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Amex: 1910
... me to guess that the city we're looking for is Kingston, New York. Still There Too! Here it is today. City Of Angels Downtown ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 5:23pm -

Circa 1910. "American Express Co., Main and Sixth." Just steps away from the Aseptic Barber Shop. Who can tell us what city we're in? View full size. Pacific Electric Building, Los AngelesThis is the Pacific Electric Building (or Huntington Building) at 6th and Main in Los Angeles, California. You can see intertwined Ps and Es in the column capitals at the cornice. And, amazingly enough, still there! Main & SixthIt's Sixth Street, not State, but I have no idea what city. On state streetthat great street, I just want to say, they do things they don't do on Broadway. Chicago? [I goofed in typing "State." Should have been "Sixth." - Dave] It's the Huntington BuildingIt's the Huntington Building in Los Angeles. "W.M.Garland & Company" was the clue." Pacific Power and LightPortland? Amex 1910 locationThe lampposts ("5-Globe Llewelin") indicate downtown L.A., unless the design was used elsewhere. But I don't believe so. West CoastI would guess Los Angeles as there is a Pacific Light and Power sign on one of the windows in the building. Dual gauge in L.A.It's Los Angeles. The tipoff (for me at least) is the dual-gauge streetcar track -- 3'6" for the city streetcars of the Los Angeles Railway; standard gauge for the interurbans of the Pacific Electric. I'm going to guess Los AngelesWe're on S. Main Street. Pacific Light and Power Company in one of the windows is a clue we're on the west coast. The real clue are the offices of W. M. Garland Company Real Estate. Mr. Garland was a commercial developer in Los Angeles. He was instrumental in bringing the Olympics to Los Angeles in 1932. That's my final answer. Los AngelesI believe this is the old Pacific Electric building on Sixth and Main. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Electric_Building In Los AngelesThis is the Pacific Electric Building in Los Angeles. Lazy AnswerMy limited research leads me to guess that the city we're looking for is Kingston, New York. Still There Too!Here it is today. City Of AngelsDowntown Los Angeles. The actual building was called the Pacific Electric Building. AlohaI'm going to guess Honolulu based on the "Pacific Power and Light" sign in an upper window. That Toddling TownI gotta say it's Chicago. InterurbanPacific Electric Building in Los Angeles, CA American ExpressThat building, I believe, is the one on Broadway in NYC. Los AngelesI think this is L.A. Could it besunny Los Angeles? The Magic 8 Ball saysLos Angeles. My bet is on San FranciscoThis is obviously just a local branch office, and a window on an upper floor says "Pacific". And, the number of streetcars. Los AngelesCorner of W. Sixth and S. Main, Los Angeles. All three buildings still there. We are in Los AngelesSixth and Main, Los Angeles. That is the Edendale streetcar line. Los AngelesThe building is the Pacific Electric headquarters at 6th and Main, in Los Angeles. More here. Sitting downBet there isn't a bloke sitting on a stool in the intersection now. More importantWhy is there a man who appears to be holding a newspaper sitting on a chair in the middle of the street? Perhaps the officer is telling him to "move along now, nothing to see here." Trolleys left their markThe attachments where the various wires and cable were are still visible on the building. View Larger Map Follow the trolley toEdendale. AlwaysWonderful to know where you are! But who is that sitting on a stool, in the middle of the interesection, next to the policeman? And why? Pacific Electric Railway Terminal The National Magazine, 1908 The Huntington Interests The lines operated by the Los Angeles Railway Company, the Pacific Electric, the Los Angeles Inter-Urban Railway Company, the Los Angeles & Redondo Railway Company, The San Bernardino Valley Traction Company and the Riverside & Arlington Railway Company, which comprise the Huntington system, is undoubtedly the greatest system of street and inter-urban railways in the world. It consists of over 500 miles of standard gauge line, reaching from Alpine (Mount Lowe), a mile above the sea, to the south coast ocean resorts, and penetrates all the valleys in the beautiful country adjacent to Los Angeles. … The Pacific Electric Railway was the name adopted by the corporation managing the suburban electric lines of the Huntington system, Mr. Huntington having acquired the line to Pasadena and outlining the plan for an extensive system of suburban railways reaching out from Los Angeles in every direction. Since then there have been completed electric railroads to practically every city and town of importance in Southern California and to the thriving beach resorts tributary to Los Angeles as a center. … One of the most enduring monuments to his public spirit and enterprise is the mammoth Pacific Electric Building of Los Angeles, a building of nine stories, with eleven acres of floor space and which is the terminal station for the wonderfully perfect inter-urban system. This is the largest structure of its kind west of Chicago, and was completed in December, 1904. The American Architect and Building News, 1908 The Pacific Electric Building, and the Jonathan Club Roof Garden, Los Angles, Cal. The rooms and roof garden of the Jonathan Club, on the upper stories of the Pacific Electric Building, at Los Angeles, were an afterthought. At the time the external character of the building was determined by Mr. Thornton Fitzhugh, the architect, the contracts let and the construction work well advanced, no thought had been given to the adaptation of the upper floors for club purposes. This problem was therefore a most difficult one, not only because the changes involved were many and complicated, but owing to official dictation and limitations imposed, the result is one in many respects quite at variance with what would have been accomplished had the architect been allowed freer rein in his work. None the less the Pacific Electric Building presents characteristics that would entitle it to some measure of recognition if built in the largest cities. Its proportions for a city the size of Los Angeles are unusual and its equipment such as will meet every condition of a first-class office building. The building stands on a plot 285x211 feet, and is nine stories high. The total floor space is more than twelve acres, and exceeds in area the Broad Exchange Building in New York, which is 21 stories high. The structure was erected for the Pacific Electric Railway Co. The basement has a clear floor space of 58,000 feet and is designed for use as a freight depot. The main floor ceiling is thirty feet high, supported by cement columns. Through an opening sixty feet high, spanned by a cement girder eight feet deep, the cars enter the building. The upper stories from the second to the sixth inclusive are devoted to offices. There are ninety-nine offices on each floor, or a total of 594 in all. No office is less than twenty by fifteen feet, and they range in size to a maximum of sixty by thirty feet. All three still there!the building on the right looked very modern in 1910, all simple and light. Another vote for LAThe streetcar on the left side of the image says, "Edendale," which was a neighborhood in old Los Angeles. Imagine an LA with ..."completed electric railroads to practically every city and town of importance in Southern California and to the thriving beach resorts." I'll think of that during my commute. Familiar!It looks very much the same today, though I doubt the chap on the stool in the middle of Main Street would find his perch as comfortable today. Before the credit cardWhat was American Express' main line of business? [Express is short for "express mail." Express companies like Adams Express and American Express were businesses similar to UPS or FedEx, relying mostly on the railroads for speedy delivery. American Express specialized in services to travelers -- travelers checks and money orders. The window gives some clues. - Dave] The loneliest man in the worldI love it when a shot of an old building includes a person looking out a window. This one's a classic. You should see insideI worked on a couple of movies in the late '90s inside the abandoned Pacific Electric building. What an amazing space. I wandered all through the building and stumbled into what I was told was Huntington's private office -- awesome, massive, with unbelievable marble stairways. In "Gang Related" worked on one scene right around where the streetcar is shown here coming out of the garage. In the scene was Tupac Shakur, who appeared to be somewhat inebriated. It wasn't too much longer after that that he was murdered in Las Vegas. Yay LAIt's great to see a photograph of Los Angeles on Shorpy. I will have to take a look at this spot this weekend and stand at this corner. There's a great restaurant down the street on 4th and Main called Pete's with great Mac and Cheese. No Traffic ControlWow, no stop sign or anything. I also like the seat on the front of the trolley on Sixth. Does one pay extra to be out in front? 610 South MainIt is indeed the PE Building, later the Southern Pacific’s general offices in Los Angeles. I worked there in the late 1970's and early 1980's when the Red Cars were long gone and the street-level station was turned into a parking lot. Our disptaching office controlled traffic betweeb Yuma, AZ and Fresno /San Luis Obispo, CA. Downstairs it was interesting to park one's car next to marble-covered columns. Working rotating shifts I sometimes had to step over a local citizen or two sleeping on the sidewalk. The building closest to the viewer on the left was the Santa Fe's offices and across the street out of view to the right was the Continental Trailways bus depot. The top floors of the PE building housed a handsome two-storey atrium - perhaps Mr Huntingdon's offices. We had a “Watch Inspector” (a man who sold and serviced approved railroad timepieces) in the building and I bought a Ball Trainmaster wristwatch from him for about $120. Years later it cost that much just to have it cleaned. Understand the neighborhood is much nicer now and this building is a condominium. StillWanna know what's up with the seated person in the middle of the intersection! (The Gallery, DPC, Los Angeles, Streetcars)
New York World's Fair: '64 or '65
This is a picture of my mom and her brother at the New York World's Fair. I guess my grandma wanted to get the at much as she could in ... 
 
Posted by Dana - 07/23/2009 - 8:02pm -

This is a picture of my mom and her brother at the New York World's Fair. I guess my grandma wanted to get the at much as she could in the photo so my mom and uncle are really far away, but you can see my mom's pretty plaid dress. My grandpa worked for the airlines in Miami, Fla., the now defunct Eastern Airlines. So they were able to get cheap tickets up to New York. When talking about the Fair my mom always mentions seeing the talking Abraham Lincoln robot. View full size. Me too!My mom and dad went to that World's Fair too. Dad was also fascinated by the Abraham Lincoln robot. When Disney World was built, we had to go right away so Dad could once again see "Lincoln" in the Hall of Presidents. Me ThreeMom and Dad didn't make it, but I was at that World's Fair. The Bull City (actually Durham, N.C.) H.S. Band played a concert at one of the outdoor venues there. I came away with a piece of spin art (the first time I had encountered that medium) and a Sinclair brontosaurus made by the injection molding process. Ah, Band Trip to NYC, the Taft Hotel -- what could be better? (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
The Wild Bunch: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Unloading at banana docks." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... S. Hemmenway & Son, 60 South St., New York City. Yacht and Canoe Sails. Flags and Burgees. Tents. Canvas ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:15pm -

New York circa 1905. "Unloading at banana docks." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Normal lifeI love that this photo doesn't look staged. It's just real life, capturing a second in time, long ago. The ship on the right is listing to port, probably unloading cargo. Oh yes, we have bananasI hope the guy in the white shirt made enough money that day to buy the other suspender and the other half of his haircut. Watch your step!That dock looks like a pratfall waiting to happen. Work EthicWow, it never changes does it: A bunch of people standing around while one or two people do all the work! Ha! ArmedI think the guy in the bowler on the right is packing a Colt under his coat. What a fantastic pictureAll the detail. All the action. All the people standing around doing nothing. Old Time BananasThese bananas look to be of different shape (more like plantains) than the modern commercially available variety. They are probably "Gros Michel"(Big Mike), which were the bananas commercially exported before "Panama disease" fungus ravaged commercial banana plantations. The switch was made to a resistant variety (Cavendish) in the 1950s and that variety has become ubiquitous at least in North America. Supposedly, the older Gros Michel bananas were better tasting, but I've yet to have one. Hemmenway's Sail Loft Recreation, Vol. 3, 1895 S. Hemmenway & Son, 60 South St., New York City. Yacht and Canoe Sails. Flags and Burgees. Tents. Canvas Covers and Camp Furniture of Every Description. Send 5-cent stamp for our Tent and Flag Catalogue. Highly inefficientIt took way too many supervisors to unload bananas back then. Bananas R UsThere certainly are a lot of serious men with a deep and abiding interest in bananas. I presume they are the brokers or buyers of bananas. It also appears that the bananas were unloaded by hand from the hold of the ship. No nets or other mechanical devices appear to be in use that might damage the fruit. Hey Mr. Tally Man!Judging by everyone's faical expressions, nobody wants to be on that damn boat. Day, me say day, me say day......Come Mister tally man, tally me banana.... Yes, we have no bananasThese must be the "Big Mike" (Gros Michel) variety of banana. Susceptible to a fungus, it was virtually extinct by 1960. Same scene in 1954February 1954 at New Orleans, our Navy destroyer tied up next to an unloading banana boat where bunches that were yellow were discarded at the dock. We had a field day until we got sick of them. StickyMagnetic hats -- who'd have thought. Many bananas laterImage from Google Street View: Looks like only one building from those days survived. Here it is in a shot near FDR Drive, looking up Wall Street. I knew the Shorpy photo was taken near there, because the Hemmenway sail company was located at the foot of Wall Street. A bunch of ...Took me a moment to grasp the "Wild Bunch" allusion. I was too busy thinking "Torrid Zone" (basically, The Front Page on a banana plantation), and wondering if Jimmy Cagney had gotten that shipment loaded. BananappealThe present banana variety does not taste nearly so good as the one I ate as a boy. I loved those bananas. The new variety I eat only as an addition to some other dish. BTW, I heard the other day bananas are Walmart's biggest selling item. Second: Avatar. Proto AT&TCan anyone identify the tallest building in the picture? Pretty conspicuous for this era but I've never seen it before. MetacommentaryI love Shorpy and often feature the pictures on my blog - here's a little writeup I did after the reaction I got to posting this picture. Sixty Wall BuildingThe tallest building on that photo is Sixty Wall Building. Built 1905, razed 1975 along with other buildings. Until 1987 a parking lot. 60 Wall Street built in 1989 is there now. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Horses, NYC)
Veribest Canned Meats: 1900
New York circa 1900. "John C. Graul's art store, 217 Fifth Avenue." 8x10 inch dry ... where he would purchase $1 neckties at a store called Tie City or he'd go to Orchard Street on the Lower East Side to haggle over the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:16pm -

New York circa 1900. "John C. Graul's art store, 217 Fifth Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. I better run!To the train depot. That lady is looking at the very photograph I want on my wall! Thanks Dave, that's funny! They say the neon lights are bright... on Broadway, and we have O.J. Gude to thank: It's 1878 in Brooklyn, and my great-great-grandfather O.J. Gude starts an outdoor advertising company with $100 in capital and goes on to pioneer the first use of the electric bulb in a billboard sign in May, 1892. Soon The Great White Way will be born. Shopping in New York with my fatherThese stores look pretty classy from that genteel age of gracious living. My father was somewhat of a bargain hunter and low-price shopper and I remember in the 1950's going with him into New York every three months or so where he would purchase $1 neckties at a store called Tie City or he'd go to Orchard Street on the Lower East Side to haggle over the price of socks and underwear and even suits and shirts. Once a year or so, he would buy new eyeglasses at Pildes Opticians, which had the newest styles and the lowest prices. We'd buy a wonderfully delicious lunch at Katz's Deli or some cheap Italian pasta emporium whose name I've forgotten. I have inherited the skinflint miserly pennypincher mentality but every once in a while I splurge exorbitantly although I now live far away from N.Y. My father used to tell me that in New York you can get anything from anywhere in the world. I was very impressed and still am. Photo shopperA closeup. Shadows and lightThis picture is deliciously creepy. The lone woman window shopping in a near-defunct district ... those hauntingly dark windows above her. Thanks for this one, Dave. I love these thrilling peeks into time gone by. Literally they make my day. I'm a bona fide Shorpyholic! VeriworstAccording to a New York Times expose six years later (July 12, 1906), Veribest canned chicken loaf was "a small amount of muscle fibre and a large amount of cornmeal." Mystery SolvedNow we can see where Nestle might have gotten the inspiration for their familiar slogan. Who can resist?It looked familiar. Upton's Opinion DifferedUpton Sinclair's infamous book "The Jungle" didn't opine that Armour's meats were the Veribest™. The Brunswick, againThere are interesting differences between this view of the doomed Brunswick Hotel building, and this one, posted in July. Building Coming Down SaleThe vacant windows would certainly uphold that sign. Cool and creepy all at the same time. Look again. She's Kuklanated.Somebody's going to be late for the big Gude meeting. Paintings...I would love to be able to get my hands on those paintings being sold in that store. The frames alone are absolutely beautiful. Location, Location, LocationAll the $5 Hat Shop had to do at their new location was hold out for another 30 something years and they would have had it made. 359 5th Avenue would put it directly across the street from the Empire State Building which is at 350 5th Avenue. A woman of means This window-shopper's ensemble is very finely hand-tailored, and her coat appears to have a velvet collar. Everything fits her perfectly, suggesting that she has access to a private dressmaker. Her hat is equally stylish. Wonder what type of feathers make up that jaunty plume? Notice how carefully coiffed her hair is, and how shiny clean. Knowing from Shorpy how grubby life could be for many people at the time, this lady had it good. DyslexiaI thought it said Verbiest. I don't want my meats chatting at me. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
New York Central: 1905
Circa 1905. "New York Central Railroad station, Albany, N.Y." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... AMTRAK trains now stop across the Hudson River in the City of Rensselaer. The modern AMTRAK station lacks the architectural merit of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/09/2017 - 8:12pm -

Circa 1905. "New York Central Railroad station, Albany, N.Y." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. No longer a train stationThis Beau Arts structure has been adaptively re-used as office space. The entire trackway & platform area is obliterated. AMTRAK trains now stop across the Hudson River in the City of Rensselaer. The modern AMTRAK station lacks the architectural merit of this fine Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge building. Fancy-Schmancy Street Light!Very cool! [An example of a Shorpy all-time favorite, an electric carbon arc lamp. Here's another of a similar style. -tterrace] Jarvis Hunt strikes again?This building reminds me a lot of Union Station in Kansas City, which was designed by Jarvis Hunt. Some of his other stations also look like this one, with three big arches on the central part of the building, and shorter wings flanking the central part. A quick Google isn't yielding the architect of the Albany station, though. Or, maybe that's just a common design for train stations in the early part of the 20th century. (The Gallery, Albany, DPC, Railroads)
Noir York: 1950
August 29, 1950. "Storm over Manhattan. New York: The towering buildings of Manhattan are silhouetted against heavy clouds which gathered over the city just before a sudden electrical rainstorm late in the afternoon of Aug. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/22/2018 - 2:53pm -

August 29, 1950. "Storm over Manhattan. New York: The towering buildings of Manhattan are silhouetted against heavy clouds which gathered over the city just before a sudden electrical rainstorm late in the afternoon of Aug. 29. This view looks south from the area of Central Park." Acme Newspicture. View full size. Sherry-NetherlandPhotographer must be on top of the Sherry-Netherland, still there on the NE corner of 5th Ave and 59th. At the right edge of the pic, the roof of the Savoy Plaza, not still there. Look up "eerie"and this photo appears with the dictionary definition. The Fuller BuildingOn the left is the 40 story Fuller Building, which is now almost swallowed up by newer, taller skyscrapers. The Fuller Company made a move that coincided with the architectural changes of the times, moving from the Renaissance revival Flatiron Building to the Art Deco Fuller building in 1929. United Nations HeadquartersAt left on the East River is the UN Secretariat. Just one week after first 450 employees started working there on August 22, 1950. (The Gallery, News Photo Archive, NYC)
Sky Riders: 1905
New York circa 1905. "The elevated." I think the most interesting thing here is the ... in the Library of Congress movie collection "Life of a City" has a slightly older view of this curve with steam trains before ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 7:36pm -

