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The Old Mill: 1899
... View full size. The Mystery of the Two Mills The Brooklyn flour mill, owned by John B. Vliet, was in business before 1865. ... view of the building. The Brooklyn Mill is often misidentified as the Sherwood Mill, which was built by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/25/2017 - 11:25am -

Green Lake, Wisconsin, circa 1899. "Old mill at railway station." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
The Mystery of the Two MillsThe Brooklyn flour mill, owned by John B. Vliet, was in business before 1865.  Sometime in the 1870s it was damaged by fire.  In order to get the mill running again as soon as possible, Vliet borrowed more money from the original lender, Washington Libby.  Libby eventually gained ownership through default, although Vliet continued to operate it.  It was out-of-business by 1925—the date of the photo below (note the 12-over-12 double-hung windows).  It was torn down in the early 1950s to salvage the wood inside.  The second photo is a  water side view of the building.


The Brooklyn Mill is often misidentified as the Sherwood Mill, which was built by Anson Dart and John C. Sherwood in nearby Dartford (now Green Lake) in 1849.  However, the Sherwood Mill (also know as the Dartford Mill) burned down before 1875 and was never rebuilt.  The mistaken identification is made because the Brooklyn Mill sat near the Green Lake Station depot on the Sheboygan and Fond du Lac Railroad (later the Chicago & Northwestern) line, which is out-of-sight of the mill in the main photo at top (location A on the map below).  In 1975 the depot was relocated to downtown Green Lake and opened as a museum for the Dartford Historical Society (location B).  The depot's new location just happens to be directly across the street from the site of the old Sherwood Mill, so it is easy to look at a modern map and see an old mill site and a railroad depot, and assume that they are the subjects mentioned in the original caption.

The Dartford Historical Society has a great bunch of folks who helped untangle the mystery.
Still around?My first thought was that this building would make a great and imposing post industrial loft style home. A shoreside property, too.
Is it still around? Couldn't find it on Google Streetview. 
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)

Grove Lime & Coal: 1920
... and they now have a representative number of trucks in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Long Island City, and New York city. In New York territory, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 7:51am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Grove Lime & Coal Co." Our latest entry in the Shorpy parade of Stone Age delivery trucks. View full size. National Photo Co.
 Witt-Will TruckLocally made in D.C., essentially in the shadow of the White House, and sold primarily to Federal agencies, mostly during the 1920s. Really enjoyable series, Dave (Stone Age trucks); keep it going. 
Old TrucksThing that strikes me the most is the small size of these old delivery trucks.  They appear to be about one ton capacity or so, only slightly heavier than a modern full-size pickup. Yet judging from the heavy frame construction and solid-rubber tires, the actual truck body could have handled a good deal more weight.  The primitave engines and transmissions of the time were the restriction.
Dig that crazy diff!The differential is mounted with the pinion gear vertical.  That means the power from the driveshaft must make a 90 degree turn before making another 90 degree turn inside the diff to the axels.  That's some wasted energy right there.  Perhaps a gear connection, necessitated by a lack of sufficiently strong U-joints?  Interesting.  Truck comes with two brakes on the rear wheels only, whether you need them or not. One other kooky observation:  from the looks of that engine crank, you better be able to get it running in less than half a swing.  The proximity of that bumper is scary.
Crazy differentialI believe that first 90 degree turn is a worm, like the 1925 vintage International. It did allow very effective engine braking unlike 30's and 40's vintage 1 1/2 T that had no stopping power when loaded.
An employer told me that cars should yield to his trucks and he didn't want to see a brake light until I pulled over the pit at the elevator. We didn't do that of course but it showed the mindset of many employers in those days.
DifferentialGents, take a look at a lot of Mack trucks and you will see the same sort of differential.  I have never seen inside of one, but I know they look a lot like the Witt-Will rear end on the outside.
Axles Part XXXVIIIProbably rather like the Rockwell axles used on contemporary M series military trucks, with some reduction built into the transition on top they can use a smaller ring gear and gain a little more ground clearance as well as save wear and tear on universal joints. 
Witt-Will CompanyWashington Post Mar 16, 1924 

Refrigerator Cars on Public Roads Grow in Number
Present Capacity Taxed by Orders
New Type of Body for Ice Cream Shipments Built by Local Company.

Among the oldest and most successful of motor truck factories is numbered that of the Witt-Will Company, which is located within practically a stone's throw of the Union station.  They are manufacturers of the Witt-Will motor truck, which are seen in increasing numbers on the streets of Washington and along the roads of Maryland and Virginia.  Their sales organization has confined its efforts to the placing of trucks in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, but their many satisfied users have brought them business from other points, and they now have a representative number of trucks in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Long Island City, and New York city. In New York territory, they have specialized in the construction of the ideal truck for the ice cream business, and have recently developed a special refrigerating body of the ice cream business; orders for which have now taxed the capacity of their present quarters.
Along with other local manufacturing industries, this organization stands out as a distinction to Washington, not only as the only truck manufacturer in this section of the country, but because it was founded and has been carried on by Washingtonians, who have established a reputation among those who know truck values for producing a motor truck of quality.
In August, 1911, an experiment was made in the construction of a 3-ton gasoline motor truck and the test of it in heavy service.  The experiment proved such a success that the construction of a 5-ton truck was immediately started and when finished was placed in the same heavy service in which the first truck was then employed.  At this point the experiment became an established success, as the truck so constructed had for exceeded he most sanguine expectations of the builders.  It was then decided to establish the Witt-Will Company, Inc., having for its object the building of Witt-Will motor trucks.  At the start a two-story factory building 40 by 100 feet was erected.  This building was constructed in May, 1912, and the construction of motor trucks was begun.  Subsequently, the expectations of business far exceeded their first thought, until the space now occupied is approximately 27,000 square feet.  They are now building motor trucks of 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 and 5-ton capacities.  
The factory and offices are located at 52-56 N street northeast.  The officers are John M. Dugan: president and treasurer; George H. Coale, Vice president, and James S. McKee, secretary.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Parcel Post: 1914
... Atlanta, Ga., 2 Whites; Baltimore, 3 Whites; Brooklyn, 3 Whites, Buffalo, 2 Whites; Columbia, S. C, 1 Wagenhals; Columbus, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 6:47pm -

Washington, D.C., 1914. "Post Office Department -- parcel post." A scene outside the post office on Pennsylvania Avenue in its final year of operations before it moved and the building became known as the Old Post Office. View full size.
U-shaped bracketsNice truck! I'd love to have it in that condition right now. My question is, what are those big u-shaped brackets in front of the radiator? Maybe for headlights? If so, what are the smaller lights mounted on either side of the dashboard? Oh, and of course, what make and year is the truck?
[The small lamps are running or parking lights. - Dave]
In the DarkWhere are the headlights?
Parcel Post serviceThis was the year after the Post Office Department began domestic Parcel Post service. Originally, a series of special stamps was issued.
"Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow"Only darkness will stop them from their appointed rounds. Notice the headlights seem to be missing from the bracket holders.
Dark of Night"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds". I think the "gloom of night" might stay this one.
Righty?Right hand drive? Was that common in those days? 
[Still the case for mail delivery vehicles. -tterrace]
KisselKar truckThis is a 1913 KisselKar truck, made by the Kissel Motor Car Company of Hartford, Wisconsin.

In July 1913, to prepare for the domestic Parcel Post delivery service that tterrace mentioned, the United States Post Office Department's Committee of Award accepted a bid by the White Company for 20 vehicles rated at 3/4 ton capacity.  They cost $2,060 each and had to be equipped with either pneumatic or cushion tires, depending on what the Post Office decided.  The Post Office also ordered 21 Wagenhals Motor Car Company three-wheeled vehicles that had 800 pounds capacity.  Powered by a 20 hp water-cooled four-cylinder engine, they cost $625 each (visually similar to the less expensive electric version below).  Located in Detroit, the Wagenhals Motor Car Company would reorganize just a month later as simply the Wagenhals Motor Company.  Both the Whites and the Wagenhals had to be delivered to Cleveland, Ohio within sixty days.

