MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
Home

Search Shorpy

SEARCH TIP: Click the tags above a photo to find more of same:
Mandatory field.

Search results -- 30 results per page

Free Ice: 1900
... compared to their friends' apartment. I lived on City Island, in the Bronx, for two years and with no air-conditioning, and the ... people per square mile is less than 1/10th of New York City's (26,100). Crowding ten times as many people into every square mile ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/28/2018 - 10:09am -

Circa 1900. "Heat wave. Free ice in New York." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Byron for the Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Great TimingMy friends back East say it brutally hot just now, Hudson Valley included. More than just comfortI would bet that most of these people are not going to use this ice for chilling their drinks. They're probably going to use it to keep their food from spoiling. One thing about the present day is we continually go from hot to air conditioned environments during a heat wave. In New York, no matter how cold it gets outside, the subway cars are usually cooled to the point of refrigeration. This keeps our bodies from becoming acclimated to the temps. These folks have been in the heat and have become somewhat adjusted. The clothes they wear are probably all cotton or linen, both of which have the ability to wick the sweat away and help cool the body. I'm sure they're pretty miserable, but coping. You'd get a line for free ice right nowWith temperatures hitting 101 degrees, in the middle of a l-o-o-ng week of 95+, you'll get plenty of people willing to stand in line for bags of free ice. Ice cubes in a bowl + fan = poor man's air conditioning. Thanks, Dave, for reminding us that some things never change, like NYC heat waves in the summertime. The children who grew up standing in those lines supported the construction of municipal swimming pools during the New Deal. They remembered! Nostalgic and VintageI absolutely love old photographs, the older the better. You get to experience people, places and things frozen in time. Sure this isn't Japan?The policeman looks like he's wearing white gloves. That would suck on a hot day like it appears to be in the picture. Hot CommodityLater on, someone realized they could spritz it with food coloring and some flavored syrup and charge for it. The Iceman (and Milkman) ComethBack in the 1940's in Newburgh NY in the midst of a summer heat wave, neighborhood kids would raid the back of the open ice delivery truck while the iceman would be tonging a block of ice to home ice boxes. Another source for kids, of small chunks of ice, was in milk delivery trucks while the milkman was delivering his wares. Weather's nice here in Monterey.It might have gotten to 65 here today. Staten Island FerryWhen my parents married in New York, in 1953, they stayed with a friend in Harlem. It was so hot and a neighbour was having a rent party so my parents took the Staten Island ferry back and forth all night long. Cool and quiet, compared to their friends' apartment. I lived on City Island, in the Bronx, for two years and with no air-conditioning, and the ceiling fans not being up to the job, it was like trying to sleep in pea soup. Trying To Imagine...what NYC must have smelled like with all of those sweating people and piles of horse manure in the streets makes me not want to go back in time to experience what is going on in the photo. This is a first in all my time as a Shorpy fan. Melting PotTemperatures in Manhattan will probably go over 100 degrees today. It has been in the high 90s for the last few days and will be in or around the 100 degree mark for the rest of the week. There will be no free ice and the local utility, Con Ed, has started cutting back on the power so the air conditioners are not performing to spec. I think I'll go to a movie today, their sign says they're 20 degrees cooler inside. Incidentally, movie theatre air conditioning goes back to 1925 when Dr. Willis Carrier cooled the new Rivoli Theatre on Broadway. Fishy, indeed!We are experiencing a real heat wave in New York today. I don't for a minute believe that the photo was taken in a temperature that comes close to our 100+ Look at the barefoot boys on that sidewalk -- there's your proof. I got news for yahFree Ice? That's nothing special. Every February there is tons if it in New York. You just need to plan ahead a little. Hats Year RoundUp until the 1950's or so, you will notice that headgear was always part of the dress code. My dad wore a hat most of the year. It had to be hot and uncomfortable. Something's FishyI can't believe all their icemakers went out at once.They need to call the super and complain. Take it offThey sure are wearing a lot of clothes for a heat wave. I'd lose the jackets and long sleeves. Barefoot tykesThat sidewalk had to be hot! HatsA few years ago I bought a straw hat and It seems to actually make you feel cooler on a hot day. Cool LidOnly a straw hat would make sense, or maybe one of these. Poor timingHow about some lovely pictures of deep snow, ice-covered lakes, or something to make us feel cooler in today's hot weather? The Long Hot SummerLooks like the cop has had a long day. As hot has his uniform is, my hubby now has to wear pretty much all that, except in polyester and with an extra 35 pounds of equipment, plus a bullet proof vest. It's been hovering around or at 100 lately here in Maryland, and his vest doesn't have time to dry out from sweat one day before he puts it on the next. So next time you see a cop sitting in his car with the AC on on a hot day, think of that guy up there! He could use a little break! (I hope he got hold of some ice chunks.) Waaaaah!I love reading about the New York heat waves with temperature in the 90s or even 101 (!). If it was in the 90s in Austin, we'd all be wearing parkas. Most of these people want Gordon Park!As in the last picture. Even in these Victorian times you can see signs of the heat, the cop wiping his brow, most men in the derbies have them way back on their head to let the heat out, and the straw hat man doesn't because they let heat out, just as the Mexican and South East Asian farmers learned from history. I loved the snow cone comment, probably very right, why give the melting ice away if you can sell it! Hot mamaSo I can see why they had the long pants, skirts and hats, but couldn't she have left the shawl off? Hey, Austin tipster We NY/NJ SMSAers feel the same way about you guys when your highways are shut down after 4 or 5 inches of snow. We laugh at your puny "frozen precipitation levels" that seem to cause such chaos! Have you ever been on the Lower East Side, and seen these turn-of-the-19th-century former tenement neighborhoods? They are still standing: five- and six-floor walk-ups, built with no help from Mr Otis, crowded together on narrow streets. Even today, Austin's population density of 2600 people per square mile is less than 1/10th of New York City's (26,100). Crowding ten times as many people into every square mile raises the ambient temperature of NYC exponentially. When the weather report says "90" in a town of crowded, narrow streets with ten times as many people, it is a medical emergency. Be grateful that, in your hometown, such temperatures make you reach for a sweater. It's not a sign of how much tougher Texans are in comparison to New Yorkers. It means that you are fortunate to live where the historical development patterns have provided you an environment where weather extremes aren't so dangerous to human health. 547Was looking for clues about the location of this picture and noticed the clothing store has "547" on the awning (alas no street name). Looking closer you can see that "547" is also written on the inside of the awning and reflected in the store window. But the reflection isn't backwards ... so perhaps it was written backwards so that people facing the window could see the non-backwards number in the reflection? Very curious. [The "547" on the outside of the awning would be backwards on the inside of the awning because it's the same "547" showing through the canvas. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets)
The Newsroom: 1942
... of the New York Times newspaper. Right foreground, city editor. Two assistants, left foreground. City copy desk in middle ground, with foreign desk, to right; telegraph desk to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/17/2023 - 11:09am -

September 3, 1942. "New York, New York. Newsroom of the New York Times newspaper. Right foreground, city editor. Two assistants, left foreground. City copy desk in middle ground, with foreign desk, to right; telegraph desk to left. Makeup desk in center back with spiral staircase leading to composing room. Copy readers go up there to check proofs." Medium format acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. The Front Page's Back RoomNot very glamourous, is it?? Even by the standards of the day, I would have expected something more impressive for the Paper of Record. But perhaps our expectations are tainted by modern conditions: whereas today the 'Times' may be NYC's only broadsheet, in 1942 there were a multitude - Journal-American, World-Telegram, the Sun -- some of which eclipsed the Times in circulation; but the real competitor for the quality reader was the Herald-Tribune. I've heard it posited that WWII is what earned the Times the final victory lap: it used its war-ration reduced pages to emphasize news, whereas the HT gave the edge to advertising. I don't know how true this is, but it's a great story. Safe pre-OSHA WorkplaceLooks like way back then they didn't need an agency of the Federal Government to codify or remind them of the dangers of falling light globes (I didn't even know that was a thing.) Their safety conciousness even extended to the film used to record their workplace for posterity. Which begs the question, what happened to the guy at front left. Paper cut? Malingerer? Bar fight? Phones?I only see three telephones in that whole office! How can they get any work done? I'm sure that everyone they would've needed to speak with was within shouting distance. Amazing how efficient things were back then! No cubicle walls either. Makeup desk???What, are they planning early for TV? What a classic case of industrial chic, even with wire cages on the lamps! Front Page Headlines September 4, 1942 New York TimesUS FIGHTS NEW LANDINGS IN SOLOMONS; SINKS CRUISER, 4 OTHER SHIPS IN PACIFIC; NAZIS ADVANCE NORTH OF STALINGRAD Marines Meet Foe Franco Shakes Up Cabinet, Ousts Suner and 2 Others Allied Blows Force Rommel to Withdraw at Some Points President Warns Youth to Choose Death or Freedom Submarines Sink 5 Japanese Ships Astor Real Estate Policy Shifted to Meet New Order British Bombers Sear Karlsruhe; Sinclair Urges Sabotage in Reich OPA to License All Meat Packers and Wholesalers in Control Move The Copy Boywould take a writer's finished typing when the writer held it aloft saying a bit more than audibly, "BOY!" In later times this was changed to "KID!" Got that from a WSJ veteran. Why the cages around the lights?What do they need protection from? SPIKE THAT STORY! NOT my hand!Copyboy! Get me OSHA! And having worked in such dangerous places in the 1960s ... Light cagesWhy are there cages around the ceiling lights? All I could think of was that the composing room upstairs creates enough vibrations to occasionally knock a light fixture off its ceiling mount, and the cages protect those below. Typewriters?Interesting. When I worked in a newsroom in the 70s it wasn't much different from this except everyone had a typewriter. I wonder why there's not a single one visible in this photo. [You don’t need a typewriter to edit. Just a grease pencil. - Dave] Not many visorsThis most be towards the end of the era for visors. Green eyeshades or dealer's visors are a type of visor that were worn most often from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century by accountants, telegraphers, copy editors, and others engaged in vision-intensive, detail-oriented occupations to lessen eye strain due to early incandescent lights and candles, which tended to be harsh (the classic banker's lamp had a green shade for similar reasons). Wire mesh around the lights??What is that for. Oh, and that caricature, so not politically correct today. Memo SpikeThat Assistant put his hand through the CE’s memo spike again. Or maybe the editor is a very, very stern taskmaster. Back in the day..Bill spikes, stick telephones, eye shades, rubber stamps, oak office chairs, pipe smokers.. all of an era. Can anybody identify the round white things with the little handle sticking up? [Gluepots. - Dave] And the cages on the light fixtures — did things get rough in that room from time to time??? Times of ...Natural human data processing power. Light Globe Cages?Not sure what the well thought out and professionally made wire cloth covers on the lights are all about. I guess it has something to do with being at war??? Grandpa, tell me 'bout the good old daysKind of depressing once you take it all in, a newsroom entirely staffed by men, plus the pipe smoking, the anti-Japanese propaganda poster, etc. It really is true that "The past is a different country. They do things differently there." So many wonderful things to see from the old timesThe guy smoking a pipe, The candlestick telephones too. The wire cages on the light fixtures are also strange. Overkill, I would say. But it's a delightful photo of the past. Shorpy logoIn an early comment below (“Safe pre-OSHA Workplace”), M2 writes, “Their safety consciousness even extended to the film used to record their workplace for posterity.” So I scrutinized the right edge of the photo, my head tilted down and to the right, to read: “EASTMAN—SAFETY—KODAK 101 SHORPY.” Very clever! SaunaThese men don't need to go to a steam bath - it looks like their work place is already very hot and humid. Each of those caged ceiling lights is probably putting out 200 watts of heat, plus all the body heat of the men. Their shirts look very moist. The large metal ducts on the ceiling might only be for exhausting smoke and heat from the room rather than forced air conditioning. I would love the see a photo of the cord switchboard with operators connecting the candlestick telephones. Not a coffee cup in sightCoffee rationing in effect already? SwelteringThe high temperature in New York that day was 93 degrees -- no wonder they all look so sweaty. Depressing? Why so Karen?Perhaps a history book is not in your future, or you'll be very very depressed. In other words. Lighten up. Sweet Smell of the City DeskInhale deeply and let’s go back in time and take an olfactory tour of the newsroom. The first thing that hits you as you enter the room would be the tobacco smoke. I count at least three pipes and a cigarette, but no ashtrays. In a closed room the smoke and ash odor would be the first thing you notice. Weather archives report that the temperature reached 93 degrees F. in New York City on September 3, 1942 – near record heat. The next thing you’d notice would be man-sweat and hair tonic. Vitalis and Brylcreem and Murray’s Pomade each had a distinctive aroma and the miasma rising from those guys must have been remarkable. Add to the vaporous atmosphere the smell of printer’s ink, gluepots, rubber-gum erasers, pencil shavings, leather satchels, and freshly developed photographs. Even though the clock says 9:20 AM perhaps you'd catch a whiff of flask-borne whiskey and, judging be the unshaven assistant city editor in the foreground, maybe the scent of monkey blood from his wound dressing. I’ll bet the gent in the eyeshade has a Limburger cheese and onion sandwich in a paper bag. You can exhale now. Goober Pea Where's Hildy?This makes me want to watch "His Girl Friday". Right off The Front PageThe movies from the 1930s led me to expect many more typewriters and whiskey bottles. Also, a sassy gal Friday. Walk in their shoes"Nothing is more unfair than to judge the men of the past by the ideas of the present. Whatever may be said of morality, political wisdom is certainly ambulatory". - Denys Arthur Winstanley I'm with Al Bear I always love these photos of how things used to be in newsrooms, offices, labs, etc. and I'm especially intrigued by wartime home front photos. It's really easy for some to hold the past up to today's politically correct standards, but perhaps one of two of these newsmen lost a son or maybe even a daughter at Pearl Harbor or Midway. Maybe they have a son who recently landed at Guadalcanal. And perhaps there are women who are working in this environment but just happen to be out of the photo at the time. You don't know for sure, so don't judge. And Now, The WeatherNOAA weather for Manhattan shows a high of 93 on 9/3/42. Might explain the matted hair, glistening foreheads and less than crisp work shirts. The Hot SeatNew York in September, no A/C, everybody packed in like sardines ... no wonder everybody looks sweaty! I too pictured a lot more typewriters. 9:20 am ... or pm?The previous shot of the wire service machines shows that it's pretty clearly dark outside (the left-hand window is open without whatever-it-is that's in the right hand window opening). It seems to me that this is more likely the evening of September 3rd, 1942 rather than the morning. [The Times is a morning paper, so yes, it's night. - Dave] Norman Rockwell PhotographIf Rockwell was a photographer he'd have taken this image. So full of action and detail. Those head visors, the not-paperless-office, the spiral staircase and all enveloped in that amazing masonry and concrete room. Those paper spikes were dangerous, so sharp that a careless hand could easily get a nasty wound (another reader has picked up a suspicious wound). Never mind that the spike might just go through and destroy a very important word. (The Gallery, Marjory Collins, NYC)
The Motor City: 1917
... View full size. The Best! Out of all the city photos posted on Shorpy, this is going to the head of the list! Hard to ... then. Busy, busy, busy Quite possibly the busiest city photo ever posted on Shorpy. Hours of fun to be had on this one. Kelly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:34pm -