New York circa 1905. "The elevated." I think the most interesting thing here is the wonderful signage. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Why so highThe Elevated had to be so high because it was crossing the Manhattan Valley without descending into it. The Broadway Subway crosses this same valley on a high arch bridge at 125th Street. The 110th Street station, shown in some of the linked photos, has its own elevator house on the north side of the street. A film clip in the Library of Congress movie collection "Life of a City" has a slightly older view of this curve with steam trains before electrification and the construction of the 110th Street station. Possibly the BronxI am going to take a wild guess here but it looks like the old Third Avenue elevated in the Bronx. Also notice the elegance of the latticework steel including the star on the crossties. As others have noted it is the old Ninth Ave. El I stand corrected. Ridin' HighThose signs are cool, but that track is easily 6 stories up, I wonder why it had to get to that height along this stretch. That could translate to an easy 75 to 80 feet UP. No wonder King Kong was able to wreak havoc as he did. Ouch!That buzzsaw device on the shoe billboard looks just right for the depicted shoe. Dead Man's CurveThis was the famous "S" curve on the Sixth/Ninth Ave El at Cathedral Parkway and, because I can't tell if the photo has been reversed, it appears to be where the line curved to go up 8th Ave at the NW corner of CP. The billboards throw me off since I can't imagine why they would have been placed facing CP in front of the buildings at ground level. [If the photo was reversed, the writing on the signs would be backward. - Dave] Seen here before from a different angle?The same place, or a similar one, was seen in this 1905 photo. Keeping in shapeFolks in the DC area are well aware of Metro's constant battle to maintain its escalators ('escalator' being an ancient word meaning "mechanical staircase not meant to be left out in the rain"). Folks riding this train had an el of a climb. Truth In Advertising"Bordens Malted Milk Has No Equal" Or any other artificial sweetener. Ninth Avenue LThis looks like the famous S-curve of the Ninth Avenue L at 110th Street and Eighth Avenue in upper Manhattan, with a bit of Central Park in the foreground. This portion of the line was opened by the Manhattan Railway in 1891, leased to the Interborough Rapid Transit Co. (IRT) in 1903 (for 999 years!), and closed to service when the city bought all the privately owned NYC subway and elevated lines in 1940. Another view of the curve was published by Shorpy here: https://www.shorpy.com/node/8002 . Ya big apeIsn't that King Kong reaching for the elevated train from behind the building? What a great scene that was, and plenty scary for the times (1933). No doubt it gave elevated passengers pause before boarding for a while, like taking showers after seeing Psycho. I hope someone can identify the brand advertisement on the right edge. Tenth Anniversary for something starting with at T. Any train photos are great - thanks for posting Dave. 8th Avenue and 110th StreetPreviously seen here on Shorpy. Looks like the Borden's Malted Milk galwears American Lady Corsets. A titivating milkmaid!No lack of Malted Milk there. ["Titivating"! - Dave] Dave, don't know if you're flagging the usage or the word. It's a verb used as an adjective, with -ing making it a present participle. The word means smarten, spruce, in the sense of making better, enhancing. I deliberately did not use titillate. It's a close call, maybe a stretch, you may be right, but I'll stick with titivate. Kind regards. ["Titivating"! - Dave] Highest Point ever on New York L'sAs noted in several comments above, it is indeed the "S" curve on the 9th Ave el at 110th Street & 8th Avenue, viewed looking roughly northwest from inside Central Park. The location was notable as the highest point anywhere on the New York els, being approximately 110 feet above street level. The 9th Ave line was closed and razed in 1940, having been replaced by the far superior 8th Avenue subway. Today the highest point on the NYC Transit system is at the Smith & Ninth station on the F & G lines in Brooklyn, which is 80+ feet above street level. Fantana (NOT the soft drink quartet)Fantana (with Douglas Fairbanks) opened at the Shubert's Lyric Theater in January 1905. AdsJefferson De Angelis performed in "Fantana" from Jan 14, 1905 - Sep 30, 1905. Several of the billboards are advertising events in May, including two on May 8. Interesting how closely the picture can be dated. I wonder how often the billboards were changed back then. I bet pretty often, as that was a major form of advertising then. ZAM I AMI think the sign near the top-right is an ad for the painters on the scaffold. It looks like an initial letter, followed by the word ZAM, and then the word PAINTER on the 2nd line. I think he is painting the inside of the window sills with a dark color. Notice how dark the inside of all the window sills to his left appear. Possibly he is just finishing up the sill in front of him. Notice all the sills directly below him are still a lighter color. The sign could be stuck to that window, but it might also be attached to his scaffold. [The sign reads "E. ZAM PAINTER and DECORATOR." Something something. - Dave] Thanks for the blow-up, Dave. I just noticed there is a 2nd painter standing to the left of the sitting painter. He looks to be wearing overalls and his right hand is raised to the glass, probably with paintbrush in hand! Can't be!You sure that's New York? Where's the graffiti on the trains? Obscured from viewI believe the billboards act as a fence hiding a vacant lot or construction site. It was a common practice at the time. Regal, the shoe that proves --What, exactly? Belmont Park AdIf this is indeed 1905, there is an ad on a fence for the inaugral Belmont Park race meet at Elmont, Long Island. Morningside, not Central Park?Are we sure this is Central Park? That stairway looks very similar to this one in nearby Morningside Park. It is Central ParkAnd I think I found the stairs here. This photo is looking out on to what is now Frederick Douglass Circle. I think it's gotta be Central ParkBecause the apartment buildings seen here match those in this view looking north on Eighth Avenue -- they are at the NW and NE corners of 8th Avenue and 111th Street. In addition, the stairway that John Craft showed us in the corner of Morningside Park hugs the line of the street (Morningside Avenue) very closely, while the stairway in this picture descends into the park at a 45-degree angle. Has this stairway been removed and replaced by a roadway? 8th and 110th close but not quite MorningsideThe Morningside stairs may look similiar but the Central Park stairs look exact (allowing for 107 years of change). (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
Omnibus Stop: 1951
... June 1951. "Times Square street scene." Now playing at the New York Theatre: Skipalong Rosenbloom . 35mm acetate negative by Angelo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/09/2021 - 11:47am -

June 1951. "Times Square street scene." Now playing at the New York Theatre: Skipalong Rosenbloom. 35mm acetate negative by Angelo Rizzuto. View full size. On the TownSailors in Times Square? I'm reminded of Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin, trying to see all of New York in just twenty-four hours. They never did get to the Hippodrome, the Aquarium, or the Woolworth Tower. Hey, sailors!Check out those bellbottoms. (I also attach a movie poster.) Dorothy!When she escaped Oz and discovered Walgreens. Shorpy BusinessIs that the Shorpy Dentist (Painless, of course), Shorpy Accountants, or Shorpy Insurance advertising in the window? Alice, or Times SquareI say it is Alice (as in Wonderland) and not Dorothy. But the main thing is this: I shall never again go to New York. This is chaos enough for me. I was there in 1999 for four days and never again! Though I had a very pleasant stay at Crystal's Bed and Breakfast in Harlem! That Rex Allen action film... is probably "Silver City Bonanza" with Buddy Ebsen as his sidekick. 43rd at Broadway on Times Square1,000 seat Toffenetti Restaurant. The place to see and be seen. AblativeThe dictionaries say "omnibus" is the dative plural of "omnis" "all," implying it's "for all." I'd go with ablative plural if the bus takes everybody away. New York TimesI need to know more about that cast iron appendage to the Walgreens corner. Is that the Times building? Deep thoughts by the sailor on the left:"In twenty years everybody will wearing the pants like mine." Out of UniformIt appears there is one sailor on the corner that is out of uniform. He is in 'blues' and al the other sailors are in "whites". In June the uniform of the day would have been whites. (Blues are for winter months.) I am also impressed with the size and complexity of the Budweiser billboard. Being able to look behind it shows a remarkable infrastructure. Big BeerLove the 3-D Budweiser sign. Sailors, Dress Whites and Dress BluesCan someone clear this one up for me. We have sailors in dress whites and dress blues. When I was in the Navy the uniform was dictated by the season. Any thoughts? Walking next to the sailoris what appears to be a navy Chief Petty Officer. I can't see their left arms, but they could be wearing SP armbands signifying Shore Patrol. I'm a retired Navy Chief, and ran Shore Patrol on my last two ships, including going ashore in New York City. Great times indeed. Thanks for the memories. (The Gallery, Angelo Rizzuto, Movies, NYC)
The Ansonia: 1906
Circa 1906. "Ansonia Apartments, Broadway, New York City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 4:35pm -

Circa 1906. "Ansonia Apartments, Broadway, New York City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. HorsepowerThe electric van was state of the art, but the horse was still around for a couple of decades. Looks like some "road apples" in the street. Where are the people?New York City, and not a single person in the shot? How? [There are at least two people in this time exposure, visible as they paused by the curb, with hints of a third across the street. The faster walkers might not register at all. - Dave] Wow!What a beautiful building! Top floor, please!I want to buy the penthouse suite in the tower shown in the middle. What an AWESOME place! Only in New YorkThe 1975 movie "The Sunshine Boys" featured the Ansonia as the home of the character Willy Clark, played by Walter Matthau. It had become a rundown has-been and the movie showed it that way. In that same period the Ansonia housed the storied swingers club Plato's Retreat in its basement. Plato's followed a former tenant, the Continental Baths, where a little known Barry Manilow accompanied an unknown Bette Midler entertaining its gay male audience. Today it is a luxury condo where a three-bedroom apartment is currently listed at $3.1 million. Birthday cakeIt looks like a giant confection. Beautiful building. Roof FarmLovely idea: There was (...) a farm on the roof. It’s true: Stokes had a vision of a self-sustaining building, a kind of rental utopia. He purchased various farm animals and constructed a mini-pasture on the roof. Each morning, a staff member would deliver fresh eggs and milk to the guests or tenants of the building. And there was even a cattle elevator (for dairy cows)!! I wonder why did the department of health close it in the 1930s, and if it's possible to reopen it? Or has it since been replaced with AC boxes & .. ? But yes, great building! Beautiful buildingI took voice lessons from a man who rented out one room of a large Ansonia apartment for that purpose about 20 or 25 years ago. The building was in moderately sad condition then, but it still had a grandeur and style that was palpable. The apartment was huge and elegant, just like a Hollywood movie apartment, but of course needed some serious updating. The Ansonia has lost a couple of its elegant neighbors in the last few years, and on the next block up there's a very modern building that's an obvious tribute to it. I believe the late New York City mayor John Lindsey lived there for many years, didn't he? It's such a fine structure that it still provides the architectural anchor for the whole neighborhood. Window WasherThere appears to be a window washer on the 12th fl balcony; I wonder how much he made!? Mr. Mel stole my commentI can add only that early tenants of the building included Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and Arturo Toscanini. When the building was new, they kept live seals in the fountain in the lobby. However it required enormous upkeep and decayed with stunning speed between about 1950 and 1980. There was a period of time when you couldn't open a New York newspaper without reading of some rent strike at the Ansonia or lawsuit by the people living there against the owners. It seems finally to have quieted down in the last few years, and the building is gorgeous, even nicer in real life than in that photo. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
East Side Story: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement house." Another view of the building on ... decades, I'm sure. The few remaining carriagehouses in the city are hotly contested real estate. People love the huge doors, I guess. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:00pm -

New York circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement house." Another view of the building on East 40th Street seen here. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. I like the carriagehouse next doorIt's been gone for decades, I'm sure. The few remaining carriagehouses in the city are hotly contested real estate. People love the huge doors, I guess. New York ObserverCould that woman in the window above the entrance be the lady in the previous shot of this building? [Note that there are at least three upstairs window-gazers here. Kind of a theme for today's posts! - Dave] Trading StampsI didn't know that Green Stamps dated that far back. I always thought they were a new thing in the 1950s and '60s. Another lost artNot much call for Ornamental Plasterers any more. Family and Unescorted WomenI noticed the FAMILY ENTRANCE. I found this mentioned in a couple of my travel guides of Chicago during this era. From what I was told this was because unescorted women and children were not to use the front door. The main entrance would be on Main Street and the Women's and Family Entrance would be on a side street. Yoo hoo, Mrs. GoldbergReminds me of the early 50s television sitcom (arguably the first ever) "The Goldbergs." Who can ever forget the refrain of Mrs. Kramer, calling out to her neighbor through open windows, "Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg!" One has to wonder about the utility of the balconies on the center building as a means of escaping fire. They have no stairs or ladders to the street. Not Here NowI have to say this of 40th Street and 2nd Avenue. There isn't a Saloon on any one of the 4 corners. Present East 40th StreetDoesn't appear that anything is left S&H Green StampsS&H Green Stamps (also called Green Shield Stamps) were trading stamps popular in the United States from the 1930s until the late 1980s. By the way: I love your "titling capacities" Dave! Lofty Rental I am wondering what those lofts were going for back then and what they would go for today if they were still there. At 1625 square feet of floor space they would bring a pretty penny today. Old BillI wonder if that is Bill Inwood suspecting that Green Stamps are maybe not the way forward after all! LocationI'm guessing that that is the 3rd Avenue El that can be seen at the extreme right edge of this photo, which would place this block between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, and probably shows the south side of the street. If so, I believe that an access street originating from the Queens Midtown Tunnel now empties its traffic onto East 40th at just about the same location. It is just two blocks west of what is now Tudor City. Have I got the geography correct? [As noted in comments under the other photo, the grocery is 308 East 40th Street. - Dave] Ouch!Ouch! what's that lady sitting on by the grocers? HoneymoonersI fully expected to see Ralph Kramden looking out one of the windows. Apropos of nothingI seem to be at that stage of life where, on some days at least, the front page of Shorpy seems far more relevant than the front page of the New York Times. Everything But MoneyLove this photo as it reminds me of Sam Levenson's great memoir, Everything But Money. There's a whole neighborhood in one building. Since We're CountingI believe I see four window-gazers, although two could be ghosts! Look at Me NowThe building below, as seen from First Avenue & 40th Street, is 300 East 40th Street, also known as the Churchill. This high-rise stands on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and East 40th Street, where 308 East 40th Street, the subject of this Shorpy image, used to be. It is a co-op building with some apartment prices ranging in the multiple millions. It is one of the few apartment houses in the city with an open air Olympic size swimming pool on its roof. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Atlantic City Boardwalk: 1908
Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1908. "Chalfonte Hotel and the Boardwalk." With some ... were family favorites for mini-vacations from upstate New York, so long as the tires on my dad's '37 Chevvy two-door had viable treads. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/24/2011 - 1:14pm -

Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1908. "Chalfonte Hotel and the Boardwalk." With some sort of spillage splotch in the middle, "double chair" rental on the right and a 45-star flag topping it all off. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Chair rental50 cents for the double chair rental seems like a lot in 1908. Unless that included one of the many men standing around to push you? Kind of like a rickshaw. [Chair rental circa 1908 was 50 cents an hour. In 1913 the A.C. city commission, in a move to cut "chair congestion," passed an ordinance raising mercantile taxes on the chairs by $5 a year -- to $10 on single chairs, and $20 for double chairs. The commission's goal was a doubling of the rental rate to a dollar an hour. - Dave] Sandy ClothesWow. I can't imagine how long it must have taken to get the sand out of those heavy wool clothes. Double ChairsFrom a WPA guide to Atlantic City: The next milestone in the history of the resort was the invention of the rolling chair in 1884. M.D. Shill, a Philadelphia manufacturer of invalid chairs, go-carts and perambulators, came to Atlantic City and opened a store to rent out baby carriages to summer families. He also rented out invalid chairs for convalescents and cripples. Within a few years these invalid chairs evolved into the double chair with a pusher. Triple chairs followed, completing the fleet of comfortable sightseeing chairs of today. Tim-bers!Wow, those are some beautiful timbers stacked on the beach. Timbers like those would cost a fortune today. TransitionsAtlantic City transitioned from this sedate scene to a bustling family-oriented seaside resort by the 1940s. I remember the Steel Pier and the Diving Horse. By the early '70s, A.C. hit rock bottom...then gambling was legalized. The rest (along with visitors' money) is history. Tanning and HorsesLooking at all the clothes these people are wearing makes me realize that being tan probably wasn't as common, at least for city folk. There is hardly any skin showing on anyone. Also, note the horses bottom left. I guess someone had the job of cleaning up after them on the beach/boardwalk. Neat picture, btw. And I agree about the time machine, though I'd like a ticket back in case things didn't work out. Wow...Can I go back in time please... One way is OK... Sign me up and get me outta here! 45 StarsIf the flag has 45 stars and the date is 1908, the hotel owner should have bought a new flag. Utah was the 45th state, admitted in 1896. Oklahoma was 46th, admitted in 1907. [The 46-star flag was adopted July 4, 1908. If the photo was taken in 1908, it was probably before the Fourth of July. - Dave] Ah yes, the old ChalfonteIn the early 1940's, while the tires were still mileage-viable on my dad's 1937 Chevy 2-door, we traveled to AC from Newburgh, NY, several times as a family. We usually bunked at the Chalfonte or its sister hotel down the block, Haddon Hall. As a kid my favorite place on the AC boardwalk was the James Salt Water Taffy shop. They sold pressed paper cartons of those filling-yankers in really neat-looking wire barrel shapes. For many years, I used one of these as a piggy bank. Hotel lobbiesCirca 1926 Ethel Waters made a record called "Jersey Walk," about a girl who dances in the hotel lobbies "just to hear those bellhops yell... 'Shake 'em up kid, shake 'em up kid, shake 'em up lady...'" Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys recorded it much more recently. Postal PhotosI see that Palace Postal Photos are best. I assume that is a place you could go to get a souvenier photo made to mail to the folks back home. Got any of those in your bag Dave? [Afraid not. - Dave] The Chalfonte and The Haddon Hall down the blockThose were family favorites for mini-vacations from upstate New York, so long as the tires on my dad's '37 Chevvy two-door had viable treads. Best shop on the AC Boardwalk for me was the James' Salt Water Taffy shop a few blocks west of the Chalfonte. They packaged their product in a molded papier-mache carton in the shape and color of a white barrel. I used one of these for years as a kid for my spare pocket change. Nap time!I like the man on the beach taking a siesta. What strikes me most about this picture is how lazy we've become in regard to architecture. Maybe a glass brick is easier to heat and cool as well as construct but dang, look at that beautiful building! Shill Rolling ChairI recently purchased a Shill Rolling Chair that seats three people. The brass plate mounted on the front of the white wicker frame says the charge was 75 cents an hour for one person or $1 an hour for two or more. I am curious about the age of the rolling chair. Based on the price per hour, would you know the age of my chair? (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Sports)
Miami, Florida: 1908
... in Miami around that time. Wild Guess Brooklyn, New York Identity Washington Avenue, Titusville Florida. Possible answer ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/14/2014 - 12:58pm -

