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Bicycle Queen: 1959
... 20, 1959. "Sixteen-year-old actress Annette Funicello, Bicycle Queen of 1959." New York World-Telegram and Sun Photo ... model. See: The 1959 Schwinn Catalog online Bicycle Queen of 1959 And queen of my heart forever. My First ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/01/2014 - 5:01pm -

March 20, 1959. "Sixteen-year-old actress Annette Funicello, Bicycle Queen of 1959." New York World-Telegram and Sun Photo Collection. View full size.
She Gets Around a LotAnnette's posed in front of the guard shack at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank facing South Buena Vista Street.
Though lovely in 1959-She truly blossomed in the styles and fashions of 1960s on the golden California beaches, and her films from that era will always be a treat, particularly to those of us of who initially saw them as teenagers.
A StarletIronically enough it seems she's riding the Schwinn "Starlet" model.  See: The 1959 Schwinn Catalog online
Bicycle Queen of 1959And queen of my heart forever.
My First "Crush"First of all: Thanks! BIG MIKE for saying it all; you put my very thoughts into words. Well Said!
In 1959, I was 11 years old, and Annette, at 16 was the "older woman" in my life. I wonder how many of "us of a certain age" remember how we dreamed of a date with Annette: going to a soda shop, or the movies, or even a bike ride.
She was the sweetheart of my pre-teen years!
One Classy LadyThose of us of a certain age grew up with Annette on the Mickey Mouse Club and her later ventures into music and films and remember her well. A beautiful young lady and woman who I'm sure passed up many offers from the Men's magazines of the day for a bit more. She remained a classy and courageous lady 'til the end and is a fond memory for all of us.
My First HeartthrobAnnette was my 1st dream girl. All the young boys watched her on the Mickey Mouse Club dreamed about her.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Pretty Girls)

American National: 1918
... was this a cathedral of banking? -- is gone. Motorized bicycle Check out the motorized bicycle at the far right. The more recent Schwinn Heavy Duty or the Worksman ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 5:35pm -

Washington circa 1918. "American National Bank, F Street." Right next door to Harris & Ewing Photographers, who took so many of the photos (including this one) seen here on Shorpy. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size.
Still There?Please tell me this wonderful building is still there!
["This wonderful building is still there!" - Dave]
View Larger Map
Victor E. Desio & Co.


Desio & Co. will Remodel Dwelling

Victor E. Desio & Co. have plans prepared by Julius Wenig, architect, for remodeling the three-story and cellar store building at 1309 F street northwest.  The entire building, which is 26 feet wide by 82 feet deep, will be remodeled into two stores.  The front will be of all glass show windows, marble base and copper trimming.  The second and third floors will be fitted out for store and work rooms, and an electric elevator will be installed from the first to third floor.  Metal ceilings and marble floors will be a feature on the first floor.  
When completed the work will represent an outlay of $8,000.  Work will be started July 12, and Victor E. Desio & Co. will occupy the west store and Howard Deane the east store by September 1.

Washington Post, Jul 9, 1916 



Victor E. Desio Rites Arranged Here Tomorrow

Victor E. Desio, retired jeweler, who for many years conducted business at 1309 F street Northwest, died yesterday at his home, 2400 Fort Scott Drive, Arlington, Va.  He was 64 years old.
Born here, Mr. Desio carried on the jewelry business founded by his father, the late Gerome Desio, in 1874. He was a member of the Holy Name Society and the Lido Civic Club.

Washington Post, Jan 19, 1943 


Not Entirely ThereThat wonderful steeple -- was this a cathedral of banking? -- is gone.
Motorized bicycleCheck out the motorized bicycle at the far right.  The more recent Schwinn Heavy Duty or the Worksman bikes look like that.
Sidewalk sidecarCheck out the bike with the cargo sidecar in front of the bank! And what are those brass cans on the sidewalk?
[Fire extinguishers. - Dave]

Motor PlacementMotor is mounted on right front fork.
AKA Baltimore Sun Bldg.Originally built for the Baltimore Sun newspaper.  Alternate Shorpy view in 1924.



Bank In Sun Building
American National Acquires F Street Structure

The American National Bank has bought the Baltimore Sun Building, the price it is understood, being between $210,000 and $225,000.  The bank will remodel the interior of the building, and will take the entire two first floors for its bankroom, giving it one of the largest rooms, if not the largest in the city.  The bank will move into its new building in September or October of the present year, the deed for the purchase of the big office building, one of the finest in the city, and one of the landmarks of F street, is consummated practically on the first birthday of the bank, its first year of existence having ended yesterday.  The bank has been looking for a new location for some months, its present building on Fourteenth street not being large enough.
...
The building was the first of the "tall buildings" erected in Washington, and when it was built, about twenty years ago, it was the handsomest business buildings in the city.  It cost for the actual construction about $340,000.

Washington Post, May 5, 1904


BicycleI see the bicycle, but having trouble locating the motor. Maybe he took it with him while he was shopping.

Motor BikeI'll be. It looks like a Smith Motor Wheel. They were usually mounted at the rear of the bike. I've never seen one up front. Just like the one that the lovey Ms. Young has on her Bug.
Dayton Motor BicycleThat's a very rare Dayton Motor Bicycle. The motor is indeed very similar to the Smith Motorwheel, but it was a version sold by the Davis Sewing Machine Company, makers of the Dayton brand at the time. The engine is in the middle of the front wheel. The patent is here.
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Stores & Markets)

Incognito: 1890
... her gender in those bike pants. Horsing around with a bicycle I'm pretty sure one mounts them the same way one mounted a horse. In ... 3 feet by four feet or so. When you mounted the bicycle you were standing tall enough, thanks to the block, that the bicycle ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:26pm -

Circa 1890. "Frances Benjamin Johnston, self-portrait, dressed as a man with false mustache." The Washington, D.C., photographer was one of the first women to rise to prominence in the profession. Albumen print. View full size.
Awesome (and imposing) bike!How on Earth did you get on top of that? And how did you keep your balance? I've heard velocipedes (that´s their name, right?) were really fast, but also very unstable. And when it came to stopping, how did you keep from falling? 
This photo ranks high in my favorite list, definitely! 
Never assume...I will assume that profession is photography, not cross-dressing.
I have so many questions!Starting with how tall is that door? Or was she just a tiny woman who made the door seem giant in comparison?
Also, what about the draped painting or mirror on the wall? Was it simply draped so as not to distract from the photo's subject, or for some other reason?
I have a friend who has one of those bicycles tattooed on her ankle. They look awfully complicated to mount, let alone ride.
CognitoI don't know how well her disguise concealed her identity but it certainly failed to conceal her gender in those bike pants.
Horsing around with a bicycleI'm pretty sure one mounts them the same way one mounted a horse. In the pre-automobile era people put mounting blocks outside buildings. These were basically stone (sometimes wood) platforms with two or three steps leading up to the platform area. The mounting area was typically 3 feet by four feet or so.
When you mounted the bicycle you were standing tall enough, thanks to the block, that the bicycle seat was below your own seat.
As for how you stopped them -- uhm, with great difficulty? I do not know if they have some kind of braking mechanism at the top of that wheel or not. I see something there. But since it is direct drive on the hub of that front wheel, you can stop it by no longer pedaling forward.
How you keep it from tipping over after you stop it--I haven't a clue.
How to handle itI found a couple of videos demonstrating mounting technique, and it appears to require some agility. A summary: 
1. There is a small step on the left side of the rail, down toward the smaller wheel. Put the left foot on the step and both hands on the handlebars. 
2. Kick with the right leg to start rolling, then use the step and handlebars to lever the body up toward the seat. 
3. Throw the right leg over the seat and onto the right-side pedal as it comes up. 
4. Straighten out and get the left foot onto the left-side pedal, and ride away. 
The Dreaded HeaderYears ago I had a co-worker whose hobby was penny-farthing bicycles. Infamous for their propensity to propel hapless riders into a "header" -- when they were pitched over the driving wheel upon encountering an obstruction. Which explains why the more conventional design that came along later was known for a time as the "safety bicycle."
High-wheel FaceplantSomething rarely if ever mentioned about the penny farthing and other high-wheelers is the problem with braking.  You can see the brake just above the top of the wheel.  If this was applied hard enough, the seat (and rear wheel) would rotate with the main wheel, slamming the rider into the ground.
One solution was to put the little wheel at the front, but by then the symmetrical two-wheeler was taking over.
Pounds, shillings and....This type of bicycle was termed the "penny-farthing" in Britain (and throughout the Commonwealth) due to the sizes of the big wheel (the penny) and the little wheel (the farthing).
The bikes were mounted via a little step just above the small wheel -- partially hidden here by the lady's legs.
Step 1A.K.A.A "Boneshaker" for obvious reasons.
Self-Portraits in the 1890sI can't see a cable in this image, but self-portraits were doable in the 1890s.  Photographer Alice Austen shot many self-portraits, using a pneumatic cable to release the shutter, as early as 1884.
Whoa!Simply stopping pedaling does not stop the bike - the pedals ratchet while coasting, just as most modern bikes do. The small "finger" looking device at the top of the wheel is the brake, activated by the levers on the right handle bar. It is not very effective, but its better than nothing. 
Riding one of these is more like riding a unicycle with a training wheel! They can be very fast, and if you fall, you REALLY fall, usually on your face. The gyroscopic precession with that tall wheel makes turning at slow speeds interesting, but once up and rolling, the bike is amazingly stable. 
Mounting blocks? Neigh.Mounting a velocipede or high wheeled bicycle is an art. Using a mounting block wouldn't work -- the bike has to be moving or else you fall over. You have to get a running start, pushing the bike, then put a foot on the frame step, somewhat like a stirrup, and in a single fluid motion you throw yourself up and over the frame, landing in the seat.
Taming the BicycleMark Twain on "Taming the Bicycle."
Self-PortraitPardon my ignorance about photography but how did someone take a self portrait back in 1890.  They couldn't have had timers on the cameras back then so how was it done?  There does look like there is some sort of cable running down from the wall hanging but I can't quite make out where it ends up.  Is there some sort of apparatus where she would squeeze a bulb that would trip the lens and take the picture?
[Probably the apparatus known as "assistant who squeezes the bulb." - Dave]
Extreme penny farthing-ingAt least two people have ridden around the world on penny farthings.
Around the World on a Bicycle by Thomas Stevens, first published in 1887 is available in hardback, and as a free e-book at The Gutenberg Project.
Joff Summerfield did it between May 2006 and November 2008.
EpiphanyI always wondered why the first bicycles were shaped so funny, why the seats were so high.
My theory is that the height of the seat was the same as the average height of a horse's withers, so coming from a culture built entirely around horses as transportation, it makes sense that the first bicycle would have been designed to mimic the height and foot placement of a saddled horse.
[The reason is more mechanical than cultural. The only way to build a reasonably speedy direct-drive cycle is with a big wheel, with the diameter determined by the length of the average person's legs. Bicycles with smaller wheels and comparable speeds weren't possible until the introduction of the sprocket-and-chain gearset. - Dave]
Her Left FootPerhaps her extended left foot, with toes suspiciously out of the frame, is squeezing the bulb.
Extraordinary Lady!I'm beginning to develop a great fondness for Ms. Johnston and her work!
Remarkable woman. *swoon*
(The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., F.B. Johnston)

No Peanuts: 1942
... like sound when the plunger is pushed. Lovely Prewar Bicycle The bike pictured is a new prewar Schwinn. Not sure of the exact ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/30/2024 - 2:25pm -

November 1942. Lititz, Pennsylvania. "Small town in wartime. Peanut stand next to the Lutz butcher shop finds it hard to get peanuts since the war started. Peanut oil is needed in industry." Acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size.
The Original Educator Crax Cracker ...With the Baked-in-Flavor!
Crax, not CrackerJackCrax crackers, "The Original Educator"
https://clickamericana.com/topics/food-drink/crax-the-most-imitated-crac...
Lutz’s Meat Market ... was founded by B.F. Lutz in 1895 in the rear of 15 East Main Street. The bank drive-thru lanes were the site of a farmer’s market operated by Lutz. In 1927 Lutz’s sons, Ben and John, joined in the business and it was relocated to 53 East Main Street. - lititzlibrary.org

I Spy ... Ms. Marjory CollinsIn reflection to the left right of the "No Peanuts" sign. 
A metric wall ??I don't think I've ever seen brickwork before with headers (only) every tenth row (every five or six is the most common).
Crax and a crankWhat be crax, I have to ax. Nineteen cents, at any rate. And that's a doozy of an awning crank there.
"Hygiene" textbookThe New Healthy Living Series: The Habits of Healthy Living, by Winslow and Hahn, 1932.
This is a well-used copy, although it does not sound like the sort of reading that would excite a young teenager.
My New BikeBet that boy is mighty proud of his sleek new bike.
Nations Beyond The SeasThe bigger book on the bike seat is "Nations Beyond the Seas"; can't quite read the spine of the smaller book. 
A postwar edition of Nations Beyond The Seas can be borrowed at Archive.org

Watch out ...My bike (c. 1948) has a horn like his.  It doesn't require batteries, it blasts out a loud klaxon like sound when the plunger is pushed.
Lovely Prewar BicycleThe bike pictured is a new prewar Schwinn.  Not sure of the exact year or name on the headbadge.  Schwinn made bicycles for different companies back then.
Thanks to Dave for the zoom into the book spinesReminds me of the movie Blade Runner where Harrison Ford is saying stuff like "Enhance 224 to 176"
[You're very welcome. The zoom is actually from a different photo. - Dave]
"Nutty" SpellingThe numbers on the old piece of wood beneath the peanut window lead me to believe the bags of nuts, when available, would have set you back a nickel, a dime, or two dimes for the large appetite and wallet crowd.  Perhaps if they had raised their prices just a fraction they could have afforded another "R"!
Sliver of storefront?That's gotta be the world's narrowest storefront for the peanut guy. No wider than a door opening. Unless it shared space with the meat guy next door?
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Kids, Marjory Collins, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)

Geese Better Scurry: 1901
... Publishing Company. View full size. Unsecured Bicycle How long until an unlocked bike was purloined in 1901? I'd give it ... Oscar for your Hammerstein reference anyway. Luddite Bicycle Jockey Doesn't trust those newfangled bike racks. Fixie ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/07/2016 - 2:43pm -

New Jersey circa 1901. "Coleman House, Asbury Park." Fringe Festival in progress. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Unsecured BicycleHow long until an unlocked bike was purloined in 1901?  I'd give it five minutes today.
This isn't OklahomaBut you get an Oscar for your Hammerstein reference anyway.
Luddite Bicycle JockeyDoesn't trust those newfangled bike racks.
FixieNowadays, you have to pay someone to make a bike like that for you. We call them "fixies", and they don't have brakes because they don't have a freewheel: you cannot coast, your legs are always moving. Stop moving your legs, and you stop. Sort-of. Up a hill, not so bad. Down a hill, rather exciting.
Stopping is overratedWho needs brakes when you have a bell, though it looks like they may have lost the actual bell part.
Razed, not BlazedAccording to http://noweverthen.com/asbury/ap1.1fold/ap1.12.html: 
"The Coleman was torn down in the '50s and replaced by a modern motel, the Empress."
An early drawing of the Coleman, click to embiggen: 

Back seat driverNote first surrey. 
stopping is NOT overrated......and entirely possible with a fixed gear bike.  Once a necessity, now a hipster status symbol/phenomenon.  Google "hipster fixie" if you care to know more.
Early auto designI don't ever recall seeing a full-size buggy with wire wheels. Imagining it without the back seat, and the top, (and the horse!) it looks a lot like a early Winton auto. 
Water tower designTop left of the hotel is what looks like to me a water tower built for the purpose of water pressure throughout the hotel. Best looking water tower I've seen.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Horses)

Century Road Club: 1913
... and Walter Wiley at the start of New York to San Francisco bicycle race." Bain News Service glass negative. View full size. ... type counters mounted on the front forks of each bicycle. Or is this some other accessory? The amazing thing about this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:25pm -

