoia, Hakoah, Eintracht, Brooklyn Wanderers, Bronx Scots, my old man's former team the NY Corinthians, and a plethora of teams with non-teutonic associations made up the league. There were professional leagues that had a larger territorial range, but almost all of the players in those days were either immigrants, or their first generation progeny. The GA was the MISL of that time. There was no real money to pay living wages to soccer players so either industrial teams, like the Uhrich Truckers in St. Louis, or semi pros - like those from the G-A league were the source of the best players in the country. Yogi Berra, and Joe Garagiola who grew up on "The Hill" in St. Louis, were part of a similar world and played soccer for local Italo-American sides there as children and teens. I know this seems strange, when the American goalie Brad Fridl pulls down 5 million bucks from Aston Villa in Birmingham in the UK Premier League, but until the Spaniards and Italians started offering whatever wages they would to get the best players, the British paid washers to professional soccer players. Ten pounds a week was the fixed rate in the forties for UK soccer players. Liverpool offered a NYPD sergeant named Miller, who was the G-A all star teams goalie, a contract. He would have had to have taken a substantial pay cut to have gone there. Foreign wage pressures, and the fixing of games by underpaid players has changed that forever. The Post War would change everything, but meanwhile the German-American League was the best we had. In the early 1950s, I was at Randall's Island Stadium when the G-A League All Stars beat Kaiserslauten , the German Bundesliga champions, 2-0. So Starlight Park's large playing field, north of the pool site ruins, was, along with Sterling Oval, and a field across the road from Con Edison in the south Bronx, were the places where the best soccer in the US was being played. As a young kid, I and the sons and daughters of the immigrants tore around the ruins playing games, built fires to roast spuds and marshmallows and the like, while our parents watched the games and relived their own athletic youths. Unfortunately, it wasn't all a halcyon time in the ruins for us. Charley, a 12-year-old acquaintance, was murdered by a sexual pervert there after swimming in the Bronx River. I never knew the place in its heyday, and I wish I had been there to ride the roller coaster and swim in such an immense pool. Still, it provided a different set of experiences and meaning to another generation. Good-Luck, Peter J. Eleanor in ColorWhen this photo originally appeared on Shorpy last year, I decide it was a good experiment for hand-coloring. I did this in Adobe Illustrator CS2, not a traditional photo-manipulation program. With the recent mania for colorizing, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. Fire away, philistines! [The system deleted your attachment because it was wider than 490 pixels. Please read and follow the posting instructions! - Dave] More Starlight PixI first became aware of Starlight Park from a photo in Roger Arcara's "Westchester's Forgotten Railway" (1960). Now, the Internet and this web page have opened a whole new box of nostalgic pleasures. I have uploaded more Starlight Park pix here. Beach hairYes, it appears that Eleanor is both confident and fun-loving! It also appears that (by the look of her carefree 'beached-out' tresses) she has been SWIMMING this lovely day. This makes me very happy! I imagine that not too many women of the day would purposely submerge their HEAD in the salt water, much less consent afterwards to having their portrait made. That said, I have no doubt that for stage and most all other social appearances, Eleanor made diligent use of hair straightening rods, pin curlers, scented hair oils, etc. How do I know this? I (and all the other women in my family) have Eleanor's hair. Pool I wonder how they took care of keeping a pool of this size clean in 1921. I don't think they had Olin's HTH product at the time. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Pretty Girls, Swimming)
NYT Radio Room: 1942
September 3, 1942. "New York, New York. Radio room of the New York Times newspaper. The Times listening ... edition of paper. Operator reports and gives new angles to city editor. Messages are recorded on paper tape in international Morse code." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/15/2023 - 7:57pm -

September 3, 1942. "New York, New York. Radio room of the New York Times newspaper. The Times listening post, between 10 pm and midnight, between first and second editions. The operator is listening to Axis news (propaganda) broadcast. Paper in foreground has been examined to see what has already been covered in last edition of paper. Operator reports and gives new angles to city editor. Messages are recorded on paper tape in international Morse code." Acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. They're trying to catch me lucky chairYou can bet Mr. Operator got fed up with telling people "I take two days off and you people steal my chair yet again! You have chairs! This MY chair! It's set to MY perfect height, it swivels, it's easy on my back and my boss said it's for MEEEE! (stomps down the hall with chair in tow). Dang temps, do I have to write my name in marker ? Actually I just might!" Some things at work never change. Band select modulesMost shortwave radios have a band select switch. These appear to have plug-in units labeled A through D. And the tuning looks like it's done by reading the graphs placed in the front of the module to convert between the tuning knob setting and the station frequency. Wall mapThe stereographic projection map was critical to radio stations, as their broadcast antenna patterns could be directly matched to listeners' compass directions. Uncle Joe?Walt Duranty here -- That mapNote the great circle map, showing the direction of the shortest path from NYC to the rest of the world. Create your own at https://ns6t.net/azimuth/azimuth.html Ticker TapeOnly three more years before it can all be thrown out the window onto the Victory parade! Dial telephones?This candlestick phone has a dial -- the ones in the other same-day pics don't. Who did you have to be to rate a dialable phone? WorkmanshipLove the detailed craftsmanship of that little wooden box on the table. The upright rack reminds me of early movie theatre sound system racks made by Western Electric. Those had huge valves on the front. (Technology, The Gallery, Marjory Collins, NYC, The Office, WW2)
Gotham City: 1910
New York circa 1910. "Looking down Broadway from the Post Office. Singer, City Investing and Hudson Terminal Buildings." Detroit Publishing. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 10:11pm -

New York circa 1910. "Looking down Broadway from the Post Office. Singer, City Investing and Hudson Terminal Buildings." Detroit Publishing. View full size. High HonorIn 1968 the Singer Building earned the dubious distinction of being the Tallest Building Ever Demolished. It still holds this "honor" if you don't count the World Trade Center, which was on the site of the Hudson Terminal seen here on the right. RoastingAs I sit here in my air conditioned office complaining because the cool can't keep up with the heat and humidity outside (its 74 degrees in here dagnabbit) I can't imagine how insufferable it must have been in those buildings in the summer. And as I am sure you have noticed, no matter what time of year, the men always wore jackets! The Red, White, Blue and ...?That American flag in the foreground clearly has three colors of stripes. What's that about? Or is it really some other type of flag? Skyline ghostsFive of my favorite early skyscrapers here, now all long gone. Ironically, the oldest building (St. Paul's chapel) is one of the few shown that survive to this day. Astor houseThe many-chimneyed roof of the famous Astor house can be seen in the right foreground - Built in 1836 it would be demolished during the 1920s. The towerI love this. Sometimes that kind of majestic architecture can be too big for humans, but the bustle and smoke of human activity is what comes through most in this picture. What's the metal tower top of the building across from the New York Law School? Thousands of windows... in this great photo. According to my calculations, over 4,000 on the four-building group on the right. SingerMy new favorite photo of the Singer Building. The cars are much more of a presence than photos just five years earlier. The suspense is killing meHow did the sign painter finish his sign? [Or is the sign is in the process of being obliterated? - Dave] Lost Lower ManhattanFor many years my dad would commute by Lackawanna train to Hoboken, then take the Hudson and Manhattan tube trains to Manhattan Terminal, from where he would walk across town to Wall Street. As a high-school kid, I would take the same route to visit the radio and surplus stores on Cortlandt Street. All demolished for the late, lamented World Trade Center. The Tallest in the World (for a year)The Singer Tower also held the distinction of being the tallest building in the world - 612 feet high - from 1908 until 1909, when the Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower topped out at 700 feet. A view that's impossible todayThe Post Office from which this picture was taken was demolished in 1938. It sat on the southern portion of what is now City Hall Park. New York Evening MailAnother photo of the Singer building still under construction shows the sign. Unfortunately it is still incomplete. The Evening Mail The Leading Evening (...) One Cent Buys the (...) (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Washday: 1900
New York circa 1900. "Yard of tenement at Park Avenue and 107th Street." 11 x 14 ... leave on those washday whites. Real life in New York City Wow. Here's the world of my immigrant grandparents -- the intimate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:57pm -

