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Vintage Vista: 1901
... D.C., circa 1901. "Aerial view over rowhouses from old Providence Hospital, showing E Street, Heckman Street [now Duddington Place] ... pro. [ Try Google. - Dave] "Old" Providence Hospital The photo was taken from the roof of the "old" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/17/2020 - 11:42pm -

        This image is but one section of 10-part panorama, described by the caption below. Some (or even all) of the points of interest mentioned may not be visible here.
Washington, D.C., circa 1901. "Aerial view over rowhouses from old Providence Hospital, showing E Street, Heckman Street [now Duddington Place] and F Street S.E. between 1st and 2nd." 8x10 inch glass negative, D.C. Street Survey Collection. View full size.
Where was the old hospital?Been playing with the maps for 45 minutes. Been pulling my hair out.  I need a Shorpy pro.
[Try Google. - Dave]
"Old" Providence HospitalThe photo was taken from the roof of the "old" Providence Hospital which was located at 2nd & D streets SE on Capitol Hill. I was born there in 1950.
In the 50s, a "new" Providence Hospital was built several miles north at 1150 Varnum St. NE. The old hospital was torn down, but unlike many places in close-in SE and SW DC which succumbed to monolithic government buildings and urban renewal, the site became Providence Park. It still exists and can be found on Google Maps adjacent to Folger Park.
More history can be found here.
Alas, even the "new" Providence Hospital has met its fate -- it closed its doors in 2019 after 158 years of service.
Providence ParkI believe that where the hospital was is now Providence Park.  The row houses on E, F, Duddington, 1st and 2nd are still there, and look very nice.
Chim Chiminey III used that caption title once before a long time ago, thus the II, but it applies as well here!  Everywhere you look, didn't even try to count them like I did last time.
High-Class NeighborhoodThe view is looking southwest with the Potomac River in the far background. Given its proximity to the U.S. Capitol, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, and House and Senate Office Buildings, this is an extremely upscale neighborhood today with many of the rowhouses seen in the photo still standing and easily topping the one million dollar range. 
The Old Locationof Providence Hospital was in Folger Square at 2nd and D Streets SE.
It was razed in 1964.
(The Gallery, D.C., D.C. Street Survey, Railroads)

Providence Steamrollers: 1940
My father playing for the Providence Steamrollers, a professional football team from before WWII. He is ... 
 
Posted by SM Daddario - 01/20/2011 - 9:51am -

My father playing for the Providence Steamrollers, a professional football team from before WWII. He is running with the ball. 1940, Rhode Island. View full size.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

Ginger Ale Alley: 1906
Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1906. "River steamers at Crawford Street ... on 16 January 1920. The Warwick sank at its dock at Providence four days after the Squantum was lost and thought a total loss. ... until broken up at State Island in 1935. I grew up in Providence, but ... didn't recognize this scene at all. Only one building ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/03/2022 - 7:26pm -

Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1906. "River steamers at Crawford Street Bridge." Today's post is brought to you by U.S. Club Ginger Ale, fine product of the Phenix Nerve Beverage Co. of Boston. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Look out!Low bridge ahead!
Re: Look Out!I think you meant, "Lola bridgeda - watcha you head!"
I believe we see hereon the left the wooden sidewheel steamer What Cheer, built 1867 at Keyport, New Jersey, with the steel Squantum, built 1888 at Newburgh, New York.  On the right is the wooden sidewheeler Warwick, built 1873 at Greenport, New York, as the Day Star.  The What Cheer had been built as a towboat but converted to a passenger boat in 1869.  Sold in 1915 to New York parties it ran between the Battery and New Rochelle, but sank at the New Rochelle dock in fall 1917.  Raised and brought to the Hog Island shipyard at Philadelphia, it was abandoned there after brief service as a houseboat.  The Squantum also headed to the Big Apple, running between the Battery and the Statue of Liberty until demolished in a storm off Brooklyn on 16 January 1920.  The Warwick sank at its dock at Providence four days after the Squantum was lost and thought a total loss.  However, it was raised and rebuilt and it, too, went to New York, where it ran primarily on the East River and Long Island Sound.  It lasted until broken up at State Island in 1935.
I grew up in Providence, but... didn't recognize this scene at all. Only one building survives, I think. 
Model of the What Cheer(There is also an Iowa town of that name)
https://www.lofty.com/products/s-s-what-cheer-scratch-built-steamer-ship...
Widest No More     A decidedly different look on this brisk fourth day of 2022 here in The Prov'.
     Rhode Islanders of my age have long endured a (good natured) inferiority complex in regard to our diminutive size.  That being said, we took pride in knowing that the widest bridge in the world could be found in our state, the aforementioned Crawford Street Bridge.
     Alas, the redevelopment of the Downtown area during the "Providence Renaissance" of the early '80s carved it up into many smaller spans, and our glory was no more!
     Also of note, a scant couple of hundred yards to the right of this photo sits atop College Hill two of the more esteemed institutions of higher learning in the area, Brown University and The Rhode Island School of Design (R.I.S.D.).
The story behind "What Cheer"In the 1970s, I had stopped to ask a Providence police officer for directions to some location in the neighborhood, and my eyes were drawn to his police badge, which bore the words "What Cheer". When I got back to my car, I asked my wife, who was from just across the border in Mass., if she knew the significance of those words. No idea.
Years later, researching the subject, I came across this, from the following website: 
https://www.nps.gov/rowi/learn/historyculture/foundingprovidence.htm
 In a canoe with several others, Roger [Williams] scouted the area across the Seekonk River. They spotted a group of Narragansett on a large rock, known afterwards as Slate Rock, along the western shore of the Seekonk River. As they approached the Narragansett greeted them by calling out: “What Cheer Netop!” This greeting is a combination of English and Narragansett languages. ‘What cheer’ was an informal common English greeting of the day, short for ‘what cheery news do you bring’ and today’s equivalent of “what’s up?’’ “Netop” is the Narragansett word for friend.
WhatChout aheadThe WhatCheer's operation in Rhode Island waters included an early unfortunate episode, in which it plowed over a sailboat in Narragansett Bay, instantly killing a sailor named George Cook. After that 1869 collision, the representative of Cook's widow and children (Chase) sued the American Steamboat Company under Rhode Island's wrongful death act for the negligence of its agent on a "highway," and recovered $12,000 from the jury (equal to over $250,000 in 2022 dollars). On appeal to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, the company complained that the Bay was not a "highway" within the Act's meaning, and in any event the company should not be liable for its employee's negligence. In a 1871 ruling (Chase v. American Steamboat Co., 10 R.I. 79 (R.I. 1871)), that court upheld the judgment. The company then complained to the U.S. Supreme Court that a state should have no authority to impose liability in such situations, because the Judiciary Act gave admiralty jurisdiction to federal courts. The company fared no better. In Steamboat Company v. Chase, 83 U.S. 522 (1872), the U.S. Supreme Court found, in essence, that because the representative sued the wrongdoers and not the ship itself, he could do so in state court under that state's statute, and affirmed the judgment.  
New perspective
The back end of the Amica Building is what faces the water. The front entrance is 10 Weybosset Street. There seems to be a lot less activity, but business and trade are now done indoors. Still a great spot to be for a WaterFire ... gotta find me a Del's.
Undercover RiverWhen I was at Rhode Island School of Design in the 70's the river was just becoming visible again after years and years of being almost completely covered over in the name of modernization.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Providence)

The Nurses: 1910
... this circa 1910 Harris & Ewing glass negative titled "Providence Hospital nurses." View full size. Cap habit I showed this ... the man is more of a curious admirer.) I wonder if Providence Hospital allowed their nurses to be married back then? I see no ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 11:04am -

Continuing the Shorpy Group Portrait Weekend, we have this circa 1910 Harris & Ewing glass negative titled "Providence Hospital nurses." View full size.
Cap habitI showed this to my RN wife who asked me to print this out so she could take it to her hospital here in Japan, she recently has been appointed Director of Nursing and the Hospital's cap policy is under discussion, she thinks this will be a great tool in her efforts to keep the caps simple...Thank you Dave.
Everyone has a twinEven though it has been nearly 100 years, I can see people I know in these pictures. The girl on the far left in the front row reminds me of Renee Zellweger.
BrrrrrIt's OK to smile ladies.  It helps to reassure and calm the restless patients.  They do look efficient, though, and very clean.
SssssThose hats look like a deflated chef's toque.
A checkupAs a modern-day RN aware of the subservient history of the profession, I couldn't help but think when I saw the man in the window, "And there's a doctor, waiting for them to come back in and get him coffee." Glad those days are long gone!
(In seriousness, I'd rather think that the man is more of a curious admirer.)
I wonder if Providence Hospital allowed their nurses to be married back then?  I see no wedding rings.
Fallen WomenOh my goodness, how did anyone keep a straight face? Thirteen little souffles in a row.
"Wipe that rouge off your face!"This picture makes me want to dig out my old Cherry Ames books and give them another read.
Starch!Boggling how much starch they must be using. On some of the girls in the front row, you can see where their aprons aren't resting on the shoulders. They are standing up totally unassisted.
C.U. School of NursingThe Providence Hospital School of Nursing was absorbed into the Catholic University of America (in the neighborhood) between 1939 and 1949. It is thus in a direct line with the current Catholic University School of Nursing. They did give up the hat style, unfortunately.
Married NursesStudent nurses were not allowed to be married, even in the 1950s, at most nursing schools. The exception were the 5 year University programs, some of which allowed married students. The thought was, that if a married student got pregnant, it would interrupt her studies, and she might not finish the program. The three year hospital nursing schools had a set curriculum, and did not have the flexibility of the University based programs, which ran on a semester system. 
These are student nurses, witnessed by the striped sleeves. This was perhaps their capping ceremony, or perhaps a graduation photo, as they are all wearing pins. Once they began working as graduate nurses, they would wear all white uniforms. And possibly have a velvet band or an emblem on their caps to designate the school they graduated from.
And yes, nursing education has changed greatly. Having graduated from a three year hospital based program in the 1950s I can say that I had excellent hands-on bedside training. But we were also taught to bow and scrape to the doctors. Now there is a more collaborative relationship. It took me a while to start calling the MDs that I worked closely with by their first names. It got easier once I was an older nurse and the MDs were young enough to be my children.
An old RN
Re: Cap HabitHmmm, I'm thinking that a clever Japanese hospital would have hats that reflect the nurse's mood.    They would be relaxed - as these girls are in the picture and then inflate gradually as stress levels elevate.
It would make life a lot easier to know which of them to avoid (ie:  the ones where the hats don't fit through the doors anymore).
In Praise of NursesProvidence Hospital seems to have had an association with Catholic University long before they were eventually absorbed into it.  Thus far, I can't find any reporting in the Washington Post of a commencement which matches the number (13) of nurses seen in this photo.  Of interest to me, is the fact that men, while not pictured here,  were training as nurses at this time.  Also, maybe someone can explain the title of "Mgr. Diomede Falconia."  While the contemporary interpretation of "Mgr" is "manager," I suspect the Catholic Church of a century ago used this abbreviation for something else.



Falconio Praises Nurses
Pays Tribute to Profession in Presenting
Diplomas at Providence Hospital

Nurses as "women who must always be prepared to give in a spirit of charity and kindness" were praised by Mgr. Diomede Falconio, the apostolic delegate, in his address delivered at the commencement exercises of the hospital training school, held on the roof garden of Providence Hospital yesterday.  Mgr. Falconio presented eleven girls who were graduated with their diplomas, and then delivered his address, which was a tribute to their profession.
The exercises were attended by several hundred persons.  Following the invocation by Mgr. Falconio addresses were delivered by the Rev. J.W. Melody, of the Catholic University, and Dr. C.C. Marbury, both of whom spoke on the duties which the "art of nursing the sick" imposes on those who follow it.

Washington Post, May 10, 1911 



Nurses Receive Diplomas
Class of Eleven Complete Prescribed
Course at Providence Hospital

At the graduation exercises yesterday afternoon at Providence Hospital eight young women and three young men received diplomas as nurses.  The exercises were held on the roof garden of the hospital, which was decorated with the class colors and flowers sent by friends of the class.
The Rev. William J. Kerby, Ph. D., S.T.D., delivered the opening address.  He reminded the graduates that they were emissaries of the hospital, and that they were, in reality, a part of the organic home of the country, and public-spirited servants of the afflicted.
Dr. J.F. Mitchel, who delivered the address in the afternoon, referred to the fact that the three greatest developments in surgery since the fifteenth century were anesthetics, listerism, and trained nurses, and that without the latter the first two are inadequate.  He ended his remarks by quoting the Oliver Wendell Holmes' poem, "The Morning Visit."
J.M. Stoddard spoke on behalf of the hospital board of visitors, and Dr. Marbury presented the members of the class with their diplomas.  This is the first class from Providence in which men have received diplomas as graduate nurses.