May 3, 1913. "Fred J. Scherer and Walter Wiley at the start of New York to San Francisco bicycle race." Bain News Service glass negative. View full size.
Fixies?It appears that the bikes they were planning to ride were fixed-gear bikes with no brakes.  I shudder to think what these guys went through crossing the Continental Divide.  
Odometers?There appear to be little Veeder-Root type counters mounted on the front forks of each bicycle.  Or is this some other accessory?
The amazing thing about this image is.Bicycles haven't changed much in all these years. 
Those OdometersBetabox, I actually had one of those odometers a couple of bikes ago. There was a little peg that attached to one of the spokes, and it hit a star wheel on the little meter. I still remember the little ping it made every time the peg came around. Worked pretty well, as I recall. 
Now I use a $5.00 GPS app on my iPhone that gives me a Google map of my route, speed, distance, altitude, pace, and even calories burned, and it keeps track of every ride I took for over a year. Even lets me listen to iTunes music while I ride. Absolutely amazing for $5.00. We've come a long way, baby.
But still, that little counter gizmo lasted 100 years, and I'll bet it's still being sold. Now that's pretty cool.
Carbide bicycle lanternsThere are a ton of these available at various on-line antique auction sites. The ones shown here resemble the "Old Sol" model by Hawthorne of Bridgeport Connecticut. There are jeweled facets on either side of the lamp that serve as running lights, green on the right and red on the left (with Red Port Wine being the aide-memoire).
Century Road Club AssociationI don't know whether these two made it to Frisco, but their organization was founded in 1898 and is still going strong.
Wool Was the Old Spandex        Bicycle enthusiasts, dressing like dorks for nearly 100 years!
Long Ride!I hope you have a photo of them at the finish line!
Very bold.Considering that the first cross country automobile trip, and the hardships they endured, took place in 1907 it was still a bold move, even in 1913, to make the attempt on a bicycle. 
Track BikesIn today's terms these are track bikes:  fixed gear: NO freewheeling rear gear/hub assembly.  Difficult to ride because the only way you can stop is to pedal slower and slower -- bit tough on the down hills in hilly terrain. 
Of note:  I could find nothing on this "race" via the search engines.  Given the nature of the bikes, I doubt they make it very far without major crashes.
In memory of carbide lanternsBack in my pre-teen youth in Altoona, Pa., my Dad and I used to go raccoon hunting, which is done at night with dogs (technical term "coon hounds"). For light we used carbide lanterns that were designed to be mounted on coal miners' helmets, and an Internet search yields many sites explaining how they work.
Hunting was fun and all that, but carbide offered an extra benefit to anyone wanting to blow a can apart (technical term "teen vandals"). We'd drop a handful of carbide in a can that had a metal lid, such as an empty paint can, punch a hole in the lid, introduce saliva to the carbide (technical term "spitting"), wait for calcium hydroxide gas to build up while covering the hole, then touch a match to the hole and BLAMMO.
Coaster brakes?I don't know when the Coaster Brake was invented but I think I see the little brake anchor lever that clamps to the frame on the one bike.
It was never much fun as a kid when that lever came loose and you hit the brakes.
Not FixiesFrom what I can tell, these are single speed bikes with a coaster brake, not a fixed gear. If you look at the left chainstay, it looks as if there is a coaster brake bracket coming from the rear hub. Also the rear hub looks to be rather large which would indicate it housing all the elements of a cb. I could be wrong, kind of hard to be 100% sure from the photo.
Those carbide lampsWhen I was a kid, we had a "carbide cannon" as a toy.
It was a poorly cast piece that looked like a WWI cannon. You put carbide in it, and it had a sparker like an old zippo lighter to ignite the gas.
It was about a 5 on a 10 point fun-o-meter. Fun for about half an hour.
How about those toe clips.If you look closely at the pedals, you will note the toe clips.  I did some 100 miles per day bike trips in my salad days and toe clips made it a lot easier by locking your bike shoes to the pedals.  It was a relief not to have to concentrate on keeping your shoes centered on the pedals.  In addition you could "pull up" on one pedal while "pushing down" on the other. 
The carbide bike lamp is a Model S Solar manufactured by the Badger Brass Mfg. Co. of Kenosha, WI.  It was patented in the US in 1896. My lamp (see pic) is not as shiny.  The water tank and filler hole with vent plug is located in the back. The carbide pellets went in the cup on the bottom.  The "key" on the side adjusted the water dripping on the carbide.  Water plus carbide generates acetylene gas which burns with a hot white flame.  The front of the lamp has a glass cover which swings open to light the acetylene.  The flat cap on the light is the "smokestack" for the burnt gas to escape.
The Eternal BicycleToe clips, coaster brakes, drop handlebars, handlebar wrap, panniers (sort of).... You need to change very few things to arrive at a modern bicycle.  
"Brought to you by..."... Fisk Tire (if the flag on the boys' bikes was indeed a sponsor).  Fisk made bicycle and automobile tires at the time, and their logo was the little yawning boy in pajamas with a bicycle tire slung over his right shoulder.
"Trust the Truss"Based on the badge and the frame design of the bicycle on the left, it's an Iver Johnson Truss-bridge bicycle. Yes, this is the same Iver Johnson that made fire arms.  They built this style frame from 1900 to 1939. 
The bicycle on the left does, in fact, have a coaster brake.  The coaster brake was invented in the late 1890s and were quite common by 1910.  The large chrome ball on the handlebars are bicycle bells.  Also note the sprocket driven odometers on the front hubs of both bikes.  
I have a feeling this event, sponsored by Fisk Tires, was not so much a race as it was a reliability run.  What better way to promote your tires.  The fact that no information can be found about this event makes me believe it was a failure, and so was not reported.
Vanishing PointOn April 27, 1913 Fred J. Scherer, Walter Wiley, George McAdams, and Ernest Higgins were among more than 300 cyclists who took part in the 16th Annual Spring Century Run from Columbus Circle in Manhattan to Hicksville, Long Island and back.  The race, sponsored by the Century Road Club [bicycle] Association, was a warm up for the 48-day Transcontinental Handicap Team Race that was started a week later.
Scherer and Wiley represented the Caribou Club, while McAdams and Higgins rode for the Century Road Club.  Scherer and Wiley received a twenty-four hour head start, leaving from City Hall at Broadway & Murray Street on the 3rd of May 3 at 1:00 p.m.  They pedaled up Broadway (mostly) accompanied seventy-five other cyclists and autos stuffed with officials who were shouting last minute details and instructions.  The autos dropped out at Yonkers, while the other cyclists kept up the escort as far as Tarrytown.
The first night's stop would be in Poughkeepsie, with other overnight stays in Schenectady, Utica, Auburn, Batavia, Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Norwalk, and Toledo, Ohio—where they hoped to arrive on the 13th.  The itinerary had them arriving in Chicago on the 16th and Omaha on the 22nd.  They figured to arrive at their final destination—San Francisco—on June 20, whereupon they would present a message from Mayor Gaynor of New York to Mayor Rolph of San Francisco.  They also carried messages from East Coast bicycle organizations to their West Coast counterparts.  They estimated making an average of seventy miles a day and took no money, as "all expenses must be met by the sale of post cards and money actually earned in other ways while enroute."
McAdams and Higgins left twenty-four hours later from the same place and followed the same route and timetable, although they bragged that they would overtake Scherer and Wiley in a few days, and reach San Francisco first.  There was supposed to be another team from Denver that would be riding a tandem bike, but no one really believed that they would show up.  They didn't.
A couple of newspapers in Indiana got the news feed wrong, and printed that Scherer and Wiley were riding motorcycles from New York to San Francisco.  One newspaper that apparently got it right was the Chicago Daily News, whose photographer took the picture below (Library of Congress collection):

It seems that the first pair of cyclists made it to Chicago looking none the worse for wear, but the exact date is unknown at this time.  The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette noted on May 10 that the cyclists were due through that town on May 18 and 19, and the local cyclists were "preparing to give them a rousing reception."
I don't know if they ever got their rousing reception—at this point I can't find anything about them past Chicago.  I'll keep looking, but if someone has any idea whether or not they made it to San Francisco, please share with the rest of us.
Coaster brakes vs. coastingYes, as douglas fir mentioned, the diameter of the rear hub looks quite adequate for containing a coaster brake mechanism.  Early fixed gear bikes would have a rear hub with a narrow barrel.  But fixed gear bikes were of course the first style of bicycle and during the 1890s they were used for long (even round the world) tours.  On leisurely rides and for more gentle descents, early fixed gear bikes were sometimes fitted with foot rests added to the sides of the front fork.
This illustration gives a good idea how these front "pegs" were used; of course, you'd better be familiar with the road if allowing yourself a long coast - since you'd eventually need to regain control of the still rapidly rotating pedals, and pedals with toe clips would likely be out of the question.
Sturmey Archer 3 speedThe bike on the left has a sturmey archer 3 speed rear hub.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, G.G. Bain, NYC)

Modern Dentistry: 1901
... was taken by the server. Wow, who does the woman with bicycle look like -- Miss Gulch? Parallel parking I always find it ... in front of the shoe store wasn't buying the hype about "bicycle face". [They're parked they way they are (against curbs, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2023 - 9:35am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1901. "View of F Street N.W., north side between 12th & 13th, showing various businesses." 5x7 inch glass negative, D.C. Street Survey Collection. View full size.
Narrow vertical display on rightOn the far right of the photo, to the right of the Schneider display window with the electrical fans, I see a tall vertical display of nine white squares with black figures on them.  What in the world is that?
Egg salad sandwich and pieHow great to see Reeves being built. It remained, until at least the 1960s, a favorite of DC shoppers. I still remember my awe at how fast the restaurant would serve your order, seeming only seconds after it was taken by the server.
Wow, who does the woman with bicycle look like --Miss Gulch?
Parallel parkingI always find it entertaining, in fin de siècle photos, to see bicycles parked below the curb, as if they were either horses or motor vehicles, though this convention is not strictly observed here. I will also observe, with considerable amusement, that the woman parking her bike in front of the shoe store wasn't buying the hype about "bicycle face".
[They're parked they way they are (against curbs, lampposts, etc.) because there's no bike rack and they don't have kickstands. - Dave]
Reeves' counter revolutionThis photo captures a turning point in one of the longest-living restaurants in the District. What began around 1887 as a grocery store at 1209 F Street N.W. became Reeves in the late nineteenth century when Sewell Reeves took ownership. According to a history of District restaurants, "by 1902 he had enlarged the building with the bakery and candy departments occupying the second and third floors and the lunch counter lengthened to seat 150."
Known for that lunch counter, it would remain in place until the 1980s, reopening after a 1984 fire, until it was displaced from F to G Streets by redevelopment of this site.
The pie was strawberryReeves was on F Street well into the 1980s, closed for a bit and then reopened on G Street for a while. They were famous for their strawberry pie.
Remarkable bike parkingFrom the modern point of view, what is the most striking about the way the bicycles are parked is that not one of them appears to be locked to anything.
When apostrophes were used correctly.And periods were used indiscriminately.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., D.C. Street Survey, Stores & Markets)

Old Ferry Lane: 1910
... Even more of a truism in coastal Maine. Bicycle tracks? It looks like there are more bike tire tracks on that road ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/21/2023 - 4:51pm -

Circa 1910. "Old Ferry Lane -- Kittery Point, Maine." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Kittery in railroad loreRailroad fans know of Kittery because it is home to the least active rail line in the country. The line goes to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and averages two trains, of just a few cars each, per year. Rumor has it that they carry radioactive waste from submarines to disposal sites in Idaho, but the Navy won't say.
A Nice WalkFound the spot the photo was taken!  Looks like the house is still there as of 2017.
Just love this old photo, makes me want to walk down that dirt road on a nice summer day with my dog.

Kittery Shipyard rail moveThey did a move to the yard back in September.  Here is a video from a rail move last year:

There's a signpost up aheadWe see the small sign, Old Ferry Lane, at right.  But, past the branches, there is another sign for those headed in this direction.  It's a much longer sign.  I wonder what it says?
["I'M ACTUALLY A FENCE"? - Dave]

This could be the house.
The trail of evidence suggests ...This view seems to be close to the spot in the original image.
The stone wall in the original has been lowered and smoothed over in the current view. But the mall cape in the distance has the same dormers looking out over the roofline, and the outcrop of stones along the edge of the driveway today is also present in the original image.
Sure does seem like the spot. I've commented earlier that "things don't change much in New England." Even more of a truism in coastal Maine.

Bicycle tracks?It looks like there are more bike tire tracks on that road than anything else. 
[Um, those are wagon tracks. - Dave]
The Box on the Pole:What is the box used for?  Just local messages to people in the neighborhood?
Box on the pole:Judging by the porcelain knob and electrical wires running to the box, my guess is there's a switch in the box to turn on a light at the top of the pole.
That box is wiredIn addition to being padlocked, the box on the pole has two wire connected to it. One passing around a ceramic insulator and then goes up the pole passing yet another insulator. Another goes straight down to the ground from the bottom of the box. I'd guess this means it's its power and the box may be a junction box or fuse box.
Re: Box on poleThat appears to be a single wire telephone. The wire coming down the pole goes into the phone while the wire at the bottom completes the circuit using earth return. OK for short hauls but the noise level increases rapidly with distance. Probably a dedicated service customer protected with padlock.
The WallInstead of the stone wall having been shortened, I'd think the more likely scenario is that the level of the road has been graded and raised, obscuring the lower portion of that cement capped stone wall. Great photos.
(The Gallery, DPC, Landscapes)

Breaking Away: 1908
New York, December 1908. "Six-day bicycle race, Madison Square Garden." 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain ... are bikes racing, they're not visible. [This was a bicycle race. - Dave] When does a bicycle become a motorcycle? Clearly, Indian was out in force for this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:32pm -

New York, December 1908. "Six-day bicycle race, Madison Square Garden." 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
At least three ridershave decided that motors on their bikes will make the six days fly by.
Spirits!Think we should call it the six day ghost-rider race ! 
Motorcycles!It appears that the is inaccurate. Looks like a motorcycle race to me. Looks closely at the bikes, they have tanks and motors. Then there is the advertising for motorcycles. Surely some crossover customers, but if there are bikes racing, they're not visible.
[This was a bicycle race. - Dave]
When does a bicycle become a motorcycle?Clearly, Indian was out in force for this contest. I wonder who won?
Can anyone make out what song was being sung? I'm guessing sheet music was a big thing at the time.
Edit: Thanks for letting me know that the motorcycles were for pacing the race. That clears things up.
Pacing the raceThe motorcycles are for starting / pacing the race.
The Madison SlingMy husband, who used to race track, tells me that there is a specific track race called the Madison Sling that is actually named after the Track Races they used to have at Madison Square Gardens.
I think it involves one partner recovering down near the center of the track while the other partner races a lap and then catches their partner and transfers their velocity to them and flings them into the track for their lap. He tried teaching it to me once with disastrous results (crashing hard).
Bottled Beer 20 centsYou could get 50 beers then for the price of one beer at MSG now!
Ghost RidersMaybe I should point out that the track is full of riders, who are moving too fast to show up in this time exposure.
Top Shelf20 cent whiskey! I'll take two please.
Judge fall down go Boom!If you look closely at the small tower with what could be the "Judge" for the race, the right hand leg of his chair is about 1/2" from going over through the railing.
Drink prices20c for a Beer, 10c for a Soft Drink!!
Apparently price gouging for refreshments at sporting events was common even back then!
This racing lives on!I think Dave is correct about the racers just being a blur. They'd do a complete lap in just over 10 seconds. You can see a couple of bikes on a tower on the infield.
Do a search on YouTube for 6-day madison race to see new and old footage.
Awesome poster.
There's a great DVD available too called "6-days in the Jazz Age".
Most people are amazed to hear what a huge sport it was back then. 
Pedal of HonorThanks to the superb cyclists Greg Lemond and Lance Armstrong and TV, Americans have been able to learn a lot about (and enjoy) bike endurance racing. But Armstrong's 17,370 career points in 17 years and Lemond's 14,425 (14 years) are dwarfed by the record of the greatest rider of all time, Belgian Eddie Merckx, with 38,333 points in 14 years (1965-1978). He won nearly half of all the races he entered.  
From Ohio State University’s very nice eHistory site, here’s a look at six-day bike racing by Ari de Wilde. Note that although he wrote “Strapped into single-speed bikes with no brakes, promoters could …”, he did not intend to say the promoters themselves were strapped into (not onto?) bikes, but the races would have been more noteworthy,  much like Niagara Falls going the other way.
Shot and a shooter for 40 cents!Imagine what a fellow could do at the Garden that day with a four-dollar drinking budget! There'd be more than bicycles spinning.
Endurance Champions


The Evening World, December 5, 1908.

Old-timers on High Wheels
were Endurance Champions


During the running of the six-day bicycle race in the Garden next week, the question more likely to be heard than any other is whether those among the fifteen teams who can stand the gruelling pace in the test of the final days when stamina counts are not greater endurance than those who first brought this six-day record to America. The answer is furnished by a member of The Evening World's sporting staff who has witnessed nearly all the great six-day events in America from March 13 1886 when Albert Schock in Minneapolis hung up the worlds record of 1,008 miles for seventy-two hours-twelve hours a day-down to 1899 when Walter Miller and Dutch Waller set up a mark of 2,733 miles 4 laps in Madison Square Garden.

Conditions are vastly different to-day from those of 20 years ago. The modern bicycle, pneumatic tired and weighing only 22 pounds, is an air ship compared to the 50 pound high-wheeled boneshaker with its hard rubber tires and 57-Inch wheel. Then there is the difference of the scientifically banked track and the unbanked turns of twenty years ago, when a "header" meant almost certain death. Training methods have also changed, the six-day rider of today training almost exclusively for speed and under the team arrangement being relieved on the track at any time, while the old record holders were trained for endurance.

Speed has a deteriorating effect similar to the long steady grind, but when I think that Schlock never once left the tract in the first three day except to change wheels, and that his entire resting time was 40 minutes in the 72 hours it seems to be the most marvelous test of endurance I have ever seen-unless it be that of Mlle. Louise Armaindo, who beat Jack Prince in a 24-hour race because she never quit riding in the whole time. In the match race between Prince and Schock in Minneapolis, March 1886, when Prince set up a new world's record of 1,040 miles, neither man was off his wheel more than ten minutes for the entire 72 hours. This race, by the way, was for $1,000 a side, the largest side bet ever made in a similar contest in America.




The Outing Magazine, 1909

Bicycling and Its Income


James Moran, of Chelsea, Mass., who with [Floyd] McFarland won the six-day race at Madison Square Garden last winter, divided a purse of $1,500 together with outside sums paid by tire concerns and bicycle manufacturers amounting to in all nearly $5,000 with his team mate. This included bonuses from the management of the race. The six-day racers pay dearly for their money, however. The other leading teams in these heartbreaking contests draw from $800 down to $200 in prizes.

