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Bowling Green Offices: 1919
... vacant for many years. The grand lobby hall became a post office several years later, and the building now houses a variety of tenants. ... Building) was not built as a new building in the early 1920's, but rather had a limestone facade installed over the extant brick. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/31/2013 - 2:05am -

Sept. 20, 1919. "Bowling Green Offices, New York." An interesting view of a construction site next to this early skyscraper, and what might be a new Shorpy record for ghost pedestrians. Photo by Irving Underhill. View full size.
Gambling?Is that group of men in the park to the left of the news-stand playing dice?
[I'm guessing some shoe-shining going on. -tterrace]
Still there!And still quite a grand piece of architecture:
View Larger Map
A demolition siteAt this point, as the city begins to rise from the ground. Are those buildings across the street shuddering with fear?
FascinatingThe street life and vehicles are really interesting. The lighting well in the near side of the Bowling Green Buildings shows what you would get for air circulation in the interior offices in the days before a/c, and even into the 1960's. Note the awnings on the windows in the background. 
Cunard BuildingThe building shown in the very early stages of construction in this photo became the Cunard Building, named after the famous steamship line.  In those pre-Travelocity days the usual way to book travel on one of the grand ocean liners like the original Queen Elizabeth or Queen Mary was by going to the enormous ticketing hall located in the building's lobby.  Other shipping lines and transportation-related companies rented space in the building.
Cunard moved out of the building in the late 1960's, and much of the structure actually was vacant for many years.  The grand lobby hall became a post office several years later, and the building now houses a variety of tenants.  It is located directly across the street from the famous Charging Bull statue.
Note the painted signs on the side of the Bowling Green Building.  They were lost to view when the Cunard Building went up, but chances are very good that they are still there, and still readable thanks to being protected from sunlight.  If someday the Cunard Building is demolished while the Bowling Green Building still stands, the signs will (literally) come back to light.  It has happened before: http://forgotten-ny.com/1998/05/keals-carriage-manufactory/
On both the right and left sides of the photo you can see an elevated train line.  That's the Ninth Avenue El, which ran along Greenwich Street in lower Manhattan, one block west of Broadway.  It closed around 1940 and the structure came down soon afterward. On the left of the picture there is a subway entrance in Bowling Green, serving the IRT subway line.  There is no longer an entrance at that location.
White Star Linewas located up the steps in the center of the building.  Mrs. Benjamin Guggenheim called at the White Star Line to get status of her husband following the sinking of RMS Titanic April 1912.
Still no exorcism?By 1919, one would think, advances in shutter mechanisms and the availability of faster films should have eliminated the ghost pedestrian effect without unacceptable sacrifice of resolution, unless, of course, this was taken with a humongous view camera and plates.
[It was exposed on a glass plate in a view camera, plus a small lens aperture would have been used to maximize sharpness and depth of field; all contribute to the necessity of a longer exposure time. -tterrace]
Sept. 20, 1919On this day Babe Ruth tied Ned Williamson's major league mark of 27 HRs, a record that had stood for 35 years previously. A bit over two months later, the Babe left Boston for New York and became a Yankee.
One BroadwayI had read elsewhere that the current 1 Broadway (the building to the left of the Bowling Green Building) was not built as a new building in the early 1920's, but rather had a limestone facade installed over the extant brick. Discussed in more detail in this post at ScoutingNY.   
Castle Brothers steam shovelsCastle Brothers Contractors built Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Today we would call that "local sourcing."
Wrong DirectionThe building to the left is 17 Battery Place, still standing, though the roof has been altered.  # 1 Broadway is not in the frame, and it would be to the right of this building.
[17 Battery Place is around the corner and two blocks down. -tterrace]
Aha - the subway entrance threw me.  I thought I had Battery Park not Bowling Green Park before me.
Mea Culpa.
What's the name again?Are you sure it's the Bowling Green Offices building?  I'm just not positive, there are *only* four signs that say so...  
On a side note, the construction site next door reminds me of one of my favorite childhood stores, "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel."  
Sixth Ave. lineThe elevated line in the picture is the Sixth Avenue line, on Trinity Place.  The Ninth Ave line is on parallel Greenwich St, behind those low buildings along Trinity Pl.  Out of sight behind the Bowling Green Building, the two lines come together, and run through Battery Park to South Ferry Station.  A bit of the jointly used structure is visible at the left of the picture.
The site for the Cunard Building had been acquired by the City and cleared of older buildings, for construction of the BMT subway angling across from Trinity Place (under the IRT on Broadway) to Whitehall Street.   After the subway was completed, the site was sold (with a permanent easement for the subway) and the Cunard Building built.
At the north edge of the site, 39 Broadway was the original terminal of the Metropolitan company's 6th Ave line in 1878.  The tracks curved from Trinity Place into this site and ended at Broadway.  The original intention of the Metropolitan had been to continue across Broadway into Beaver Street, and then turn north paralleling the Third Ave el.   At that time the Metropolitan was a competitor of the NY Elevated RR, which owned the 3rd and 9th Ave lines.   When the two companies merged (1880?), this terminal was abandoned and the 6th Ave line made the junction with the 9th Ave to go to South Ferry.  The company probably sold the Broadway frontage of the old terminal site, but retained a piece on the Trinity Place side, which was used for a terminal for a package express operation of the el.  A siding from the 6th Ave line went into the top floor of this building.  This would have been one of the buildings cleared for the subway construction.
Hudson Terminal was several blocks to the right, out of the picture.  (Two stops further uptown on the IRT, the BMT and the 6th Ave el).
(The Gallery, Irving Underhill, NYC, Streetcars)

Nurse Needles: 1942
... probationer must learn." Photo by Fritz Henle for the Office of War Information. View full size. A nurse is a nurse -- ... not know what school the nurses hat represents, from the 1920's to the 1970's Babies Hospital did major recruitment of nurses from Great ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/16/2014 - 10:48am -

November 1942. "Nurses in training. Babies' Hospital, New York. A graduate nurse (right) watches student Susan Petty prepare a hypodermic for a patient. Strict adherence to doctors' orders is something every probationer must learn." Photo by Fritz Henle for the Office of War Information. View full size.
A nurse is a nurse --Back in the day, you could always tell a registered nurse from a practical nurse from a nurse's assistant by their uniforms, and the stripe pattern on their caps.
Today, all that is gone, and with everyone from doctors to dish washers (no offense meant) wearing multi-color "scrubs", who knows who is who?
Candy StriperThe nursing trainee is wearing the Candy Striper uniform. While I do not know what school the nurses hat represents, from the 1920's to the 1970's Babies Hospital did major recruitment of nurses from Great Britain, Canada, and the British Empire. In the old days you saw many obscure nurses caps from many different countries. 
Hope it was sharpThis was in the days before single use needles and syringes. After Ms. Petty has given the injection, the needle and syringe would go into the autoclave.  The syringes were ready to go again after they were unwrapped but the needles generally needed a touchup on the arkansas stone.  Not every orderly had good honing skills.
Sweet SueI'm guessing that getting a shot from this lovely nurse somehow would not have been as painful as normally expected. Of course, it looks like only infants were involved in her job. Love the old school uniforms!
For 'Candy Striper'They look awfully close to what my mother used to wear so I'd say they trained at 'Columbia Presbyterian'.
Hospital UniformsAll three of my sisters work in our hometown's hospital; one is an RN, one works in admitting and the other works in the admin office. About a month ago the hospital changed the dress policy and now only staff directly involved in patient care can wear scrubs, everyone else has to wear something else. The sister who worked in admitting was ticked off by this as she had to go out and purchase new clothes for work. I can understand the need for change though, my wife has had multiple hospitalizations in the past year and it is easier on everyone if patients/family can identify the patient care staff from houskeeping or maintenance.
Needles really hurt back thenMy mother told me that when she gave birth to me by caesarian section so long ago that the needles felt like she was being stabbed by a Parker ball point pen. Made me realize what mothers have to endure from the start.
Definitely not a "Candy Striper"Candy Stripers were never, ever involved in direct patient care in such a manner. Regardless of what kind of stripes they wore. In fact, this uniform is a nursing student uniform for a school training RNs. The pattern is even completely opposite of what Candy Stripers wore. 
Candy Stripers' uniforms were a striped pinafore ~ either red or pink and white stripes ~ over a white blouse. Some earned a striped cap with a white cuff after having achieved a certain number of volunteer hours; others didnt have a cap, and earned pins for volunteer hour goals. 
You'll see that this uniform is a plain white bib apron style pinafore over the striped dress underneath. Every nursing school designed and required their students to wear the school uniform, and each had their own required manner in which it would be worn. Some wore the apron over a striped dress ~ the stripe color could vary, but was usually blue of some shade; others green or lavender, and I have also seen small checks instead of stripes; others were a solid color. Some had long sleeves, others short. The color of hosiery and shoes could vary as well. Some probationers were required to wear black hose and leather nurse's shoes, until passing their basic courses, then they could switch to white hose and shoes. Others wore the black ones all the way through; others the white from beginning to end. You can see how much variability was involved! 
Some schools even had different caps for students from what they would wear as graduate nurses. Some added a black stripe to the cap as Senior level students; others not until achieving their RN status by passing state board exams. Some schools didn't add any stripes at all, and the cap remained plain white.
Every school was different in this respect, but all of them required that probationers pass basic preliminary science and beginning nursing care courses successfully before being awarded their cap in a "Capping Ceremony" that was usually held with some degree of Pomp and Splendor. Some included the addition of the bib part of the apron to the uniform as well. The Students who did not succeed in passing those courses did not win their caps, or advance through the rest of the program. They went home. It took several months to get through the Probationer period ~ some schools took 3 months, others 6, or even 9. It depended on the school and how their program was structured.
In any case, a student nurse in full student uniform, and the coveted cap, was past the beginning portion of the program, and was advancing through more complicated nursing care courses. Pharmacology courses were usually required before, or at very least, in conjunction with, giving injections and "passing meds" of other kinds to patients. Thorough supervision was always provided by a Graduate level RN at all times. All nurses on patient care units were expected to help supervise student nurses on their wards, because the instructors couldn't be everywhere at the same time.
Nurses were also trained in the care of the equipment they used, in the days before specialized departments such as Central Supply, and disposable equipment and supplies. 
When Central Supply departments were added to hospitals, most were initially run by RNs. Now, it's a completely separate profession, with its own training and certification, including continuing education requirements. 
Processing hypodermic syringes and needle care was a big part of it, as well as reusable IV tubing and supplies. Needles had to be thoroughly cleaned and well honed (sharp points, no burrs) before being wrapped and run through the autoclave. And technique in giving injections was just as important as the condition of the needle. If the angle of insertion and the skill of insertion is wrong in conjunction with the angle of the point, then it's going to hurt no matter what.
It's a shame in many ways that the hospital schools of nursing have gone by the wayside. Their educational approach in several ways was superior in how nurses were taught hands-on patient care. They spent a lot of time teaching how to take care of and educate the patient, and much less time in how to fill out paperwork.
But the medical industry across the board has undergone so many changes ~ some for the better, of course. I'm not going to get started on that. I know many nurses are frustrated with the way they must devote so much time to the computer in getting their charting done.
I was in nursing school myself back in the 70s, when things were really making great strides and creating massive changes, and have paid a great deal of attention to the nursing profession most of my life. I spent 15 plus years working in the ORs until I became disabled from a combination of work injuries and issues I was born to have. My daughter has her BSN, and is working in the profession now. So, I feel like I can speak from experience and knowledge gained from a great deal of research, on both ends of the spectrum.
The Candy Striper models her uniformThis photo is of a young lady, around 13 or so, who is modeling her new Candy Striper's uniform. Striped pinafore, red and white stripes which account for the "candy stripe" reference, over a plain white blouse. The traditional uniform of such young ladies, who frequently took on such volunteer work, usually weekends and some evenings during the school year, and during the weekdays in Summer during summer break. 
They could work in several different areas, but went through short training periods to learn what they could and could not do, and how to safely go about their work. Many took on this part time unpaid volunteer work to get some direct exposure to hospital work, and to see how well suited they may be for future careers in nursing and other medical fields. 
(The Gallery, Fritz Henle, Medicine, NYC)