Circa 1908. Who would care to hazard a guess as to the location of this bustling metropolis? Extra points for Street View. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. UPDATE: The guesses as to the location of "Anytown, USA" (this post's original title) were, quite literally, all over the map -- from Deadwood to Buffalo to Whitehouse, Ohio. Many incorrect guesses for Titusville, Florida. The correct answer, and original caption: "12th Street, looking east, Miami, Florida." Cigars, anyone?It looks like the main street of Ybor City near Tampa, Florida. [Close, but no cigar. - Dave] Titusville, FloridaMain Street Titusville FloridaTitusville was the home of E.L. Brady Groceries! GuessingI'm guessing it is Titusville. Miami, 1200It would appear the MacArthur highway removed this locale: View Larger Map Location is.Titusville Florida Titusville, FLTitusville. FL? A grocer with the same name had a building there: I have to admit I'm not too confident; the bank building looks wrong. Florida?Google search suggests that this may be early Miami, with E.L. Brady Groceries on right, and Frank T. Budge Hardware on the left. Miami, FLI believe this is Miami, Florida, corner of 12th Street (now Flagler Street) and Avenue D (now Miami Avenue). View Larger Map I know, I know!It's the home of the Ace Novelty Company in Walla, Walla, Washington. What do I win? Miami Map 1919This map shows Avenue D (now Miami Avenue) and 12th Street to be somewhere under the pilings for MacArthur Freeway. Too bad about the grand old house on the left a few blocks up. That shoulda been a keeper. E.L. Brady's grocery storetells me this is Titusville, Florida. Miami, FloridaThis is 12th Street, looking east, Miami, Florida. Miami?A guy named E.L. Brady was a grocer in Miami around that time. Wild GuessBrooklyn, New York IdentityWashington Avenue, Titusville Florida. Possible answerI cheated and Googled "E.L. Brady" grocery store" and got Titusville, FL. Did I win? MiamiSome research indicates Flagler Street and Miami Avenue , although street view is hard to recognize. MiamiAvenue D (now Miami Ave.) and 12th Street, Miami, Fl. It looks like it's beneath the MacAurther Causeway now. Titusville FLA.Main Street? Is it KC?It could be my eyes playing tricks, but I think I see a reference to Kansas City in the banner stretched across the street. I'm guessingTitusville, Florida? Taking a guessI think the location is somewhere in Titusville, Florida. Titusville, Florida?Okay, here's my detective work. I Googled C.W. Schmid's Restaurant to no avail, but then I saw the E. L. Brady and Co. Groceries sign and tried that. It took me to this site, which mentions a store by the same name in Titusville. Am I right? Brady Grocery, Titusville, Florida407 S. Washington Avenue, Titusville, Florida "Titusville's first grocery store, L.A. Brady Grocery Store, was built in 1880. This and other buildings immediately south were occupied by Jackson Garage, Coca Cola, Bryan-Conway Realtors, Grower's Supply and Sears. The building was renovated and reopened in 1988 as the Granada Building, housing several government agencies and businesses including Gulf Atlantic Title, Cathedral Holdings and Loys Ward Surveying and Engineering." I had not a clueBut I thought maybe somewhere up north because of the awnings, which I thought might protect from the harsh winter snow. Duh! I could not have been more wrong. Turns out they were protection from the hot sun of Florida! Having lived there for a tortuous 6 months, I should have known better. I'm guessingTitusville,FL. Jacksonville, Florida.It has to be Jax. There's crap in the street and it looks like a slum. Nothing has changed. My guess is MiamiSearching for E.L. Brady's lead me to this conclusion based on this page, and this quote: On March 3, Flagler dispatched John Sewell and twelve of his best black workers from Palm Beach to Miami to begin work on the townsite. They began by grading the site of Flagler’s hotel. (72) By late March the railroad extension had reached a point just below Arch Creek near today’s Northeast 135th Street. (73) Increasing numbers of people were coming to Miami. In order to provide them with a place to stay, Harrington and Tyler leased the Miami Hotel from Julia Tuttle — even before it had a roof over it. Located on today’s South Miami Avenue near the river, the hotel contained a dining room on the first floor and rooms on the second which only could be reached by ladder, since a staircase had not been completed. (74) A former steamboat, the Rockledge, was converted into a floating hotel by E. E. Vail, towed to Miami and docked at the foot of Avenue D (today’s Miami Avenue). (75) Several new businesses had just opened or were about to open as March drew to a close. These included Frank Budge’s hardware store, Frank Duren’s meat market and green grocery, E.L. Brady’s grocery store, and the Lummus Brothers’ general store; additionally, a drug store, candy shop and pool room looked out over Avenue D. The lumber to build the Bank of Bay Biscayne building was being hauled to its lot next to the Brady grocery store. (76) Survey saysI believe this is Brooklyn, NY. I took the easy way out and just searched for 1200 Avenue O from the side of the grocers wagon Joe from LI, NY View Larger Map Miami?A Google search for "e l brady" grocer 1200 ave d turned up this link. On page 69 of which is mentioned a small grocery in Miami, run by an E.L. Brady. A guessIs it Titusville Florida? It's downtown MiamiThe Historical Museum of Southern Florida puts E.L. Brady Grocers, 1200 Avenue D, in Miami at that point. Avenue D is now South Miami Avenue. I'm not familiar with the area to know if the street numbering was retained. Schmids Furniture, Whitehouse, OhioWhitehouse, Ohio? There is a reference to a "Schmids Funiture" still there in 1937 when this was written. An updated guessIs it Miami, Florida? MaybeTitusville, Florida? TitusvilleStill working on the street view. Miami, Florida?Miami, FL, 12th Street. Anytown USA = Whitehouse OHIf you google "Schmid's Furniture" and have google uncorrect it, there's a PDF link to a report on Early Whitehouse History. In there is a reference to Schmid's Furniture on Toledo Ave (which looks very different today in Street View) Some leadsA search for E.L. Brady's grocery brought up a couple things. This page mentions the cart part of the business, which would place this in Titusville, Florida, to the East of Orlando. This link contains a picture of an historical marker in Titusville, which mentions that the building where Brady's grocery would have been housed in 1908 still stands, and is to the right of the sign. I'm pretty sure I've located the sign in street view here: View Larger Map The gardening has changed from the pictures, but the background matches up perfectly. The only step from here would be to go a few ticks over on street view and turn around, but this is where I stopped. Either I have the wrong spot or the view has changed considerably. Found it?I found reference to E.L. Brady's grocery store which leads me to believe this is Titusville, Florida. The building was home to E.L. Brady's grocery store. He first established his business in LaGrange, but moved to Titusville in 1886, occupying a wooden building at Main Street. The 1895 fire destroyed his store and many wood structures in the commercial district. Brady rebuilt his grocery in this building Is this it?Not much left from 1908. View Larger Map No DoubtThat's downtown Anytown. (Read the heading.) Titusville?Looks like E.L. Brady's Grocery store was located in Titusville, FL. That could be the site of this shot, perhaps... Fort Pierce / St. Lucie, FLMan, is this a depressing indicator of change. View Larger Map ETA: Darn, not correct! Miami, Fl ?http://www.hmsf.org/collections-south-florida-birth-city.htm On March 3, Flagler dispatched John Sewell and twelve of his best black workers from Palm Beach to Miami to begin work on the townsite. They began by grading the site of Flagler’s hotel. (72) By late March the railroad extension had reached a point just below Arch Creek near today’s Northeast 135th Street. (73) Increasing numbers of people were coming to Miami. In order to provide them with a place to stay, Harrington and Tyler leased the Miami Hotel from Julia Tuttle — even before it had a roof over it. Located on today’s South Miami Avenue near the river, the hotel contained a dining room on the first floor and rooms on the second which only could be reached by ladder, since a staircase had not been completed. (74) A former steamboat, the Rockledge, was converted into a floating hotel by E. E. Vail, towed to Miami and docked at the foot of Avenue D (today’s Miami Avenue). (75) Several new businesses had just opened or were about to open as March drew to a close. These included Frank Budge’s hardware store, Frank Duren’s meat market and green grocery, E. L. Brady’s grocery store, and the Lummus Brothers’ general store; additionally, a drug store, candy shop and pool room looked out over Avenue D. The lumber to build the Bank of Bay Biscayne building was being hauled to its lot next to the Brady grocery store. (76) Anytown, USA is Titusville, FloridaAnytown, USA is Titusville, Florida "E.L. Brady and Brother Grocery Store, a well established business located on Washington Ave. in downtown Titusville, put into use a delivery wagon in order to provide better customer service." Judging by the number of wiresI would say: NYC. Miami, Florida ...perhaps the corner of D (now Miami) and 12th Avenues? After Titusville, FLAfter Titusville FL Mr. E.L. Brady, Grocer, moved to Miami and opened up his grocery store on Avenue D. Not sure what that is called now though. Titusville Fla. Probably S. Washington St. That was funThat was fun. I was one of the Titusville people. Got it wrong. Oh well. How about doing something like this once a week? Not a palm tree in sightThe grocer E.L. Brady originated in Lagrange, Florida and relocated to Titusville, Florida in 1886. He would eventually became the first grocer in Miami, Florida at Ave. D and 12th Street. Today, this intersection would be Flagler Street and Miami Avenue. An interesting 1901 photo of the mustachioed Mr. Brady can be seen here. A guessBuffalo, NY. Found a reference to a wedding in the NY Times where Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Brady from Buffalo attended. Brooklyn?Probably wrong, but I'll hazard a guess at Brooklyn; 1200 Avenue D is near the intersection of Flatbush, which would make that little side street on the left E. 23rd St. View Larger Map Is it Louisville?I think this may be Avenue D in Louisville, KY. Miamihad an Avenue D in 1908 and a grocer called E.L. Brady. Welcome to MiamiLooks like it's somewhere on what is now South Miami Avenue - possibly where the Route 970 overpass is now located? FoundView Larger Map Stop 17 on the historical walking tour. Historical marker north of the building. Hazarding a GuessI'm going to guess we're looking at Old Miam, South Miami Avei? Just a GuessTitusville or Miami, FL. Titusville, FLJust a guess. Titusville, FLI think I see an atlas rocket taking off from the cape in the background. Florida townI believe this is Titusville Florida. LocationThis was taken in Miami, Florida at the corner of what is now Flagler Street and Miami Avenue. Everything in the original photo is gone, even the street names! Flagler and Miami used to be 12th Street and Avenue D, respectively. Titusville, FloridaHome of E.L. Brady, Grocer. Doesn't Look Like Florida to MeMy guess is Titusville FL, because that is the only place I can find a E L Brady that is a Grocer on the 1900 and 1910 census. Am I correct? Miami, FloridaThat's my guess. Deadwood, SD?Shot in the dark guess. Just seems very western. Gag! I was wrong, wrong, wrong. Embarrassing since I was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, and my grandparents + my mother moved to South Florida in 1917. Miami, FL?Possibly Miami, as per an obituary for E.L. Brady (pulled from the "E.L. Brady and Co" store on the right, beyond the real estate agent). That would make this shot somewhere in the vicinity of Flagler and Miami Avenue. Miami FloridaAvenue D and 12th Street. Now Flagler Street and Miami Avenue. See if I can get a Street View. Definitely MiamiFrom "Early Miami Through the Eyes of Youth" by William M. Straight, M.D., p.69: "How did you get your dairy products and your groceries? Well, there were two grocery stores, little things. I think the first one was operated by a Mr. Brady, E. L. Brady, who moved here from Titusville." On Page 63, there's mention that Avenue D is now Miami Avenue. 1200 Miami Avenue: View Larger Map MiamiE. L. Brady opened one of the first grocery stores in Miami, Florida. In 1908, the Bank of Bay Biscayne was located next door. I think this is the intersection of Miami Avenue and Flagler Street. Let's see nowThere's a tag that says "Florida," but there's also a tag that says "Detroit." Follow upFollow up to my earlier comment about E.L. Brady; according to the same obituary, E.L. Brady was an earlier settler of Titusville, FL, and started a grocery there, too. So this could be Titusville, FL. E. L. Brady Co. GrocersAt the corner of Avenue D and 12th Street in Miami: Titusville, FLLooks like it's in Titusville, FL, though I'm having trouble pinning down the exact location for a Google Street View. Halcyon HometownFinally, a shot of MY hometown, Miami! When Miami scrapped its old street naming system in 1921, they threw out the house numbers along with the street names for the present day quadrant system. The shot was taken on today's Flagler Street (formerly 12th Street) looking east at Miami Avenue (formerly Avenue D). The lions on the left guarded the Bank of Bay Biscayne, which stood on the northwest corner of Miami Avenue and West Flagler Street. The Halcyon Hotel, with its distinctive turrets, stood at East Flagler and 2nd Avenue (formerly 12th Street and Avenue B). It can be seen down the street on the left side. It'd be great to see some more Old Miami shots! Thanks, Shorpy! Let me guessI'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that this city is in Florida? I'm thinkingTitusville, FL Thank you, Mr. Brady the grocerIt's Miami. HOW COULD YOU TELL????I enlarged the photo, combed all the print details, how can you possibly recognize it a hundred years later????!! (Thanks for the fun though.) Bay Biscayne BankAccording to the Sanford Fire Map of 1899, the Bay Biscayne Bank was around the corner on D Avenue, on the NE side of the intersection, up the block on D Avenue slightly. Of course, it may have moved across the street to the NW corner by 1909. In the 1909 edition of Florida East Coast Homeseeker, it ran an ad noting it had moved to new digs in the Fort Dallas Bank Building; the one with the columns on the immediate left, and just west of the bank building, would have been the Biscayne Hotel in 1899. The weather bureau opened a station in the Bank of Bay Biscayne Building at that same location in 1911, so by then the building seems to have dropped the Fort Dallas appellation. The picture of the bank building provided by the NOAA website must be looking NW at it catercorner across the intersection. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Miami)
Flyboy: 1917
... IS DELAYED Accidents Mar Second Day's Service With New York. LIEUT. BONSAL HITS A FENCE Swerves to Avoid Horses in Landing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 1:50pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. "Allied aircraft demonstration at polo grounds. Avro training plane designed by A.V. Roe of England. Lieut. Stephen Bonsal Jr., one of the young Army flyers who have entered the newest profession, that of airplane mail carrying, is the son of the former war correspondent and veteran newspaperman who is now a major attached to the general staff of the Army." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Lieut. Bonsal Hits a FenceWashington Post, May 17, 1918. AERO MAIL IS DELAYED Accidents Mar Second Day's Service With New York. LIEUT. BONSAL HITS A FENCE Swerves to Avoid Horses in Landing At Fair Grounds in New Jersey. After undergoing various delays, the aeroplane mail from New York arrived in Washington last night at 8:42 o'clock, six hours and twelve minutes behind schedule, marking the second day of America's aerial mail service by another accident. On the first leg of the journey from New York to Philadelphia the pilot, Lieut. Steven Bonsal Jr., lost his way in a fog over Delaware Bay and was forced to descend at Bridgeport, N.J., 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia, smashing his machine as he landed. Lieut. Bonsal said that he was driving a new machine and that he had ascended to an altitude of 8,000 feet so as to be high enough to manipulate his plane in the event of an accident. When he realized that he was off his course he picked out the old Bridgeton racetrack for a landing place. It is now used as a horse bazaar and was filled with horses. In landing, Lieut. Bonsal made a nose dive to drive away the horses, but they would not scare, he said, and in order to avoid killing some of the animals he swerved into a fence, breaking the propeller and one plane. Lieut. Bonsal was uninjured. Mail by a Relief Plane. A relief plane was immediately sent to Bridgeton and the mail taken to Philadelphia. At the latter city the mail was transferred into a plane piloted by Lieut. Walter Miller, and he started on the second leg of the journey to Washington at 5:50 o'clock. After going about 30 miles, Lieut. Miller noticed that the spark plugs in his plane were too close together, and that the engine was missing, so he returned to Philadelphia. There were no relief planes in Philadelphia so Lieut. James C. Edgerton, who carried Washington's first aeroplane mail to that city this morning, volunteered to make the trip and left Bustleton, Pa., at 6:33 p.m. for this city. Just as the twilight was fading Lieut. Edgerton landed his plane on the aviation field in Potomac Park. Although it was virtually dark he made a perfect landing. The consignment of mail for Washington amounted to 218 letters and was delivered by special messengers at 9 o'clock. Lieut. Edgerton's Success. The plane piloted out of Washington by Lieut. Edgerton yesterday morning at 11:30 o'clock carried 7,360 letters to New York and 570 for Philadelphia. Of these 3,630 were for New York City delivery, and 3,730 for distribution in New York State and New England. Twelve Killed in Two Weeks. Twenty-nine flying fields are being operated by the army air service in the United States. Four other fields will soon be opened for flying instruction, increasing the total to 33. During the two weeks ended May 8 aviation accidents at the American fields took a toll of 12 lives, the War Department announced. Out of this total two were killed at Hazelhurst field, Mineola, N.Y., and two at McCook field, Dayton, Ohio. Early Air MailN.Y. Times, May 19, 1918. AERIAL MAIL SERVICE RUNS WITHOUT HITCH Letters Delivered on Time in All Three Cities Involved -- May Use Larger Airplanes. The airplane mail service between Washington and New York via Philadelphia worked without a hitch yesterday, the mail being delivered on time in all three cities now included in the daily aerial service. Lieutenant Stephen Bonsal, who piloted the machine which brought the Washington and Philadelphia mail to New York, arrived at Belmont Park at 2.52 P.M. yesterday, having covered the distance between Philadelphia and New York in one hour and seven minutes — that is, at a speed of approximately 90 miles an hour. Lieutenant Bonsal left Belmont Park with the New York mail boxes for Philadelphia and Washington at 11.23 A.M. yesterday, and landed on the aerial mail field in Philadelphia at 12.38 P.M. Lieutenant Paul Culver brought the Washington mail to Philadelphia, where he transferred it to Lieutenant Bonsal, who piloted it to New York. It was said at the Post Office that the mail brought by Lieutenant Bonsal, which arrived at the Pennsylvania Station Post Office at 3.15 P.M., was distributed within an hour after its arrival. Lieutenant Culver piloted the machine which took the mail to Washington from New York and Philadelphia. The total round trip flying time between Washington and New York yesterday was unofficially reported last night to have been a little more than five hours. A plan to use larger airplanes in the service to Philadelphia and Washington because of the unexpected increased use of the mail is under discussion by the postal authorities, it was reported yesterday at Belmont Park. It was said that all persons except army men and Post Office employes directly concerned in the mail service would hereafter be barred from the field, as a measure of precaution against accidents. There will be no flight today. Coolest job in the worldat that time. Cigarettes, Airmen and AirmailCigarettes and airmen seemed inseparable - military planes had ashtrays well past WW2. Smoking did in my father, a Marine aviator, at a somewhat early age. Meanwhile, after nine years of Army air operations, with many deaths in the early years, the government began awarding mail routes to commercial carriers, encouraging the flying of regular routes, and making it possible to take passengers on a subsidized basis, since the planes were flying anyway. This program, although marred by favoritism and a public scandal in 1934, developed the infrastructure for all-weather scheduled flights and improved airplanes, that put US aviation into a leadership position. By 1933, millions of pounds of airmail were delivered annually across the nation - a lot of progress in 15 years. Handsome RogueI vote for the HR tag on this daring young man in his flying machine. 23-skiddoo! HR!Second vote for HR tag here. I'm surprised there aren't more of us making a fuss over this one! Love the sweet, slightly shy look in his eyes. (The Gallery, Aviation, Handsome Rakes, Harris + Ewing, WWI)
Clam Chowder Today: 1905
New York City circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement." The longer you look at this, the more ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 2:37pm -

New York City circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement." The longer you look at this, the more you'll see. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Time for some road repairWow, that's a nasty bit of road in front of that building. HauntingBest face-in-a-window shot in a long time. Looks like a painting, and speaks of timeless solitude across a century. 308Who'll be the first to post a Street View? S&H Green StampsAnd here I thought they were a product of the 1950s, or earlier. ["Earlier" would seem to be correct. - Dave] Pop. 2So far I see two people in this photo. Not counting George McClellan. I wanna buy that mason a beer!Those are the coolest headers I've ever seen! There's probably a term for that style, for all I know. The cobblestones on the street are another story. No doubt a mosquito plague after every rain. DeepI think I lost a truck in that pothole. Scared the bejesus out of me!The shadowy lady in the doorway! And the pensive woman in the window looks so lost in thought. The people in this photo are the best part! Down in flamesHmmm, fire escapes that go nowhere. Maybe notI was thinking of swiping something out of that tool chest, then I read the label! Loafer DeterrentThose sharp triangles on the top of the railings look to be very effective at keeping people from sitting on them. [Also effective for loafing pigeons -- note that they're also on the lower rung. - Dave] Trading stampsThat S&H Green Stamp sign would be quite a collectible now. Sperry & Hutchinson began in 1896. They're still around, just virtual. Give the man a steak to go with the beer!The brickwork is fantastic. Look at the fancy work above the second floor windows and the double diamondwork up the walls. I have never seen diamondwork in brick before. It does not survive.308 East 40th Street (courtesy of the 1915 city directory). View Larger Map Chillin at the windowI count two windowsill milk bottles. Plus some paper-wrapped packages, maybe meat or butter. I just figured it outWhy do vintage street lamps always those two arms sticking out? To support a ladder for maintenance! Thank you!Clicking on these photos to get the full-size view is like opening gifts! I'm thrilled every time. Thank you. Tudor City308 East 40th Street in Manhattan is just off Second Avenue on the south side of the street and just a few doors away from the Tudor City apartment and park complex. Back in the 1980's, there were some terrific restaurants in that immediate area. Tenement?In New York City a "tenement" is considered to be a small (under five story with no elevator) overcrowded run-down building. The houses on the Lower East Side in the early 1900s were tenements. 308 East 40th Street does not fit that description. [Meanings change over time. Strictly speaking, a tenement is any tenanted building, i.e. apartment house. Below, NYC real-estate listings from 1905. - Dave] GaslightThe lamplighter would lean his ladder against those arms. It's a gas!I see that H. Kino the Tailor still uses gaslights (in the front window) -- but seeing as how this building was a "tenement," I suppose electrification was a low priority. Fire EscapesThe two "Fire Escapes" I guess are not balconies but have no apparent way to get down to street and away from the conflagration. The only thing I can figure is the NYFD would come and raise a ladder to them. We can't tell how tall the building is but I imagine no more than four or five stories [Actually, seven. - Dave]. The fire escapes for the floors above must be on the sides and rear of the building. I am having trouble identifying the metal bracket affixed to the wall between the tailor shop window and it's door. It looks like it could have held a hanging sign but appears to be too low. Morning scrubbingThe lady in at the doorway seems to be scrubbing the floors. You can see the water dripping down the front step. Graffiti If you zoom in you can see initials chalked on the bricks. JuniorIn spite of the apparent distaste someone in this neighborhood had for George B. McClellan, he won his mayoral campaign. The name sounds familiar, of course, and the man on the poster is the son of Civil War General George B. McClellan. He served as mayor of New York City from 1904 to 1909 (he was elected first for a two-year term, and then for a four-year term). Apparently he was a little moralistic, and canceled all motion-picture exhibition licenses on Christmas Eve 1908. Perhaps that's why he was not encouraged to run for reelection for the 1910 term. Once, tenements were even respectableLovely curtains, with lace or bobbles or fringe, at every window. No broken glass. Well-kept and middle-class. Jacob Riis had shown New York tenements as nothing but degrading slums. "How The Other Half Lives" was only 15 years old when this photograph was made. But there was always a strong sense of middle-class values that resided in the people who lived in the "better" tenements. They embraced the Settlement House movement, strove to present a "decent" face to the world, and certainly didn't want to be tarred with the same label as those dirty, disreputable slum-dwellers downtown. What an amazing image. There's so much we've forgotten. Thank you for reminding us. George B. McClellan JrMayor of New York 1904-1909. Born in Dresden, Germany, and son of Gen. McClellan of Civil War blundering. Elmer's GantryOn the wall above the cellar stairs, there's a triangular rig for hoisting stuff up out of the basement. Where'd the cart go?There are two other photos of this tenement in the Library of Congress collection. They look much more inhabited and show how this image might have been manipulated for effect -- the other images show the address number (curiously missing here), the awning down, and a cart of produce in front of the building, a much more inviting view. [Nothing was "manipulated." You can't see the address numbers because they're on the front doors, which are both open in this view. - Dave] Lace Curtain IrishIf this is chowda, it must be Friday. When I was a kid, every Friday was meatless and during that era, the better-off Irish were referred to as titled. Likewise the Polish people who were "comfortable" were "silk stocking Poles" and my father used to call us cotton stocking Poles. Both ethnicities were Catholic and Friday always meant seafood, (Irish were also referred to as "mackerel snappers) and odors of frying fish, tuna salad and chowda permeated the neighborhoods. My mom made three kinds of chowda, New England with a creamy, white base, Manhattan with a tomato base and lots of vegetables and Rhode Island which was a lighter version of the N.E. kind but with added broth. I love them all but also miss the smell of everybody's tuna and onion sandwiches at school lunch and fish frying aromas wafting through our town at supper time. I do remember that fresh mackerel was ten cents a pound and almost everyone could afford it. Thanks for the great nostalgic picture, the despairing lady in the window seems trapped and scared, there has to be a story there. Windowsill gardenI love the window with all the plants in it! Hard to tell what they are, though it looks like one may be an orchid. I wonder if they were purely ornamental or if some were herbs for cooking. Either way, you've got to cram as many as you can into your available sunny spaces! Francie is gazing out the windowIt could be Francie. It could. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn was my favorite book as a young adult and this detailed photograph brings a better understanding of the novel. Almost "Norman Rockwell"Imagine a 5000-piece picture puzzle with this photo as the topic! I LEARN so much from the comments!This is one of my favorite sites for resting my weary eyes during work breaks. And while I certainly savor the photos, so many layers are added by the comments. Thank you, everyone, for sharing your knowledge. Holy horse dung!Having lived in Manhattan for 12 (yes, only 12) years and having moved away, this photo leaves me speechless. The detail of the photographic process is amazing and the subtle (and somewhat hidden) joys on view here make me wanna head back for any chowder--even the famous Gowanus Canal Chow. All the sights, smells and sounds of the greatest city on earth come back to me. Many thanks. I now live on this spotOr possibly right next to it. I live in the Churchill, a 33-story apartment building at 300 East 40th Street - it takes up the entire block between 39th and 40th Street, and 2nd Avenue and Tunnel Entrance Street. 308 was either torn down to make room for the Churchill (built 1968) or possibly during the building of the Midtown tunnel and its approaches (1936-40). What am I missing?Just wondering how "swein" determined that this was E. 40th; might I be enlightened on this "1915 directory"? I'm half-cringing in anticipation of a "duh" moment but I've looked over the pic & the comments -- and I'm not getting it. [Swein consulted the 1915 Manhattan City Directory for Wm. Inwood, Grocer, and found a listing that matched the 308 address in the window. - Dave] Do You Supposethe Sicilian Asphalt Company also offered a line of concrete shoes? (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets)
On the Waterfront: 1905
... Line to Colon-Panama. Main office: 82-02 Beaver st., New York. More City of Camden A stern-wheel packet with wood hull (175 ft. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 2:41pm -