Round and round they go!Six-day races were, and still are, very exciting races.  They consist of several types of races held over the course of six consecutive nights. 
One type of race, the derny race, was held over a set number of laps while each rider is paced by a derny (motorcycle).  These dernys can be recognized by their rollers behind the rear wheels that allow the cyclists to pace as closely as possible.  Two can be seen in the photo.
Another is the Madison, named for Madison Square Gardens, that involves several two person teams.  One teammate races along the lower, inner lanes of the track while the other teammate recovers up near the wall (outer rail).  The teammates will exchange places every few laps and will do so with a handsling.  During an exchange, the rider going into the race will drop down the track and place his left hand near his hip.  The exiting rider will grab his hand and sling him forward, thereby transferring his forward momentum to the other rider.  Doing so correctly takes a lot of practice.  After several tries, and several failures, I decided Madisons were not for me.  I'd stay with match sprints, points races, and miss & outs as they were less dangerous - or so I thought.
BTW, one way to tell there is a race in progress - of the spectators whose bodies are in focus, their heads are blurry from following the racers.
Cycling through time I used to race for the Century Road Club Assn., in 1950's New York. We were reputedly the oldest bicycle racing club in America, and I remember examining the scores of trophies from the late 1800's and early 1900's. I'm sure some of them must have been from races such as these. I still have scars from pile-ups of several single speed, trap pedal bikes, you just couldn't get your feet down to stop a spill.  
Nobody saw the signIn the middle of the track is a sign showing songs presented by Cohan & Harris.  That is George M. Cohan and Sam Harris.  Cohan was a actor & songwriter in the Tin Pan Alley days and eventually became known as "the  man who owned Broadway."  James Cagney portrayed him in the movie "Yankee Doodle Dandy."
(The Gallery, Bicycles, G.G. Bain, Motorcycles, NYC, Sports)

Parting Glances: 1920
... 729 hired the same Washington housepainter that I did. Bicycle Brakes The bike leaning against the Murray/McGregor office shows no ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2023 - 3:25pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "729 12th St., Washington Times." Various shades of Twelfth Street. 8x6 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size.
Wall BetweenI would hazard a guess that there is a wall between the woman and young boy.  If you follow the line between "painted" and "unpainted" you will see that the width between the windows is farther apart.  Also the chimney above, and the two stores below suggest some sort of support wall that would have to go all the way up.
MessengersBicycles, a motorcycle and a messenger office. Pure chance, or a cunning business plan?
Cleveland MotorcycleThat's a production motorcycle from the Cleveland Motorcycle Co.
Questions indeedIs that young blurry boy only wearing one roller skate?  Is the other young child telling the headless phantom motorcycle rider to shush?  
Must say I love the "lace" and tassels on the Shade shop. 
Possible SlumlordAndrew Murray the builder doesn't take very good care of his property.
Window on my WorldBuster Brown in the window above the deli seems to be looking at the motorcycle. Wondering if he is related to the woman in the window next to him, or if there is a wall between them and they are in different apartments. 
So many questions, so little timeAre the shutters seen on some of the buildings actually used?  Or are they just decorative as are modern shutters are?
Why don't the brick stone buildings have shutters?
Is that some sort of prototype motorcycle?
Are the people in the windows family members of the proprietors of the businesses below?
Is the boy in front of the messenger service an employee?
BTW, I just love photos like this; an honest and unfettered look into a past long gone.
Ahead of the timesLike the bike propped against the building. Owner has his bars flipped and his seat laid back -- cutting edge!
Tri-LevelWhat a mesmerizing photo; one can conjure up at least three scenarios that fit what we see here.  The pride of the gentleman inside the Builder's office watching his son leave; the parting of two friends (or lovers); is the rider embarking on a grand adventure; who is the rider, really? The more you look the deeper the stories become. Olde photos are magic.
Ghost RiderTenants checking out the ghost on the motorcyle seems to be the most likely scenario.
The Phantom PhootSo what's that disembodied upside-down foot above the third floor windows of #731?
Taken for a ride in another senseI suspect that the owner of 729 hired the same Washington housepainter that I did.
Bicycle BrakesThe bike leaning against the Murray/McGregor office shows no evidence of brakes, coaster or hand. When did bicycles begin to have braking systems (other than putting your feet down)?....some Shorpyite out there knows.....
King Cola, the Royal DrinkNot much you can find about this brand, except that it was sued to death by the Coca-Cola Company for its use of the word "cola." How did Pepsi ever survive the same predicament?
[The defendant's sin was not the use of the word "cola" but rather its Spencerian-script logo (below), which was a frank imitation of the Coca-Cola trademark. Coca-Cola's legal blitzkrieg also took aim at Koke, Cold-Cola, Koca-Nola and Ko-Kola. - Dave]
Dividing lineI love that only half of the building has been freshly painted. The other half - the builder's half does not instill confidence in his work. 
Looks like the kid on one roller skate leaped from his ghost position to where he is now. 
Boys and bikesYou can tell by his blurry foot that the driver is kickstarting his bike.  This is an activity that always attracts kids.  There's something irresistible about the roar of the engine.  The little boy standing behind the bike is thinking, "Someday I'm gonna get me one of those..."  I've seen this happen a million times.
My Side versus Your SideIt is pretty clear that the owners of 729 and 731 have a different philosophy of exterior maintenance. What a geometrically precise paint line between them.
One SkateI bet the other roller skate is on the ghost of a kid spinning just on front of the steps. The rider is a blur because he's trying to kick start the bike. Upstairs grumpy, and the two men are much more interested in the photographer.
These are really neat old photos, I'm glad I found the web site.
Honesty of Purpose

Washington Post, April 8, 1911.

Special Notices



Announcement.

The family of the late John McGregor, builder, of 729 Twelfth street northwest, desire to inform the public that the business will be carried on by his successor, Mr. Andrew Murray, who has been with Mr. McGregor for the past thirteen years. They trust that the same patronage extended to the late Mr. McGregror will continue to be shown to Mr. Murray. In reference to the above, I hope, by strict attention to business and the same honesty of purpose that characterized Mr. McGregror's work, to merit the confidence and patronage of his friends and the public generally. Respectfully,

Andrew Murray,
729 Twelfth street northwest.
Shannon & LuchsHoly cow! The Shannon & Luchs For Sale sign on 731 caught my eye. They were the dominant real estate company in Fairfax County, Virginia, when I was growing up there in the 1980s and '90s. I still remember their radio jingle: "It takes more than luck / it takes Shannon & Luchs." I had no idea they had this long a history. They seem to have been acquired by Polinger in 1993, but I know they were still going by the S&L name at least until the late '90s.
Cleveland motorcycleThe motorcycle in the photo is a Cleveland A2, which was manufactured by the Cleveland Motorcycle Manufacturing Company, located in the Ohio city of the same name between 1915 and 1925. The A2 was powered by a 220cc two-stroke engine mounted transversely in the frame, with a worm drive to power the countershaft sprocket for final chain drive. The shaft exited the two-speed gearbox and extended past the rear downtube to drive the the magneto, hung just forward of the rear wheel.
In 1920 the A2 grew larger, adding footboards, incorporated fuel/oil tank and wider fenders. The weight increased in 1921 with a larger fuel/oil tank and seat and a battery. To offset the additional weight, engine capacity was increased to 270cc. In 1923 a sportier model was offered - the Model E, which featured a battery and electric lights.
Although the Cleveland looked flimsy compared to the big V-twins offered by other US manufacturers, their light weight (68 kg) and moderate power (3.5 bhp and 30 mph top speed) combined for easy riding. The main market of the A2 were students, women and businesses who employed couriers and light delivery riders. The low price ($150) was cheaper than comparative bikes offered by other manufacturers. The A2 was replaced in 1925 by the 350cc Model F.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Motorcycles, Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

Bicycle Crossing: 1943
... the kid in the picture is riding an old Schwinn prewar bicycle. Likely an old DX frame style before they came out with the cantilever ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/11/2014 - 12:07pm -

January 1943. "Freight train operations on the Chicago and North Western Railroad between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. The train rushing through the town of Cortland Elmhurst, Illinois, on its way to Iowa." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
My Trusty SteedLooks like the kid in the picture is riding an old Schwinn prewar bicycle.  Likely an old DX frame style before they came out with the cantilever frame.
I think Jack mixed up his captionsI'm fairly certain that we are in Elmhurst looking west towards the station from about Haven Road. If correct, that means the train is heading east, not towards Iowa. Maybe someone could link the Google street view? Nice photo, though.
ElmhurstTrain is eastbound through Elmhurst, probably entering Proviso Yard.  The tall bank building and other buildings can be seen on streetview.  The track layout has not changed much over the years.
Looks like ElmhurstIt looks like grubemed is correct. Here's the street view looking west from Haven Road in Elmhurst, IL. About two blocks west you can see the five storey building on the left of the photo.
View Larger Map
Some CNW quirks visibleThose horizontal signal heads were a peculiarity of the CNW, though they display perfectly conventional color light aspects. Another distinction hidden in the photo is left-hand running. When the main line was originally laid, the stations tended to be located on the south side of the tracks; when they double-tracked, the second track was laid on the north, and eastbound (to Chicago) traffic stay on the south track because commuter traffic would prefer to wait in the station inbound in the morning.
Thanks BTW for the location update. I couldn't square the photo with Cortland but I couldn't quite convince myself it was Elmhurst either.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Bicycle Music: 1902
The proprietor of a bicycle shop stands proudly behind the counter in May 1902. Like many bicycle dealers of the day, he carried a sideline of phonographs to generate ... 
 
Posted by Born Too Late - 03/06/2019 - 3:50pm -

The proprietor of a bicycle shop stands proudly behind the counter in May 1902. Like many bicycle dealers of the day, he carried a sideline of phonographs to generate income in the off-season. A small but handsome Columbia "Type AA" Graphophone with large accessory brass horn is displayed at his side.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

Bicycle on 34th Street
... negative by John M. Fox. View full size. Funny Bicycle on 34th Street. It didn't even take a second to sink in. Spring ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/13/2015 - 12:50pm -

New York circa 1948. "Department stores. R.H. Macy & Co., street entrance and window displays." 4x5 acetate negative by John M. Fox. View full size.
FunnyBicycle on 34th Street. It didn't even take a second to sink in.
Spring SeasonJudging by the window displays and clothing worn by the pedestrians it appears to be Spring time. One fast walking gentlemen in shirt sleeves is impervious to the chill in the air.
First motion picture shown here!On April 23, 1896, a gentleman named Thomas Edison showed the first ever motion picture on this site! I read the plaque! 
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=13817
(The Gallery, Bicycles, John M. Fox, NYC, Stores & Markets)

Our Lady of Lourdes: 1914
... had to buy candy at the store on Amsterdam Avenue, and the bicycle store there where we rented bikes on Saturday afternoons. Going to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/13/2022 - 12:33pm -

        A newly restored version of a Shorpy favorite that has collected three pages of comments since it was first posted in 2007 --
The caption for this one just says "Post Office." Thanks to our commenters we now know that the building with the statue is the Our Lady of Lourdes School at 468 W. 143rd Street in New York circa 1914. 8x10 glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size | The school in 2007.
Post office?Looks like a Catholic school, actually. This is just a wild-a**ed guess, but St. Jean Baptiste on East 75th? This would coincide with the warehouse cart on the left (sort of).
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic SchoolThis is Our Lady of Lourdes School in New York City on 143rd Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Convent Avenue.  The school was built in 1913 in Washington Heights, an exclusively white, upper middle-class neighborhood.  It was built and equipped at a total cost of one hundred and forty thousand dollars.  
Besides classrooms for five hundred pupils, the building contained an auditorium with a stage lavishly equipped for theatrical productions, a gymnasium, a roof-top playground, an assembly room for parish organizations, rooms for classes in cooking and sewing, and offices for the school officials.
The associated church (Our Lady of Lourdes) is located directly behind the school on the next block, 142nd Street.
Yes...Which is the Post Office?  The large building in the center must be a Catholic School, what with a saint on the roof and all.
As for the location, I have no clue.  
Post OfficeWhich building is the Post Office?
post officeBuilding with street level entrance and flags would be my likely guess.
Today...Google Street View. It's always interesting to see NYC in the early years, and how it's changed.
Our Lady of LourdesI attended this school for eight years in the 1950s. The lower grades entered by one door and the higher grades used the other. City College frat houses faced the school. Recess was on the street out front. We didn't have any cooking or sewing classes, no classrooms equipped for that. There wasn't any  gym. We weren't allowed to go up on the roof and there wasn't an assembly room. We did have a annual spring play using the stage and we had a Christmas concert. There was a way into the church from the back of the school. The nuns that taught there were called Society of the Holy Child. Father Kline was one of the priests and Mother Mary Edward taught there. A good school, good memories.
Johnny PumpThat fire hydrant probably was installed in the late 1880s. Was born and bred in NYC and traversed all five boroughs  many many times, but NEVER laid eyes on a johnny pump like that. Every boy who ever grew up in "The City" is instinctively  drawn to hop over as many hydrants as possible. However that one is a KILLER.  
Our Lady of LourdesI attended OLL from 1933 to 1941. The lower grades kindergarten to fourth were taught by the Ursuline Order of Sisters. The upper grades fifth to eighth were taught by the Sisters of the Holy Child. The school was funded and guided by the priests of the adjoining OLL Church.
We were there to learn,to pray: no play, no library, no lunch room, no outside activities. It was not an easy life for children of poor families during this Great Depression Era. I often cried and asked God to help me through the day, the year. I know I received a very good education but not a happy one. There were nuns I would have died for, however there were many that should not have been allowed to teach children.
The Church and school were founded by Monsignor Thomas McMann. There is  a bust of the good priest near the entrance to the upper church.
In the 1930s we were allowed on the roof for various activities.
The term  "very stern " comes to mind.
The statue is Our Lady of Lourdes, similar to the statue in the grotto in the lower church on 142nd Street. It was removed a few years ago as it decayed and was ready to fall off the roof.
Convent AvenueThis photo faces east, and the townhouses in the background are along the east side of Convent Avenue. All of them still stand, most are in superb condition. This is the finest real estate in Harlem; a house across the street sold for $3.89 million about 18 months ago. Here is a listing for a house a few doors down from the ones seen here: http://tinyurl.com/2396kb
Note the terraces on two of the buildings -- those are stunning and almost never seen in New York.
Does anyone remember anDoes anyone remember an Irish nun by the name of Sister Gerard?  She was one of the Ursula ? nuns at the Our Lady of Lourdes in Manhatten.  She emigrated about 1910, so am not sure anyone would remember her...
Is there a cemetery associated with Our Lady of Lourdes?
Upper and Lower ChurchCan you tell me if the Upper and Grotto Church still exists and do they have mass on Saturdays and Sundays?  I lived 2 streets away a long time ago and would like to see the old neighborshood.  I have never forgotten the Grotto.  It's so unique.  Would like to share it with my spouse.
Or maybe I can speak with someone in the convent.  Are the nuns still there?
Thank you.
Diana Gosciniak
Our Lady of LourdesI also went there in the 1950's. The nuns were very dedicated to teaching. Our religion was the major reason they and all of us were there. The grotto was under the main stairs and confession was held downstairs at 4 pm on Saturday. The children's Mass was at 9 am on Sunday, a High Mass in Latin. The doors of the main church came from old St. Patrick's downtown in Little Italy.
The sisters made sure that the majority of 8th grade students got into Catholic high school. A lot of the girls went to Cathedral H.S. and the boys went to Cardinal Hayes.
The church was around the corner with a connection to the back of the school. The convent was right next door to the church and the rectory was across the street.
Once in a while we were invited to go to the convent on a Saturday to see the nuns. The neighborhood was pretty good, all kind of stores that tolerated all of us kids.
It was nice going there for eight years. Fond memories.
O.L.L. Upper and lower churchYes, the upper church is still active with most Masses in Spanish. The lower church {the Grotto) is not used.  However the statue of the Blessed Mother is still on view. The sisters left about 10 years ago. I visited the school and was told the Church no longer had any say in its operation. When did you attend? I was there from 1933 to 1940.
J Woods
Theatrical productions?Oh, how I wish I had your recall. However, I did attend O.L.L. from 1933 through 1940. Yes, the stage was used - but with limited equipment. I never saw or played on a rooftop playground. There was no gymnasium. The seats in the auditorium were moved to the side for military drilling by boys from grades 5 to 8 once a week. The girls exercised in a nearby room. The children in the lower grades had no physical training. I don't remember an assembly room for any parish organizations. Family members were not encouraged to come to the school except on Graduation Day or if the student had a serious problem that required a meeting with the principal and/or a parish priest. I must say we all received a very good education and were farther ahead in our studies than the Public School  kids.
Yours truly and in friendship,
Jackie Woods
OLL NeighborhoodI lived on Amsterdam Ave for 16 years. Where did you live? When did you attend OLL School? The few friends I had from the old days have passed on. I answered your other message; The Nuns left about 15 years ago. You need to have someone open the lower church to visit there. The Blessed Mother's Statue is still located in the Grotto but masses are no longer read there.
Regards and in friendship.
Jackie Woods
Our Lady of Lourdes, 2008I had a chance to stop by West 143rd street and take a snapshot today. The cornerstone is dated 1912. As you can see, every building shown in the "1914" photograph is extant and all are in excellent condition. There is even a fire hydrant in the same location as the fire hydrant shown in the photo. As for changes — there are trees on the block now, and the cornice has been removed from Our Lady of Lourdes, as has the statue of the saint. And, of course, as with all modern photos taken in New York, it is full of automobiles.

(Click to enlarge)
The reddish sign on the left side of the street, behind the motorcycle, identifies this block as part of the Hamilton Heights Historical District (Hamilton Grange is only a few blocks away). Today was garbage day, so a distracting pile of trash sits in the foreground, sorry about that.
Our Lady of LourdesCentral Harlem, did you attend Our Lady of Lourdes? If so what years?
Thanks for the picture
Jackie Woods
Our Lady of LourdesI attended an Episcopalian school. I contributed that photo because of my joy in Harlem history, not any tie to this school in particular.
Last weekend, I found a photograph of this block dating to 1908! All the buildings looked the same except for OLL, which was then an empty lot. Perhaps Team Shorpy can enlighten me -- would it be compliant with copyright law for me to scan and post it?
[Is there a copyright notice on it? If it was copyrighted before 1923, the copyright has expired. - Dave]
Our Lady of LourdesThank you for your latest information, Central Harlem. Where was your school located? Did you live nearby? I'm 80 years old going on 81 and all I have are my memories (mostly fond). And my memory is outstanding. I was hoping to hear from anyone who attended OLL with me.
By the way, the folks on Amsterdam Avenue always envied the folks on Convent Avenue, always a beautiful clean street. (Today we would say "upscale.") Three of my children were born in The Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan on 144th off Convent. I had moved to upper Washington Heights by then but my doctor was still working out of there.
Thank you and in friendship,
Jackie Woods
Our Lady of Lourdes, 1909I had a chance to scan the old photo I found of this block. It dates to 1909, not 1908 as I had first said. Every building seen in this photo remains, though some of the lots on the right-hand side of 143rd street were empty in 1909, including the lot that would house Our Lady of Lourdes three years later.

Anticipating the interest of Shorpy's crew of automotive experts, I provide a closeup of that car on Amsterdam Avenue, below.