Detroit circa 1917. "Looking up Woodward Avenue." A bustling vista last glimpsed here. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The Best!Out of all the city photos posted on Shorpy, this is going to the head of the list! Hard to believe all the traffic, trolleys, cars and people out and about. Life must have been good in Detroit back then. Busy, busy, busyQuite possibly the busiest city photo ever posted on Shorpy. Hours of fun to be had on this one. Kelly Springfield Tires. I work in a plant that still makes that brand!! Goodyear has owned it since the 1930's but the Kelly Springfield brand is still on many of the tires we make. What the?Road construction equipment? Cable layer? Portable dynamo? Click to enlarge. LOVE IT!I absolutely love the bustling city photo's and this one tops them all! Thanks so much for posting. HorsesUnlike the earlier photo, this one does have horses. Soldiers and Sailors MonumentThat's the monument on the right. Built to honour the Civil War veterans. It was repositioned in 2003, 125 feet south of its original position. http://buildingsofdetroit.com/places/ssm The fountain to the left which beside the tent is gone. The tent is likely probably for a recruitment drive -- there are a number of uniformed men in various places in this photo taken minutes before or after, including one about to cross the street to the left of the photo. LATER: I noticed that there is a young lad who appears to be asking directions from the traffic policeman over in front of the parked cars near the streetcar construction (to the right of the photo). In the other photo (linked above), this officer is standing observing traffic. Time: This photo is taken at least a few minutes after the previous photo. The shadows are slightly longer. And the trunk of the tree in the greenspace to the left of the photo is now in shade. Whereas, the previous photo shows the base of the tree in full sunlight. It must be quite a few minutes later, as the "Ma and Pa Kettle" truck, a beer delivery cart, is nowhere to be seen in the previous photo. What I Want to Do on my Summer VacationFor summer vacation I want a time machine trip to inside this photo. I would sit down on the edge of the fountain, near that tent and just watch. I'd be able to figure out what that machine was on the far right. It is doing something in a trench. I'd smell the horses and hear the voices. And I'd hear all those early car engines and smell their exhaust (whether I wanted to or not). But mostly I'd just sit and try and take this all in. This really needs to be projected as big as a movie screen. There is that much going on. Cable laying?There's some kind of heavy machine at far right, just beyond the group of cars. This machine has a belt driven circular device, which may be a drum of cable. Given the trench and roadworks barriers that run across the centre of the photo, could this be a cable laying machine? Great picThis is what I like about the pics on this site - A slice of time pic is what I call this. There is a lot of rich details in this pic! Great pic here. Ma & Pa Kettle Hit The Motor CityThat horse and wagon with the huge umbrella over the riders reminds me of the old Ma & Pa Kettle movies. Based on the barrels on the wagon, I'd guess that Pa had been out making some white lightning with Geoduck and Crowbar. As Pa used to say, "It's fresh out of the still this morning; none of that old stuff for me!" Mere MinutesThis photo and the other one linked here must have been taken within mere moments of each other - the parked cars (such as the one for hire in the lower left corner and the white one on the right edge) are in the same positions in both photos. I've looked to see if I can find any common people between the two, but no luck yet. Streetcar-relatedThe machine on the right has a trolley pole on it and it's sitting on trolley tracks that are being worked on (not a trench). I'm going to send this photo to some trolley friends and see if they can identify it. The consensus is the machinery is a rail-mounted concrete mixer. Since the track is being worked on, and the trolley company was obliged to repave the torn-up street, this seems the likely explanation for the bulky equipment. Detroit did not become the municipal operator of the streetcar lines until 1922. 1917 was during the period of Detroit United Railways operation (1900/01-1922). UpdateIn a previous comment about the earlier version of this scene,I said that it was the best urban shot yet. I have to say this one is even better. What this country needsThat's a pretty expensive sign just to sell a 10-cent cigar! Heavy EquipmentThe heavy equipment is street railway construction equipment. You can see the trolley pole and base on the big machine with the cylindrical center, and you can also see the top part of the trolley pole on the piece of equipment hiding behind the memorial. I suspect that the big machine is a rail-mounted roller. All of my books on Detroit are safely packed away a thousand miles from where I am, so all I can do is guess at what project they are working on. Could this be a little later than 1917, and show one of the first "MO" (Municipal operation) lines built to compete with Detroit United? [The movie marquees, license plates, WW1 recruitment banner and construction sign for the Real Estate Exchange Building place this scene in 1917. - Dave] Picture of prosperityWith the ability to magnify the many details and huge area shown in this photo, one could study the goings-on for hours. This is what a booming economy looks like and depicts the energy ignited by opportunity for everyone. Of course there was still another year of WWI going on in Europe and the Middle East but entrepreneurial Americans were engaged in productive labor and optimistic about the future. This is a stellar photo, thank you Shorpy. Playing all next week at the Opera House"Somewhere In Georgia" starring—wait for it—Ty Cobb! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158971/ Clue in the cloudsAgree that this picture was taken a matter of minutes from the time of the first pic. The clouds have moved position, but you can tell they are the same formations. How did they direct traffic?I can see the policeman under the umbrellas. You can clearly see a stop and go signal. How did they coordinate the movement of traffic on such a large and busy intersection. Did the policeman coordinate with hand signals or did they have some sort of signal device? Update: according to an article “A Brief History of Traffic Signals—UC Berkeley , one of the traffic officers would blow a whistle when it was time to change the signals Round and Round.The piece of heavy machinery with the trolley pole to the right in the photo looks like a cement mixer, the concrete being used for a roadbed beneath the track construction to the left. Another captivating photo from Shorpy! Matter of moments The heavy equipment can also be seen just entering the frame on the right hand side of the other photo linked. Judging by the change in shadows, the photos are probably within 30 minutes of each other. Been trying to find a clock to be sure. Added: The heavy equipment does not move so much as the framing slightly changes. The time between photographswould have to be longer than a few moments, as the shadows on the ground change. Motor City 1 and 2I used Photoshop to scale the two images, and was able to get an extremely tight fit on all permanent structures. Then I had a blast turning on and off the top layer to see the differences. It is amazing the number of changes that took place between the time these two photos were taken. For example, someone had time to raise the large canopy on the Temple building. Dave - If you would like I can send you these images so others can play. $5 dayIn response to OTY's comment: I personally think the hustle and bustle has everything to do with Henry Ford's doubling of wages to $5 per day in 1914. This move ignited the modern auto industry and what we call the middle class. Workers making a decent wage, being able to buy the products Ford was selling and having some disposable income. That's what makes a booming economy. Meanwhile on Wall Street, and every other boardroom in town, they are telling each other that those damn Ford employees "have it too good." Some things never change. [You can say that again. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Savannah Electric: 1905
... some of the stores to go bankrupt. In October of 1961, the city agreed to desegregate parks, swimming pools, busses, restaurants and other ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 5:03pm -