A year later the Post Office was advertising for bids for spare parts for these vehicles, which included: "Transmission and cup grease, horn bulbs, cylinder and heavy oil, blow out and tube patches, pressure gauges, cushion and pneumatic tires, inner tubes, tire tape, valve parts and tools, vulcanizing rubber, etc."
The winner of the bid had to supply each individual post office named in the contract, and the parts just couldn't be dumped in front—the bid proposal stipulated that "All the supplies must be delivered at and within the doors of the post offices."
The bid proposal noted that the Whites and Wagenhals had been dispersed as follows:

Atlanta, Ga., 2 Whites; Baltimore, 3 Whites; Brooklyn, 3 Whites, Buffalo, 2 Whites; Columbia, S. C, 1 Wagenhals; Columbus, O., 2 Wagenhals; Detroit, 2 Wagenhals; Louisville, 2 Whites; Memphis, 3 Wagenhals; Minneapolis, 4 Whites; Nashville, 3 Wagenhals; Norfolk, Va., 2 Wagenhals; Philadelphia, 6 Whites, Richmond, Va., 2 Wagenhals.

Two possibilitiesThe headlamps are, being actual brass lanterns, probably on a bench getting cleaned and filled (or re-carboned). No reason to rattle around with them on the truck all day long. Or maybe they just don't drive this truck at night.
[Many if most trucks of the era didn't have headlights. The brass fixture illustrated below is an acetylene gas lamp. - Dave]
Believe it or notIn the early years of the auto business the lights were optional.  I suppose driving after dark was pretty dicey even with the improved illumination provided by acetylene.  For a business that normally operated during daylight hours I imagine that the expense and hassle of the lights was not worthwhile.
Speedy Delivery


Washington Post, March 2, 1913.

Five Kissel cars, bought by the government for parcel post in the city of Washington, D.C., have been placed in service after a thorough inspection by Postmaster General Hitchcock and Postmaster Merritt, of Washington. They are 30-horsepower wagons of 1,500 pounds carrying capacity, and are painted a brilliant red. On its initial run one of the cars made 152 stops between 8:30 a.m. and 12 noon.

Brilliant red was not what I was picturing for this vehicle when first looking at the photo. I had thought a more institutional green or dark blue, but with enough squinting I can begin to imagine red, perhaps a color chosen to express speed and priority.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)

Götterdämmerung: 1942
... 1930's my father was the engineer who was in charge of the Brooklyn Bridge. He told me that the bridge was paved with wooden blocks set on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2015 - 12:51pm -

December 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Repair and overhauling in the Chicago & North Western Railroad locomotive shops." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Franklin BoosterLooking in the lower left corner of the photo, the item on the cart is a Franklin Booster.  These were mounted usually on the rear truck of larger steam engines and provided extra tractive effort at lower speeds.  The SP 4449 has one.
Flooring:  bricks or wood blocks?The flooring may be wood blocks set on end, rather than bricks or stone blocks.  I've seen this in another roundhouse, the reasons for using wood were (a) absorb oil, rather than providing a very slippery surface for oil spills, (b) less chance of damaging a part if it were dropped.
GötterdämmerungI see what you did there... :)
Twilight of the GodsWhen exactly does the fat lady sing?
Wood blocksDuring the late 1920's and early 1930's my father was the engineer who was in charge of the Brooklyn Bridge. He told me that the bridge was paved with wooden blocks set on end very much like the railroad shop in the picture. . When the blocks became worn they were picked up and turned over. Relatively light weight, non-slippery and durable.
Wrong TitleAlas, Götterdämmerung is an ending.  A better title might be: "Nacht und Nebel" or Night and Fog.
[Twilight of the Gods = the fast-approaching final days of the huge steam locomotives which up to this point  had ruled the rails unchallenged. -tterrace]
Various AppliancesA poster below already pointed out the booster engine on the closest track.  Good call; I had no idea what it was.  The cylinders on the floor to the right of the booster are interesting.  I want to say that they're compressed air reservoirs, but they appear to be way too long, so I have no idea.
Lead and trailing trucks are being worked on tracks 2 and 3.  There's a 2-wheel pony (leading) truck on track two that is flipped over.  To the right of that is a 4-wheel trailing truck off a 2-8-4.  The trailing truck on track 3 that the guy is welding inside is off an H Class 4-8-4, pictured many times on Shorpy.  Neither locomotive is in the picture.  Perhaps if we turned the other way?  The picture looking the other direction is on here someplace.
Great Delano exhibit in Chicago going on nowJust visited the Jack Delano "Railroaders" exhibit at the Chicago History Museum.  The exhibit focuses on the people who insured that America's WWII railroad supply lines ran efficiently and at full capacity.  Great photos (black and white AND COLOR!) of dozens of railroaders, from top management down to the gofers.  Terrific insights into the dispatching and maintenance of the trains and great stories of the folks and families who depended on railroading as a livelihood.  Lots of train photos, too.  If you are a fan of Jack Delano's art or a fan of mid-20th century railroading, don't miss this exhibit. It runs through the end of January 2016.
(The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Roofscape: 1900
... St.is roughly where Police Plaza is today, north of the Brooklyn Bridge. Love this site! Thanks for posting Dave! Awnings Love ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 7:22pm -

Manhattan circa 1900. "New York's business district from Woodbridge Building." Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Just to the right of this view.
Park Rowfrom the rear.  Great perspective. The Park Row Building (once the world's tallest) on the extreme left is still there. Also the building next to the domed building (Pulitzer) in the distance. The short building on the right (Galvanotype Engraving)18 Rose St.is roughly where Police Plaza is today, north of the Brooklyn Bridge.  Love this site!  Thanks for posting Dave!
AwningsLove the awnings on the "high-rise" building just to the left of the domed building on the right side of the photo.  How easily we forget that people once actually lived, worked, and played in a world without refrigerated, dehumidified air, and had to rely on things like shade and a gentle breeze to keep themselves cool.
StitchedI stitched the two photos together. Click to enlarge.
[Most impressive. Thank you! - Dave]

Advanced TechnologyTo me it they look like solar panels but I know that can't be the case. What are the two objects on the roof in this picture?
[They look like collection panels for a solar water heater, a technology that had been around for a decade when this photo was made. - Dave]
[Update 12-5-2010: They're blueprint copiers! - Dave]
Aargh!Those terrifying ladders up the side of the tall building in the center of the picture.
StatuaryI just checked out a picture of the Park Row Building today, and those four statues surrounding the cupola appear to be gone - anyone have any info on what they were or why they were removed?
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)

New York: 1908
... The building hiding the front of the clock towe is Brooklyn Life Insurance, 15 stories. Heading south the next big building might ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 12:38pm -

Manhattan, looking northeast from atop the Singer Building in 1908. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
Penthouse!That is a nice penthouse (I presume) with the courtyard there near the center.
[That's the Park Row tower, tallest building in New York until the Singer was completed. - Dave]
NYC 1908At first I thought the white specks were birds. (Duh). The penthouse is amazing. Were the two domed structures on the left part of the penthouse?  And "Temple Court" there on the right is interesting. It would be fun to explore a huge blow up of this shot.
NYC BuildingsOkay here we go, looking north on Broadway. The spire at the bottom left is St. Paul's Chapel 1764-66, spire added 1796, oldest surviving church in Manhattan. The building next to it with inner courtyard is Astor House 1834-36, demolished 1926 for the Transportation Building (1927, York and Sawyer, 44 floors). Skip two to the one with the flagpole, the Mechanics Society building of 1870, seven stories. The top floors were the office studio of Irving Underhill, who took this picture.
[Note from Dave: This is not an Underhill photo. George Grantham Bain took the picture.]
Between the Society & the Astor House these buildings were demolished for the Woolworth tower of 1913 (Cass Gilbert, 792 feet, 57 floors). The peak-roofed building behind the flag was William Sloane Carpets and a patent office, 245 Broadway. The next big structure north is the Postal Telegraph and Home Life Insurance building, 1892-94.
The next building north, barely visible, is the National Shoe and Leather Bank, which is in the Postcard Views of Old New York Web site. Continuing north, partially obscured by steam, is the Broadway Chambers building (1899-1900, Cass Gilbert, 18 stories). Heading east across Broadway at the top of the photo underneath the letters E. FROM SINGER BUIL is the Clock Tower (New York Life Insurance, 1894-98, Stephen Decatur Hatch / McKim, Mead & White).
The building hiding the front of the clock towe is Brooklyn Life Insurance, 15 stories. Heading south the next big building might be Queen Insurance. South of that is A.T. Stewart's Marble Palace of 1846 (Joseph Trench & John B. Snook). The two behind the palace were demolished to make way for the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank (1908-1912, Raymond F. Almirall).
Gotta go, I'll finish Part 2 later and will provide book credits and favorite Web references.
(The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC)

Street Pusher: 1943
... Yorkville in Upper Manhattan and Scandinavian Bay Ridge in Brooklyn. Starting in the 1960's what remained of Little Italy got squeezed by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2013 - 6:24pm -