Mobile, Alabama, circa 1905. "Southern Railway terminals." The freighters Trafalgar and, far right, a sliver of the Marie Suzanne. View full size. Don't Look DownI'm not particularly acrophobic but the two guys and cart on the sagging gangplank give me the heebie jeebies. Munson Sailing ScheduleNotice the SS Trafalgar at the bottom 12 letters, starts with DWho wants to take a stab at identifying the schooner parked next to the Trafalgar? City of CamdenAppears to be the wreckage of the City of Camden (built 1893), a Ouachita River steamboat, on the far shore. To get to Mobile Bay, she would have gone down the Ouachita, the Tensas and Black Rivers, the Mississippi, and then east along the Gulf Coast to Mobile. Regular Sailings to Cuba Blue Book of American Shipping: 1911. From Mobile, Ala. To Cuba. Regular sailings of Munson Steamship Line to Havana, Matanzas, Cardenas, Sagua, Caibarien, Cienfugos, Guantanamo, Manzanillo, Santiago and other ports. James Gibboney & Co., agents, Mobile, Ala. This service is operated on a traffic agreement with the Southern Ry. and Mobile & Ohio R. R. (J.S. Taylor, F.F.A., Mobile, Ala.); also with the Louisville & Nashville R. R. (J.A. Bywater, F.F.A., Louisville, Ky.) Regular sailings of Munson Steamship Line to Colon-Panama. Main office: 82-02 Beaver st., New York. More City of CamdenA stern-wheel packet with wood hull (175 ft. x 35 ft. x 5 ft.), City Of Camden was built at Howard Shipyards and Dock Company (Jeffersonville , Indianna) on the Ohio River in 1893. Owned by Captain LaVerrier Cooley in New Orleans, City Of Camden operated on the lower Mississippi River between New Orleans and the Ouachita and Red Rivers. She was sold to Captain Frank Lumsden of Mobile, Alabama in 1904 and was blown onto a mud flat during a hurricane Dismantled in 1910. (This was almost certainly the hurricane of September 1906. There was not a notable storm at Mobile in 1905. So, I am of the opinion that the main photo “On the Waterfront: 1905” which is tagged “circa 1905” is actually from late 1906 or later.) (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Mobile, Railroads)
Met Light: 1910
New York City circa 1910. "Metropolitan Life Insurance Company building at night." Note ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 3:39pm -

New York City circa 1910. "Metropolitan Life Insurance Company building at night." Note the 10-minute exposure time as recorded by the clock. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. My favorite parkI spent this sunny afternoon in Madison Square Park, embroidering and watching the installation of the latest MAD. SQ. ART exhibition. It's my favorite NYC park, hands down, any time of year. I must beg to differ with Mr. Mel, though. The domed building with pediment that fronts Madison between 24th and 25th Streets is gone, replaced by a strange art deco stump. The courthouse is on the north side of 25th Street, and its pediment faces 25th Street, not Madison. WowJust plain old, wow. I like the people on the park benches who sat there, unmoving, for a goodly portion of those ten minutes. Must have been a warm night. TimingMy first thought was also; "Oh, a ten minute exposure, how neat." But now I'm wondering why the hour hand isn't also swept a sixth of the way between 7 and 8? And how on earth do you get five people in NYC to sit still for that long? [We see something similar in this 1943 time exposure. The hour hand might have moved in 15- or 30-minute increments. As for the sitters, they have to remain relatively still only long enough to register on the emulsion, not necessarily the entire length of the exposure. - Dave] Whatever happened to"Success Magazine"? New York State of MindThe low domed structure with the columns is the Manhattan Appellate Courthouse, there since 1900 and one of the busiest in the State to this day. If they turn you down, next stop is the NY State Supreme Court. The property that it was built on was owned by a NY Congressman who sold it to the city for $370,000, a phenomenal sum in those days. 2nd LookOur Madison Square Park Tipster is correct the domed structure in this photo is not the Appellate Courthouse. The courthouse is indeed on 25th St and not in this picture. After a more careful look, the domed building is a church. It was the Madison Square Presbyterian Church, a short lived structure built in 1906 and demolished in 1915. I imagine somebody made the Congregation an offer they couldn't refuse. [The church was razed in 1919; Met Life paid $500,000 for the property. Interesting side note: Its predecessor was torn down in 1905 to make way for the main Met Life tower. - Dave] Back to the FutureI love photos like this that make a 100-year-old scene look current. I can imagine the thoughts going through the heads of those sitting on the park benches: Lighted skyscrapers, motor cars, telephones -- we've reached the apex, things can't get any more modern ... can they"? If only they knew. Otherworldly Positively ethereal ... that's the best word for it. Thanks for sharing this. Another instant classic -- these black and white nighttime photos are so beautiful. Gloriously BeautifulThat is the only way I can describe this shot. It makes me think of the book "Time After time". The clarity is STUNNING and the subject top notch. Anyone know who the photographer was? Don't Jump!I can't tell for sure, but is that a man standing in the belvedere at the very top of the building? What a view HE must have had! [That's a bell in the cupola. - Dave] BreathtakingI share the thought of photoscream -- how could those people sitting at the park believe that things could get more modern? Greetings from Argentina, this blog is fantastic! Little-known factThe Met Life tower was built to withstand aerial attack by giant parameciums. Refined datingI agree that the photo is beautiful and evocative. The church certainly lasted more than ten years, and it was only built to replace the church that had been on the site of the Tower. The tall building behind the church is the "north annex" of MetLife, which opened in 1919. The lights indicate that it is already in use, so I would date the photo no earlier than 1919. [Thankew! - Dave] [I think you're mistaken. The Annex replaced the domed church seen in our photo. Demolition of the church commenced in 1919; below is a New York Times article from that year with an artist's sketch showing the finished annex. Which was an extension of the "old annex" -- the mid-rise structure seen in our photo behind the church. So we're going back to 1910. - Dave] That domed buildingThe domed building at 24th & Madison was architect Stanford White's 1906 Madison Square Presbyterian Church, a widely-admired masterpiece that stood less than 10 years before being demolished to make way for the full-block Metropolitan Life North Building, the "strange art deco stump" referenced below. At 100 stories, it was planned as the tallest skyscraper in the world, but was cut off, rather literally, at 32 stories by the stock market crash in 1929. [Not quite. The "stump" replaced the annex that replaced the church, which stood for 13 years. The church was demolished in 1919 to make room for an extension of the "old annex" seen behind it in our photo. The resulting structure, known simply as "the annex," was completed around 1921. The North Building (the "Art Deco stump"), which replaced the annex, was completed in 1932. - Dave] Bat signalThose circle effects almost make it look as if the Police Chief is signaling for help. Sunset Towertterace's comment about how it must have been a warm night got me thinking about what time of year this might have been - for the sky to be dark by 7:20-7:30, it must not have been in the summer. But in order to pinpoint further the time of year, I looked at the lighting conditions in the photo - I believe that the MetLife tower itself is illuminated by the setting sun. There does not appear to be any other light source that would illuminate the building so far up the tower. And the direction is right, as the photographer is situated across the park to the west of the building. According to sunrisesunset.com, sunset was around this time in early April and early September, 1910. Sniper?Is that a person lurking at the very top? [The dark shape in the cupola is a bell -- three tons, bronze. - Dave] My workplaceWhat a great shot. In the mid 1980s I worked in the tapered part at the top, on the floor with the arched windows, but on the opposite side from this picture. We had fantastic views! (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
S.S. Deathtrap: 1910
... than a dozen years: the burning of the 'General Slocum' in New York's East River in 1904 (1,021 deaths, and mentioned in Joyce's 'Ulysses'), ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/24/2023 - 9:40pm -

Lake Erie circa 1910. "Excursion steamer Eastland -- Cleveland, Ohio." On July 24, 1915, 844 passengers and crew were drowned when the Eastland, which had a history of listing problems, rolled onto its side while docked in the Chicago River. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Media eventThe 'Eastland' disaster of 1915 was extensively recorded in both still photography and film (discovered in 2015). The images are horrific. Ironically this was the least deadly of four notorious ship catastrophes within less than a dozen years: the burning of the 'General Slocum' in New York's East River in 1904 (1,021 deaths, and mentioned in Joyce's 'Ulysses'), the 'Titanic' in 1912 (1517), and the torpedoing of the 'Lusitania' (1199) just two months prior to the 'Eastland' rollover's 844 deaths. Family TragedyHere is the Eastland Disaster Historical Society account of that fateful day: The S.S. Eastland, known as the "Speed Queen of the Great Lakes," was part of a fleet of five excursion boats assigned to take Western Electric employees, families and friends across Lake Michigan to Michigan City, Indiana, for a day of fun and fellowship. But the festivities were short-lived and quickly turned tragic. The Eastland, docked at the Clark Street Bridge, never left the Chicago River. Tragedy struck as the ship rolled over into the river at the wharf's edge. More than 2,500 passengers and crew members were on board that day – and 844 people lost their lives, including 22 entire families. The Response Months of planning and preparation for the excursion and picnic led up to the Eastland Disaster, but the tragedy itself was over in a matter of minutes. However, the rescue and recovery efforts following the tragedy went on for days, even weeks. The sinking of the SS EastlandThe listing problems were made worse in 1912 after the Titanic sank. Ships were required by law to have enough lifeboat capacity for everyone on board. To meet the requirement, they added more lifeboats to the top deck, making it more top heavy. When passengers boarded for the Western Electric excursion, many flocked to the top deck on the shore side to wave to people there, and extra weight up there caused it to capsize. George Halas, later the founder of the Chicago Bears and the National Football League, was supposed to be on that trip. That Sinking FeelingShe appears to be listing to starboard here. A horrible tragedy, which my grandparents remembered many years later as being in the news, and never forgot. Wrong lessons learned ??I've read that, post Titanic, the ship was outfitted with additional lifeboats, something which would have made the ship even more top-heavy. The original owners wanted a shallower draftWikipedia has a good rundown of the SS Eastland tragedy. Shortly after being launched in 1903, the Eastland was modified to have a shallower draft for trips on the Black River in South Haven, Michigan. At the same time, air conditioning was added, and modifications were made to increase the ship's speed. These combined modifications reduced the ship's metacentric height (I learned a new term), making it less stable. Recognizing there was now a stability problem, the passenger limit was lowered from 3,000 to 2,800. Cabins were removed and the smokestacks shortened. Alterations continued to be made to improve the ship's stability, while other alterations made it worse. During these 12 years of operation, the ship went through five different owners. No alteration remedied the listing problem and, in 1915 the approved passenger capacity was increased to 2,570 after more lifeboats had been added (post Titanic), making the ship even more top heavy. Clarence Darrow represented the Eastland's owners and officers in a criminal trial. They were found not guilty. Second LifeNot long after the horrific tragedy in the Chicago River, SS Eastland was raised and repurposed as the gunboat USS Wilmette in the employ of the US Navy Reserve. She served mostly as a training ship for Naval Reservists from 1918 until just after the end of World War II and sold for scrap in October 1945. That Sinking FeelingThe apparent list to starboard may be due to the obviously stiff wind from port as evidenced by the flags and stack smoke plus, the ship has a ton of freeboard which will subject it to crosswind. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cleveland, DPC)
Rockaway Bungalows: 1910
... the Rockaways, as at Coney, Manhattan, Brighton, and other New York City beaches, the streets are set up perpendicular to the beach and are ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 3:56am -