Savannah, Georgia, circa 1905. "Broughton Street, looking east." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. It's ALIVE!This is one of the most evocative photos I've seen on Shorpy. As I gaze at the enlarged version, I imagine I hear the clip-clop of horses, their occasional neighs and mild snorts, the sound of the streetcar bell and its wheels rolling on the track, the rumble of people talking and sometimes shouting. I can almost feel the pavement under my feet (and know to watch out for the many piles of horse manure) and imagine what it was like to look into the store windows. After many months of perusing Shorpy, I'm starting to feel more at home in my imagination of another age. Pick me!Just a few daisies on that hat. Stand backAnybody care to hazard a guess as to what's going on with this guy's legs? Hat in handA closeup of the panhandler and his crutches. Dental MysteryWhat on earth was a "NEW YORK DENTAL PARLOR"? Sounds a bit ominous. Wow, the panhandler...Sitting there in a suit. Looks like he has a set of club feet. What a photo inside the photo. Re: Stand BackPossibly Rickets. Symptoms include short stature and bone deformity, particularly leg bone. It is caused by vitamin D deficiency, often due to lack of sunshine exposure or lack of calcium. Dept. of SanitationThis is the first time I noticed such a well dressed "pooper scooper" in Shorpy's pictures! Hat selection I'm seeing at least 3 hat stores, 2 at left, 1 at right. The hatless man at left has something in his hand that might be a hat. I find approx. 37 men in hats in this shot. DaisyI'm thinking that the young lady is carrying a dozen donuts on a plate balanced atop her hairdo. Savannah ElectricThe Savannah Electric/Edison Light store was probably owned by the local gas and electric utility. This was not unusual, the lighting company not only provided the power but sold the appliances as well. They had an edge, the ability to add the payments for the refrigerator or stove to the customer's monthly utility bill. The time machine was set to run backwardsToday Savannah looks much less urban and more nineteenth-century. More Broughton StreetAnother view of that busy street a few years later, after automobiles started sharing the pavement with horses. Proud BeggarHe may be poor and begging, but he is not without pride. Despite his handicap (club foot?) his hair is cut, combed and parted; he's wearing a suit; and appears to be clean shaven. One has to wonder how he came to this, and what his ultimate fate was. SavannahFifty-five years after this photo was taken, on this very street, civil rights history was made. On March 16, 1960, black students staged a sit-in at eight downtown lunch counters, and three were arrested. The NAACP demanded desegregation of public accomodations, and the hiring of black clerks and managers, and they called for a boycott of white-owned downtown stores. The boycott was successful, causing some of the stores to go bankrupt. In October of 1961, the city agreed to desegregate parks, swimming pools, busses, restaurants and other public accomodations. Some of the buildings still there today!This photograph was taken close to the corner of West Broughton and Barnard. Savannah Electric is Michael Kors today. +119Below is the same view from February of 2024. (The Gallery, DPC, Savannah, Streetcars)
The Old Stone House: 1865
... the fact that the kids are now living in an occupied city. Notice how the kids are also wearing what appear to be cut-down Union ... soldiers. One or two may have actually been in one of the city's home guard companies. +159 Below is the same view from January of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2013 - 6:44pm -

      The Ege family dwelling, which had tangential connections to General Lafayette, George Washington and Edgar Allan Poe. April 1865. Richmond, Virginia. "The Old Stone House -- so-called 'Washington's headquarters,' 1916 East Main Street." Wet plate glass negative. View full size. And 148 years later,the building still stands as The Poe Museum. View Larger Map Seven Boys, One WomanI think the boy in the tree is having the most fun. He's got spunk. Otherwise this does seem like a rather dour group. Not having fun? Neither would you......given the fact that the kids are now living in an occupied city. Notice how the kids are also wearing what appear to be cut-down Union Army sack coats, and two of them are wearing Confederate grey kepis. Kind of reminds me of similar photos taken 80 years later of occupied cities in Germany, where a lot of the kids were clad in cast-off military garb. Dour GroupWell, their side just lost the War and there's a very high probability that they each lost at least one brother and maybe a dad in the process. Note the military cut of their jackets. They look like miniature versions of paroled soldiers. One or two may have actually been in one of the city's home guard companies. +159Below is the same view from January of 2024. (The Gallery, Civil War, Kids, Richmond)
C. City City Hall: 1942
May 1942. "Central City, an old mining town in the mountainous region of Central Colorado." ... size. Pretty much all intact Except that Central City is a bunch of casinos now. Only the SECOND most important civic ... Unchanged Yet Completely Different Today Central City looks almost identical to its appearance in this photo except for one key ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/15/2022 - 11:54am -

May 1942. "Central City, an old mining town in the mountainous region of Central Colorado." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Pretty much all intactExcept that Central City is a bunch of casinos now. Only the SECOND most important civic buildingfor an aging "ghost town" like CC; the most important being a firehouse: for half-deserted and closely-built towns such as this, burning was the biggest danger (or a very close second to obsolescence). Unchanged Yet Completely DifferentToday Central City looks almost identical to its appearance in this photo except for one key element. Gambling was voted in in the '80s, and today most of the buildings in town have been gutted and turned into one continuous casino space inside. It's a sad example of how a town can die from too little money - or too much. Pole Town?It's amazing that those decidedly odd light poles at the entrance to the Teller Hotel have survived all these years later, although the further one in the 1942 Picture is missing it's globe. +70Below is the same view from October of 2012. Casinos or mines?Ya gotta mine something, might as well be tourist pockets, right? (The Gallery, John Vachon, Small Towns)
New York City: 1901
New York City as seen from the Statue of Liberty circa 1901. Cyanotype by the Detroit ... close...) It seems like the most substantial thing in the city. That's not the impression you get any more now that the overall skyline ... photographs being what they are... New York City in 1901 I love such sights. And Today? Oh, please, may we have a ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 09/08/2011 - 10:04pm -

New York City as seen from the Statue of Liberty circa 1901. Cyanotype by the Detroit Photographic Co. View full size. SailWhat's interesting in this picture when you view it full size is just how many sailing vessels there still seem to be at this date. The a fairly nice three masted schooner with white hull near the middle of the photo, a steam powered vessel with sails as a supplement behind it, and a forest of masts over by the Brooklyn Bridge. Brooklyn Bridge 1901The thing that strikes me is that the Brooklyn Bridge dominates the landscape, not just in width but in height and massiveness. You get the feeling that the bridge is as wide as Manhattan itself. (I know that at this narrow point, it actually comes pretty close...) It seems like the most substantial thing in the city. That's not the impression you get any more now that the overall skyline is so dense and high reaching. In more recent photos (distant pans like this, at least...) the bridges are dwarfed by the skyline and almost easy to overlook as a detail at all. Bridge under constructionLinked from kottke.org. The exchange there indicates that the bridge under construction to the right, behind the Brooklyn Bridge, is Williamsburg Bridge. These old photographs contain so much information, don't they? Resolutions on old large-format photographs being what they are... New York City in 1901I love such sights. And Today?Oh, please, may we have a picture from the same vantage point as it looks today? Not exact, but you get the idea... +108In August 2009 I took a photo for comparison from the same perspective, in the statue's pedestal. It was a hazy day. I've tried to clear the image up a bit through Photoshop. New York in those days !This is a great feeling for a New Yorker at least. We are enjoying the solitude and tranquility of the great metropolis! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, NYC)
Sunray: 1942
... the image and you will see the black patch west of the city. I thought all wild animals were coal black until I was twelve. My Dad ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/28/2024 - 2:43pm -

November 1942. "Worker at carbon black plant. Sunray, Texas." 4x5 inch Kodachrome transparency by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. You might want to considerA mild cleanser. Exfoliant scrub. Moisturizer. And maybe lose the ciggies? I'm just sayin' is all. Overloading the lungsPossibly had some lung-related health issues later in life? CigsI bet he didn't wear a seat belt either. Yikes. Beautiful!What an astonishing photo; it's got such depth and a kind of coldness. Great find! Make this one a print!Make this one a print! Please! I adore the work of this photographer. Print now available!Here he is. Just the thing to brighten up the den. Carbon Black PlantI grew up in Aransas Pass, Texas in the 1940's and the "Carbon Black Plant" out in the scrub Oak brush just off the coast of Redfish Bay, East of the town, belched dense black smoke constantly . . my neighbors, the Gentry boys, came home from work every day looking just like this fellow . . . a damp rag was required to wipe off our clothesline to remove the black soot before the wash could be hung out. Seemed completely normal at the time! Sunray Carbon BlackI grew up in Fritch, Texas, which is between Amarillo and Borger and not too far from Sunray. My dad worked at the carbon black plant in Borger in the 1950s & '60s. Sometimes we'd pick him up after work. The men would take a shower at the end of the day at the plant, but he could never ever wash ALL of the black off. The "whiteface" cattle in the area always had gray faces. We rarely had a problem with the carbon black getting all the way to Fritch - about 15 miles - but we had relatives in Buenavista, a "suburb" of Borger who had a lot of problems with laundry hanging out, etc. Seemed completely normal at the time to us too but sure seems funny now. Not ha-ha funny but kind of sad funny, I think. SunraySurprisingly, carbon black exposure is NOT associated with increased risk of lung disease. I was raised in Borger,TX. home of a huge plant. In the fifties and sixties,before regulations,the black covered everything. Even now google the image and you will see the black patch west of the city. I thought all wild animals were coal black until I was twelve. My Dad worked there for many years, is ninety now and no lung disease. As a native and a physician, I investigated the risk from the carbon and confirmed the really is not a risk to health in spite of the look. One speculates that the pure charcoal/carbon may have at worst been neutral and possibly had some protective effect from carcinogens. Unfortunately, most of the men working there also smoked cigarettes and did suffer the consequences to health. Look at this guy.Look at this guy. Look into his eyes. Try to understand the fatigue he was feeling. Do you really think he's worried about lung cancer!? I mean seriously, try to take yourself out of the "I know what's best for you" 2000s, and remember that, long ago, people used to live their lives and work hard every day. (The Gallery, Bizarre, Kodachromes, Factories, John Vachon)
Atlantic City City Hall: 1907
Circa 1907. "City Hall -- Atlantic City, N.J." With streetcars of the West Jersey & Seashore Railroad. 8x10 ... know where the bell(s) went? (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/19/2021 - 11:09am -

Circa 1907. "City Hall -- Atlantic City, N.J." With streetcars of the West Jersey & Seashore Railroad. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The Earl and the GirlFrom Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Earl_and_the_Girl Fire Dept.That fire trumpet wind vane is extra cool. Not quite Big Ben, but ...I'd bet there was a bell (maybe more than one) in that tower just below the clock. Those baffles not only serve to keep out the worst of the weather, but deflect sound down toward the street. Building demolished in 1969. Anybody know where the bell(s) went? (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Streetcars)
Atlantic City Forever: 1912
"I could stay in Atlantic City forever." A Kodak moment circa 1912 at the New Jersey resort. 5x7 glass ... Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Atlantic City I work in Atlantic City - It's a shame they tore down the lovely Victorian buildings. I bet those ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/25/2011 - 11:08am -

"I could stay in Atlantic City forever." A Kodak moment circa 1912 at the New Jersey resort. 5x7 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Atlantic CityI work in Atlantic City - It's a shame they tore down the lovely Victorian buildings. I bet those folks are sitting in front of the Marlborough-Blenhiem, the most ornate of the old hotels. Da Yellow KidIsn't that Da Yellow Kid to the left of the photographer, face partially obscured by the drape/hood/cape (whatever it is called) of the camera? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yellow_Kid No Time Like the PastIn the late 60's until the mid 70's I worked with a photographer who specialized primarily in postcards. He would photograph the clouds if it took all night for them to move into the position he wanted. He would use a view camera only like the one above. That was the best I have ever seen. No matter what is said there are no times like old times. RagtimeThis shot made me flash on a scene from the movie Ragtime. The family in the movie takes a trip to a very similar looking beach resort, and I think the date of the photo is very close to the era portrayed in the movie. Can't remember if the movie ever specifies a location. I See Coneheads ... Oh. That's someone's coat draped over a railing. Doy. Never mind! Whoa.Nice girl on that ass. Had to say it. Love The Photo!My husband and I were born and brought up in Ventnor, right next to Atlantic City on Absecon Island and we went "uptown" often. This is a wonderful piece of nostalgia, although by our day, bikinis had taken the place of the ladies' modest attire. Great picture! The AssThe ass looks none too thrilled to be there but a job's a job I guess. Conehead!Could we get a close up of the blond headed fellow in the center of the picture with apparently the Mohawk or Conehead hair. Was this in style during this time period, or is this an artifact in the picture of some kind? [How long have you been seeing Coneheads? - Dave] Sweet ShadesIt's funny, I don't think of the early 1900s as being a time of sunglasses, but the woman with the hat and skirt is clearly sporting some cool shades. Who knew? (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Sports)
City Hall: 1900
Circa 1900. "City Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin." Overhead, a tracery of streetcar wires. 8x10 ... what makes slush. - Dave] She's Still There! City Hall is still standing and is one of the best features of downtown ... building in the U.S. Built in essentially swamp land, City Hall "stands" on 2500 wood pilings that are about 25 feet long and about ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 11:27am -