Forever Young: 1915
... street northwest, son of the superintendent of the Senate office building, was killed yesterday morning by an automobile near Seventeenth ... or maybe a brother, because the neighboring plate is from 1920. (The name on the negative label, when the subject is a minor, or when ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2014 - 9:12pm -


BOY KILLED BY AUTO
Washington Post, March 8, 1916
        Seven-year-old David Purches, of 1718 Corcoran street northwest, son of the superintendent of the Senate office building, was killed yesterday morning by an automobile near Seventeenth and Church streets northwest. Charles Booker, colored, of 1615 Corcoran street northwest, who operated the automobile, is being detained at No. 3 precinct pending an inquest by Coroner Nevitt. Purches left his home to go to a shoe repairing shop. He was crossing the street when, Booker says, he appeared from behind a dirt cart and got in front of the moving auto. Booker picked the boy up and took him to Emergency Hospital.
Washington, D.C., circa 1915. "Purches, David E." A yar youngster and his mate at the Harris & Ewing portrait studio, not long before his life seems to have been cut tragically short in a traffic accident. 8x10 glass negative. View full size.
1908-1916There's a David E. Purches listed in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery, born in 1908 and died in 1916.
http://files.usgwarchives.net/dc/cemeteries/olivet.txt
[Excellent detective work. I had found two news items about the boy's death before I posted, but wasn't sure if this was he, or maybe a brother, because the neighboring plate is from 1920. (The name on the negative label, when the subject is a minor, or when there are multiple subjects but just one name listed, is generally whoever paid for the portrait,  in this case the boy's father, also named David Purches.) Then after seeing your comment I decided this could indeed be from before 1920 because the plate two spots away is of "Camden, J.W., Senator," whose Senate career ended in 1915. - Dave]
EpilogueWashington Post, March 9, 1916.


POLICE NEWS NOTES

        Charles Booker, colored, 1615 Corcoran street northwest, was exonerated yesterday by the coroner's jury called to investigate the death of David Purches, 7 years old, 1718 Corcoran street northwest, son of the superintendent of the Senate office building, who was struck by an automobile operated by Booker at Seventeenth and Church streets northwest Tuesday morning. The investigation showed that the death of the lad was purely accidental.
The girl is probably David's sister, Mary.
The loss of a childNearly 100 years later one still gets a sense of the tragedy of the little boy's death and even the horror that must have been felt by poor Mr. Booker, the driver of the car, who "picked the boy up and took him to Emergency Hospital."
Still sadEven though it's 99 years in the past!
1718 Corcoran StreetThe home from which David embarked on his fatal errand is the former Analostan (later Analoston) Apartments at 1718 Corcoran Street, now an upscale condominium.
Running out from between parked carsThat was what we were told never to do.  And if you've ever seen, not even an accident, but a kid running out into the road, oblivious to the deadly flow of traffic, then you know the stomach-turning feeling of imminent danger to a child.  Such an angelic look on that little boy's face.  This is one of the most moving photos I've seen here.
TragedyI had a great-uncle whose car struck and killed a young girl who darted in front of it, evidently in Jacksonville in the 1940s. It was in no way his fault, but the incident haunted him, and he never drove again unless it was an absolute necessity.
LinksHere is a link to a newspaper that lists the marriage license of this boy's parents...
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1907-12-19/ed-1/seq-2/  
Also, here is a link to a picture of his grave, along with his mother's...
http://www.usgwarchives.net/dc/tsimages/mtolivet/olivet.html  
Wish someone would check ancestry.com to find more information - I let my subscription to it expire! 
The Washington times., March 07, 1916The article about the accident.
Close to HomeMy own brother, also named David, died in precisely the same sort of accident 50 years ago, at the same age.  No family fully recovers from such a thing.  I've often wondered about the poor woman who hit him, too.  
(The Gallery, Harris + Ewing, Kids, Portraits)

Third Avenue El: 1942
... local track." Medium format negative by Marjory Collins, Office of War Information. View full size. Third Avenue Railway System ... Subway had been in the planning stage since the early 1920's with no work having ever been done. The years went by with no ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/19/2013 - 4:10pm -

September 1942. "New York. Looking north from the Ninth Street station on the Third Avenue elevated railway as a train leaves on the local track." Medium format negative by Marjory Collins, Office of War Information. View full size.
Third Avenue Railway SystemTo relieve San Diego's war-time urban overcrowding, our city acquired some ancient streetcars from the TARS in the mid 1940s. They were largely of wood construction and after nearly forty years of heavy NYC service they were fairly ramshackle. Local rail men said that they noticeably flexed while going around corners, but they faithfully served here until the last streetcars were taken out of service in 1949 when the city discontinued light rail service.
Socony-MobilThe 3rd Avenue El had to go, it was a relic of an earlier time. Before it was torn down in Manhattan, (It remained active in the Bronx for many more years), Third Avenue was mostly a slum.One of the the last segments to come down was in 1952 at the behest of the builders of 150 East 42nd Street who were not about to start building with the El there almost abutting the buildings on Third Avenue. The new structure was named for its major tenant, Socony-Mobil. There was a saying that the best view of the Mobil Building was from the inside, so that you couldn't see it's dimpled aluminum skin. Its still there and doesn't look any better.
Am I wrongI thought the term "El" was used only in Chicago, did not New Yorkers refer to it by another name?
[You can use the term anywhere you want, but in Chicago the elevated line is generally called the "L"; in New York it's the El. - Dave]
An eternal source of shameThe city demolished the old but perfectly serviceable Third Avenue El in the mid-1950s, as it would soon be replaced by a snazzy new subway one block away on Second Avenue.  No one seemed to care that the Second Avenue Subway had been in the planning stage since the early 1920's with no work having ever been done.
The years went by with no construction on Second Avenue, with the entire East Side being dependent on the overcrowded Lexington Avenue line.  In the early 1970s federal transit money became available and would cover most of the cost of the Second Avenue line, but the city took advantage of a legal loophole to skim off the federal money to stave off a five-cent increase in the transit fare (which happened anyhow).  Nothing got built under Second Avenue except for a few useless unconnected tunnel segments.
Finally, generations after the first plans, there is some actual construction underway on the Second Avenue line.  It's only going to cover half the planned distance.  Completion is scheduled for 2016, maybe.  In the meantime, had it not been thoughtlessly demolished the Third Avenue El would still be providing vitally needed transit service.
Also in PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia's Market-Frankford Line is usually referred to by locals as the "Market-Frankford El" though parts of it do run underground.
Shoe polishI am a little surprised given all the power pickup shoes on the El's haven't polished the third rail any more than is what is seen here on both sets of tracks.  I would have expected to see the third rail as close to as bright as the running rails, although a little brighter than the guard rails.
The Fat Men's ShopAll the way to the left of the shot you can just see Sig Klein's once-well-known Fat Men's Shop. It can be more clearly seen in this Ben Shahn photo:
Lasted until 1955It seems the Third Ave El in Manhattan closed on 12 May 1955 (the part south of Chatham Square had closed a few years earlier).
..but not forgottenI have dim memories of my father taking me on the El during its final throes.  I would probably have been 5 or so at the time.  I left NY for good in 1970 and had not yet felt its loss in terms of overcrowding on the Lex. Ave IRT.
In any case, I haven't seen reference made to the film "3rd Ave. El."

Shy Shine@HenkB: Thanks for the video link!
@MrK: The third rail isn't actually visible in this photo. It is has a safety "roof" which covers it with a slat of wood (nowadays being replaced by plastic). If you could see the third rail, it would be as shiny as the running rails.
(The Gallery, Marjory Collins, NYC, Railroads)

G Street: 1925
... Per display ad in the Washington Herald, April 21, 1920: The Place to Dine Well at One-Third Less Than Elsewhere. Self Service ... The "Harry B. Mason, Stamps for Collectors" office window brings back memories for me. As a teenager back in the late ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/27/2013 - 12:18pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Merchants Bank Bldg., G Street N.W. -- G.G. Loehler Co." Neighbors include Typothetae of Washington, Huff Duplicating and an Ediphone dealer. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size.
Driving around with no spareThe car in front of the cafeteria. A Moon sedan, as identified by Hayslip. And I'm not too sure about the Chevrolet Coach and the Ford Fordor in front of The Merchants Bank, either.
White Palace CafeteriaPer display ad in the Washington Herald, April 21, 1920: The Place to Dine Well at One-Third Less Than Elsewhere. Self Service Means No Tips, Better Food, and Saves Time. Delicious Entrees, Roasts, Steaks, Salads, and Pastry. The White Place Cafeteria, 314 Ninth Street N. W. 
"Stamps for Collectors"The "Harry B. Mason, Stamps for Collectors" office window brings back memories for me. 
As a teenager back in the late 50s early 60s I was a stamp collector. I would save my money and then ride the bus to downtown Cincinnati and go to an upstairs office similar to this one to purchase some older stamps to add to my collection. I still have the collection but it has not been kept current for a long time.
Before my timeFifty years later I was working at General Electric a block away at the corner of 14th & H Streets. Walked that area on my lunch hour many times.
Tight Spot!Since we can't see what's behind the convertible across the street on the right, I am only guessing that there may be another car CLOSE behind it, and the Harold Lloyd looking guy scratching his head may be trying to figure out how to get out of a tight space without knocking down the motorcycle that's so close to his front fender....
TypothetaeA now-vanished term that referred to a printers' trade association.
Landau ironsTheir use as bling instead of for function did not begin with Detroit Iron of the '60s or even customs of the '50s, as the car center foreground amply demonstrates.
Opalite The White Palace Cafeteria, 1417 G Street, on the far left end of the photo, was advertised on opening day in 1912 as "The Handsomest Lunch Room South of New York."  The same announcement explained that "to ensure the greatest sanitation, the walls of the White Palace Lunch are entirely covered and finished with Opalite, a new and costly finishing material. This is the only lunch room in the United States finished in this up-to-date material."  
Car IDsFront row L-R: Ford coupe; Hupmobile club sedan; Star? touring. Back row L-R: Moon sedan, Chevrolet coach; Ford Fordor sedan; Jordan phaeton.
Mr. Cohan helps with datingThere's a big poster in the window of the cafeteria advertising
George M. Cohan's
Latest
Broadway Success
The
Song
And
Dance
Man
That debuted on Broadway in 1923. I'd say this picture is from '23 or '24 because in '25 he came out with four more Broadway hits. 
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

No Left Turn: 1948
... like a low price for a half-million square feet of Class A office space, but much of it is leased to city agencies at relatively low ... of most Queens streets were changed to numbers in the 1920's. The old street names live on in some of the older subway stations, for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/30/2013 - 12:18pm -