January 1943. "New York. Ice man on Mulberry Street." Photo by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size.
St. Patrick's Old CathedralThis is the Mulberry Street facade. There's an entrance on Mott Street, too.
Most of the changes aren't visibleVery little has changed in this view in the ensuing 70 years.  The church's exterior has been cleaned up very nicely, the fence is slightly different, trees in the cemetery mostly block the view of the buildings on Mott Street, but that's about it.  
The neighborhood, however, has changed a great deal.  In 1943 it was solidly within the still-thriving Little Italy neighborhood.  Most of the nearby residents were of Italian descent and the area businesses were not unlike what you'd find in Rome or Naples.  More Italian than English would be heard on the streets.  
In the postwar years, however, Little Italy declined precipitously as its older residents died off, the younger ones moved to the suburbs, and few new immigrants arrived to replace them.  It was a decline mirrored in most other European-ethnic neighborhoods around the city, such as German Yorkville in Upper Manhattan and Scandinavian Bay Ridge in Brooklyn.  Starting in the 1960's what remained of Little Italy got squeezed by Chinatown's constant expansion.  
By the 1980's, Little Italy had mostly retreated to its present state, just a block of (mostly bad) restaurants and tchotchke shops on Mulberry Street a few blocks south of Old St. Patrick's. It barely qualifies as a residential neighborhood at all.  The area around the church has been re-branded as "Nolita," short for North of Little Italy, though it's also sometimes considered to be an eastern extension of Soho.  While it's a prosperous area, it no longer has any particular ethnic character.
Similar view recentlyNo ice man needed.  This is July 2011.  Old St. Patrick's looks a little better cared for now.
Skim JobUnbelievably, it looks like at some point the cathedral got a skim coat covering that beautiful stonework, but since restored.
GrandPaMy grandfather (Dad's Dad) was also an "iceman". My father was born in 1919 in the Hell's Kitchen area of NYC, on 39th Street and 11th Avenue to be exact.
My grandfather plied his trade in that area. As a small child, I remember how small and wiry (but also extremely muscular and strong) he was. That area of NYC had a lot of apartment buildings, and grandpa would climb many stairs (most of those buildings did NOT have elevators at that time) to bring ice up to customers.
Hard, backbreaking work!
Really makes you appreciate your ancestors....
Price Of IceThat 50 lb. block of ice, which possibly had to be walked up  five    flights of stairs and put into the ice box probably sold for a quarter. 
The GodfatherBaptism interior scenes were shot in Old St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Ice ManMy father's lawyer put himself through law school working as an ice man with his father, plying the streets of Little Italy and Greenwich Village. He stood about 5"5' but was built like a fireplug.
And to think!This image (tho 6 years later) could absolutely be the inspiration for Dr Seuss's very first children's book, "And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street!". 
It was the only Dr Seuss book extant when I was little, the rest came along just after my optimal age for him.  But, OMG!!! did I LOVE that book!
Edit:  The Mulberry Street that Dr Seuss based his story on was in his home town of Springfield, Mass., I just learned.  Oh, well. 
(The Gallery, Marjory Collins, NYC)

American Ice: 1906
New York circa 1906. "Union League Club, Brooklyn." Our title comes from the delivery wagon on the right. Also note the ... My great grandfather was on the board of this club in Brooklyn; they presented the family with a rather elaborate testimony in a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/05/2017 - 2:23pm -

New York circa 1906. "Union League Club, Brooklyn." Our title comes from the delivery wagon on the right. Also note the Ford dealership with the illuminated AUTOMOBILES sign on the roof. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
A survivor, but not the Ford dealer.
"Let me check with my manager about that undercoating."Here's what would have been sitting on the Ford dealership showroom floor next door -- Henry Ford's 1906 Model N.  Luxurious touring indeed.
Faces in stoneWonder who those guys are immortalized in sculpture over the arches?
Guy on the left looks like Andrew Carnegie, on the right maybe U.S. Grant.
[Abraham Lincoln left, U.S. Grant right. More here. -tterrace]
From Bicycles To AutomobilesA very detailed description of the buildings and members is at (building description pages 863-4 and members 865-888):
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951p01018522v;view=1up;seq=...
Grant Square became somewhat of an automobile dealers “colony” as described in the upper left of the below page 211 of Automobile Topics for April 29, 1905:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433089968139;view=1up;seq=2...
The Union League Automobile Company was the name of the dealership adjacent to the Union League Club, occupying the former Kings County Wheelmen’s Club.  Their story and the transformation from bicycles to automobiles is below:
http://www.brownstoner.com/history/past-and-present-the-great-kings-coun...
This building was a lot more fun when it had all the cool stuff happening on the roof. 
Could it be?My great grandfather was on the board of this club in Brooklyn; they presented the family with a rather elaborate testimony in a leather-bound, gold leafed tome with illuminated calligraphy upon his death; could that be him in the window? The timing is right.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC)

Pull Down Tear Up: 1942
... school at the Red Hook housing project community center in Brooklyn, New York. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein, June 1942. View full ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 09/08/2011 - 7:06pm -

Children wash before lunch at the nursery school at the Red Hook housing project community center in Brooklyn, New York. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein, June 1942. View full size.
Paper TowelsPaper towels were invented in 1907 by Scott Paper, apparently in response to students in schools catching colds from shared towels.
This is a very good pictureThis is a very good picture and i think paper towels were invented for the sole purpose of a dispensible one time use towel rather than a shared towel with many ppl with which u had to rewash
...Jonny...
Pull Down Tear UpThe title: are you referring to the paper towels?  I didn't know they had them in 1942.  If not, what is the meaning of your title?
Is it a separate washroom……or did they have shared restrooms?
Washroom photographIn the child care centers where I have worked, both sexes washed before meals in the same bathroom.  This was different from bathroom breaks, where boys went to the boys' room and girls to the girls' room.
re: Pull Down Tear UpIf you look at the large image you will see the words on the paper towel dispenser on the wall.
(The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kids, NYC)

An American Family: 1942
... family in their home in Flatbush." Back in Brooklyn with the boy we saw earlier here . Medium-format nitrate negative ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/08/2013 - 5:26am -

August 1942. "New York. Chinese-American family in their home in Flatbush." Back in Brooklyn with the boy we saw earlier here. Medium-format nitrate negative by Marjory Collins, Office of War Information. View full size.
Ashtrays?My folks had a "rubber tire" ashtray that looked the same as the 2 on the coffee table here.
Tire AshtraysI like the matching rubber tire ashtrays on the coffee table. These were very popular at one time, and are quite collectable today.
OWI messageI'm interested in the message that OWI was trying to convey with these photos. Something along the lines of, "These Asian-looking people are actually wholesome and loyal Americans, just like you! Not all people who look like this are the enemy, like those people we're putting into camps!"
Urns?Would it be a safe bet to say the items on the fireplace mantle are urns containing ancestral ashes?
Questioning the viewAre we seeing, in the mirror, the Photographer looking down into the viewfinder or is it just the reflection of the guy on the far right?
[Among other clues, note the matching fireplace sconce in the reflection. - tterrace]
AshtraysI'll have to say I remember those Tire Ash Trays also, I thought they were a 1970's thing, no idea they went back so far.
Rather than Aunt EdnaI believe the larger urn was to hold potpourri.  The large opening allowed easy tending of the contents and wafting of the aroma.  My mother also kept a large jar on the mantel filled with all kinds of natural ingredients.  Unlike the dry kits I see in stores, Mom's recipe was slightly moist and used fresh flower leaves, spices, and other goodies.  The contents would get to look rather ugly but continued to smell pleasant, I have no idea how.  The lid was removed a few hours a day or a day or two a week to be very subtle.
A great "pomp"The young man sitting on the left of his mother is sporting a great "pomp" hair style. Many young men of today would be jealous of his achievement.
Probably not ashesThe item on the left end of the mantelpiece is an ancient bronze ritual vessel (or a reproduction). It's not likely it was used for ashes. The other items just look decorative.
(The Gallery, Marjory Collins, NYC, WW2)

Sick Bay: 1900
New York circa 1900. "A ward in Brooklyn Navy Yard hospital." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 3:12pm -

New York circa 1900. "A ward in Brooklyn Navy Yard hospital." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
UrinalLove the customized "bottle" under the first bed on the right.
FixturesI love the combination gas / electric overhead lighting . Electricity was so new that the complete changeover to electric light was probably a few years to come.  
Could be partly unreliable also .
The Hospital nowThis blog has a wonderful tour of the Navy Yard Hospital's current state of decay.
I was born there!I was born in the Navy Yard Hospital 46 years after this picture was taken.  My parents, both from New York, met in DC during the war.  Since they were both Marines, my birth was their last medical benefit after their discharges.
I still occasionally drive past the Navy Yard on the BQE, and point out to anyone who's willing to listen to me (often for the 400th time) that I was born there.  The windows are all boarded up, but it seems in better shape than many of the other magnificant ruins there.  It's an absolute crime that the Navy Yard buildings have been allowed to decay to a point where they're beyond savimg now.
That bottleWas known as a "duck." Later Navy models were stainless steel.
(The Gallery, DPC, Medicine, NYC)

NYPL: 1908
... on this building. He emigrated from Paris and settled in Brooklyn. Patience and Fortitude South lion and north lion, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:37pm -

The New York Public Library under construction circa 1908, some six years after groundbreaking and three years before it finally opened. View full size.
I Can See for MilesWhat on earth is that man doing on the roof?
HorselessThis is probably the most striking image I've ever seen to illustrate how quickly the automobile took over American roads. Compare this with the 1915 photo or even the 1913 photo taken out front. Startling!