Also, a note to Jackie Woods: we're of different generations. It is good to exchange notes here, but I'm sure we've never met.
Our Lady of Lourdes SchoolWhat wonderful memories of days past. I attended OLL from 1943 and graduated in 1951. One of five brothers to do so.  You may have known my older brothers, Larry, Dick or Bill.  We lived in that apartment building at the end of the street on the OLL side. That was the location of Alexander Hamilton's house, Hamilton Grange.  When it was built, it forced the move to its present location behind the church. It will be moved again to the SE corner of Convent and 141st Street.  You also mentioned Lutheran Hospital. It wasn't so great for our family.  My brother Dick was taken there after being hit by a car. While recovering, he contracted rheumatic fever in the hospital and later died at New York Hospital. We also lived at 310 Convent Avenue because my mother's family, the Healys, lived on 141st Street. If you have any other questions, ask away. I'm still in contact with several classmates and between us, we should be able to answer.
"Thanks for the Memories"
Bob Phillips 
OLL graduatesHi, Yes, I do remember a Phillips family. The boys or boy were in a higher grade with one of my brothers. As you can see, I had already left OLL when you started there. I am pleased you have good memories of your early years. Unfortunately, mine are mixed. An incident: a bunch of us, about 12 years old at the time, were fooling around and one of the boys fell out of a tree and broke his arm. We carried him to Lutheran Hospital They wouldn't let us in the front door. Told us to take him to Knickerbocker Hospital near 131st Street, and so we did. Today, I ask why no first aid was administered or an ambulance called. However, I have nothing but good words about the hospital in later years. I was sorry to hear about brother RIP
Regards and in friendship,
Jackie Woods
PS My oldest sister, Ellen, class of 1936 Won scholorship to Holy Child Academy
My older brother William (Billy), Class of 1937, won a scholarship to Regis High.
MemoriesI graduated from OLL in 1973 and it is so wonderful to see a website with the School and the information that it offers.  I too wondered about the Masses in the lower church.  The grotto was always so beautiful and special. I have lived in Florida since 1986 and hope to make a trip to NYC just to visit the old school.  Thanks again for bringing a smile to my face today. God bless.
OLL MemoriesHi. I attended OLL from grades K to 5. I have the most beautiful memories of my childhood there. I loved the nuns. I can't believe how time has gone so fast. If anyone remembers me or remembers Sister Mary Owen or Ms. Valentine or the gym instructor George Izquierdo. I am talking about late 1960's, early 70's. Please contact me. Are the sisters still there? I went to visit Sister Mary Owen a couple of years ago. She wasn't wearing her habit any more. Those were good old days. I was so mischievous, always getting into trouble. Oh my God. I had the best early education there, never will I forget. I love history and I love these pictures that were posted up above, everything looks the same. Thanks! My family still lives up in Washington Heights.
Our Lady of Lourdes School and ChurchAnd a HI to you,
The good sisters left about ten years ago.
You can reach the school online, it has a Web site.
The school is no longer under the supervision of the Church.
If you look over the rest of this page you will see that I have answered a number of postings that may be of interest to you.
"Memories are made of this."
In friendship,
Jackie Woods
OLL AlumniHello OLL'ers
Head over to the OLL website www.ourladyoflourdesschool.net
There's an alumni page where you can send your information and be put on the mailing list.  
OLLCould not connect with your e-mail: kbarkley@ourladyoflourdesschool.net
Would you please check it.
When did you attend OLL?
I gave my information previously on bottom of page.
Look forward to hearing from you.
In friendship,
Jackie woods
To Jackie WoodsI knew Dennis before the war, and graduated OLL in 1937. My sister Marie graduated in 1936 and received a scholarship to Holy Name. Finding your web site after all these years is a small miracle. I'm sorry to say Marie, such a special person, passed away in 1977. Andrew, a 1943 or 44 graduate, died in 2000. I did not marry till 1985, had a daughter in 86. My wife Alice and I celebrated our daughter Colleen's wedding Nov. 24, 2007. I hope this proves I was not as bad as the sisters believed. They wanted so to see me go that they created the first coed class and skipped me from 6th to 8th grade. Yes we marched on the roof, auditorium, basement and in far away competition. I believe we had a West Point officer, but not certain. I just hope that life was as rewarding to all OLL graduates as I. God bless.
John Orlando
Wideawake80@verizon.net
OLL, late 1950s and early 60sDon't know how I found this website, but so glad that I did. I graduated OLL in June 1961. The nuns are my most vivid memories of the school. The spring and Christmas plays that were held each year. Recess outside during lunchtime. Walking to school each day and spending the few pennies we had to buy candy at the store on Amsterdam Avenue, and the bicycle store there where we rented bikes on Saturday afternoons. Going to confession every Saturday down in the grotto. Checking the Legion of Decency list for movie listings. Learning to sing the Mass in Latin for every Sunday High Mass and, most important, the foundation the nuns gave us for our religion that is still strong to this day. A few years ago, we drove from Jersey up to the old place and convent still looked pretty good. Can someone please explain about not being under the archdiocese any longer. Thanks again.
Lutheran HospitalI found this link when looking for the Lutheran Hospital. Very interesting information.
I am researching my family history and found out this hospital is where my great grandfather passed away. Thinking that there may be additional information on the records,  I searched for the hospital but have not been able to find any recent reference to it. Has the Hospital been closed?  Can anybody give me some background information?  I will certainly appreciate it,
Anne
[You might try the Archives search box on the New York Times Web site. Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan, at 343 Convent Avenue, merged with Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in 1956 to form Our Saviour's Lutheran Hospital at the Norwegian Hospital facility on 46th Street and Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. It's now called Lutheran Medical Center. - Dave]
Lutheran HospitalHello Anne,
Yes, I know Lutheran Hospital. My three oldest boys were born there: 1951: 1952: 1954. My brother-in-law's father died there c. 1937. When I last passed by the neighborhood, three years ago, I saw that the hospital had been converted to an assisted living facility.
The neighborhood is looking great - real upscale. The brownstones that one could buy in the 1930s for a song are now selling for well over a million dollars. In the 1930s they were empty, thanks to the banks that foreclosed during the Depression. As kids we ran through them and at one time had a clubhouse inside one.
In friendship,
Jackie Woods
Lutheran HospitalThanks you both, Dave and Jackie, for your responses.
I will follow the advice and hope to be able to pass soon by the neighborhood.
Anne
OLL MemoriesHi Henry,
I too remember Sister Mary Owen, my brother David Mora had her and she was really strict.  We keep in touch with George Izquierdo and he is doing great.  Sister Rosemarie passed away.  I try to stay in touch with O.L.L.  It was really a happy time in my childhood and the happy memories will always be a part of my life.
Maxine Mora
Lutheran Hospital of ManhattanLooking for pictures of the Hospital.  I was born in 1940 in the facility and would like to see what it looked like in that era--anyone have a picture?
Dad Was an AlumnusHello Jackie,
I am curious to see if you know my father, Frank Corrigan, who was born in 1926, which would make him 82 this August. I think he was in the Class of 1941.
I am also curious to see if you have any contact or info on Alfred Pereira or his sister Clara Pereira Mercado. Any help would be appreciated.
Stephen Corrigan
Please email me when you get a chance, stephenjcorrigan@aol.com.
Frank CorriganYes, I knew Frank Corrigan, Class of 1940, not 1941, he was closer to my brother Dennis than me, I was a year younger. Didn't Frank have a  younger very pretty sister? I last saw Frank c. 1968 in the upper Washington Heights area where many of the families from OLL had moved to from the 140th streets.
I knew Pancho Pereira (the name Alfred does not ring a bell) and Clara, his younger sister. His little brother  JoJo was killed in Korea. Pancho had a birthmark: strands of very white hair in the front of his head of very black hair. They were wonderful good people.
Pancho was good friends with Jackie Koster, whose sister Barbara married Burl Ives in Hollywood and lived happily everafter.
In friendship,
Ed and Jackie Woods
eandjwoods50@yahoo.com
Vacant Houses in Hamilton HeightsI thought we were the only ones that got into those empty houses. Afternoons we'd go in through a back window to study and do our homework. We didn't break anything, and at our age we always wondered why the houses were vacant. The Depression angle we didn't figure out until later. Tom Calumet and Frank Howe went with me. I understand Frank has died and Tom Calumet left NYC around 1945 to go out west with his parents.
I graduated from OLL in 1941, and now live in Hopkins, MN
OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1960.  There were about 10 of us cousins who graduated between 1955 and 1960.  I remember Father Cline, Fr. Malloy, Monsignor Hart, Mother Bonaventure, Mother Dominica and others. Does anyone remember the day the frat boys across the street pushed the dummy out the window during our recess? I can almost taste the corn muffins and egg creams at the soda fountain around the corner on Amsterdam Avenue while "Barbara Ann" played on the jukebox. 
OLL PhotoI have a great a picture of my Confirmation Day. I'm in full OLL uniform dated c. May 1935. How can I send it to the OLL  Shorpy site?
Yours truly,
Ed Woods
[Click the links under "Become a member, contribute photos." - Dave]
Frat boys 0, Mother Mary Edward 10I sure do remember that day. Mother Mary Edward
marched over and blasted them. Also the candy store around the corner used to sell two-cent pumpkin seeds out of a little red box.
Does anyone remember the rumor going around that the
Grotto Chapel was haunted? I remember walking home with "Little Star" playing on the transistor radio.
The OLL GrottoI remember serving at what was called the Workmen's Mass in the Grotto in the 1930s - 6 o'clock in the morning! I know the Grotto is not used any more (I visited there in December 2007). As to the candy store on the corner of 143rd and Amsterdam, it was a very busy place: candy, pen nibs (no fountain pens), book covers etc. One day the owner came to school and told Sister Casmere, the principal, that we were disorderly and she must tell the students to behave when shopping in his store. Her solution was to tell the entire student body that they were not allowed to shop there. In a day or so, the man was back begging forgiveness and asked to plaese allow the children to return to his store. The kids were his main business.
HelloHi Maxine
How are you? Thank you for responding to me. It was very nice to hear from you. Sorry to hear about Sister Rosemary, but I don't remember her was she the pricipal of the school. I do remember Mr. Izquierdo he was the gym instructor with another man don't recall his name I believe he became principal of the school later on. Oh! now I remember his name was Mr. White I believe. God trying to recall, it is getting a little difficult now a days but I like it. It brings me back in time. How time have changed it was so innocent back than not like now. Looking back in time, makes me feel like I grew up to fast. How is Mr. Izquierdo doing? How can I contact him? Please let me know. My e-mail address is Je_Ocejo@yahoo.com. I remember he got married back than to a girl name Rocio, I don't know if they are still together but that lady was my father's friend daughter. Who else do you remember. Please get back to me with pictures. I have pictures too. Let me know how can I e-mail them to you. Would you believe that we are talking about almost atleast 35 years ago but I don't forget. God Bless you. Henry
OLLBob,
Any recollections of my father, Frank  Corrigan, Class of 1940? Maybe not yourself but some of your older brothers.
Steve Corrigan
More OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1937 and was probably a fellow graduate of a brother. I had skipped 7th grade and so did not get to know classmates well. It is possible that the Waters family lived across the alley on the second floor of the building on 142nd Street. We lived on the top floor of the next building on Hamilton Place. In the same building lived Buddy Sweeney and Sal Guizzardi, also a tall blond kid who graduated with me. I believe your mother and my mom,  Agnes Orlando, were friends. I believe your mother visited mine in 1952-3 in our new home in Bergenfield, N.J. I remember a sister who must have graduated with me or my sister Marie Orlando in 1936. My brother Andrew graduated 1947. My mother, brother and sister have passed away. I remember Poncho, the Kosta family, the Madigans, Woodses, Rendeans, Glyforces, McCarvils, Walshes, Philipses, Flynns, Duggans, Hooks, Rodriquezes, Craigs, Hugheses, Conways etc. I am sure we had many things in common being OLL graduates at a very special interval of time. I wish you well in your very beautiful state which I have passed through on three occasions. Best wishes and fond memories.
John and Alice Orlando
OLLLot older than you. Attended OLL from late 1930s to early 40s. Baptized, first Holy Communion and Confirmation (Cardinal Spellman). Lived at 145 and the Drive. Remember principal when I was there, Mother Mary Margaret. First grade teacher was Mother Mary Andrews. Remember playing on roof and being shocked by Mother Mary Andrews jumping rope.  Believe there was a Father Dolan around that that time. Only went to through the 3rd grade there and then moved to 75th St and the Blessed Sacrament -- a whole different world, and not as kind or caring.
Memories of OldHi Henry. You may not remember me but I also taught gym with George and sometimes Ms. Ortiz. George is with the Department of Education on the East Side. I work for the Bloomberg Administration. Sister Mary Owen has moved to Rye and of course all the nuns are now gone. I left in 1996 but I still miss all of the good times shared during my years there.
Memories Are GoodHello, You taught me gym and we also had alot of good times with the High School Club on Friday nights. I have most painful memories of O.L.L the day Msgr. Cahill passed away. I never knew how much a heart could have so much pain and yet go on.  My dad died on 4-29-96, Max Mora and I felt the same pain all over again. Do you know where Mother John Fisher has gone ... her name had changed to Sister Maryanne.  I would love to hear from you.
Maxine Mora
Hi HenryMy email address is mmorafredericks@aol.com. I have yours and I am so happy to be in contact with you I graduated in 1973. I went to Cathedral High School.  Later moved to Florida.  My brothers and sisters are still in NY and I miss so much of it.  I look forward to catching up with you.  I will write soon.  God Bless.
Maxine
Fellow ClassmateHi Tony,
It has been more than 48 years since I last saw you - at our graduation from OLL in 1960.  Let me know what you have been up to in the past half century.  My e-mail address is kmckenna@clarku.edu.
Kevin
LTNSMr. White! Not sure if you still come to this site, but on the off chance that you still visit i thought i would write. It's been so long since I've seen or heard from you, not since "Len Fong" closed. For all others that may still come by this site, I graduated in 1983 (possibly 82). Would love to hear from a blast from the past. Please email me at kellyw88@gmail.com
John McKennaHi Kevin,
Any chance you are related to the McKenna family? John McKenna, Class of 1941
Your name sure rings a bell, however there must be 20 years difference between us.
Have a healthy and happy 2009
In friendship,
Ed Woods
John McKennaHi Ed,
I'm afraid that I'm not related to John McKenna.  My brothers, Donald and Desmond, graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes in the fifties.  I wasn't aware of another McKenna family in the parish when I was at OLL.
Happy and healthy 2009 to you as well, Ed.
Cheers,
Kevin
McKenna FamilyThe John McKenna family I knew lived on the northeast corner of Hamilton Place and 141st street. I had other friends and schoolmates in that building. Thinking back, you probably had to be an Irish Catholic to live there. Whatever, I think you had to be an Irish Catholic to attend OLL. I never knew any others at that time, the 1930s. Most fathers worked for the subway and trolley systems or at the milk delivery companies along 125th Street near the river.
Those were the days, my friend. Innocence prevailed!
In friendship,
Ed and Jackie Woods
The Mc KennasJim McKenna and his younger brother Tommy lived in that house above Grizzardi's grocery. Tom hung around with Marty the Hanger Phipher and the Warriors. Billy Vahey and his brother Eddie who retired as a Lieutenant in the NYPD lived there also. Their mother was still there in the early 80s.
You probably knew the Schadack family, who I believe owned Schrafft's or Donald York. I think the building was 644 West 145 St. It was the first apartment house in the city to have a self-service elevator.
When we lived there the neighborhood was known as Washington Heights. For some reason it's now referred to as Hamilton Heights. A couple of great web sites -- Forgotten NY and Bridge and Tunnel Club. You can spend hours & hours on Rockaway Beach alone. Lots of good memories!
How about the movie theaters -- the Delmar, the RKO Hamilton, the Dorset, the Loews Rio, the Loews 175 (now the Rev. Ikes Church) and all the theaters along 180th Street?
Hamilton HeightsNorm,
Many thanks for your fine memories of our old neighborhood but there are a few minor corrections I have to make.  The first is the name Shadack family.  I believe the correct spelling is Shattuck and his address was 676 Riverside Drive on the corner of 145th Street.  We lived there and my brother Bill was classmates with Gene Shattuck.  No relation to the Schrafft's empire. 
Secondly, Hamilton Heights was always known as such.  Outsiders didn't know where that was so we usually said Washington Heights for simplicity.  Washington Heights doesn't really start until 157th Street and is separated from Hamilton Heights by the Audubon plot.
The Old NeighborhoodAlex Hamilton lived nearby. There was a very pleasant young man (OLL Class of 1941) named Eugene Shattuck who lived near 145th Street and Riverside Drive. His father was a professor at Manhattan College and his family owned the Schrafft's Restaurants.
I fondly recall Eugene having the wonderful hourglass-shaped bottles of hard Schrafft's candy brought to school and distributing one bottle to each of his classmates at Christmas time.
Needless to say, the poor Amsterdam Avenue kids were in awe of one who could afford to do such a good deed. You mention the Warriors, I knew the (Gang) but not any of the names mentioned here on Shorpy.
In friendship,
Ed and Jackie Woods
P.S. My in-laws the Boyd family lived at 676 Riverside Drive. Les Sr. had a  radio repair shop on 145th and Broadway.
676 Riverside DriveI lived at 676 as well.  The family's name was Shattuck. In my day, many, many years ago, the elevator had an operator. A sweet man in full uniform.  There was a doorman as well. Saw the building years later and was appalled at the change. Then went up to OLL and hardly recognized it.  It was the best school I ever went to. Thank you for reminding me of the fun. And yes, of the education I got there. By the way, 676 on the Drive was called the Deerfield.
OLL StudentsI am researching my family history and I came upon this great site.  In 1930 my grandparents Michael and Marie Murphy were living at 1744 Amsterdam Avenue and later in the 1930s at 115 Hamilton Place. All of the Murphy children attended Our Lady of Lourdes School. They were:
Maurice (born 1916)
Rita (born 1917/  my Mother)
John (born 1918)
Theresa (born 1920)
Vincent (born 1922)
Veronica (born 1925)
My mom had such fond memories of her time spent there.
Rita Harmon Bianchetto
Hi Neighbor!!Hi Rita,
I'm a former resident of 676 Riverside.  My family lived there from 1940 to 1960 in apartment 4A.  Bobby Foy lived next door to us.  I think you may have left just after we arrived since I remember the elevator operator.  The change to automatic was somtime during or just after WWII.
I remember they put up this 10 foot wall with a door to limit access to the building.  Fat lot of good that did us as my mother was robbed in broad daylight in the service chamber of our apartment in 1960.  That's when my Dad had us pack up and leave for a secure location in the Bronx.
Anyway, the apartment was great.  We had a balcony looking over 145th Street and the river.  My brothers were Larry Jr., Bill and Nick.  Bill was a good friend to Gene Shattuck and went to Xavier with him.  Nick and I also went there.  Larry had a scholarship to All Hallows.
Judy, can you tell me your last name and if you knew me.
Hope to hear from you.
Bob Phillips  at   bobbyphilly@msn.com 
Your DadSorry Steve, I graduated in 1947 and my three brothers have died.  But the name Corrigan does ring a bell.  Probably from my brother Larry who knew just about everyone in OLL.
Sorry I couldn't help out but it was great hearing from you.
Bob Phillips
Andrew.Yes, I remember your brother Andrew.  We were in the same class and we used to kid him about his name - Andrew Orlando and how tall he was.  What's he doing these days?
Bob Phillips
Those were the days, my friendsHello Rita,
I remember the name Murphy but not the faces. We lived a block south of you at 1704 Amsterdam. My sister Ellen, Class of  1936, and brother Bill, Class of 1937, would have known your family.
We had many friends  on Hamilton Place, the Koster family for one: Anita, Class of 1936, her younger sister Barbara married Burl Ives, and her other sister Mary Lou married Eddie Byrne (1710 Amsterdam). Ed's sister married Chump Greeny -- killed at Anzio Beach. He must have lived near your family.
My brother in law Les Boyd lived in the Deerfield and had an electric appliance store on the corner of 145th and B'way and a sporting goods store on the next block next to the Chinese restaurant.
In friendship,
Ed and Jackie Woods
Hello RitaHello Rita,
I attended St. Catherine's Academy on 151st between B'way and Amsterdam (It cost my dear old dad $10 a month for what was considered a private school.) I graduated in 1943 in a class of only four girls. I then went to  the Sacred Heart of Mary Academy in Inwood (I had to climb the long steps up from B'way every day for four years -- Class of 1947.
Most of my relatives went to OLL as did my husband of 59 years, Ed Woods. We are still alive, kicking and fighting and making up every day.
In my Class of 1943, one of the girls was Ann Murphy -- any relation? Also a Virginia O'Malley and my best friend, June McAvoy, who keeps in touch with me. June's grandfather was Judge McAvoy, who had died by that time.
I loved when my folks took me to McGuire's Bar and Restaurant on B'way and 155th. Oh that Roast Lamb (Irish style) on a Sunday or a holiday. The girls used to go to Nuestra Senora de Esperanza (Our Lady of Hope) next to the museum complex. We were told not to go there for confession, but the Spanish priests were limited in English.
Thinking back we had but little to confess at that time.
Eddie and I had an apartment on 150th near the Drive for a few years until 1956, then it was off to Long Island to raise our six children.
In friendship and love hearing from you,
Ed and Jackie Woods
The MurphysHi Ed and Jackie,
Thanks so very much for your reply.  I wish my mom was still with us but she died in 1998, the last of the Murphy kids.
My grandfather Mike Murphy worked for the Post Office (a mail carrier working out of the General P.O. at 33rd and 8th).  My grandmother Marie Murphy died in 1939 while living at Hamilton Place. Uncle Maurice went to Regis H.S. for several years before leaving to attend All Hallows; John and Vincent then attended All Hallows; my mom, Rita, attended Cathedral; Veronica, I believe, attended St. Vincent, and Theresa died at age 25 in 1944 (not sure of her high school). Mom worked at Woolworth's on 145th Street and Broadway, and after high school at New York Telephone, retiring about 1980. She got married in 1943 and moved to 152nd Street, and we attended St. Catherine of Genoa on W. 153rd.  I graduated in 1958. So I know the neighborhood.
Peace, Rita
Hi Ed and JackieSo Jackie you are a St. Kate's gal like me! My tuition was a dollar a month, so your education was really a private school. You have listed the Academy at 151st Street but I think that it was on 152nd between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. I took my high school entrance exam at SHM so I am sort of familiar with the school -- fireworks were going off during our exam. The end result was I did fine and attended Blessed Sacrament on West 70th, Class of 1962.
I last saw the "girls" at a reunion in 2002. My Spanish teacher just celebrated her 70th anniversary as a nun with the Sisters of Charity.
I am not familiar with any of the girls names that you mentioned,including Ann Murphy. I do know McQuire's, where I had my first Shirley Temple, Mass at Our Lady of Esperanza, Trinity Cemetery & loved visiting the museums.
Do either of you recall Eugenio Pacelli, before he became Pope Pius XII visiting at OLL ?
Please tell me about your days on 150th Street near the Drive since I may have been the little skinny blond kid you both passed on the street.
Peace,
Rita in Northern New Jersy
West 150th NYCHello Rita,
Yes, we lived at 615 W. 150th from 1950 to 1956. Four of my children were born there (three at Lutheran Hospital and one at Jewish Memorial). We had many friends from school and the neighborhood living nearby.
However, by 1956 it was time to move on; many changes in the neighborhood. One of my nearby friends was Juanita Poitier; Sidney was just getting started with his acting career. A real nice couple.
Was Father Tracy (Pastor) still there when you attended school? How about Father Brady? He was always telling stories during Mass about his sea time with the Navy. Eddie remembers going to the Woolworths lunch counter (145th and B'way) in the early 1940s just to have an excuse to talk with the girls. He knew many of them from school and the neighborhood.
In friendship,
Jackie
West 152ndHi Jackie and Ed,
I lived at 620 West 152nd Street, just a stone's throw from you folks. My sister was born at Jewish Memorial Hospital in March 1952 -- Dr. Sandler from Broadway 150/151st St. delivered.  Those were the days of Dave's deli on the corner of 151st & Broadway famous for pastrami on rye and a cold beer for the dads, Rafferty's Bar and Grill on the other side of B'way, Harry's or Pierre's homemade candy and ice cream parlor, Cora's beauty salon where my Nana would get a cold wave and blue tint. And not to be forgotten, Snow & Youman's drug store on B'Way and 151st. I recall the name Fr. Brady but it was Pastor Kane and Fr. Tracy (and his Irish Setter, Rusty) that I recall. I just sent a photo of Fr. Tracy to my classmates.
Rita
Japanese BazaarWho remembers the Japanese-American bazaar in the brownstones across from the OLL lower grades school during the war? They had the blue star & the gold star pennants hanging in the windows. They also had a store on Amsterdam Avenue near 144th Street and when they sold coffee the lines would go all around the block.
How about the punchball games out side the school, or stoop ball? Anyone remember playing basketball and using the bottom rung on the fire escape ladder as a basket? The nearest basketball court was at 148th Street by the river. If you wanted to "take out" a ball from the park, you would leave a shirt as a deposit. I remember shoveling snow off the court in order to play.
Unfortunately those days were the last time the country was almost 100% together. Twenty years from now, these will be the "good old days."
Your brother AndrewI palled around with Andy & another kid named Eddie McGlynn. As a matter of fact I have a picture of Andy, Buddy Ayres & me at Rye Beach. Buddy went to Bishop Dubois with us. He was from Vinegar Hill. You didn't mention the Wittlingers. They lived on the first floor in your building. Brendan lives in Virginia. I'm still in touch with him, Matty Waters and Les Scantleberry. Pancho Pereria made a career of the Navy. He died several years ago. JoeJoe, one of my closest friends, was killed in Korea.
Dave's DeliI haven't had a good hot corned beef sandwich since I last had  one at Dave's. His son Milton was running the store in the 1950s after Dave retired to Florida. Dave's used to have a window in the summer that sold potato knishes (5 cents, with mustard) and of course kosher hot dogs.
I heard a Clement Moore fan club still meets every Christmas Eve next to Trinity Church Cemetery and recites "The Night Before Christmas."
I was born in 1928 at 853 Riverside Drive. When 90 Riverside was built in 1941 and blocked the view of the Hudson, we moved there.
Warm regards,
Jackie and Ed
The old neighborhoodThe Wittlingers (the twins were the same age as my two younger brothers, also twins), Matty Waters, Les Scantleberry, JoJo: All those names I remember, especially Pancho and his family. For the life of me, I cannot understand why your name doesn't ring a bell. You mentioned the Warriors. Did you know Tommy or Willie Taylor, the Conroys, Drago, Jackie Hughes, etc. What years did you attend OLL?