Washington Post, May 15, 1912 


"Mgr."Usually "Msgr." -- Monsignor.
[The first of 23 comments giving this answer! - Dave]
Pince-Nez glassesIn addition to the uniforms, it's interesting to see how eyewear style has evolved. Two of the four ladies are wearing pince-nez style glasses. To me, Pince-Nez always looked like they would very uncomfortable to wear for long periods, especially with the heavy glass lenses back then.
This image was taken just after Teddy Roosevelt's administration, and I believe he caused a nationwide resurgence in the popularity of the pince-nez style glasses for a time. 
Cap and GownI'm shocked that anyone anywhere still allows nurses to wear caps, let alone mandates it.  So many studies done about the invisible petri dish of germs that caps become when worn in the clinical setting... 
I graduated with a BSN in 1994, and even back then the use of caps was so discouraged that students could no longer purchase them through the college as a souvenir. 
We got to wear one for graduation pictures. And I do mean "one" - the school only had one cap available, and we took turns having our picture taken in it.
Is it just my imaginationOr are those ladies corsetted up something fierce? The nice folks at The Bob & Tom Show assure me that "nurses are hot and ready to party", but from this evidence it would appear that was a development that took place considerably after 1910. At any rate, I call first dibs on the beauty in the front, camera left.
Re: "Starch!" & "Wipe that rouge off your face!"One of the benefits of attending nursing schools "back in the day" of living in dorms, nurses residences, nurses homes, or whatever you wish to call them, was that your laundry, or at least your uniforms, was taken care of for you by the industrial type laundry that was a part of the hospital where you trained. The advantages were clear, considering the laborious processes involved at the time, for such things as stain removal, washing, draining, rinsing, starching, drying and steam pressing those very VERY stiff bibs, aprons, cuffs, collars and hand pressing the caps as well. Plus the striped dress worn underneath and/or with all those other pieces. The amount of space, the plethora of equipment and laundry supplies - soaps, brushes, starch, etc., - and most of all the TIME required to accomplish such a task weekly, on 5 to 7 pieces of each item and double on the cuffs, made the whole process quite impossible for over a dozen girls to accomplish properly, if at all. In addition, time in classes, time on the wards, and time studying, much less time to eat, sleep, and have some kind of what could be considered a healthy, active social life at the time would render the whole thing ridiculously impossible to even consider! 
So, the hospital laundry, accustomed as it was to handling such things with the most up-to-date industrial laundry equipment available, was the obvious choice. All that was required of the students was to mark each individual piece of her own uniforms with the standard laundry marking required by that school, in order to ensure it's prompt return once washed and processed. Personal laundry was another issue entirely, and depended completely on the arrangements made by the school, if any, with any local commercial laundries. 
As for Cherry Ames books, I still have the first four of the series in their original "dark cherry red" first edition bindings, which belonged to my mother. She got them from her parents as gifts, as soon as they were published, during WWII when she was the same age I was then, and her dad was an officer stationed overseas in the army with Patton's staff. She gave them to me to read when I was nine, and stuck home in bed during a nasty endemic of the swine flu as it hit the whole east coast in the middle 60's! 
I was so, so sick for a while when it first hit me. But not nearly the only one! It was so bad, that doctors were back to making house calls again! And ours came to our house, instead of him filling up his office with contagious patients and not-sick  who only needed check ups, especially babies! Anyway, after I could actually sit up and take notice, as they used to call it, I was soon bored to death after working on my class work for a while, or listening to the radio. She knew I had always wanted to be a nurse, so she gave me her books! I adored them, and got caught reading late into the night with my sheet and blankets pulled up over my head, with a small flashlight, so I could read them after my official 9:00pm bedtime! 
I later got more of the contemporary editions for Christmas and birthdays! Since I've grown up, married, had children, become a Surgical Technologist (suited me perfectly when nursing wasn't quite the "fit" I had been seeking, etc.,) I found that eBay has helped me fill in the gaps where I had not received the right issues to fill out my set when I was much younger. 
As for the rouge comment, that's one of my very favorite ones in the book, and forever launched the "War with Dr. Wylie!" He's absolutely insistent that her rosy cheeked coloring is the result of the use of "rouge" - blush to us - which is forbidden to student nurses, except for the occasional evening formal occassions, that he's constantly extolling the loud command for her to "Wipe that rouge off your face!"
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Medicine, Portraits)

Good Shoes: 1903
Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1903. "Westminster Street." A textbook ... of the picture made me smile today. Thanks, Shorpy. Providence Arcade About a block down Westminster Street, behind those trolleys, stands the Providence Arcade. Built in 1828, it still exists and is arguably the oldest ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 2:43pm -

Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1903. "Westminster Street." A textbook turn-of-the-century commercial district: streetcar transportation, vaudeville theater, painless dentistry, comfortable shoes. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
Addams ShoesLetter from Charles Addams to James Thurber:
I have gotten a lot of letters about my work, most of them from criminals and subhumans, who want to sell ideas. I can rarely use them as they're in the worst possible taste, but sometimes funny in a grotesque sort of way. ... A man from Boston sent a picture of a local shoe store, a very old one, with shoes for the club-footed, for shortened legs, etc.; underneath the window in gold-leaf on black it said, "Shoes for the entire family."
Curved Sash WindowsWow!  Curved sash, double-hung windows.  Don't see those every day.  
See them at the corner of the building on the right, above the sign for "Dr. Allen, DENTIST."
Busy Street.So much going on here for the eye to see. Not one, but two clocks across the street from each other and both set to the same time! Really like the two boys involved in a bit of horseplay in the middle of the street. One hopes that they grew up to be lifelong friends. 
The four ladies crossing the street together had to be friends out for a day of shopping.
Two streetcars on the tracks and not a sign of those newfangled horseless carriages.
More bricks, fewer cobblestonesMost of the more interesting architecture is gone, but the Alice Building (midway down the block, on the right between Keith's and the Hotel) is still there, as is the taller building with the ornate windows a bit farther down the block. Also, one of the two street clocks remains (the one labeled "Shepard" in the 1903 image, although that label seems to have changed since then).

Caught in the moment.Despite people going about their everyday business, this almost seems staged for the photographer's benefit. Everyone is in such an ideal position that it could have come from a painter's brush. 
Dr. Allen Dentist's TreatIf you navigate within the other commenter's Google Street View window to the alley closest to us alongside Dr. Allen's office (the building still stands but in a much altered form), there you will find a neat mural.
The mural is of the same scene in the same time period, but looking from the other direction. The clock is included, as is the now-vanished KEITH'S.
A few more detailsWe are looking down Westminster Street across the river and on to College Hill, where Brown University is located (and RISD, where the Talking Heads met!). Cherry and Webb (right side foreground) was an upscale department store. Shepard's was a larger, more mid-market store. Their clock was still there last I knew. Who can fill in more?
oops: Cherry and Webb on LEFT.....
Silent Movie SceneWonderful photo. We have a Buster Keaton-like character ready to step off into the oncoming trolley.  Another Shorpy classic.
Eye See YouLong time browser, first time commenting...  The glasses sign on the left of the picture made me smile today.  Thanks, Shorpy.
Providence ArcadeAbout a block down Westminster Street, behind those trolleys, stands the Providence Arcade. Built in 1828, it still exists and is arguably the oldest shopping mall in America. The Arcade is worthy of an appearance on Shorpy. 
Color Me BrownGreat photo. Would love to see what it looks like colorized.
Where did everyone go?There is such a sense of interesting, bustling life and activity in the 1903 picture -- and in 2010? Nothing in sight but a bunch of parked cars. So much for "progress."
Four thingsI would like to do.
1) Dress for the time
2) Gather about $100 of the money relevant to the era
3) Step into this photo and go shopping
4) Bring my purchases back with me. 
ReflectionVery cool picture. This would make a great jigsaw puzzle! Is the carriage we see reflected in the piano store window the same one we see further up the street? If so, is the apparent great distance between the carriage and its reflection just a matter of perspective or somehow connected to the process (shutter speed?) of taking the picture?
Is she there?My Grandmother was living there at the time, a beautiful 18 year old, who had come over from England 2 years prior.  I can't help wondering, is she there in that crowd?  What was her life like at the time this was taken?   I'd give a lot just for a glimpse!
(The Gallery, DPC, Providence, Streetcars)

New England Terminal: 1957
"Street scene, Providence, 1957." Featuring the New England Terminal Co. bus station, Chicken ... markings identify the film? Gilbane Construction A Providence-based company, still family-owned with headquarters on Jackson Walkway in Providence. They went on to build the Air and Space Museum, the Vietnam ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/21/2015 - 12:24pm -

"Street scene, Providence, 1957." Featuring the New England Terminal Co. bus station, Chicken Roost restaurant and Journal-Bulletin newspaper building. 35mm negative, photographer unknown. View full size.
Nostalgia attackJust look at all those solid, chrome-enhanced, built-to-last American cars!  Before I got my own car, I also used to ride buses just like this to get to work and back every day.  At the time, I still lived at home in Ct., the second smallest state, and only Rhode Island was smaller, but both states were heavily industrialized and people worked, hurried everywhere and rushed around just like in the biggest cities, with never an idle moment.  I also like the art deco vertical bus station sign on the extreme left of the picture.  I'm guessing it lit up blue at night like ours did.  Wouldn't it be nice to go back there, even for a day?
GoneDepot gone, Chicken Roost gone, but the handsome building behind remains.

What film?The image is sharp all over but very grainy. If that's a full frame and the negative isn't reticulated, I'd guess it was shot with something like Kodak's Royal-X Pan. Do the edge markings identify the film?
Gilbane ConstructionA Providence-based company, still family-owned with headquarters on Jackson Walkway in Providence. They went on to build the Air and Space Museum, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the World War II Memorial, just to name a few. A long way from a street corner in Providence.
Gone (comment)Unfortunately, though, the windows of the handsome building have been replaced. They are not an ideal choice (economical, no doubt) and change the character of the building.
BusesThe buses in the picture are intercity buses: in this case Providence to nearby New Bedford. Meanwhile, the city transit at this time was the fabulously luxurious UTC system, second only to the Registry of Motor Vehicles in its ability to torture and befuddle the good citizens of Rhode Island. A typical UTC bus of the period is shown. As Mark Twain said "Difficult? Troublesome? These words cannot describe it." 
Rain and CarsWhat a great photo--it really gives the flavor of a rainy fall New England day.  Cars from left: 57 Chevrolet (around corner); c. 51 Olds; 51 Ford in front of c. 55 Nash Rambler, itself in front of 57 Chevrolet; buses; 46-48 Ford in front of c. 50 Studebaker; 55 Pontiac parked in front of van; 57 Ford parked behind truck.
[The Rambler is a 1957; the 46-48 Ford is either 1947 or 1949 (typo) 1948; the Studebaker is a 1950. -tterrace]
WEAN and WPJBProvidence City Archives has some things to say about the Providence Journal-Bulletin and WEAN and WPJB- FM:
All of these events and developments, the good and the tragic were covered by the Providence Journal-Bulletin, the city's only daily newspaper of general circulation since the demise of the News-Tribune and its successors in 1937-38. The influence of the Journal and its radio affiliates WEAN and WPJB- FM on Providence thought and opinion is perhaps greater now than at any previous time.