New York circa 1900. "Yard of tenement at Park Avenue and 107th Street." 11 x 14 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Recalls Sam LevinsonThe Great Sam Levinson wrote of such a scene that his mother's nightgowns hung down a full three stories when wet, and his sister's skirts which "Dripped technicolor onto other people's whites" PrecipitationRain must have made for an interesting day at work the next morning. The GoldbergsThe lady in the upper left window has to be Mrs. Goldberg. She is getting ready to stick her head out the window and give us some words of wisdom. No. 9My grandfather was section chief for the DM&IR Railway in Duluth, Minnesota. The company-owned house was directly next to the tracks, as these tenements are. My grandmother was fortunate to have her clothesline on the other side of the house. But I remember her hanging out to the schedule of the Number 9 coming out of the Range with a load of iron ore. See the lady in the window? Maybe she sees King Kong! Off line.Don't the people at the far end of the block do laundry? Soggy soxIf putting your wash out on the line causes rain, there must be a hurricane headed for Manhattan. The UnmentionablesWhat? No jockstraps or thongs? Bombs Away!Imagine what marks some birds with digestive problems could leave on those washday whites. Real life in New York CityWow. Here's the world of my immigrant grandparents -- the intimate backyard world. I love the details of the shirtwaist-wearing women in the top story apartment, whose child is out on the fire escape. And the folks around a table on the right hand side of the picture, one story down. They've got a plant on the fire escape and some other stuff -- it's like a balcony! Wonderful picture - thanks Dave! Solar poweredWhat a beautiful example of a "carbon footprint" this photo is showing. Not an electric clothes dryer in sight. Brings back memories of the postwar 1940s era. For some reason washday was always on a Monday, today's washday is a push of a button any day or time of the week. Day of the weekMust be Monday! OMG!What would today's NIMBYists have to say about this scene? Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for meIf a big enough gust hit, those building could go sailing off into the sunset. Drip Drip DripI guess wash day was also No Playing in the Backyard Day! I wonder why the train wasn't movingThere is no Metro North station (back then, "New York and Harlem" station) between 42nd Street and 125th Street, or at least there hasn't been for a long time. This photo was probably taken through the window of a train that had stopped on the tracks for some reason. [This photo was made with a giant view camera (11 by 14 inch glass negative) on a tripod. It's not a snapshot from a train window. Detroit Publishing was a professional outfit. - Dave] The HoneymoonersYou can almost hear Ralph yelling out the window at Norton That carbon footprintOf course most of these clothes were washed in boiling water that had been heated on a coal stove. So that's a few tons of soot right there. Make Mine ModernGracious me, it makes me grateful for the "carbon footprint" of my washer and dryer for it keeps other "carbon" life forms from not only seeing my unmentionables, bot those who might leave a little carbon signature of their own on them. In my world wash day is whenIn my world wash day is when I can be sure of a good warm sunny day, or after the heaters go on, whenever i don't mind my lower floor of the house filled with wet hanging clothes. I don't know what folks did when it rained on wash day. I usually pay attention to the weather. If I do get rained out, fortunately there's still laundromats around with electric dryers. I do have a state-of-the-art front loader machine for the washing (anyone want my old maytag wringer?) I refuse to get a dryer just as I refuse to add a dish washer, or get an air conditioner. One simply has to draw a line. Hung out to dryMore interesting was watching the man who visited your backyard two or three times a year climb the poles to attach the clotheslines. "I climb poles" would echo through the yards. He charged around 25 cents for the climb and would sell lines and pulleys. If one planned ahead, the line and pulley would have been bought in the local hardware store for a small savings. PS The roof was used for sunbathing (Tar Beach) Marmoset or Flower Pot?Great photograph! Is that some sort of an animal on the window sill next to the top, far left? Btw, I see some unmentionables on the lines, but of course I can't, er, mention 'em. From roots like thisCouple years later, couple blocks south, couple blocks other side of those train tracks -- one of the kids playing under those clotheslines will be named Henry Louis Gehrig. From Monday OnFrom Monday on, my cares are over From Monday on, I'll be in clover We picked on Monday because it's washday And we'll wash our blues away From Monday on, the skies will look bright Don't tell me different, I know I'm right I'm gonna start shouting Hey Hey When he says Love Honor and Obey I'll be happy, from Monday on. A catchy late '20s Paul Whiteman tune with Bing and the boys singing about wedded bliss. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Manhattan Skyline: 1915
New York circa 1915. "New York skyline from Manhattan Bridge." Another entry from ... the buildings, peacefully nibbling its way through the city. Today's View I used Google Earth 3D buildings to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 4:25pm -

New York circa 1915. "New York skyline from Manhattan Bridge." Another entry from Detroit Publishing's series of sooty cityscapes. View full size. BuildingsOn the far right is the Municipal Building, and to its left is the Woolworth Building. A modern viewHere's a shot from a nearby location 100 years later. Merchants Chambers Printing Company S. Giuseppe Uneeda Biscuit And nowA view from the bridge. Where it isThe cross street in the foreground is Market, in what used to be Little Italy, now Chinatown. What are the two streets heading downtown? There is no wedge-shaped block like this on Market today. What a pole!As a straight razor guy and a collector of things tonsorial, my eye was immediately drawn to, what I believe is, that great barber pole at the bottom of the photo. It looks to be part barber pole and part flag pole. I'd give my brother's right arm to have one like that. Pineapple TowersGreat skyline picture especially especially juxtaposed behind the everyday market street at the bottom. Can anyone supply names for all those massive buildings? -- especially the one that looks like it's wearing a pineapple on top. [The pineapple is the Singer Building. - Dave] Hey KidCareful on that fire escape! Madison StreetThat's Madison Street with the Alfred E. Smith Houses on the left and Chatham Green apartments on the right. Are you sure this photo is from 1910?because The Equitable Building wasn't completed until 1915 ... and construction of the Woolworth Building was just starting in 1910. ["Circa 1910" does not mean the picture was taken in 1910. If we knew what year the photo was taken, we'd give it. "Circa" means around -- in the general vicinity. It's a starting point. - Dave] FluffyzillaIt's not a giant lizard, a flying turtle or even the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, but every time I look at this portion of the photo, I see a giant bunny between the buildings, peacefully nibbling its way through the city. Today's ViewI used Google Earth 3D buildings to align the vantage point and then looked at Street View. The buildings match (look at the one the horse is headed toward, and also the building on the block closer to the camera with arched windows). View Larger Map Make that New York c. 1915This magnificent view contains several skyscrapers completed after 1910. On the left we see the Bankers Trust Building, with the pyramid on top (finished 1912) and immediately to its right, the wide bulk of the new Equitable Building (finished 1915); on the right we see the Woolworth Building, the tallest in the world at that time (finished 1913) and the Municipal Building, with its cute little round temple at the top (finished 1914). TrystLove blooms above the city's streets. Nice Monroe StreetThis is a view looking up Monroe Street with Market in the foreground. NYCer's image is nearby looking up Madison Street with Market in the foreground. Here's One MoreThe very white building in the middle background with the American flag waving above it is the first section of the old AT&T Building at 195 Broadway, which was completed in 1916 (the second section - not seen here - was completed in 1922). Still ThereIf I've got it right, these two buildings are still there but now surrounded by even bigger buildings. Amazing. [These are the Bankers Trust and Equitable buildings. - Dave] Where it isThe exact location is the intersection of Monroe and Market streets looking west. The first picture submitted by nycer as well as the one directly above is along Madison Street, which is one block north of Monroe. The wedge shaped block was created by Monroe and Hamilton streets. Hamilton was eliminated with the construction of the Knickerbocker Village housing project in 1934. I have a site devoted in large part to the history of this project: http://knickerbockervillage.blogspot.com Between Monroe and CherryI think the street to the left is Monroe. The street to the right is the unnamed street circled in the map below, in between Monroe and Cherry. That would mean S. Giuseppe's store is on Catherine Street. Most of it is gone. It's all large apartment buildings on the south side of Monroe and the West side of Catherine. The buildings on the North side of Monroe are still there. +99This is the same view west on Monroe Street from May of 2009. The building in the right foreground remains as do its chimneys which are now covered in graffiti or hidden by transmitters. Laundry LadyI smiled when I saw the woman on the roof hanging her wet laundry out to dry! I'm afraid I would be scared to death! Zero'th SisterI was going to mention the interesting similarity of the building below to Moscow's "Seven Sisters," a series of wedding-cake architectural extravagances from the Stalinist era. Then I read the Wikipedia article on Stalin's buildings! "The Manhattan Municipal Building in New York City, completed in 1915, is reportedly an architectural precursor to the Seven Sisters." We spent a night in the Hotel Ukraina some years back. Lovely building, but very old, and to paraphrase Mark Twain, "The hottest Summer I ever spent was a Winter's night in Moscow!" 15 degrees outside, 85 inside. [That's the Woolworth Building below. - Dave] High and DryThis gal is just merrily hanging out her laundry with nothing between her and a fast free-fall but a few live wires! At my place of work I couldn't go higher than a common step ladder without a climbing harness and a spotter. Seems to me they worried a lot less back then and didn't try to turn everything into a liability lawsuit. Market, Monroe and HamiltonThe original photo shows the intersection of these three streets. Hamilton Street (the one with the bend in the middle) was demapped in the early 1930s when Knickerbocker Village was built (see first photo in comments). That development was opened in 1934. At the foot of Monroe Street in the original photo there is a building marked "S. Giuseppe." That was the original St. Joseph's Church. The current structure was built in 1923 at the corner of Monroe and Catherine Streets across from the original site. First time I ever saw a photo of Hamilton Street, great find! My Best ShotHere is another view of the skyline in a photo I took Oct 4, 2009 from the Manhattan Bridge. I was attending the celebration of the Bridge's 100th Anniversary. So muchfor previous claims posted here on Shorpy that cities one hundred years ago were neat, clean and litter-free. A hot dayDid anybody else notice how most of the people on the street are crowded into the shade? This helicopter mom is nervousAbout that child on the fire escape, who looks to be about 3 or 4 years old. That's five storeys up. Such a different world. Or, perhaps, such a different economic perspective from my middle class complacency. Mom was probably overwhelmed with six or seven kids, the housework and cooking and, perhaps, piecework to help keep the family in food and tenement rent. No time for the luxury of worry. And those windows would have to be wide open in a stifling upper storey building. Black MariaWhat's amazing is the ominous woman striding down the left-side street dressed literally head to toe in black on this seemingly warm spring or summer day. Complete with black hat. We will never know her tragic mission; what dark news she's about to deliver to some poor soul in one of those buildings. Biggest ChangeMy father was born in Manhattan in 1918, and died in January 2009 at the age of 90. He was raised in Greenwich Village and except for 10 years spent in Europe, he lived his entire life in Manhattan. He saw almost all of the evolution of New York during the 20th Century. Shortly before his death I asked him what he thought was the greatest general change in New York since he was a kid. Immediately he said "The greenery ! New York is so green now! There are so many trees! When I was a kid New York was a dirty and grimy place with almost no greenery, and very few of the side streets had any trees in them. Certainly not in working class neighborhoods. If you wanted trees you went to the park. That's definitely the biggest change." This is borne out by all these comparative pictures; not a tree in sight in 1915. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Wisdom, Montana: 1942
... ride. It was a short 20 mile drive. Would move back in a New York minute. Early pioneers of the Big Hole I'm looking for any pictures ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/03/2023 - 1:14pm -