I looked up some old friends on the Internet over the past few years -- said hello and then goodbye when their families called to give me the news: Vinny McCarville, Bruce Boyd, Phil Marshall, Eddie O'Brien -- all gone to their maker. They were spread out all over the country. It was satisfying, however, just to say hello. I met Vinny in New Orleans and we had a beer for the first time in many years. We had gone to sea together during WWII and had a lot of memories.
You must forgive my spelling etc. My eyesight is on its way out (along with everything else). I will be 82 in a few months but active and still traveling. I have been to six of the seven continents and my wish is to have breakfast at the South Pole.
In friendship,
Ed and Jackie Woods
ToppersWas Dave's on B'Way near 140th Street? I sold the Sunday News there for 25 cents during the news strike. It was normally a nickel. We had to go down to the News Building to buy them. Overhead!
Who remembers the Sugar Bowl on the corner of 143rd and Broadway? A great hangout for different age groups. How about Toppers Ice Cream parlor on B'Way between 139 & 140th?
In the 1940s and early '50s you could go to the Audubon Theater at 168th and B'Way on Sunday for 77 Cents and see three features, 23 cartoons, newsreels and an eight-act stage show with such luminaries as Billy Halop of the Dead End Kids or Lash LaRue or Ferdinand the Bull. Top shelf. They must get at lest a buck fifty for admission today!
Tea and Nut StoreHi Norm,
My mom (Rita Murphy) mentioned there was an Asian family owned Tea and Nut shop in OLL Parish when she was a child (born 1917).  She said her brothers, Maurice and John Murphy, would sometimes play with the owners' son. I am wondering if this could be the same shop.
Rita
ToppersDave's was on the southwest corner of Broadway and 151st Street, a short trip from my home on 152nd near Riverside Drive. I do recall the Sugar Bowl and maybe was in it once or twice but never hung out there. Topper's is a name I never heard before, as far as ice cream parlors go. Thanks so much for mentioning the name and location. Perhaps before my time (1945 baby) or too far from my home. Many people have mentioned the Audubon Theater to me (165-166th Street) but I have no memory of it at all.  I do recall the San Juan Theater that took over the space of the old Audubon.
I love hearing about Mom's (Rita Murphy's) old neighborhood.
Thanks for sharing.
Rita
Your Name?No, Dave's Deli was on 151st and Broadway. Yes, Toppers & the Sugar Bowl were popular hangouts, however the Piedmont, the Staghorn and the Chesterfield were more popular later on. I have pictures of the great snowfall of December 27, 1947 taken in front of the above mentioned restaurants with a bunch of the guys posing in the cold. 
The Audubon Theater became better known when Malcom X was murdered in its ballroom. I saw Milton Berle there in the early 1940s. Actually, the Bluebird and the Washington were also popular as they only cost 10 cents (no heat or air conditioning). Memories, memories, dreams of long ago.
Ed and Jackie Woods
The OLL ChoirI sang in the OLL choir for about 5 or 6 years and hated it.T he only advantage was that we skipped the last class for practice. The downside was that after attending 9 o'clock Mass we had to sing at the 11 o'clock High Mass, which interfered with our Sunday football game. I played with the Junior Cadets. We had a very good team coached by Joe Romo, who went on to be the trainer for the Oakland A's for many years. I saw him at Yankee Stadium whenever the team played the Yankees at home. Joe died several years ago.
Mr. Skyler, the choirmaster, wore a wig that could easily be mistaken for road kill. I used to wonder if he was committing a sin by wearing something on his head in church. After all it was no different then wearing a hat during Mass.
Mrs. Daly was a very lovely lady who played the organ and gave piano lessons. She lived down the street from us on 142nd between Broadway and Hamilton Place and had something like 10 kids. My sister Maureen was friends with Theresa and Billie. John was I believe the youngest son. Maureen graduated from Notre Dame de Lourdes on Convent Avenue.
My sister Frances was close friends with Helen and Rita Nerney, who lived across the street. Fran died in 2002.
ToppersI lived at 635 Riverside Drive. I  recall Toppers being near the corner of 141st, next to a Jewish deli. In the summer my dad took my brother Tom and me for ice cream there every evening. Happy memories!
Bishop DuboisI graduated 1953 from Bishop Dubois. I believe your brother Ernie was in my class at OLL. I hope he is doing well. Give him my regards.
Bill Healy
Names from the Old NeighborhoodBrendan & Bernie turned 76 on February 2. Don't ask how I remember things like this. I forgot what I had for breakfast this morning. I'll be 76 August 11, weather permitting.
Everyone seems to forget Pinky (Michael) Pereria. You are closer to my late brother Jim's age. Jim hung out with Jimmy and John Bartlett, Donald LaGuardia, Tommy & Willie Taylor (born on the same day a year apart -- Irish twins). Again I don't know why I remember these things.
Eddie O'Brien used to go by the name Drawde Neirbo, his name spelled backwards. He was a close friend of Big Jack Hughes. I recall a group of you guys joining the Merchant Marine during the war. The Dragos lived on 141st Street between Hamilton Place and Amsterdam Avenue. The youngest (Joseph?) was in my class.
A couple of years ago I went down to the old neighborhood with my sons. Surprisingly, it looks great. Lots of renovations going on.
My beautiful wife June is a BIC (Bronx Irish Catholic) from the South Bronx. It's not as great a neighborhood as it used to be, but lots of great people came out of there. I took her away from there, married her 50 plus years ago and got her a decent dental plan and raised five kids in New Jersey.
I graduated in 1948. It should have been 1947 but Mother Mary Inez red-shirted me in the 6th grade.
Will stay in touch.
Norm Brown
Norm Brown??Norm, I graduated in 1947 from OLL. I knew a kid (Norman Brown) who lived on 141st between Hamilton and Broadway. I think he had a younger brother. He went to OLL with me, but he did not graduate from OLL. Eddie McGlynn was in my class, and the Wittlingers. I lived at 510 W 140th. Are you that Norman?
Bill H.
The Summer of '66Hi Jackie and Ed,
I never had one of Dave or Milton's corned beef sandwiches but I can say that the pastrami on rye was a thing that dreams are made of. I recall the knishes out the window in the summer and the hot dogs. Thanks so much for taking me back in time. Milton would take the pastrami out of that silver steamer box sharpening his knife, and the rest was heaven on rye. Milton was still behind the counter in the summer of 1966 but after that I can't say. 
I am sure that "The Night Before Christmas" is still recited next to Clement Moore's grave, in Trinity Cemetery.  In my day the Girl Scout Troop that met at the Church of the Intercession would participate in the recitation of the Moore piece.
I know that 853 Riverside Drive is on the Upper Drive, since I sat on "The Wall" on summer evenings as a teenager.  You said you moved in 1941 to 90 RSD -- did you mean 90 or 890?  I am not familiar with the numbering of the "lower" drive where the red house sits (so it was called).
I am off in search of a good sandwich.
Peace,
Rita
Stagershorn  & ChesterfieldMalcom X was shot in the Audubon Ballroom at the back of the theater, which later became the Teatro San Juan. I saw Abbott and Costello there en Espanol. At 7 years old I was run over by a truck at 142 Street and Broadway, right outside the Staghorn, I managed to live!
I would hang from the window outside the Chesterfield, watching football games on TV with Bobby Heller and Herby Gil and Buddy McCarthy.
That was a hell of a snowstorm in '47. Remember digging tunnels through the snowbanks? You forgot to mention Larry's, just next to the Sugar Bowl. I would watch "Victory at Sea" there.
A couple of years ago I took a walk through the OLL neighborhood and realized that when you are a kid everything you see is at eye level and taken for granted, but as you look up and around from a mature aspect it becomes a whole different world. It is really a beautiful area.
90 Riverside Drive WestHi Rita. I'm positive 853 was on the Lower Drive. When the new building went up next to it around 1941, the address was 90 Riverside Drive West. However, it caused so much confusion with 90 Riverside Drive (downtown) that the address was changed to 159-32 Riverside. The plot originally hosted a small golf course.
I also went to the Church of the Intercession with the Girl Scouts. Small world. And the wall -- on a hot summer night, standing room only.
Jackie
West 140th NYCThe kids I hung around with were in the OLL classes of 1940 and 1941. I had a weekend job in 1941 with Ike's Bike Rental on 141st. He needed someone to identify the kids who rented there (bikes rented for 20 cents an hour -- and that's the truth). We started a Junior Air Raid Wardens group and had a store next to Ike's. Collected paper etc, for the war effort.
And you are correct, within three years, when we turned 16, McCarvill, O'Brien, Drago and I joined the merchant marine.
Did you know the Kieley family -- lived at 1628 Amsterdam before moving to the lower Bronx: Pauline, Rita, Josephine, Peggy and the two boys Nicky and Jimmy. I loved going to their upstairs apartment for tea, especially when Mrs Kiely made Irish Soda Bread. My wife (then girlfriend) Jackie sponsored Jim Kieley when he became a citizen around 1948. He was from County Waterford, the same as her family. We celebrated our 59th anniversary last week.
Regards,
Eddie Woods
My Brother JimYou probably knew my brother Jim Brown. He too was born in 1928. He died three years ago today. He graduated from Cardinal Hayes, spent a couple of years in the Army and graduated from Fordham University. Jim lived in Wycoff, N.J. He was very successful in business.
Amsterdam AvenueThe Denning family (10 kids) lived on Amsterdam Avenue between 141st and 142nd. Hughie had polio and wrote away to FDR for an autograph during the war. As it turned out he was the last person to get one. He was in an iron lung at the time. It was a big deal. Lots of press. One of the boys, Peter Schaefer Denning, was born on the back of a beer truck on the way to the hospital. Hence the name.
The Connolly brothers, Eamon and Timmy, lived in the same building. Everyone in the family had red hair. Not unlike Bobby Foy's family. If I recall properly, the father looked like Arthur Godfrey, his mom like Lucille Ball, Bobby like Red Skelton, and they had a red cat plus an Irish setter.
It took a lot of guts for a group of 16-year-old kids to join the merchant marine. A belated thanks for your service.
My wife makes great Irish soda bread. Is there any other kind? You can give ten women the same ingredients for soda bread and you'll get ten different tasting breads. All great! Especially with a cup of Lynches Irish tea. The season is almost upon us once again.
The only Kiely (different spelling) I knew was my NYPD partner Timmy, who was from the South Bronx, Hunts Point. Tim grew up with Colin Powell. Having worked in the South Bronx for 25 years and marrying June Margaret O'Brien, one of six girls from there, I pretty much connect with the people of SOBRO, as the area is now known. Sooner or later everything gets yuppified.
How about this web site? Something else!
Take care,
Norm
Mea CulpaHi Jackie,
Of course you know 853 RSD is on the Lower Drive but Google Maps does not.  "Looks like 800 Block of Upper Drive is even numbers and 800 Block on Lower Drive is odd numbers."  I did not locate 159-32 but I did find a 159-34 and 159-00, seems to be the last structure (red brick) on the Lower Drive area that we are speaking of, now a co-op but the year of construction is not listed.
I have very fond memories of the folks I spent time with on "our" wall.  
Peace,
Rita
Yes, it's Kiely I was in error. For whatever resaon, The Dublin House on 79th off the NE corner of Broadway became a meeting place for many of the kids from the OLL area up until the early 1970s: Eamon Connolly,  Tommy Taylor etc. I worked with Tom for a short time before be went on the force and then as a T Man. I have not heard from him  in too many years. One of great fellows from the old neighborhood. 
In friendship,
Ed Woods
My e-mail: eandjwoods50@Yahoo.com
P.S. The Kiely family moved to Crimmons Ave in the Bronx
 West 159th Street NYCDear Rita,
I do enjoy rehashing the old neighborhood and the wonderful memories we can recall. Yes, it is the last buillding on the street and I lived there until 1950, when I married Ed. My uncle George lived there until c. 1981 in a rent controlled apartment, and yes, it did become a co-op.
When first opened, the building had four entrances. Later, in the 1980s, it was down to one main entrance on the via-dock for safety reasons. I loved our apartment there, which had a beautiful view of the Hudson and the George Washington Bridge.
My friend June, nee McAvoy, lived at 3750 B'way. We were together in school for 12 years at St. Catherine's and Sacred Heart. June lives in Maryland.
By the way,  my e-mail is eandjwoods50@yahoo.com
Jackie Woods
The Red HouseDear Jackie & Ed,
How lucky you were to have lived in the Red House, especially with the views of the bridge and the river. Growing up I never knew anyone who lived there, so never saw the interior, I'm sure it was lovely. I heard that David Dinkins lived there at some point before he became mayor. Many of my classmates lived in 790 Riverside Drive and I was always so impressed that their apartments had two doors. Our apartment was on the fourth floor of a walkup and across the street from a garage. Funny how I was not really impressed by a doorman but by the two doors.
I seem to remember a gas station near your friend June's  house...other side of Broadway from the museum, now college. One of my St. Catherine's classmates, last I heard, he was teaching at the college.
Was Rexall Drug on the corner of 157th, with the newsstand outside the door, when you lived in the Red House? In my home we seemed to have all of the city newspapers -- morning, afternoon and evening, some selling for 4 cents. To this day I read two papers every day and still long to go out Saturday night to pick up the Sunday paper.
Thanks for the email.
Peace,
Rita
Class of 1959I attended O.L.L. from 5th to 8th grade. My 5th grade teacher was Mother Mary Edward, what a wonderful woman, 6th was Mother Mary St. Hugh, 7th Mother Mary Edward and 8th Mother Mary Bernadette.  Graduated in 1959. Classes were mxed -- black, white and Latino. Memories are mostly good ones -- Father Kline, Father Malloy, Father Hart. The religious experience most memorable, especially during Lent, novenas on Wednesday afternoon and Stations on Friday after school.
Liggets / RexallHello Rita,
I loved the lunch/soda  counter at Liggetts/Rexalls. for whatever reason, my family used the pharmacy across the street, on the east side of B'way, to have prescriptions filled.
The family that owned and operated the newsstand helped us lease our first apartment at 600 W. 157th. Apartments were in short supply in 1950. We lived in the unit formerly rented by the Singer Midgets next to Peaches Browning of Daddy Browning fame. Of course they were long gone when we lived there. My father was very active in the Tioga Democratic Club with the Simonetti family. 
Do you remember Warner's Cafeteria between 157 & 158th? We visited St. Catherine's Church Christmas week 2007 with our niece who wanted to see where she was baptized in 1953. She is on Mayor Bloomberg's staff.
Warm regards,
Jackie Woods
eandjwoods50@yahoo.com
Oh, as the poet said, "To return to yesteryear and our salad days." 
My brother ErnieBilly, Ernie and I went to Bishop Dubois. Ernie for two years and I for three. We both were bounced in 1951 and transferred to Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J. We went there on a Schrafft's scholarship. Our mom waited on tables at Schrafft's in order to send us there. In those days it was pretty much a blue collar school. It wasn't that far removed from being a reform school. VERY STRICT. Today it's much more hoity toity. I'm still in close touch with my old classmates, most of whom have been successful in life.
Ernie was a great basketball player, the first to score over 50 points in a game in Bergen County (three times), breaking Sherman White's record. White was an All American but messed up his career in the 1950-51 college season. Ernie went to Fordham on an athletic scholarship.
Ernie died in 2002. He was a very special guy, extremely generous and giving. We miss him a lot. He lived a couple of blocks away from me as did most of my siblings. Sad to say, the circle grows smaller.
1959 OLL gradsAre you out there, does any one remember or know of any of the following graduates of O.L.L. -- Starr Martin, Carol Long or her sisters, Carlotta and Tony, Josephine Velez, Melvina (Kinky) Boyd, Chicky Aponte. I went of to Cathedral and the others to various Catholic high schools and lost touch. After finding this site, many memories have come back. Would like to know how old friends are doing. 
600 W. 157thHi Jackie,
You lived around the corner from the post office. I remember going there once to get a money order and losing Mom's gray umbrella. Your building was by the Grinnell, where a friend's father was the superintendent during the 60s.
Liggett/Rexall -- we went to Snow & Youman's for drugs but to Rexall for film, flashbulbs and of course the soda fountain. The last time I was there was April 1965, just before my son was born. I do not recall a Warner's Cafeteria but do remember the famous, and oh so good, Imperial Deli, Lambos Flower Shop, Commander Bar & Grill, Full Moon & McGuire's.
I visited St. Catherine's about 1994 and it was like being in a time warp, except for the piano near the altar. The church was just as I remembered when I got married in 1964, only smaller. The school is now public. I am in touch with some of my friends from the Class of 1958. It was nice that your niece was able to visit the church where she was baptized.
I never heard of the Tioga Democratic Club or the Simonetti family (the only Simonettis I know are the family whose niece and son are engaged).
Jackie, was the pharmacy on the east side of B'way United or perhaps that was a sign for United Cigar?
So nice this walk down memory lane.
Best to your Eddie.
Peace,
Rita
Memories: dreams of long agoHi Rita,
My close friend June's, nee McAvoy, family lived in the Grinnell for many years. Her grandfather was Judge McAvoy. Eddie claims to have an exceptionally good memory but he says he needs to yield to you. You do have a most wonderful recall. However, he is more familiar with the OLL school and church neighborhood.
My brother-in-law (much older than Eddie and me) was in the vending machine business: Ace Distributing -- jukeboxes, cigarette machines etc. Eddie worked for him for  a few years when we first married and the company had locations in almost every store in the neighborhood (including the Commander). That is a dead business today. How about Pigeon Park? You couldn't sit there.
Warm regards, Jackie Woods
GrinnellHi Jackie,
Do you recall a Doctor James Farley living in the Grinnell?  Doctor Farley must have taken care of half of Washington Heights over a period of many years (had an office on 178 St. between Broadway and Ft. Washington Ave.).
Ah, Pigeon Park...I remember it well and always tried to circumvent it!
All the best.
Rita
I remember it wellHi Rita,
Our family physician was Dr. VanWorth, as an adult I visited Dr. Liebling, who had an office c. 156th. He later moved down to 72nd Street. A wonderful caring man (who made house calls). My son Ed Jr. was 58 years old this week, I have a picture of him when he was 1 sitting  on a pony taken on the corner of 155th and B'way. John Orlando's brother married a St Catherine's girl. I don't know her age.
Ain't we got fun?
Jackie Woods
Current resident of the neighborhood (Grinnell)I'd like to invite you to visit www.audubonparkny.com, which is a virtual walking tour of the neighorhood you're discussing.  You can "take the walking tour" online or go to the Sitemap/ Index of Images to read about specific buildings and see pictures from many eras.
I'm happy to post any pictures (and credit the owners) of the neighborhood that you'd like to share - focusing on the Audubon Park area (155th to 158th, Broadway to the river).
www.audubonparkny.com
Walking TourThanks so very much for posting the site for the Audubon Park area...I had a delightful walking tour.
Down Memory Lane at OLLWhat happened, did we all run out of memories?
Who remembers the stickball field comprised of Hamilton Place from 140 to 141st Street. A ball hit over the small roof on 141st was a double and over the roof at 95 Hamilton Place was a homer. After the war the street was so crowded with cars that the games were moved to Convent Avenue in front of CCNY. There was some heavy money bet on these games.
Walking TourThanks, Rita, I'm glad you enjoyed the walk!  Please come back and visit the site again.  I post a Newsletter on the homepage (www.AudubonParkNY.com ) each month highlighting new pages, information, and research, as well as updates on the Historic District project.
Matthew
The Prairie StateDoes anyone have memories of the Prairie State? It was a WWI battleship moored in the Hudson River at about 135 Street and I believe used for Naval Reserve training. As kids we snuck on board and played basketball on it. The deck (court) had a bow on it which is partially responsible for the replacement parts in my ankle today.
How about the "Dust Bowl" at 148 Street next to the river where we played football and baseball? Today it's state of the art, at least compared to what we played on. Now there is grass on the field. Progress!
Under the Via DockFar from being a battleship, the Prairie State (also called the Illinois) was an old transport. However, as youngsters we would have been impressed by its size.
Pancho and another neighborhood boy whose name I can't recall trained there before being sent to England as frogmen in preparation for the D-Day landing. It was decided that those boys with big chests (big lungs) could do the job best. I can recall Pancho telling me after the war that he had only a few days of Boot Camp.
Sports -- we used the oval near City College. Stick ball -- 144th between Amsterdam and B'way. A ball hit to any roof was an out, never a homer. Spaldines was Spaldings were costly in the 1930s. One had to learn to hit as far up the street as possible, over the sewers. That is why  the good hitters (one strike only) were called three-sewer hitters.
The Prairie State was docked under the Via Dock c. 130th St. Like you, we visited it often. Nearby were the meatpacking/butcher plants. During the 1930s there were two "Hoovervilles" (hobo camps) under the dock. The overhead gave the men some some protection from the elements. I had an uncle who took me fishing off the piers. I felt sorry for the "lost souls." Then one day they were all gone. Hosed away! I used to wonder where  they went.
In friendship
Ed Woods
eandjwoods50@yahoo.com
PanchoAs you recall, Pancho was short, about 5'8" and maybe 200 lbs. and a very good athlete -- basketball, baseball and could hold his own on a basketball court. I remember speaking to him about the UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams,the precursor to the Navy Seals) and asking him if they were relegated to swimming all the time. He told me they spent most of the time running, running, running to build endurance.
As I remember, the Oval was near Convent Avenue. We never used the term two sewers in stickball. That was a Bronx expression. We bought our pink "Spaldeens" at Rutenbergs candy store on Amsterdam Avenue between 140 and 141 Streets for a nickel. He also sold kids twofers, two for a penny loosies, and Bugle Tobacco so you could roll your own or purchase a corncob pipe to puff away. Loosies were two cigarettes for a penny. I understand due to the cost of smokes they are doing that again.
We played "swift pitching" in the park at Hamilton Place between 140 and 141 streets. It was comprised of drawing a box (a strike zone) on the  the handball court wall and throwing balls and strikes as hard as you could. I'm a little younger then you but I remember the Swift Meat Plant down by the river and the time John Garfield filmed a scene from a movie, Force of Evil, running down the steps  toward the river. Somehow he ended up at the red lighthouse under the GW Bridge and discovered his brother's body, played by Thomas Gomez, in the river.  As kids during the war we would fish and crag off the docks  right near the old Two Six Precinct. I'll never forget the time my younger brother came home with a catfish and an eel and damn near burned the house down trying to cook them.
Boy, life was a lot simpler then. Even with a world war raging.
Amsterdam AveRutenbergs, address 1628 Amsterdam, I lived in the upstairs bldg for five years. The Rutenbergs lived in an apt in the back of their store. Tommy Smith worked their paper route for many years. Tommy lived in 1626 next to McCarvill. The Conroys (Johnny the Bull) lived in 1630. Eddie O'Brien lived in 1634 over the Rothschild Deli where we could buy Old Dutch beer for 14 cents  a quart plus a 5 cent deposit. "It's for my father." The playground around the corner was busy at night after it closed  for the day.
My recall of  loosies is six for five cents in a small paper bag with six wooden matches. 
You refer to the station house as the "Two Six Precinct."
Something tells me you were "on the job." A good family friend, Frank Lynch, became the Captain at 152nd and Amsterdam (The Three Two)?
Your e-mail?
In friendship,
Ed Woods
Three Oh PrecinctYes I worked in the South Bronx for 25 years which included 10 years at the Yankee Stadium,ten of the best years of my life. A ring side seat at the world. We played many games there-- Shae, West Point, etc. -- and traveled to Venezuela with the New York Press team. I worked out with players on the DL. Thurman Munson was a good friend as was Catfish Hunter. Lou Pinella and Graig Nettles. 
We guarded Pope Paul and Pope John Paul II. John Paul II gave off an aura that was indescribable. I was very close to him on three occasions and he made you weak in the knees and start to shake. Believe me it wasn't his celebrity status. Some of the people I knew were Cary Grant who used to look for me when he came to many games. Someday I'll tell you how he saved my marriage. A funny story! Jimmy Cagney came to a few games. Boy was that sad to see Rocky Sullivan, every Irish American kid's hero, all crippled up with arthritis.
I finished up in the Bronx Detective Task Force and never looked back. It was a great career if you rolled with the punches.
The six for five must have been filter tips.I forgot about the wooden matches. Do you remember the Hooten Bars they sold? One by two inch chocolate candy stuck on wax paper. Nobody seems to remember them. Rutenberg had the greatest malteds. They kept the milk frozen. God! Were they good!
The Three Oh Precinct was at 152 Street & Amsterdam Avenue across from St. Catherines Grammar School where I went to kindergarten for a day. Later it became Bishop Dubois H.S., which I attended for three years before getting bounced along with my younger brother.
There was a kid by the name of Neally Riorden who may have lived in your building and a kid by the name of Brian Neeson Hannon who died around 1945. I remember going to his wake on Vinegar Hill. Next we should take a trip down Vinegar Hill.
My e mail is fuzz408@optonline.net
God bless & HAPPY EASTER
Rutenberg'sRutenberg's had the greatest milkshakes mainly because they kept the milk semi frozen. They also had Hooten bars, sheets of one by two inch chocolate that sold for a penny each. I've never met anyone from a different neighborhood who heard of them.
Yes, I was on the job for 25 years in the South Bronx. Check your personal e mail. The Three Oh was at 152 Street and Amsterdam Avenue. It's now a landmark. The new precinct is on 151st Street of Amsterdam.
How about Wings Cigarettes with the photos of WW II planes? 
The Shamrock Bar was on the corner of 140th Street and Amsterdam. On weekends guys would pick up containers of beer and carry them over to Convent Avenue for refreshments during the stickball games.
Take care,
Norm
PanchoLooking for any info on Pancho Periera. He is my godfather and was best friends with my dad, Frank Corrigan. 
OLLumnaI went graduated from OLL in 1950. I came across this great site and I am wondering if anyone graduated the same year. I have been trying to get in contact with my fellow classmates and this looked like a great opportunity!
The Old ShamrockI visted the 140th Street area a few years ago and took a few pictures. The Shamrock is gone with the wind -- history.
I showed a picture of the building (1626 Amsterdam) to Vinnie McCarvill, who had lived there, when I met him for  a beer in New Orleans a few years ago, and he almost wept. Some great memories of our Salad Days came to mind. 
"Oh the nights at the playground on Hamilton Place." It's the place  where we came of age.
In friendship,
Eddie and Jackie
ParishesOne thing folks from New Orleans and New York City have in common is that you identified your neighborhood by the parish in which you lived.
Agnes GerrityMy mother, Agnes Gerrity, born 1916, and her brothers Thomas and Richard (born c. 1914 and 1920) attended Our Lady of Lourdes until high school. All three have passed away but I'd love to hear if anyone happens to remember them.  Like your mother, my mom loved that school and spoke of it often. 
Anne Collins
OLL Confirmation Day 1935I thought  former students would enjoy seeing the uniform we wore in Our Lady of Lourdes School Primary Dept (1st to 4th Grade) during the 1930s.