Rain and Cars IIThe older Ford is definitely not a 49, as that was the first year of the postwar restyling.  If you say 47, I won't argue.  Thanks.
[I made a dumb typo, I meant 47-48; you're right, no way a 1949. The difference between '46 and '47-8 is the position of the parking lights. -tterrace]
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Found Photos, Providence)

Alley Cat: 1943
... up there when the ball was coming down the alley. Providence Duckpins I was a pinsetter at a duckpin bowling alley (Sullivan's) in Providence, Rhode Island, in the 1950s. We had a small seat between the two ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 12:37pm -

April 1943. Washington, D.C. "Pin boy at a bowling alley."  Nitrate negative by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size.
World's Worst JobsYou might have a separate photo gallery under this heading and include this photo in it.
DuckpinsThose look like duck pins.  Won't find many of those around today. 
Bowl NoirGeez Louise, this is grim. All that padding, and the guy looks all intent -- intense -- and sweaty. Wonder how many gutterballs he had to dodge. Yikes.
Rhode IslandWe've got a few duckpin alleys here in Rhode Island.  There was a duckpin alley in Woonsocket open as late as the mid-70's that used to employ pin boys.
Ah yes, duckpinsWhen I was growing up in the 50s in DC, we had advanced beyond the unfortunate man in the picture to mechanical pin setters but we all started out on duckpins, and these days no one seems to have ever heard of them. Too bad, we had fun with them and bowled decent scores (everything is relative) starting at six or seven years old, way before we could handle a tenpin ball.
Duckpin LocationsThis site lists 61 remaining locations in the US (as of February 2009).  The alley closest to me is still duckpin.  I love the game.  The best parts: you get up to three shots per frame, you don't strain your wrist rolling the (2-4 pound) balls, and the pins fly around a lot more.  There has never been a perfect game bowled.
Someone explainWhere does he go when he's not resetting pins? Surely he doesn't just hang out back there, waiting to be whacked by bowling balls as if he were the 11th pin?
Tips from a TipsterMy parents used to tell the story that after a game in a bowling alley that had pinboys, they would "bowl" coins down the alley for their tips.
Nowhere to hideWhen I was a boy, there were still some old bowling alleys that had pin boys.  After setting the pins, they would hop up onto a bench that was above and behind the pins.  When the balls started flying, the boys were out of the line of fire.  This guy doesn't appear to have that option.  He must have had quick reflexes.  Or a very short career.
Football pose.Take this guy out of the alley, put a jersey on him and stick a football under his arm. You'll end up with a classic running back pose from the fifties.
Regional Bowling VariationsLet's hear it for regional bowling variants! The mid-Atlantic has duckpin, New England has candlepin, and then Vancouver has five-pin. Fun.
Pin MonkeyMy father was a “pin monkey” (as he called it) during the late 1940’s. It was very difficult work for a kid. Not only was he was knocked out by the occasional flying pin, the boys were also tasked with reapplying lacquer to the bowling pins. The fumes from the lacquer also knocked some of them out! 
First JobMy very first job as a kid was setting candlepins in an 8 lane bowling alley in Dorchester, Massachusetts.  After setting up the pins, we pinboys sat up on the ledge behind the pit with our legs on the divider between the lanes.  We often got hit by pins or balls from aggressive bowlers all of whom were known to us the way catchers know pitchers.
KegelbahnI had this job in the mid 60's in Germany, at a local Kegelbahn, a one-lane alley behind a local bar, a Kneipe, in Stuttgart. As the evening wore on, the bowlers got a bang out of trying to catch me short, but I really cleaned up the tips from the "tipsy" bowlers at closng time, when they told me what a good sport I was.
Stephen
Washington DC
Bamboo AlleyWhen I lived in the Philippines in the 1980s, there were still bowling alleys with the smaller "duck pins" like these, set up by young boys. There was a bamboo platform just above the pins and the boys would climb up there when the ball was coming down the alley. 
Providence DuckpinsI was a pinsetter at a duckpin bowling alley  (Sullivan's) in Providence, Rhode Island, in the 1950s.
We had a small seat between the two alleys we worked. Had to be sure to keep your feet high enough to avoid getting hit by a gutter ball.
I can recall jumping into the pit after a bowler had used three balls, only to look up just in time to see the unexpected fourth ball coming down the alley straight at me.
We had a foot pedal in the pit, used to raise metal pins up into the pin spots. The bowling pins had small holes in their bottoms into which the metal pins would fit to exactly position them. It was fun once in a while to jam the foot pedal, keeping the metal pins raised up inside the bowling pins. The look on a bowler's face was great when they watched their hard-flung ball just bounce off the pins.
Pin Boy actionHaving been a pin boy back in the early 40s I would say that the position of pin boy indicates that he is about to swing over into next pit out of harms way. Good pin boys knew how to get out of the way before ball hit the pins, usually by swinging into next pit to set pins up there. I use to have times that I would swing four lanes because some one called in sick. It was a very thankless job and back then we got paid 7¢ per game.  
(The Gallery, D.C., Esther Bubley, Sports)

The Walls Have Eyes: 1908
... a good job hiding all the club marks... 1950's, Providence When I was growing up, my pediatrician was on Waterman Street, near Brown University, on the East side of Providence, Rhode Island. His offices were in a converted Victorian house and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 8:36pm -

New York, 1908. "J.R. Bradley's animal trophies." Here's a look that would liven up any family room. 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain. View full size.
House HunterWhen we were shopping for houses we came across one like this, except it had two things this one lacks: a stuffed crow, and some tables with deer legs.
On the WallIf Mr.Bradley enjoyed the company of his victims' heads so much, he could have had his own mounted over the fireplace as well. That said, I would like to revive my joke of September 27 about Old Baldy, General Meade's horse, who was stuffed and displayed
His head being mounted on the wall reminds me of the story about the man who graduated as a Veterinarian and then went to Taxidermy school. His office shingle read Veterinarian/Taxidermist -"Either Way- You Get Your Pet Back"
Best. Piano. Cover. Ever. Topped only barely by the flattened sea turtle corpse throw rug.  Or is that a walrus or sea lion?  
Hide ParkSheesh, the piano thingy. Does it turn around and roar in your face if you make a mistake whilst practicing!? There also appear to be FOUR rhino (or something?) feet on that table... and two additional ones beneath the lamp. At least they're using them all...
Can you imagine dusting in there!? It must have smelled so funky in there.
Watch Your Back!Notice how the room seems to follow you around the room. The throw rug in the foreground appears to be a leopard seal, although it could be a rare Biting Quesadilla.
[So your rooms follow you around too? Make them stop! Make them stop! - Dave]
Creepy indeed!You took the words right out of my fingers.  This is definitely not "responsible hunting." Not only would my daughter have nightmares after being in this room--I would, too! What was this guy thinking?
Foot Ashtrays?  The half-dozen rhino (elephant? hippo?) foot ashtrays on the table are especially nasty.  There is one of those at the George Eastman house in Rochester. One per room is more than plenty, actually.
Hmmm... I was thinking they were ashtrays... Each seems to be filled with something sticking out the top, though.  Any ideas what is in them and if they aren't ashtrays, then what?
[They are being used as pedestals to display what look like bones and teeth. - Dave]

AghastTimes have really changed. I am the least PC person around but this chamber of horrors is frightening.
CreepyI don't have anything against responsible hunting, but this sure looks creepy.  My kids would have nightmares.
Days Long Gone I HopeWhen I was growing up, a family acquaintance had a room much like this, only much bigger in both size and trophies. It was quite an attraction, but nobody dared to tell him, even then, that it was creepy. To a youngster it seemed the ultimate in conspicuous consumption, with emphasis on conspicuous.
Hunting conservationistsI don't know if it applies to this guy, but many big-game hunters were actually among the founders of the conservation movement, viz. Teddy Roosevelt. They were the ones "on the front lines," as it were, seeing firsthand the depredations of poaching and the inroads advancing modern life were making into native habitat.
Sigmund, what say you?Freud would've had a field day analyzing JR Bradley's psyche.
An Impressive CollectionBut no Wabbit!
Dee-lighted!When you tour T.R.'s home at Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, one of the stories they tell you is that Edith Roosevelt switched places with Teddy in the dining room because she was disconcerted by the moose head staring at her while she was eating. Her husband was more than happy to be reminded of his trophy. 
The only room in the house without a single trophy head is Mrs. Roosevelt's sitting room. Teddy did manage to sneak in a polar bear rug, however.
PETA nightmareSeriously? A baby seal! It almost adds a surreal, comic element to the photo. It's not a rug, or furniture, or a wall decoration - it's just sitting in the middle of the floor. It's like J.R.'s final little touch to the room to make absolutely sure he horrified every single (future) PETA member! If I didn't know better, I'd say Dave photoshopped the seal in there just for kicks! That said, the taxidermist did a good job hiding all the club marks...
1950's, ProvidenceWhen I was growing up, my pediatrician was on Waterman Street, near Brown University, on the East side of Providence, Rhode Island. His offices were in a converted Victorian house and his waiting room was a long, dark hallway with a very high ceiling. Moose and deer heads were stuck way up high above the chairs we'd sit on and, to this day, I can clearly see the film of dust that had settled on their eyes. The room in this photo brings me right back there. Very creepy - but also very discomfiting in that it makes me think about getting a booster shot or something potentially painful.
Dave's rhino feetThey are not being used as pedestals, those are the handles to the lids. 
It is not really that creepy. It is taxidermy and a bunch of shoulder-mounts, full-mounts, F/M as rugs. It depends on the big game hunter and the time period. Early periods did have folks who indiscriminately eliminated game. The other post was correct in citing the last century of hunters as the original conservationists and proponents of game management (although I am sure the indigenous peoples thought the same). They were as often photographing as hunting. 
(The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC)

Old Man River: 1906
... 1910, Fitler's Landing, 20 mi. below Lake Providence, sank. Raised. 1910, or between 1918-19, renamed ... 1910, Fitler's Landing, 20 mi. below Lake Providence, sank. Raised. 1910, or between 1918-19, renamed ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 3:19pm -

"Mississippi River Landing." Circa 1906, an exceptionally detailed view of the sternwheeler "Belle of Calhoun" and sidewheeler "Belle of the Bends" taking on cargo. Detroit Publishing Company 8x10 glass negative. View full size.
I really like this photo!I can feel the motion, almost hear the  sounds, smell the aromas....quite amazing. Gives me a strong hint of the era just over 100 years ago.
WoodworkThe amount of woodwork that must have gone into making one of these vessels is amazing. The detail work on the railings comes to mind. Wonder what it would cost today to build one to spec?
Lifting BalesI see people lifting that bale, but I don't see anyone toting that barge.
Not that I'd know barge-toting when I saw it, though...
Belle of CalhounAt 451 gross tons, with 27 staterooms and 60 berths, the Belle could carry 119 passengers including 30 in deck and steerage. She also was certified to carry freight.
Old Glory......is looking awfully tired and threadbare on Belle of the Bends.
VicksburgThis could be anywhere along the length of the Mississippi River, but something reminds me of Vicksburg.  All that's missing from the scene is the I-20/US80 Bridge, the Old Vicksburg Bridge, and the Casino Boats. On second thought I don't miss those at all, this is a better image.
Vicksburg & GreenvilleVicksburg & Greenville Packet Co., it says on Belle of the Bends wheel cover. I wonder if that tattered flag held some historical significance, it seems stark in contrast with the shiny bell. There's so much interesting detail in the open fronted wheelhouses alone with their strange shutters and whistles.
The Gingerbread BoatThe railings and detail work you see was generally factory made and could be ordered through mail-order catalogs. What made it go out of style was not the hand work needed to make it, it was the hand work needed to keep it painted. That's why you saw a lot of Victorian houses painted one color in later years when originally the trim was painted in a contrasting color (or colors) to the main body of the house.
Travel on the riverAt one time I thought it would be nice to take a well equipped pontoon boat down the Mississippi from Minneapolis to New Orleans stopping at small towns, having lunch, talking to people, fishing etc. What stopped me is that it would not be safe. There are to many bad people in America.
[Smart move. So many kayakers these days getting waylaid by highwaymen and barge pirates. - Dave]
Falstaff BeerNote Falstaff wagon at far right.  According to falstaffbrewing.com, it's been made under that brand label since 1899.  Fascinating shot, Dave, I feel like I'm right there.
*Sigh*Shopped
[*Sigh.* Dumb. - Dave]
Shopped?The only thing worse than reading someone complain that a particular picture at this site has been Photoshopped is someone complaining that a picture has been Photoshopped without providing an explanation of why they think this is the case. Not that the explanations are true but it's amusing to read their theories. Sort of like the explanations of why the Moon Landing photos are fakes.
[We use Photoshop on all of these. These photos don't appear on your screen via magic or telepathy -- you have to have some kind of image editor to get them sized, cropped, adjusted for contrast and changed from tiffs into jpegs. Plus the negatives have to be inverted to get positives. The "Shopped" commenters seem to have vague notions that something fishy is afoot. - Dave]
Nimitz Was There ... Where's Halsey?In 1900 an A F Nimitz was Captain.
Any genealogists out there who might be able to connect any family lines to Admiral Nimitz of WWII fame?
Belle Of The Woods
Type:         Sidewheel wooden hull packet   Size: 210' X 32.6' X 7.4'
Power:        18's-8 ft., 3 boilers, each 44" X 28'
Launched:     1898, Jeffersonvile, Ind. by the Howard Yard
Destroyed;    1919, Oct.  dismantled by John F. Klein
Area:         Ohio R. Greenville-Vicksburg
              1910-11, winter, New Orleans, excursions
              1918-19, Cairo, Ill., excursions
Owners:       1898- Vicksburg And Greenville Packet Company
              1910-or so, purchased by Capt Morrissy
Captains:     1900, Master, A. F. Nimtz
              1901, Pilots, Billy Newbill and Joe Delahunt
              1910, Morrissy
              At one time, Joe Ballard, Vicksburg to Greenville, Miss.
Comments:     1909, Sept., 40 mi. below Viskburg, sank and was raised.
              1910, Fitler's Landing, 20 mi. below Lake Providence, sank.  Raised.
              1910, or between 1918-19, renamed LIBERTY
              1940, her bell was at Altheimer Plantation near Pine Bluff Ark.
              1910, Fitler's Landing, 20 mi. below Lake Providence, sank.  Raised.
              1910, or between 1918-19, renamed LIBERTY
              1940, her bell was at Altheimer Plantation near Pine Bluff Ark.
Nimtz, not NimitzIt's listed as Nimtz down in the text. Not Nimitz.
"Mark" my words...Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain
8x10 glass neg!Wow, the resolution on a century old glass neg is as good as anything today it appears. Amazing technical expertise.
True DaysThis is before my time by 45 years, but my father was old when he had me and saw all of this on the Mississippi. Mark Twain's stories tell much about it. I've been on the Ol' Miss a few times, but now live near the Mekong in SE Asia. I would have liked to have seen it here at that time too.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)