Circa 1900. "City Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin." Overhead, a tracery of streetcar wires. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Where are piles of snow?I can see a man shoveling a pile of sand, no? Most likely masonry sand. I agree that it seems like slush or very dirty snow in street. But if it is snow, how come no snow on any of those ledges and balconies of those buildings that have northeastern fronts and haven't had sunshine in months? [It melted. Melting is what makes slush. - Dave] She's Still There!City Hall is still standing and is one of the best features of downtown Milwaukee. When finished in 1895, it was the tallest building in the U.S. Built in essentially swamp land, City Hall "stands" on 2500 wood pilings that are about 25 feet long and about 14" in diameter that connect to bedrock below. I've walked and driven past this structure too many times to count and it is wonderful to view in person. Extensive restoration work has been done to preserve it. I'll do my best to take a current shot of the building and post. Thanks Dave for a wonderful shot!! Mmmmm!Cream city. Track QuestionsIt looks like the street surface is mostly mud. Did the mud have to be cleaned off the rails periodically? Wouldn't the tracks become useless after a certain amount of mud built up on top of them? [That's slush. See the piles of snow? - Dave] Ah, I see the snow now. In B/W, it looked liked piles of mud to me. Quick, someone colorize this one! Thanks!This building is a rare gem today. I love the woodwork inside and the atrium that opens up almost the entire inside of the building to sunlight. Welcome Milwaukee VisitorsI recognized this building immediately from the opening credits of "Laverne & Shirley." I wonder if the Pizza Bowl is nearby? Laverne & ShirleyCity Hall was featured in the opening credits of "Laverne and Shirley." A $70 million renovation was completed in 2008. City Hall Circa 2010Here's a shot from today (Feb 12, 2010). I should have been standing 10 feet back from where I took this shot in order to have been in the same spot as the original. But, traffic lights and such would have obstructed the view. You can tell by how my shot is lit that behind me are very tall buildings that are shading most of the shot. Obviously those were not there in 1900, so that shot is better lit. Most of the buildings to the left of City Hall are still intact. The bank building to the right has replaced the buildings in the 1900 picture. It was kinda cool to be standing in nearly the same spot shooting the exact same scene 110 years later with most of the subject matter still around after all that time. Finally, it just happened to be 10 minutes after 4 pm when I took the shot today. And I didn't plan it that way either. [There's only one thing missing! - Dave] Yay for Milwaukee!Thanks for finding a picture of my beautiful hometown, Dave! I didn't really expect to see Milwaukee on here, but it's a beautiful city with some magnificent architecture. When they were recently renovating City Hall, they found notes from the original workmen tucked within the bricks, etc. They must have been proud to lend a hand in building such a tall and unique building. Panoramic views from the turn of the century show City Hall towering over everything around it, just as it does in this great picture. Thanks! Recent renovationsFlickr has dozens of recent and vintage photos; here's one with all the restoration scaffolding: http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/166171411/ It's a cool building. Other photos show the interior (which I've never seen) as well. Mysterious flagpole hatsWhat are those strange objects over the flagpoles on the building at the right? At first they appear to be floating in air but I think I see a very thin rod holding them up- but whatever for? Winding back the clockStreet clocks were all over the city up until about 1908 when the mayor ordered them removed because they were a nuisance to the fire department. There was a great uproar regarding this removal and several lawsuits were filed against the city. There is still one clock left, restored and placed in the front of the Milwaukee Public Museum. The original timing has been replaced several times, but in 2000 it was determined that it would be too difficult and expensive to do it again. The clock is now fully electric. Standard bearerThe flagpole hat is apparently a "liberty cap" or "Phrygian cap," originally worn by freed slaves in ancient Rome. It was a very common symbol in the American and (especially) the French revolutions, and was often depicted at the top of a pole or flag staff. Rather less common by the time this beautiful building went up, unusual to see it at the turn of the 20th century. +104Below is the identical view from November of 2004 (as well as my first attempt at scanning one of the many slides I took before switching to digital). (The Gallery, DPC, Milwaukee, Streetcars)
Grand Hotels: 1942
November 1942. "Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- Hotels on West Grand Avenue." Medium format acetate negative ... in about 1957. Park-O-Meter Carl Magee of Oklahoma City invented the parking meter. See his great creation at its birth above. In ... of the commenters have personal, historic knowledge of OK City, I'll ask: why are there so many hotels along this stretch of West Grand? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/15/2024 - 12:00pm -

November 1942. "Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- Hotels on West Grand Avenue." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Urban RenewalOn the right, the building with the "Fidelity" sign was known as the Baum Building. It was one of the most ornate and regretted demolitions of the 1970s "renewal". I have a small piece of it. Just beyond it is the Colcord Building, the taller white structure, which is the only thing in this photo that remains. Built as office space in 1910, now a high end hotel. https://www.colcordhotel.com/about Next is the Warner Theater located in part of the site of the current Devon Tower, tallest building in the State. Just beyond that is the Black Hotel and the Union Bus Station. Both survived until about ten years ago. Across on the left is the 28 story Biltmore Hotel. For many years it was the largest structure brought down by implosion. I witnessed that one. Now part of the Botanical park mentioned in a comment on Seed Town. Grand has since been renamed Sheridan. Warner TheaterI see the Warner Theater in the distance. My dad worked there in 1946/1947. Renewed Just before the Warneris a tall white building. It is the only building in the picture that still exists, and is now an upscale hotel. Where the Warner Theater stood, is now an 845-foot-tall building, home to an energy company. I once saw "This Is Cinerama" at the Warner in about 1957. Park-O-MeterCarl Magee of Oklahoma City invented the parking meter. See his great creation at its birth above. In a way he helped the rise of the mall with its free parking and the demise of main street. What a legacy! Ka-BOOM! townNote the Biltmore down the street, a prominent example of a celebrity implosion (right around the time when they became popular as new stories and cities began to search for some prominent, hapless building to be "honored") And to build - no pun intended - on 'Studebaker1913's post: another hapless building (tho not imploded) Among its sins: "I.M. Pei wanted to clear the Venetian Style Baum Building in order to straighten Robinson Avenue." Oh, my. Being HumansOnce again the startling and heartbreaking contrast between the past and the present. Then; a street for human beings. Park where you want, walk where you like. Get a meal, buy a drink, find a room, hock your saxophone, maybe do a little shopping. Be human. Meet other humans doing human stuff. Now; some kind of corporate hell. Nothing to do, nothing to see - drive right through. And how is it that, once again, a black and white photograph looks sunnier and warmer than Google street view? Why so many hotels?Since some of the commenters have personal, historic knowledge of OK City, I'll ask: why are there so many hotels along this stretch of West Grand? I found there were two railroad stations a block or so behind where John Vachon was standing. The Santa Fe station is still there; the Missouri–Kansas–Texas station on East Reno is gone. You can spin the Street View provided by Studebaker1913 around to see the train overpass. The Santa Fe station is to the right. Was there something else in this area to make so many people want to bed down nearby? Today, there are fewer, but much bigger hotels. On the immediate right in Street View there is a Wyndham and a Sheraton. Down the street is the aforementioned Colcord. But I figure they're here because, on the left in Street View is a convention center and then a sports arena on the other side of Reno Avenue. I've got my dancing shoes on, but my wallet is in the carThe Tap Room has "free dancing" but charges for parking. I guess they know a good racket to run! The True Inventors of the Parking MeterWhile Carl Magee had the initial idea for the parking meter and he received a patent for it in 1932, he was unable to make a practical working model until he enlisted the help of two engineering professors at Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanical College (now Oklahoma State University, my employer) in Stillwater, Oklahoma. They were H. G. Thuesen and Gerald Hale, who perfected the design in 1933. The first batch of 175 parking meters was installed in downtown Oklahoma City on July 16, 1935. Urban Renewal - UGH!Yet another Shorpy photo depicting an American city or town of yesteryear that looks so much better than its modern counterpart in Google Street View. Why Hotels?In response to Doug Floor Plan, I would speculate that this phenomenon was quite common in most US cities in 1942. Today's hotels are scattered throughout metro areas, especially at freeway interchanges. At that time, there were cabin/cottage like motels out on the highways, but hotels were almost always centrally located. In this case, there was even a third rail station (Rock Island) located a few blocks south to further increase traffic. By the 1960s, places like Holiday Inn were showing up on the highways, blurring the lines between Hotel-Motel. For another survivor of the old hotels, navigate two blocks north at the first intersection on my street view link to see the Hilton Skirvin on NE corner of Park & Broadway. We almost lost that one several times. Prior to 1933 the Rock Island station was located directly behind it. The tracks were relocated south to avoid having east-west lines running right through downtown. Many City and County Buildings were developed in the mid 1930s along the former line. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, OKC)
Marina City: 1964
Chicago circa 1964. "Marina City." The high-rise apartment towers on the Chicago River, and a compendium of balcony-decorating ideas. View full size. Orbit City Which one is the Jetsons' apartment? I can hear the sound of their ... good bit of Chicagoland. I always felt bad for the Marina City residents who had an apartment that faced the other Marina City tower, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/19/2015 - 4:00pm -

Chicago circa 1964. "Marina City." The high-rise apartment towers on the Chicago River, and a compendium of balcony-decorating ideas. View full size. Orbit CityWhich one is the Jetsons' apartment? I can hear the sound of their Space Car approaching. BBQ GrillsI spot at least two Weber grills on these upper floor balconies, and who knows how many unseen hibachis there are? Something tells me that firing up a grill on the umpteenth floor of a high-rise would be VERY strongly frowned upon in this day and age! Miracle-Gro or --Dupont Plastics might be the source of that consistently lush and suspiciously uniform greenery covering the railing of the balcony on the right since no pots are visible as they are on the other units' balconies. 1964 would have been a prime year for plastic decoratives. CorvairsChevrolet Corvairs, a bargain at any [rental] price. A Balcony with a ViewThe photographer is looking southwest across the river to the north end of the Loop, with Wacker Drive and the Dearborn Street Bridge (with one leaf open) at the lower left. The one significant building visible in the distance, the 21-story building with a deep light court creating a shadowy vertical stripe in the center, is the former State of Illinois Building. Located at the northwest corner of Randolph and La Salle Streets, it was built c. 1920 by the Burnham Brothers architecture firm. To my surprise, I just learned that this is now called the Michael Bilandic Building, named after the Chicago mayor best remembered (perhaps unfairly ...) for failing to clean up the snow following the brutal Blizzard of 1979. Life's a piece of pieFloor plan for apartment. [Well that explains the half-balconies. - Dave] Log Way Up & DownWhile in high school two years after this photo, my best friend and I decided it would be fun to take the stairs all the way to the observation deck, then back down again. Even at 16 years old, that turned out to be grueling exercise as both towers are 65 stories and the tallest residential buildings in the world at the time. This looks familiar.I thought I recognised this place. You might notice this place in the opening sequence of the Bob Newhart show in the 1970s. I remember seeing Bob Newhart walking across a bridge next to this building and thinking that Chicago would be a very exciting and dreamy place to live. I still do. And today -- another craneToday's view and there is still some sort of construction going on. Lower level parking in the buildings apparently - and they are all backed in! Unique place to liveI lived on the 59th floor (I think there are only 60 stories, not 65?) in the west tower for a couple of years in the 1980s (it's a condo building, but of course one can rent from a condo owner). My apartment was a 1-bedroom, identical to what is shown in the floorplan here. My view was to the northwest, and none of the nearby highrises to the north and west had been built yet so one could see a good bit of Chicagoland. I always felt bad for the Marina City residents who had an apartment that faced the other Marina City tower, because their view was more of their neighbors across the abyss than of the city. A studio apartment was one "petal" of the "flower" (elevators and mechanicals were in the "stem"), a 1-bedroom was one and a half petals (as shown in a comment below), and a 2-bedroom was two petals (or one and two halves). The wedge-shaped apartments did present a significant decorating challenge, and I believe that when the building opened developers had to work hard to convince prospective renters (it started out as rental) that their conventional furniture would indeed work in these space-age apartments. The best part about living there was surely the balconies. I know of no other high-rise in the northern US that has such enormous balconies available for such affordable rents; you can judge their size by the floorplan measurements. Another great aspect was that because of the outward-radiating apartments, it never felt like your balcony was pinned between two others. In the early years most of the residents would put holiday lights on their balconies come December as in the National Geographic cover below, for example. The novelty of this gradually became outweighed by the hassle, and most residents don't appear do it anymore. The buildings are having a lot of the maintenance issues common to high-rises built in a hurry in the 1960s, but they'll always be iconic landmarks. The bottom floors are a corkscrew-shaped parking garage; in the color photo in the comments below you can see the cars precariously backed up to the edge on the lower floors (go to YouTube and search for "Marina Towers The Hunter" to watch the car-chase scene filmed in this garage that ends with a car flying off the building). And for an interesting account of the amazing construction process of the towers ("A new floor poured every day!")--produced by the Portland Cement Company--search on YouTube for "This is Marina City." Another oneThey are everywhere. Volkswagen Beetle photobomb again. Mob approvedLast home of notorious gangster Murray Humphreys. Chicago 13Look familiar? Nickey, Nickey, Nickey, Nickey, Nickey Chevrolet!!!Man, that jingle is good and earwormed into my brain now. Could not listen to AM radio in Chicago without hearing it at least a dozen times a day. Besides being a huge volume dealer, Nickey built awesome modified Camaros and Chevelles with big block V8's long before they started coming that way from the factory. Every kid on my block went by their speed shop three or four times a year, just to drool. WilcoAbout the same time period. (construction) Beware of the BalconiesJust this week, balcony access was restricted due to the need for extensive railing repairs at Marina Towers. For the time being, residents can enjoy the view but not the breeze. (The Gallery, Chicago, News Photo Archive)
OKC: 1942
October 1942. "Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." An aerial view of West California (seeds) and West Reno ... spot only two pedestrians; whereas, in most old photos of city scenes the sidewalks are bustling with folks on foot. Odd. (Or have I just ... that doesn't compute with my usual viewing of Shorpy city scenes.) Fidelity Hotel One can only hope that it was the opposite ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/12/2024 - 12:51pm -