KnickersIt was humiliating having to wear knickers. Remember pulling them down to your ankles and thinking "maybe people will think they are pegged pants"? Boy did we ever fool the public! And how about the high starched collars -- I don't think they could have even gotten Freddie Barthomew to wear them. Didn't we replace them with waterboarding?
However Ed, they look great on you. Do you still wear them?
Old OLL picsDoes any one have some old OLL class photos or just some neighborhood pictures to post here in the comments? I'm sure a lot of Shorpy addicts would appreciate them.
OLLi go to school at lourdes now im in the 8th grade and i think its really cool to see people talk about the memories they had about my school before i was even born and i would love to see some kind of picture of the inside of the school like a class picture so i can see what it used to look like
[Just wait'll you get to Capitalization and Punctuation. - Dave]
Class of 1964I too went to OLL from '57-'64. My parents and I moved to 3495 Broadway at 143rd St. in 1956. I started in the 4th grade with Mother Mary William. The school in those days was no longer a military academy. We wore navy blue uniforms, white shirts and the school tie and the girls wore navy blue jumpers with a white blouse and blue tie. It was very interesting reading about all the students who came before me and where they lived. I always was so curious to find out how this old neighborhood looked like years before we moved in. As you all know, the area changed at some point racially, although when I was at OLL the school was still predominantly white with a handful of Black children. I will always have wonderful memories of my time at OLL. My parents moved out of the area in 1969 and I since been back once to recapture some old memories of my childhood.
NostalgiaThe picture that follows is the 1937 graduation class with the girls omitted. Monsignor McMahon built church and school(1901-1913); after 15 years as Curator at St Patrick's Cathedral, constructed 7 years earlier. See church of Our Lady of Lourdes for construction details. At the time of graduation, Fr's Mahoney, Dillon and Brennan resided across from the Church. The Poor Clares home was to right of the church, and secondary had Society of the Holy Name Jesus sisters. School and Church gave us faith and hope and discipline. Our world was the depression years followed by the wars. Our class of 1937 was just in time. The handsome lad below the sergeant stripes is the brother of contributor Ed Woods.Ed,and brothers Bill and Dennis served with distinction. Andy Saraga bottom right was a highly decorated Marines  The others served as well. I hope Our Lady of Lourdes provides the inspiration our families sought for us. 
Nostalgia 1937The 1937 graduation photo is great. It's with both sadness and pride to think that most of these wonderful kids would be defending our country in a very short time in different uniforms.Believe it or not this military training was useful. How about more pictures like this and some candid neighborhood shots.
OLL in the NYThttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/nyregion/16priest.htm
So interesting: A more recent residentJust want to say that I've read every entry on this post. It is so interesting to read the memories shared by those that lived way before you in the same neighborhood. My mother and I live on 135th Street near Riverside between 66th and 77th, then moved to 138th between Hamilton and Amsterdam. I went to PS 161 and graduated from CCNY. I also have fond memories of my childhood. I used to play basketball in an after school center at Our Lady of Lourdes as a young kid, visited the area a couple of years ago and brought back great pics.
Cheers to all
Mauricio
The Grinnell: Celebrating Its Centennial Those of you who remember The Grinnell (800 Riverside Drive) may be interested to know that the residents have just begun celebrating the building's centennial.  We're having a year of events,so this is a great year to visit!  
Check the website: http://www.thegrinnellat100.com/ for photos, historical news articles, and residents' memories (and contribute your own).
Click the calendar tab for a listing of the events between now and July 2011.
Matthew
Why Grinnel!The hundredth anniversary of a building? Forgotten is the fact that it's also the anniversary of the site building, and all the memories fast fading. I think Ed Woods of all the graduates, always hit the mark. Several others struggled to add something. If someone remembers the names of the sisters and preferably anecdotes please don't deny this information from this site. I personally remember sister Rose from 4th grade 1934. I believe Mother Michael provided my brother Andy's Confirmation name. Others with better memories speak up. Also it wasn't only our generation that owes  recognition for all given freely. 
Christmas at Our Lady of LourdesAt Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the statues in the creche would be replaced by live students. The scene would be repeated the following day at the 9 o'clock Children's Mass and the 11 o'clock High Mass.
A live baby would be borrowed to lie in the manger. The girl who posed as the Blessed Mother and the boy who posed as Joseph were the envy of the entire student body.
"Oh to return to yesteryear."
Happy New YearThank you SHORPY for bringing back to us so many wonderful memories. It has been said pictures are worth a thousand words. Shorpy's pictures, however, are worth so much more -- just can't put a number on them. Thank you and a Happy New Year to the Shorpy Staff.
Ed and Jackie Woods
[And thank you, Ed and Jackie, for inspiring the hundreds of interesting comments in this thread. - Dave]
The OLL neighborhoodIt's nice reading and re-reading your stories about OLL, Hamiliton Place,and seeing the names listed.
Many years ago, in my past, I visited the old neighborhood only to find it somewhat depressing, old and in poor shape. One time in particular I had parked my new "rental car" near West 144th street, and was showing my young children some of the places I lived on Amsterdam Ave, Hamilton Place ( 95 and 115 buildings) when two older African Americans came up to us, and said you'd be better not park here." It wasn't said as a threat, but more it's unsafe here, now that the area has changed. I had told them that I used to live here many years ago.
I am glad to hear from Norm, that the area has rebounded, and in looking at the prices of the real estate I wish we had stayed here.
Keep up the good work.
Matt Waters mattminn@aol.com
Hi Anon Tipster 1959.  I used to date Carlotta Long & visited her lovely home many times.  147 off Convent as I recall. I often wonder in my old age (69) whatever happened to her & how her life turned out. I did graduate from Dubois in 1960, so I'm very familiar w/the sights & places referenced here. So glad I found this site. 
Tis That Time of YearThank you SHORPY for another year of nostalgic pictures and comments. Brought to us in Black and White and Living Color.
Such fond memories of long ago, especially the itchy bathing suits. In the 1920s and up to the early 1940s, when on or near the beach and boardwalk, boys had to wear the coarse wooolen suits with the tops on at all times.
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New York to Dave and staff.
Ed and Jackie Woods
Our Yearly PlaysI graduated in 1960 after 8 memorable years. I remember our yearly plays in the auditorium and all the hard work and practice we put into it. Father Hart was our pastor and I remember our farewell speech to him. My best friend was Lydia Marin and I remember Maria Santory, Joyce Brown, Maria Matos, Alma Mora, Maureen Quirk.  If any of you from this class are around, give a shout.
Jackie Erick
Class of 1964Class of 1964 where are you guys? Write something here you remember. Do you remember me?
OLL Class of 1957Here's the names of the boys' teachers from 1949 to 1957. I think I have then all correct.
Grade 1, 1949-1950:	Mother Mary Theodosia
Grade 2, 1950-1951:	Sister Mary Macrina
Grade 3, 1951-1952:	Mother Mary Eulalia
Grade 4, 1952-1953:	Mother Mary Declan
Grade 5, 1953-1954:	Mother Mary Edwards
Grade 6, 1954-1955:	Mother Maria Del Amor
Grade 7, 1955-1956:	Mother Mary Euphrates
Grade 8, 1956-1957:	Mother Mary Rosario
Eighteen nuns lived in the convent adjacent to the church on 142nd Street: eight boys' teachers, eight girls' teachers, the school principal, known as the Reverend Mother, and the housekeeper.
Six priests and the pastor lived in the rectory on the south side of 142nd Street.
OLL was also known as Old Ladies' Laundry.
I've written down the names of almost all the boys who, at one point or another, were part of the class of 1957. Only 27 graduated in 1957. Many were expelled in 1956 as part of a crackdown on gang membership. Mother Mary Rosario was brought in to preside over a difficult situation, but after the expulsions her job turned out to be not that complicated.
I'll post the list of names another time.
Our Lady of Lourdes Alumni ReunionHello out there.
I am a current parent at Our Lady of Lourdes.  As we enter a new decade, OLL would would like to start planning a few reunions.  I am looking for some potential organizers to help us reach out and plan events in the new year.  Please reach out if you are interested in planning or connect dots.
There are many new happenings at the school.  We will be launching a new website by the end of the month with an alumni portion.  
Thank you!
Vanessa
vdecarbo@ollnyc.org
Class of 1971Hi! I graduated in 1971 and our teacher was Sister Patricia. I remember Marlene Taylor, Karen, Miriam, Dina, Elsie, Maria and Robin, Carla, Margaret and Giselle. Our class was an all girl class. I also remember Sister Rebecca, Sister Theresa, Sister Rosemarie (our history teacher). I continued to Cathedral High School but I miss all my dear classmates. Is there anyone out there who enters this site? My email is n.krelios@yahoo.com  I would love to hear from someone. Marlene Taylor became a doctor (wonderful!!!).
Shorpy Hall of FameIf there were a Shorpy Hall of Fame, this photo would definitely have to be in the inaugural class.  I've enjoyed going through the many comments for this photo going back to 2007 even though I have absolutely no connection to the school other than being Catholic.  What is equally as awesome is that a look at the location today via Google Maps indicates that, other than a few trees, fire hydrants, automobiles and removal of the statue, everything is basically the same today. 
Double DutchKllroy is correct about not much having changed, but it looks like even the foreground fire hydrant is in the same place (but a newer model).
It looks like the circa 1914 photographer was set-up on the northeast corner of Amsterdam Avenue and 143rd Street. The Google Maps photo was taken travelling northbound on Amsterdam Avenue. So basically both photos are shot from almost the same location; it is interesting how the vintage image makes 143rd Street appear much shorter than in the Google image. I guess it's the result of different formats and lenses.
By the way, the buildings at the far end of the T-intersection, on Convent Avenue (mostly blocked by the trees in the Google image), reflect NYC's Dutch heritage [ETA:] as does "Amsterdam" Avenue.