That signIs there anyway to zoom in and see what the sign says that man is carrying down the sidewalk?
[It says "KODAKS -- PHOTO SUPPLIES / Developing & Printing / Picture Framing" etc. etc. - Dave]
SpeechlessThanks for this amazing photo.  I've been going to this library on a regular basis since I moved to Manhattan in 1967.  Some of the best hours of my life were spent there.  What a treat to see it when it was brand spankin' new.
LionlessIt looks odd without the lions at the front entrance. I've spent many a lunch hour sitting on those steps watching the world go by.
Thanks Leon!My great-great grandfather Leon Mathiez, a stonecutter, worked on this building. He emigrated from Paris and settled in Brooklyn.
Patience and FortitudeSouth lion and north lion, respectively.
The Little WomanThe shape of the fire hydrant mimics the fashion of the day -- hat, long dress, high collar.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)

Cruisin' 1968
... the one in the picture. Me and that bike went all over Brooklyn and out over the Marine Park Bridge (now the Gil Hodges Bridge) to ... 
 
Posted by bhappel - 09/13/2011 - 1:38pm -

Indianapolis, 1968. My brother Dan on his Schwinn along with sister Beth on her trike, in the alley next to our house.  Our cousin David is back by the fence.  We were all dressed up for our youngest brother's Baptism. View full size.
Me TooI also had a Schwinn bike.  Mine was green and I seem to remember it being much heavier than the one in the picture.  Me and that bike went all over Brooklyn and out over the Marine Park Bridge (now the Gil Hodges Bridge) to Riis Park back in the '60's.
Thanks for helping me to remember!
Memories of the mid-1960sThis picture really takes me back to the mid-60s when my brother and sister and I would be ready for church, but still have some time to kill before my parents were ready to leave. We'd ride our bikes in the street in front of our house, play catch (either baseball or football) or play tag.
The CousinGrowing up I was fortunate to have many cousins in the neighborhood. Two of my mothers three sisters and my father's two brothers and his sister lived within walking distance. I grew up with eight cousins (there were two more in Boston) and that extended family supported each other (and grandparents)  through the hard times of the 30s, the war and old age. The next two generations were not nearly as close and now live across the breadth of this country as well as Europe and Asia.
Love the kickstandIt looks like he's actually riding the bike, until you zoom in on the larger version where you can see the kickstand holding him up.  Funny!  I love little details like that in these older photos.
I'm confused...Did you and your brother & sister have the same Dad?  The previous picture shows your father on a tricycle in 1963, looking younger than your sister did in 1968.
[You'd be less confused if you looked at the "Submitted by" tag above each photo. - Dave]
Trusting ParentsI was 8 years old in 68, so I too know what it is to dress up in "nice clothes" to go someplace important. I my case Disneyland was an every-other-month event. Mom always got me ready first, and rather than turn me loose to play, made me sit on a couch for the half an hour it took her and Dad to get ready. 
The worst part was that the TV was in the den (just one set in the house, thank you) and I was always made to sit on the Ethan Allen sofa in the living room, clad in stiff plastic slipcovers where she could keep an eye on me.
Time never dragged so slow as waiting on that dull, hot, uncomfortable sofa, and there would be words if I squirmed so much she had to tuck in my shirt a second time.
The kid in the backgroundI remember childhood from the perspective of the kid in the background. Involved, but not quite, if you know what I mean. The last kid to be picked for kickball, waiting hands in pockets.
Re: Kid in the backgroundI can't fully speak for my cousin David, but I expect that his expression and mood stem from: having to dress up in "good" clothes / going to church not on a Sunday / going to Aunt & Uncle's house where he has to behave and can't get to his toys / not getting attention from our Aunt Lee who was photographing my family more than he and his siblings (my profile photo is also from this same day).
And farther in the background, my father can be seen in the front yard setting his 35mm camera, likely getting a picture of Jim's godparents.  Jim's godfather?  Why, it's cousin Steve, seen here on Shorpy some 20 years earlier!
Pink and WhiteMy Schwinn bike came to me on a cold snowy Christmas morning in 1960 or 1961 in Colorado. Pink and white with streamers coming out of the handlebars. There was a push button horn in the middle framework of this "lady's bike". My beloved father shoveled the snow outside our house to the corner so I could ride it up and down that short distance. I was 6 and I remember it as if it were yesterday.  
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kids)

Top 20 Images of 2007
... No. 3: Weeki Wachee Mermaid, 1947 (85,500 reads) No. 4: Brooklyn Pin Boys, 1910 (84,700 reads) No. 5: Inter-City Beauties, 1927 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/01/2008 - 8:09pm -

Welcome to the first annual Shorpy Top 20 New Year's Eve Image Countdown, where we recap the year's most popular posts based on number of reads. You can keep track as the evening progresses on the grid below. (We'll get to the Top 10 starting around 11 p.m. Eastern Time.) And the No. 1 post of 2007, with 104,800 reads: A screen grab of  . . .  The Beaver Letter! Whew. Well that was fun but exhausting. Thanks to everyone for making this a super first year for Shorpy!

The ranking grid and read numbers reflect picture standings as of 4 p.m. Eastern time on December 31, 2007. View counts rounded to the nearest whatever.
No. 1: The Beaver Letter, 1958 (104,800 reads)
No. 2: Pie Town Dugout, 1940 (89,800 reads)
No. 3: Weeki Wachee Mermaid, 1947 (85,500 reads)
No. 4: Brooklyn Pin Boys, 1910 (84,700 reads)
No. 5: Inter-City Beauties, 1927 (73,200 reads)
No. 6: Pageant of Pulchritude II, 1928 (37,300 reads)
No. 7: Beach Policeman, 1922 (37,100 reads)
No. 8: Mr. 535-07-5248 and Wife, 1939 (36,800 reads)
No. 9: Custer Car, 1924 (24,700 reads)
No. 10: Carina Nebula (20,935 reads)
No. 11: Chicago & North Western Locomotive Shops, 1942 (20,750 reads)
No. 12: 1951 Oldsmobile Final Assembly (18,290 reads)
No. 13: Flying Fortress, 1942 (18,270 reads)
No. 14: Pageant of Pulchritude, 1928 (18,200 reads)
No. 15: The Virtual Buick, 1953 (17,300 reads)
No. 16: Carnival Ride From Hell, 1911 (16,600 reads)
No. 17: Hi-Fi Boombox, 1954 (15,000 reads)
No. 18: Bathing Girl Parade, 1920 (14,900 reads)
No. 19: Migrant Mother, 1936 (14,800 reads)
No. 20: Manhattan skyline in 1901 (14,500 reads)
The Countdown...What a great idea!  This is a good way to give the most popular images another viewing, and the grid format with the numbers makes a nice display.
As I write this, we're only at number 19 but the number for views is amazing -- nearly 15,000!  It will be interesting to see all twenty, and see if we can generalize about what kind of photographs tend to get the most views here.  
Happy New Year, one and all!
[Thanks! I'm so excited my party hat keeps falling into the champagne fountain! - Dave]
PIE TOWN!  PIE TOWN! PIE TOWN!I myself wonder why some of these were so popular. Give me a good old Pie Town picture any day. I hope there is a picture from Pie Town in the top 20. Is there Dave? Huh? Is there?
[Mayyybe. Maybe not. Only one way to find out! - Dave]
Top 20Great Idea, I wonder if a "Beaver" shows up or an out of this world photo?
[The envelopes are sealed. No holding them up to the light! - Dave]
Lovin' the countdownNow I'm kinda sorry I'm going out tonight!  I'll check back to see how it all turns out as soon as I come home.  Happy New Year, Dave, and thanks for all the great Shorpiness!
[Thanks Mattie! Too bad we can't be Tivo'd. - Dave]
Pie Town at No. 2Not bad, not bad at all. There's just something about a place called Pie Town.
[Yep, I was very happy to see that. Although it's a little sad that Shorpy himself couldn't be No. 1 (or even have a spot in the Top 20 ... although if you count his three photos as one, he got close to 20,000 views). - Dave]
The Beaver Letter!Okay, now I can go out for the evening!  This was a blast - hope you'll do it again next year!
[Yes, well. Thanks. Hope we're here next year! Which is actually this year. Happy 2008, everyone. - Dave]
Wonderful...Such a fine collection for Shorpy's first annual Top Twenty photos.
Thank you Dave, for all that you do.
Happy New Year everyone, may we all be be blessed with health, happiness, and prosperity in 2008.
(ShorpyBlog, New Year)