April 20, 1948. "E.R. Squibb & Son, Northern Boulevard, Long Island City, New York. Harold Burson, client." Note the abundance of antique traffic signals and signage. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
Nice ChryslerI dig the black Chrysler parked on the corner in front of the American Tire & Battery Co.
BenchesI have seen many of those benches around and about. I think the WPA built quite a few of them. A really good idea because there was no need to replace the whole thing when one board was bad but I believe nowadays they have to bolt the boards down. 
Cross-streetsTo the left, 39th Avenue. To the right, Honeywell Street. Behind the photographer, 32nd Street. 
And if it wasnt sunny,one could still find their way around because Sunnyside Yard had floodlight towers, similar to the Detroit moonlight towers, and that might be one of them down Honeywell Street on the left. At one time Sunnyside Yard was the largest coach yard in the world. 
Also In Long Island CityThe Van Iderstine Rendering Company, founded in 1855 and at the time of this photo at 37-30 Review Ave, was the factory that rendered the fat and bones of the slaughter houses into tallow and grease. The worst by-product was an odor that infested not only Queens but the East Side of Manhattan as well.
It's Always SunnyThe two big buildings on the right are still there. Not so the small building on the left. Looks like the Transit Authority replaced the below ground electrical works with an above ground facility on the triangle.
The Honeywell Avenue bridge crosses over the Sunnyside Rail Yards, used today extensively by Long Island Railroad, NJ Transit and Amtrak (including a car washing station). A few hundred feet to the west are the Pennsylvania RR (now Amtrak) tunnels under the East River to Manhattan's Penn Station. The East Side Access Project is adding a direct link from Sunnyside Yards to Grand Central Terminal.
View Larger Map
Left to Right1946 Chevrolet Fleetwood Town Sedan, maybe a '46 Mercury in background, '46 Chrysler 4 door sedan, '41 Chevrolet Special Deluxe Sports Sedan (at center island), ?? Chevy 2 door, '48 Pontiac Deluxe Streamliner 4-Door Sedan.
The former Squibb buildingIt's now known as the Center Building and will be 100 years old in a couple of years.  It recently sold for $85 million, which may seem like a low price for a half-million square feet of Class A office space, but much of it is leased to city agencies at relatively low rents.  
The building to the right doesn't quite merit a name, and is known simply as 32-04* Northern Boulevard.  It was built in 1931.  Today it houses a self-storage warehouse, a rather low-value-added usage that is increasingly out of place as Long Island City becomes ever trendier.  If present trends continue it'll probably be redeveloped into something else before long, such as expensive condominiums or a boutique hotel.  Come to think of it, when the city agency leases in the Center Building expire they're not likely to be renewed.  
* = the 32 in the 32-04 address indicates the nearest cross street.  To facilitate this address scheme the names of most Queens streets were changed to numbers in the 1920's.  The old street names live on in some of the older subway stations, for example a nearby station on the 7 train, known as 33rd Street-Rawson.
Van IderstineI currently work around 15 blocks from this location, it is amazing how LIC has and is still changing. Most of the industrial base is now gone and is being replaced with high end residences. I still remember Eagle Electric, where perfection is not an accident as per their enormous skeleton sign. Swingline stapler under the El that shook the entire block when their punch press came down. As far as Van Iderstines as mentioned by another poster their plant was on Newtown Creek ,their stack was under the Kosciusco bridge and if you were unlucky enough to be stuck in traffic on a hot summer day on the bridge you were in for quite a treat as the malaria yellow smoke that emanated from their plant enveloped your car. After close to 100 years of complaints the city finally managed to shut them down in the late 70's. But not to worry they have reopened in Newark under the Jersey Turnpike near the airport.
That Triangular Tractis a gore.
Cars1946 Chevrolet "Stylemaster" Town sedan in front of the Chrysler.
The Chevy next to the '48 Pontiac Streamliner looks to be a 1947 Stylemaster town sedan. 
32-04 Northern Blvd.the building to the right, was bought by food wholesaler John Sexton and Company in 1946.  Now doing duty as a Public Storage location.  As some of the other posters mentioned, will more than likely become high-end condos.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)

Loving Cup Lovelies: 1921
... Suit That Changed Bathing to Swimming" introduced around 1920. Krazy Kat Looks like a doll version of a beloved comics character ... kids in tow, standing in line at the bank, the doctor's office. This is what the vast majority of women look like. What a nice ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/06/2018 - 10:16pm -


Lansburgh Girls Win Style Prize
Five Models Gain Cup at
Tidal Bathing Beach Costume Show.
        With five models displaying the most modern bathing costumes, Lansburgh & Brother won the prize cup at the first annual style show, held yesterday afternoon at the Tidal bathing beach. The models who represented Lansburgh's -- all local girls -- were Mary Lee, Iola Swinnerton, Thelma Spencer, Hattie Spencer and Julia Cunningham. The suits which they wore were special importations, brought to Washington for exhibition at this show ...
 -- Washington Post, 6/26/1921

Washington, D.C., 1921. "Bathing Beach costume contest." At left we have Iola Swinnerton, First Lady of Shorpy in perpetuum; the others are plebeian ciphers spared total invisibility only by the grace of her luminous beauty. View full size.
All I can say isThank God for Spandex!
Wet stockings?It looks like all these ladies are wearing some type of hose. Would have been common for swimming? Or was it just for the sake of the competition? 
Not Permanent PressNormal appearance back then was that everything still needed ironing.
Reverse nostalgiaA lot of times I think I was born too late. This is not one of those times.
Pirates of the CaribbeanThe Johnny Depp line of bathing suits looks nice on the first contestant (and winner) on the left. 
Semantic SuitsBack then they were "bathing" rather than "swimming". 
But Jantzen was working to change that with "The Suit That Changed Bathing to Swimming" introduced around 1920.
Krazy KatLooks like a doll version of a beloved comics character in the arms of babe #1.
What, no Kardashians? What gets me is women were allowed to look "normal" back then. No Pilates, yoga, Zumba, endless diets, botox, spa treatments, etc. They look like the women I see at the supermarket with two kids in tow, standing in line at the bank, the doctor's office. This is what the vast majority of women look like.  
What a nice surprise!The bathing beauty pictures are among my favorites, here on Shorpy and it's SO nice to see a new one! Iola looks beautiful! The one "model" needs a lesson in posture, but the rest look pretty good! 
I agree with Alan_FlorAgree with his post up to a point.  Viewing past Shorpy images I am so happy to be living in the "here and now".  I am 74 and I belonged to the generation that changed a woman's view of who we were and what we wanted to change,  starting with what we wore.  My mother took my older sister and me shopping in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  What I noticed was the uncomfortable clothing that was required, hat, high heels, gloves, as acceptable.  I was a tomboy to the "umpth" degree and wore jeans when in my home and the little town we lived in.  I now live in Texas and just viewing the heavy clothing women wore back in the time makes me break out in sweat.   I do believe I got my attitude from my mother, who was a trendsetter in her generation.
(The Gallery, D.C., Iola S., Natl Photo, Pretty Girls, Swimming)

Personal Chemistry: 1943
... School. Chemistry class equipment." Photo by Philip Bonn, Office of War Information. View full size. Breakfast? On the right I ... school in 1997, and the school I attended was built in the 1920's. The items in the picture are almost exactly like the ones we were ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/16/2017 - 4:41am -

June 1943. "Keysville, Virginia. Randolph Henry High School. Chemistry class equipment." Photo by Philip Bonn, Office of War Information. View full size.
Breakfast?On the right I see a piece of a bun and what looks to me like an egg yolk in a petri dish.
Things are heating upI don't know ... in high school we were always taught to point the test tube *away* from us while heating it, in case it boiled over.
Belt Up Or Suspend?I don't think this kid can make up his mind
Things Never ChangeI graduated from high school in 1997, and the school I attended was built in the 1920's.  The items in the picture are almost exactly like the ones we were using in my day.  I was sure then, and convinced now, that we were using 50-70 years old test tubes and bunsen burners.  Probably some of the chemicals we used were that old, too!
Food for FunThe lesson, according to the now-cryptic cursive writing on the obsolete blackboard, is about food chemistry, so the leftovers in the dish are likely part of the experiment.
[Also in the dish: a fly. And we know how that experiment turns out. - Dave]
The chemistry lab assistantIn 1950, my wife's student job was to assist students in a HS chem lab. The pay was $2.50 per semester. At the end of a class, a student asked what to do with his experiment. She told him put it in the waste basket. When a small fire and smoke resulted, she was fired. The school did pay her for the time she had worked and gave her a check for 83 cents. And she did get a C for the course.
Test Tube BabeI'm the quintessential nerd, but my chemistry lab partner was the most beautiful girl in the class.  We had a test tube incident, in which the tube (containing sulfuric acid) boiled up and launched its contents onto an expensive Periodic Table wall hanging.  By the next class period it had been reduced to Swiss cheese.  Our teacher railed on with an "If I ever find out who did this .." speech.  He never found out.  I was most grateful that the acid hit the wall, rather than either of us.  RIP, Mr. Livengood.
Putting names to the facesPossibly someone out in Shorpyland has a yearbook collection from the Randolph Henry High School or is close enough to see if they still have early 1940s yearbooks in their library. There is a chance one or both of these students might still be with us although in the 90ish age range. 
Some things changewhile others are the same. I'd agree that the test tube should be pointed away from anyone and I'd also suggest some eye protection and maybe rubber gloves. Those clear reagent bottles below his right elbow look like what we stored strong acids and bases in. 
More familiarly, the countertop looks like soapstone, chemically resistant but usually with scratches and scars. Note the tapered nozzle for the faucet -- designed to fit rubber tubing over to supply an aspirator or cooling water to a condenser. The hole in the countertop next to the test tube stand was used to hold a vertical rod to which glassware could be attached.
Love the haircutI wonder if he joined the Marines after school
College ChemistryI too had a female lab partner in Freshman chemistry.  One day she spilled a fortunately mild, very dilute acid on my hand.  No immediate effect, but I promptly washed it off anyway.  She scoffed at me, saying that if it were dangerous, they wouldn't let us do it.  A couple of weeks later, we were doing something similar to this picture, heating a test tube of something or other to generate oxygen, which we ran through a rubber tube to a water-filled flask.  We were told specifically not to pull the flame from the test tube while the rubber tube was under water, as it would pull water into the hot test tube and shatter it.  The reaction took off, and my partner said, "Oh! Take the flame away!  Take the flame away!".  I was mightily tempted to say, "Oh, come on, if it were dangerous, they wouldn't let us do it" but instead I just pinched the rubber tube until the reaction slowed down.
(The Gallery, Education, Schools, Philip Bonn)

Larry's Beer Garden: 1934
... after work. I wish there was a tavern in the lobby of my office building, but then I'd probably never go home. Gloucester Schooner ... out of Nova Scotian ports such as Lunenberg). In the 1920's and 30's, many replicas of them were built on a smaller scale for use as ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 1:59pm -