April 1942. "Baker's Garage in Wisdom, Montana. Largest town, population 385, in the Big Hole Basin, a trading center in ranching country." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Superb quality!The quality of this photograph is amazing. It looks like it was taken today. Do you have any more information on it? Wisdom MTGoogle Maps link. WisdomGreat photo. Thanks. The last remaining inhabitants eventually changed the name to "Boredom, Montana." Towns like thisTowns like this are a staple of western North America. In western Canada, their existence was justified by the railway and farmers hauling grain to their local elevators. Later they survived when the highway became the big thing and people stopped for gas or a little food on the road. There's probably a bar that the locals go to. Town's got a school maybe even a high school, and probably more than one church. There's a ball field and, in just about every prairie town in Canada though of course not the USA, a curling rink. In Saskatchewan they used to say that if you lived in a town that lost the school and the curling rink you might as well start looking for a place in Saskatoon or Regina. PennzoilThe Pennzoil logo hasn't changed much: WidsomIt looks like it's on the edge of a river valley? The colors in this shot are indeed amazing. I love the punch of the red gas pumps. [It's west of Butte. - Dave] CalsoWhat does it say on the sign leaning against the wall, underneath "Calso Gasoline"? Is that "Unsurcharged"? No extra fees? ["Unsurpassed." - Dave] Eternal WisdomUnderneath "Unsurpassed" on the Calso sign you have "The California Company" I found a modern picture of this place online: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/4494303 Aside from the paved road, this place looks much the same. I don't think they sell Chevron or Mobil at those buildings anymore. Baker's Garage is now Conover's Trading Post. The painted Wisdom has long since faded from the old metal roof. The GarageI was raised and went to school in wisdom and Bakers Garage is not next to Ed Glassey's garage (The building with Wisdom on the top). Baker's Garage was across the street from Glasseys Garage (Looks like maybe they used photoshop to alter the photo) .. I moved to Wisdom in 1959 so if the photo is from 1942 maybe they moved the Building?? [The image, which is part of the Library of Congress photographic archive, has not been altered. It's one of more than 50 pictures of Wisdom taken by John Vachon in April 1942. Things can change a lot in 20 years. - Dave] Baker's Garage in WisdomI am a Wisdom native too. In talking to my dad. Bruce Helming, who is the oldest native still living in Wisdom, it turns out that Anna Lee and Roy Baker did own a shop across the street from the garage that you know as Baker's, which is now the Wisdom Market. It was the Chet Bruns Union 76 Garage back in the old days. Anna Lee was my dad's first cousin. Dad's folks adopted her when her parents died in the 1920s, and she was raised as Anna Lee Helming in Wisdom. My grandparents' (and later Dad's) business, Helming Brothers, bought out Chet Bruns' operation in the 1950s, which is when Anna Lee and Roy moved to the garage that you know now. The buildings shown in the photo were destroyed in the American Legion hall fire. I would guess that was in the early 50s, which is when all of the cemetery records were destroyed. Wisdom had no real fire department until 1961, so when a blaze was raging out of control, it was extinguished by placing dynamite in a loaf of bread and tossing it into the fire. The night the Legion hall and all of these other buildings burned, Dad and his uncle, Clarence Helming, were bringing the fire pumper to the scene. Just as they rounded the corner, "Boom," no more fire (and no more buildings). Gary Helming Helming@juno.com Pictures of Wisdom, MontanaI enjoyed looking at the old pictures of Wisdom and reading the text about them. I grew up near a small town (Gladstone, VA) and have always been kind of partial to them. I love looking at old pictures like these. Thank you for posting them. The Wisdom of YouthThis town holds a place in my heart. I spent most of my youth in Wisdom, from 1975 to 1990. The town hasn't changed a lot since I left, but has gotten smaller. When I started at Wisdom Elementary there were four classrooms. By the time I graduated to high school they were down to three. I hear there is only one class there now. For high school we were bused 65 miles to the Dillon, one of only two high schools in the county. It was an amazing place to grow up. Though everyone knew your business, everyone kept an eye out for you. We had two bars that all the kids hung out in and played pool. There were street dances for the Fourth of July and any other occasion. There were two restaurants, one of which burned down last week. It is hard to describe the life that a kid in a town this small would lead. The concept just doesn't make sense to city folk. But it was an amazing carefree life of swimming under the bridge, ice skating at the pond, nights of kick the can in the Forest Service field, greetings from the town's pet deer and raccoons. If it were possible to have the kind of lifestyle I have now in the city, I would move back to raise my child there in a heartbeat. Having lived near Wisdom for many yearsduring the summer-time, I can almost see the buildings. We haven't lived in Jackson for 20 years but the previous 8 years were spent on the Hairpin Ranch in a line shack about 5 miles past the main ranch, in the middle of nowhere. I loved EVERY minute of it. We traveled to Wisdom for dinner some days or just when the kids wanted to take a ride. It was a short 20 mile drive. Would move back in a New York minute. Early pioneers of the Big HoleI'm looking for any pictures or info of the early Wisdom families prior to 1930. I have an old school picture dated 1914/15 and would love to have someone help identify the children. Both sides of my family, the Elliott's and Scollicks were early settlers there. The old dilapidated log cabin on the south end of the Ruby near Butler Creek is the Scollick homestead and the Elliott log cabin is on Gibbonsville road. I believe my Aunt Eve Scollick might have married a Ferguson in the Wisdom area. There's a picture hanging at the Crossing/Fetties with several people on horses. Anyone that can help identify them as well would be great. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Gas Stations, John Vachon, Rural America, WW2)
Manhattan: 102 Years Ago
Manhattan circa 1908. "New York skyline." Part of an eleven-section panorama. 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... gives a nice overview of the kinds of facilities in the city including a map that shows an overall picture of where they were. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 6:55pm -