Southdale Center: 1956
... a shopping mall is probably the Westminster Arcade in Providence, RI, opened in 1828 and still extant, albeit recently converted into ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2019 - 3:36pm -

1956. Edina, Minnesota. "Interior Garden Court with stairway to upper level in Southdale Regional Shopping Center, the first enclosed shopping mall." Color transparency by Grey Villet, Life magazine photo archive. View full size.
RockwellianSomething about this photo is almost like a Norman Rockwell painting. The soft colors and muted details help, but what I notice are the little vignettes scattered about the mall — the dignified older man in the gray suit, the woman looking at a book with her son, the lady rummaging through her shopping buggy. The presence of a Woolworth's is just the sort of touch I would expect from Rockwell had he painted this scene. This photo is an excellent find!
The disposable mallAfter having worked on several shopping malls, and knowing how much work goes into the construction of them, I am amazed how fast they are considered obsolete! This one would fail by today's standards, even though it was truly a work of art.
Not Obsolete yet!This one is still open.
ChangesThere's a lot less brown paneling now, and the escalators have been turned so they both face toward the camera.
My highschool hangoutMostly because a friend of mine worked at the Babbages that was there for a while, and because it was a pretty short drive from home. Of course, it looked nothing like this then (highschool was late 80's to early 90's), but you can still make out the similarities.
I can't quite get my bearings in this picture - where's the Apple Store? It looks like to the right might be the hallway down to where JC Penney is (is it still there? I don't frequent Southdale too much anymore). If I remember right, that would make this picture looking toward the Apple Store (which was a B. Dalton before that). 
At least the ceiling is the same (what parts they haven't expanded/remodeled, that is).
Fading MallsFrom the 1950's through the early 2000's, didn't shopping malls have a great run? They're all subtly turning into ghost malls.  There's another one near the Twin Cities called Har Mar (yes, like Har Mar Superstar) that's practically a marble desert with a dwindling Barnes & Noble being its biggest draw.
There's also another popular local: The Mall of America.  The Death Star.  The Sprawl of America. The Mall of Gomorrah.
Because what the hell else is there to do in Minnesota?  Especially when it's colder than a witch's tit outside?
[Some malls. Even many malls. But not all malls. - Dave]
Victor Gruen and "indoor town centers"Southdale was designed by Victor Gruen, often considered the "father of the shopping mall." It's interesting that this picture depicts what Gruen wanted malls to be -- an indoor town center where people would be comfortable just hanging out as they would in a downtown park -- even if they weren't buying anything -- but nowadays I can't imagine anyone other than teenagers actually spending time just "hanging out" in a mall.
James? James Lileks?Mr. Lileks, have you taken over Shorpy, you naughty blogger? 
First thing I thought of when I saw the (awesome) picture, and then I saw it was in Minnesota, his stomping grounds.
The Terrazzo JungleGreat piece in The New Yorker a few years back about Victor Gruen and his how his vision for malls was undone by a change in tax regulations regarding depreciation of capital assets. Great, if somewhat depressing, reading.
"Victor Gruen invented the shopping mall in order to make America more like Vienna. He ended up making Vienna more like America."
Plus ça change...I think these slice-of-life pictures are my favorites. And, it's amazing how little malls have changed over 50 years.
Such fond memories of eating at the Woolworth's lunch counter in the 1970s and '80s.
Still bustlingSouthdale Center is, incredibly, still quite bustling. It's the more sane alternative to the nearby Mall of America. It has upscale shops but is still approachable, is small enough to navigate but has many of the options most people want. I hope this little gem doesn't go anywhere!
P.S. - Minnesota in the cold months is ALSO bustling! Don't discount the ice skating, nearby skiing and snowboarding, local arts and theater, and the hardiness of its residents, who are always willing to put on a thick pair of mittens and go out and live life to its fullest (and coldest)!
Takes me backI was born in 1964 and spent my early childhood going to this mall with my mother. She used to push me around in a stroller. The tall cage on the left was filled with canaries and parakeets. I was mesmerized by this. We would always stop at Fanny Farmer (just past Woolworth's) to get a treat of jelly fruit slices and continue around the corner on the left side to the pet store near the exit. There was a magnificent parrot that lived in a cage right out front of the store that I used to talk to. I think he might have known more words than me at the time! There was an FTD florist near the same spot, and I loved the fragrance of the fresh flowers that wafted into that part of the mall. It smelled like springtime, even in the middle of a dreary and cold Minnesota winter day. Dayton's and Donaldson's were the anchor stores; one on each end. I believe Donaldson's would have been directly behind the camera and Dayton's would have been straight ahead, on the far end (or vice versa). The shimmery gold floor-to-ceiling mobile type structures on the right, past the escalators, fascinated me too. They were so glamorous and HUGE! The lighting hadn't been changed yet, this is exactly what it looked like in the late '60's, although, later on when I returned there in my teens, there had been many changes and additions and a lot of these features had been removed. Going to this mall for a small child in Edina was possibly the equivalent of going to Disneyland for a child growing up in L.A. Thank you, Shorpy, for this special memory!
Woolworth'sI bet there is a great diner inside that Woolworth's with lots of tasty things like meat loaf, stuffed bell peppers, and root beer floats. Yum.
The Apple StoreThe Apple store would be behind and to the left of the camera. The upper level bridge is still there, so crossing from the left and continuing to the right would take you to Penney's.
MemoriesThis really brings back memories.  I was 10 years old when Southdale opened. I actually took part in some of the opening ceremonies.  A friend and I hitch-hiked out to the mall and in the parking lot somehow we got picked to participate in a contest. Four of us kids were picked to catch passes from two pro quarterbacks. My friend and I caught passes from Otto Graham and the other kids caught passes from Tobin Rote. Whichever team caught the most passes would be treated to malted milks paid for by the winning quarterback. My team won but all four of us were treated to malts. Otto and Tobin us into Southdale and we all crammed into a booth and listened to them talk shop about the upcoming season. Quite a memory.  I still live in the area and often thought I should contact Southdale to see if they might have any pictures of the event.
Classy Early MallsIndoor malls were first developed in colder climates for obvious practical reasons. Over the years, mall design shifted from a focus on shopper experience and comfort (coat check rooms, lockers, sufficient restrooms ... even items of local historical interest) to maximizing the revenue of businesses (row after row of mini-vendor carts along what had heretofore been pedestrian walkways).  On balance, I'll take the early generation mall ... or better yet, the restored downtown shopping district.
[The synthesized version of "restored downtown shopping district" is the current hot concept in retailing -- the faux-urban "lifestyle center." A shopping mall turned inside out. - Dave]
CorrectionThis is not the first enclosed mall. The first was (and still is) in Milwaukee. Built just after the Civil War. It is on Wisconsin Ave. I haven't more information at my fingertips. I am no historian, but was amazed to find this here. It is very attractive, too.
[Covered markets and shopping arcades go back hundreds if not thousands of years. Southdale was the first enclosed, climate-controlled shopping center of the modern era. In other words, the first shopping mall. - Dave]
More coverage of this pictureKottke has a piece on this, including another link to a relevant Economist article.
I was struck by this picture when it came through the RSS feed the other day. Lovely to read these comments and articles on it too.
Growing up in the UK in Cambridge, shopping malls were something of an oddity. I think the nearest real one was in Peterborough, at least 40 minutes race north. Cambridge now has two, I think (more's the pity because beautiful subsidised Georgian and Victorian housing was destroyed to build them, and Cambridge doesn't handle large numbers of people driving into town anyway). Both are relatively modern compared with this one so I never even considered shopping in a place like this. I wonder what the original mallrats would have looked like.
I grew up with this mallI was five when Southdale opened. It didn't have a JC Penney at that time. It did have a little play area in the basement with a maze for kids. The basement also had a shoe repair place that is still there, though it is now on the second floor.
Southdale also had Gager's Hobby and Handicraft store (on the opposite side of the open area from Woolworth's) where I could get chemicals for my chemistry set. I have no idea what kids do for chemistry sets these days. Do they even sell them? There was also our favorite, the Toy Fair, that sold nothing but toys. It was to the right of where the camera was.
They also had a grocery store called Red Owl. It would have been off to the left of the camera and down a hall. The grocery store didn't last too long, probably because people who just wanted groceries didn't really want the hassles of a big mall.
Thanks for sharing this photo. I had told my wife about the bird cage there, and now she has finally gotten to see it.
Surely not!This photo doesn't look dated at ALL.   You know the saying, "Everything old is new again"?  Well, decorating trends are very similar to what's being shown here. 
Shopping MallsIt depends on how tight the specialty is to consider this the "first shopping mall" in the US. If you are looking at the subset of first enclosed, suburban, multi-level, postwar shopping mall, then yeah, it is the first. But if you want the first enclosed shopping mall then no. Northgate Mall was built quite a few years earlier as were a few others:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northgate_Mall_(Seattle)
[A mall, in the original sense of the word, is something like a fairway or greenspace. The pedestrian walkway or mall running down the middle of Northgate Shopping Center between two rows of stores was mostly open to the sky, so this was not a "shopping mall" as we know it today. - Dave]
Another photo of the mallhttp://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/11788654.jpg
You Are HereI was 6 or so when Southdale opened.  Back then the Dayton's department store had a sporting-goods department. My mom got shot in the back of the head with a BB gun by a clerk demonstrating the gun!  
When we would go shopping and bring my grandma along, she would sit by the birdcage and chain-smoke unfiltered Camels while we shopped.  She loved to people-watch.  Yup, great memories! Woolworth's was my favorite store when I was little! Two floors of "neat junk." 
Skipping School in the late 70'sOh yes, it looked very similar to the version in this picture in 1979-80.  I was part of the "burnout" crowd in high school. I skipped class constantly in my 10th grade year and spent the rest of high school in summer school so I could graduate. We would take a bus to Southdale and I'd cash my hard earned McDonald's paycheck at a bank somewhere near the York steakhouse, which was the big hangout at the time.  We sit in a booth in the back near the doors, smoking all afternoon. There was an arcade in the basement near the post office area and across from the County Seat. There was also a Musicland down there.  Once and a while we'd eat at the Dayton's restaurant upstairs or the Woolworth lunch counter.  I also recall from earlier trips in the 70's with Mom and my sister a restaurant/Deli called The Brothers and Red Owl as well as a Snyder's, where I went to a big going out of business sale around 1975. Another favorite (maybe this is still there?) was Spencer Gifts. The Southdale Theater (where I saw "Purple Rain") was across the street with the great bowling alley next door.  Those were also major high school hangouts. Great memories.  I can't go there anymore without nostalgia for the birdcages and goldfish pond, and that wonderful art deco style.
Come on down!I was 13 years old when Southdale opened. I saw Bob Barker host a TV game show there. I got his autograph on the steps leading down to the basement where the zoo and shoe repair shop was. This TV show was very exciting to me -- it made an impression. I became a New York-LA TV director. My friends and I also put firecrackers in the planters hanging down from the send [?] floor.
Oh My GoodnessFirst job? Busing tables at The Brothers. There was an open-air restaurant in the courtyard; Dayton's had the "fancy" restaurant. In the basement there was a shoe repair place and then a games arcade. Man, I loved growing up at Southdale.
Mall ZooI heard there once was a zoo in the basement of the mall.  Does anyone know about this?
Milwaukee "Mall"It appears you are referring to what today is known as the Grand Avenue Mall, sadly in decline since its rebirth in the early-1980s.  I shuttled various documents to and from the construction site on a regular basis at that time.
But prior to its conversion, the oldest of the buildings comprising the GA Mall was known as the Plankinton Arcade.  Yes, there are references that mention it being considered a "shopping center", its construction being 1915.  As to it being enclosed, yes; as to it being climate-controlled, maybe if the windows were opened in the Beer City's humid summer to catch a delightful lake breeze and hope the winds didn't shift to the stockyards in the Valley.
In Milwaukee the first shopping mall, albeit outdoor, was Southgate, located off the corner of South 27th Street (US Highway 41) and Morgan Avenue, and opened in 1951.  At about the time in the early-1970s Northridge (now demolished) and Southridge were constructed Southgate was converted to an enclosed mall, but is now long gone, recently the site of another superlative, that of the first Super Wal-Mart in Milwaukee County.  
This metro area's first enclosed shopping mall as I recall was Brookfield Square in 1968, still in existence today and from all appearances doing well.
Parakeets, new shoes and cheeseburgers in paradiseIn my family, Southdale circa 1960 was much more than a mall. My mother called it "The Cities," because it was as far as she was willing to drive on those "crazy" city highways.  35W was out of the question, but 494 to France Ave exit was tolerable (unless we hit RUSH HOUR).   We lived on a farm, about an hour away, and before Southdale, the only outings were to school, church and occasional food shopping at the Red Owl, the Meat Market and the Variety Store with the cranky storekeeper who always thought we were stealing stuff.
But Southdale, Wow! I was 5 years old, the youngest of four children, and twice a year, we would make the great journey to "Emerald City." Dayton's was Mom's favorite store, and for a farm wife, my mother had impeccable taste.  Donaldson's came in second, and then  Jack & Jill -- a small boutique with pricey, well-tailored children's clothing. Lunch was always at Woolworths, and our order was always the same. "HamburgerFrenchfriesMalt" (spoken so fast and with such excitement it sounded like ONE word);  I remember the clattering of plates, the whir of the blender, the bar stools at the counter. Waiting for the food, we could check out the parakeets & goldfish.
My oldest sister convinced my mother to purchase a parakeet, cage, & and all the accoutrements. We had that bird for years, and when he died we headed back for a second.  This time, the bird died in his little paper travel carton before we even got home -- and since we only went to "The Cities" twice a year, my mother decided to freeze it along with the receipt until our next trip six months later.  How strange to present a frozen parakeet back to the store for a refund.  While the clerk was surprised to see the frozen parakeet, she did offer us another bird in exchange.
A few years later, Southdale became a whole new adventure when my best friend's aunt drove just the two of us, and I bought my first long-playing album at Musicland, Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence." After that, my friend convinced me we should be drinking coffee and gossiping, or at least pretending to gossip, since none of our friends were old enough to be scandalous.   Then we smoked Chesterfield Kings in random Southdale "Ladies" rooms and we both felt like we were going to throw up.
Southdale! Never stopped to think about it, but Southdale was, and will always be, among my fondest childhood memories. "The Cities."
Southdale MemoriesBoy this pic brings back memories. My family moved to Mpls in 1956 when I was about 3, so my earliest memories date from about 1960 or so. I later worked as a dishwasher and soda jerk at the Walgreen's on the upper level facing 66th street. They had a soda grill, as did most drug stores of that era, and the Woolworth's had a cafe as well. My first exposure to Chinese food was at the tiny little Half Moon restaurant, although I think initially I would order hamburgers, which were on the menu for fussy American kids. Behind the escalators in the picture was an "outdoor" restaurant. There was a Fanny Farmer on the second floor to the left. Southdale was THE place to hang out when you were a kid or teenager, especially the arcade in the basement.
Southdale in the 1950sI grew up just a few blocks from Southdale. I was about 3 years old when it was built. My mom and I would walk there about once a week. Dayton's and Woolworth's were fabulous! The fish pond was fun, but seemed to sport dead fish frequently (wondered if they weren't poisoned from the coins being dropped in there). Christmastime was unbelievable! The tallest trees, the biggest bulbs, and Santa ... oh, Santa!!
The line to see him, and the crowds were amazing!  There was the Courtside Cafe, and oh so many shops! I shopped there for all my Christmas gifts, and worked there in my teen years. We didn't hang out there too much as to the crowds. We hung out more at Bridgeman's ice Cream Shop and Nelson's FireSide Pizza both in Richfield. They used to host fireworks in the parking lot for the Fourth of July. They didn't have too many, but, still it was fascinating.
Many kids learned how to drive in the east parking lot. With all the curlicue and ribbon styled roadways within the parking lot, it was an exciting way to practice steering those big '56 Chevys! The parking lot markers of foxes, bears and lions were interesting, too. I would love to see a picture of Christmastime at Southdale from the 1950s. Thanks for all your posts -- they've been fun to read!
Back when ...In those days people still used to dress up, at least to a reasonable degree, to go out to a public place like this. Compare to today's Walmarts, for instance. We have become a nation of slobs.
Another early mallThose of us who grew up in the Boston area were told that Shopper's World in Framingham was "the first mall." It was not, however, enclosed. And I suspect that dozens of other places made the same claim. 
I had a very pleasant date there in the 1970s. 
I just discovered that it was demolished in 1994. Sic transit gloria mundi. 
The World of TomorrowForecast by the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Attention, ShoppersThe first structure in the United States that might legitimately be called a shopping mall is probably the Westminster Arcade in Providence, RI, opened in 1828 and still extant, albeit recently converted into residential "micro-lofts." It's a marvelous building, all the more wonderful for still being around.
[The shopping arcades of the 19th century, being arcades, are just what that term implies  -- covered passageways, and not malls, a term that originally meant an open-air promenade. The suburban shopping plazas of the early 1950s -- rows of stores facing each other across landscaped malls -- were the immediate forebears of the enclosed, roofed shopping mall. - Dave]
Southdale Shopping Center: Calling for IntervieweesMy name is Zinnia Ramirez and I am a student at the University of California, Irvine. I am a third year journalism major and as one of my big projects we are tasked with writing a narrative reconstruction (recounting the events in a narrative storytelling style to paint an image of what happened in a particular instance in history) about an event in history (big or small), I decided as I was looking through the web that I wanted to reconstruct the Southdale 1956 Richfield Edina Shopping Mall in opening day. One of the larger elements is, to have narrative voices from people who experienced the allure of Southdale, possible describe a day there, the atmosphere, stores, etc. So if anyone remembers what opening day was like, I would love to talk!
Thank you for your time.
Zinnia
(LIFE, Stores & Markets)