April 20, 1934. "New York. Fulton Market pier, view to Manhattan over East River." 4x5 inch nitrate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
South StreetAny idea of where that Manhattan neighborhood was? The buildings along the waterfront look like South Street, near Fulton or Peck Slip. I'll bet you could buy a cold Rhinegold, Trommer's, Ruppert, Schaeffer, Rupson & Horman, or even a Ballantine at Larry's. 
Strong manI don't believe I would want to tangle with the guy on the boat. Look at those thick wrists and forearms, likely from years of hard work.
On the Waterfront"I coulda been a contender ... now I'm just a bum who gets blotto every night at Larry's Beer Garden."  I knew guys like this, they worked very hard and had hearts of gold, would give the shirts off their backs, not at all the thugs fiction would have you believe, at least not the ones from the mid-20th century.  Today's longshoremen might be a different story as I am out of the loop. A wonderful photo.
Naturally"Larry's," like Duffy's Tavern, would be where "the elite meet" to share tales of the sea and Wall Street wizardry over a stein of beer. Seems logical, just a step away from the docks and near the City canyons.  Great photo.
Primo locationLarry's must've done a booming business with longshoremen coming in every day after work.  I wish there was a tavern in the lobby of my office building, but then I'd probably never go home.
Gloucester SchoonerHas no one recognized the classic lines of the fishing schooner alongside the pier at bottom left?  Visible are 2 nested dories on the starboard side, the tackles used to launch them immediately forward and aft, respectively, of the shrouds of the masts, the curved molding at the rail that marks the "great beam" where the deck stepped up to provide more room in the officers' cabin, and what's even more unusual, a power "donkey" winch in the little house amidships alongside the dories.  This winch would have been powered by a gas or diesel engine.  The ship might or might not have had a main propulsion engine; if she had it, it would have been used only in calms or to get in or out of harbor.
Most of these schooners were built in Essex, Mass, by a handful of specialist yards, one of which was still in business when I visited the town in the 1970's.  Almost all were homeported in Gloucester, Mass, and I wasn't aware they routinely traded into New York.  
Their main catch was cod, which was cleaned and salted on board.  Some halibut and a few other species were also caught.  The fishermen used longlines -- lines more than 1000 feet long with hundreds of hooks that all had to be baited separately -- that were set and recovered from the small dories shown, with one or two men to a dory, while the captain and cook managed the ship.  This was one of the toughest ways of fishing, as it went on even in winter.  The schooners were of highly refined design because the first back to port got a premium price for its catch, and very seaworthy because of the extreme northern fishing grounds off Newfoundland.  (There were also a large number of similar schooners under the Canadian flag, most sailing out of Nova Scotian ports such as Lunenberg).  In the 1920's and 30's, many replicas of them were built on a smaller scale for use as yachts.  I spent a week on one of these replicas in 1969 so I can testify first hand to their superb sailing and seaworthy qualities.
Grand BanksThe schooner appears to be a Grand Banks fishing boat, the dorys would be lowered over the side and set adrift with a fisherman aboard.  Hopefully when the boat was full of fish the schooner would come back and find the fisherman.
South and Fulton.This is taken on Pier 17, where Fulton Street ends at South Street along the East River. The corner building is at the end of Schermerhorn Row (1810). It was featured in Joseph Mitchell's "Up in the Old Hotel." To the left (slightly darker) was Sloppy Louie's. Just to the right was the Fulton Fish Market, and a few blocks farther, the Brooklyn Bridge.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)

Washington Sleeps Here: 1922
... S.E. from B Street." Lodgings in this view from the House Office Building include the Potomac, Congress Hall and President hotels (sign ... the right). Other cars at the beginning of the row: 1920-1921 Studebaker Big 6 (Model EG) 1922 Star (made by Durant Motors) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/14/2014 - 12:01pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "New Jersey Avenue S.E. from B Street." Lodgings in this view from the House Office Building include the Potomac, Congress Hall and President hotels (sign at left), as well as the George Washington Inn. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Always One in Every CrowdAll the cars parked left to right except one. That owner backed in.
Even Then --Looking at the car parked at the end on the bottom right, I see that pulling in straight and taking only one spot was not all that important even in 1922. 
Hotel PotomacThe Hotel Potomac across the street retains at least some of the structure, and sits on the same site, of the old Conrad and McMunn boardinghouse, where Thomas Jefferson lived while he was vice president. Alas, that whole block would be razed in 1929.
What a beautiful sidewalkThat would be the envy of any city today.
There it isWhat would a Shorpy photo be like if there were no milk bottles on the window sill?
Interesting vehicleAnyone know what kind of car the 3rd car from the right is? Unusual as it has no front radiator.
[It's a circa 1916 Franklin, which used an air-cooled engine. - Dave]
Car ID's suggestionsFront row R to L: Studebaker; Star; Franklin; Velie; unknown; Ford; Studebaker; Studebaker; Haynes; Ford; Dodge(dirty); Pierce-Arrow; Studebaker; Buick; 2 Ford coupes; hidden car; Ford sedan etc.  Back row two cars in front of bus and three directly in back are all Fords including one converted to a truck.  Car with plate 10845 with knife edge styling is a Hudson. Others need more study.
The House SideThe hotels are on the present site of the Longworth House Office Building. The Cannon Building, from which the photo was taken, was built about 1908. B Street is now Independence Avenue; the photo looks toward C Street SE. South Capitol Street, which divides the quadrants, is a block west (right) between Longworth and the Rayburn Building, which was built in the early 1960s.
Something's WrongIt's actually several years past 1922.
The District of Columbia license plates seen on the cars indicate that this photo was actually taken in 1925.  The format of the 1925 D.C. plate, with "Dist. Col. 1925" between the bolt slots is a one year only feature.
Confirming the date is the presence of a late 1924 or 1925 model Pierce Arrow Model 80 (12th car from the right). 
Other cars at the beginning of the row:
1920-1921 Studebaker Big 6 (Model EG)
1922 Star (made by Durant Motors)
1914 - 1916 Franklin Series 8 (note electric lights)
1925 Cleveland Six Model 43
1920 - 1922 Oldsmobile Model 46
Ford Model T
Note how few cars have front wheel brakes.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Government Connections: 1959
... My grandmother was a supervisor for Bell Telephone in the 1920's. She traveled around by streetcar to six exchanges. She would carry a ... switchboard and other Governmental units which have inter-office dial service. Operators will still handle all incoming calls and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2013 - 8:26pm -

January 27, 1959. Washington, D.C. "Women working at the U.S. Capitol switchboard. An average of 50,000 calls are placed through the board daily." Photo by Marion Trikosko for U.S. News & World Report. View full size.
Grandma BellMy grandmother was a supervisor for Bell Telephone in the 1920's. She traveled around by streetcar to six exchanges. She would carry a stopwatch and time the girls for answering calls and make sure they would use rising inflection on the last number when repeating the phone number that the caller had asked for.
Hows about that!Pocket book holders on the back of each stool!
The FatesWhat a wonderful picture. Those three supervisors with their skeins of wire and air of superhuman authority put me in mind of the ancient Greek Moirai, the Fates: the three implacable female spirits who controlled the metaphorical threads of life.
One Ringy DingyBeing a telephone operator was my first real job in 1977. The switchboards were exactly like these and just as long. Although we had supervisors monitoring us at random, they did not sit directly behind us. It was an interesting job, you never knew what you would encounter with customers. I could work 2 positions at one time. I really liked these old switchboards, but when they went to all computer consoles, it was very boring and I quit. Worst mistake I ever made, too young to realize my error as I would have been retired long ago with a great pension.
WiredAs someone who used to install these behemoths many moons ago, I can attest that soldered to pins at the back of each and every jack you see are six 22 guage gauge  cotton jacket wires, all of which must be the exact same length, bundled, and neatly tied into a wiring harness with waxed lacing twine.
Cables from the back of the switchboard run to a football sized room full of noisy switching equipment, clicking and clacking away.
These installations were a unique works of art, which in some cases took weeks to months for several men to complete.
The operator's room would smell of fresh cedar wood for months.
Today this of course could all be done by a wireless device the size of a toaster.
Second careersWhen they retired from telecommunications, many supervisors (shown seated behind the switchboard operators) found employment as tennis umpires.
New Dial System


Washington Post, December 29, 1957.

Telephone Dial System Is Installed in Capitol


A brand new dial telephone system went into action this weekend in the Capitol, but it's not going to change things much for the Congressmen.  They'll be able to retain their old, comfortable and stately ways. Though each one has a dial phone, he also has an old-fashioned manual phone, so the operator still can do all the work.

The old way was to pick up the phone and ask the operator to connect you, and that's the new way, too, for Congressmen. Everybody else will dial.

The dial system connects all offices served by the Capitol switchboard and other Governmental units which have inter-office dial service. Operators will still handle all incoming calls and whatever calls the statesmen make on their manual phones, but the switchboard jam is expected to let up.

A count one day disclosed 63,000 calls handled by the 72 operators on the Capitol switchboard. Things were getting so hectic that Congressmen sometimes had to wait for the operators to answer.

There are new phone books, separate ones for the House and Senate. They contain all the Congressmen's office numbers and all other Government numbers too.

Elizabeth Cole, assistant chief operator, said the system worked well yesterday. Fortunately, the inauguration of the service came on a between-holidays Saturday.
Boy Scout VisitWe visited such a switchboard in the 50s as a boy scout troop.
Who says number please when you pick up the phone?
We boys found out the answer.
We thought it was cool when all our numbers switched from Short Hills 7 to Drexel 9 and there was a nifty rotary dial, a few years later.
Male operatorsAs in most professions  the telephone operators were men in the beginning but women got these jobs because of the war.
By 1973 women had been operators for so long that it was a novelty when the phone company began hiring men again to serve as operators. For us young guys, being an operator was a good paying  entrance job.  I remember $80 paychecks!
Another benefit was 4 new female operators hired every two weeks!  If you didnt see any  appealing girls in this batch, just wait 2 weeks. Some women didnt work long, telling us they could make $80 in a single night, dancing in the bars.  Our Chief Operator didnt like men in her crew.
One time I got a call from a woman who said she didnt feel good and would I call her husband.  This was against the rules but I asked what is the phone number?  She said, "I cant remember."
me:  Where does he work?
I got the number from directory assistance. This was against the rules.
 I connected her to the local number. This was also against the rules.
I made the call 'person to person' This was also against the rules.
I stayed on the line until the husband came on, then filled out the required card for an "emergency call" but forgot to put my operator number as required.
Two weeks later the chief operator came over and threw the emergency call card down in front of me and demanded, "Is this your card?"
Yes, definitely my hand writing.   I'm in trouble for omitting my operator number.
She gave me a letter and stalked off. 
    The letter was from the husband. He said it took him 15 minutes to get home, 15 minutes to get his wife to the hospital and she lived for 15 minutes after that.
He was grateful for those last few minutes with her.
Equipment that was in that "football sized room"@ LaviathanRider and 19thCenturyGirl...
Since you were former telephone employees you inspired me to log in and post this link to a video I shot this year (2013).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GklLptiOGRo
While I can't reveal the location, it is located at a private residence here in the US.  Everything in this personal CO is operable, interconnected, and works as it did when it was removed from service.
For others who may not know, this is known as a step switch.  Switches like these went out in the mid-1980's here in the US.
Enjoy!
-K
(Technology, The Gallery, D.C.)

Dr. Brush
... was a pharmacist in Bavaria. He went on become curatorial office pharmacist for the German Pharmacy Museum . Harris ... something. ... be a calliope? Not enough clues Would guess around 1920, but without any vehicles shown it is a challenge to put a date on this ... 
 