(The Gallery, Education, Schools, G.G. Bain, Kids, NYC)

Bombay Bicycle Club: 1963
        "A little slow tonight, isn't it?" Sept. 16, 1963. "Essex House, Central Park South, New York City. Bombay bar." Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Confessions of a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2014 - 2:27pm -

        "A little slow tonight, isn't it?"
Sept. 16, 1963. "Essex House, Central Park South, New York City. Bombay bar." Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
Confessions of a Former HabituéIn my salad days, New York then having a drinking age of 18, I tossed back more than one double Jack at this altar of inebriation, but it was invariably a lot more crowded than when this photo was taken.  Indeed, one good reason for a college student to drink there was that foreign air crews often stayed at the Essex, and the bar was reputed to be a favorite hangout for SAS flight attendants.  Obviously, this picture was made well before the doors were opened to the first sots of the day.
The Gold Room"Your money's no good here, Mr. Torrance."
Mad MenI feel like Don Draper may have met Connie Hilton here.
Bar backI think awaiting thirsty customers we have Bell's 12 year old Scotch, Bombay Gin, Johnnie Walker Scotch, Bombay Gin, and Chivas Regal Scotch. Must be a lot more underneath the bar.
You set 'em up and I'll knock 'em downThings could be better, Lloyd.  Things could be a whole lot better.
Drinking AgeYou have to be 60 and prove it.
(The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)

Bicycle Race
One of two bicycle race photos I picked up at a house sale 20 years ago. Even then they ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 04/01/2017 - 8:54am -

One of two bicycle race photos I picked up at a house sale 20 years ago. Even then they weren't cheap. Believe it's in the Newark or Nutley, New Jersey area. View full size.
Rider indentificationThe rider on the far right appears to be Joe Fogler.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

Bicycle Race
One of two bicycle race photos I picked up at a house sale 20 years ago. Even then they ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 04/01/2017 - 8:54am -

One of two bicycle race photos I picked up at a house sale 20 years ago. Even then they weren't cheap. Believe it's in the Newark or Nutley, New Jersey area. View full size.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

Tall Beer: 1900
... amputated and deformed beyond recognition. Bicycle Built for One? Are my eyes deceiving me, or is the young man near ... would never hear about a town. Question for vintage bicycle experts In a number of Shorpy street scenes of this era, bicycles ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/24/2015 - 12:52pm -

Milwaukee circa 1900. "Wisconsin Street and Pabst Building." The city's first sky­scraper, completed in 1891, demolished 1981. 8x10 glass negative. View full size.
Another point or two...Attached is a picture of the building that replaced the Pabst, taken from the south, pointing north. Some of the design themes of the original are evident in the new building. Also, I missed the Pabst sign in the lower left corner. It’s most likely at the entrance of a Pabst tavern, as all of the local breweries (5) had their own retail outlets. One other item of interest is the Milwaukee & St. Paul Ry. Ticket Office, across the street from the Pabst.   
Silents, pleaseEdwin Thanhouser, manager of the Academy of Music, later went on to form one of the earliest motion picture studios, which produced over 1000 films from 1910 until it went kaput in 1918.
Foamy environmentThere's a lot going on in this picture!  The crowd of people on the street, the streetcars, the really cool bridge, and all the aerial wires - the result of swift development of telegraph, telephone, and trolley and power wires - reveal a bustling excitement that was brewing in turn-of-the-century Milwaukee.  I wonder if the brewery's founder's grand-daughter - who was vice-president of the company until 1894 - had anything to say about the building's design?
Short-SightednessWhy would they demolish such an iconic building?
[To make money from renting offices in a much larger modern building. - Dave]
Here there be dragons?Can we get a closeup of what appears to be a sculpture of a dragon at the top corner of the second floor of our skyscraper?
Tale of two townsA guy named Solomon Juneau is credited with founding Milwaukee. He developed the area between Lake Michigan (about a mile east of the Pabst Building) and the Milwaukee River, which is on the far side (west) of the building. A fellow by the name of Byron Kilbourn settled in and developed the area west of the river. If you can believe it, these two political powerhouses did not get along. So when Juneau built his streets to the river, Kilbourn, out of spite, offset his by about 100 feet or so from the center of Juneau’s. The net result was that when bridges were finally built they had to be angled (visible in image) to connect the streets. All of the river bridges in downtown Milwaukee have that feature.      
Deja vu all over againAlthough I'm not from Milwaukee (I live on the opposite side of the country), I recognized this street scene immediately.  When Wells Fargo Bank and Norwest Bank merged, I was sent to Milwaukee as a network engineer to site survey buildings in Wisconsin and Illinois.  One of the buildings was 100 E. Wisconsin -- the location of this building. A few months later I returned to convert the building to the Wells Fargo network.
I checked on Google Earth just to make sure! 
I live in Milwaukee and the view has changed...but the intersection of Wisconsin and Water is still the heart of downtown. Yes, we mourn the loss of the building in this photo, but, by 1981, it was a sad caricature of its former self - whitewashed, amputated and deformed beyond recognition.
Bicycle Built for One?Are my eyes deceiving me, or is the young man near the bottom of the photo riding a unicycle?
[No; the angle obscures the rear tire, besides, the handlebars are visible, -tterrace]
Also, thanks to kreriver for the interesting history lesson. I love stories like that, stories that most visitors or non-natives would never hear about a town.
Question for vintage bicycle expertsIn a number of Shorpy street scenes of this era, bicycles stand upright next to curbs (obviously, bike thieves were rare in those days). None are ever seen as having fallen over. I am curious if vintage bicycles had some kind of special kick-stand to keep them tight against the curb. Then again, they didn't have the suction caused by tractor semitrailers zooming along the streets.
[Here's a Shorpy example of how it was typically done using the pedals. In this Milwaukee photo, also note how high the curb is. -tterrace]
I was trying to understand....I was trying to understand why I did not know that building. It was because it was so stripped down when it was torn down. I've lived in Milwaukee all of my life. 
There was a period in the 70's and 80's when any older building was just torn down because it was old. We lost a beautiful railroad train station that was at the lakefront and many other buildings. 
(The Gallery, DPC, Milwaukee, Streetcars)

Old Bicycle with dropped handlebars
Kid on an old bike (and it looks like it was old then) that looks very uncomfortable. But then who said being cool was comfortable. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery) ... 
 
Posted by Vintagetvs - 12/20/2010 - 11:48am -

Kid on an old bike (and it looks like it was old then) that looks very uncomfortable. But then who said being cool was comfortable. View full size.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

Bicycle on 34th Street (Colorized)
Colorized from this Shorpy original. Can anyone spot Clark Kent leaving Macy's to get back to the Daily Planet? View full size. Superman Here he is. Not on duty though. Maybe shopping for new glasses (Colorized Photos) ... 
 
Posted by Baxado - 04/24/2015 - 7:26pm -

Colorized from this Shorpy original. Can anyone spot Clark Kent leaving Macy's to get back to the Daily Planet? View full size.
SupermanHere he is. Not on duty though. Maybe shopping for new glasses
(Colorized Photos)

Bombay Bicycle Club (Colorized): 1963
Colorized from this Shorpy original. View full size. (Colorized Photos) ... 
 
Posted by Baxado - 09/12/2014 - 7:22pm -

Colorized from this Shorpy original. View full size.
(Colorized Photos)

Bicycle Man
Photo of my Grandfather taken during the Kiowa, Kansas, centennial. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery) ... 
 
Posted by theirish - 11/27/2011 - 12:27pm -

Photo of my Grandfather taken during the Kiowa, Kansas, centennial. View full size.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

The End of the Innocence: 1941
... me and was ecstatic when they were finally taken down. Bicycle Is that a spring for suspension on the front? Cool looking bike. ... Rich: We can say for sure that it is a Schwinn-built bicycle. It could be wearing any of at least 100 different badges, as Schwinn ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:35pm -

Caldwell, Idaho. The summer of 1941, on or around the Fourth of July. Water fountain outside the bank seen in the post above. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. Slurp.
Public FountainsThat fountain is familiar to me, except in my Deep South hometown in 1941 it would have had a sign reading either WHITE or COLORED.  I grew up with those signs all around me and was ecstatic when they were finally taken down.
BicycleIs that a spring for suspension on the front? Cool looking bike.
Spring or light?Isn't that the headlight?
[It's a spring-thing. - Dave]

BikeIn fact I'm pretty sure it's a spring, making for a pretty interesting design that didn't take off. It appears as though the front fork is bolted to the column that attaches to the handlebars and then extend up to the spring. The spring is then attached to the column just above where it passes through the frame. The lower bolt acts like a pivot point, theoretically at least giving a somewhat smoother ride. I can see all sorts of ways it could go wrong though.
Spring ForkThis is the spring fork setup used on millions of Schwinns and other bikes over the past hundred-plus years. Still in use. Not unusual.

The BikeFrom my bike-restoring friend Rich:
We can say for sure that it is a Schwinn-built bicycle. It could be wearing any of at least 100 different badges, as Schwinn made private label bikes for hardware stores, tires stores and many other outlets. The model is called a Motorbike. It dates to around 1938-40. It has options such as front drum brake, knee-action spring fork and 2-speed New Departure shifter.