Crawford Street Bridge: 1906
Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1906. "Crawford Street bridge." 8x10 inch dry ... is no longer there. It was replaced when they moved the Providence River around in the late '80s and early '90s. The current bridge ... Watching the world go by Or at least watching Providence go by. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi Well at least one building ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2017 - 6:10pm -

Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1906. "Crawford Street bridge." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Ah Relief!  I think that guy on the left end of the bridge is scratching his back on the rail spears. I love that cast iron facade on the Cooper & Sisson building.  That era of buildings is quickly disappearing.
They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking LotMost of the buildings seem in the Shorpy view are long gone. Mostly to parking lots. The tall whitish building on the left is still there, along Memorial Blvd. Bing Maps tells me it's now the location of Amica Mutual Insurance. The bridge has been replaced with a pair of hump-backed spans. 
Modern photo (found online) by "peplance"
Ready for breakfastFruit, butter, cheese, eggs, tea and coffee.
No longer thereThe old Crawford Street Bridge, the one that had the distinction as being the world's widest, is no longer there. It was replaced when they moved the Providence River around in the late '80s and early '90s.
The current bridge rests on some of the piers that once held up the old one. It's now the bridge south of the College Street Bridge. On Google, I think they call it South Water Street.  It's directly across from Hemmenway's Seafood Restaurant.
The bridge has since been renamed for one of the people behind the design of the new city layout.  I think it technically bring Route 44 over the river.
Where Route 6 crosses is actually part of Rt 195, and THAT bridge has been relocated to the furthest southern crossing on the new I-Way bridge. The bridge that shows Rt. 6 on Google Maps is now closed and being taken down.
WiredI've been trying to phone Alexander Brothers, but the operator said the circuits are busy. There must not be enough phone lines.
Watching the world go byOr at least watching Providence go by.
Sic Transit Gloria MundiWell at least one building still survives from the ones in the picture
Fast LaneJudging by her stride the woman on the bridge is in an awful hurry to get somewhere.
Learned SomethingI learned something from this. I thought Sic Transit Gloria Mundi meant Gloria threw up on the bus last Monday.
How'd they do that?"when they moved the Providence River"
Uhm, how did they do that? And why. 
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Providence)

Project Turnkey: 1963
February 7, 1963. Providence, Rhode Island. "Post Office employees sitting at Central Control ... E. Summerfield. The office will be built and equipped in Providence, R.I., by Intelex Systems Inc. of New York for an estimated cost of ... that Project Turnkey, the new automated post office in Providence, R.I., has "failed miserably" to meet expectations and that its cost ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/11/2022 - 12:52pm -

February 7, 1963. Providence, Rhode Island. "Post Office employees sitting at Central Control System overlooking work area." 35mm acetate negative by Thomas J. O'Halloran for the U.S. News & World Report assignment "Automated Post Office." View full size.

1959: "A Post Office Ordered With Full Automation"
        WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- Orders for the construction of "Project Turnkey," the nation's first fully mechanized Post Office, were given today by Postmaster Arthur E. Summerfield. The office will be built and equipped in Providence, R.I., by Intelex Systems Inc. of New York for an estimated cost of $20 million. Intelex, a subsidiary of International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, will then lease it to the Post Office Department for twenty years at an annual rental of $1.4 million. The mail will be entirely handled by machinery ... " (N.Y. Times, Feb. 4, 1959)
1961: "House Group Finds Automated P.O. 'Fails Miserably' "
        A House subcommittee charged yesterday that Project Turnkey, the new automated post office in Providence, R.I., has "failed miserably" to meet expectations and that its cost to the Government appears to be "grossly excessive." (Washington Post, March 2, 1961)
Not Stamped OutThe post office promoted Operation Turnkey  with its own stamp in 1960, but startup problems prompted the next postmaster to suggest "knocking out the 'n' in turnkey". They must have eventually made it work, because they still process mail there today.