October 1942. "Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." An aerial view of West California (seeds) and West Reno (Fords). Acetate negative by John Vachon, Office of War Information. View full size. How did this not become a nationwide chain?I was surprised to see a lodging named Fidelity Hotel. I guess it was the owner's way of letting the public know there would be no hanky-panky going on here. Take your sinful ways to that new Hilton ... they're bound to fail. The hotel and everything in the photo is gone. This section of West California Street was replaced by the block engulfing Myriad Botanical Gardens. Not necessarily sketchy, but --Between Horn, Miller, Superior, Grisham and Merit, the street in the foreground is definitely the "seedy" part of town. Car lot with a viewAccording to the Automotive Hall of Fame, of which he is a member, Fred Jones was once the nation's number-one seller of Ford cars and trucks. He had so many cars to sell, he put them on the roof -- something I don't think I've ever seen before. Most Cars I've Seen in an Old PhotoI can't recall ever seeing an old photo (pre 1970s?) with so many parked cars lining the streets. There are practically no available parking spots in view! That's always been a marvel to me: how *empty* of cars streets were in the old days, how much available parking there was, and how free-flowing the traffic was, compared to now. Meanwhile, I spot only two pedestrians; whereas, in most old photos of city scenes the sidewalks are bustling with folks on foot. Odd. (Or have I just not been paying attention?) (No smart-aleck editors' remarks, please; I'm simply baffled by a pattern that doesn't compute with my usual viewing of Shorpy city scenes.) Fidelity HotelOne can only hope that it was the opposite of Infidelity Hotel ... but it doesn't look promising. Meanwhile Doug Floor Plan mentioned "that new Hilton" ... that would be the now-historic Skirvin Hilton, where my husband and I were guests in March of 2022. It just happened to be my sixty-fifth birthday and I marched (because that's what you do in March) right up to the desk and told them so. We had reservations that would have suited us just fine, but instead they bumped us up to the Presidential Suite. True story. It was fun. HotelGood location for a Ford Seedsons. Seedin' and feedin'From the store names, it looks like there's a whole lotta seedin' and feedin' goin' on. Myriad Gardens The Fred Jones automobile dealership was located at 220 West Reno Avenue. The street on the left side of the picture, running perpendicular to Reno and California in this 1942 view, was South Robinson Avenue (now renamed Ron Norwick Boulevard). None of the buildings seen in this 1942 photo stand today. What was then California Avenue is now the center of Myriad Gardens. Vachon's camera was pointed south-southeast. The picture was probably taken from atop the Biltmore Hotel building, which had stood along the south side of Grand Avenue (now Sheridan Avenue) on land also now part of the Myriad Gardens' site. The Fred Jones property on the south side of Reno Avenue was also cleared-off during the "urban renewal" of the 1960s. It remains privately owned land -- still vacant -- still pending development. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, OKC, Stores & Markets)
Cothouse: 1942
November 1942. "Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Cot house." The California Dormitory, offering not just "clean ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/18/2024 - 1:39pm -

November 1942. "Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Cot house." The California Dormitory, offering not just "clean cots," but checkers and dominoes. Acetate negative by John Vachon. View full size. SnoringIt may be a good 80 years ago and 5500 miles away, but I can still hear the snoring . 50% PremiumI wonder what extras you got for 15 cents versus the base price of a dime. A blanket? Larger size? Heads Carolina, Tails CaliforniaI wonder how the owners/proprietors of the Largest and Most Modern Cot House in the Southwest settled upon the name "California Dormitory" as opposed to some other state dormitory? And I'd like to see the signage on nearby culinary establishments where the denizens of the Cot House got their three hots. “California” DormitoryIt wasn’t named for the State, but rather after its location - 308 W. California Street in OKC. That part of the street no longer exists. “California” was also the name of that specific style of dorm construction in vogue when built. I don’t know what that was/is. The 15-cent CotMy best guess is that they gave you a second mattress to lay over the first. I don't think a cot mattress was more than an inch thick. BTW the sign in the window refers to E.H. Moore, who was running for Senate. He won, but his health failed him and he did not run for re-election. He died in 1950. Spelling (sigh)"Shower Bath Privilegs" - we signpainters have a proud tradition of phonetic spelling. The workmanship is quite impressive - even some flourishing around "Free" // I wonder if this was for wartime workers needing a place, or if 'Cot House' was just a standard system during the Depression? The California Dormitorywas a style -- huge but cheap to build -- that came into being in the 1930s during New Deal employment programs. In the Adventures of Superman episode "The Ghost Wolf," Clark, Lois and Jimmy spend the night in one of these dorms. The place is so enormous that Lois doesn't think twice about staying in one end while her two colleagues spend the night in the other. 2 in '42?BTW the Cincinnati Enquirer described "2 in '42" as a "mystery symbol." I guess it was a very good mystery, since no one today seems sure about what it meant. I've scouted around a bit, and it may have meant that people should buy two war bonds during the then-current year, 1942. [Two days' pay. - Dave] 15 centsFree WiFi. New Orleans CotsIn about 1960 I stayed at a Cot Dormitory for a few cold nights. The price was either 25 or 50 cents a night, I forget. You raised the head of your bed up and put your shoes under the bedpost so they wouldn't be stolen. I hitchhiked through 37 states in that period, met a lot of good people. 50% PremiumCots were 10 cents, clean cots were 15. (The Gallery, John Vachon, OKC)
30 Rock: 1933
... Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. City of the gods In 1933, my father was a seven-year-old living up Lick ... could have boarded a train and eventually arrived in this city of the gods, only a thousand miles away. Sign of the Cross The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:22pm -