Vacation bungalow colony at Rockaway, Queens, c. 1910. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Note "front yards" of sand decorated with seashells. Sand in QueensI wonder if any of the buildings are still standing. Since they are tract of small bungalows, I wonder what company supplied that lot for workers to live in. Sand in...Queens?! Wow. [Never heard of Rockaway Beach? - Dave] BungalowsWere these for living or vacation rentals? They sure are cute. Does anyone know how far from the water they were? Rockaway[Never heard of Rockaway Beach? - Dave] Well I've heard of Rockaway Beach here in Oregon. :) Re: BungalowsThe were seasonal at first. More info at the Beachside Bungalow Preservation Association: By the 1920s, Rockaway Beach was the poor man's Riviera. It had a six-mile long boardwalk lined with amusements, and thousands flocked to the beach every summer weekend. Many families rented tents for the entire season, while those a little more affluent rented small bungalows. The concept of the bungalow in America was well established by this time as they were built for summer communities on both coasts. The plans could be purchased from catalogues and were designed in numerous styles. This last remaining bungalow colony was built by Richard Bainbridge in the 1920s. The one and a half story houses all have front porches and pitched roofs. The design and style vary from street to street. Some of the bungalows are in a Spanish Revival style of stucco with wood trim and green the roofs, and others are in an English Tudor of brick. Lacking heat, they were closed for the winter months. The lanes leading to the beach have permanent easements for common access. As development pressures change the Rockaways, this small district has become endangered. But it would be appropriate to preserve and restore this remnant of past summer amusements. The yards are super.The yards are super. Send the kids down to the beach to bring back sea shells to decorate with! Talk about a family project. Rockaway BungalowsI'm pretty sure these are not there anymore. In fact Rockaway Beach today is quite run-down. If you take the A Train out there, these must have been between the tracks and the water, where there are now streets with no houses. Only weeds. Sadly, most of theseSadly, most of these bungalows are gone, as Doug points out above. There are only a few left, and they face demolition by developers who want to turn the Rockaways into yet another bland housing development. These were vacation homes for folks in Manhattan and the other boros, not company houses for factory workers. How close were they to the beach? How does less than a city block sound? In the Rockaways, as at Coney, Manhattan, Brighton, and other New York City beaches, the streets are set up perpendicular to the beach and are only a few blocks long. The last block actually ends at the boardwalk. Across the boardwalk is the beach. The Ramones were from the Rockaways. Beach 29th streetMy family rented a bungalow on Beach 29th street until I was around 12 years old. As soon as school was over, my parents would pack up a van and off we went until Labor Day. It was the most amazing summers of my life. No locks on doors, showers in the backyard, fireworks Wednesday nights. My parents belonged to a group called FROGS- Far Rockaway Ocean Goers. The Bungalow owners, Mr. and Mrs. Herman, would let my Dad come before the season to fish. The last time I was there was about 36 years ago. It was so sad to see the destruction of these amazing bungalows. Ours was white and green, and all the furniture inside was painted a sticky tacky gray. My Grandma and Nana lived a few blocks up in a rooming house. It was very sad to watch as these homes burned to the ground. Such a day-gone-by era. Beach 29th StreetHi! I am very curious exactly where on 29th Street the bungalow was. I lived on 29th just off Seagirt Blvd. It was a year 'round dwelling. The area was VERY crowded during the summer and VERY empty from after Labor Day until Memorial Day. Do you have any pictures from there? I would love to see them! Thanks, Marc Far Rockaway refugee now living in Bayside, NY Rockaway BungalowsThere was nothing better than spending the summer in Rockaway. Most of your family members rented bungalows in the court. Everyone was out every night. The beach was just a few steps away. Fathers came out only for the weekends, even if you lived in Queens... Beach 107 StreetMy aunts, grandmother and uncle would whisk us away to Rockaway the minute school closed for the summer. We would stop at Weiss's for fish and chips, then drive over the old Cross Bay Boulevard bridge and see the top of the roller coaster and the ocean beyond. In a few minutes we would be at our bungelow in Highland Court, the second one in. We thought we had arrived since we had a hot water heater. It was a great place for kids to grow up. Every day my sister and I would open the window with the sun shining down on us. We would get into our bathing suits and run to the beach, riding the waves until we were dragged out by our relatives. Beach 106 StreetBetween 1951 and 1958 or so I stayed with my good friend Donald Sullivan and his family in bungalows on Beach 106 Street. I don't remember the court name - if it had one. I do seem to remember Highland Court but this was centuries ago and memory may play tricks. Sand in QueensA similar group of bungalows still exists in the Breezy Point Coop and Roxbury in Queens. Many have been expanded and converted to year round use now, though some are still used only for the season. They refer to Breezy Point and Roxbury as the "Irish Riviera" due to the strong Irish presence. B. 29th bungalowsI know EXACTLY where you were. My grandmother too had a bungalow, about 5-6 before the boardwalk ramp. They were on the left side, because on the right side was a parking lot or a building (I can't remember it exactly). But up the block was two hotels - the Regency and another one. They were both owned by the same people - Mr. and Mrs. Hecht, german/lithuanian-jewish folks. If you remember, there was a wooden bridge that connected the two buildings, and the courtyard was shared by the two. The showers were both underneath the front of the buildings behind the, lattice and then common showers/bathrooms in the hallways. There was one public phone on each floor and a television on each floor. When my grandmother could no longer stay in the bungalow (either they were sold, torn down or condemned), she went into the Regency Hotel. She was in the basement which was very cool in the summer. They dodn't need air conditioning. The last party of the season was Mardi Gras. My grandmother, being on the heavy side, loved to wear blackface makeup and put her hair up with a tied kerchief - she was "Aunt Jemima." I only wish I had a place like 29th street to bring up my children in the summers. We ended up renting cabanas in Atlantic Beach from when they were little, then moved to Atlantic Beach, but retained memberships at the beach club. We can't get the sand out of our shoes! Belle Harbor's Bungalows I was searching for a picture of Weiss's Restaurant and stumbled across this site. I found one taken before the war, but was hoping to find one more recently, like late 1950s or early 60s. Looking at the group of bungalows, there were similar ones along the beach 2 rows deep at B129th Street in Belle Harbor, Rockaway. They looked very similar to the ones in the pics if memory serves. I was there last year and although they still occupy the same footprint, most have either been completely reconstructed or torn down and replaced with more modern ones. I recall every summer going to the beach and seeking out the "city" kids here for a few weeks. We made lots of new friends every summer. Then there were the bungalows out on RockyPoint/BreezyPoint. My mother spent her childhood summers, probably right there in that picture. Her parents owned their own bungalow. I have a picture of it from around 1941. Mom's 83 and I'll have to print this off and show it to her. Maple Court, Beach 28th st.I've been searching for info on Far Rockaway. I've been strolling down memory lane thinking about my wonderful summers there. My family rented, and we stayed for a total of five summers. The last two were in Maple Court, which, I believe, was on beach 26th or 28th Street. Before that we were in B Court and A Court on 28th. I agree with the posters who spoke of these summers as paradise! I felt truly free there. And yes, nothing was locked up. There was no schedule to keep. Just pure fun. My last summer there was in 1969. I remember this because of the moon landing. We returned home from the fireworks display on the beach and watched it on TV. My grandparents owned a fruit store on the main street, and they stayed at a wonderful hotel called the Manor. My happiest memories from my childhood are from Far Rockaway. Maple Court bungalowMy family purchased a bungalow at 29 Maple Court in 1969 when I was 9 years old. I too had the greatest memories there. We took so much for granted thinking everyone lived as we did. Now I realize how lucky we were back then. Being able to stroll down the street to the boardwalk, watching the fireworks Wednesday nights, and winning prizes at the arcade games are fond memories. Do you remember the pizza shop on the corner? Because the bungalows were so small and cozy, to this day I prefer smaller spaces. Thanks for letting me relive those memories for just a short time. The EmbassyWe stayed in the Embassy on 29th Street (right next to the ramp to the beach). Many of my friends were in the bungalow courts between 28th and 29th. We stopped going in 1967 but those were the best times -- those summers were magical. My husband and I went back in 1998. There is a school where the Embassy used to be and nothing much else. I went down to the beach and I cried. Who were your grandparents?Carolyn, my parents owned the Manor at 2400 Seagirt Blvd (beach 24st). My last summer on Rockaway Beach was 1967 just before I entered the Army. My parents and I moved to South Florida shortly there after. I was 6 miles from the DMZ in Vietnam when we landed on the moon. Fruit storeCarolyn, if memory serves (pretty fuzzy by now), your grandparents were the Lebowitzes. The fruit store was on Edgemere Avenue just off Beach 24 next to Willy's Market. If I am right, I am amazed. The EmbassyMy family had a bungalow on B29th Street on "the ramp" from the 1950s until around 1970. I got thrown out of the Embassy by the owner because we didn't live there. I bought ice cream at the candy store under the porch of the hotel. I saw the school, it was a bummer. I remember Lenny's, skee ball, Jerry's knishes, Sally & Larry's pizza, movies on the boardwalk, Dugan the baker, softball games, basketball in the parking lot. I used to sell lemonade to the ball players on hot days. Memories ... I remember a girl named Cherie or Sherry. She had a boyfriend, Arnie. I used to hang out with Arnie's brother Marvin. lmc2222@aol.com Far RockawayI also have childhood reminiscences of Far Rockaway. My family lived in a small bungalow rented for a group of Russians in 1970s (yep, I am Russian, living in Moscow now). I was 3 or 4 years old at that time, so I do not remember much. What I know is that these are one of the brightest memories of my early childhood. My pa said the house was really small. I do not know what street it was on, or if it still exists. What matters are the snapshots of my memory: me sitting on a porch on a rocking chair, and the arches of the porches, of the same form and shape, go all the way down to the ocean. Me playing in sand, building garages for toy trucks, with other children running from waves that seemed - wow - so really huge. And above all and around all, the salty smell of Atlantic, which is different from any other seaside smell. Great pity the place is devastated today. Hope that everyone who has ever had good times in Far Rock keeps his own memory snapshots of the place, where it looks as it really should. Fruit StorePeter, you have an incredible memory! My grandparents were the Leibowitzes. That's such a specific memory. Did you know them personally? I would love to hear about any memories you have of them or the store. Were you a child at the time? The EmbassyCheri, I can understand your crying. I went back many years ago and was also upset to see the area so demolished. At that time, it seemed the only bungalow left standing belonged to a lady we were all so afraid of on Maple court. She seemed to hate kids (probably we just annoyed her mercilessly!). But going back as an adult, I saw her situation quite differently. The bungalow was all she had, and so she stayed there while everything around her seemed to be destroyed. Maple Court BungalowLillian, we must have known each other since we were there at the same time, and we were around the same age. I was in the first bungalow on the right, facing the main street. You might remember the pile of junk in front of the house (left by the owner, which we were waiting for them to take away!) Where in the court were you? I remember a girl named Elena, and a boy everybody had a crush on named Eddie. The ManorWow... your parents owned the Manor! What an interesting and exciting experience that must have been. If I recall correctly, there were an eccentric bunch of characters staying there. Carolyn! What a great happening!Hi Carolyn, Glad you found me on Facebook. Your ability to put me together with my earlier Shorpy post was remarkable, so I am posting this for the benefit of "Shorpy page readers." Your recollections and mine from the 1960's certainly attest to how great having the internet and pages like Shorpy's are. (Shorpy..thank you!) The fact that I remembered your grandparents is somewhat unique cause I can't remember anyone else's grandparents from way back then, other then mine. I must have really liked them and was destined to cross your path again. I remember sitting and talking with them on porch of the Manor in one of those green rocking chairs. They were "grandparent" types, had a European accent like most grandparents back then, and easy to be comfortable with. Just to put things into focus, I am now 63. That was back when I was 16 or 17 and younger, but your grandparents returned to the Manor for quite a few summers in the 1960s. How could I have remembered your grandparents' name? I too am amazed and flabbergasted. Memories of Far RockawayYes, this website is truly wonderful for allowing us to stroll down memory lane and recall the sights, smells and feel of Far Rockaway... and what an extra treat for me to find someone who actually knew my grandparents. Thank you Shorpy's for allowing us this exchange of information and memories... and thank you Peter for your kindness and your very sharp memory! Far RockawayMy sister directed me to this site. We stayed in the Jefferson Hotel, right between Beach 29th and 30th, next to the Frontenac. My good friend Faye's grandparents, the Kratkas, owned the Embassy and both Faye and I worked the concession stand which her parents ran. The memories of the boardwalk are still strong. Not only did we have the luxury of a fantastic beach at our doorstep, we also had nighttime fun. Cruising up and down the boardwalk -- eating pizza at Sally & Larry's, or Takee Cup (originally called Tuckee Cup until the owners got disgusted of painting out the alternate name it always received over the winter months) and listening to Eddie, with his ever-present songbook, sing requests. All added up to good, clean fun. I left in 1968, went back from time to time, but haven't been back in years. Unfortunately, you can see enough from Google Earth. My two auntsMy father's two aunts had a bungalow in Rockaway Beach in the late 50's early 60's. It had flowered wallpaper and a musty smell, but it was the most interesting home I have ever been in. I was allowed to leave and explore without my mother's glare. I cannot tell you what food we ate there. I have no memory of meals which is odd. I do remember being bitten by my aunt's dog, which scared me for a long time. I think their names were Bernice and Ruth Cohan. If you have any thing to share please do. thanks, Mary Donaldson neversynvr@aol.com Twin HousesThe houses with the bridge were known as "the twin houses", possibly the Claremore & Edgewater, both owned by the Hechts. I spent the happiest summers of my life there! Like Cheri, I've wanted to return, but haven't as I know how sad it would be. Better to revisit in memory, sometimes in dreams. I probably know Cheri (from Arnie & the Joey days) and Les rings a bell, as does singing Eddie... Marcy Sand in my shoes on Beach 107thMy mother's family went to Beach 107th in the summers of 1917 through 1929. After the Depression hit they couldn't afford it. I still have photos of that period. In 1951 our family went down to the Rockaways and rented a bungalow for the season. The courts I remember were Almeida and Holmenhurst. My dad came only for the weekends, arriving Friday evening. The first thing he did was put on his trunks and head for the beach with me. When he hit the ocean you could see all his cares and worries leave. At night the parents would gather on the porches and play cards, drink a Tom Collins or have a beer and just have a good time. As a 10-year-old I wondered what was so much fun doing this every weekend. It occurred to me many years ago that boy, did they have it made. Sitting on a porch with a nice summer drink, a cool ocean breeze along with good friends to talk with and play cards with. Life was so laid-back and simple then. Does anyone remember the doughnut shop Brindle's or the bakery Dudie's? What about Nat's Ice cream shop, where you could get a walk-away sundae. Bill's Deli had the best salads and cold cuts. Wonderful summers that will always keep me warm in the winters of my aging mind. Beach 28th Street & A B and C CourtsI too remember the pizzaria on the corner of Beach 28th street. I remember my friends Randy, Shmealy, Risa, Brenda and Jody. I don't remember Shmealy's given name, but I remember he was hyperactive and a lot of fun. Made up a song from the commercials of the time for Halo Shampoo. "Halo Sham-poo poo, Ha-a-lo! Jodi's mom didn't want me hanging around Jody because I blinked my eyes too much. Oh well. HEY: Jody from Beach 29th street who wrote a post here on 11/12/2007 - I wonder if you're the Jody I remember!? I hung around with Risa a lot. I still have a photo of us and my dog Suzie on the porch of my Bungalow. I once disappeared into the Courts of Beach 28th street while walking my dog. I ended up talking to a boy for 2 hours, not knowing my parents had called the police and had an all-out search for me. My father finally found me. I was the talk of the town that day! I hope someone remembers these people or IS one of these people, or remembers the lost girl incident and would like to contact me at orangechickens2@aol.com. It would be wonderful to hear from you!! Anyone remember dogball?My dad wrote about playing dogball on the beach at 110th Street on his blog at willhoppe.com. I'm going to show him all of your comments later tonight. The BungalowsI was born in Far Rockaway in 1942. I lived there for 16 summers. My dad owned a small grocery on B 28th street. It was the best time of my life. Maple Court faced 28th. To me it was a very exotic place. The renters/owners vacationed there, my dad was a workman. We lived in roominghouses with a bath on the floor. One year I begged my dad to live in Maple Court and we got a small apartment in the back of a bungalow there. The bungalows were the BEST. Rockaway native from HammelsBorn in Rockaway in 1941 at Rockway Beach Hospital. Went to PS 44, JHS 198, Class of '59 from Far Rock. Worked as a locker boy at Roche's Beach Club in Far Rockaway. For two summers I worked in Rockaway Playland. I lived on 90th, where my parents rented out the bungalow in the back of our house every summer. My father at the end of his years as a waiter worked in Weiss's dining room, and the Breakers restaurant on 116th Street. I met my wife in 1965 at McNulty's on 108th Street. She was from Woodhaven and Breezy Point. We got married in '68. I am writing this on the back deck as we are still enjoying the summer weather here at Breezy. We both still have sand in our shoes. Our 1940s summersA group of Bronx families spent the summers of the early '40s in a few bungalows. Sundays the working fathers would appear for a community breakfast. We celebrated V-J Day with a parade on the boardwalk. Takee Cup was a part of our diet. A noodle cup to be eaten after the chow mein was devoured. The ultimate hand held food treat. Beach 25th StreetI grew up in Far Rockaway in the 1960s and 70s. We lived in the Bronx and rented every summer on Beach 32nd Street (now two big apartment buildings -- Seaview Towers). When I was 9 or 10, we moved to Beach 25th year-round. The summers were great -- we didn't wear shoes most of the time. Every Friday night, "Bingo Al" held a game in the court behind the bungalows, between 25th and 26th. One summmer he had a "Chinese auction" and dressed up in an oriental robe and Fu Manchu mustache and beard. Many of the residents got seltzer water delivered in bottles at their back porch. They would gather in the evenings out in front of the bungalows and talk and joke. I would lie in my bed, with my ear pressed against the window screen, trying to listen, and also trying to stay cool -- no air conditioning. Sol "The Cantor" Gerb would play his little electric organ as people sipped their drinks, chatted or played cards. It was like a different world from the rest of New York. I read where one commenter talked about the bungalows rented for the Russians. This was on Beach 24th Street. They worked at the United Nations and rented a block of bungalows. Every Monday morning passenger vans would show up to take them to work at the UN. We played with the Russian kids. They were a good bunch. I stayed over at one of their bungalows and we had crepes for breakfast. I had no idea what crepes were! I learned to play chess, as the Russians were crazy about it. I recall one time when members of the Jewish Defense League blew up a small BMW belonging to one of the Russians. The news came out and I was in the background, behind the reporter. A sad time for Far Rockaway. One of the amazing things was the backgrounds of the bungalow residents -- former concentration camp prisoners, Russians, Irish, Jews, some Italians and Greeks, but we all got along so well. A great place to grow up! At the FrontenacMy family spent summers at the Frontenac from the late 40s until 1957. When I describe it to my daughter, I have to confess it was really more like a boardinghouse. My mother, father and I shared a room that was also the kitchen. Bathroom on the floor, showers were out back for when you came back from the beach. It was great community. Juke box for dancing, card room for gin and mah jongg and the television on the porch. I loved Jerry's cherry cheese knishes. I remember the movie theater on the boardwalk in the 30's (it could barely be called indoors) I bought the News and Mirror off the delivery trucks for 2 or 3 cents and sold them for a nickel. My parents would pay the guy who ran the first aid station under the boardwalk to hold our beach chairs overnight so we wouldn't have to "schlep" them back and forth. We played softball on the blacktop parking lot on 29th street right off the boardwalk. My wife, who I did not know then, stayed with a friend's family in a bungalow on 29th street. I think her best memory was playing Fascination. Best summers everI used to stay at my grandmother's bungalow on B 28th st. in the mid to late 60s. Those were the very best summers ever! Walking just a few yards to the boardwalk and beach, pizza from the store on the corner, hanging with Howie and the crowd there. Playing Fascination for a dime, huge french fries in those cone cups. If anyone knows the whereabouts of Howie Young I'd love to get in touch with him. My email is belongtoyou@hotmail.com Hugh McNulty Hotel, Rockaway BeachI am trying to learn about Hugh McNulty's Hotel. I am not sure what street it was on, but there was also a bar in it. Hugh was my mum's uncle and her father came to stay with him and work for him. The time period may have been 1924-1930. I know the hotel was still in operation in 1953, as my grandmother visited him at that time. Any help is appreciated. libtech50@comcast.net Edgemere memoriesMy family lived many places in the Edgemere section of Far Rockaway (I don't know the exact boundaries of Edgemere, if there were any), but my memories centered on Beach 48th Way and Beach 48th Street. Fantastic place to spend the summers and escape the hell of the South Bronx. I had wonderful Jewish friends and I worried that they would go to hell because they weren't Catholic. Now I laugh as such perverted theology, but back then it was serious stuff. I loved the beach, the ocean, the starts, the jetties, playing every group game known to humans, going over the the "bay side" to play softball with the "project people" -- those who lived beyond the marshes and spent the winter there. No doubt about it, the best part of my childhood was Rockaway. Too bad it was taken away from us and to my knowledge, still is just a bunch of sand with no houses where we used to live, right near the boardwalk. Beach 48th Way, RockawayIn the early 1960s there were two brothers that were lifeguards when my family was there, Dennis and Tom Fulton. Anyone remember them? Also there was a man named Warren who would feed pigeons at the end of the block every day. My parents would rent a bungalow in the summer months to get us out of Brooklyn for awhile. Great memories. Rockaway, a kid's dreamI remember growing up in Rockaway. We had two boarding houses on Beach 114th Street. When my mom was a kid, Carroll O'Connor, his mom and brother Frank stayed with them. He returned to see my parents back in the mid-eighties and I received one of his last e-mails before he died. I worked my way bartending at Fitzgerald's on Beach 108th and Sullivan's on Beach 116th (1967-1970). You could leave the house at 7 years old, walk to the beach without crossing the street and never had to worry one bit. The neighbors looked out for everone's children. Great memories and thanks to Shorpy for an incredible site. Brilliant job! Cohen's CourtThe picture above is very much how I remember the bungalow court where my parents rented in the summers of the early 1950s. I think my mom said it was Cohen's Court. Ours was at the end of the court on the left. I don't remember too much, I was really little. But I think there was a center row of garden where parents hid treats for us to hunt. I remember a corner candy store we kids could walk to and my mom confiscating a tube of plastic bubbles I bought. I guess she thought the fumes would get me high or something. There was a little girl across the court who would stand on her porch in a towel and flash us once in a while. And I have a memory of being on the beach with my parents, I in the sand and my mom in a beach chair, and my dad taking me into the water. I went back with my parents in the early 60s because they were thinking about renting it again. But it was so musty and dirty and ramshackle that they decided against it. I had a girl friend with me and I have to say I was embarrassed about the way the place looked and smelled. Too bad, that bungalow was a great summer getaway for a working class family from Brooklyn. Elisa on B 29thWas your grandma named Bessie? I lived in the Claremar, one of the twin houses, and I remember her. Did you have a brother too? My sister, parents, grandmother and baby brother and I all lived in two rooms in the basement. I remember Crazy Eddie and his huge black book of songs. Tina and Elise ... Elliot ... Donna ... Jackie ... smiling in memory! Palace HotelThe last place my family stayed at for quite a few years was the Palace Hotel on Beach 30th Street right near the boardwalk. Those were the days my friend. All the arcades and food places on the boardwalk, Cinderella Playland for the little kiddies, the Good Humor man , Ralph was his name. Life was simple. No internet, cell phones or video games yet we had great times and wonderful memories. We played board games and cards and rode our bikes. The guys played baseball in the parking lot adjacent to the Palace Hotel. The team was a mix of every race and ethnicity and everyone managed to get along and looked forward to playing together the next Summer. The beach was the best. Dads could go to work and come back every day rather than only on weekends as they do in the Catskills. Such a shame that this no longer exists. The last summer I went there for a few weekends was in 1976. The JeffersonMy grandparents rented a place in the Jefferson for many years. I have great memories of the place, the back stair cases, the porch, and the beach just a short walk away. Does anyone have relatives who stayed there? Rockaway summersI spent virtually every summer till the age of 22 in Rockaway. We stayed on Beach 49th till they knocked them down, then kept moving to the 20's. Best time of my life. My family was unique -- Italians in the Jewish neighborhood and we came in from Jersey! My mom grew up in Brooklyn and her family started coming in the '40s! Wish I could connect with friends from back then. If I sound familiar please let me know. You would be in your mid to late 50s now. Rockaway Beach Bungalows on PBSI received a message, last night, from my girlfriend who stated that "The Bungalows of Rockaway" was on PBS @ 8PM. I started watching at 8:30 and to my surprise I could not stop watching. I was born at Rockaway Beach Hospital and I am a lifer. I never lived in a Bungalow but I have always wanted to purchase one. I was taken aback by the fact that there were at least 6,000 bungalows and now there are approximately 300 (big difference). I also found out in this documentary that there is hope that the bungalows can be landmarked and I hope that it happens. The bungalows are a unique attraction to this area and I hope that the 300 remaining can be preserved. Elisa on B. 29th Street - the hotelsTo Anonymous Tipster on Fri, 08/13/2010 - 3:15am - YES! My grandmother was Bessie. I do remember your family - your grandmother, parents and the little ones. Your mom wore glasses and had blonde hair. She always wore her hair pulled back and up on her head, curlers in the evening. Also, Harry and Dottie lived in a large room in the corner of the basement of the hotel. I have 3 brothers and one sister. My Aunt Rose and Uncle Leo used to come to the hotel as well to visit with Grandma Bessie. Please e-mail me @ medmalnursing@msn.com Sally's Pizza and the Lemon & Orange Ice StandI spent the best summers of my life on Beach 28th Street. Coming from a Bronx apartment, it felt like our own private house. Our own family doctor came out to Rockaway every summer and stayed on Beach 24th Street. I now wonder what happened to his patients during July and August. How come nobody has mentioned Sally's pizza, on the boardwalk around 32nd Street? You couldn't forget Sally-- with her bleached blond hair, tight pants, and backless highheels. Near Sally's was the fresh lemon and orange ice stand with the fruit stacked against the wall. The ices even contained pits. No artificial coloring or corn syrup in those ices. Grandmother's bungalowsMy grandmother owned 10 bungalows on the beach on 35th Street from the 1930s thru the 1950s. They were the ones nearest the water. I loved going to help her get them ready each spring and clean them up each fall. Playing on that wonderful empty beach at those times of year with no one else in sight. We lived in Far Rockaway at 856 Central Ave., so going to the bungalows was not a long trip. Great memories. Mom's RivieraMy mother loved Rockaway so much that we called it "Mother's Riviera." She couldn't have cared less about the beautiful beaches across the ocean in France or Italy, for Rockaway Beach was her greatest joy. We spent many summers in a bungalow court on 109th Street and my grandmother and her sisters also spent their youthful summer days in Rockaway Beach. So our family goes back generations loving Rockaway. Every Memorial Day the court always had a party to celebrate the beginning of summer and the courtyard inhabitants were usually Irish. The courtyard came alive with Irish songs and jigs and reels. Of course, the people of the courtyard always chipped in for a big keg of beer. It was repeated on Labor Day as we all said our goodbyes to our neighbors and to our beloved Rockaway Beach. Saturday nights in Rockaway were spent at the closest Irish bar and some nights the local boys slept under the boardwalk after having a wild time. They always managed to get themselves together for Sunday Mass or otherwise they would get holy hell from their families. Sands of TimeI spent every summer in the Rockaway bungalows from the fifties until the mid eighties when we were forced to leave because of the deteriorating situation. I was a child on Beach 49th and remember George's candy store where you could get a walkaway sundae for 50 cents. Sue, I remember the Fulton brothers, who were lifeguards. Handsome devils, had a crush on Tom when I was 14. Times were safe. There were a thousand kids to play with. We went from 49th, 40th 39th, 38th, 26th and finally 25th Street with my own kids trying to hold on to that wonderful way of life. Unfortunately it disappeared. Some of the best days of our liveswere spent on Beach 25th. When I was 12 (1936) until I was 17, we stayed every summer at my grandmother's at Beach 66th Street. Those were glorious days on the beach. The boardwalk at night was wonderful, too. We played pinball, and games of skill for 5 cents to collect prizes. Bottled soda and ice cream were 5 cents then, too. We used to run up to the boardwalk to eat the delicious knishes. My summers at Far Rockaway were the most unforgettable of my growing up. Tuna fish and bologna sandwiches on a roll never tasted as good as it did at the waterfront. In 1961, when I was married with children, we rented a bungalow on Beach 25th and loved it! It was a rainy summer and we spent a lot of time in Far Rockaway shopping, eating and going to the movies. Every sunny day, however, we quickly rushed to the beach to enjoy it with family and friends. The Jefferson, Beach 30thI stayed with Grandma and Grandpa every summer for years in a small room at ground level. Grandpa would take me to the beach in the morning, then off to the stores on 24th Street. The back patio was for dancing on Saturday night and the concession inside had bingo. The porch! As I grew up to teenager, I met Ronnie Schenkman and family on the second or third floor (used the back staircase). I don't remember where Eleanor stayed. Crazy Eddie and his songs. Hal and his girl of the night. Warm nights and days. Very sexy! As a working girl I still took the RR to Far Rockaway, then the bus to Edgemere. Took my children to visit Grandma when it was becoming sad looking. Then went to the area years later and found a burnt shell with a wicked fence surrounding it. Took pics and had a good cry. We are all lucky that we were able to experience the wonderful warm sun and sultry nights. Belle Harbor BungalowsI think the two rows of Belle Harbor bungalows on Beach 129th to which another person referred were probably the Ocean Promenade Apartments. I have very happy memories of living there in the mid-i950s in the winter. Beach at 37th streetWhat a trip to see all of the these comments. I grew up and lived year round on Beach 37th until 1950, when we moved to Bayside. Takee Cup was a treat as well as the movie theater on the boardwalk, Italian ices and of course the arcade. For a penny you could get great photos of famous cowboys and movie stars. Rockaway in 1958My family spent the summer in Rockaway in 1958. Most of our friends were in the court, but we were outside it on the main street. I don't remember the street, but I suspect it was around Beach 45th, as the El was right on the corner. We had a bungalow with a porch. I was climbing on the outside of it, fell when I saw a neighbor's dog that I wanted to play with, and broke my wrist on broken concrete. Today, one would sue the owner. Back then, we just made do. Later that same summer, I ran across the street to get Italian ices from the local candy store, but looked the wrong way crossing the one-way street and almost got hit by a car. I didn't think that much of it, but the woman driving was hysterical. I also remember a movie theatre on the Boardwalk. In those days, an 8-year-old (me) could feel safe walking the boardwalk without an adult present. The back of the theater opened up at night so you could sit outside. I saw "The Colossus of New York" there, an incredibly bad "monster" movie. Most of the bungalows in the Rockaways were destroyed by Hurricane Donna in 1960. So-called "urban renewal" took care of the rest. Now some sections of the Rockaways, especially those facing the ocean, are filled with expensive new condos. The Jefferson 1950s I stayed at the Jefferson in the 1950s. It was far far away from the Bronx. Our father worked two, sometimes three jobs, so my brother and I could escape the Bronx and spend each summer --the whole summer-- in Rockaway. Dad took the train to work every day. We turned brown by July 4th; skinny brown kids always running, scheming, cunningly evading the watchful eyes of Jewish mothers. We played softball in the parking lot by the beach in the early mornings before the cars showed up. We played kick the can in the street, ring-o-lerio (sp?), off the stoop. And then there were the long long days on the beach, hopping on hot sand from blanket to shore, waiting the magic 45 minutes to go in the water after eating lim and sandy salami sandwiches, early versions of body-surfing, acting like we couldn't hear our mothers calling that it was time to come in from the water. Crawling into the cool dark sand under the boardwalk. Some kid named Howie always had a piece of fruit in hand, juice dribbling down his chin. And then there was a kid whose own family called him "Fat Jackie" -- at least that's how I remember it. Once in a while we were treated to Takee cups or lemon Italian ices, and chocolate egg creams. Always sneaking off with so much watermelon that your belly ached, and sand -- always sand -- in your bed. Jumping off the wooden steps to the beach, higher and higher, until you dared to jump from the railings along the boardwalk. I think it was Friday nights we would go to the boardwalk to watch the fireworks display from Playland. Flying kites over the surf when the weather cooled, and sneaking out to the Boardwalk to watch, awestruck, huge summer storms -- was it hurricane Carol? Evenings with men playing pinochle, women playing mah jongg. Ping Pong, hide & seek around the Jefferson. Costume parties with fat hairy men wearing grass skirts and coconut shell brassieres, and mothers with painted mustaches and sideburns, wearing huge hipster hats, chewing cold cigars. Then, dreaded September, back to school and insanely diving under your desk to practice for the upcoming atomic war, or wondering whether you were one of the kids who got the fake Polio vaccine. But somehow, during those summers at the Jefferson, there was nothing to fear. Nothing at all. Beach 45thDoes anyone remember Scott Whitehill or Laird Whitehill? If so, please e-mail me at scott@scottwhitehill.com Moe's Grocery Store on Beach 28thBarbara posted a comment earlier about her dad owning a grocery store on Beach 28th Street. The name of the grocery store was Moe's, and they carried lots of things for a small store. I lived in bungalows on Beach 28th and Beach 29th Street. These were the most memorable times of my life. I only wish that I could go back and see and relive these wonderful times. Beach 49thMy family and many of my relatives owned bungalows on Beach 49th and Beach 48th Street. We spent every summer there until the city condemned the properties. My father brought one of the first surfboards there in the early 60s. I have many fond memories of the beach and the friends I made. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Travel & Vacation)
Central Park, New York 1999
I took this on my first trip to New York City in May 1999. A lot of photos were taken in my 4 days I was there, but this ... 
 