Manhattan circa 1908. "New York skyline." Part of an eleven-section panorama. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. White FlierFrom the pre-aviation era when "flier" meant fast ship. The Bunker Hill is an example of first quality American shipbuilding circa 1908. While "modern" in terms of amenities, ships of this time were not required to carry sufficient numbers of lifeboats for all people aboard. The Bunker Hill appears to be carrying four. Scheduled "White Flier" time for one-way passage between New York and Boston was 15 hours. ABC Pathfinder Railway Guide, 1912 Eastern Steamship Corporation All-the-Way-by-Water The Great Express White Steel Fliers Massachusetts and Bunker Hill. Splendid Steel Freight steamships are operated by the Metropolitan Line between Boston, Mass. and New York. The Massachusetts and Bunker Hill are notable examples of Modern Marine Architecture. Many of their staterooms are en suite, with connecting bath and toilet facilities. All staterooms are most attractively furnished, and equipped with the most modern sanitary fixtures. Inside staterooms are provided with electric fans. They are provided with a most attractive outside dining-room on the Main Deck, a Hurricane Deck Cafe; are equipped for the burning of oil as fuel, with Automatic Sprinkling Appliances, Wireless Telegraphy, Submarine Signal Service, and all other modern facilities to insures the Security and Comfort of passengers. All outside two-berth rooms, $2.00; Inside, $1.00. Electric Fans in inside room. More of the NYC navyIf you look to the left side of the picture, those boxy barges lettered for the New York Central are lighters used to service ships in other parts of the harbor besides at the railroad's own dock facilities. This page gives a nice overview of the kinds of facilities in the city including a map that shows an overall picture of where they were. Containerization finally killed this kind of transloading off in the early sixties when someone finally figured out that giving the stevedores two passes on the goods wasn't exactly labor-saving. Manhattan, 1908 on ShorpyAre you going to put up the other 10 sections of the panorama - they would be of great interest to Rail Marine modellers along with many others. [It's on Shorpy's to-do list! - Dave] The Flatiron's diminutive brotherwas the German-American Insurance Building, on Liberty Street. It is now Louise Nevelson Plaza. Read all about it. Re: Steampunk?Steampunk is fairly reasonable, but I see it more as "Metropolis" - and I don't mean Superman's version! Steampunk CityThis image excellently represents the zenith of Steampunk USA -- look at all the plumes rising from the soaring skyscrapers, and the stalwarts of steam power on the mighty river. A nation is coming into its own -- work is getting done. Regard with awe the rising Manhattan silhouette –- all correct angles forming the canyons that will forever define the island, with just the right amount of added artistic flair that decorum & modesty would allow. This is at the very moment prior to the time when noxious internal-combustion engine -- fueled by the devil's excrement -- began its century of degradation & domination. [It was filthy, sooty coal that made the steam. The air over New York is a lot cleaner now. - Dave] DazzlingThe former Bunker Hill in 1918. City Investing BuildingStanding shoulder to shoulder with the Singer Tower is the picturesque City Investing Building, designed by Francis H. Kimball and built 1906-1908. This view, which I've never seen before, shows how close together they really were. Sadly both were demolished together in 1968 to make way for the US Steel Building (now known as 1 Liberty Plaza). Had to happenThe day has finally arrived. I have been shorpyized, One look at this photo and I recognized the Singer building right away. Mother said there would be days like this. NYC TugboatsThe New York Central boats are tugboats. The NYC along with Jersey Central and I believe the B&0, all operated tugboats which were used to move their RR barges to and from New York City. South Street SeaportPier 16, along with the unseen Pier 17 out of the photo on the right, is now part of the South Street Seaport, so it's likely that many of the smaller buildings on the extreme right-hand side of the photo still survive! Pier 15 bit the dust at some point, though. All Too HumanYes. So many wonderful buildings, of which few we see here survive. This, however, to me, seems to be a view of humanity of a past time. A photo taken from the same spot today probably wouldn't give you the same feel. "Bizarre camouflage" on former Bunker HillThat type of ship camouflage was called a "dazzle pattern." It was widely used in WW I and also in WW II. Dazzle camouflage was meant to confuse attackers as to the ship's course and speed. It also confounded early range finders. OK I wanna see the whole panoramaCan someone stitch it together? [Have at it. - Dave] Camo aheadSteamship Bunker Hill apparently became USS Aroostook, a mine laying ship, in WWI. The naval historical center has an interesting series of photos of her. Some of the photos show a pretty bizarre camouflage pattern, too. S.S. Bunker HillNew England Steamship Co. was the New Haven Railroad's dominant marine operator and served the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket from New Bedford. The Bunker Hill and others were overnight steamers to New England from New York. More Singer!Thanks for yet another great photo of the old Manhattan skyline with the Singer Building in it. What's that building?What's that Flatiron-looking building just to the left of Rogers & Pyatt Shellac? I wonder if it's still standing. 50 storiesThat Singer building dominated the skyline back in the day. Many buildings in NYC are 50 stories and over now, but it would be still be a very interesting landmark structure if it survived today. 1908 ShellackingFor best quality shellacking … Stubbs Buyers Directory for the Wholesale Drug, Chemical, and Allied Trades, 1918 Rogers & Pyatt Shellac Co. 79 Water St., New York. [Suppliers of:] Gum Copal Gum Kauei Gum Sandarac Horizontal vs verticalThe long white boat and its wake make a pleasing and flourishing contrast with all the vertical lines. Where would those "New York Central" boats have been going to/coming from? Do they connect with the railroad? Were they taking passengers across the river? Steampunk? Really?Hey I know the internet has to reuse the same old boring subculture buzzwords over and over again but stop misusing the term "steampunk." The Industrial Revolution wasn't about form over function. [So I suppose we could call you Anti Meme. - Dave] For Tim DavidOk, it's not quite perfect, but HERE is the full panorama. Aroostook ConversionBelow is a before/after image of the Bunker Hill/Aroostook refit. (Stitched from the above Shorpy post and the image at Wikipedia, flipped left-right.) Old NYCI love drawing old NYC and I love Shorpy. Check out my site for more. www.erosner.com ManhattaI bet Manahatta was given the nickname The Big Apple because of all the road apples on the streets. Come for the stunning architecture, run away gagging from the smell. What I'm learning from this phenomenal site are the minimal changes from Civil War customs and architecture up through the 1910s. Regardless of incredible inventions, social norms hardly shifted at all till WW1. Yes!I would also like to see the entire panorama. Even if bit by bit. Someone say Panorama?Sorry for a bit of a screw-up where the Harbor starts on the left side because Photoshop has a bit of a malfunction, but here's the full panorama. Enjoy! 9528x960 (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)
The Village: 1905
New York City circa 1905. "Jefferson Market Courthouse." Now a library. Looking down ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 3:34pm -