New York. December 5, 1933. "Rockefeller Center and RCA Building from 515 Madison Avenue." Digital image recovered from released emulsion layer of the original 5x7 acetate negative. Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. City of the godsIn 1933, my father was a seven-year-old living up Lick Branch Hollow in the Ozark Mountains. He would read books by kerosene light in the evenings. His family kept butter and milk (and Uncle Linus' hooch) in the cold spring-fed creek outside their house. It's astonishing to think he could have boarded a train and eventually arrived in this city of the gods, only a thousand miles away. Sign of the CrossThe double bar cross was the emblem used by the National Tuberculosis Association. Wonder if the lights were part of the campaign to fight TB. Gotta love those whitewalls!On the convertible by the front door. Double O's. Looks like it's ready to go somewhere in a hurry. Released emulsion layer?Dave, can you explain the technology of this image? How does an emulsion layer get released from a negative? [This is a process used on deteriorating acetate transparencies and negatives when they've begun to shrink. The negative is placed in a chemical solution that separates the emulsion from the film base. The released emulsion layer (the pellicle) is then placed in another solution to "relax," or unwarp, it. It's kind of like disappearing your body so that only the skin is left. More here. - Dave] Amazing viewThe shot is incredible! It looks almost surreal. I love it! Awesome scan job.I only wish I could see an even higher res version. Great work bringing this one back to life. WowI just can't believe how beautiful this shot is. Looks like the view from my New York Penthouse sitting there drinking martinis and listening to that new "jazz" music. High DramaThis marvelous building, reaching for the sky as if erupting from the ground, combines amazing delicacy, impressive size, and a feeling it is built for the ages to admire. SO much more breathtaking than today's typical glass box, although you need a view like this to really appreciate the classical lines and artful massing. A nice complement to the gothic cathedral in the foreground - a true temple of commerce! Churchly And Corporate SpiresThat's St. Patrick's Cathedral on the lower left, probably the only building from the 19th century left on Fifth Avenue, except for the Chancery House that's attached to it. Both styles of architecture are very dramatic. When I was a small child, at Christmas, my family would go to the Christmas Pageant at Radio City Music Hall every year, and then attend Midnight Mass at St. Patrick's. Ever since, I've never been able to separate religion from showbiz. Possibly because they really are the same thing. Take a peekThis picture makes me want to get out the binoculars and look in the windows. "Don't get much better"This image is a about as close to textbook perfect BW as you will find. It contains the complete range of grays from what looks like solid black in a few places to solid white in the highlights. The camera was level and the focus was dead on. As a photographer, I am envious. Old shooter Reaching New HeightsThe skyscraper is 30 Rockefeller Plaza before the RCA and current GE neon signage. Not that it wasn't famous before, but the TV show "30 Rock" has made it an even more iconic. Another claim is the gigantic Christmas tree on the Plaza, between the building and the skating rink, that when illuminated kicks off the Holiday Season in NYC. Hugh FerrissThis is like the photographic equivalent of one of Hugh Ferriss' architectural drawings, coincidentally of roughly the same era. MagicThe quality of this incredible photo captures the magic that New York City always longs for but seldom delivers. King Kong might have had a chance...had he chosen 30 Rock instead. OKLo mismo digo. Gracias. American Express BuildingThat hole in the ground, I believe, bacame the American Express Building. If you come out of the subway at the Rockefeller Center stop, and come up on the escalator in that building, you get an incredible view of St Pat's from below, with the spectacular statue of Atlas in the foreground as well. Very cool. Other noteworthy background details here include the Hotel Edison, and the old NY Times Building, at Times Square, before they went and utterly ruined it in the 60's by stripping all the detail off the skeleton. And check the skylights on the roof of what I think is the Cartier store, in the foreground! Send this to Christopher NolanHere's the art direction for the next Batman sequel. SpectacularWhat a wonderful, wonderful image! I love coming to Shorpy because you never know what Dave will come up with next. Thanks so much! The GreatestDave, this has to be one of the greatest photos you have posted. I work around the corner, and can look out my window at 30 Rock from 6th Avenue... my building wasn't built until 1973. Thank you. Time stoppedIs it 2:25am or 5:10am? Can you spot the clock? What Gets MeLooking at this photo - and it looks spectacular on my new monitor - is the sky. It has a sort of foggy twilight quality that is difficult to put into words but which emphasizes the the "star" of the photo - the RCA Building - and its nearby consorts or supporting cast over the buildings in the background which seem to fad into the mist. The building seems like the height of modernity, and one can easily imagine a couple of kids from Cleveland named Siegel and Shuster seeing this and making it a model for the cities of the doomed planet Krypton. Very neat picture...Can you give us an idea of what it looked like before it was restored? [There's an example here. - Dave] StunnedWhat a totally wonderful image, Sat here slack jawed at the incredible detail and the superb composition. I am amazedThe detail in the spires at St. Paul's Patrick's is fantastic. The amount of work that went into that building must have been enormous. I am very grateful not to have been on the crew detailed to put the crosses atop the spires! The Future Is NowInteresting that this photograph looks into a future in which many of the same buildings are still with us. At far left midground is the tower of Raymond Hood's American Standard Building. Next to it, with the illuminated sign on top, is the New Yorker Hotel (now Sun Myung Moon's) where Nikola Tesla spent the last ten years of his life. At center is the N.Y. Times Building with its flagpole convenient for deploying the New Year's Eve ball. And last, but not least, the Paramount Building topped by a globe and illuminated clock which is about as close to the Hudsucker Building as could hope to be seen. Of these four only the appearance Times Building has changed to any extent. A wonderful slice of time. TremendousTwo of my favorite photos on Shorpy consist of those like this one, showing the immense power of a huge city, even in the depths of the Depression, and those of small towns, especially when patriotic holidays were still celebrated. Samuel H. GottschoI'd never heard of him, but one look at this photo and I'm instantly a fan. This image is nothing short of spectacular. Ethereal, PowerfulThere have been many photos on this site that have impressed and pleased me, but this one is one of my favorites. Absolute magic. It's the quintessence of the power and style of 1930s design. Time machineI admire NY photos of the 1950s. And now I see that many of the buildings in NY I admire already were erected in early 1930s! What a discovery. What a shot. The Singularity of the MomentThis is an amazing photograph. As one earlier contributor observed, the pure technical aspects of the black and white composition are fabulous. The spread of detailed gray shadows and whites make this photo almost magical. It has the qualities of an Ansel Adams zone photograph that makes his work so arresting. But what really makes this photograph dramatic is what it reveals about New York City in 1933. A vision of the future of large cities, bustling twenty four hours a day and electrified. Today visions such as these can be seen on any continent in any large city. It has become the norm. But in 1933 there were only two places in the world that looked like this: New York City and Chicago. One can vicariously put oneself into the shoes of some kid from rural America or from Europe setting on Manhattan Island and seeing visions such as these for the first time. I can only guess it had the same effect as it had on 14th-century peasants in France, visiting Paris for the first time and entering the nave of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Beautifully put!I'm sure Samuel Gottscho would have been very gratified to know thoughtful and eloquent people like Bob H would be appreciating his work in the 21st century. PenthouseIs the Garden Patio still across the street from the skylights? I am in love with this photographExquisite doesn't even begin to describe it. In Your Mind's EyeYou can smell and feel the air and hear the traffic. It may be calm now...I have a feeling that all hell is about to break loose -- this picture was taken the day Prohibition was repealed. I worked hereI worked here in the 1960s for the "Tonight" show unit as as a production assistant for Dick Carson, brother of Johnny Carson. An attractive, dark-haired woman named Barbara Walters was working at the "Today" show at the same time. She is about 10 years older than I am. I also worked with the News department for a time. I was in the elevator with David Brinkley coming back from lunch when I learned that President Kennedy had been shot. We stayed up all Friday night and most of Saturday assembling film footage for a retrospective of JFK's life. When we weren't editing, we were visiting St. Patrick's Cathedral to light candles with others in the crowd. That's an absolutely amazing photo. I'm going to link this to other New Yorkers and broadcasters who might be interested. Thanks for all your work. Cordially, Ellen Kimball Portland, OR http://ellenkimball.blogspot.com 30 RockIs the excavated area where the skating rink is? I've been there once and it is very magical. Right across the street from the "Today" studio. Tipster's PhotoStunning, but in a different way than Gottscho's. It helps when the subject is beautiful. 30 Rock 09 Here's the view today made with a 4x5 view camera, farther back seen through the St. Patrick's spires and somewhat higher than the 1933 photo. Lots more buildings now. I was doing an interior architectural shoot, and went out on the terrace of a wedding-cake building on Madison Avenue. It was after midnight. Not much wind. Strangely quiet. As an architectural photographer I have great admiration for these Gottscho pictures. 30 Rock in Living ColorThat's a lovely photo, and it's nice to see the perspective so close to that of the original. Design Continuum of Bertram GoodhueThe proximity of St. Patrick's Cathedral to the newly constructed tower by Raymond Hood brought to mind two "bookends" to the unfulfilled career of Bertram Goodhue. During his early apprenticeship he undoubtedly worked on the St. Patrick's Cathedral, in Renwick's office, which greatly influenced his early career and success. The tower (30 Roc) represents what might have been...rather what should have been the end result of Goodhue's tragically shortened career (ending in 1924). Hood's career, which began to emerge after Goodhue's death is far better known, but is greatly in his debt. Hood's 1922 Tribune Tower clearly displays this link, as a practitioner of the neo-gothic style. Much of Hood's gothic detail is a through-back to design ideas that by 1922, Goodhue had already left behind. Goodhue was by this time already synthesizing elements of european modernism into an new original american idiom. Goodhue's last major projects were already working out the language of the modern/deco skyscraper; (the Nebraska State capital and Los Angles Public Library the best examples.) Goodhue's unique career was the crucible where concepts of romantic imagery of the Gothic, the sublime juxtapositions of minimal ornament on architectonic massing was being forged with modern construction technology. A close study of his career and work will show that not only Hood, but other notable architects of the era built upon the rigorous and expansive explorations that Goodhue was beginning to fuse at the end of his life. *It is also curious to me that Hugh Ferris is credited with so much of these innovative design ideas; no doubt he was a super talented delineator, his freelance services were utilized by many architects of the time including Goodhue. Some of his famous massing studies (sketches) owe much to Goodhue's late work. Amazing Execution and RestorationI agree with "Don't get much Better" ! This is as good as it can get for B&W. The exposure is so right-on and this in 1933!! Is this a "night" shot.. there is a lot of ambient light. Simply Amazing. I want it! Rock RinkThe not-yet-built skating rink is in front of the building. The empty space became 630 Fifth Avenue, where a statue of Atlas stands. Vanderbilt Triple PalaceA long time since this was posted, but I am surprised no one recognized the southern half of the iconic, brownstone-clad Vanderbilt Triple Palaces in the foreground (640 Fifth Avenue), just opposite the lower edge of the excavated building site. The northern half, with two residences, had been sold, demolished & replaced a long time ago, but the southern half stood until 1947 (Grace Wilson Vanderbilt continued entertaining in her usual style until WWII). The entrance vestibule to the three residences featured a nine foot tall Russian malachite vase, once given by Emperor Nicholas I of Russia to Nicholas Demidoff, now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art a couple of dozen blocks north on Fifth. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Minneapolis 1908
... were razed in the 80s for a ghastly development called “City Center,” which wasn’t as imaginative as its name. The retail portion ... a department store that eventually moved into City Center, where it the brand died in a merger. (The old building was ... of the century (20th Century, that is) Minneapolis. City Center not that successful for retail... In the past five years two of ... 
 