Hold the starch!I thought it was a dry cleaners!  lol
500 million letters CAN be wrongThat's how much First Class Postage $20M would have bought in 1959; rates had gone up that year, and it was the start of a trend: postage inflation - 15 fold - is about twice that of the CPI.
GSA Chairs AND a Radio?I love those old GSA chairs, complete with the worn-through armrests.  I can remember how they felt to sit in, and even how they rolled across the floor.
But on the console, behind the guy on the right, do I spy an AM/FM tuner?  Something to pacify those on the floor who have to undo whatever the Turnkey did?
Reminds meOf Homer Simpson’s workplace.
Another triumph of government contracting?I wonder if the USPS conducted a best-value examination of bids before awarding the contract, or required a satisfactory demonstration using the actual messy variety of mail before accepting the project, or formally inspected the operation before the contractor's warranty expired, or asked for a performance bond. Who knows? Anyone care to guess?
[There was no USPS until the 1970s; before then it was the Post Office Department. - Dave]
Who thinks up these names?Hearing "Project Turnkey" reminds me that Homer Simpson got his job as a safety inspector at the nuclear power plant through "Operation Bootstrap."
Sixty Years Later ...It is now 60+ years later and the system is still not fixed. Sure, they can deliver junk mail with amazing grace and speed, but try getting an important letter or package just next door and they will lose it or destroy it nearly every time, sometimes both.
["Nearly every time"? Certainly not. In my own personal and business experience, the U.S. postal system is quite reliable. - Dave]
I see the problem:Too many clipboards, not enough screens.
Anecdotal storiesSeeing comments about lost or destroyed items in the post... I often wonder if most are anecdotal at best or outright fabrications at worst.  
I'm 59 years old and can only recall two times that I've ever experienced anything that was lost in the mail and only one time an item was damaged and it was more due to poor packaging and sending the item as "Media Mail".
Even at the cost of a stamp today (58 cents), it's still an amazing deal.  How in the world can you justify complaining about the cost of sending a letter across the country, usually in 2-3 days, for such a pittance?  Clearly no inkling of the logistics involved.
Project Turnkey (poor choice of names) was ahead of it's its time.
(Technology, The Gallery, News Photo Archive, Providence)

A Pleasant Prospect: 1906
Circa 1906. "Prospect Street. Providence, Rhode Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... Map Go Prov! Great to see a rare picture of Providence. Lovin' it! I just wish they still had those old lamp and horse ... of the street luge starting line when the X-Games came to Providence. For years after you could still find four numbered lanes painted ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 4:27pm -

Circa 1906. "Prospect Street. Providence, Rhode Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Admissions OfficeThe building on the left is now the Woods Gerry Gallery and Admissions Office for the Rhode Island School of Design. Still a beautiful building.
I know this place!That house is now the Woods-Gerry Gallery of the Rhode Island School of Design at 62 Prospect Street. I held my senior thesis show there.
The admissions and tpresident's office were also in this building, I believe. The building still looks very much the same with lots of nice shade trees all around. It is said to be haunted, too.
Still ThereGo North on Prospect from Olive, it's on the left. Great old building!!
104 years afterI think this is the place nowadays, isn't?
View Larger Map
Go Prov!Great to see a rare picture of Providence. Lovin' it! I just wish they still had those old lamp and horse posts around. This picture was made into a color postcard.
[A good example of how Detroit Publishing used these images. - Dave]

HP Lovecraft's home street.At least I'm pretty sure he lived on Prospect at some point in his early life.
Pop. 0Isn't it strange that so many old photos are void of people?
Or have we adjusted to our current 300 million  population?
[I count four people here, and a horse. I was just out on my street in the metro Washington area and didn't see anybody! - Dave]
Tree still there also.Look closely at the first tree on the right and compare it to the one in the Street View pic that the other guy posted. Same tree!!
X-Games Here Years LaterThis very spot is the location of the street luge starting line when the X-Games came to Providence.  For years after you could still find four numbered lanes painted on the street there.  Just down the road and around the corner on Angell Street is the steepest downhill run in town.
(The Gallery, DPC, Providence)

Exchange Place: 1910
Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1910. "Exchange Place." Bring your motor-car. ... The plaza is Kennedy Plaza, if I remember my time in Providence, its the main bus depot now. That beautiful building to the left is ... Charles J Jager Company Located at 33 Canal Street in Providence they also had offices in Springfield and Boston MA, they were ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/21/2012 - 12:07pm -

Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1910. "Exchange Place." Bring your motor-car. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Kennedy PlazaThe plaza is Kennedy Plaza, if I remember my time in Providence, its the main bus depot now.  That beautiful building to the left is gone, as well as all the ones on the right along the road.
Monumental EffortIt appears from looking at Google, that the monument has turned 90 degrees or so counterclockwise since 1910.  The pillared building in the background, along with the church steeple, are still there but the figure atop the monument is facing a different direction these days.
Kennedy Plaza now.Judging by this aerial view from Bing maps, the monument has been moved further away from the 4-columned US District Court building, more towards Dorrance St. Another statue seems to occupy its previous space, but I cant tell who.
[Other statues in the Plaza are the Burnside and the Young monuments. - tterrace]
Contractor TrailersLove those horse-drawn contractor trailers.
AmbigyrousStill a lot of right-hand pilotage in this second decade of auto-mobiling.
Not to mention the opportunity afforded by these vehicles to commune with the weather whilst operating them. The things we take for granted nowadays... 
Best of the Season to Dave, tterace, and Shorpistas everywhere!
TP
Charles J Jager CompanyLocated at 33 Canal Street in Providence they also had offices in Springfield and Boston MA, they were manufacturers of amongst other things marine engines, water pumps, windmills and under the name of Fun-Ful children's playground equipment as seen here.
City HallThe photo was taken from the City Hall building which you see at the bottom right of J W Wright's photo.  It is indeed the main hub for RIPTA buses as babajingo says.  As today is the 49th anniversary of JFK's death, the reason why it was renamed Kennedy plaza was because he delivered his last campaign speech of the 1960 campaign on the City Hall steps probably from the same place as this photo was taken.
More about Kennedy PlazaSuch a great photo! I go through there every day on my commute.
The monument pictured has been moved several times since then, most recently within the last ten years when Kennedy Plaza was renovated. There is now another, smaller monument in the Plaza commemorating the Spanish-American War.
The park is Burnside Park, which contains a statue of General Ambrose Burnside and a beautiful fountain called the Banjotti Fountain.
The loss of those fabulous buildings is a shame, but the park on the left is even better than it was then.
Here are some more historic pictures of KP: http://www.slideshare.net/sfortunato/historic-kennedy-plaza
And here's a fun video of KP today, taken from about the same vantage point in City Hall: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=524376444248703
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Providence, Streetcars)

Remnants in Velvets: 1910
Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1910. "Westminster Street." An interesting and ... buildings seen in this photo are still standing; downtown Providence is a remarkable collection of turn-of-the-century, commercial ... wouldn't give to own one of those! (The Gallery, DPC, Providence, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 8:55pm -

Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1910. "Westminster Street." An interesting and varied cross-section of commerce with the Union Trust building as the centerpiece. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Packard GrilleThe radiator identifies the car in the foreground as a Packard.  The shape of the front of the fenders makes it a 1909 or 1910.  It definitely has a "new car" shine. 
I'd love to have one but they're a bit out of my price range. 
Let's have lunch at the AstorHas a nice ring to it.  Wonderfully eclectic mix of heights and styles and materials.  Dynamite.
Quieter, but still there.This is the corner of Dorrance Street and Westminster, viewable from street level on Google Earth for those so inclined. Most of the buildings seen in this photo are still standing; downtown Providence is a remarkable collection of turn-of-the-century, commercial architecture. These days, however, "For Lease" signs hang in lieu of many of the business signs seen in the photo.
Yikes!That window washer is a braver man than I am - leave them dirty, I say!
Window washerIt took a lot longer to wash those windows before they had the suspended stages as well as a courageous frame of mind.
Hang on!Notice the guy standing on the window sill near the center of the light brick building in the background.  Don't know what he's holding onto, but I hope he doesn't let go!  Also, anybody know what the curly white item inside a glass and metal box is near the center at the bottom of the image?
[It's a display of shirt collars. - Dave]
It's Hard To TellIf the guy washing the window in the building rising above the Danielson & Son sign is wearing some sort of safety harness. However I think I see him wearing a belt that appears fastened to both sides of the window.
Window washerNote the window washer on about the 11th floor of the tall white building.  He seems to be suspended by straps.  If he isn't, he's about to jump!  Also note the portly lady in the white apron seated next to the window near the sign for Julius Mamluck & Co.  Looks as though she is doing needlework.  A very interesting photo.  Thank you for posting.
Phony facadesFrom this perspective we can see the facades atop the building at right are like a Hollywood set- all show and no substance.  And from the size of the rather puny braces holding them in place, I wouldn't want to be down below during a earthquake or bad wind storm.
Even if that window washer didn't fallHe'd be dead by now anyway.
Great Details in Hi DefI checked out the Google view of this spot today -- wow.  It IS nice to see that some buildings from the past have been saved from the wrecker's ball; That window washer guy was amazing.  Can you imagine that kind of rig being used today?  Thanks so much for pics like these!
"Ask the man who owns one"Packard was the day's equivalent of today's Mercedes. Everything was top notch and in the utmost good taste.
What I wouldn't give to own one of those!
(The Gallery, DPC, Providence, Stores & Markets)

Proto-Mall: 1906
1906. "The Arcade -- Providence, Rhode Island." This 1828 Greek Revival structure, fronting on ... the kerfuffle outside. A Little Gem I grew up in Providence, and this is one of my favorite buildings: three floors, fancy ... to make these exposures. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, Providence, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/29/2019 - 3:29pm -

1906. "The Arcade -- Providence, Rhode Island." This 1828 Greek Revival structure, fronting on Westminster and Weybosset streets, bills itself as the first enclosed shopping mall in the United States. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
A Fine MessWhy do the gents in bowler hats all look like Stan Laurel?
Not very deepThat man in the window looks two-dimensional!
Rubbernecking From the top left window.
I wonder if he is the owner of the office, as a paid employee of this era would not have dared to peek out at the kerfuffle outside.
A Little Gem  I grew up in Providence, and this is one of my favorite buildings: three floors, fancy ironwork, skylights. You can't appreciate the inside from the rather drab outside.
It always feels like somebody's watching meLike the mustachioed man in the window.
Man in the window?Is this really a person or a perhaps a large lifelike photograph. Head and shoulders look so much larger than the man on the street (light colored jacket/barber tunic) directly below. Seems the man on the street would be closer to camera lens and therefore slightly larger.
Flat Stanley?The guy leaning out of the window looks like a cardboard cutout.
[His elongated perspective is an artifact of the view cameras with tilt-shift lenses that were used to make these exposures. - Dave]
(The Gallery, DPC, Providence, Stores & Markets)

Velocipedes R Us: 1940
December 1940. "Window display for Christmas sale. Providence, Rhode Island." "Billy" now just 89 cents! 35mm nitrate negative by ... Bicycle Co.) store located at 57 Washington Street in Providence. It was run by Nathaniel C. Cohen into the 1930s, but his name ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:49pm -

December 1940. "Window display for Christmas sale. Providence, Rhode Island." "Billy" now just 89 cents! 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size.
Grumpy GrandpaThe gent on the far end of the window shoppers. Maybe he thinks the prices are too steep. Or maybe he recalls how he got along with just a barrell hoop and a stick.
Red ScooterI had a red scooter just like the ones in the window. Black rubber handles. Even had the bell!
Fire engineI want the fire engine.  I could also be talked into the red scooter!!
I Thought so!So that beat up, bent, rusty scooter I got to play with as a kid was all shiny and did have a bell once upon a time.  Being the last kid in the family is a bummer. It even had hand grips.
No Scooter for meWe couldn't afford a scooter, so we did the next best thing - took a 2x4 - nailed two halves of a shoe skate to the bottom - attached a wooden produce box to the front and voila, a scooter, if you were really handy you put two empty tunafish cans on the front of the produce box to serve as headlights.
Two By For Me TooHey Fun2BeMe, I had the 2 by 4 and old shoe skate scooter, it was great fun till the pavement wore down those metal wheels. I want to know what that Volkswagen Van-looking thing is below the fire engine. Is it a bicycle fairing of some sort? Notice the semi-subliminal sales technique of using the word "Buy" twice, one just above the other, on the window sign and the monkey's price tag. I remember shops like this back in the fifties, they always had the good stuff.
LocatedThis was the Rhode Island Bicycle Company (R.I. Bicycle Co.) store located at 57 Washington Street in Providence.  It was run by Nathaniel C. Cohen into the 1930s, but his name stops showing up in the city directories in the early 1930s.  I didn't find the name of the next owner.
The front of the store, as well as the bicycle with the wind deflector/fairing attached can be seen here.  The building is long gone.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Christmas, Jack Delano, Providence, Stores & Markets)

Gorham Silversmiths: 1906
Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1906. "Gorham Manufacturing Co." 8x10 inch dry ... in 1986. It was designated a National Historic Site, and Providence acquired it in 1992 at a tax foreclosure sale. After trying for six ... were demolished. (The Gallery, DPC, Factories, Providence, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/19/2011 - 12:48am -

Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1906. "Gorham Manufacturing Co." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
A League of their OwnThe Ivy walls and the lawns make it look more like a college campus than a workshop. 
Industrial ParkEven the railroad track is well manicured.  The sign on the roof is fairly new, since Gorham moved its New York showroom to 5th Ave. in 1905.
The 37 acre factory complex was closed in 1986. It was
designated a National Historic Site, and Providence acquired it in 1992 at a tax foreclosure sale. After trying for six years to find a developer, the buildings were demolished.
(The Gallery, DPC, Factories, Providence, Railroads)

The Purse-Makers: 1912
November 1912. Providence, Rhode Island. "Girls 6, 9 and 11 years old, working on chain-bags ... I'll bet it was even cooler looking when it was new. Providence is full of fascinating streets and buildings. Someone once called it ... film-noir city". (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Providence) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 6:23pm -

November 1912. Providence, Rhode Island. "Girls 6, 9 and 11 years old, working on chain-bags in home of Mrs. Antonio Caruso, 132 Knight Street." Imaged from a glass negative taken by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
They paved "paradise"... and put up a parking lot.
View Larger Map
Tiny, tiny rings!I make chain mail for medieval reenactment.  Because of my fondness for all things chain, one of my friends gave me a brass chain purse from the 20's to restore.  The wire is so small and the rings so tiny, I needed to buy jeweler's pliers to work with them.  Amazing pieces of craftsmanship, and easily made by anyone of any age.  I can imagine children had a much better go of it, what with their smaller hands and all.
Thanks for sharing!  I need to go play with that chain purse when I get home, now!
Great-Grandma's HandbagsMy great grandmother had a couple of those lovely purses, which were eventually mounted in a shadow box for display in my mother's house.  
All these years admiring them, it never occurred to me that they may very well have been the product of child labour.
Google MapsIn my travels using the wonderful GoogleMap system, I've found that, oftentimes, the house number listed by Google does not always correspond with the picture of the house being shown. The number/house discrepancy can be off by a huge amount, sometimes.
So # 132 might easily be the house to the left of the lot - or even further on down the street.
Turn the camera to look across the street at that brick house. Cool house! I'll bet it was even cooler looking when it was new.
Providence is full of fascinating streets and buildings. Someone once called it "the perfect film-noir city".
(The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Providence)

A Quiet Night: 1977
... phenomena. This architecture could be from Boston, Providence or New Haven and I am hardly surprised to read it is Medford. My ... 
 