Posted by BucksCountyHistory - 09/19/2011 - 9:21pm -

This is a glass lantern slide, about 3.5 x 4 inches. I found this slide at a local antique shop and am intensely curious about it. Google searches of the various names and businesses turned up zilch. Any ideas? View full size.
A Pharmacy in GermanyThis is a German  pharmacy -- kumiss is mare's milk.
America circa 1900Observations: Looks circa 1900 to me. And probably not in Germany, where there wouldn't be any reason to call your pharmacy a "German pharmacy." There were, however, dozens of Deutsche Apothekes in the immigrant neighborhoods of New York, where the Deutsche Apotheker Verein (German Pharmacy Union) was formed in 1851 -- the oldest pharmaceutical society in the United States.
A blowup of the shoe sign across the street would be helpful -- is it lettered in English?
Anton Lauer, perhapsThere was a Dr. Anton Lauer who was a pharmacist in Bavaria. He went on become curatorial office pharmacist for the German Pharmacy Museum.
Harris ... something.I'm pretty sure it's an American scene too, for the same reason.
The sign was hard to make out. I suspect it might say "Harris Seigel" or possibly just "Harris Shoes."
I looked all over the place for any combination of Lauer and various druggists or pharmacies ... no dice. For a while I thought I had it pinned down in New York, but now I forget why.
Do you think that ... thing ... they're clustered around could be a calliope?
Not enough cluesWould guess around 1920, but without any vehicles shown it is a challenge to put a date on this pic. Something has really got the small crowd's interest on the sidewalk.
Just a hint of colorOn the drugstore window is a sign for for "Diamond Dyes" minus a few letters. A popular way to tint all your socks for just a few pennies.
Street organ The thing attracting attention looks like a street organ similar to the one shown here.
[And that's in London. The gas lamp in the Apotheke photo has a certain London vibe to it. - Dave]
Needs more costermongersOh! Diamond Dyes. I spent so long furrowing my brow at "DIAMOND D ES." (Try getting any useful Google searches for that one.)
Another reason I suspect this is an American scene is that this slide was mixed in with a lot of slides taken in Oil City, Pennsylvania . It might not mean anything -- just a hunch.
More on Diamond DyesAt one time they were owned by Wells, Richardson & Co., a Vermont company. Makes me think it is a picture taken in the U.S. or Canada.
More on Dr. Brush's KumissFrom a 1905 genealogy: 
Hon. Edward F. Brush, M.D., the present Mayor of  Mount Vernon, N.Y. He enlisted in a Maine Regiment in 1864. Later he studied medicine, and has been Health Officer of Mount Vernon, President of the N.Y. Society of Medical Jurisprudence, etc. He is extensively engaged in the manufacture of kumiss. Dr. Brush is serving his second term as Mayor. He is a member of the Baptist Church. He married Miss Marion Beers, and they have ten children.
And an article from 1910 which I don't have full access to wrote that Dr. E. F. Brush introduced Kumiss to New York around 1880. 
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Stores & Markets)

Götterdämmerung: 1942
... shops." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Franklin Booster Looking ... does the fat lady sing? Wood blocks During the late 1920's and early 1930's my father was the engineer who was in charge of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2015 - 12:51pm -

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

Kid Dogs: 1919
... chalk, the foreman would like to see him in the warehouse office. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. ... rear wheel on, we need more bolts! Where it was The 1920 Crocker-Langley City Directory shows Dodd Warehouses at Lombard and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/22/2014 - 9:18am -

San Francisco circa 1919. "Service truck at Dodd warehouse." If anyone knows the whereabouts of Nick and his piece of chalk, the foreman would like to see him in the warehouse office. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size.
Where'd the rest of my truck go?It probably bounced off driving on a cobblestone road with solid tires!
Where'd the rest of my truck go?Oh man, I'm so gonna get fired for this!
MisdirectionJust to confuse future researchers, let's call this door "14½."
I see the problemThere's not enough bolts holding the rear wheel on, we need more bolts!
Where it wasThe 1920 Crocker-Langley City Directory shows Dodd Warehouses at Lombard and Montgomery in the waterfront district, just a block from the Embarcadero and Pier 27, in fact. Today the area, which is at the northeast foot of Telegraph Hill, has all been redeveloped.
Choose From The Dominant TenWabash, Indiana, has a long history with truck building and, more recently, trailer building.
This vehicle was built by the Service Motor Truck company.
Is that a bird?Can anyone tell what he has stuffed into his coveralls?
[It looks vaguely paisley. - Dave]
Dressed for Success!I am always amazed how folks dressed for work back then; no matter what the job, it was always shirts (dress white), and a tie, and sometimes a suit jacket. Even for the messiest work!
I think people took more pride in their appearance back them but that's just my opinion.
Door 15My suspicion is Nick made off with it.
More specifically......the Dodd Warehouse was located at 190 Lombard St. The building (a sturdy stone structure apparently the home of Del Monte Milling from 1884-1907) is still standing and the thing takes up a good chunk of property at that location. It's hard to figure out where this building and its low-number address would fit in.
View Larger Map
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)

Michigan Avenue: 1942
... Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Conrad Hilton Hotel on the ... "smoke-filled room" at the Republican Convention of 1920, where Warren G. Harding was chosen to run for President. With very few ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2021 - 10:52am -

February 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Michigan Avenue." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Conrad Hilton Hotel on the leftThis view of South Michigan Avenue is taken from just south of Balbo Drive (formerly known as 7th Street) looking north. The hotel now called the Hilton Chicago, originally called the Stevens Hotel, is shown at the far left. For my generation of Chicagoans, it will always be known as the Conrad Hilton, especially for its role in the riots during the Democratic National Convention in 1968. Just across the street to the right is the Blackstone Hotel. This hotel has its own notoriety in American political history: it was the location of the original "smoke-filled room" at the Republican Convention of 1920, where Warren G. Harding was chosen to run for President. With very few exceptions, all the buildings shown in this photo are still standing.
Where I saw a man and he danced with his wifeMichael R is correct.  Even the glass fronted building on the next block appears to have the original stone façade behind it.

Well I'm glad I read thisI thought this was the Drake Hotel but yup, Hilton.
Wrigley Building?The tower at the far end seems to be the Wrigley Building - South Tower 400 N Michigan Ave located on the Magnificent Mile. This year it had his hundredth aniversary as it had been completed in April 1921.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, John Vachon)

Agnes the Operator: 1942
... Hartford, Connecticut." Photo by Andreas Feininger for the Office of War Information. View full size. Andreas Feininger This ... an Agnes. Daughter of Irish immigrants Found in 1920 census in New Haven with father John J, mother Alice. Both born Ireland. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/08/2015 - 9:04am -

July 1942. "Production. Machine guns of various calibers. Agnes Mahan, bench lathe operator at a large Eastern firearms plant, makes oil drills for .50- caliber machine gun barrels. Colt's Patent Firearms Mfg. Co., Hartford, Connecticut." Photo by Andreas Feininger for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Andreas FeiningerThis photo shows the fine technique of an artist, which Andreas Feininger was: 
"The author of more than 30 books—including at least one acknowledged classic, the autobiography Andreas Feininger: Photographer (1966)—Feininger’s photographs were shown in solo and group shows in places as diverse as the Museum of Natural History, the International Center of Photography, MoMa, the Metropolitan, the Smithsonian and in smaller galleries and exhibitions around the world. A retrospective of his six-decade career, featuring 80 of his own favorite black-and-white pictures from 1928 through 1988, toured Europe in the late 1990s."
What a cute badge!The lights and the shadows successfully mingle, resulting in a beautiful expressive portrait.  And the blouse looks like real silk, in my opinion.Or maybe it's rayon?
Light wrongWith all due respects to the long success of the photographer, the main light he used overwhelms the machine light shown which is concentrated on the work being done. A strong portrait of the woman, an unbalanced result for the assignment.
[The woman doing the work is the subject, not the work itself. The OWI's purpose for these photos was to show women at work in war industries and to encourage others to do so. -tterrace]
Old fashioned namesI got to thinking that rarely do people name their daughters Agnes anymore, or Mildred, Greta, Adeline, Gertrude or Matilda.  As for boys, not too many use Walter, Harold, Clarence or Isadore.  Those are just some of the names of old acquaintances of mine whose names used to seem normal decades ago, but now sound unusual. Funny how trends change and then recur again some time later in history.  I know this is "off-topic" but it just occurred to me how long it has been since I've heard of an Agnes.    
Daughter of Irish immigrantsFound in 1920 census in New Haven with father John J, mother Alice. Both born Ireland. She was born 1918. Also in household are sisters, Ellen 7, Dorothy 9 and Margaret 12. In 1940 she and sister Dorothy are boarders in New Haven, both working. 
Not Too NovelInterestingly, Samuel Colt was an early employer of women in gun making: he was hiring them for factory work in the 1840s, and was reportedly an enlightened employer.
Four DaughtersWow I bet that was an interesting house to live in with five females. Especially in a couple years.
Reminds Me OfMy grandma Nellie.
She worked on a Lathe in a metal shop making parts for Spitfires during WWII while my grandfather Tom was away manning the coastal guns in the UK.
Nellie lived until the age of 94.
Old-fashioned namesMy sister, born in 1947, is named Mildred, and I don't know any Mildreds younger than she is.  But my grandmother, born 1891, was named Sophie, and that name is making a comeback.
(The Gallery, Andreas Feininger, Industry & Public Works, WW2)

¿Dónde Está Pancho: 1916
... after Villa, 1916." Gelatin silver print, U.S. Copyright Office. View full size. What a surprise I swear, until seeing this ... Villa, meanwhile, had agreed to lay down his arms in July 1920. But after three years of working his farmland, he was murdered as part of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/20/2021 - 1:48am -

June 10, 1916. "Carranza and U.S. troops use trains in search for Pancho Villa -- Mexican-U.S. campaign after Villa, 1916." Gelatin silver print, U.S. Copyright Office. View full size.
What a surpriseI swear, until seeing this photo I thought those huge sombreros in the Speedy Gonzales cartoons were exaggerated.
Well, now, ...... THAT's a dramatic photo!
It looks like a big-budget Hollywood movie from the 1960s, but with the authenticity of well-worn clothes, cruddy everything, and the majority of people sitting around, bored. I love the little tyke, atop the train car to the right. However, that's just one small detail; there is SO much to look at in this picture!
La respuesta es obvia.Pancho se esconde detrás de Waldo.
My UncleMy Uncle Fred was part of General Pershing Army that chased Poncho Villa. 
Rail gaugeIt appears this is 60" broadgauge trackage. Fine looking too.
Even the stock cars look newer and undamaged by wear.
Over ThereI used to direct traffic in front of a church in the early '70s in Methuen, MA. I used to talk to a guy who in his 80s at the time ran the collection on Sundays. He was a WWI veteran and told me about how he first had been down in Mexico with General Pershing’s troops after Pancho Villa. He got sick and sent home but got well in time to get shipped “over there.” This picture today reminded me of him.
Another Train Ride By CarranzaAbout 4 years later, Carranza was shot by some of his former bodyguards as he fled toward Veracruz with trainloads full of the national treasury. 
Villa, meanwhile, had agreed to lay down his arms in July 1920. But after three years of working his farmland, he was murdered as part of a government conspiracy.
(The Gallery, Railroads)

Welcome D.U. Bathrick: 1946
... U.S. Marine Corps during World War I. At the time of the 1920 Census, he was living in Houston, Texas, and working as a sales manager ... Motors. He also served as the head of General Motors' office in Washington, D.C., during World War II. He died September 24, 1972, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/19/2015 - 7:45pm -

April 24, 1946. "Pontiac zone managers' banquet at St. Francis Hotel." 8x10 acetate negative, originally from the Wyland Stanley collection. View full size.
Biggest surprise in this photo?They're drinking milk at the "PRESS" table.
SpottedOne lady, and one guy brazenly without a necktie!
SmokersWithout trying too hard I count at least 11 people puffing away. Times have sure changed.
Roast Beefand green beans--the standard fare for banquets from time immemorial.
Bright LightOne hungover guy, top left, wearing sunglasses.
Donald Upton Bathrick 1893-1972From a Wikipedia article on the 1916 Michigan Wolverine football team:
Donald Upton Bathrick, born March 4, 1893, Battle Creek, Michigan. He lived in Battle Creek with his parents, Charles and Grace Bathrick, at the time of the 1900 and 1910 Censuses. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War I. At the time of the 1920 Census, he was living in Houston, Texas, and working as a sales manager for an auto distributor. In 1930, he was living in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, and working in the wholesale automobile business. He worked for Ford and later for General Motors. He became general sales manager of the Pontiac division of General Motors. He also served as the head of General Motors' office in Washington, D.C., during World War II. He died September 24, 1972, Broward County, Florida.
A Picture of D.U.Here's a snip I made of a Michigan State Univ. library archive scan of a Chicago Sunday Tribune article from their November 5, 1939 edition. 
Press. Press. PULL!Nine members of the press covering a Pontiac banquet? The budget-conscious media giants today wouldn't send one INTERN to cover an event of this "magnitude".
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Eateries & Bars, San Francisco, W. Stanley)