New York City circa 1905. "Jefferson Market Courthouse." Now a library. Looking down West 10th Street at Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Look into Milwaukee City HallThis picture reminded me of Milwaukee City Hall except this building is way too top-heavy. Hopefully Shorpy will find an exterior and interior of one of the last great Flemish Revival city halls in the world. PointyI love these big old buildings that look like castles. The stunningly fine details of these photos takes my breath away. The sign reading keeps me very entertained as well. Basin street viewsWhat in the world is the basin-like feature at the base of the high tower? It looks exactly like a Baptismal font -- but this is a courthouse -- and it's outside, to boot! If it is another one of those zany combo people/horse fountains, the horses would have to step up on the sidewalk to use it. The puddles/stains around the area also are a little disquieting. Tagged!Would that be circa 1905 graffiti on the roof? Pause to refreshOne Moxie ad and none for Coca Cola? Long and Winding HistoryAs you can imagine, Jefferson Market Courthouse saw plenty of drama and high profile cases. Harry K. Thaw and The Triangle Shirtwaist Company were two big names associated with it. Before it was a library, and even before it was a courthouse, it was a market and a fire tower. I'm always amazedto see so many streetcars in these old pictures. Jefferson Market architectureWhat a remarkable building, and remarkable also that it survives intact, including the massive and somewhat top-heavy-appearing tower. Often such things were lopped off, if the building wasn't demolished in toto. I had originally thought this architecture was Romanesque Revival, but further research reveals that it's more like Venetian Gothic. Both styles were very popular in the late Victorian Era, and fell out of favor as the early 20th Century progressed, in fact becoming somewhat emblematic of the whole concept of old-fashioned. Ornate and massive was out and streamlined and airy was in, and lots of people welcomed the idea of these buildings being reduced to rubble. We really miss something by not seeing this one in color, which you can do at its Wikipedia page. My Favorite LibraryWhat a beauty, both inside and out. There is also a large garden with gorgeous roses at the south end of the building. John Sloan In New YorkOne of the best of the Ashcan School--the same building in this John Sloan painting of 1917. Street corner fountainGreat photo. My eye kept wandering back to the street level fountain at the building's corner because it looked vaguely familiar. Then it struck me; there's a very similar fountain at the Sharon Lodge in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, built in 1885. Main difference seems to be in size -- and possibly intent. The GG Park version was designed for people while the basin in the NYC version looks like it's horse-sized. TaggedCan we get an enlargement of the roof of the courthouse? Straight up from the main entrance on the left side of the building, near the bottom of the large roof there appears to be a name, like "N. LANY". Maybe some kid snuck up there, or a worker did it and didn't think anybody would ever notice. Reminds me of a poemby William Henry Davies: What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. I refer to the policeman standing in the middle of junction, arms behind his back like policemen all over the world. Perhaps he is on traffic duty but he doesn't seem to be making much effort. WowI love buildings in this style. Glad to see it lives still and did not meet the same fats as many of its contemporaries.I love the full size too. The details are pretty cool, like the walkway on the rooftop for the billboard hangers to walk on, laundry drying, and the funniest part, the cop in the street giving the guy in the stairway the big staredown! (Gotta admit he does look suspicious.) Yankee Doodle LaundryI don't know what delights me more -- the billboard advertising "Yankee Doodle Comedian" George M. Cohan and his Big Singing-Dancing Company in "Little Johnny Jones," or the clotheslines strung out on the rooftops behind the hoarding. Pastiche and PresentAny structure this non-conformist and excessive will win me over every time. What's not to love about this quirky gift from the past? Part of what makes it so wonderful is that it refuses to be neatly pigeon-holed into any pat architectural classification. While I don't feel a very strong Venetian vibe going on here, the Gothic (and Romanesque) aesthetic is happily blatant. I think that the folks at nyc-architecture.com have nailed it with the label "High Victorian Gothic neo-late romanesque." It's huge!And really impressive. There's a long, spiral staircase leading to the second floor that is completely dizzying. The stained glass windows are beautiful. Trick or TreatI love this building and I paint it all the time. I dressed up as the Library once for Halloween! Cardboard Jefferson MarketI love Halloween. I love the jefferson Market library. The Village Halloween parade goes up 6th Ave RIGHT ALONGSIDE the Jefferson market Library! Great-Great-GrandgrocerI had an ancestor who lived near Patchin Place and ran a grocery in the Village I wonder if that's the one? (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads, Streetcars)
The Heart of New York: 1907
Circa 1907. "The heart of New York (Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn)." The Singer Building rises. 8x10 glass ... which ran from that region of Pennsylvania to Jersey City. I must presume that the goods that were to be transshipped from freight ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:38pm -

Circa 1907. "The heart of New York (Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn)." The Singer Building rises. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Ghost TownNot a soul in sight! [They are there, just really tiny. - Dave] Even TodayThe best views of Manhattan are from Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey. Singer TowerThe Singer (sewing machine company) tower, under construction was the tallest building in the world for a couple of years. It was demolished at a youthful 60-years old. Tall ShipsIt is interesting to see ships with masts and sails plying the waters around Manhattan. There is a large three masted ship tied up to the pier, slightly left of center. I can remember going to The South Street Seaport Museum to look at the Peking and the Wavertree. Indecently, the South Street Seaport Museum is located at Pier 16 On the East River. Pier 16 is the right hand pier of the two Mallory Line Piers. Transportation History DivinedI just realized how the waterfront railroad terminals in New Jersey worked! If you look closely, several of the barges are from the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which ran from that region of Pennsylvania to Jersey City. I must presume that the goods that were to be transshipped from freight cars to ships or the city itself were loaded on to barges and then delivered to the deep water piers in Brooklyn and Manhattan for delivery in the city or loading on to ocean going vessels. Thus explaining why all the great photographs I've seen on Shorpy feature so many small barges, lighters, and other riverine craft. I imagine the completion of the New York Central Railroad's High Line was a serious blow to the LVRR and other lines on the New Jersey side of the Hudson and the Holland Tunnel doubly so. Imagine what New York City would be like if there had been a more efficient rail system from New Jersey to the docklands of the East River. How did it take me so long to figure this out?! What's going on here?Heavy traffic out there! Up until the 1960s-1970s, various railroads transferred huge amounts of cargo to and from the city by barges called carfloats carrying rail cars. Several railroads had small switching yards isolated from their main lines fed by carfloats, plus warehouses as well. Those railroads also often had their own “navies” of tugs and barges to transfer cargo to and from ships in the harbor.. Note the covered barges (AKA house barges) in the foreground marked for the Lehigh Valley RR. The one at far right is owned by the Lackawanna RR. The covering structure allowed secure storage and protected cargo from the weather during transfer. Covered barges had side doors to allow direct transfer to freighters that also had side doors. The freighter in foreground right looks to be transferring cargo via one of the barge’s roof hatches located over its side door. At far left are 2 hold barges, apparently one with coal being loaded onto the ship alongside. Those barges were mostly owned by coal companies. A stick lighter (AKA gas hoister) is at bottom right with others elsewhere in the picture. Essentially a derrick on a barge, they were used to handle heavy/bulky items. The bigger one opposite is a self-propelled steam lighter. Those were used for making faster transfers of goods – no waiting for tug service. A good reference is “New York Harbor Railroads in Color, Volume 1” by Thomas R. Flagg (Morning Sun Books, 2000) (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)
The Great Reporter: 1942
September 1942. "New York, New York. Photographic department of the New York Times newspaper. One of ... door is eulogy of news camera. At left are maps of the city and region for photographers' reference." Acetate negative by Marjory ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/27/2023 - 12:42pm -

September 1942. "New York, New York. Photographic department of the New York Times newspaper. One of eight staff photographers returns to staff room after assignment. Over door is eulogy of news camera. At left are maps of the city and region for photographers' reference." Acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. Eight Is Enough?I would have thought the NYT at that time would have had more then than eight staff photographers. [Photos in the Times came from staffers, freelancers and wire services. - Dave] Dave, while I agree that photos also came from, freelancers, UPI and AP wire services for all metropolitan newspapers, my father, Joe Kordick, at that time was one of over 25 staff photographers for the newly founded Chicago Sun. Since the NYT was a larger paper, located in the largest city in Country, I find it hard to believe that their "staff" only consisted of eight. [The Sun was a "picture newspaper." The "Gray Lady," as the name implies, was anything but. The NYT in-house newsletters from the 1940s list from seven to nine staff photographers. - Dave] A Wonderful LifeLooks like he's gonna count Zuzu's petals. Photo, far rightIs that Neville Chamberlain? Also, my dad, who flew torpedo bombers in WWII, said they had something like "The Great Reporter" over the door of the ready room on the aircraft carrier. But it said "I am the best damn aviator that ever flew." (The Gallery, Marjory Collins, NYC)
Old New York: 1913
... In the past several years, the designers of some new quick and nasty condo buildings in Brooklyn were not aware of that. Hello! ... Water tanks All buildings six stories and higher in New York City are required to have water tanks. The best, cheapest, way to keep ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 5:01pm -