I Feel Fine: 1944
June 1944. "Brooklyn, New York. Home nursing class held at the community house of the ... Nolan, played by Dorothy McGuire, in 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'. The time's about right, and the location is spot-on ... but just ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/22/2014 - 7:38am -

June 1944. "Brooklyn, New York. Home nursing class held at the community house of the Church of the Good Shepherd." Also: The "Basic Seven" food groups. Photo by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Hats and VeilsMade her sick.
The ladies of the Bad Hat BrigadeShown performing their annual re-enactment of the death of Little Nell.
Hats!One would think that a hat is an important part of caring for a sick child........ The one with the veil must be especially powerful. This picture is about ten years before my childhood. Women were still wearing hats in the 1950s but for fewer occasions. The nurses still looked like this one though.
Coincidence?This girl bears a striking resemblance to Katie Nolan, played by Dorothy McGuire, in 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'. The time's about right, and the location is spot-on ... but just coincidence, surely.
[You sure you don't mean Peggy Ann Garner as Francie? -tterrace]
Maybe I need a spell in the Community House ... Thanks for the correction, tterrace ... that is precisely what I meant to write ... too engrossed in memories of that film. Peggy Ann, indeed.
Shall we play doctor?She seems to be enjoying all the attention. That was a time when little girls did not mind the company of elderly people. Don't you think being old wasn't such a nuisance back then? Grandmas looked like grandmas, not like their granddaughters!
(The Gallery, Howard Hollem, Kids, Medicine, NYC)

Brighton Beach Bonbons: 1952
... 10, 1952. "Barton's Bonbonniere, Brighton Beach Avenue, Brooklyn." Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/26/2016 - 2:53pm -

March 10, 1952. "Barton's Bonbonniere, Brighton Beach Avenue, Brooklyn." Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
Been there!My grandparents lived in Brighton Beach (I was born in 1952), and visited this Barton's Candy Shop many times. There was also Loft's Candy Shop and Barracini Candies. What a wonderful treat, and a wonderful time!
Probably this place w/ the green awningYou can faintly make out the '50' on the door to the right so this must be the location.  That cement step to the bottom left in the old photo is part of the elevated line staircase to the Brighton station of the BMT B & Q lines of today. You can see the staircase in the left center in this streetview from Sept 2013. Today Brighton Beach is the Russian enclave of New York City as evident from the signage.

1952Purim was on March 11 that year, and the first day of Passover was April 10.  The Jewish calendar operates with lunar months but keeps more or less in sync with the solar year (to keep the festivals in the proper seasons) by adding a "leap month" seven times every 19 years.
It's got everything!In those three stores, one could do all their Valentine's Day shopping in just a few minutes: Flowers, chocolate bon-bons, and a fresh basketball.
First, the candy.  Then, the exercise.Next door to the candy shop, there's a sporting goods store, with the weights you'll need to work off the calories from all those empty carbs.
Wow!I do remember some candy stores having those huge boxes of chocolates...but this is over the top!  I'd love to see this in color.  
Colorizers, take noteBarton's transformed its image that year into a riot of color, as this fascinating article on an art website explains (and demonstrates in living color).
(The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC, Stores & Markets)

Bustling Lakeport: 1907
... Road? OK, I give up as an old trolley rider out of the Brooklyn of my youth. I have often wanted to ask: What happens to trolley rails ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/23/2013 - 9:26am -

Circa 1907. "Lakeport, New Hampshire -- Union Avenue." Among the enterprises vying for your trade: All America Shoes, Mount Belknap House, a pool parlor, architect A.F. Crosman, Pickering Restaurant & Quick Lunch (the "hand" sign) and the Lakeport depot. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Still looks pretty quietSome of the buildings still there.
Double paned?In the zoomed image taken from the window below the "All America Shoes" sign, note the reflections of the man (red oval), pole (cyan oval), and sign (green oval). Note also that there are two reflections for the man and the sign (dashed ovals), as well as some other objects from that side of the street. The doubled reflections suggest that there are two panes of glass in that store window, and the distortions suggest that they're neither quite parallel nor quite perfectly flat (no surprise, given their size). My question is, was the use of multiple panes of glass (whether properly "double paned" or not) common back then? Was it for insulation, protection, appearance, or something else? Or is there another plausible explanation for the duplicate reflections in the window? (Bonus inset: the time of the photograph was approximately 3:43.)
[That's not a clock - the hands are painted on in the customary position for such signs, which maximizes the space for company name, slogans, etc. There are many examples here on Shorpy, such as this one. -tterrace]
(My mistake about the clock.  I've removed the inset.)
Window ShoppingLove the big windows of rippled old glass.  My place has some broken windows that we won't replace because we can't find panes big enough.  To get that look today, there's one place in New England that will heat and treat modern glass to give it that wonderful uneven look, but it costs.  Oh, does it cost!
Onerous TrafficWhen, oh when, will they build the freeway?
Can you findwhat it says on the "hand" sign, still one of the best signs made.
[Yes, you can, by reading the caption. -tterrace]
Trolley Rails On A Dirt Road?OK, I give up as an old trolley rider out of the Brooklyn of my youth. I have often wanted to ask: What happens to trolley rails on a dirt road during heavy rains when the road turns to a quagmire of mud? Could the rails be anchored down several feet? What prevents them from swaying in the mud?
Knowing the answers to this mystery is on my bucket list. 
Tracks on a dirt roadTrolley tracks would be laid on a gravel bed to provide the necessary support.  This actually would be true whether the roadway was paved or dirt.
1907 LitterbugIn front of the All-America shoe store there is an empty box or crate that used to contain Fletcher's Castoria.
The ties that bindTracks buried in any kinds of streets usually are just the same as elsewhere.  Sometimes metal tie rods are used for street tracks instead of regular wooden railroad ties.  Using just concrete to hold the rails in place is quite rare.
(The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)

Manhattan Municipal: 1913
... Second Avenue El, where at one time you could transfer to Brooklyn-bound trolleys that trundled over the Brooklyn Bridge (out of view on the right). In the plaza just in front of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/03/2013 - 7:51am -

Circa 1913. "New Municipal Building, New York City." The 40-story Manhattan Municipal Building and associated infrastructure including an elevated rail line and the Manhattan Bridge. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
Still looking good!And a bit more complete, via Bing bird's eye view: http://binged.it/112au5S
Wedding Cake IIAt the top of the tower were the transmitters for the City-run TV and radio stations (now sold) as well as the base for the packet radio network. At least that what was there before I retired ten years ago. You can step out a window/door and walk around a narrow catwalk. Don't have acrophobia though!
No spindly little crane towerThey weren't taking any chances with that crane tower.  Can't quite ferret out how that contraption was supposed to work, but unlike its offspring I doubt if it ever fell over.
Clean linesNotice the clean walkways in the park at the bottom of this picture; not even a fallen leaf to disrupt the casual passerby.
Lucky for meIt was a lucky day for me back in the early 90's when I was taken to the top of The Federal Building, opened the door to the roof and was greeted by this view.  ( Also lucky that I happened to have a camera that day; though I only had four frames of film left to shoot. )
Wedding CakeWonder what offices/suites were located in the 'wedding cake' atop the building.
Deja vu all over againThis is a beautiful structure; I can see why it was chosen as the model for the Terminal Tower (formerly Cleveland Union Terminal) in downtown Cleveland.
I bought a marriage license here 85 years laterLittle did I know how much it would cost me over the long run!!
Wonderful photo - and so much still exists 100 years later!  Out of all the buildings in the foreground, only the small building on the left between the building with the "To Let" sign and the squarish one with the mansard roof, and the plain brown one directly in front of the municipal bldg is gone - the rest are still standing proud.  In the right foreground is the back of City Hall, and to the left is the Tweed Courthouse.  
What is long gone of course is City Hall terminal of the IRT's Second Avenue El, where at one time you could transfer to Brooklyn-bound trolleys that trundled over the Brooklyn Bridge (out of view on the right).
In the plaza just in front of the Municipal building you can see a subway entrance kiosk to the IRT's City Hall station, which opened nine years before this photo was taken in 1904.  The kiosk still exists, although it has been moved about 30 feet and now houses an elevator.  The stairs leading down to the subway are now open to the elements - ah, progress!!
Windsor McKayThis building looks like Windsor McKay dreamed the top of this but someone like Sullivan saw the rest of it to completion.
[It's Winsor McCay. -tterrace]
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, NYC, Railroads)