Movers & Shakers: 1922
... became part of the U.S. Constitution on August 18, 1920: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied ... heels. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Politics, The Office) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/16/2019 - 8:56am -

October 15, 1922. Washington, D.C. "National Woman's Party -- moving." 4x5 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size.
The finer points of progressI was born on October 12, 1932, very close to 10 years after this move was taking place. During my grammar and high school years, the pencil sharpener hadn't changed at all. My C-124c Globemaster had one that I'd fastened to the bulkhead that I used from 1953 to 1955. I did pencil sketches to relieve the boredom of long flights to every continent except Australia and the many islands in between - BTW, nice shoes on the woman diving into the drawer, some class there ---
Rather a severe looking group Considering the time, and circumstance, that would come with the territory.
Leaving as winnersThe Nineteenth Amendment became part of the U.S. Constitution on August 18, 1920: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."
In 1922, the organization was located at 25 First Street NE.
There is a lot to unpack in this photo. The unpacking is left as an exercise to Shorpyites. Although the lady in the back seems to have taken her first steps of freedom in a more fashionable set of high heels.
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Politics, The Office)

The Fight: 1913
... and ran a music publishing firm in the early 1900s. By the 1920's, Feist was among the seven largest publishers of sheet music in the ... in a bordello, where the heroine (campaigning for public office) accuses her opponents of corrupting young women and the community for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/09/2015 - 1:42pm -

New York, 1913. "Quality Shop and Hudson Theatre." Where the audience for Bayard Veiller's drama The Fight included a grand jury probing charges that the play was "indecent and a public nuisance." 8x10 glass negative. View full size.
The alphabet thiefis in town - see usiness en's unch.
I certainly hopethat those two usiness en enjoy their unch at Café Signage.
Business Men's LunchThree martinis and some pretzels.
Quality Replacement Letters could probably be purchased at the aptly named, and handily located, shop a mere two doors down.
[The letters are not actually missing, they're just semi-invisible thanks to the emulsions used in the days before panchromatic film. - Dave]
Red BMLI would surmise, as letters painted with that color would show up darker when using orthochromatic emulsion (no guess as to Pantone color shade though.) 
Hudson Theatre is still thereIt's still in business at 141 W. 44th Street.  After serving as a movie theater, studio for CBS and NBC, a legitimate theater, a porno house and finally a rock night club, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission declared the interior and exterior an official landmark in 1987.  Now restored to its original 1903 appearance, the Hudson is part of the Millennium Broadway Hotel next door, and is used as a conference center and venue for special events.

Leo. Feist, Inc.Above the theater is one of the offices of Leo. Feist, Inc., as shown on the open windows and also by the large brass plate on the corner of the building. Leopold Feist founded and ran a music publishing firm in the early 1900s. By the 1920's, Feist was among the seven largest publishers of sheet music in the world. He had offices in major cities around he globe. His largest selling  piece of sheet music was "My Blue Heaven" published in 1927. Emblazoned -- at least once on every music sheet he published -- was the slogan "You Can't Go Wrong With Any Feist Song". After his death in 1930, most of the Feist music catalog was acquired by MGM. 
ComstockeryAccording to John Houchin's "Censorship of the American Theatre in the Twentieth Century", many early twentieth-century plays dramatized female sexual abuse (fueled by a moral panic over "white slavery"). What the authorities took exception to in "The Fight" was a confrontation set in a bordello, where the heroine (campaigning for public office) accuses her opponents of corrupting young women and the community for their own profit. In anticipation of the grand jury's visit, Veiller rewrote the second act and merely described the bordello scene, instead of showing it onstage, and after viewing the revised version, the grand jury dropped all charges.
(The Gallery, NYC, Stores & Markets)

York Village: 1908
... Village and with just a little bit of work the Post Office could easily have a drive through window. The trolley tracks ... that connected York Harbor to Dover, New Hampshire. On a 1920 topographic map the line's tracks are shown running down the main street ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/18/2012 - 11:45am -

York, Maine, circa 1908. "Street in York Village." Handbill on the tree: GREAT BASE BALL GAMES FRIDAY & SATURDAY, YORK BEACH. View full size.
Broad gauge?That streetcar track sure looks like something broader than the usual standard gauge.  (The overhead trolley wire shows clearly, so at least something electric used the track.)
A Quiet and Peaceful Villageand with just a little bit of work the Post Office could easily have a drive through window.
The trolley tracks...are probably for the Atlantic Shore Electric Railroad. This was an intercity electric trolley line that connected York Harbor to Dover, New Hampshire. On a 1920 topographic map the line's tracks are shown running down the main street in York Village.
We are here, I thinkThe Millinery Shop on the left is now the Old York Historical Society
If you take a left at Lindsey No 2 Rd you will see the little house with the window on the roof.
View Larger Map
Helen Bragdon, MillinerThis one took some work because I couldn't quite read the sign.  From the census it appears that an older Helen, head of household, is a widow, and her 28 year old daughter Helen M is the Milliner.  The 1900 census shows the mother as Georan Bragdon, dressmaker, but the Maine birth records confirm Helen (Weare) as mother and a George Theodore Bragdon as father.
Street Railway GaugeI'm pretty certain the trolley was standard gauge. I live in Pittsburgh where the trolley gauge was 5 feet 2-1/2 inches. It looks much broader than the gauge in this photo.
Home!Finally, after browsing Shorpy daily for 3 years, I see a picture of my home town! I've been down that street thousands of times. That scene is at the intersection of York Street and Long Sands Avenue, right in the heart of "Old York", where there are many restored historic buildings, including the Old Gaol, which is is right behind the buildings on the left of this picture. A 90-degree turn to the left, and you would see the Civil War memorial statue, which bears a striking resemblance to a Confederate soldier. A 90-degree turn to the right, and you would be able to see my grandmother's house.
(The Gallery, DPC, Small Towns)

With Relish: 1942
... probably would have been better. Photo by Edward Gruber, Office of War Information. View full size. "A Coke with ... (3), the third of the quintet, was launched in 1920 but not delivered until 1922 due to a shortage of materials, and built by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/19/2014 - 12:15pm -

September 1942. New York City. "First Chinese seamen granted shore leave in wartime America. Chinese seamen on United Nations vessels may now obtain shore leave in American ports. Heretofore, because of the large number of desertions by Chinese crew members, alien seamen of Chinese nationality have been detained on board when their ships touched American ports. As a result of conferences between representatives of the Chinese Embassy, the Recruitment and Manning Organization of War Shipping Administration, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the Department of Justice, Chinese seamen may now be granted shore leave if guarantees are given that they will not desert. Lee Ah Ding (left) and Yee Chee Ching, Chinese seamen from a British freighter, try typical American food for the first time. Yee took a hot dog in stride, but Lee refused to have anything to do with this strange foreign food. He did, however, drink a Coke with relish." Really, a hot dog with relish probably would have been better. Photo by Edward Gruber, Office of War Information. View full size.
"A Coke with relish"Yes, but how do the little bits pass through the straw?
Ice Cold Drings?I wonder if the owner of the hot dog cart ever noticed that typo on his sign...
Crewmen of the MV Glenstrae out of LiverpoolOn a whim I looked up their names, found their ship's name and vitals.
I found the ship's manifest for Mr. Yee and Mr. Lee, dated March 17, 1942 in the New York Passenger Lists over on Ancestry.
From the M.V. Glenstrae, out of Liverpool I found the following two men:
Yee Che Ching, listed as 26 years old, service 9 years at sea, job is a "Greaser", height 5-5, weight 134 pounds.
Also on that ship was an Zee Ah Ding, listed as 32 years old, service 18 years at sea, job is "No. 4 Greaser", 6 feet 1/2 inches in height, 140 pounds.
I found information about the Glenstrae at http://www.red-duster.co.uk/GLEN9.htm.  Unless the men changed ships, this means they most likely survived the war.
"GLENGARRY (2)/GLENSTRAE (3), the third of the quintet, was launched in 1920 but not delivered until 1922 due to a shortage of materials, and built by Harland & Wolff at Glasgow with a tonnage of 9640grt, a length of 485ft 6 in a beam of 62ft 3in and a service speed of 12.5 knots. In November 1922 she grounded in the Whangpo River but was refloated after discharging her cargo into lighters, and in 1925 collided with the tug Heathercock owned by the Liverpool Screw Towing and Lighterage but was not to blame. In March 1939 she was renamed Glenstrae in order to release the name for a ship being built in Denmark. On 7th September 1940 she received a direct hit during an air raid on the London Docks. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 curtailed her routing and she was subsequently used on the Australian multi-port service. In February 1949 she was transferred to Blue Funnel Line and renamed Dolius (2) and in July 1952, after a collision with the Gladstone Dock, Liverpool, wall, she suffered serious hull damage and was subsequently put up for disposal. Acquired by the British Iron & Steel Co. she was scrapped at the Briton Ferry yard of Thos.W. Ward later in the same year."
Dringing buddiesYee probably drang a dring after eating his hot dog.
Coke or PepsiIs Lee drinking a Coke or Pepsi. I don't see any Coke advertising and the bottle appears to be Pepsi. 
Also is Bob's Up the precursor to Seven UP?
Maybe a PepsiOn careful viewing, I think Mr. Lee Ah Ding is drinking a Pepsi Cola. But it is definitely not a Coca-Cola. Maybe with relish.
Looks like a Grape NehiAsk Radar O'Reilly in a few years.
(The Gallery, NYC, WW2)

DOJ: 1915
... building at the nearby corner of 15th and Vermont. In 1920, the building was purchased by George Washington University to house their ... January 1926 to make way for the construction of a "modern office building" to house the real estate firm of Shannon & Luchs, Inc. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/22/2012 - 8:37pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1915. The Department of Justice building at 1435 K Street N.W. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
Dude Descending a StaircaseTwo ghosts, or one? 
CrampedHow did they fit all that bureaucracy into such a tiny building?  Maybe the ghost was J Edgar Hoover spying on his future bosses several years before he started working there.  
Bureaucracy constrainedThis was back in the time when people really did believe in a small central government.  Even into the 1940s: Truman wrapped up WWII with a White House staff of 11 people.
Sen. T.W. Palmer ResidenceThis attractive building saw many uses over its short 41 year lifetime.  Sorting through all the history has proved to be one of the more substantial projects I have done here at Shorpy.
It was originally erected in 1884 as the residence of Senator Thomas W. Palmer of Michigan. The initial building, the left half of what is seen here, was designed by J.R. Thomas (probably John R. Thomas) of New York.  The right half of the building was added ten years later under the direction of its then owner, William E. Schneider.  After this expansion it became the new home of the Norwood Institute: an elite preparatory school for girls.  The Norwood Institute appears to have graduated its final class in 1897, at which point the building was adapted to serve use as the Hotel Baltic.
In 1899, with the old Department of Justice Building falling down,  Congress authorized money for construction of a new building and the department took up what was supposed to be a short term residence in the Hotel Baltic: the original lease was for 18 months.  Months turned into years as congress squabbled about costs, siting, etc.  Finally in 1916, the Department of Justice was able to move into its new building at the nearby corner of 15th and Vermont.
In 1920, the building was purchased by George Washington University to house their Law School.  After 5 years, the law school moved to its new home in Stockton Hall.  After this, things turn to the worse.  The building was razed in January 1926 to make way for the construction of a "modern office building" to house the real estate firm of Shannon & Luchs, Inc.