Posted by rizzman1953 - 05/04/2012 - 10:17pm -

Medford, Mass., circa 1977. Marion Street about 2 a.m. around the corner from my house. It was fall and the leaves were just turning over a Pinto wagon with fake wood paneling. I took this for a class at the New England School of Photography.  The exposure was about a minute with a 4x5 view camera. The wind hardly moved. It was a truly beautiful timeless moment. View full size.
Those Big Treesare long gone now.
Great work.Enjoyed that take.
Pinto wagon being turned overI bet the police were not amused.
Another Great ContributionThanks rizzman1953 for another great photo.
ThanksGreat shot!
Oh yesI love this.  If I could climb into that photo, I would.
Mighty good work, indeed.The street looks so peaceful.
Pinto SquireRizzman, this photo, and the previous We're the Nuts: 1970s, are fantastic both for their technical expertise as well as for  genuinely capturing the feeling of an era and place. 
Before even reading the caption, I sensed this photo was New England - In my experience, multifamily houses with two-story screened porches are a Northeast phenomena. This architecture could be from Boston, Providence or New Haven and I am hardly surprised to read it is Medford.  My grandparents owned a similar house and the second-story front screened porch was my favorite place to play, as well as my grandfather's favorite place to smoke a stogie. 
A Pinto Squire wagon with faux wood-grain siding - what could be more emblematic of the 70s?
Love this shotReally nice! This makes me want to dig out some of my 4x5 negs that I shot back in the early 70's. Still have the camera too. Sometimes I hear it calling to me from the closet saying, "take me out tonight," but just as I reach for the case it adds, "and get me a digital back while you're at it." 
My neighborhood?No, not really--I am in Oregon.  However, our neighbors have that exact same model Pinto, down to the "genuine faux wood" on the sides!
Great Lighting and MoodWithout the automobiles, this image could just as well have been taken months ago in any older northeastern neighborhood. Which speaks of the image quality of the photo. But the cars help to date this photo precisely. 
This was a time that in retrospect was much simpler, though it didn't seem so at the time. 
Good-Eye!Wow, interesting photos, Rizzman.
You've got a good-eye...please keep them coming.
Hope you're documenting this Century for the 'Shorpy-Type' viewers of the future.
Disco InfernoMy friend had a Pinto back in the late 1970s. She had a bumper-sticker on it that said "INFLAMMABLE".
Fantastic shotThe tone of the leaves in the trees almost make it look as if they were photographed with B&W Infrared film.
I was bummedwhen looking at this photo, and your previous one, not to see the link for "Buy Fine-Art Print"! 
DoppelgängerI grew up in a section of Queens, NYC named Woodhaven - and it was. Your shot perfectly captures the tone of curfew-dodging walks home from Forest Park, hand in hand, the utter stillness of those nights on which we didn't even speak loudly out of respect for those in bed. Her name was Christine. 
Feel the peace and quietIt goes without saying that this magnificent photo depicts the cool serenity of a New England autumn night with everyone asleep except for perhaps a lone dog barking at the sound of the photographer.  Tomorrow must be trash day as most residents remembered to put their garbage on the curb for early pickup.  I wonder if the mattress and box spring left for disposal came from the Texas Mattress Co. we saw just last week (Nah! It would be 38 years old, not to mention the long commute).  
I can't stop looking.This photograph is Literature.
Not To Be Corny -- But I Got WeepyLike another poster, I was raised in Queens -- Middle Village, New York.  I grew up in the 1970s and, like many teenagers in quiet towns, loved to take long walks at night.  That photo could have been taken during one of my wanderings.  Something about the quiet, and the quality of light, the sense of awareness in a sleeping town.  It's a very evocative photo, not just because of my deeply personal reasons for loving it.  I'm also deeply appreciative of your previous, gas station photo.
For some reason, there has not been a nostalgia for the 70s as evinced for that of the 30s through the 60s -- even the 80s!  However, there was a quality to the 70s, perhaps a sense of the nation collectively catching its breath after the turbulent 60s, that was quite special.
A perfect compositionI lived in a neighborhood like this in New Haven in the 70s. Like so many others, I find this photo releases a flood of memories. Beautiful work.
Right out of an early Spielberg movieThe 1970s was a good time to be a kid.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

Penny-Pitchers: 1912
November 1912. "Pitching Pennies. Providence, Rhode Island. For Child Welfare Exhibit." Photograph by Lewis ... by different rules. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Providence) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 6:23pm -

November 1912. "Pitching Pennies. Providence, Rhode Island. For Child Welfare Exhibit." Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
Child Welfare ExhibitAn example of how Hine organized and presented his photos:

No Penny Rolling!When we pitched pennies we would stand or kneel behind a line and each take a turn pitching our pennies against the bottom of a wall. The owner of the penny that came to rest closest to the wall got to keep all of the other pennies. If two pennies ended up as "touchers," the loot was split. No "rollers" or "scooters" allowed. The pennies had to hit the wall before hitting the ground. A good technique was to flip the coins toward the wall in hopes that the penny would strike the wall on the flat side and slide down the wall to come to rest very close to the wall. These boys seem to be playing by different rules. 
(The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Providence)

Spruce Street: 1912
November 1912. Providence, Rhode Island. "Spruce Street. Tiny girl with big bag she is ... correlation. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Providence) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 6:22pm -

November 1912. Providence, Rhode Island. "Spruce Street. Tiny girl with big bag she is carrying home." Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
Where's the spittoon?Do they expect people to walk around with a cheek full of spit and resist the urge? I tell ya, things have not changed a bit--except we don't have signs pleading with spitters to zip it.
Sack it to me!I like to think that the sack is full of hair clippings from the barbershop they're in front of. That'd be easier of her than coal or potatoes.
I promiseI will not spit on the sidewalk.I will not spit on the sidewalk. I will not spit on the sidewalk ...
I Heart This PhotoAt first glance, I thought the little girl was carrying a giant "Heart" or some festive decoration.  This photograph has great tonalities, in addition to the social documentation originally intended.
Do Not Spit...on the sidewalk. Can't make out how much the fine is.
Cool sign.
Damn shameI don't know when they did away with fines for spitting (or maybe they haven't and just don't enforce them), but too bad. It's disgusting both to encounter the end product and to witness the doing of. The reasons began as a prevention of the spread of TB, of course, but with the rise in new and resistant strains, I wonder if a return of the spitting ban might not be a good idea.
Someone should do a study about teens and spitting. Judging from the fact that some teens seem to spit about as often as they take a breath, there must be some puberty/saliva production correlation.
(The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Providence)

Frisbee Moxie Witch House: 1906
... fled Salem under religious persecution, and founded Providence Plantations, which eventually became The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It is the smallest state in the US, and has the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 2:41pm -

Salem, Mass., circa 1906. "The Old Witch House." Spells, signs and portents, with an emphasis on signs. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size.
Prefer to digest it myselfPre-digested beef?  Yum.
True storyMy grandfather was a travelling sales rep for Dr True's Elixir. It was a laxative, and my mother says it was delicious.
Brockton FairThere is a poster in the plumber's window for the Brockton Fair.  Do you think a lot of people travelled from Salem to Brockton for a fair back in 1906?  Maybe so, as the Brockton fair back then must have been more of an agricultural meeting place.
[Brockton was a factory town. - Dave]
Roger Williams HouseRoger Williams fled Salem under religious persecution, and founded Providence Plantations, which eventually became The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.  It is the smallest state in the US, and has the longest name.  
Interesting to see this image of his house in Salem! 
40 ProofFrom the California State Journal of Medicine, November 1904:
Mulford's Predigested Beef -- "A concentrated predigested food containing the entire nutritive value of beef in a completely digested form, ready for immediate absorption into the system."
Analysis shows 19.72 per cent by volume of alcohol, 10.39 per cent by weight of total solids, which yield 0.20 per cent of mineral matter. The maximum administration recommended, that is, two tablespoonfuls every two hours, disregarding the proviso "or as needed," would yield daily about 1.25 ounces of nutriment and the alcoholic equivalent of about six ounces of whisky, which might well be regarded as hardly adequate as an exclusive diet, in the diseases above mentioned or in any other condition of the system. [One cannot but wonder whether the formulas of the above disclose the quantity of whisky equivalent contained in them. -Ed.]
Parlor entranceYou will need a ladder to get to the second floor window entrance to the witch house parlors. Unless of course you are supposed to fly up on your broom.
[The main entrance was on a side street, through Upton & Frisbee. - Dave]
Dr. TrueLooks like Abe Lincoln.  
Postcard ViewFound on Wikipedia.
[Note the added pedestrian. These colorized postcards were Detroit Publishing's bread and butter; the company owned the patent on the Photochrom process used to produce them. The starting point for each was a giant 8x10 glass negative, thousands of which now reside in the Library of Congress archives. The "view full size" images you see here are Shorpy are, generally speaking, the first time these photographs have ever been seen in all their high-resolution goodness. - Dave]

X-ZaliaRemoves Relieves, Inflammation, Eczema, Cold? Sores, and other stuff I can't read.

Brockton FairYes, Brockton was a factory town. Once the largest maker of shoes around. The factories are gone but the Brockton Fair still takes place every year.
Fletcher's CastoriaMy mother had a bottle of Castoria castor oil. What in the world is predigested beef?
Salem Witch SpoonsBeginning in 1890, touristic fascination with the Salem Witch House was matched by a contemporary craze for the sterling silver "Salem Witch" souvenir spoons designed and marketed worldwide via catalog sales by Salem's Daniel Low & Co. Although the witch spoons were not the first American souvenir spoons, they were so popular that the whole American souvenir spoon craze is usually credited to their introduction. Here's Low's "first and second Witch" souvenir handle designs. A detailed history can be found here.
Witch House ParlorsMain entrance to the Witch House was through Upton & Frisbee.
Whatever worksInteresting props for the two top windows--a vase on the right, can't tell on the left one.
To cure a cold in one dayand the formula has been lost to this day.
I know that guy!Hey! That feller standing in the Castoria window sure does look like Teddy Roosevelt, wouldn't you say?
Prop DepartmentThat object holding up the top left window looks like a candle mold to me. 
WillCThank you for that link! Those spoons kick all kinds of butt.
Wondrous elixir."Dr. True's Elixir / Cures Children's Complaints / Expels Worms".
Good to know.
Daniel Low's Silver CatalogsMany thanks to Bink, and, if you like odd silver and you've never seen a Low & Company catalog, y'aint seen nuttin yet! Salem's Daniel Low did for sterling silver sales what Richard Sears did for just about everything else. The Salem Witch spoons became a collecting fad because of Low's innovative and aggressive advertising and catalog promotions, placing mail order direct sales ads in hundreds of newspapers, and publishing an annual catalog. The illustrated catalogs featured a dizzying array of silver "toys," thousands of small personal accessories, gadgets and jewelry, with an emphasis on eye-catching novelty designs. Below is the Salem Witch page from the 1901 catalog, which is widely available in a facsimile reprint. Harvard's Baker Library has Low's entire 1917 "Fiftieth Anniversary" catalog online here.
(The Gallery, DPC, Salem, Stores & Markets)

Gorham: The Sequel
Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1906. "Gorham Manufacturing Co." 8x10 inch dry ... with railroad employees nearby. (The Gallery, DPC, Providence, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/19/2011 - 12:47am -

Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1906. "Gorham Manufacturing Co." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
To tell a cautionary taleDoes everybody know what the contraption hanging over the middle track is?  It was known as a "telltale," and would warn any trainman walking on top of a train from front to rear that a bridge or other low clearance point was ahead, and coming up behind them.  Upon being brushed by the hanging ropes, an employee would immediately lie down until it was safe to stand up again.
Together againThe panorama.