Stronger Every Day: 1900
New York circa 1900. "A group of patients, Brooklyn Navy Yard hospital." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 1:26pm -

New York circa 1900. "A group of patients, Brooklyn Navy Yard hospital." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
DetailsIt's kind of startling to see a radiator with crisp detailing. Most of us only see the ones with 100 years of built-up and flaking paint.  And check out the interesting shaped bricks in the fireplace - at least four different profiles are visible in addition to the tapered bricks of the flat arch above the fire box.
A little too hi-defTheir "Navy whites" are anything but.
So ...Which one of you rats cut my tie in half?
I've seen him before!Doc looks exactly like the dastardly Snidely Whiplash from the Dudley Do-Right series. He's playing the part so well that he even looks Canadian.
Hey, Doc.Why the long face ?
Only instructionsLook anywhere but the camera.
8The young man on the left wearing the dress blue uniform displays the figure-eight knot just above his neckerchief indicating that he was taken into the Navy as an Apprentice Boy. 
(The Gallery, DPC, Medicine, NYC)

Beaucoup Bridges: 1938
... Bridge -- In use from 1883 to present (more years than the Brooklyn Bridge). 3. Panhandle Bridge -- Carrying rail traffic (now the "T" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/10/2020 - 9:38am -

July 1938. "Looking north. Monongahela River, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Lots of RR history hereThe Wabash bridge was from a pretty-much stillborn attempt to produce a national rival to the PRR and NYC.  
To the right, on the near side of the river, there's the P&LE station, the current "Station Square".  There are train sheds over the tracks from the station.  Lower on the photo is a turntable and some engine terminal facilities.  It looks like there are some gondolas collecting ash from locomotive servicing.   Just above the turntable, I see a gondola with a bunch of containers, probably for "Less than carload" service.  PRR had similar cars.  The tall building that dominates is a warehouse for the P&LE.  There are a number of passenger cars (coaches and baggage cars) in the yard.
The only locomotive is mostly hidden by the Wabash Bridge, probably a switcher for the coach yard.  
On the other side of the river, next to the far end of the Smithfield Street (lenticular truss) bridge is the B&O station and its train sheds.  
There are some steel mills in the far distance on both sides of the river.  The one on the near side has been covered in a bunch of previous Shorpy photos.
I had to think... about Beaucoup Bridges for a moment before I appreciated the title.
Looking EastThe building at center right and its P&LE RR sign on top are both still there.
82 years later --In an era where highway bridges are deemed obsolete and unsafe after 40-50 years, some credit should be given to the engineers who designed these structures.  From foreground back:
1. Wabash Bridge -- Torn down in the 1970s and never replaced.
2. Smithfield Street Bridge -- In use from 1883 to present (more years than the Brooklyn Bridge).
3.  Panhandle Bridge -- Carrying rail traffic (now the "T" light transit) since 1903.
4.  Liberty Bridge -- Vehicle traffic from the south hills of Pittsburgh from 1928 to present.
5.  South 10th Street (Philip Murray) Bridge -- Vehicular traffic from 1931 to present.  The only true cable suspension bridge that still exists in the city where the Roeblings got their start.
6.  Brady Street Bridge -- demolished in the 1970s and replaced by the Birmingham Bridge.
Trains gave way to cars and trucksI tried every road on Google maps I thought would give me the same angle as Mr. Rothstein's photograph; but trees, foliage, and high guard rails block the view he had.

The Circle: 1904
Circa 1904. "The Circle -- Brooklyn, N.Y." Plaza Street West at Berkeley Place, with Grand Army Plaza at ... Also surviving from this image: the twin towers of the Brooklyn Bridge (left), and the twin towers of the Williamsburg Bridge (right). ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/28/2017 - 11:19pm -

Circa 1904. "The Circle -- Brooklyn, N.Y." Plaza Street West at Berkeley Place, with Grand Army Plaza at right. 8x10 inch glass transparency. View full size.
Another survivorThe building at 8th and Berkeley (left side of photo with mansard roof) - it even has some of the iron cresting left, and has seen an addition of more mansard with a pair of dormers to its north.  And as usual, I bet that at least one of those religious institutions remains as well.  Fabulous photo.
[The big house (?) in the middle of the photo is another survivor. - Dave]
Montauk ClubJust about the only building in this view that survives today is the 4-story Montauk Club, smack dab in the middle of this photograph with a massive hip roof and 3 prominently visible chimneys. This Venetian Gothic extravaganza was designed by Francis H. Kimball, the architect of several downtown Manhattan skyscrapers, and built in 1889-1891. It appears to me (from examining Bing Maps) that the four little rowhouses immediately to the right of the Montauk Club are also still standing ... but not much else.
Bridge to More SurvivorsAlso surviving from this image: the twin towers of the Brooklyn Bridge (left), and the twin towers of the Williamsburg Bridge (right). Not visible: the yet-to-be-built twin towers of the Manhattan Bridge.
Grew up around the corner -- 70 years later.Yes, the stately Montauk Club still stands. My sister worked there briefly in the '80s and I spent many hours wandering its halls after hours. The Club shut down about 20 years ago and was, naturally, turned into apartments. 
Alas, the other gorgeous buildings on Plaza Street were long ago razed and replaced with large apartment buildings. The rowhouses next the Montauk Club  still stand, though -- most surprising of all, the space between the two is as empty today as it was then. I always figured there had once been a building there as the far side of MC is just bare brick, but it looks like it has always been just an empty lot!
That some buildings still stand 100+ years later is nothing compared to perennially unused land in one of the most expensive real estate areas in the country!
As the other poster speculated, yes, some of the religious institutions still stand.  The fat steeple on the left is St. Augustine's on 6th Avenue, the ones directly to the right of it are Memorial Presbyterian and Grace United Methodist, catercorner from each other on 7th, though Grace lost its steeple in the interim.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)

Surf Avenue: 1913
... the famous Lundy family who owned the best restaurant in Brooklyn? I ate at Lundy Brothers many times as a boy in the 40's and 50's, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/25/2009 - 10:03am -

July 16, 1913. Surf Avenue on Coney Island, with Feltman's Clam Bake on the left. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection.
Feltman'sLocated on the south side of Surf Avenue, Feltman was best known for his high grade and more expensive hot dogs. His place though was much more than a hot dog stand. It featured the hot dog counter facing Surf Avenue on the east side nearest the camera where root beer, Moxie and other soft drinks were sold along the hot dogs, hamburgers and fries. The counter was a rectangle with serving surfaces on all four faces, three of which were inside the main building. To the west of the building was the clam bar on the other side of the main entrance which led to the bar area located beyond the clam bar and sit down tables. Behind the hot dog counter were sit down tables where you could order meals and beverages from waiters.Behind the bar was the kitchen area that prepared food for the restaurant and also the outdoor Beer Garden which ran from the rear of the building along toward the ocean. The rest rooms were located beyond the sit down tables on the same side as the hot dog counter. The Garden  feature a Bohemian theme with the east wall featuring faux buildings in the theme fashion with windows, doors and red tile roofs and the walls stucco finished a  grayish tan color. Special colored lamps provided lighting and live entertainment and dancing were featured at night.Select vegetation enhanced the atmosphere. There were singing waiters and strolling minstrels. Jimmy Durante and Eddie Cantor worked there when they were young.
Whew!!I look at the date of this picture then look at the clothing everyone is wearing and I start to sweat!  I can't imagine having to dress like that in mid-summer in NY.
JFLundyIs Mr. Lundy a part of the famous Lundy family who owned the best restaurant in Brooklyn?  I ate at Lundy Brothers many times as a boy in the 40's and 50's, and recall the biscuits and shore dinner with gustatory delight.
A centuryI find it totally mind blowing to think of how our world has changed in less than a century, when you take into the consideration how long we have been on this planet and in the context of 100 years, how our world and society has changed.   I sometimes wonder is it for the better?  This picture was taken two weeks before my father's birth. Sure puts things into a different light.
(The Gallery, Coney Island, G.G. Bain, Sports)