Schwinn PhantomI owned a slightly-used Schwinn Phantom back in the mid-1960s that I bought for $30. Its heavyweight design with the spring fork was ideal for delivering my newspaper route.  I wish I still had it!
Mike_G
SchwinnsThat may explain why I thought the design was unusual. I don't think they sold Schwinns in my part of Canada. The big bike manufacturer up here was CCM (originally Canadian Cycle and Motor) and I recall a number of British manufacturers but I don't remember Schwinn being an option in Saskatchewan in the 1960s.
That a Schwinn MotorbikeThat a Schwinn Motorbike the era it about right 1938-1940s That bike would sell for today around $2500 to $3500 today.
The only thing that is missing is the tank. The kids back in the day would take off the tanks and throw them away because they wanted to make there bike lighter so they could ride them faster. Boy if they only knew what there bikes would worth today. This is a wonderful picture of the past of how wholesome America was. Today if you drink water from a public fountain you would get probably get sick.
                  lbc-cycles of Long Beach, Ca.
Early 1950s Schwinn TigerI have an early 1950s Schwinn Tiger 2-speed that says "Aviation Corp. by Bendix." Is this equipped with the same chain guard as any other Tiger? The chain guard is missing. Is this a common equipped bike or not? How rare is it?
1937-41 SchwinnThe handlebars and rear carrier aren't stock, appears to have a Sturmey-Archer rear hub, (the Shimano rear hub had the shift cable on the other side of the bike) and the tires are Goodyear G3 airwheels. The front brake hub is worth $400-$450 in good shape today. Great photo!!!
(The Gallery, Bicycles, July 4, Kids, Russell Lee, Small Towns)

Congress Street: 1910
... Four wagons and four horses below. - Dave] Unchained bicycle An unusual sight these days is seeing a bicycle that is not chained to a post, etc. Top Left (Out of Picture) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:34pm -

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, circa 1910. "Congress Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
You're all looking in the wrong windowSo many people have commented on the sinister looking man in the window on the left. For goodness sakes, take a good look at the window on the far RIGHT! Not only does there appear to be a jack-o-lantern like skull near the very top of it, but if you look even more carefully, it appears to be sitting on the shoulders of some alien like beast with an enormous head!
Psychedelic signageWas there such a thing as an oculist pole? Also, there are many wagons here but few horses. Where are they?
[Attached to the wagons. Four wagons and four horses below. - Dave]
Unchained bicycleAn unusual sight these days is seeing a bicycle that is not chained to a post, etc. 
Top Left (Out of Picture)What could those guys on the mid-left be looking at?
A current viewView Larger Map
(I hope I did this right.)
re: Top LeftThose two guys are probably saying "#!@&*# vines!" On the other hand, Mr. High Pockets seems entranced by the lamp.
Hey you!I wonder if the man in the window was speaking to the photographer, attracting the man on the sidewalk's notice. 
How does a lady cross the road?Whilst crossing the trolley tracks, the lady raises her skirt, ever so slightly, to keep it out of the excrement and other debris that lie there.
SnidelyNote the sinister looking gent in the window of the building on the left.
Concerning "Mr. High Pockets"I rather think the photographer, just before he squeezed the bulb
and out of habit, yelled:"watch the birdie."
Mr. High PocketsI think he's looking up towards the open window.  May be a loud conversation going on. 
In the windowThere is a sinister looking fellow in the window of the building on the left.
Creepy Guy Alert!Second story window of the Mens Association building.
Not really that creepy but I like that as the title.
This view is a little better I thinkThis view is a little more accurate I think.  The buildings on the right are hard to see through all the foliage in the original photo, but the building on the left seems to be mostly intact.  Except they removed the bay windows.  Why?!
View Larger Map
Guy in the window of the YMCA to the left.I looked, but I don't think that building exists anymore.  I wonder if that is an office or something.  
Exciting ContestOne streetcar driver to the other: "Wanna race?"
Who's in the window? What's he doing?The man by the bicycle is looking at someone in the window.
Another cell phone time travelerAfter the cell-phone time traveler found in the clip from Charlie Chaplin's The Circus was discovered, I didn't think another one was possible. And yet, there is a young girl with that familiar hand held to the ear that is all the rage (on the sidewalk, in the sunlight).
Today's viewLooks like Sake Japanese Restaurant is now in the YMCA building.  The building with rounded corners and mansard roof appears to be on the corner of Chestnut street, and the church now sports a white spire.  The wooden buildings appear to have been replaced by malls.  Not surprising for Portsmouth, which has undergone lots of changes - they moved a bunch of buildings to Strawberry Banke and The Hill during urban renewal to prevent destroying them.  I used to work in downtown Portsmouth - what a great place to be every day.
SpookyThe guy in the first floor window on the left.
Everybody sing!"Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to be unhappy.
Young man, there's a place you can go.
I said, young man, when you're short on your dough.
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a....."
Street ViewThis one is more accurate - look at the details on the building housing the Sake Japanese Restaurant at 141 Congress:
View Larger Map
ForeshorteningEven though I am a photographer, it always amazes me just how foreshortened the streets really are in the old photos. The distance between the YMCA and the church seems very short in the photo but on Street View, you can see that it is a LONG walk, indeed!
(The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Streetcars)

Junior League: 1914
... looks like he's sizing up someone. I Want To Ride My Bicycle Everything about this photo looks like 100+ years ago except for the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2022 - 10:52am -

Washington, D.C. "Playground, Madison School baseball, May 20, 1914." 5x7 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size.
This picture makes me cringe. I hope he doesn't get "ding-donged" -- only catchers will get this saying. Oh the agony.
Must be a New CatcherThat nose shows no sign of having been broken. Catching with no protective gear can fix that in a hurry. 
Casey at the batWhat a neat photo!  And I bet there were some good players too.  When I was a kid, I had a catcher's mitt like that -- my folks bought it at an auction.
Tie goes to the batterDid kids ever really dress like this?? Oh sure, we have the photos -- and the "Boy Mechanic" line drawings -- but still it seems like the world's biggest and most successful prank; a century-plus now and nobody ever spilled the beans.
A scout?I wonder if the man in the straw boater is looking for future major league prospects. He looks like he's sizing up someone.
I Want To Ride My BicycleEverything about this photo looks like 100+ years ago except for the bicycles. They just don't look that much different from what you see today.
Anytime, anywhereWhat a wonderful image. The clothes stand out a bit, but otherwise this could be kids of almost any era doing what kids do, having fun. Suddenly I am feeling deeply nostalgic. 
Tour de FenceAs an avid competitive cyclist (admittedly less so as I age), I'd like to add a different perspective on the observation of the bicycles.  Although I can completely understand how a non-enthusiast would say that bikes across the 100+ years have changed very little, from my perspective it is no different than saying cars haven't changed much either. They still have four wheels, and engine in the front (usually), and a place you sit behind a steering wheel, with a gas pedal and a brake pedal, just like they did 100+ years ago.
Yes, cars have arguably changed more so, but please believe me that bicycles have come a LONG way from what these kids were riding.  This is especially true of bikes made to leave the pavement, which have evolved immensely just over the past three decades. 
Now having said all that, I will admit that it is interesting to note that in spite of many efforts over the decades to create different designs, the "double triangle" frame, and the chain-based drivetrain still dominate.
Thanks, Mom -- I'll bring it right back!"Base" ball?  Looks more like sofa cushion ball!
I sense Trouble with a Capital "T"I wonder if there is a pool hall in the vicinity? Several of the lads have buckled their knickerbockers below the knee. I wonder if these same lads have nicotine stains on their fingers? And perhaps they've got dime novels hidden in the corn crib. I sense trouble, with capital "T", and that rhymes with "P" and that stands for "Pool"!
The wall's still standingMadison School was constructed in 1889 at the corner of G Street and 10th NE. That building (651 10th St NE) is still in place, following a historically-sensitive renovation around 2016. Variously known as the the John Young Center, Madison Shelter, and now one of the Houses of Ruth, it provides transitional housing for women in the District.  
Tied-UpIn this case, the tie goes to the batter.
BookwormThe boy in the back with his nose in a book paying no attention to the game is my favorite. That's my kind of kid. 
Time TravelerAs Frank Zappa quietly observes in the background ...
(The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, Sports)

Munger Motor: 1920
... certainly left this building clean as a Whistle. Bicycle built for Three The overly long tandem bicycle the two men are looking at has three seats. The rear-most riders seems ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:38pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Munger Motor & Mfg. Co., front." On the minus side of the ledger, this glass negative has light leaks, dirt, mold and probably halitosis. On the plus side we have beer, motorbikes, circus posters and Freedom Lunch. This circa 1890s Pabst brewery on North Capitol Street would be returning to its beverage roots (minus the alcohol) in just a few years as the Whistle Bottling Works. National Photo Company Collection. View full size.
An old phrase and a new phaseIn just five years this chaotic advertising mess would all be removed. Signs over signs, advertising and posters on every window, and bicycles blocking the sidewalk and the diner's door would all be gone. Even the diner next door would vastly improve in appearance. The cola company conversion certainly left this building clean as a Whistle.
Bicycle built for ThreeThe overly long tandem bicycle the two men are looking at has three seats. The rear-most riders seems to supply most of the pedal power (from the look of that large sprocket)  whilst the front passenger does the steering.
Horse shoe hung by door.I always heard that a horse shoes should be hung above the door and open side up, so your luck does not run out.
Freedom LunchI love the following for the seldom seen phrase, "As punishment for serving macaroni…"



Washington Post, Aug 2, 1918 


Lunchroom Man Held
William Caros Charged with Violating Food Regulations

William Caros, proprietor of the Freedom Lunch, North Capitol and G streets, appeared before food administration officials yesterday to answer charges of violating food regulations.  When he failed to show his registration card the police were called in. Caros was arrested and last night was being held for investigations.
As punishment for serving macaroni on wheatless day and beef before the evening meal, the food administration has ordered his place of business closed next Tuesday and Wednesday.
W.N. Belfield, proprietor of the People's Lunch, 636 North Capitol street, charged with the same violation, has been ordered to do no business next Tuesday and Wednesday.




Washington Post, Jul 2, 1922


Freedom Lunch

Perhaps is well to make mention of Earnest Carapanos and D. Paidas, each of whom are deserving much praise for their patriotism to this country. Messrs. Carapanos and Paidas each enlisted and served two years in the rank and file for Uncle Sam during the recent world war in France.  They are the owners of the Freedom Lunch, opposite the government printing office. 
Motorcyle heavenI'm a great Excelsior, fan so to see a slice of a 1920s workplace with repairs on the pavement, signage, posters, trucks and bicycles everywhere is a treat.
So, it does beg the question, what do you call a bicycle built for three?
Same gear ratioThe rear rider does not necessarily supply most of the power. The chainwheels or sprockets connecting the three cranksets are the same size, so all three riders pedal at the same rate. The large chainwheel multiplies the rotational speed of all of them. I would think that with two stokers, the one in the rear would stand the best chance to slack off without discovery.
Tandem Terminology A tandem bicycle built for three is called a "triple" or "triplet"; for four, it's a "quad" or "quadruplet." The term "tandem" refers to the fore-aft seating, not the number of riders. If the riders are seated side by side, it's a "sociable."
The front rider is called the "pilot" or "captain"; the one in the back is the "stoker" or "rear admiral." The fellow in the middle of a triplet is the "midshipman."
Built for ThreeOK, I'll bite on this one. Call it "Tributtem."
The TrandemAs any viewer of 1970s British TV comedy show The Goodies will tell you, a three-seater bicycle is known as a Trandem.
"Birdie"Could this be a shop owned by Louis "Birdie" Munger, the famous Ordinary racer from the 1890s who later mentored Major Taylor?  The bicycles he built were the finest of their time.  I would love to be able to see one; even just an image would suffice!
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

I'm De Whole Show: 1913
... lamps below. Esp. the "Jim Dandy." Bicycle Lamps Peter Card has a richly detailed web site on early bicycle lamps. See the page, especially, on oil (kerosene) lamps, which I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:26pm -

Waco, Texas. November 1913. Isaac Boyett: "I'm de whole show." The twelve-year-old proprietor, manager and messenger of the Club Messenger Service, 402 Austin Street. The photo shows him in the heart of the Red Light district where he was delivering messages as he does several times a day. Said he knows the houses and some of the inmates. Has been doing this for one year, working until 9:30 P.M. Saturdays. Not so late on other nights. Makes from six to ten dollars a week. View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. (Shorpynote: Isaac was born March 20, 1901, and died in May 1966 in Waco.)
IsaacGood to know that lamp was non-explosive ...
I love the  look on this boy's face, and his world-weary eyes.
Not too bad - butI would bet that this kid gave the money to his mom, who probably had 6 or 7 kids to feed.
Not too badEight dollars per week in 1913 is the equivalent of about $160 today.  About $8500 per year.  Not bad for a 12-year-old.
Bike LightProbably not many bicycles today have kerosene lanterns on the handlebars. Fascinating.
Re: Bike LightAre you sure of it being a kerosene lamp?  Looks like a carbide light like miners used to me.
Re: Re: Bike LightIt looks like one of the kerosene lamps below. Esp. the "Jim Dandy."


Bicycle LampsPeter Card has a richly detailed web site on early bicycle lamps.  See the page, especially, on oil (kerosene) lamps, which I think is the type Master Boyett is sporting on his handlebars in this Hines photo.   
Agree: this young lad does have world-weary, seen-it-all eyes. 
Denny Gill
Chugiak, Alaska
[That really is a great Web site. Thanks for the link! - Dave]
1913 = today?Ok, how does a 1913 photo demonstrate child abuse "today"?
As far as child labor goes, I'd say riding a bicycle around and delivering six messages a day is WAY better than some of the coal mining and factory situations we've seen here.
And I bet half the reason he's grimacing is that he's facing into the sun.
TragicThis photo illustrates the failure of capitailism and the abuse of children that continues today in the USA.  This child should be at home, playing and enjoying childhood while he can.
[Dumb comment of the day (so far). - Dave]
Ah, yes...The "good" old days.  As bad as some things are now, at least we have very few 12 year olds spending all their time running messages for ladies of loose morals to their johns.
Reply to LC2You're right...now 12 year olds deliver crack cocaine instead of messages.
I'm going to start playing aI'm going to start playing a Shorpy drinking game and down a shot any time somebody grumbles about "kids today." Assuming my liver is up to it.
Messenger Boy in Waco, TexasThis is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. I interviewed one of Isaac's daughters. I now have his interesting, but brief story on my website.
http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2015/01/01/isaac-boyett/
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Kids, Lewis Hine)

All Nite: 1941
... plate tag given out by Shell Oil. That's an Elgin Bicycle That is an Elgin bicycle. I learned to ride on an identical bike, circa 1965. It was a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:30pm -

July 1941. "Street scene in Chicago Black Belt." Old-school fixie. 35mm negative by Edwin Rosskam for the Resettlement Administration. View full size.
Shell OilI think the shell is a license plate tag given out by Shell Oil.
That's an Elgin BicycleThat is an Elgin bicycle.  I learned to ride on an identical bike, circa 1965. It was a hand-me-down. The sea shell ornaments were not present on mine, although I did have a chain guard. Mine was a redish maroon and cream color scheme.
The saddle bags resemble World War ONE surplus musette bags.
I believe that Elgin was a Sears & Roebuck brand name.  I have no idea who actually made them for Sears, but it had some resemblence to an Iver Johnson bike I once saw.
The two curved bars going from the base of the steering knuckle down to the sides of the front fork were purely decorative.
All-in-all, it was a VERY heavy bicycle, not ideal for a boy learning to ride. On the flip side, the seat was very comfortable.
There was decorative paint on the fenders, maroon & cream stripes and small stars. Perhaps this would become visible if the photo were enhanced.  
A Tough PairThat bike is a classic. It looks like it had almost as hard a life as its owner, but both are still looking solid and able to take on whatever task needed for survival in hard times. Check out the sea shell ornamental castings on the front spindle!
The winds of war are blowing in the distance, though. I wonder if either the young man or his bike survived the draft and metal drives of WWII?
Not Only, But AlsoWe're left to guess exactly what is hot all night, but the young man's air of quiet alertness and the saddle bags on the bike suggest that delivery is available.
Maybe not always SearsAt least by the mid-1930s Elgin was a Sears brand, and became "J. C. Higgins" sometime after WW II. Elgin-labelled bikes were manufactured by Columbia Westfield Mfg, and I've read that there was at least one other builder for Sears. 
I have seen hints, but no clear proof, that there was an Elgin bicycle company in the 1920s. Could it be that there was a well known Elgin company that died in the Depression and Sears bought the name and had them manufactured elsewhere?
Half-tooth sprocket...is an unusual feature I have not seen before. See a modern version here.
A hot timeHe's got a lot of clothes on for it being July in D.C.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Chicago, Edwin Rosskam)

Bike Shop: 1919
... full size. Black Beauties Buy a Black Beauty Bicycle and get out in the open air and improve your health. We are manufacturers of this bicycle and can save you the middleman's profit. Retrospective ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:13pm -

December 1919. Washington, D.C. "Haverford Cycle, interior, 10th Street N.W. Agents for Smith Motor Wheel." National Photo glass negative. View full size.
Black Beauties
Buy a Black Beauty Bicycle
and get out in the open air and improve your health.
We are manufacturers of this bicycle and can save you the middleman's profit.


Retrospective prognosticationSomething tells me they went broke.
Ceiling spokesThe bike wheel light fixture -- cute.
Bike shop clerks these daysCan you imagine walking into your local bicycle shop today and being greeted by someone dressed in a suit and tie? Three rings in the ear, one nose "device" and spiked hair, yes; watch fob across the vest? Uh, not so much.
Thanks for the reminder.I need new brakes. 
Strictly CashFrom the looks of that jolly crew, paying cash goes without saying ... and quickly.
522 10th StreetInteresting that this is the same address as the Waffle Shop.
PromotedGuy on the left is a mechanic recently promoted to salesman.  He doesn't know what to do with his hands when they aren't holding a wrench.
SidehackAs the owner of a motorcycle equipped with a sidecar, I love seeing this one.  I'm not enough of an expert on old motorcycles to identify either one.  Maybe someone else can.
Holiday shoppingLove the effort they put into their Christmas decorations.
re: ApparatusIt's a conveyor up to the cashier. Your money and invoice go up, a receipt and change come down.
ApparatusWhat's that rig hanging from the ceiling with the tension rod -- some sort of overhead bike rack?
Dunno 'bout you,but I'm highly offended by that girly calendar on the pillar there. So sexist. Probably sent from France or somewhere. Does anyone know where I can get one? Woo-hoo!
DourThey all look so happy to be there, eh? 
The Corbin lock display is charming. Those skinny little chains wouldn't even hold up to my Leatherman pocket cutters! 
Same as it ever wasWhere is the beer cooler?
Clock not workingI think the clock is not working. This was probably a fairly long exposure. That is why the people look so stiff. They are trying to hold still for a long time. In that case the pendulum should be a blur.
[Quite the opposite. This is a flash exposure taken in a fraction of a second. - Dave]
Old when it was newDo you notice that the interiors of these shops looked old even when they were new?
I remember seeing stores like this as late as the early 1970's before malls ate up downtowns.  They looked nearly the same as this except that some of the products were changed.  
You could actually find new "old stock" inventory on shelves from around the time period of this photo, but nobody every thought to save them as antiques. Most of the stuff got the heave-ho.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Motorcycles, Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

Raymond Bykes: 1911
... by Lewis Wickes Hine, 1911. View full size The Bicycle Bicycle design and geometry hasn't changed much in a 100 years. pedal as ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 08/13/2013 - 3:37pm -

Raymond Bykes, Western Union No. 23, Norfolk Va. Said he was fourteen. Works until after one a.m. every night. He is precocious and not a little "tough." Has been here at this office for only three months, but he already knows the Red Light District thoroughly and goes there constantly. He told me he often sleeps down at the Bay Line boat docks all night. Several times I saw his mother hanging around the office, but she seemed more concerned about getting his pay envelope than anything else. Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine, 1911. View full size
The BicycleBicycle design and geometry hasn't changed much in a 100 years.
pedal as kick standNote how the bike in the middle is being held upright by leaning on a pedal -- I remember practicing for hours, trying to position the pedal just right so the bike would do that. Where I lived in the 1950's, it wasn't cool to use a kick stand. What to people use now?
pedal/kick standWe do the same thing now with the pedals on the curb. For utilitarian bikes kickstands are also back in favor.
Bykes?Why do I get the impression that "Bykes" is not the kid's real name? 
re: pedal as kick standIn my country, locks are necessary. Things have changed for the better.
Short inseam, big bikeCheck his inseam vs the distance from the pedals to the top tube.
Deux FixiesI think both the bikes are fixed gears. Note the lack of rim brakes or a reaction arm for a coaster brake. Fixies are much easier to prop against a curb using the pedal because the wheel and pedal are locked together. When one turns, the other does, too. No coasting!
People generally just lean the bike against a wall or lay it on the ground these days.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Kids, Lewis Hine, Norfolk)
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