Posted by Lileks - 01/01/2009 - 10:54am -

The buildings on the left were razed in the 80s for a ghastly development called “City Center,” which wasn’t as imaginative as its name. The retail portion struggled for decades to fail, and finally succeeded. The sliver of white stone on the right was Donaldson’s, a department store that eventually moved into City Center, where it the brand died in a merger. (The old building was demolished for an attractive Cesar Pelli-designed retail / office complex.) Down the street on the right, it’s the Syndicate Building, later the home of Penney’s. (It was torn down for a retail / office complex.) In the distance, the pointy tower of the remarkably ungainly Minnesota Loan and Trust Building, a 49-foot-wide building that stood until 1920 before it was clawed down for a new Woolworth's. Everything here is gone except for the light-colored building in the middle. It still bears its original name: Andrus. It’s an office complex. No retail. View full size. TodayThe view today: Hi JamesHey James!! It's great to see you here on Shorpy. I can't tell you the number of hours I've spent combing through your website and nearly pi**ing myself reading your captions! KodaksNotice the sign on the left for T.V. Moreau. In addition to eyeglasses they sell "Kodaks." E B MeyrowitzI never realized the scope of E B Meyrowitz, Opticians. I thought they were a local NYC optical store and now I see them in turn of the century (20th Century, that is) Minneapolis. City Center not that successful for retail...In the past five years two of the three levels of retail shops in City Center have been converted to office spaces. It is not longer a major retail presence in downtown Minneapolis. Hitting the high notesWhat dedication it would take to sell piano/organs from a second-floor shop, and then deliver them with a horse and buggy. Re: SuccessMore to come? From Lileks? Holy smoke, is this New Year getting off to a great start! SuccessI meant it succeeded at failing. Minneapolis razed four giant blocks for enclosed multi-level retail, and not one can be called thriving. thxdave - thanks! More to come. 180 degrees & 62 years later. . . Turn around and face the opposite direction, and wait about 62 years, and you'll be able to see Mary Tyler Moore throwing her knitted tam in the air (over and over and over again). Road RulesI guess there were no rules then such as "keep right", etc. Everyone just seems to go where they want and the devil take the hindmost. Those poor ladies standing in the middle would look like easy prey. Jim!We're not worthy! We're not worthy! Seriously, your web site is the only one I know that can reduce me to fits of hysteria - no matter how many times I read it. I was shopping for bread the other night and saw the Sunbeam bread girl on the wrapper, and was completely creeped out. And that Gobbler motel - I would pay handsomely to go back in time and spend one night in that place. WHAT'S THE SITE?A couple of people have talked about Mr. Lileks "site." How can we find it? Sounds interesting. [If only there were some easy, obvious way to find out! - Dave] "City center used to be the center of the scene..."Minneapolis' own Hold Steady have mentioned City Center a few times in their songs, most notably in YOUR LITTLE HOODRAT FRIEND: "She said City Center used to be the center of the scene. / Now city center's over, no one really goes there." Craig Finn, lyricist for the band, has this to say about the mall: "City Center is a lame mall in downtown Minneapolis that is 50 percent vacant with 50 percent low budget gangsters hanging out. The Champs store in this mall is the best place to get the super new school ghetto Twins/Vikings/T-Wolves gear. I mean the non-traditional stuff." MoreauThe Eyeglasses of Dr. Moreau: Half Human, Half Animal, Half Spectacle! Throwing stones in a glass BauhausLileks' comment about the fate of the Donaldson's building is correct. It was torn down (or perhaps to be even more precise, in the middle of being torn down and carted off) when kids trespassed and started the fire that consumed the remains and the Northwestern Bank Building next door. A more complete account of the circumstances of the fire is here. The City Center has been to urban redevelopment what the Metrodome has been to baseball. Lileks! OMGMy wife and I absolutely LOVE your book on the 70's decorating! It is wonderful restroom reading and cracks me up everytime I pick it up! Thanks so much! Love the webpage too. (it was soooo hard to find ;) ) SwoonFirst I stumbled upon Mr. Lileks' site where I found the perfect combination of humor, Minnesota and old things. Then I found Shorpy, a perfect combination of photography, history and blazing photo enhancement. Oh, and yes, blazing wit to boot. To see them together is just too much. Thanks for starting my 2009 off with a smile! Oh, nuts!!!Thanks to Lileks, my day will start even later, now that I have this site to check before heading out! Lileks has poor attention to detail"Minneapolis razed four giant blocks for enclosed multi-level retail, and not one can be called thriving." Nonsense. Retail was just one component of the project, which also included an office tower (initially the Multifoods Tower, now mostly occupied by Target). The office tower is 95% occupied (which, in this economy, can be called thriving), the remaining office space in the complex (where Donaldson's/Carson Pirie Scott was) is 100 percent occupied by Marshall's, an office-supply store and the Minnesota Bar Association, and the Marriott hotel is a thriving concern. A third level of retail failed as did a high-profile restaurant space (Scottie's/Goodfellows), but that was a small chunk of the total development. Hell, he's not even right about Donaldson's. Its store burned down and was cleared before Gaviidae Common -- which was NOT desiged by Pelli; Lileks confuses Gaviidae with the Norwest Tower (now the Wells Fargo Tower) -- was built. The Donaldson's lot sat empty until Gaviidae construction began. Lileks isn't nearly as smart as he thinks he is. [I can't be certain but I think I hear the sound of an ax being ground. Or is it a bone being picked? On the wrong side of a bed in a rubber room. - Dave] Caveat VenditorGiven that Retail is a constant drumbeat among Downtown Resurrectionists, I'd say that Lileks is right on the money. While the office towers are doing well, the retail sections of City Center are looking very poor. Half the retail space on the ground floor is vacant, and the skyway floor is populated by three or four restaurants and a Brooks Brothers. There was a lot of money thrown at that center recently, with the end effect of a long row of empty glass storefronts. Beyond all this drama, the original picture is fascinating. Considering that almost everything is gone, I couldn't tell which street the photo was taken on until James posted the current view in the comments. (Taken on Nicollet, pointing roughly northeast.) A short tripHuzzah! Lileks is the reason I found Shorpy along with Achewood. All three are on on top of my browser. With the wonderful contributions of tterrace and others, I've thought that James was a natural for these pages. Re the attention to detail. Not withstanding the poster's opinions and assertions as to what construe facts, well, we all may be driven to distraction by petty annoyances. For some of us (dear 10:40 poster) it is a much shorter trip. But, still, thanks for your opinion. That is what Shorpy is about along with the incredible images, Dave's incomparable dry humor and, yes, his needling/lampooning of us as required. We're all a bit ADD, but in a Happy WayDr. Lileks, I welcome your additions to Shorpy. Between our good friend Shorpy and your daily multimedia presence, we can all live someplace else for a few minutes. As for our colleague who questions your accuracy, it sounds like he needed a convenient platform. For some odd reason, I smell the faint perfume of James Rouse. Please come back and visit us often. Hey!Looking at this image of Minneapolis 1908, I thought, "James Lileks would be interested in this!" then noticed "Submitted by Lileks." I'm a regular visitor at your wonderful web site, James. Just knew you'd find Shorpy. Can't resist clarifying one pointAs a native Minneapolitan who's a fan of both Shorpy.com and Lileks.com -- and bugged at the tone of the 10:40 reply just enough to do a quick Google search re Gaviidae and Pelli -- I can't resist noting that Gaviidae Common is listed on Pelli's website as one of his projects. Keep up the great posts, Lileks!! Down the Street"Down the street on the right, it’s the Syndicate Building, later the home of Penney’s." Actually, it was home to Power's. Lileks was wrong about that, too. The cult of personality is strong. But if you've worked downtown for 40 years -- as I have -- you know Lileks' description is inaccurate. [If you've ever wondered what effect working 40 years in downtown Minneapolis has on a person, now you know. - Dave] Either Rouse or ... Rocky Rococo! "My nostrils flared at the scent of his perfume: Pyramid Patchouli. There was only one joker in L.A. sensitive enough to wear *that* scent...and I had to find out who he was!" Also: very cool photo, James. Thanks. James, I trust you over 10:40James, Keep up the good work. Obviously, everyone has an opinion about the rise and fall of there particular city. Having never been in Minneapolis I would just have to trust Lileks' perspective. Wha?!?A troll?!? On the interwebs?!? Who ever heard of such a thing? (You, "sir" are holding the "ax" (sic) you hear being ground. Congrats on being the biggest nerd in the ST:TNG's equivalent architecture thread. Bloody good job, that) [Speaking of sic, "ax" is the preferred spelling in most dictionaries. - Dave] State of BlissI am now very happy that, I have been loging in to a site one hundred years of useful service, to the mankind! I heard that Minnesota is a land of 10,000 lakes! Is it so? I will supply the latest photo in the next week! Harmonic Convergence Is Complete; Scattered Chance Of ApocalypseShorpLeks. This? This is gonna be *great*. Thanks, folks. Clarifications.I apologize in advance for the pedantry. Anonymous Tipster quoted the original post: “Minneapolis razed four giant blocks for enclosed multi-level retail, and not one can be called thriving." Anonymous replied: “Nonsense. Retail was just one component of the project, which also included an office tower.“ I was referring mostly to the retail portions of the project – hence the oblique line referring to “the retail portion” - and apologize for not making that more clear. Anonymous notes that “the remaining office space in the complex (where Donaldson's/Carson Pirie Scott was) is 100 percent occupied by Marshall's, an office-supply store and the Minnesota Bar Association.” I’m not sure what he means; it was retail space, not office space, and I wouldn’t call the MBA retail, unless they have a walk-up counter where you can get a smoothie and a will. In any case, I believe these three establishments occupy only half the original space of the departed department store. The rest was carved up into new retail after the department store closed, and those spots had mostly emptied out the last time I strolled through. Anonymous continues: “ . . . the Marriott hotel is a thriving concern. A third level of retail failed as did a high-profile restaurant space (Scottie's/Goodfellows), but that was a small chunk of the total development.” In terms of the total development, yes – if you count the horrid office tower and hotel, it’s a bang-up success, but I was referring to the retail portion of the project, which included a three-story mall crammed with stores and eateries. Most are gone. “Thriving” is a subjective term, perhaps, but the current tenant list is rather thin. Aside from the aforementioned shops, the website lists the following tenants: Brooks Brothers, GNC, Jamba Juice, UPS, Starbucks, a dry cleaners, and Elegant Nails. A far cry from the original list, which I believe was over 60 stores. I covered the opening day of the mall for the U's paper; I worked downtown and went there daily. What it was, it ain't. (BTW, The “high profile restaurant space,” as I’m sure Anon knows, was an exact recreation / restoration of the old Forum cafeteria, which had survived for decades on the spot before it was consumed by City Center; why it succeeded for decades as a low-priced eatery in the middle of a thriving commercial street with theaters, shops, and offices, and failed as a high-end restaurant synthetically inserted into an upscale mall, is one of those mysteries for the ages.) Anon continues: “Hell, he's not even right about Donaldson's. Its store burned down and was cleared before Gaviidae Common (which was NOT desiged by Pelli; Lileks confuses Gaviidae with the Norwest Tower (now the Wells Fargo Tower) -- was built.” Again, I was being maddeningly vague for the sake of brevity. When I wrote “The old building was demolished for an attractive Cesar Pelli-designed retail / office complex” I meant that it was torn down, and something else put in its place. If I gave the impression that Gaviidae Common was constructed before the building on the site was removed and the department store had vacated the premises, I regret the implication. As for confusing Gaviidae with Norwest, well, they’re the same project, and as for identifying Cesar Pelli as the architect of Gaviidae, I made the same mistake you’ll find on the firm’s own website, which also seems to think they designed it. Perhaps I should have said “Cesar Pelli and Associates,” to make it clear that the great man did not personally design the tile or the hue of the restroom stall dividers. In any case: City Center replaced a block of endlessly varied structures with a soul-sucking bunker, and while it’s grand that the tower has high occupancy rates and the hotel is a going concern, it’s a blaring example of the insular, charmless, high-concept projects that cleared away a century of history and gave us blank walls, mirrored glass, and parking ramps. If one finds the site’s modern incarnation preferable, Shorpy must be an aggravating site indeed. Unless one takes comfort in the fact that all that messy old stuff got its comeuppance, of course. Apologies for the length. Re: ClarificationsSeasons changed, calendar pages turned ... and then actual scattered applause was heard in our workspace as people finished reading your comment. Three cheers for civility and good manners. In the interests of historical accuracySaid the original post: “Down the street on the right, it’s the Syndicate Building, later the home of Penney’s." AnonTip said: “Actually, it was home to Power's. Lileks was wrong about that, too. The cult of personality is strong. But if you've worked downtown for 40 years -- as I have -- you know Lileks' description is inaccurate.” Here’s a detail from the original of the picture. The Syndicate Building and the Powers building are two different structures. The Syndicate is in the foreground; the Powers sign (no apostrophe) is fixed to the ornate entrance of the original store. The taller white structure was a later addition. The Battle of ShorpyWell that was exciting. In the midst of our Quaker quilting bee, suddenly it's Cinco de Mayo. Lileks is livin la vida loca, in Minneapolis at least. Trolls with popguns lurk behind every lamppost! How I found Shorpywas through a mention of the site at James Lileks' place. Small world, as I see many of the commenters here have also been there. Speaking of TrollsWhere's that anonymous buffoon who claimed, in a previous episode of The Shorpy Skirmishes, that Dave "makes his comments from the safety of a black box"? Sure looks like Dave's "box" is the same shade of Peach Flesh all the rest of us sew our quilts in! [#F7DFCB if you want to get technical. - Dave] Thanks againHoly mackerel, I had no idea the amount of work that went into some of these images WonderfulThank you Dave for the answer. And double thank you for all the work you do to bring us fantastic images. My daily production is severely limited by the day dreams your photos invoke. [Well thanks. But please note that this photo is the work of Dr. Lileks. - Dave] Mystery objectI have been staring at this photo of Minneapolis for several days now as my desktop wallpaper. I cant get past a mysterious object in this picture. Just to the right of the buggy in the foreground, coming up out of the street is a tall dark thin object that appears to be casting a shadow that appears to have been "removed" from the scene. Also, the photo appears smudged in that area. Any sleuths have any ideas? Or did the cat leave a hairball on my monitor? [It's a crack in the glass negative that got mostly Photoshopped out. - Dave] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, DPC)
Six and the City Club: 1906
Kansas City, Mo., circa 1906. "Kansas City Club, Wyandotte and 12th." We count three up and three down. 8x10 inch dry ... this building. Everything's up to date in Kansas City They gone about as fer as they can go That Slot Yes, Kansas City ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2017 - 8:53am -