Busy River: 1904
New York circa 1904. "Williamsburg Bridge from Brooklyn." The new span over the East River. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit ... combined with its neighbors, the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge, they make an elegant chorus line up the East River. And ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/30/2013 - 12:05pm -

New York circa 1904. "Williamsburg Bridge from Brooklyn." The new span over the East River. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Another NailThe owners of the ferries on both sides seeing the bridge as another nail in the coffin of their business.
GenerationsLet's see, 1904 ... that was about when the great-grandparents of the hipsters now flocking across the bridge into Williamsburg were born.  As for the bridge, it's one of the relatively few long bridges in the country that carries trains (the J, M and Z subway lines) in addition to vehicles.  
Originally it had four traffic lanes, two on each side of the bridge, with six train tracks in the middle.  Sometime before World War II, four of the tracks were converted to traffic lanes, so today there are four traffic lanes in each direction with the two train tracks in the middle.  The two "inner" lanes in each direction, which occupy the former train tracks, are narrow and hemmed in on each side by the bridge's ironwork.  Driving on them is a scary experience, especially when trains blast by just inches away.
It is true, as another comment noted, that the nearby East River ferries weren't long for this world once the bridge opened.  But they weren't gone forever.  In recent years a very popular ferry service has opened, with a couple of stops not far from the bridge.  It can be a faster route to Midtown and Downtown than the subway.
Beaux art bridgesThe Williamsburgh and the Queensborough are my two favorite bridges in New York I have climbed over up and under every bridge in NY at this point for my business. I remember going on a site walk around 1998 where one of the other engineers almost fell through a rotted floor beam. Since then the bridge has basically been rebuilt 80 percent. It is amazing how it was left to deteriorate. It was so bad that they were actually considering tearing it down and building a new one. The towers were actually leaning in due to corrosion, the solution was to reinforce the land facing section of the towers on both sides. When the trains go over this bridge you have to be extremely careful not to be in any pinch points in the girders you could lose an arm or leg due to the flexing. P.S. it always reminded me of an Erector set drawing.
UglyHands down, New York's ugliest bridge. But combined with its neighbors, the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge, they make an elegant chorus line up the East River.
And todayView Larger Map
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)

Ralph DePalma: 1918
... won the Harkness Handicap at Sheepshead Bay Speedway in Brooklyn. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:35pm -

June 1, 1918. The Italian racecar driver Ralph DePalma and mechanic in the Packard that won the Harkness Handicap at Sheepshead Bay Speedway in Brooklyn. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
Life imitating toyLiving in an age of more robust machines and concern for safety, it is hard not to look at this racing car and imagine that you are looking at a child's toy made life-size. Were sportsmen more innocent or more courageous to go nearly 100 mph in such a fragile-looking contraption? Who would do it today?
[Some of these cars went a lot faster than 100 mph. The average speed for the top finishers in this race was 103. - Dave]
Probably not really a Hemingway quote....but this shot reminded me of it. 
"There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.”
Dashing fellowsThey had a different attitude toward risk in those days, letting it all hang out in an open roadster on natural-rubber tires and sitting in front of a large gas tank at speeds approaching 100 mph.
These large-format glass negatives continue to impress me, you can pick out impressive amounts of detail, everything from the spilled top-off oil on the frame, to the retaining screws for the clincher rims, to those fascinating ventilated drum brakes, is crystal clear.
Thanks Dave, now I'll be daydreaming all morning!
One of the legendsDePalma is one of the great legends of Indianapolis, right up there with Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt.
Land Speed RecordDePalma was born in Italy and immigrated to the U.S. before the turn of the century. In 1912 and 1914 he was recognized as the AAA National Champion and in 1929 as the Canadian Champion. As late as 1936 he was still setting records in stock cars. His career victory total of 24 championship race wins still ranks high on the all-time list and came in a combination of road and course, dirt track, board track and oval track competition. He also competed successfully in Europe and helped design the Packard V-12, which he drove to a land speed record of 149.87 mph at Daytona Beach in 1919.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, NYC, Sports)

Americana Hotel: 1962
... under cloches. A must at least one Sunday a year for our Brooklyn family, usually after a major new movie matinee (Ben-Hur!) at the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/21/2013 - 4:57pm -

Oct. 1, 1962. "Americana Hotel, 52nd Street and Seventh Avenue, New York City. Entrance section from left. Loew's Hotels, client. Morris Lapidus, Harle & Liebman, architects." We saw the coffee shop a few weeks ago. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
It's now the SheratonAnd seems to have been retro-fied.
A Sunday outAnd across the street, the great House of Chan, one of the wondrous  luxe Cantonese restaurants in the city--all thick carpets, moon gates, mahogany, soft lighting and softer table cloths, and classic dishes under cloches. A must at least  one Sunday a year for our Brooklyn family, usually after a major new movie matinee (Ben-Hur!) at the Criterion Theater.
First Visit to New YorkMy family and I stayed at the Americana on my first visit to New York -- Spring Break (from First Grade) 1965.  The purpose of the trip was to go to the 1964-1965 World's Fair.  The thing that impressed me most was that the bathroom in our room had a telephone next to the toilet.
Destruction of the center of JazzThis is one of the buildings that destroyed the world center of jazz, the many clubs that lined 52nd street. "The Street" is now mostly sterile loading docks for buildings like this.
If NYC had not allowed this to happen, "The Street" would be a major tourist destination. What a sad story.
Bad Sheraton, BAD!The changes to the original fascia amount to vandalism. My God, what were they thinking?
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)

Night and Fog: 1941
... I've never visited and my father's family had moved to Brooklyn by 1941 but I'd like to think he might have known scenes like this as ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/11/2018 - 10:46am -

January 1941. "New Bedford, Massachusetts. Street at night during a fog." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Have a nice trip?Those sidewalks must've been tough to navigate. The street seems safer. See ya next fall.
Time MachineIt's probably a good thing that time travel doesn't exist. I'd surely go broke paying to take a walk up and down streets like this and others found on Shorpy.
That SidewalkIs an insurance claim waiting to happen.
Tricky TitleAside from Wagner, Nacht und Nebel (Night and Fog) was a directive issued by Adolf Hitler on 7 December 1941 targeting political activists and resistance "helpers" in World War II to be imprisoned or killed, while the family and the population remained uncertain as to the fate or whereabouts of the Nazi state's alleged offender. Victims who disappeared in these "Night and Fog" actions were never heard from again.
[Best known as the title of Alan Resnais's immortal 1956 documentary. - Dave]
Nights like theseAre the kind that make you glad you're home by the fire.
Delano, on his game. Leaves you with the impression that the world existed in black and white.
Remarkable photographNew Bedford was where my grandfather ended up after arriving here from the Azores as a stowaway circa 1912. It's where my father was born. I've never visited and my father's family had moved to Brooklyn by 1941 but I'd like to think he might have known scenes like this as a kid. 
Hotel NoirWe'll leave a light on for you!
Almost nothing remainsI located the Diana Lodge (198 Middle St.) on the left and the Clarendon House (197 Middle St.) in the 1939 city directory for New Bedford. It appears that the only remaining structure in the photo is the house that was once the Clarendon.
https://goo.gl/maps/GnacaQQD6Mr
(The Gallery, Jack Delano)

Penn Station 1.0
... a poppy. There is also one in the sculpture garden at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Dust to Dust Reminds me of a c1964 New Yorker ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/26/2016 - 11:50am -

"Thirty-Second Street entrance, Pennsylvania Station, New York." The original Penn Station in the final stages of construction, circa 1910. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Darn itWe just missed the train to Chattanooga by a whisker!
Topless LadyToday she graces the Eagle Scout Memorial Fountain in Kansas City
Birds of a FeatherThose handsome eagles atop the portico were sculpted by Adolph A. Weinman. They were salvaged when Pennsylvania Station was demolished in the 1960s, and at least a few survive in various locations. The same eagle is seen in profile on the half dollars of 1916-47. Incidentally, the U.S. Mint is issuing a gold edition of the half dollar this year to mark its centennial.
Her Name is NightSculpted by Adolph Weinman, there were several of these. The topless one is named Night, and she holds a poppy. There is also one in the sculpture garden at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Dust to DustReminds me of a c1964 New Yorker cartoon showing a loaded dump truck pulling into a New Jersey landfill with its driver asking, "Where do you want Penn Station?"  
Cover you eyes, VelmaOne of those ladies leaning on the clock is topless. Kinda jumps right out at you.
Stations and Coinsare two of my favorite things. The railroads, which were the prime source of long distance travel before the airplane, built huge edifices to honor themselves and called them stations.  They were adorned with beautiful elements, like statues and full reliefs.
Adolph A. Weinman (who also was the designer of the "Mercury" dime and Walking Liberty half dollar) also designed the relief above the Penn Station entrance....hence the connection between the two.
Weinman used a model named Elsie Kachel Stevens for the dime and half dollar.  The two coins are considered some of the most beautiful coins of the 20th Century.
His work lives on.  In many forms. 
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads)