My Gosh!Hobo complete with bindle!
Track GangThe fellow in the foreground is more likely a member of a track gang. The other two members are further ahead on the opposite track. He was known as a track walker. His job was to walk along the tracks and inspect them. He is carrying a spiking sledgehammer. This had a sledge head on one side and a spike pulling claw on the other. As he walks along, if he sees a spike lifting up from the tie plate. He uses the sledge to tap it back down. A hobo wouldn't risk walking down the center of the gauge with railroad employees nearby.
(The Gallery, DPC, Providence, Railroads)

Midnight Crap Game: 1912
November 23, 1912. Providence, Rhode Island. "A midnight crap game in the street near the Post ... times were changing. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Providence) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 6:23pm -

November 23, 1912. Providence, Rhode Island. "A midnight crap game in the street near the Post Office. One 12 years old, one 14. One had been shooting here a couple of hours." View full size. Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine.
ShootingBack then kids in the city shot craps at night...Now they shoot each other.
Shoes... I think the shoes are interesting.. Weren't the shoes on the left the type that needed a tool to buckle up? Whereas the ones on the right were laces.. no extra tool.  The times were changing. 
(The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Providence)

Urban Oasis: 1905
1905. "In Roger Williams Park -- Providence, Rhode Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Landscapes, Providence) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/28/2020 - 11:40am -

1905. "In Roger Williams Park -- Providence, Rhode Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.
So SweatyHow utterly suffocating their attire must have been. I mean, they look elegant and dashing, but it just seems miserable when you compare it to today's dress. Heck, even in comparison to the 1950s. The Roaring '20s fashions must have been a revelation.
Makeshift infrastructure? The tree limb, stump and wire all appear to an "on the fly" installation of a communication  or power wire.  I have early 1900's prewar guides "For the installation of wires" that show these techniques, sans the park bench.
[It would have been used to draw water from the well. - Dave]
Where did you get that hat? The millinery atop their heads must have made them walk straighter. 
SwingsI love how the swings across the pond are adult-sized.  That might get more people out to the parks nowadays.   
Yikes!That's one heck of a fishing pole.
RubbishI remember my grandfather called it that. Not a term you hear very often nowadays. 
Just Wondering Just wondering if in 100 years people will be saying the same things about our clothes. Time to watch H.G. Wells' " The Time Machine" film with Rod Taylor.
Duck RoostAt first glance thought some ducks had roosted in the middle lady's hat. But even if they had, she probably wouldn't have noticed until she got home.
Deposit Rubbish HereSays the sign on the forlorn-looking wooden wastebin on the right. A practise not particularly endorsed by the park-goers, judging by the trash lying around. Kind of ruined the otherwise idyllic scene for me.
[If only you had been there to guide them. - Dave]
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Landscapes, Providence)

Republican Street: 1912
November 23, 1912. Providence, Rhode Island. "Housing conditions, rear of Republican Street." ... Street" before long. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Providence) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 6:23pm -

November 23, 1912. Providence, Rhode Island. "Housing conditions, rear of Republican Street." View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine.
The more things change...I guess we will all be on "Republican Street" before long.
(The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Providence)

70 Borden Street: 1912
November 1912. Providence, Rhode Island. "Privies and clothesline, 70 Borden Street. For child ... lot was an improvement. (The Gallery, Lewis Hine, Providence) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 6:23pm -

November 1912. Providence, Rhode Island. "Privies and clothesline, 70 Borden Street. For child welfare exhibit." View full size. Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine.
Pave paradiseand put in a parking lot:
View Larger Map
Fool's ParadiseNever thought I'd say this:
The parking lot was an improvement. 
(The Gallery, Lewis Hine, Providence)

Seven Up: 1942
... homes in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Maine, and Providence, and anything by Marion Post Wolcott. And along the way, I have ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/26/2022 - 1:25pm -

        Happy Valentine's Day from Shorpy, who made his very first post 15 years ago today, back in 2007.
John Vachon shot eight exposures of this fellow in Grand Island, Nebraska, in May 1942, and none of them has a caption, so you'll just have to use your imagination. View full size.
Time Flies and then gets blurry ...Only 15 years! Feels like at least 20 plus to me. I found the site early on, finally signed up a few years later and have enjoyed almost every post. 
Dicey InspirationThat the big dice begat the idea for Giant Jenga is unlikely but the dice would be easier to tote.
Curiouser and curiouserMany years ago, as a neophyte blogger, I Googled something like, "best blogs to read" ... and a shortish list popped up that purported to comprise the absolutely essential blogs of the day. Besides Shorpy, I remember only two others: The Everywhereist, and one whose name I'd rather not mention. The only one I have visited more than once is Shorpy; I took one look and was hooked, and yes, it is essential to me. Much appreciation, Dave, for the knowledge and hours of enjoyment you have added to my life with this great work. 
As for today's photo, I don't know from giant dice games but our mystery man does have a fistful of folding money. Maybe he's betting his shadow that with the right combination, the door will open. Mr. Vachon must have had some extra time on his hands.
Open open openThe early combination lock.
Thanks Dave for the past 15!
You think those dice are bigYou ought to see his windshield.
Baby needs a new pair of shoes!Love may be a crapshoot, but Shorpy is a sure thing. For me it's been 13 years 29 weeks at the Shorpy table.
Virtual MonopolyHe's trying to get to "Park Place" in a game of Virtual Monopoly?
Hang OnYou ever think that maybe the dice are normal size, and the man being shown is actually only about a foot tall? Some government experiment gone awry in Nebraska, The "Grand Island Project" or something akin?
Okay, maybe not. 
My proposed captionsSweets Bayne of Grand Island, Nebraska says he wants the cops to catch him playing craps.
Sweets Bayne of Grand Island, Nebraska ordered loaded dice; didn't read the fine print.
Sweets Bayne of Grand Island, Nebraska has to stand on his money when it's his turn to roll.
A few years too early, but . . . Our mystery man looks like Richard Widmark as the horrible Tommy Udo in "Kiss of Death" (1947).
Happy Anniversary and ThanksYou can't imagine (or maybe you can) how much I enjoy Shorpy. It's my first stop every morning, and I especially enjoy visits to my current and former homes in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Maine, and Providence, and anything by Marion Post Wolcott. And along the way, I have learned a lot of history, geography, and photography. 
Teneha, Timpson, Bobo, and Blair!The old Houston, East and West Texas rail line ran through Shelby County, Texas and the tiny hamlets of Teneha, Timpson, Bobo, and Blair were all stops along the line. The conductors' alliterative calls announcing the train's stops were picked up by craps shooters the same way "eighter from Decatur, the county seat of Wise" was a popular Texas-based craps call when rolling an 8. 
According to lore, the craps call was diffused widely during WWII and Tex Ritter, son of nearby Panola County, had a hit song that mentioned the conductors' call.
Happy Birthday, Shorpy ... I just checked my profile and found I've been coming to this site 14 years, 17 weeks. That's a lot. Thanks Dave, Tterrace and team.
Goober Pea
Lucky Us!¡Felicidades!  Happy Anniversary!  And many thanks for all these years of wonderfully curated, engrossing photos. 
Dice memoriesI spent nearly 40 years teaching elementary PE and I used oversized, homemade dice exactly like these regularly in all sorts of games and activities. The eight foot 4x4 i chopped up way back when was a super investment. I sure miss being around those kids. They kept me young.
And a slightly belated Happy Anniversary to Shorpy and the whole crew that makes it such an interesting and essential daily stop for me. Here's to 15 more!
Shorpy was built on more than a roll of the dice.As my father used to say while shooting dice, "Papa needs a new pair of shoes!"
Adding my thanks to Dave for setting up and running Shorpy. Without Dave’s wit, knowledge, and wisdom, it would be just another “vintage photos” site. To those who have ever said or done something dumb and felt the slash of Dave’s quirt of wrath, stand proud. You have earned the right to wear Shorpy’s bloodied but unbowed, golden badge of honor. Combining all elements, Shorpy is an outstanding site that keeps people coming back for more. Thanks very much Dave, colleagues and contributors and Happy Birthday Shorpy!
[Aw shucks. Also: The "role" of the dice is to roll. - Dave]
Ha! Ya got me Dave - putting on my golden badge. Role/roll now corrected.
FloatingMy first thought was "Guys and Dolls" ...
Happy anniversary!Wishing you happines and joy from running shorpy.
Best regards.
Javier
Happy belated anniversary!I look forward, every evening, to the Shorpy post!  For me, going on 7 years. Essentially, a time machine to look back at interesting times.  I’ve learned so much from Shorpy in these 7 years.  Thank you Dave for a wonderful daily stop for all of us! 
Shorpy's tenthTo celebrate Shorpy’s fifteenth birthday, I went back to the post that celebrated the  tenth birthday.  I invite you all to go visit and read the comments from back then.  Amidst all the nostalgia of revisiting half a decade ago, I must confess to a feeling of sadness at reading the names of commenters who no longer appear.
Hooked on ShorpyI don't know if I have been a fan of the Shorpy site for 15 years but I have sure been a fan for a long time. Best Wishes to both the administrators and the other fans of Shorpy. I hope you have, at least, another 15 years of success.
Always a day lateAnd $1.36 short (inflation adjusted). Happy Birthday Shorpy, Ken, Dave, tterrace and all of us! Shorpy remains sui generis!
Thanks CommishBobI hope it's OK to say a thank you to CommishBob for what he posted to this thread. His post touched me, and I just want to thank you Commish for devoting your career to the youngsters. They no doubt loved you.
Thanks for the Memories ...   :)Dave, Thanks for all the wonderful pics you have enlightened us with over these 15 years ...  And then there's your wit too.  HAHA.
(The Gallery, Bizarre, John Vachon, Slender Man)

Union Trust: 1906
Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1906. "Union Trust building." This ... open today. Very Greek Revival. (The Gallery, DPC, Providence, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 8:57pm -

Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1906. "Union Trust building." This architectural equivalent of a dandy with a diamond stickpin practically screams "Look at me!" 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Still thereAt the corner of Westminster and Dorrance. It doesn't look to have changed very much.  Those surrounds for the windows are bizarre, to say the least, and the less said about the top floor, the better.
And it has windows that openThis architectural gem surely beats those Plain-Jane black glass high rises that are now de rigueur in most of our business districts.
Needs a little somethingThis reminds me of my niece when she was 5 yrs. old and got all dressed up for a summer family reunion cookout at her home.  She had on a metallic sequined t-shirt over a pink puffy tutu, purple tights, red sparkly sandals, a kids diamond tiara, with matching oversize earrings, a vast handful of mardi gras beads around her neck and then stuck glow-in-the-dark flourescent stickers all over her arms.  Like this building, she would not be ignored.   (Today she is a very conservative home economics teacher.)
Esthetically pleasingA truly dazzling building, the attention to detail is amazing and yet in my opinion it is never garish.  I wonder who the architects were?
Stone, Carpenter & WillsonThe designers were Stone, Carpenter & Willson, a local firm; the building went up in 1900-1901. It is an exuberant example of what was then called the "Modern French" style, now called Beaux-Arts Classicism. In the spandrel over the main entrance arch is a pair of high relief sculptures, "The Puritan and the Indian," by Daniel Chester French -- best known for the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. 
The ArcadeA few doors down you see a column building. That is The Arcade; 3 floors of stores in a semi-open atmosphere.  It is considered to be the first 'mall' in America. It is still open today. Very Greek Revival.
(The Gallery, DPC, Providence, Streetcars)
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