The following 1894 article refers to this architectural style as "modern gothic." By today's definitions, I think it falls more under the umbrella of Richardsonian Romanesque


Senator Palmer's House 

Col. Robert I. Fleming has just received from Mr. J.R. Thomas, a prominent New York architect, the drawings for a residence which he will soon erect for Senator T.W. Palmer, on K street, fronting on McPherson square, and adjoining the fine residences of Col. Payson on the west and Mr. Lowry on the east.  The drawings show one of the finest single houses about Washington and denote at once the practicable and artistic ideas of the architect.  The building will have a frontage of 32 feet, with an entire depth of 123 feet 6 inches, and will be five stories in height.  The facade, of modern Gothic design, is constructed entirely of Potomac red sandstone, and will present an effect as handsome as it is novel in this city.  This design is extensively used in New York, but will be accepted here as an agreeable change.
The principal entrance is reached by a flight of stone steps, ornamented with heavy newels and balustrades, and above the massive doors a semi-circular door-piece of rich design is crowned by a beautiful buttress in the form of a sea shell, which supports a heavy stone balcony.  There are two large semi-circular windows opening from the parlor on separate balconies similar in design to the one overhanging the main entrance, while from the second story springs an artistic oriel, resting on handsome carved stone and finished with rich cornices and balustrade.  Above this, accessible from the third story, is an elegant loggia, or gallery with in the house, but open to the street, a feature seldom seen here, but extensively used by the Italians.  The fourth floor is ornamented by a group of six arched windows, and the whole is surmounted by cornices of handsome though simple design.  [ article goes on to describe interior] 

Washington Post, Jun 30, 1884 



Note, in the following account of the addition, the entrance was moved.  I think the original entrance was the third window from left on the ground floor.  Also curious to me, is the change in building stone from Potomac red sandstone to Hummelstown brownstone.  It is somewhat difficult to tell in black & white, but the materials appear to match well.  I'm hardly a qualified field geologist so am not familiar with the comparative appearance of Appalachian sandstones. Of note, though, is that Hummelstown brownstone is characterized by reddish to purplish hues.  


Big Building Projects 

Another project of interest is announced to the effect that the vacant lot adjoining the late residence of Senator Palmer, 1435 K street, is to be improved by a handsome residence building, which will be in design and detail a duplicate of and connected with the existing house.  William E. Schneider, the owner, is having plans prepared for a five-story structure, 25x120 feet, with the entire front of Hummelstown brownstone and porch of same material.  The entrance will be by way of a large recessed arch, and on the upper story the windows will have balustraded balconies.  At the second story there will be an ornamental oriel bay window.  The top floor will finish with a row of colonnaded windows.  ... The new building and the residence of Senator Palmer will be occupied when completed as a boarding-school for the Norwood Institute, of which Mrs. William D. Cabell is principal. No approximate estimate has as yet been made of the cost of the building.  The Palmer house originally cost $110,000, and is finished in very expensive style.

Washington Post, Sep 7, 1894 


Potomac red, Hummelstown brownDuring the last part of the 19th century, Allen Walton, owner of Hummelstown Brownstone, was promoting his product in the D.C. area. It came in various hues that probably matched existing stone quite well.  The Christian Heurich mansion is an example of Hummelstown brownstone with a pink to purple hue.    
Architectural confusionI'm confused by the descriptions of this building.  The second paragraph under "Senator Palmer's House" describes the right half of the building almost exactly.  But "Big Building Projects" doesn't match what I'm seeing on the left.  I don't think the front door was moved; to me it seems like William Schneider's big plans were simplified before the structure was built.  It appears the entire facade was covered with stone so the two halves blend seamlessly.  At any rate, this is a fascinating building and it's a shame it was demolished.
[It looks like the original house is the right side of the main building, with the entrance, and the addition is the part to the left of the entry. Some of the features described in "Big Building Projects" (the entrance, the oriel bay) were already there, in the older right half. - Dave]
Re: Architectural confusionYes, I think I was confused in my original post here regarding which portion of the building is the older part.  I think Dave's right that the right hand side is the original building.


"My original plan was to build a forty-thousand dollar house here," said Senator Palmer to a Post reporter last evening, "but the figures have increased beyond ninety thousand, and the end is not yet in sight.  still I do not regret my action, for real estate is not destined to retrograde in Washington and a more charming spot for a residence cannot be imagined."

Washington Post, Jan 4, 1886

(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)

Road Tripping: 1952
... born in 1900, was living in Blue Springs, Missouri, in 1920. In 1940, he was in St. Louis. Perhaps Ollie ended up at this roadside ... the address on the Death Certificate is a U.S. Post Office mailing address (not a highway route). It's doubtful *Missouri T* ever ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/02/2014 - 3:09pm -

"6 Oct 1952. Clara & Grace at chenille & souvenir shop south of _______ ." We're back with Hubert and Grace on their road trip from Minnesota, the day before our previous photo was made at Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Where are we now? 35mm Kodachrome by Hubert Tuttle; paint by Dr. Seuss. View full size.
JCT ASince the Missouri DOT doesn't have money to pave roads anymore, they have lots of time to do things like scan all of the old state highway maps. The '48/'49 and '53 maps confirm that there was never a Route T near Phillipsburg.  In '49, Route T went all the way from Montreal (Missouri) to Route 66, but by '53, part of it was replaced by Missouri 35.  The south end of that Route T being in Laclede County precludes there being another Route T in Laclede County that isn't connected to it.
My further guess would be that this is between Phillipsburg and Lebanon, because 1) the shadows say we are looking more or less north and 2) we can see the *backs* of signs that are advertising the wonders to be found to the south.
I spent a little time with Google Street View looking for that hill, but nothing jumped out at me.  It's possible that the hill was eased when I-44 went through - the interstate would be pretty much right where Clara and Grace are standing.
How About This?Back then, the way to get from Minnesota to Eureka Springs, Arkansas was along Highway 65.  Given that people in 1952 didn't travel as far in a day as we do, I'm going to guess this is around Sedalia, Missouri.    
Not as rare a name as I thoughtI had thought that Wiltfong was a very rare name that might provide a location clue, but an online search shows well over 100 people with that surname.  While they're located all over the place, there are a number in Missouri, which ties in with a prior comment.  Someplace to the north of Eureka Springs also would make sense given the way the trees have turned more in this picture.
[What about "O. Wiltfong" -- are there hundreds of them?  -Dave]
[Edit: No O's that I could find.  Probably wouldn't matter, as the O in this picture has likely been long since gathered to his/her ancestors.]
[It does matter, if you're trying to figure out where this is. - Dave]
Country Roads     Back when I was a lad, American highway lanes were separated by a white line (broken or solid as appropriate), as shown here. Somewhere along the line, the white of those lines was replaced with yellow, and white was retained only for separating same-direction lanes on multiple-lane roads. Apparently this was a change I completely slept through, because I can't place the time when it took place.
  I wonder if anyone out there can pinpoint when this change occurred.  The reason I'd like to know is that I find it irksome when "period" movies show yellow lines on putatively vintage roads (much like showing red/blue mailboxes in an era when they should be green), and I'd like to know at what portrayed period I can relax in this regard and, therefore, not feel an oppressing need to get a life.
[That bugs me in period movies, too. The change from white to yellow began in 1971 when the Federal Highway Administration assumed responsibility for the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Everything you ever wanted to know about it is in this document. -tterrace]
I know where they are. Just outside of  Hooterville.
Oliver!Oliver Wiltfong, born in 1900, was living in Blue Springs, Missouri, in 1920. In 1940, he was in St. Louis. Perhaps Ollie ended up at this roadside oddity by the time this pic was taken.
Route 66 Novelty MerchantThis is probably the home/business of Novelty Merchant Oliver U. Wiltfong in rural Lebanon area of Missouri.
Oliver (and wife Jessie) lived in rural Lebanon, Laclede County, Missouri, for about 2 years prior to Oliver's death from brain cancer on May 6, 1949.
They resided near Phillipsburg, a village of about 200 population southwest of Lebanon along U.S. Route 66 (now I-44). Postal address: Phillipsburg Rt I.
Assuming Jessie remained living in Phillipsburg after Oliver's death, at the time this photo was taken in 1952 I would venture to say this is probably the family home on Route 66 near Phillipsburg.
During the 1940/50s is was customary for folks living along Route 66 to sell novelties from their yards to passing travelers.
[The old Route 66, now State Highway W, parallels I-44 near Lebanon, Missouri, the town whose name fills in the blank in our caption. Below is Oliver's death certificate; click to enlarge. His address is given as Phillipsburg Route T, presumably State Highway T in the vicinity of Phillipsburg. - Dave]
[Dave - *Missouri T* is north of Lebanon. It runs south from Stoutland, MO to old Route 66 where it ends. Hence my conclusion the address on the Death Certificate is a U.S. Post Office mailing address (not a highway route). It's doubtful *Missouri T* ever ran all the way down to Phillipsburg, MO (unless since the 1940/50s the State renamed all the highways).
Common sense says to me that since Oliver sold novelties he would locate on old Route 66 for maximum traveler traffic. Few travelers ventured off of Route 66 particularly in rural areas (except to visit major attractions). 
The building in the photo appears to be an old barn or shed dressed up a bit as a novelty shop by adding a false front and roof over hang. Notice the arched front vs. the pitched metal roof on the building; and, the double swinging barn type doors at the front of the building.
During the early to late 1950s my family traveled Route 66 annually from California to Missouri on vacations to visit family living in Missouri. The highway shown in the photo is what Route 66 was like most of the way from Chicago to California - a two lane concrete and/or asphalt highway.
The mail box with the name *O. Wiltfong* on it leads me to believe this is the property where Oliver and Jessie lived on old Route 66; and, that they converted an out building to a novelty shop.
All of this leads me to believe the photo was taken at the Wiltfong residence (and novelty shop) on old Route 66 in Phillipsburg, MO southwest of Lebanon, MO. - SilverfoxCo ]

(Minnesota Kodachromes, Travel & Vacation)

Cars on California: 1921
... in some area of insurance, could not be found. His office moved many times over the next 25 years, but always remained in the ... the business from his mother. The Cole shown was a 1920 Aero-Eight Tourster. The company literature said it had the following ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/21/2016 - 11:45am -

San Francisco, 1921. "California Street east from Montgomery." 8x10 nitrate negative, late of the Wyland Stanley/Marilyn Blaisdell collections. View full size.
ContinuityNearly a hundred years later, and cable cars still roll up and down California Street. Only the fare has changed.
[$7 for all above 4 years old; $3 for seniors, Medicare and disabled 9PM-7AM. Essentially a theme park ride now. -tterrace]
California parkingStill possible on one side of the street.