Summer 1913. "Bird's eye view of N.Y.C. from roof of Consolidated Gas Building." 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. The East VillageI used to live in the area a couple of years ago on East 12th between Avenues A & B. Can't quite make that building out in this shot, but there are some noticeable landmarks there. First is Tompkins Square Park (just left of center toward the top, which occupies the area between Avenue A & B on the east and west, and 10th street & 7th streets to the north and south), looking toward the Manhattan Bridge. The two steeples peeking up over the park, I think, are St. Brigid's Church on Avenue B across from the park. The shorter, broader steeple on this side of the park probably is St. Nicholas of Myra Church (1883) on the corner of Avenue A and 10th Street. Moving farther right across the picture, below where the bridge begins to fade off, is the steeple of St. Stanislaus Church (1872) on 7th Street, between Avenue A and First Avenue. Moving a little more to the right, closer to the photographer, is the steeple of St. Marks in the Bowery (its stark contrast jumps out at you) on the corner of 10th Street & 2nd Avenue. "The Bowery" was Dutch governor Peter Stuyvesant's farm, and his private chapel used to stand there, making this the oldest site of continuous worship in Manhattan. This church was erected 1795-99, with a Greek Revival steeple added 1828 and an Italianate portico completing the structure in 1854. The graveyard here has some of the oldest burials in Manhattan, including Stuyvesant himself. I see a handful of other steeples in there, but I need the time to identify those, these were the "easy" ones for me. Con EdHere we go again, another picture that is going to have my attention for many days. This one, taken from the Consolidated Gas Building, now the Con Ed (Consolidated Edison) Building is at 4 Irving place. I Guess the shot was taken looking southeast across 3rd Ave (the El is there). The Jefferson Theatre was a major vaudeville house at 214 East 14 St, which puts it between 2nd & 3rd Avenues and on the south side of the street. This places the photographer 1 block away from Union Square Park, the site of some previous, amazing Shorpy pictures. Today that block, houses among others, a high-rise NYU dorm and a very active Trader Joe's. It is an extremely busy street populated mainly by the college kids. TemperatureIs that temperature atop the Jefferson sign showing 25 degrees F? The pedestrians don't appear to be dressed very warmly. [The sign says 10-15-25 cents. - Dave] WaterThere's an amazing amount of cisterns on the roofs. Bad pressure or poor main lines? [Those aren't cisterns. (Cisterns, usually underground, hold rainwater. How would you fill a cistern on a roof?) Penthouse tanks tanks fed by the municipal water supply are common even today in big cities on buildings of more than a few stories. - Dave] Quaker Oats SignLots of interesting signage including Quaker Oats. Also to the right, a church steeple under construction. Painless Dentistry?In 1913, anything but, surely! [Local anesthesia (Novocain, procaine, etc.) was well established by 1913. - Dave] Water TanksToday, water pressure in NYC will only take the water supply up six stories, at best. To go higher, it needs a boost to pump it to individual units or to a tank where it can supply by gravity. In the past several years, the designers of some new quick and nasty condo buildings in Brooklyn were not aware of that. Hello! Up on the RoofAll those lovely roofs and no one up there tending a garden or reading or having a smoke. Water tanksAll buildings six stories and higher in New York City are required to have water tanks. The best, cheapest, way to keep water pressure up in tall buildings. Water TanksThe most amazing thing is that new water tanks are constructed virtually the same as the wooden tanks shown in this photo. The base is supported by parallel wooden joists sitting on a structural steel framework. A wooden floor is laid across the joists. Once in place, the floor is cut into to size of the tank's diameter. Then enough vertical staves are secured in place to permit some of the steel bands to be put in place. Once complete, the tank is pumped full of water. The staves and the wooden floor swell enough after a few days immersed in water that the tank no longer leaks. Most tanks have open tops - some have an additional weather enclosure around them. Wooden tanks like these last about 20 years. A replacement tank of this size can be made on site in less than a day's time. Con EdMy dad worked briefly for Con Ed in that building on the NE corner of 14th and Irving Place for a few months back in 1921-22. It's still there, just a few blocks south of Pete's Tavern on Irving Place, one of my old favorite pubs in that neighborhood. What Bridge?What bridge is in the foreground.....is it still standing? (I don't think so....but?) [That's the Williamsburg Bridge. Still very much there. - Dave] The "CLOTHES" sign, lower leftWhat is the sign that apparently displays 10:15 above the "CLOTHES" vertical sign toward the lower left of the photo? It couldn't be a digital clock, right? If it isn't a digital clock, I wonder what the 10:15 stood for. October 15th? [The sign says "10-15-25¢" And nothing about "clothes." - Dave] Thanks for replying! Sorry, I meant the sign on the photographer's side of the elevated train station that reads "CLOTHES," descending from the top. It looks a lot like the Jefferson Theatre's sign. Quaker Oats location?Can anyone tell me approximately where that Quaker Oats sign was located? (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Netherland and Savoy: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Hotels Netherland and Savoy, Fifth Avenue and East 58th." ... on fire during its construction in 1927. New York City 1905 Thanks to Helares for bringing this photo back to our attention. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:45pm -

New York circa 1905. "Hotels Netherland and Savoy, Fifth Avenue and East 58th." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. On The StreetInteresting. Just saw the documentary "BillCunninghamNewYork" last weekend--much of the background action centers around this very street, block and area. Today's Park Savoy lists its address as 158 W 58th, the Sherry Netherland as 781 5th Ave. Strumpp Florists(on the far right) according to the New York Times of March 10, 1922, signed a 10-year lease for $30,000 a year. A fraction of one month's rent in 2011. 58th Street Once MoreThe Hotel Savoy Plaza has been replaced by the General Motors Building where, in a post last week, I described the 5 year old Apple Store occupying the basement, now a local Landmark. The Savoy, architecturally, was much more impressive than the GM structure. To make matters worse it was once owned by Donald Trump. Sherry FlambeI was a bellman at the Sherry Netherland (which is across 59th Street from the GM building) in the mid/late 1980s. There's a great photo of the tower on fire during its construction in 1927. New York City 1905Thanks to Helares for bringing this photo back to our attention. I don't know that I'd actually want to live back then, but if I could be magically transported to any particular Shorpy year and location I think it would be New York City in 1905. The combination of horse-drawn conveyances, streetcars and automobiles; the women in white blouses and long dark skirts and huge hats; the profusion of striped awnings; the beautiful and varied ornamentation of the architecture; the vibrant street life (accentuated by the movement blurs in these photographs); the spirit of infinite possibility even before the age of modern communications and the internet -- I want to take a vacation to that place and time! Bolkenhayn Apartment HouseThe building shown to the right of the Hotel Savoy is the Bolkenhayn Apartment House, situated at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 58th Street and designed by Alfred Zucker in the 1890's. I have attached a picture taken from an article taken from the Heating & Ventilation Magazine of date: November 15, 1895 describing the building's revolutionary heating system. The article can be read here. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Meet the Yardleys: 1970
... party is on Bontecou Road at Lilburn Drive in Stony Point, New York. While a number of you independently arrived at the correct answer, Johnny ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2022 - 4:26pm -