Posted by mhallack - 01/04/2009 - 9:27am -

I took this on my first trip to New York City in May 1999. A lot of photos were taken in my 4 days I was there, but this was my favorite, I don't know why but the photo seemed to come out so cool looking, the buildings looming over the trees. (Member Gallery)
Wish You Were Here: 1905
... conspicuous bulges that would be taboo today. Gangs of New York Looks like Bill the Butcher (fourth from left, behind the other ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2012 - 3:10pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "On the beach, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. That '70s BookI've seen this photo before, in a 1970s series of books published by Time Life called "This Fabulous Century" with one book per decade. I remember this photo because so many of these people seem so modern, especially the couple in the middle -- our great-grandparents. Fun loving peopleWhat a really great human element picture this is, I like the guy in the center joking with his girlfriend maybe wife. I would of done the same with my friends or they to me in the photo. Best closeup of people enjoying themselves at the beach, ever. Used to think people back then were more serious, this photo shows them like us nowadays. Most instructive picture on Shorpy Possibly the finest and most instructive picture ever posted on Shorpy. Rather than showing the denizens of a far distant time as stiff, alien black & white beings standing and staring uncertainly into a camera, we see that the people of 1905 were pretty much exactly like the people of today, merely clothed differently. This could be any modern gathering of people having fun. Yesterday and TodayLike so many others before me I am always very intrigued with the folks that display themselves and lives so well in these photos. Changing dress they could be of any era and time, going back forever, I think. We Humans have enjoyed play and communal affection since we first discovered one another. The need for this sociability remains timeless. Let's hope that this never ends. "Wish you were here"In another 105 years we *will* be partying with these folks -- dead and completely forgotten! I can't look awayA particular keeper from Shorpy: I feel as though I should recognize at least five people. The context is that the Civil War was within the experience of one or two of them, while cars, flight, public health, education and endless political upheaval would make their world unrecognizable. In a word, moving. What a cast of characters!Mario (from Nintendo) is in the center left. Peter Lorre is brushing close to his left shoulder. There are even a pair of jailbirds in the center right. One of my favoritesJust a great picture, it really captures the humanity of these people, who are now all long gone, but immortalized in a single moment here. Lots of fun, and a good reminder to smile and enjoy things while they are here. Stockings and bulgesIt's interesting how our ideas of what needs to be hidden have changed over time. In these old photos women had to wear shoes and stockings even at the beach but men often show quite conspicuous bulges that would be taboo today. Gangs of New YorkLooks like Bill the Butcher (fourth from left, behind the other mustache) is keeping a sharp eye on young Amsterdam Vallon to make sure he doesn't recruit those two even younger whippersnappers right in front of him. Thank youMoridin, you said exactly what I was thinking, but in a far more eloquent way than I could have ever written. Well done. And many thanks to Dave, as this picture just became my favorite on the site. And one other thing..."...we see that the people of 1905 were pretty much exactly like the people of today, merely clothed differently." And with inferior dentistry. No legs showingWow... all the women are wearing stockings. What elaborate swimsuits. And... so do I! '05One of the most charming and moving photos I've seen here. "Like the people of today"?I don't know about that. I'd bet none of these men would be stupid or vain enough to refer to himself as "The Situation." FlirtingI absolutely adore the guy and the girl in the center who are one of the first subjects I've seen on this site who are showing genuine human emotion. I also get the distinct feeling that they aren't classically together as girlfriend/boyfriend, but they are certainly flirting with one another. I get this from his body language-- he's stepped away from her at a distance to appear respectful, but his touching her indicates that he is most definitely interested in more. This might actually be a wee bit scandalous ... and I love it. WonderingThis is exactly what I search for on Shorpy! Some tend to either romanticize the past and others seems to vilify. Enamored by the stately homes, the fine dress or what seems to be the "simpler times," while others are appalled by the stench in the air and the very real hardship of life. However, even for the humblest of viewers, one could view this photo and become philosophical about the past towards the here and now, death, what to live for and "what does it all mean?". I often wondered what would history be viewed like if photography existed a few hundred years ago or a few thousand. Then again I should just enjoy the picture and move on. Well I beBack in the day I had a body like those young men. As I have aged I wouldn't mind a swimsuit like theirs. TimelessUsually we see images of buildings and landscapes long departed. "Not a brick left standing" is the phrase that often occurs in the comments. But here we have a landscape that could have been snapped at any time in the past 105 years ... even the buildings in the background (is that the Chalfonte, erected 1868?) would have probably been there for most of the past century+. The nature of Americans hasn't really changed during that span, either and not just in their smiles and pleasures. What percentage of the people over 30 in this photo were actually born in the US? It's an important question, considering all the present debate over immigration and the nature of being an "American." Take a group shot on most of the New Jersey beaches on any July afternoon. The numbers won't be that different. Much gratitude, Dave, for your beautiful gifts to us. Every image only makes me cherish the beauty and Gift of the Now even more. A pair of glasses and a smileOne of my favourite pictures on Shorpy. All ages so relaxed in front of the camera, even the older folk who you would imagine would be a bit more wary. I'm sure I've seen him before on this site but that must be Harold Lloyd surely? From Then to EternityIn the movie "Atlantic City," when someone makes a comment about the beauty of the ocean, Burt Lancaster says, "Yeah? You shudda seen it 25 years ago, kid." The center of it allIt looks to me like the girl is "with" the guy behind her, since he is very close to her, and has his left hand on her left arm. The fellow grasping her head looks like the brother of the guy behind the girl. Oh, and is that a corpulent man on the left? Don't see many of those folks in these old photos. Comment on immigration and being AmericanThe people in this wonderful photo may have been recent immigrants, but they all came through Ellis Island, legally and had full intention of assimilating and speaking English. Like my great-grandparents in 1904. Today, we have a debate about illegal immigration by people not so interested in assimilating and becoming Americans, Without a Hyphen. Great picture of people having fun and not worrying about who is American. They all were. What I Spy with My EyeI love the different interpretations of what is happening in the photo. I see a woman who doesn't want to be photographed yet her brothers (friends, cousins, schoolmates? But I think family, look at those lovely choppers!) hold her in place. One holds her arms to keep her from using her hands and scarf from covering her face while the other holds her head to the camera. At least that's what I see. Rich Pictures like thesePictures like these, that strip away the years between "me" and "them," make me so melancholy. "Margaret, are you grieving over goldengrove unleaving?" Yes. Yes, I am. Uninhibited by the breachThe two women smiling in the right portion of the photo. Enjoying themselves snaggletoothed and all. Great frozen moment of time for us to study. Could be todayOne of my favourites on Shorpy. The younger ones look so relaxed, one could mistake it for a modern fancy dress party. I love these people shots, yet they make me feel melancholic knowing they are no longer with us. Ignore me! It's 01:27 in the UK and I must go to bed. LuckyI feel so lucky to live in the era of photography and often wish/imagine I could look back much farther into the past - I'm just fascinated, and reassured really, that humanity churns on, day after day, before me and after me. The way we have lived and adapted to change over the years, slowly as far as biology goes but quickly when it comes to fashion and social change...I can get lost in this and other photos here for a long, long time. Sorry I can't articulate it very well, but thank you so much for this lovely snapshot. And thanks to the poster who reminded me of those Time Life books. I remember those! Interlocked M&SI know this is a bit of a bump, but does anyone know what the interlocked M&S on the two kids just to the left of the happy threesome stands for? From their ages I would guess a school. I also want to echo the sentiment of how moving this image is in connecting people 105 years ago to us today. [M&S is probably the initials of the bathhouse or hotel that rented the swimsuits. - Dave] (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Southwestern Bell: 1930
... ‘Baby Bells’) moved out of this landmark into the new AT&T Tower—constructed literally one minute’s walk away. Not ... monitoring all the TV and radio microwave traffic from New York being sent, by wire, to the local stations. Washday? I see ropes ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/10/2023 - 2:59pm -

St. Louis, Missouri, circa 1930. "Southwestern Bell Telephone Building, Pine Street." Gelatin silver print by American Commercial Photographers. View full size. Gotta say... that is one ugly-ass building. Pretty quiet day on the streets of St. LouisI'd speculate this was after the zombie apocalypse, except in fact the Cards won the pennant that year. [Note that the wheels of the car around the corner to the right have been airbrushed out of existence. Probably along with the rest of the streetscape, including sidewalk and pedestrians. - Dave] Gotta Say - Part IIDe gustibus non disputandum est. That is one majestic-looking building. I love it. Just looked it up on Google maps and it's still there and its still occupied by Southwestern Bell and it's still majestic as ever. The future loomsIn 1984, as AT&T was “broken up”, Southwestern Bell Telephone (now one of AT&T’s ‘Baby Bells’) moved out of this landmark into the new AT&T Tower—constructed literally one minute’s walk away. Not long after, the company moved its headquarters to San Antonio, and in 2017 it vacated the Tower, which is still vacant and still looms over the Southwestern Bell building. Too late to spin it aroundThe gothic Southwestern Bell building faces Pine Street, between 10th and 11th Streets. In the 1930 photograph there are much smaller, nondescript buildings around it and on the block behind it. Today, the Pine Street side is the same. But the back side of the building (facing Chestnut Street) has become the attractive side for this Gotham City fortress to face. The Serra Sculpture Park is across Chestnut, and adjoining parks lay to the east. Wisely, the smaller, nondescript buildings behind the Southwestern Bell (AT&T) building have been cleared and there is a nice plaza leading to the back door. ProgressThe entire building has been replaced by a six-year-old PC running an outdated version of Windows. I took a tour of such a building several decades ago and remember two things -- the operators sitting at their stations in a large room and engineers on the top floor monitoring all the TV and radio microwave traffic from New York being sent, by wire, to the local stations. Washday?I see ropes hanging from several of the pylons and some of the areas of the building seem to be cleaner than others. There's a crew working off a scaffold toward the middle left of the photo and the area above them seems to have been scrubbed recently. They do windows, and maybe walls, too? Another name for the building might have been:Fort Phone. Much better on the insideIt's lovely once you step inside the lobby. http://www.builtstlouis.net/opos/swbell.html The Ugly-Ass Buildingis still there surviving the zombie apocalypse and every single one of the Cardinals' 11 World Series championship celebrations. A Grown Up FortAll I can say is that the Architect(s) most likely built forts out of cardboard when they were younger. First commentsThe earliest comments here are pretty spot on. That is, indeed, an ugly pile. and the quiet streets being the product of airbrushing is noteworthy. It failed to go on and tell everyone that the building should have been "airbrushed out of existence" as well. I'd rather look at the chicken slaughter photos from a while ago. A sore thumbOn the left about 13 floors up, did a small plane attempt to rearrange the façade? The whole building looks like it had a lot of early (Stalin-esque) photoshop swipes done to it. Or maybe King Kong wasn't done yet. [It's workers on a scaffold. They seem to be giving the building a bath. - Dave] (The Gallery, St. Louis)
8-Inch Guns: 1900
Circa 1900. "U.S.S. New York , crew of forward 8-inch guns." 8x10 inch glass negative by Edward H. ... that did the laundry, this is either a cruiser(New York city) or a battleship (New York state)this is most probably a cruiser because ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/28/2012 - 10:16am -

Circa 1900. "U.S.S. New York, crew of forward 8-inch guns." 8x10 inch glass negative by Edward H. Hart, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Pretty snappy hatswhat is on the ends of those lanyards? a knife? a bosun's whistle? - - help. Messy looking uniformsIt looks as if some of the guys slept in their uniforms a couple of weeks before they wore them for duty. Shipboard SharpAs a former Army careerist, my characterization will be dismissed by some, but the Navy has never been overly impressed by starch and polish, at least on shipboard. These jolly tars probably did their own laundry, in salt water at that, and dried it on various portions of the standing rigging. You'll notice, too, that the "Dixie Cup" or "gob cap" (as opposed to what came to be know as the "Donald Duck" hat, now long gone) has the unique ability to accept the wearer's individual styling inputs and still look like something that came off a milk bottle. That lanyardEarlier, someone posted the military specification for the sailors' lanyard, which mentioned it had to be long enough for the knife to be held at arm's length. ex-Navy Being ex-USN (EW3 - was my rate/rating Electronics Warfare Technician / Petty Officer Third) I really enjoy your images of older ships. My interest is heightened by the fact my maternal Grandfather was career Navy, he was a Chief Boilerman (i.e. he ran the black gang) who would have served during this era. Never having met him, it kindles the imagination that one of these guys might be him (well not this group they are likely all gunnersmates) Shipboard sharpI was in the Navy 1963 to 1969 if anyone had shown up on the main deck in this condition you would have been written up and confined to the ship. I never saw any one wearing whites that were this dirty, ever! That said I HATED having to wear whites, they were starched and ironed and as soon as you sat down and then stood up they looked horrible. Give me the dress blue uniform any day. These are not "dixie cup" hats they came much later after the "flat hats".The larger ships had people that did the laundry, this is either a cruiser(New York city) or a battleship (New York state)this is most probably a cruiser because of the smaller guns, so would of had a ships laundry. USS New YorkThe ship is armored cruiser USS New York (ACR-2) (1891-1938). The kite-like triangular structure by the bridge in both photos seems to be the giveaway. What exactly is that structure? wind sails The kite-like triangular structure Big Mike is mentioning is a called (at least in civilian service) a wind sail and directs any stray breezes into stuffy spaces of which there were many in pre-A/C days. Most ships in that period were coal fired and the coal dust gets everywhere which may account for some of the less than spiffy whites. Wind sails were in use on tankers until not long ago to help gas free tanks. Air SupplyBig Mike: I'm pretty sure the kite-like structure on the bow is a canvas 'wind sail' that caught and directed breezes to below decks areas. Sailors needed all the help with ventilation they could get on those early steel warships. Saving one for laterLike a window straight into 1900. I count 3 wedding rings. As for shipshapeness or otherwise, the guilty-looking guy sitting center has a dog-end put away by his boot for later! Re: Solo - Shipboard SharpObviously Army, you've not been aboard many modern ships to see spit and polish. Agree with your observation on 1900's US Navy, but grooming and uniform standards have changed drastically since then as they have in the Army as well. Rebuke AcceptedI shall withdraw to my muddy foxhole and wash my filthy socks in my helmet. The Natty Fellow in the Center?Despite the impression given in the often posed photos of old, life back then was often a lot grittier than we're used to now in our modernistic obsession with cleanliness. What I'd like to know is who is the natty guy in the nice uniform? I'm not familiar with Navy uniforms of this era. Is he the gun officer? A petty officer? Another swabbie in his Sunday best just back from church when everyone was lining for the photo? Egalitarian experiment in the Navy?It's interesting that there's no rank insignia worn by any of these men, though several have what I believe are watch marks around their sleeves. The man in the jacket and billed hat is almost undoubtedly the chief petty officer in charge of the gun crew. At the time of the photograph, the ship had six 8"/35 caliber guns in fore and aft twin gun turrets, and midship port and starboard single gun turrets. A gun crew of eight or ten men could manage about two rounds per minute, possibly three if very well trained and motivated. The ship later became the USS Saratoga (ACR-2) and then the USS Rochester (CA-2) as the older names were needed for newer ships. At some point, the \8"/35s were replaced with 8"/45s, but seemingly only four of them, the midship turrets having been removed (the pictures on the web aren't the best). History of the Bell in the PictureI found this photograph fascinating because the text on the bell can be read. It says the Seventh Regiment presented the bell to the USS New York. I wrote the Seventh Regiment in New York (it still exists and it has a very active association) and asked if they know anything about it. They wrote back and sent an excerpt from the Seventh Regiment Gazette. The bell was given to the USS New York in 1893. A great bit of history. A BIG thank you to Chris at the Seventh Regiment for researching this. THANK YOU! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, E.H. Hart)
Interlude: 1941
October 1941. "Amsterdam, New York. Street scene." (Meanwhile, back in Europe and Japan ... ) Medium format ... 1940 Ford? No Free Parking New York Style Oklahoma City has the dubious distinction of having installed the first parking meter on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/04/2016 - 3:53pm -