Car IDCole
SP Bldg in the distanceGreat pic! The dark building down at end of California St. and foot of Market is the red brick Southern Pacific building built in 1916. Still very much a landmark today. The SP RR and SP-Golden Gate Ferries system is very memorable
to old-timers.
J. P. HammondThe Cole belonged to John Percy Hammond (1878 - 1932) who was an insurance agent working at 519 California Street at the time the photo was taken.  The building where he worked was part of the insurance agency district in the city of San Francisco.  In 1921 Hammond, his wife, Ruth Constance [Oppenheimer] Hammond (1892 - 1973), and his son Robert Noel Hammond (1916 - 1986), were living at 1944 Fell in San Francisco on the panhandle of Golden Gate Park.  
His parents, John J. and Margaret A. Hammond, both immigrated to the United States from Canada.  His father was a butcher, and two of his brothers also worked at insurance companies during a portion of their careers.
Hammond appears to have started out as a clerk at the insurance firm of Smedberg & Mitchell around 1897, and he later worked at the Louis J. Janes Company as an insurance agent.  Around 1905 he began his own insurance firm, but details about what products he sold, or if he specialized in some area of insurance, could not be found.  His office moved many times over the next 25 years, but always remained in the insurance district.  After J.P. died in 1932, his wife ran the business for a period of time.  Around 1940 it appears that his son Robert took over the business from his mother.
The Cole shown was a 1920 Aero-Eight Tourster.  The company literature said it had the following special features: Large pockets in each door; special empedimenta compartment in back of front seat; tool space under front and rear seat; leather robe rail at back of front seat; foot rest in tonneau; automatic step light, Waltham eight-day clock; wool carpet in tonneau; extra heavy linoleum-covered, metal bound toe and floor boards; natural finish walnut instrument board; and rubber step pads.  Cost was $2,485 FOB Indianapolis.
There was also a separate Aero-Eight Californian which was essentially the same automobile, but the top was permanently attached.  The removable side curtains had glass windows built into them.  This version cost $350 more than the Tourster ($2,835), but you could ask for the regular side curtains and reduce the cost to $2,760.  You could have bought five Model T Fords for the same price in 1920.  Pictures of both the Tourster and Californian are below.  The picture of the Californian has a skewed perspective.
YowzaaWhat a grand pic!
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, San Francisco, W. Stanley)

Tailgater: 1943
... Iowa." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Coordination? I wonder ... Pennsylvania. The locomotives were built between 1917 and 1920, and delivered in batches, with 3286 being the next to last delivered. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/25/2015 - 9:35pm -

March 1943. "Chillicothe, Illinois. A helper engine is taken on for added power on a grade extending eight miles on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe between Chillicothe, Illinois, and Fort Madison, Iowa." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Coordination?I wonder how they coordinate power levels, or maybe the lead engine goes all out and the trailing one controls the speed.
Must Be a Steel CabooseIn earlier times, a wooden caboose was placed behind the pusher. Leaving it between the loco and rest of the train could end badly for the tail end crew.
Risky BusinessUse of helper engines was a common but dangerous practice prior to automated controls. My father, a long-time railroad special agent/claims agent, listed a couple of helper-caused wrecks as two of the worst he had to deal with.
Helper Engine#3286 was one of 128 locomotives ordered from the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The locomotives were built between 1917 and 1920, and delivered in batches, with 3286 being the next to last delivered.  The Santa Fe was a steady customer of Baldwin-built locomotives over the years.  3286 was a 2-8-2 Mikado Class engine.  All of the 128 locomotives of this class were gone by 1955.
Minor Refinement to LocationGreat photo!  The location is where the Santa Fe (now BNSF) crosses the Rock Island (now IAIS). The train is starting on the climb up the 1% Edelstein Hill.
As a child I spent a lot of time at this exact place watching freights & the Chiefs. (Born too late for stream.)  The best visit was a late night Thanksgiving with a gentle snow & 2 caboose back to back with flickering oil lanterns.  (Which surprised me since I always thought they were electric.)
Considering the year & month,  it is probable my grandfather was clerking at the station & my Dad was working on the bridge in the background over the Illinois River.
Pusher manAfter the helper is coupled, there is a simple application/release air test.In preradio days, we'd hold off on the release until we were ready to go. When the air released, the helper would start shoving and the lead engine would start pulling. You'd be amazed how fast a long freight can get up to speed from a standing start with engines on both ends.
The lead engine aways controls the speed. The helper's job is to push.
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Après-Launch: 1900
... in signage. Seems to have flourished until about 1920 or so. By the way, that steam yacht in the background is lovely. I ... and many have the mystery period on their signage, e.g. "OFFICE." in large carved granite block letters above the entrance. Does anyone ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/26/2015 - 1:24pm -

Sept. 15, 1900. Wyandotte, Michigan. "Freighter Howard L. Shaw in the slip." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Landfill in TorontoThis freighter made it until 1969 when it was sunk a part of the Ontario Place Landfill in Toronto.
Interesting DateMy grandfather was born 4 months earlier to the day, and served in the US Navy on the USS Olympia C-6, which pre-dates even this old gal.
C'est le FrenchIt seems more like an 'Avant-launch' to me. By the looks of it it hasn't taken to the water yet.
[Look again. - Dave]
Don't omit the punctuationAnother example of the mysterious period at the end of non-sentences in signage.  Seems to have flourished until about 1920 or so.
By the way, that steam yacht in the background is lovely.  I want!!
Launched sidewaysAs was common on the Great Lakes and still happens from time to time, this ore boat was launched sideways.  Very recently from the looks of things and all the water on the ground on the left side.  Now most larger boats are built in a dry dock and it's just flooded.
During WWII the Navy was aghast that they would propose launching submarines this way in Wisconsin, but they did, and it worked.
There are some nice videos on Youtube of ships launched this way.
Yeah what's up with that??Doghouse, I have been wondering about that punctuation thing for years -- around here there are old textile mills dating to around 1900 and many have the mystery period on their signage, e.g. "OFFICE." in large carved granite block letters above the entrance. Does anyone anyone anyone know why they would go to the trouble of carving a period there? I'm guessing it was simply the style, but I'd love to learn more about it.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)

The Buick Building: 1921
... branch, Buick Motor Company's new assembling plant and office building, will be erected on site of the Unitarian Church property at ... rental of over $300,000. (Washington Post, April 18, 1920) (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Factories, Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/05/2020 - 2:18pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "Buick Building, Fourteenth and L Sts. N.W." 8x6 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size.
New Buick Plant Here
        Factory branch, Buick Motor Company's new assembling plant and office building, will be erected on site of the Unitarian Church property at Fourteenth and L streets northwest. The property has been leased by the company for ten years at a total rental of over $300,000. (Washington Post, April 18, 1920)

(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Factories, Natl Photo)

Irving Trust: 1931
... be seen in the profiles of buildings constructed in the 1920's and 1930's, for example the Irving Trust (now Bank of New York Mellon) ... were so small that the building was obsolete for modern office uses. (The Gallery, Irving Underhill, NYC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2013 - 11:23am -

New York circa 1931. "Irving Trust Building, 1 Wall Street." The Art Deco behemoth on the right, with Trinity Church and its cemetery in the foreground and Equitable Building on the left, along with American Surety, the Bankers Trust pyramid and Bank of Manhattan (rear). Irving Underhill photo. View full size.
100 BroadwayNote the two-tone American Surety building just left of center at 100 Broadway-- the darker left part is 20+ years older than the lighter addition.
In Defense of the Equitable BuildingThe connection between the construction of the [Second] Equitable Building (built 1913-1915) and the passage of the New York Zoning Ordinance of 1916 is more elusive than is commonly thought. Skyscraper regulation had been under consideration in New York for many years before the Equitable was built, and the basics of the Zoning Ordinance were finalized in 1913 - when the Equitable was merely a hole in the ground; it took several years for the City Council to take action. It was the model suggested by architect Ernest Flagg in his Singer Tower of 1906-1908 that led the way for the height and bulk restrictions of the ordinance, with the crucial proviso that a tower of unlimited height could be built on 25% of the lot area. So the Equitable Building is not really the big, bad, monster building it is often made out to be.  
Much the sameWith the exception of that short building on the north side of Wall Street, they are all there including the Banker's Trust pyramid and the Bank of Manhattan (not in this frame).
Man on a Ledge X 2Here we go again with a Man on a Ledge, this time twice in 1 photo. 1 is left of the church 16 floors up, the other right of the church 12 floors up. Amazing!
Once the tallestTrinity's spire was once the tallest structure in New York City.
It was a tourist desitination to climb inside the spire.
I once got to do that about 11 years ago.  It was sooty, awkward footing, and there was more than one dead pidgeon up there.  
But I did it.
[Walter? -tterrace]
Dark shadowsConstruction of the Equitable Building led to New York's first commercial zoning regulations almost a century ago. By running straight up 38 stories from the property line without setbacks, the building cast surrounding buildings in perpetual shadow.  Not only was this esthetically unpleasing, it also was quite burden at a time when offices still relied on natural light to a significant extent.  Some building owners were able to get their property taxes reduced by proving loss of market value.  In response, the city enacted zoning rules that required setbacks in tall buildings, rules that remained in effect for decades and can still be seen in the profiles of buildings constructed in the 1920's and 1930's, for example the Irving Trust (now Bank of New York Mellon) Building on the right side of this photo.
An unusual thing about this photo is that every building is still standing, with the exception of the one directly to the left of the steeple. 
Addendum: Ironically, Flagg's narrow-tower design of the Singer Building is a major reason why it became the tallest building ever intentionally demolished, a record it still holds after more than 45 years.  Its floorplates were so small that the building was obsolete for modern office uses.
(The Gallery, Irving Underhill, NYC)

Hatty's Hats: 1943
... Medium format nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Now and Then Garment ... and from 35th to 40th streets. During its heyday in the 1920's it housed over 600 hatmakers with a total of 15,000 employees. It ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/26/2014 - 10:42am -

March 1943. "New York. Trucks in the garment district." Medium format nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Now and ThenGarment center is now mostly farther west.
View Larger Map
Governor Clinton Hotel - 1962At the age of 8, I stayed with my family in the Governor Clinton Hotel, and was fascinated looking out the window at the men pushing racks of clothes down the street wreathed in clouds escaping steam.
What is the nameon the trailer on the left? It looks like FREUHAUF or is the last letter an R? Freuhauf is the current name so I expect it is an F
Looking at these pictures I find it interesting how long some brand names have been around.
[Fruehauf Trailer Co. was in business from 1918-1997. -tterrace]
Millinery DistrictWest 36th Street in this area was part of the Millinery District.  A subset of the larger Garment District, the Millinery District ran between Fifth and Sixth avenues and from 35th to 40th streets. During its heyday in the 1920's it housed over 600 hatmakers with a total of 15,000 employees. It already was in decline by 1943, and today only a few specialty hat businesses remain.  The name is still commemorated by the Millinery District Synagogue on Sixth Avenue between 38th and 39th streets, though being on the west side of Sixth the temple is actually just outside the district's boundaries. 
Railway ExpressThe fourth and fifth trucks in line appear to be Railway Express trucks, the UPS or FedEx of the day.  At least they didn't park in the middle of the street like modern delivery services do.
The semi on the leftI just love the appearance of that semi on the left. What make was it?
InternationalThe first truck on the left hauling the Fruehauf Trailer looks like a 1941 - 1943 International.  Most likely it is a 1941, but some civilian truck production continued throughout the war in order to help move goods to market.  The model may be a 5-Ton K-8 which was very popular.  This model " . . . used a Red Diamond 318 engine and a five speed overdrive transmission with single or double reduction axles (K-8, KR-8) or a two speed axle (KS-8)."  The windshield still opened up at the bottom to allow additional ventilation in the cab.
Source: International Trucks by Frederick W. Crimson, p. 170
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, NYC)
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