        UPDATE: Our garden party is on Bontecou Road at Lilburn Drive in Stony Point, New York. While a number of you independently arrived at the correct answer, Johnny Yuma was first. Clapclapclap! Tell us how you did it. An unlabeled Kodachrome from the same batch of slides as young Stephen, fast-forwarded to what seems to be around 1970. Who'll be the first to Street View this split-level suburb? In the meantime, pull up a chair. View full size. The Date?First warm day of Spring! Late in the DecadeI'd bump the year forward a bit, to '68 or '69, judging by the polyester doubleknit and slingback shoes. Also the car next to "Stephen" is probably a model year later than '65. The younger man could conceivably be Stephen, at the age of 31 or 32. Definitely the first warm day of spring, though--an occasion worthy of pearls! To Heck With Ralph NaderI'd love to have that red first-generation Corvair convertible in my driveway. Hopefully it's a four-speed turbo Spyder. A clue?Hard to see on my work computer, but it looks like there's an address over the garage door of the house on the left. (Whose owner had excellent taste in cars!) [Blurrily I say to thee: "Three Lxxxburn Drive." - Dave] Temporal LocationI think the year could be 1967. The gold convertible in the background, with the black top, is a 1967 Chevelle, and the gold car in front of it looks to be a '67 full-size Chevy. There's also a red early Corvair convertible (it looks like a '62) with optional bumper guards parked in the neighbor's driveway, and what looks to be some kind of Mopar parked next to it (maybe a '65 or '66 full-size Plymouth). I love... everything about this picture. From the old man's socks to the beer glasses (and the bottle of Schaefer), to the dresses to the split-foyer house across the street. The tray, the chairs, the ... everything. Are we having fun yet?It will take more than a few of those Schaeffer beers to get this party started. Maybe a little music, a few jokes and invite all the neighbors over. (BYOchair). So far we have only one smiler. Parents, mother-in-law, wifeStephen's looking a little worse for the wear, alas. Raised ranchDon't know about the architechtural style of the other houses (can't see enough of them), but the house with the Corvair in the driveway looks like a "raised ranch," also called a "split foyer." Possibly 1967The cars in the street appear to be 1967 Chevrolet models. The mostly hidden car looks like a '67 Impala SS and the convertible with the top up could be a '67 Chevelle. The Impala body style was new for '67 and the Chevelle was new for '66. What is it?Behind the "Corvair house" up an incline or hill there appears to be a single home. What the heck is that appearing between it and the "Corvair house?" It appears to be a possible rock formation, but it looks as if it might have a door in it. [The door or opening is in the lowest portion of that structure on the hill. -tterrace] The YardleysTwo months prior, they were the Snowdons. Sing alongSchaefer is the one beer to have ... when you're having ... more than one! 30 Bontecou Road, Stony Point, New YorkI do believe this is it. I found it using different letter combinations with the clue you provided. Took about 15 minutes to hit the right one. Google maps did the rest. Found it!They are in Stony Point, NY. The split foyer's address is 3 Lilburn Drive. The house they are at is on Bontecou Road. Better screenshotHere's a current shot including their house. 3 Lover's Lane?I thought it might be Lover's Lane, but couldn't figure the number. Maybe it's 3 Lovers Lane? Clue possibly solved?Just registered as not only do I find this site fascinating, but discovered where the picture was taken (and itching to post my findings). I tracked down the house in the background as No.3 Lilburn Drive, Stony Point, NY. The "Yardleys" quite likely lived at 30 Bontecou Road. Party BottleMagazine advertisement, Schaefer Beer, 1967. Five o'clock somewhere!I applaud the Shorpian sleuthing efforts here, and I especially applaud the Yardleys for the getting the party started so early in the afternoon! Raised Ranch CityIn 1962 my family moved to Stony Point, NY. into, yes, a raised ranch just a hop, skip and a jump from this very neighborhood. In those days just about every new development in the 60's in Stony Point consisted of raised ranches (with an occasional split level) erected rather rapidly on what was once revolutionary era farmland. When we arrived one only needed to dial 4 numbers to telephone within the town. The town was transformed between 62-70, and that soon ended. Judging by the length and style of the dresses on two of these women, I also think this is more likely the late 60s. This picture is a big hitI shared the Yardley pic on the Stony Point FB page. Of course, before long people who actually knew the name of the Happy Hour family started posting and sharing memories about the neighborhood. Seems that barn up on the hill (Stony Point is extremely hilly) was the starting point for some serious daredevil sledding. Can there possibly be more shots from the area in the batch? Hope so!! (Cars, Trucks, Buses, Stephen Kodachromes)
Little Falls: 1941
... 1941. "Looking toward the Mohawk River. Little Falls, New York." Which is at least a two-stoplight town. Medium format negative by John ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/05/2023 - 3:42pm -

October 1941. "Looking toward the Mohawk River. Little Falls, New York." Which is at least a two-stoplight town. Medium format negative by John Collier. View full size. The Bank is still there?But either I'm wrong or they got bombed during the War because almost nothing else still stands. It's not near that badWhat got razed was the east side of that one block of South Ann Street. While the cigar store and the ... train station? ... are gone, along with everything between, Little Falls National (Berkshire Bank) is still in place, as is the Herkimer County Trust building (Adirondack Bank) and the former Hotel Snyder and tavern (Happen Inn). Looks good to me.No, you have the right corner. If you go to N. Ann street & Albany street and look back up Ann, you can see the same triangular roofed building on the right. I googled "little falls" "city cigar", and got back a book on Little falls. It said they cleared the buildings in the 1970s for urban renewal. (The Gallery, John Collier, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Hotel Dixie: 1950
New York's 43rd Street, just off Times Square, circa 1950. "Hotel Dixie -- 700 ... View full size. That exhausted look Looks like a city that's too tired to get out of its own way -- to tidy up, to modernize. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/03/2015 - 10:16am -

New York's 43rd Street, just off Times Square, circa 1950. "Hotel Dixie -- 700 rooms, each with bath and radio." Not to mention their own bus depot. Now the somewhat infamous Hotel Carter. 4x5 negative by James M. Fox. View full size. That exhausted lookLooks like a city that's too tired to get out of its own way -- to tidy up, to modernize. And, to the right, the lazy electrician's favorite technique, abandon in place. These days, every square foot is worth too much to neglect, unless it's too far off the beaten path to drag the value down. Remnants of the bus depot still thereArticle at Scouting New York. Rooms with Radios New York Times, November 10, 1950. Furnished Rooms—West Side Hotel Dixie Rooms available for weekly occupancy. All rooms with private bath & radio. From $21 weekly. See Asst Mgr. Tanks a lotHow many wooden water tanks can be spotted here -- Ten? Twelve? I reside -at the Shorpy Arms. Dixie HotelBath, Radio and the windows open all the way! Tanks for NoticingTurns out there are three long-time family businesses that specialized in the construction of the wooden water tanks in New York City. Here's an interesting New York Times article. (The Gallery, John M. Fox, NYC)
Expert Truss Fitting: 1900
... Lockport was and is a neat little city in NW central New York State where canal boats travel down a series of locks. It's fun to watch. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:35pm -