October 1941. "Amsterdam, New York. Street scene." (Meanwhile, back in Europe and Japan ... ) Medium format negative by John Collier. View full size. So Which Is It?A 1939 Ford or a 1940 Ford? No Free Parking New York StyleOklahoma City has the dubious distinction of having installed the first parking meter on July 16, 1935. The fare was a nickel an hour. By 1941 hundreds of thousands of the nickel snatchers had been installed in other urban areas, though it seems that parking was not at much of a premium on this street, at this time of day, since most of the parking spots are empty. Car IDThe car on the right is a 1940 Ford standard. The '39s had different wheels and hubcaps. The other cars were identified correctly in previous comments. PantsWow you can fit a whole family in those pant legs. The cars are:1936 Dodge "Humpback" panel, 1937 Ford, 37-38 Willys, 1940 Pontiac. Hays & Wormuth According to Google, Hays & Wormuth Insurance still exists in Amsterdam. Local brand, but strong brand. Nice sceneI notice parking meters too. Wonder when the first use of them was? Standing on the CornerSomething folks don't do as much as they used to. Where I grew up (Attleboro, Mass.), men would stand on the sidewalk, both individually and in groups, and pass the time. I rarely see that today. Standing on the corner seems to be a lost art. FordsIn reponse to Bohneyjames, the grille and lights, and hood and some other stuff inside is different between the '39 and '40 Fords. In this case it's a 1939 version. Why? Well, the earlier model didn't have wing window in the front doors, and the '40s do. It's all changed nowThis shot is looking generally north up Church St. from E. Main. It was and still is New York Highway 67. The spire marks what was Second Presbyterian Church in 1941. It became United Presbyterian when it merged with Emmanuel Presbyterian in 1995. The building was destroyed by fire in 2000. All other buildings visible in the photo are gone as well. 3 out of 4, not bad.1937 Dodge Van, 1937 Ford, 1940 Chevrolet. The car at the curb- Not sure. The car with the funny looking noseappears to be a 1937 Willys. The car at the curbgives me the willies. 1937 or 38, to be precise. The Car Making a Turnin the background is not a Chevrolet, it is a 1940 Pontiac sedan. The car at the curb is a 1938 Willys Overland. The car closest on the right is either a 1939 or 1940 Ford 2dr sedan; without seeing the grille or tail lights, it's hard to tell... '39 BuickThe car making a turn towards the back looks like a '39 Buick. I'm a big Buick fan, but something about the front end of the '39 model year makes me wince. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Collier, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Toledo Panorama: 1909
... it was still independent, but was later absorbed into the New York Central system. Hocking Valley collected coal on network of feeder ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/28/2012 - 4:46pm -

Circa 1909. "Toledo, Ohio, waterfront on Maumee River." Humongous 40,000-pixel-wide panorama made from five 8x10 glass negatives, downsized here to a still-hefty 11,000 pixels. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Even MoreCharles Fletcher signs, just like in the Brooklyn Bridge picture of a few days ago. The guy was everywhere. Holy Toledo!Another Fletcher's Castoria sign!! Great picture! Road NamesT&OC was the Toledo & Ohio Central, a railroad originating in the West Virginia coal fields that ran northwest from Charleston up to Columbus and thence to Toledo. At this time it was still independent, but was later absorbed into the New York Central system. Hocking Valley collected coal on network of feeder lines in southeast Ohio, assembled the cars at a main yard in Columbus and ran them up their main to Toledo. C&O absorbed the HV in 1925, a strategic move that gave the C&O an outlet in the lucrative lakes coal trade. Kanawha & Michigan was a short line in West Virginia. WOW Factor = 10.Now THAT'S a Picture. Worth every minute (hour?) it took to do the merge. Peter Piper Picked a Passel of PixelsMy mouse is tired after studying this pic. I will come back to this one and find some more stuff to look up. Already found that there is still a Hocking Valley Railway. Located in Southeast Ohio, it is a scenic railway offering rides on restored cars. New York Central territoryLooking at the coal cars in the foreground, Toledo & Ohio Central, Zanesville & Western and Kanawha & Michigan eventually became part of NYC System. Hocking Valley Ry. became part of Chesapeake & Ohio. In the tall structure in front left, a K&M car is about to be turned over to empty its contents. The middle foreground finds an immaculate T&OC switch engine with no lack of work, going about its duties. PaintAccording to Google Maps, the Acme Quality Paint Store no longer exists at 420 Summit Street. Where should I buy my paint? Holmes Snowflake LaundryIn the distance, behind the Jefferson Hotel and in the upper center area of the photo, we can see the Holmes Snowflake Laundry building. See below for a different view. The Holmes Snowflake Building was the first Toledo location for the Champion Spark Plug Company, attracted to the city by the Willys Overland Company. Willys agreed to buy spark plugs from Robert and Frank Stranahan, if they would relocate their company to Toledo (ca. 1910). Louisa May Alcott'sLyttle Weeman Saddlery & Hardware. Jay C. MorseThought I had seen this ship before. Sure enough, one of the plates from this set is here. [That's a different plate. -Dave] At least the smokestack is still thereSeveral weeks ago we had lunch at a restaurant along the river with the same great view of the river. This view fills in the details that I imagined. AdsI wonder if the early marketing folks at Coca-Cola were influenced by Fletcher's Castoria ads. The logos are similar in style and the signs are everywhere. [I think Spencerian script was generally in vogue. - Dave] About that Hand SapolioI see by my desktop copy of "Once Famous Brands Now Forgotten" (I made that up) Hand Sapolio was the Ivory of its day, possibly the most famous soap there was around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In fact, I just checked in Volumes 27 and 28 of Nursing World for 1901, and found on page 391: “Hand Sapolio equals a mild Turkish bath in many of its advantages. It demands no extreme or heat or cold, but removes all scurf (sic), casts off the constantly dying outer skin, and gives the inner skin…..” Well, you get the idea. Here's a typical ad: Two-Masted TubsThose are interesting vessels on the river's far side, just left of panorama center. They look like they must have engines on board; I wonder if they ever got under sail using those masts, or were they formerly sailing barges that got converted? (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads, Toledo)
City Hall Park: 1910
... Manhattan circa 1910. "Park Place (City Hall Park) and New York City Hall." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/07/2019 - 12:07pm -

Manhattan circa 1910. "Park Place (City Hall Park) and New York City Hall." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Note the subway entrancesThis is the location of City Hall Station. A beautifully designed and decorated subway station that used to be part of the 6 (East Side) line. See https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/IRT_East_Side_Line and especially https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Station:_City_Hall_(IRT_East_Side_Line) The two entrance kiosks are no longer present, having been removed and the street penetrations paved over. Shown at the bottom of the photo is a grid of small squares. These are glass bricks, acting as a skylight over the station. A tour is available to members of the New York Transit Museum. The People Ride in a Hole in the GroundTo the left of City Hall can be seen the entrances to the original City Hall subway station , which closed in 1945. I was lucky to join a NY Transit Museum tour of this magnificent space many years ago and highly recommend it. If you can't get tickets for the organized tour (they sell out very quickly), here's a way you can at least get a quick glance: if you stay on the downtown number 6 train past the Brooklyn Bridge terminus, the train uses the abandoned station to turn around and head back uptown. If the lights in the abandoned loop station are on, it's a great view. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Throck and the Kats: 1921
... of his time scattered at spot jobs in Hollywood and New York. ------------------------- October 25, 1965 ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 4:49pm -

July 15, 1921. Cleon Throckmorton at the easel on the terrace of the Krazy Kat, an establishment described by the Washington Post two years earlier as "something like a Greenwich Village coffeehouse." Scroll down to the comments for more on "Throck," an engineering graduate who made his name designing sets for Eugene O'Neill's plays, and was the first art director for CBS in the early days of television. View full size. National Photo Company Collection. Krazy Kat Raided! Washington Post / Saturday, February 22, 1919 ROW IN KRAZY KAT LANDS 14 IN JAIL Carefree Bohemians Start Rough-House and Cop Raids Rendezvous. Fourteen would-be Bohemians yesterday appeared in police court and demanded a jury trial on various charges preferred against them by Policeman Roberts, who, with the assistance of two night watchmen, raided the Krazy Kat, which is something like a Greenwich Village coffee house, in an alley near Thomas Circle. Roberts, under orders to watch the rendezvous of the Bohemians, heard a shot fired in the Krazy Kat shortly after 1 o'clock yesterday morning. The watchmen were quickly pressed into service and a raiding party was organized. When Roberts climbed the narrow stairway leading from a garage to the scene of trouble, he found himself in the dining room of the Krazy Kat, confronted with gaudy pictures evolved by futurists and impressionists and what appeared to the policeman to be a free-for-all fight. At the Second Precinct police station 25 prisoners, including three women — self-styled artists, poets and actors, and some who worked for the government by day and masqueraded as Bohemians by night — were examined. Those against whom charges were placed gave the following names: John Don Allen, Cleon Throckmorton and John Stiffen, charged with keeping a disorderly house; Charles Flynn, drinking in public; J. Albion Blake, disorderly conduct; Walter Thomas, assault and disorderly conduct; Harry Rockelly, drinking in public; George Miltry, disorderly conduct; Mitchell McMahon, drinking in public; Joseph Ryon, disorderly; Anthony Hanley, drinking in public; Frank Moran, disorderly conduct, Leo Cohen, drinking in public and disorderly conduct, and Raymond Coombs, disorderly conduct. ---------------------------- February 17, 1957 ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A $50 bet, an engineering diploma and a hobby turned Cleon Throckmorton from the world of structural design to a lucrative career in art. A native of nearby Absecon, Throckmorton, now in semi-retirement, has designed settings for over 300 plays all because a friend bet him $50 he couldn't earn a living from art. "A few of my artist friends and myself were kidding around years ago in a restaurant in Pittsburgh and I said anyone with an common sense could paint," he explained. Art was his hobby and the bet was collected after two of his works were accepted by the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., for its semi-annual exhibit. "That made me really serious about art," he says. Although he had just earned an engineering degree from Carnegie Tech, "Throck" started on a career in theatrical setting design and is still going strong here as a designer and painter of party backdrops for a beachfront hotel. Unlike the conventional artist, "Throck" uses gallon jugs of paint and does his work on the floor with a brush attached to a long bamboo pole. Throckmorton, now 59, spends about six months each year at his Atlantic City work with the raimainder of his time scattered at spot jobs in Hollywood and New York. ------------------------- October 25, 1965 ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) Cleon Throckmorton, 68, who gained prominence as a set designer for playwright Eugene O'Neill, died Saturday in hospital after a brief illness. Throckmorton joined O'Neill at the Provincetown Playhouse in Massachusetts and prepared the sets for O'Neill's Emperor Jones, The Hairy Ape, and Beyond the Fringe, which were later produced at the Theatre Guild in New York. During the pioneering days of television, Throckmorton became the Columbia Broadcasting System's first art director. He is survived by his wife. Krazy ManThis is becoming quite the detective story! I cannot wait for the continuing adventures of Throckmorton & his crew. Given that the bust happened two years before these pictures, it seems that Cleon kept his establishment running for a while. Thomas Circle looks, unfortunately, fairly well re-developed as of the last time Google snapped a picture. I will be in DC in May (I grew up not far from Glen Echo Park, actually). I may take a little visit down to Thomas Circle to see if there are echoes of the Krazy Kat in some alley there... [Throck was enrolled at GWU. Still to come: Photos of the alley. Which, coincidentally, is just a couple blocks from my day job of the past 13 years. - Dave] Mrs. ThrockmortonJust a quick search of the 'Cleon Throckmorton' name dug up something kind of fun -- an archived letter to Time magazine from 1947. Pages two and three have Mrs. Throckmorton's sister disputing TIME's claim that it was Mrs. Throckmorton photographed puffing a cigar at opera. If I'm chasing the right trail, Throckmorton married Juliet St. John Brenon. Her father was a (highly respected it would seem) NYC music critic, Algernon St. John Brenon. It would be cool to know if one of those girls was Juliet, wouldn't it? ThrockI wonder if there is any chance the young lady he is painting became Mrs. Throckmorton. ThrockGoogle this guy. He was a major player in the theatre world. Very interesting. Gaudy pictures evolved by futuristsWhat a great line, in a fascinating story. These women look dangerous to me; not just flappers, but vamps! Alley KatsIs the alley in question Green Court, off 14th near Thomas Circle? I worked in one of the buildings on 14th and could look out on the alley which then, the '90s, housed the Green Lantern, a gay club. I think it became the Tool Shed. Ahh, yes, looks like my hunch was correct... From "Gay Life Remembered" by Bob Roehr in Independent Gay Forum... Krazy Kat in 1920 was a "Bohemian joint in an old stable up near Thomas Circle ... (where) artists, musicians, atheists, professors" gathered. Miraculously the structure still stands, five blocks from the White House, as a gay bar called the Green Lantern. I really do empathize...with "Throck." My wife is always charging me with "keeping a disorderly house." I keep trying to tell her she just doesn't understand my absurdist aesthetic. It's not easy being a visionary, I guess. No Connection!(Washington Post / Saturday, February 22, 1919 ROW IN KRAZY KAT LANDS 14 IN JAIL Carefree Bohemians Start Rough-House and Cop Raids Rendezvous.) ........................................... There is no connection ..... but the date of this Post article was the same day my father (bless his soul) was born. This is good stuff Dave. Thank You. My new hero(ine)... is the woman who is having her portrait done. Not only is she beautiful, but as evidenced in the other photos, she seemed to have a bit of a rebellious streak for daring to show so much skin (someone earlier referenced that she seemed to be wearing - *gasp!* - a miniskirt, in 1921.) That rules, in my book! Plus, she has such a coy look about her. It's fun to think that maybe she's a gypsy who has found the fountain of youth, and she's still roaming around and haunting places like Soho artists' lofts and tiny Parisian cafes, looking exactly the same now as she did then, smoking cigarettes and taking everything in through those dark eyes.... A sword? Looks like the lady on the table might have some future swashbuckling planned. Heart Stopping , Sucking In Air GreatThis photo is so good on so many levels it hard to take it all in. Whew About that Cigar & Mrs ThrockmortonThe 1920 Washington Census shows Cleon's father, Ernest U. Throckmorton, as proprietor of a cigar shop. Could be it's true she was smoking a stogie? Other info on this sheet has the parents at 55 yrs old. Mother's name is Roberta, born in Indiana. Cleon was 22. Home address is 1536 Kingman Place (something) NW. [According to his N.Y. Times obituary in 1965, Mom & Dad's full names were Ernest Upton and Roberta Cowing Throckmorton; Cleon was born October 18, 1897; his wife was the former Juliet St. John Brenon. - Dave] Green LanternBy coincidence, after reading about the Green Lantern here yesterday, I was watching a 1918 Charlie Chaplin comedy called "A Dog's Life", and noticed that the saloon in that film is called "Green Lantern". It made me wonder if that phrase has some particular "folk meaning" or significance, or relevance to saloons or drinking, but I can't find anything on google but the comic book hero by that name. Throckmorton Place $895K in '04!Shucks...you missed your chance to buy the Throckmorton home. From some 2004 Washington Blade (another gay connection!) classifieds... LOGAN CIRCLE New listing! Fabulous renovated TH. 1.5 blks from Logan Circle, Whole Foods & more! 3 story TH w/ separate bsmt apt and 2 story owner’s unit w/ beautiful gar- dens and deck. Live in 2 BR, 2.5 BA unit w/ hdwd flrs, lots of light,& lrg bathrooms. Rental 1 BR w/ private entrance. Great condo alternative. Must see! $895,000 OPEN SAT 5/15 & SUN 5/16 (1 - 4 pm) 1536 Kingman Place. (202) 332-3228 Jeff Shewey, COLDWELL BANKER / PARDOE. CleonWhile looking online for his paintings I found this: Throckmorton, Cleon (1897–1965), designer. Born in Atlantic City, he studied at Carnegie Tech and at George Washington University before embarking on a career as a landscape and figure painter. After a few years he turned to the theatre, assisted on the designs for The Emperor Jones (1920), and later created the sets for All God's Chillun Got Wings (1924), S.S. Glencairn (1924), In Abraham's Bosom (1926), Burlesque (1927), Porgy (1927), Another Language (1932), Alien Corn (1933), and others. By his retirement in the early 1950s he had designed sets for over 150 plays. Throckmorton also drew up architectural plans for such summer theatres as the Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts, and the Westport (Connecticut) Country Playhouse. Cleon & JulietCleon's wife, Juliet St. John Brenon, according to her IMDB bio, was born in 1885, making her 37-ish during the time these photos were taken. Her uncle Herbert Brenon was a well-known silent film director who worked frequently with Cleon. Apparently they had some connections to Society: Baron Franz von Papen, three postcard autograph messages signed in the mid-1930s to American friend Mrs. Juliet Throckmorton in New York. [Her November 1979 obituary in the New York Times gives her age at death as 82, which would mean she was born around 1897. Of course actresses (and actors) have been known to fudge their age. - Dave] Throck of AgesFor what it's worth...the SSDI lists her as follows: JULIET THROCKMORTON 01 Sep 1895 Nov 1979 It would appear that IMDB is quite mistaken, Hollywood fudging notwithstanding. Juliet's ObitNovember 22, 1979 (NYT) JULIET B. THROCKMORTON Juliet Brenon Throckmorton, a stage and screen actress in the 1920s, and widow of Cleon Throckmorton, a noted stage designer who worked closely with Eugene O'Neill, died Sunday at Cabrini Medical Center. She was 82 years old and lived in Manhattan. Mrs. Throckmorton had in recent years been a contributor to Yankeee magazine, writing, among other subjects, about Eugene O'Neill, E.E. Cummings and other well-known people who had frequented her husband's Greenwich Village studio. Juliet BrenonAre we sure Juliet is the one pictured? Juliet & Throck were not engaged until 1927 in NYC. Here's the announcement:
The Empress: 1922
... the Empress Theater, where Mack Sennett's "Crossroads of New York" is playing. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 9:37pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Hahn's shoe store, 414 Ninth Street N.W." Next door to the Empress Theater, where Mack Sennett's "Crossroads of New York" is playing. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Why don't we decorate things anymore?Note the scrollwork on the bracket of the truck roof (!) on the left; and the beautiful details on Herbert's. Art for art's sake, it's called. WirelessThis shows a great close up view of how Washington's streetcars were powered without overhead wires. Between the tracks is a slot between two metal pieces. The cars picked up power with a "plow" that ran through the slot to a power source below the street. This is particularly relevant now since the City Council wants to bring back streetcars but allow overhead wires to power them. Current law still prohibits all overhead wiring in specified areas of D.C. to protect the views. Hong Kong [what??]Note the doorway between the Empress and the shoe store, topped by the elaborate pagoda-style entry. The door leads upstairs to the Hong Kong something-or-another, according to the folded awnings in the windows. A restaurant, most likely. Maybe a dry cleaners, or custom-made clothing. Or perhaps an opium den, or oriental massage. Nawwww. [Your "Hong Kong" is reflected signage across the street. Oops. Now I see it. - Dave] OverdueMay I just add an overdue "Thank You!" to Stanton Square. Always adding interesting info and answering questions. A very appreciated mainstay at Shorpy. At The Movies - Crossroads of New YorkThe Empress is playing "Crossroads of New York" and "The Fire Chief" starring Dan Mason. The latter is a two reeler comedy an entry in a series starring Dan Mason as Pops Tuttle, released in 1922. Mason was 65 years of age (born 1857) and cranked out about 11 of these in 1922-23. In the next few years he would take supporting roles in feature comedies and in dramas. His last role was an uncredited role in the now lost sound film "The Awakening" which was nominated for an Oscar in 1928. Mason died in July 1929. "Crossroads of New York" is in most ways the more interesting film. Legendary comedy producer Mack Sennett, who introduced Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand, Roscoe Arbuckle, Buster Keaton and a host of others to the public, decided to make "Crossroads of New York" as his first dramatic feature. When it debuted (under the name "Heart's Balm") it was met with howls of laughter. Not one to let something go, Sennett had it rewritten and rereleased as a comedy. It failed as a comedy too. It starredGeorge O'Hara (whose career died with Silents), Noah Beery, whose career as a character actor made an easy transition to sound, Ethel Grey Terry, and Australian comedian Billy Bevan. Hong Kong LowThe cute pagoda marks the street entrance to Hong Kong Low, a Chinese and American Restaurant located on the second and third floor. It opened at this location in 1917. Try their Delicious Chop Suey after the theater. Arthur Stanton (no relation) let the fun get out of hand one Autumn evening in 1924: Washington Post, Oct 6, 1924 Man Fractures Arm In Three-Story Fall Arthur Stanton, 21 years old, 41 T street northwest, fell three stories to the street from the Hong Kong Low Chinese restaurant on Ninth street northwest, last night, and suffered only a broken arm, police say. Headquarters detectives were called and after investigation said Stanton had been drinking. A friend of Stanton's said he had been pushed from the window by a Chinese. Police say he wandered too close to the window and fell out. Spiffy ShoesIt looks like the ghost has just left the shoeshine parlor. Something New Every Day DepartmentUntil this Shorpy post came along, I labored under the delusion that it was Max Sennett who made the early movies. Great entertainmentNot at the Empress but two doors down. Come see Herbert's incredible contorting delivery man, Zeke "Crazy Legs" Monroe. Penn-CeraA product of Consumers Brewing Company of Philadelphia. Completely forgotten, up till now. Hot times at the EmpressIn the first year of its operation, the Empress (at 416 9th St., N.W.) suffered a fire in the operator's booth when a film machine burst into flames, as reported by the Washington Herald of May 12, 1910 and reprinted in Headley. With a full house unaware of the danger, employees subdued the flames with fire extinguishers. The Post reported, "The audience was dismissed, the admission fees were returned, and everybody left thinking the machinery had broken down." Remodeled in 1915 (with a redesigned external entrance to the booth, for safety), the Empress was in operation until about 1945. [There was also a lightning strike in 1912, and a fire in 1924. The proprietor, Marcus Notes, died in 1951. Below: March 20, 1910. - Dave] Go ahead, break my heartThe famous Gayety Burlesque house was in the same block, although the Empress was long gone when I first checked out "the strip" as a kid from the back seat of my parents' 1956 Ford Fairlane. The whole block was full of cheesy sex joints then, only blocks away from not only the National Archives, but also DC's central family shopping corridor, home to Lansburgh's, Kann's, The Hecht Company, Woodward & Lothrop, Jelleff's, Garfinckel's and dozens of specialty stores where you found goods ranging from lowbrow to the most elegant. I miss all that. A lot. I knew Bill Hahn in the late 1970s, when he was quite a senior gentleman. He must have worked in this family shop when a youth. He was a most charitable and generous person. Zoom in on the architectural details of the building on the left. Wow. (The Gallery, D.C., Movies, Stores & Markets)
Chillin' Under the El: 1913
New York City, July 31, 1913. "Children at Play." 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 7:10pm -