Vs. Them: 1919
... died of bronchial pneumonia today at the naval hospital in Brooklyn. Legendre was 34 and an officer in the dental corps of the Navy, in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 1:52pm -

"Bob Le Grende [Legendre], Georgetown, 1919. The track and field star may be one of America's representatives at the Olympic Games at Antwerp next summer. He recently won the pentathlon title at the inter-allied meet in Pershing Stadium, Paris." As it turns out, his life was tragically cut short by illness. View full size.
Bob LegendreI think the caption here is wrong. Bob Legendre (or LeGendre) is the correct name I think. He won a bronze at the 1924 Paris games in pentathlon and later joined the Navy. He died of pneumonia in 1931 in his 30s.
[No doubt the same person. Although National Photo, the LOC caption and at least some newspapers spelled it Le Grende (below). - Dave]

Bob Legendre Dies at 34BOB LEGENDRE, NOTED ATHLETE, IS DEAD
NEW YORK, Jan. 21, 1931 — Robert Legendre, former Georgetown athlete and lieutenant in the United States Navy, died of bronchial pneumonia today at the naval hospital in Brooklyn. Legendre was 34 and an officer in the dental corps of the Navy, in which he had served for two years and a half. He died at 11:10 a.m. (E.S.T.), three days after be was brought to the naval hospital ill. The body will be sent to his home in Lewiston, Maine, for interment.
Legendre, famous as a remarkable competitor, was thrice American pentathlon champion and placed third in the Olympic pentathlon at Paris in 1924.
John Kieran in the NY Times:
MISSING IN RANKS.
The recent death of Bob Legendre came as a great shock to those who remembered him only eight or nine years ago, the stalwart Georgetown athlete who was crowned all-around national champion. He had a sunny disposition and a magnificent physique. Dr. R. Tait McKenzie, the noted sculptor, who is also head of the Department of Physical Education at the University of Pennsylvania, took Legendre as a model for some of his athletic figures. Almost anyone would have prophesied long life for such a sturdy figure, but it didn't turn out that way.
TitleBrilliant title.  My compliments.
Time Marches OnLove the lack of definition in those thighs.  As a runner in these modern, muscle-isolating times, I often wish I could go back to early races and place way higher than I do now.  Realistically, though, I'd probably have to go back to Ancient times to get any advantage.
Bob LeGendreIt's so nice to read the positive comments about my grandfather. My mother, Jeanne Collette LeGendre, was his only child and if she were around today, she would be so happy to see these photos/articles about him.  Wish I had been able to meet him but he died too young (1898-1931).  Mom was only 8 years old when he died and never got over losing him.
I am one of 8 children -- Bob was the last of 13 children, all born in Lewiston, Maine.
Chariots of FireI wish they would have had him as one of the characters in one of my absolute favorite modern films, "Chariots of Fire." The film was about the British track and field team for the 1924 Paris Summer Olympics.  Two of the stars of the American team, Charles Paddock and Jackson Scholz, were portrayed in the film, (most notably the latter, who was portrayed by the late Brad Davis). Bob Legendre would certainly have known them!
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)

Over the River: 1905
... shipping moved to Port Elizabeth and Port Newark. Brooklyn & Manhattan shipping is gone as well due to lack of rail access. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/23/2017 - 1:27pm -

Hoboken, New Jersey, circa 1905. "Holland America Piers with view of Manhattan across Hudson River." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size.
More on the ArlingtonOne of three identical propeller driven double-deck ferries, the Arlington was the first launched on November 21, 1903 at the Burlee Dry Dock Co., Port Richmond, Staten Island, NY. The other two boats were the Tuxedo, and the Goshen. Each was built by a different shipyard. They were 224 feet long, 64 feet wide, and drew 16.4 feet of water. Powered by two 1200 HP compound engines with steam supplied by two Scotch boilers at 150 PSI.
The Arlington was the first launched and the last in service closing out Erie Railroad ferry operations on December 12, 1958.
Was at 5th Street.The Hoboken Holland America facility operated from 1882-1963, and  was a backdrop for much of the filming of the classic On the Waterfront. Nowadays, all of the Hoboken waterfront is park land with commercial shipping moved to Port Elizabeth and Port Newark. Brooklyn & Manhattan shipping is gone as well due to lack of rail access. Yes, you read that location correctly, Frank Sinatra Drive, named for the famous resident.

Midtown from HobokenTaken in 2010 from Frank Sinatra Drive.  (With apologies to TimeAndAgainPhoto for the imprecision.)
Cunard has a ship inI don't remember if we arrived at pier 51 or 52 when immigrated here, coming over on the Queen Elizabeth in, as my mother called it, steerage, more politely called tourist class.  
Because the Cunard ship has three tall masts, it is probably either the Umbria or the Etruria, the last Cunard liners with auxiliary sails, built in 1884 and scrapped in 1910.
Over the TopShorpy has done it again. This photo has it all from laundry hung out to dry, men in rowboats, the Uneeda Buscuit sign, oodles of wooden barrels with who knows what inside them, great Manhattan skyline, boxcars, boats, but no Brando. Bravo Shorpy!
The "Railroad Fleet"Out of the huge fleet of barges, lighters, car floats, pier floats, ferries, tugs, etc. once owned by the railroads that served NY harbor, very few remain.
To my knowledge, only ONE covered barge, formerly owned by the Lehigh Valley, is still documented as an active vessel in the Hudson: Lehigh Valley #79, now owned by The Barge Museum and used as an exhibition and performance space.
The identity of the Erie ferry in the background could be a subject for some sleuthing.  The word "Erie" on the side of the ship is probably just an owner's mark: the name of a double-ended ferry is usually on nameboards under the pilothouse windows.
It's washday aboard the New York Central covered barge; you can see a line of clothes drying.  In those days, many barges had a live-aboard "barge captain" in charge.
In these days of sealed ocean shipping containers which are trans-loaded only as a unit, it's difficult to grasp that it was once economically possible to trans-load loose freight between ships, barges, and railcars, including "less than carload lots," which might have to be transloaded multiple times before reaching their destination.
They were different times.  
Re: the Erie FerryI believe that the vessel's name is "Arlington" and that it is (was) owned by the Erie Railroad system. The "E" in the diamond was the logo for that rail line and one I used to see often in western New York when I was a kid.
SS Potsdamseems to be the liner to the right. She met her end in 1944, scuttled by the Germans in Cherbourg harbor.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC, Railroads)

Tog Klim?
... I lived in a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood in Brooklyn, I'd see Klim at the grocery. Got Time? You might be out of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 2:06pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "James L. Owens & Sons, window." An elaborate display featuring Klim powdered milk. View full size. National Photo Company.
KlimThey could've gone a step further and called it "Klim Deredwop."
NestleNestle owns the Klim trademark now. Wikipedia says they bought it from Borden in 1988 and market it primarily in Latin America. When I lived in a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood in Brooklyn, I'd see Klim at the grocery.
Got Time?You might be out of luck looking for Klim or Car-Mac in US stores, but you a can still buy a Westclox Big Ben in the same style they issued in 1931. The brand name is now owned by NYL Holdings: New York Life.
Dental CreamNotice the product on the right hand side of the window --"Car-Mac Dental Cream."  I assume this is early toothpaste, but I'm a bit surprised.  I always thought toothpaste (or cream) came along later and that during the 20s the product available was the dental powder that folks placed on their toothbrushes. (Or maybe that was Klim powdered milk they were putting on their brushes).  
As for the Klim, you can tell their salespeople were doing their best to reassure people that the powdered stuff actually is milk, by showing huge 3-D (well, sort of) images of contented cows, dairy barns, and barnyard scenes.
[Wikipedia: Pre-mixed toothpastes were first marketed in the 19th century. In 1896, Colgate Dental Cream was packaged in collapsible tubes. - Dave.]
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
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