"Main Street, Buffalo, N.Y., circa 1900." The merchants of Buffalo, aside from making that fine city a haven for the herniated, also offered a wide range of "deformity appliances." Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. Fireproof indeed!The fireproof tiles on the roof of the Iroquois were a big selling point after the horrific fire that destroyed the Richmond Hotel, which stood on the same site until 1887. Mirror Writing?The reverse lettering above the motorman's head looks like the back of a glass sign that says SMOKING ENTRANCE REAR SEATS ONLY, whatever that means exactly. [The signs says "Smoking on three rear seats only." - Dave] Safe CityThat is one safety-conscious city. Note the pedestrian catcher mounted on the front of the trolley. Niagara Falls!!!!Niagara Falls! "Slowly I turned...step by step...inch by inch..." From the Three Stooges short "Gents Without Cents" Oh MyWhat a picture. This is definitely a downtown scene. I am curious about the rides to Lockport, Lewiston and Queenston. Are they entrance cities to Canada? Perhaps they are tourist destinations like Niagara Falls. This photo will take a while to gather it all and to understand Buffalo as a major U.S. city at the time. [Those cities were excursion destinations. - Dave] Shuffle off to Buffalo...So much detail to take in. Wonder what a "Deformity Appliance" is. [I am thinking something along the lines of a super-dangerous cake mixer. - Dave] Bustling BuffaloNothing is more depressing than seeing the once-bustling major city that is now Buffalo. Interesting that the streetcar was the main mode of public transportation, and yet the newer "metro" line (consisting of one short rail from HSBC to the University of Buffalo) has contributed to the death of downtown. Martha!And "I Love Lucy." Your neighbor the sign painterBesides the five (or six or seven) signs of his own, Mr. Scott seems to have painted all the other signs on that building. I wonder if he traded signs for trolly rides, cigars, or deformity appliances. Trolleys Then and NowThe open-seat single-truck trolleys seen in this picture (with smoking allowed in the three rear seats only) have long been absent from the City of Buffalo. The line is now the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's Buffalo Metro Rail light rail line. Interesting that the tracks on Main Street have survived, while those on Church Street, and all of the surrounding buildings, including the Iroquois Hotel, have all vanished. View Larger Map No heritage hereSo, is this was were the Main Street Mall now resides? Seems all these blocks were demolished. The Iroquois Hotel was torn down in 1940. The Perfect VignetteWhat a great photo! The "Signs" signs, the omnipresent hats, the fancy streetlight. I love the advertisement for the "tobacconist"--that would make a catchy little business card, I think. Some people are dentists, some are salespeople, and then there are the tobacconists. And I wonder what got thrown into the wires crossing the street? I also love the trolleys in the picture--somehow, my daily bus ride doesn't seem quite as cool as this. One question. What is the net in front for? I would guess it's for luggage or large packages? [The net would be for inattentive or careless pedestrians. - Dave] LockportLockport was and is a neat little city in NW central New York State where canal boats travel down a series of locks. It's fun to watch. The city is also the home of an American standard in every kitchen: Jell-O! Cars?Sign says "cars leave every 15 minutes"...I don't see any cars, it's 1900 (or so) What do they mean by "cars"? [Streetcars. - Dave] The GlobeSure would like to be able to see more detail on that globe painted on the left side - looks like the continents have been anthropomorphized into pinup gals. BuffaloCool! I stayed a night in Buffalo early last month. Had it still been standing, I would have chosen the Iroquois over the Holiday Inn for sure. Looks like a fun city, but you've never seen anything more depressing than Niagara Falls (the town) in winter. You Are HereIn response to the many requests seen in comments for a time machine: here you are. Absolutely fantastic picture. Pan-American ExpoThat's the logo for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, held in Buffalo -- where President McKinley was shot and later died. Trolly carsThey mean Trolly cars. [Or maybe trolley cars. ("Cars" = streetcars.) - Dave] Look out above!The top three floors of the Iroquois were "superadded" for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. In 1923, owner Ellsworth Statler opened another hotel, and the Iroquois became the Gerrans Office Building. The building with the tower was transformed into one of the earliest movie theaters, the Strand. Steve Miller Someplace near the crossroads of America Leroy not LockportLeroy is the home of Jell-O, not Lockport! Visit the jello museum in Leroy to learn more about the product invented by a man named Pearl. CSI: BuffaloNice Cigar Store Indian on the right. Oh that logo The Pan-American Exposition Company chose Raphael Beck's design from over 400 entries, awarded him $100. They copyrighted it as the official logo in 1899. At first the design was to be used only for "dignified purposes," but due to its popularity, the decision was made to license its use. The logo was soon available on souvenirs of every conceivable description and was plastered on "everything that didn't move and some things that did." Some unscrupulous vendors ignored the licensing process and sold unofficial souvenirs with the logo. Here is a plate and a watch souvenir (both official): Beck made sketches of President McKinley when the president toured the fair and made a speech there. After McKinley died Beck completed the painting titled "President McKinley Delivering His Last Great Speech at the Pan-American Exposition, Sept. 5, 1901." Beck went on to design the logo for the 1905 Portland, Oregon Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. His father Augustus—who designed the bas relief at the base of the Washington Monument—named his son after the famous painter Raphael. +122Below is the same view from September of 2022. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC, Streetcars)
Fifth Avenue Stage: 1900
New York circa 1900. "A Fifth Avenue stage." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... of the building, the street lighting, etc. -- truly the "City Beautiful." A real New York bargain! The townhouse in the former ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2018 - 4:02pm -

New York circa 1900. "A Fifth Avenue stage." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Cat in the windowHe seems to be watching the world go by. Wonder what he thinks of two horses being harnessed and forced to pull a lot of humans around the streets of New York. Might be, "My peeps can't even get me to walk on a leash with them." BreechingIt certainly looks strange that there is no breeching on the harness. Maybe they never thought they would have to back up the wagon. At least no one had decided to put diapers on the pretty horses like they have in many cities these days. Also, the wagon/omnibus/ whatever, has no through braces so it must have been a bear to ride in. Last days of the omnibusWhat a fantastic image! The street railway had largely replaced the horse-drawn omnibus in most cities by the dawn of the 20th century, but they persisted in places, like Fifth Ave., where tracks couldn't be laid in the street. The horses were retired when Fifth Avenue Coach became one of the country's earliest motor bus routes in 1907. I love the details of the building, the street lighting, etc. -- truly the "City Beautiful." A real New York bargain!The townhouse in the former Mark Cross building at 210 Fifth Avenue is yours -- for $18,500 a month! http://www.prudentialelliman.com/Listings.aspx?ListingID=1059501 Left, right, leftWhich horse is out of step? This is what the ride to hell feels likeI don't know what amazes me more, how high the thing rides or how low it is sitting on the axles. 210 Fifth AvenueThis shot was taken just one block south of where Detroit Publishing had its offices (seen here and here previously). The building with the ornate details and "Cross" in the window still stands at 210 Fifth Avenue. View Larger Map Sic transit gloria mundiYou wouldn't see these magnificent (if dangerous) horse carriages galloping up and down Fifth Avenue much longer at the time this photo was taken. 1900 was the year that the NY State Senate approved a bill allowing the Fifth Avenue Stage to run automobiles along the length of its newly-extended route (up to 110th St.) By 1903, the horse carriages had been retired for "motor buses." This was a relief to the residents of the apartment blocks near the "big stable" of the Fifth Avenue Stage located uptown. The stables took up the whole block between 88th and 89th Streets, were four stories tall, and housed over 250 horses. Its neighbors were continually filing complaints with the city because of the "noxious odors", as well as perpetual stamping and neighing of horses in their stalls, which made sleep impossible. Cross Chambers, with its shop cat in the window, 210 Fifth Avenue, was a 12 story building with the Cross business establishment on the four lowest floors, and "Bachelor Apartments" above. While considered imposing at the time of its opening, it was soon to be dwarfed by the first iron-framed "skyscraper," that would soon be constructed a block away. Construction of the Flatiron Building, at 175 Fifth Avenue, began in 1901 and was finished a year later. The Manhattan skyline would never be the same. Cross ChambersAccording to New York Songlines site, the Mark Cross store/Cross Chambers dates to 1901. And the building next to it on the corner of 26th Street would have been Cafe Martin, formerly Delmonico's. An interesting wideangle view of the corner can be seen here dating from around 1911. Unfortunately not in as high a resolution as the images here. A Gripping TaleI kind of feel sorry for the guy in the middle up on top. The men to either side of him are clearly gripping the side rail, but he doesn't have anything to hold onto except ... wait a second -- is that an iPhone he's holding? Perfectly in stepBeautiful team of horses who know exactly what they are doing. Whenever a team of two (horses or humans) is carrying or pulling a shared load they must be in step so far as stride and gait are concerned, but must be a mirror image or each will be fighting the other for control of the load. It's not at all the same as the "in step" we learned in the military for marching. Demise of the 5th Avenue Coach Co. That firm went bankrupt back in around 1955-1960, and with it, all of the pensions of former and existing employees. The grandfather of a friend of mine was a victim. Whoa!I passed this image along to my wife, as I do with many which have horses and carriages. She drives a couple of carriages herself and so has a bit of expertise. Her comment: "WOW...or more rightly WHOA...Never ever seen a "big rig" driving harness WITHOUT a saddle, side straps, britchen, etc...these horses just have the neck collar. Good grief Charlie Brown!" (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, NYC)
Virginia City: 1940
... it was touristy That auto facing us on the left has New York license plates (bottom reads "New York World's Fair 1940"). What a trip ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2018 - 6:02pm -

March 1940. "Main street in Virginia City, Nevada." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Visiting Virginia City before it was touristyThat auto facing us on the left has New York license plates (bottom reads "New York World's Fair 1940"). What a trip that was on the roads of the 40s! Virginia City retains much of its historical architecture and today is heavily visited. Back then it was a working town, but it already had been discovered by at least one tourist. Stormy weatherI count five extra tall rods on the rooftops, each w/ a sphere on top, all on one city block. I'm assuming these are lightning rods. I wonder what's up with that? Is Virginia City known for it's ferocious thunderstorms? That auto on the leftis a 1939 DeSoto. It probably would have had no trouble making the trip from New York. Very nice riding cars, even today. Tourist or photographer?Maybe the car with New York plates is the photographer's car? Car on the far rightIs what, please? (Beautiful rear end!) Old Washoe ClubJudging by the eight window openings and the cornice, I'd say we're looking at the Old Washoe Club on the left, just beyond the Tahoe Beer arrow. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
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