New York City, July 31, 1913. "Children at Play." 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress. View full size. eddieandbillOh the joy when the world suddenly becomes "puddle-wonderful." Splash.My favorite part is the little footprints in and out of the puddle. 100 Years YoungThese are the cutest 100 year olds I have ever seen! and the little lame balloonmanwhistles far and wee The guy in the backlooks like a texting hipster An El in New York?Isn't that a Chicago term? [You've never heard of the Third Avenue El? - Dave] SobrevivientesVivirá alguno de ellos, sería posible encontrarlo... Se les ve llenos de vitalidad. Hemosa foto. Gracias Shorpy. Yippee!Those are some seriously cute and joyous kids! Spring waterMmm, clean pure street water! Same as it ever wasNow kids open fire hydrants and do a similar thing. The NYC fire department now fits the fire hydrants with special caps that sprinkle water rather than a whole stream which would waste far more water. nowadays I ride by on my bike on the hottest days of summer and can't resist going under the water sprinkles. Paco matematicamente es posible que alguno este vivo.. intrigante! Ack!Maybe this is just the 21st century in me speaking, but -- Ew! Ew! Ew! Get out of there! No! (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Kids, NYC)
Nawlins: 1903
... is, as most guessers correctly guessed, Canal Street in New Orleans! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. ... & Worms Notions & Gents. Furnishing Goods New York/New Orleans (Canal St.). Business form with elaborate letterhead. Acc. No. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 4:32pm -

Circa 1903. The caption for this glass negative has been misplaced -- who will be the first person to identify this city and its famous thoroughfare? UPDATE: And the answer is, as most guessers correctly guessed, Canal Street in New Orleans! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Who Dat!Very apt posting a pic of old New Orleans here. If my Steelers can't win the Super Bowl this year, then Go Saints! Would it beNew Orleans? I think it is! Anytown, USAis New Orleans. Krower ClueLeonard Krower had a shop at 536-538 Canal Street in New Orleans. NewOrleans. Might it beCanal Street in New Orleans? Found this through google: http://www.neworleanspast.com/ads/id49.html Canal StreetCanal Street, in New Orleans. Personally, I've never been there, but searching for "Leonard Krower" shows he was a prominent jeweler in the city. New Orleans?http://files.usgwarchives.org/la/orleans/bios/p-000002.txt Never been there, don't know if it looks like it or not. Semi-wild guessMain Street in Charlottesville, Virginia. New OrleansS.E. Worms was a retailer and appears in a few court proceedings and in "History of the Jews of Louisiana." By the breadth of the street, I would guess it's Canal. I haven't found an address of Mr Worms' establishment. I do hope he renamed it at some point. "Hey, you like my Worm suit?" doesn't sound all that great. My GuessCanal Street, New Orleans. http://www.neworleanspast.com/ads/id49.html Yes, Canal St in N.O.http://www.hnoc.org/collections/gerpath/gersect5.html "Dalsheimer & Worms Notions & Gents. Furnishing Goods New York/New Orleans (Canal St.). Business form with elaborate letterhead. Acc. No. 1983.3.1." Looks Like...Canal Street, New Orleans Canal Street, New OrleansIt looks like thats Leonard Krower @ 536 Canal Street in New Orleans, LA (ad for them here: http://www.neworleanspast.com/ads/id49.html) Is this New Orleans?Canal Street. New Orleans?Leonard Krower Jewelers building was my clue. Anytown, USA, foundThis looks like New Orleans, LA., at least according to Google. S. E. Worms and Leonard Krower companies were both there in this time frame. New Orleans, LaWhat did I win? New OrleansCanal Street, New Orleans New Orleans!Looks like New Orleans, here's a pic http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt4b69p81d/?order=2&brand=calisphere Where is This?Canal Street, New Orleans Canal St. NOLALooks like Canal Street. A load of cotton seems to be in the middle of the pic. It could be ...Canal Street in New Orleans New OrleansNotions on 76 & 78 Canal Street. 19 streetcars!On Canal Street, New Orleans. Future Saints fansIt looked like a Southern city even before I saw the cotton bales. Most likely Canal Street in New Orleans. NOLA, maybe Krower Wholesale Jewelers (@ left) and the Bucklin Advertising Concern (obscured sign @ right) both appear to have been New Orleans firms. A few - not 100% convincing - Web sources put Krower at 111 Exchange Place (at Canal). My guess?Canal Street, New Orleans. Found this stereo photo from long ago ... http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt4b69p81d/?order=2&brand=calisphere Canal Street, New OrleansA Google search on '"S. E. Worms" notions' turned up this entry from Google Books on the undated (apparently late 1800s) book "New Orleans and the New South": http://books.google.com/books?id=xrY-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA107&lpg=PA107&dq=%22S... The building's 76-78 Canal Street address is helpfully noted right under a charming blue-ink drawing on page 107 of the same building seen here in the photo. And for extra credit, here is a Google Street View of roughly the same address today: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=78+Canal+Street,+New+orleans,+la... Worming That's Canal Street in New Orleans. In the foreground we have 76-78 Canal, the former home of S. Dalsheimer & Co., which was illustrated in "New Orleans and the New South," by Andrew Morrison. Mr. S.E. Worms was the resident partner, and it looks like he took over the business eventually. "The engraving which illustrates this matter hardly does justice to the premises they occupy - premises themselves indicating a house which is conspicuous by reason of the business done by it throughout the trade territory of New Orleans." Some Google-triangulating suggests..Canal Street, Mew Orleans. It could be ...Canal street New Orleans La Identified by the streetcars, cotton bales and Searcy & Pfaff printer business. Future home of the Saints! Who Dat? Saints Alive!We're apparently seeing a scene from Leonard Street in bustling New Orleans. http://books.google.com/books?id=4yrZAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=%22l... Anyone from Nawlins able to tell us if that street's been renamed? Enjoyable challengeAlthough I've never been to Louisiana, some brief research indicates that this photo is of St. Charles Street in New Orleans. A Google search of Searcy and Pfaff printers (displayed here across a 3rd-story window) led to an incredibly-informative biography of William Pfaff. http://files.usgwarchives.org/la/orleans/bios/p-000002.txt "On November 1, 1889, Mr. Pfaff, then only eighteen years of age, became associated with his brother-in-law, David J. Searcy, in the operation of a little job printing establishment occupying one room on the third floor of a building on St. Charles Street, near Gravier." Could it be? Will some true New Orleans people confirm? I think I knowBy looking at that white building with the rounded corner, about a block from the Orpheus Theater, I would say this was Canal Street in New Orleans. If that building is on Carondelet Street, that's got to be it! H.B Stevens et alA short session of Google-business-name-triangulating suggests it's Canal Street, Mew Orleans. [Funny, you're the second cat to guess Mew Orleans. - Dave] Lovely Canal StreetI believe we are looking at Canal and Camp streets. View Larger Map ShreveportHow about Shreveport, La.? According to Shelden's Jobbing Trade & City Offices (published in 1901), the firm operated at 43 Leonard St. http://books.google.com/books?id=4yrZAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=%22S... Holy Toledo, I count 19 cable carson Canal Street. Business is good! [The number of cable cars in this photo is zero. These are electric streetcars. - Dave] Sharp ShorpiansShorpsters were once described by our host as "a school of fact-checking piranhas." I saw this pic about an hour after it was posted and there were already 37 guesses and most were correct. Way to go Shorpsters! I'm in awe!All you knowledgeable people impress me! Is that the spire from Saint Louis Cathedral visible behind the building that says H.B. Stevens? Is that fellow posing?Or is the fellow in shirtsleeves and a bowler, standing on the roof of the building behind Dalsheimer's, just getting a breath of air while enjoying the view? I never fail to marvel at the lack of vertigo apparent among some of the folks caught in these frozen moments. The window washers and roof-ridge-walkers couldn't possibly have realized that they were being included in a camera shot at the time the photograph was taken. Were people that much less fearless then? The spireBased on the time (just after 9 a.m.) and the shadow, the camera is pointing almost due west. So that cannot be St. Louis, which is east of this vantage point. Streetcars and SaintsI spent Christmas in New Orleans with the girlfriend, and was surprised to find out that the city has the oldest functioning streetcar system in the country -- when other cities began giving them up in the 1930s, N.O. hung onto its. And ... GEAUX SAINTS! A lifelong dream has been realized. VantageI think this photo was shot from atop the Custom House. It is looking towards the lake. The big building in the middle still stands at Carondelet and Canal. Find the building with the storm shutters, directly to the right of the picture, towards the bottom. It is the oldest building still standing on Canal Street. It is at the downriver, lakebound corner of Canal Street and Decatur Street. It is now a Wendy's or an Arby's. Great Birthday CityThis is one of the world's great party cities. In fact, next Tuesday Kairha and I embark on a 10 day road adventure, ending up in N.O. And I recently found out that on my birthday (Tuesday, week) the entire city has gotten together to organize a huge celebration for me! With parades and everything! What a city! CaryatidsLeonard Krower has a fine set of them holding up the roof. H.B. StevensH.B. Stevens (Est. 1860) merged with Porter's on Baronne Street to become Porter Stevens in the 1970s. It is the oldest men's clothing store in New Orleans. The building in the picture was built in the early 1880s. Here's another view of the same building. http://www.porterstevens.com/ Photo Taken from Stauffer, Eshleman & Co. Wholesale HardwareWe featured this picture as our weekly photo quiz on www.forensicgenealogy.info. Diane Burkett and Arthur Hartwell, a couple of our top Quizmasters, pointed out that the Godchaux tower was close to the photographer, and that there is no break in the awnings to indicate the picture was taken on the river side of the corner of Canal and Dorsiere Sts. Diane found that Godchaux's was then located at 527 Canal (the street has since been renumbered), and that the most likely location for the photographer was from the upper stories or roof of Stauffer, Eshleman & Co., 519 Canal St. This is now the location of the Marriott. Diane consulted the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps to come up with this conclusion. www.forensicgenealogy.info/contest_294_results.html I am from New Orleans, and have featured several NO pictures in my weekly quizzes. A couple have come from Shorpy. To see them, scroll down the answer page (linked above), and look for the box in the right margin near the bottom. Colleen Fitzpatrick Quizmaster General Forensic Genealogy www.forensicgenealogy.info Yes, Canal St New Orleans towards the RiverAs most figured, this is definitely view down Canal Street in New Orleans towards the lake. Several of these buildings still exist. At least one business also still exists: Werlein's Music (they moved to the other side of Canal after this photo was taken (that building now houses the Palace Cafe restaurant), and in the 1980's moved the suburbs. Note that drays are traveling in both directions on the downtown side of the neutral ground, a situation that lasted into the early automobile days. (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, New Orleans, Streetcars)
3rd Int'l Pageant of Pulchritude
... Girl I think I'm in love with the clad-in-black Miss New Jersey. Meanwhile Miss Nebraska is expressing the love whose name ... in a bathing suit. PoP I swear Miss Greater New York is winking. Fabulous. Roaring 20's! See the trends move fast ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2011 - 5:40pm -

Third International Pageant of Pulchritude and Ninth Annual Bathing Girl Revue, June 1928. Galveston, Texas. View full size. Proto Emo GirlI think I'm in love with the clad-in-black Miss New Jersey. Meanwhile Miss Nebraska is expressing the love whose name cannot be spoken for Miss Wisconsin. Congratulations to Miss St.Congratulations to Miss St. Louis, 42nd runner-up. Mrs?Shouldn't that be "Mr. France". Oofah! HuhI like how we range from Miss Biloxi to Miss England. I'm surprised we didn't have Miss 22nd Street and Miss Asia, too. By the way, I know standards of beauty have changed, and the women in pageants today are not necessarily more or less attractive, but Miss St. Louis was a beast. I'm sorry, there had to be some corruption in that contest. Miss St. LouisBut look at her body. It's all about the body. NiceMiss Mississippi is fine... Hm.Objectifying women across the centuries! Coincidence??Miss France and her predecessor. Different hats, but that nose ... eerie, huh? Miss St. LouisWhat's the problem with her? Look at her smile... Miss MilwaukeeAll the way ! A beauty any man could fall in love with. Funny that......I was thinking the same about that bloke dressed up as Miss St Louis... SeawallSo they stuck the out-of-town contestants on the beach for the group photo, while the oglers watch from the seawall? Those Galvestonians learned something from that hurricane! Fun, Best Legs, Shock JockMiss California gets my vote, she's looks like alot of fun! Miss Utah has the best legs, and Miss St. Louis is Howard Stern in a bathing suit. PoPI swear Miss Greater New York is winking. Fabulous. Roaring 20's!See the trends move fast near the end of the decade. Some areas chose slimmer gals that appear to better fit the Flapper styles of the times. Many men of the day would see Miss Austin as being horribly sickly, but today she would have the attributes of a runway model! And yes, Miss CA is absolutely adorable, and the St. Louis pageant must have had very few contestants. Miss OhioI think Miss Ohio cornered the Amish vote. Miss Utah is one cute little Mormon pixie, working her flirt something fierce- that girl you could paste into a modern photo and nobody would think twice about it. It's funny how wildly different they all look- a modern contest the girls would all look more or less the same. This photo is a crazy assortment of beauties & cuties, geek girls, dorks, farm girls, prom queens, and linebackers. Awesome! Lots of Fine Choices in Girls Here ...Take a close look at Miss Pennsylvania. She's showing off some ummmmm talents. Not too shabby. And she is the only one with those. But it seems she and Miss Ohio are wanting to trip the light fantastic. So she's likely spoken for, unless a threesome would work. I have to agree, Miss California looks like a good candidate. Also check Miss Colorado, pretty cute looking although zero to concave up topside. But clearly this whole contest is rigged, considering Miss St. Louis and Miss France. Holy cow! Either one would be worth chewing your arm off if you woke up next to them with it stuck underneath. They must have done multiple special couch sessions with a bag over their head and paid a bunch of cash just to get into this line up. What on Miss Spain's forehead? Is that the reset button? 1st Prize to Miss BiloxiShe's quite alluring, but does need to work on her posture. Honorable mentions to Miss San Antonio (very cute), Miss Belgium (best smile), and Miss NY State (quite sexy even by 2009 standards). And I agree, Nebraska's totally putting the moves on Wisconsin. But so would I. Pennsylvania and Ohio must be roommates. Yeah, that's it. Roommates. BZZZT! and the correct answer is...Miss Chicago. hubba... First Runner-UpRaymonde Allain, Miss France 1927, became an actress -- the Internet Movie Database lists her as appearing in 10 films and (in 1974) a television show. She also wrote a book in 1933, "Histoire vraie d'un prix de beaute?" ("True story of a price for beauty"). She married the pianist and composer Alec Siniavine, who composed a love song for her during the Nazi occupation, "Attends moi mon amour." Siniavine also played in a quartet with Django Reinhardt in 1934. [Miss Allain to the New York Times in 1928: "It is certainly great to be beautiful." - Dave] "Galveston Bathing Beauties"The event lasted from 1920 to 1931, when the Morality Police had it shut down for showing too much leg. Miss Chicago took 1st in 1928 and Miss France took 2nd which obviously means ... Miss Missouri was ROBBED!!! Come on, Miss Missouri had the whole package yet she didn't even finish in the top 10?!! Results 1 UNITED STATES - Ella Van Hueson (Miss Chicago) 2 FRANCE - Raymonde Allain 3 ITALY - Livia Marracci 4 COLORADO - Mildred Ellene Golden 5 WEST VIRGINIA - Audrey Reilley 6 CANADA - Irene Hill 7 LUXEMBOURG - Anna Friedrich 8 OHIO - Mary Horlocker 9 SAN ANTONIO (TX) - Anna Debrow 10 TULSA (OK) - Helen Paris Contestants Foreign BELGIUM - Anne Koyaert CANADA - Irene Hill CUBA - Nila Garrido ENGLAND - Nonni Shields FRANCE - Raymonde Allain GERMANY - Hella Hoffman ITALY - Livia Marracci LUXEMBOURG - Anna Friedrich MEXICO - Maria Teresa de Landa SPAIN - Agueda Adorna USA states or regions CALIFORNIA - Geraldine Grimsley COLORADO - Mildred Golden CONNECTICUT - Mary Deano INDIANA - Betty Dumpres IOWA - Ethel Mae Frette KENTUCKY - Vergie H. Hendricks LOUISIANA - Evelyn Smith MINNESOTA - Delores Davitt MISSISSIPPI - Louise Fayard MISSOURI - Margaret Woods NEBRASKA - Bernice Graf NEW JERSEY - Elizabeth K. Smith NEW YORK STATE - Winnifred Watson OHIO - Mary Horlocker PENNSYLVANIA - Anna Dubin UTAH - Eldora Pence WEST VIRGINIA - Audrey Reilley WISCONSIN - Betty Porter USA cities AUSTIN (TX) - Irene Wilson BILOXI (MS) - Fleeta Doyle CHICAGO (IL) - Ella Van Hueson DALLAS (TX) - Hazel Peck FORT WORTH (TX) - Cleo Belle Marshall GREATER NEW YORK (NY) - Isabel Waldner HOUSTON (TX) - Katherine Miller LITTLE ROCK (AR) - Frances McCroskey MILWAUKEE (WI) NEW ORLEANS (LA) - Georgia Payne OKLAHOMA CITY (OK) - Mary Kate Drew SAN ANTONIO (TX) - Anna Debrow ST. LOUIS (MO) - Eunice Gerling TULSA (OK) - Helen Paris http://www.pageantopolis.com/international/universe_1920.htm Now you've got some names to go with the faces. [What was at stake was no less than the title of Miss Universe. Controversy erupted when Miss France, Raymonde Allain, came in second to an American girl. - Dave] Pageant of Pulchritude 2009Seems like the pageant once again is on, after 77 years absence. Found this http://www.houstonpress.com/slideshow/view/13011295 Butter faceis what we would call Miss St. Louis nowadays. Miss Puffsylvania gets my trophy! (The Gallery, Pretty Girls, Swimming)
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