Kansas City, Mo., circa 1906. "Kansas City Club, Wyandotte and 12th." We count three up and three down. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. I'm with zvbxrplThis is Richardson Romanesque with Queen Anne details creeping in, very typical for 1880s commercial architecture ... I'm pretty okay with this building. Everything's up to date in Kansas CityThey gone about as fer as they can go That SlotYes, Kansas City still has cable cars, and they will run for six more years, although electric trolley cars are already sharing the tracks. This photo is fun!I spy six people! In Passing"The Kansas City Club, after 133 years, has closed its doors," as its "cash flow situation has become untenable," a note to members said. The club, founded in 1882, has struggled financially but remained open with the help of loans and gifts and the personal time and very often personal funds of members and the club's board of directors, club officials said in the note. More here. A lot of architecturefor such a small building. And that's a good thing. It's hard to feel any affection for a box. I wonder what surprises are hiding on the other two sides? I don't want to be too harsh here, but -This is possibly the most godawful ugly building I have seen on Shorpy...posthumous (I hope) winner of the Pontiac Aztek Award for Design Malfeasance. Ugh. Cars still stop nearby; popcorn is further away.Based on the shadows, and the fact that 12th Street goes downhill to the right of the photo, I'm pretty sure this was on the northeast corner of 12th and Wyandotte. That corner is currently occupied by the 12 Wyandotte Plaza office building, which was built from 1984 to 1986. The Internets tell me that 12 Wyandotte Plaza was preceded by the Hotel State, which was there from about 1923 to 1973. I can't readily find anything older than that. The closest place today where CARS STOP HERE is two blocks west, at 12th and Main, where the new streetcar line runs north and south along Main. I'm not sure where the closest place is today to reliably obtain popcorn. I *know* you can get some at Topsy's, but that's several blocks southeast, at 24th and Grand. The Marriott, on the northwest corner of 12th and Wyandotte, probably has a popcorn machine, but I don't know if it's a regular menu item. (That Marriott is the one with LEDs all over the south side that gets used to spell out messages to the whole city.) On a more aesthetic note... the Wyandotte Street frontage of this building certainly has a lot going on. Three joined arches, a second-floor patio, that rounded section, a fourth-floor patio, and a single arch up there on the fourth floor. It's almost like it was made by taking leftover pieces of other buildings and making them fit on the lot. One Of The Handsomest Structures Of Its KindHeadlined: WEST SIDE IMPROVEMENT, Kansas City Star, March 3, 1887 I would have to agree about the aestheticsGoodness, what a God-awful mess - pick a theme and stick with it. You don't get bonus points for mixing 3-4 different styles! Eye of the BeholderI dunno, bohneyjones. Maybe not to contemporary tastes, but it's not a bad example of Romanesque revival. And that is some pretty sporty brickwork. But then again, I LOVE Frank Furness, and his stuff gets a hearty thumbs down from most Shorpy-ites. (The Gallery, DPC)
Factoryville: 1910
... industrial scene from the early 1900s. What is this gritty city? Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Rungs on the ... I think there was an outpost in Cleveland, too. Gritty City Cleveland. Stowe-Fuller Co Looks like the origin may be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/09/2014 - 5:10pm -

An uncaptioned industrial scene from the early 1900s. What is this gritty city? Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Rungs on the smokestackAre those (barely visible) rungs on the right side of the smokestack? If so, what a harrowing climb that would have been. Also, why would anyone need/want to climb that smokestack in the first place? Cleveland, OHThe Stowe-Fuller Co. in the lower right is the clue. Cleveland?I'm gonna guess Cleveland. The Stowe-Fuller Company was based there. Henkel's Flour was out of Detroit, but I think there was an outpost in Cleveland, too. Gritty CityCleveland. Stowe-Fuller CoLooks like the origin may be Cleveland. Could be the Cuyahoga River. There's much railroad infrastructure along that river still. DetroitJudging from the Henkel Flour mill, I'd guess Detroit MI. DetroitI'm going to take a wild guess and say Detroit, Michigan. That looks like Henkel's Flour mill sign in the background. Before the river caught fire (I think?)Cleveland. Was my first guess based on looks alone, but this picture of the Henkel's Flour elevator would seem to confirm it: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/det1994021768/PP/ I also found info indicating that there was indeed a Stowe-Fuller Co. in Cleveland. Stowe and Fuller Co.Cleveland, OH? ClevelandCould that be the Cuyahoga? On 11/27/1899, the Stowe-Fuller Co filed a U.S. federal trademark registration for a brick called Alumnite. Wow! The cityIt's Cleveland. It's ...Cleveland! ClevelandStowe-Fuller seems to have been a Cleveland Ohio Cement and Brick maker so I'll guess Cleveland? Cleveland?The Stowe Fuller name is all over google as a Cleveland business. Where Are We?Detroit? Henkel's Flour mill was there. Detroit?Since there is a Henkel's Flour building and since the negative has a Detroit Publishing source, I would guess that it is Detroit. FactoryvilleThe Flats. Cleveland, Ohio. The old Superior Viaduct can be seen crossing the Cuyahoga River off in the backgound. On Lake ErieCleveland, Ohio. Henkel's Flour had a grain elevator on the river and another photo is attached showing the freighter North Star tied up next to their dock. Also, theh Stowe-Fuller Co. was based in Cleveland too. The Stowes tell itCleveland, Ohio Looks like it might be Detroithttp://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270836777233&item... Stowe-Fuller FirebrickThat would be Cleveland, Ohio, no ? ClevelandHere's another angle on the Henkel's sign. On the far right is an ad to visit the Likly and Rockett showroom at 405 Superior Ave. Taking an Educated Guessat Cleveland, based on the Stowe-Fuller Company building in the lower-right corner of the picture. Why this is Cleveland The clue is the Stowe-Fuller Co., who made fire brick among other products, on the river bank. Possible I.D.I think it is Cleveland, Ohio. Henkel's FlourQuick search revealed the plant was located in Detroit on Atwater Street. Also known as Commercial Milling Co. Detroit's Commercial Milling Co.A search for "Henkel's Flour" (seen from the reverse of the sign in the distance) returns results for the Commercial Milling Co. from Detroit. I tried searching for Stowe-Fuller Co. too, but did not retrieve many results. Cleveland, OhioPossible taken at the same time as Detroit Publishing Co. no. 500408? http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/det.4a25417/ Based on that picture, which shows a warehouse at 405 West Superior Road, the Henkels factory was at the tip of the elbow in the Cuyahoga river where Carter and Scranton Roads meet today, and this picture would have been taken from about where Route 10, Carnegie Avenue, crosses the Cuyahoga. Use Henke's FlourAlong with Pillsbury, Henke's Flour was produced in Minneapolis. The faint image of a stone bridge in the distance also looks like one still standing in Minneapolis. Google leads me to think it's ClevelandBoth Fuller-Stowe and Henkel's Flour seem to have been located there. Cleveland OhioWhat do I win? ClevelandCleveland, shot northward from Franklin Ave., just west of where the big Cleveland Union Terminal RR viaduct would be built in the 1920's. Here is a streetview from almost the exact location. It was shot on Franklin Ave, just east of W 25th street: https://maps.google.com/?ll=41.488721,-81.705558&spn=0.007756,0.016512&t... Streetview is difficult, as there is now thick vegetation between Franklin Ave and the river. The coal dumper was Erie RR (NYPANO). The farthest flour mill is still there, modified. The low swing bridge is Center St., still in daily use. The stone part of the Old Superior Viaduct still stands. The replacement Detroit Superior viaduct would cross about where the Erie coal dumper was. Henkel's Flour building still thereThe Henkels flour building is still there - you can see where the sign was taken off the roof. And the swing bridge just past it on the opposite bank is still there too, it looks like - you can see it in red behind the overpass. View Larger Map Absolutely ClevelandAs a Clevelander, here's what I can add: The 1910 Cleveland City Directory showed Henkel's Flour mill at 1636 Merwin Ave., and Stowe-Fuller nearby at 1722 Merwin Ave. The Center Street swing bridge in the river was built in 1901. Construction of the Detroit-Superior High Level Bridge, shown in an earlier aerial photo, was substantially complete in 1917. There is no sign of that construction project. So, the general date range of the photo is after 1901 and before 1915. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cleveland, DPC, Factories, Railroads)
Second City Riviera: 1942
... of Chicago in 1940 was 3,396,808, the second largest city in the US. Today, its around 2,608,425. Down about 23% in 80 years. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/10/2023 - 12:36pm -

July 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Lake Michigan beach." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size. I believe that is correct. The black at the neck would be his neckerchief and I think back then the rating or "rank" insignia was on the right sleeve, not the left, which is not visible in the photo. +75Below is a very similar perspective from June of 2017 (it's the matched perspective from one of the several other shots Rothstein took of the beach that day). What's Upwith the guy in white? Is that an early version of a hazmat suit? [Beachside beekeeper. - Dave] Sailor in the WindLooks like the guy in all white is a sailor in his crackerjacks and the wind has blown his tar flap over his head. Mr. Hazmat suit.He looks like a sailor. Summer whites. The back flap is blowing up in the wind. You can see the back of his neckerchief behind his neck. On The Home FrontWith the United States' entry into WWII just seven months prior, it's hard not to notice most of these beachgoers are women and children. More room for the beach towelThe population of Chicago in 1940 was 3,396,808, the second largest city in the US. Today, its around 2,608,425. Down about 23% in 80 years. Re: What's Up?Regarding RG62's question about the guy in white, I believe he is a sailor in a US Navy white service undress uniform with the collar/tar flap on the back of his jumper blown up on his head. As one who wore that uniformAnother vote for the Navy White enlisted uniform with the flap "Flapping in the Breeze" and the black neckerchief showing. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Chicago, Swimming)
PneuTube: 1942
... "blueprints"). I must be getting old. BTW, the City of Prague (Czech Republic) may have been the last city to have had a municipal pneumatic mail system in operation. Alas, it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/05/2024 - 3:13pm -

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. A pneumatic tube system connects the main yard office with yardmaster offices throughout the Illinois Central railyard. Switch lists and other communications are quickly sent in this way." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Ol' Dan TuckerThe operator looks like he combed his hair with a wagon wheel. But hold on!It also cuts hair! A technology no long pneuMy local bank branch abandoned its drive-thru tube system within the past few years, but some remain, as do manufacturers of the equipment. Probably the main use today is in hospitals, providing safe and monitored transfer of laboratory and pharmacy materials. The largest urban pneumatic mail system was in Paris, where 'pneus' could be sent from 1866 to 1984, with peak usage (30 million messages) in 1945. The last such system, in Prague, was wiped out by flooding in 2002. Emails, 1942 styleI had once the privilege to work for a company that was using a pneumatic tube system well into the 1990s. Back then that was still the most efficient way to quickly share drawings and documents with colleagues who were working at the other end of a mile long facility. Back then that was the most economic way to provide prints and copies within such a company. Printers and plotters were much more expensive and needed to be utilized. Hence a central printing and copying offce. Which was located next to the microfiche archive. And also sported a microfiche printer and a cyanotype copier (as in "blueprints"). I must be getting old. BTW, the City of Prague (Czech Republic) may have been the last city to have had a municipal pneumatic mail system in operation. Alas, it got swamped during the Great 2002 European Floods, and that was that. SENDSo it's essentially an early version of text messaging. Department stores had them.I remember them c. 1958 in Cleveland, at Sterling-Lindner-Davis. There was a restaurant, too, with a child menu I was treated to a few times. And elevator operators. Red light bulbsAt least I think they're red and not blacklights. Also they don't have any protection form being broken by a wayward cylinder. Most frequent pneumatic tube communicationU up Smith's Department StoreAs a kid growing up in Windsor, Ontario in the 1950s a trip to Smith's with Mum was always a treat. When she made the purchase the cash was put into the cylinder and away it went to the cash room. The store employee wrapped up the purchase, and a short time later there would be an increasing volume of hissing air coming from the return tube and suddenly POP. The cylinder fell into a cushioned bin, and the employee would open the cylinder to give my mother her change and receipt. But the real treats were the trips to the massive Hudson's Department Store in Detroit where they had cash registers with eight drawers. In 1972 I flew to Chicago from Seattle and my cash was sent off in a pneumatic tube. Central Cashier StationI remember several stores that had a secure (caged area) that served as a central cashier location that would receive customer payments from the floor sales clerks via the tube. They would process the bill and the included cash payment and send any change back to the clerk through the tube. This way only a few folks had access to the cash drawer. Still in UseThe UK supermarket ASDA (still with a minority Walmart holding) still use pneumatic tubes to send cash paper money in pods from the checkouts to the cash office. I worked in one for a time and can still hear the vacuum motor winding up, a whoosh of air and then the rattle and clatter as they fell into a tub in a sealed safe. (I didn't tell you that OK?) I know you are, but what am I?This looks like Pee Wee Herman working his first job! It must be really hot in that office since he has actually removed his jacket and bow tie. (Technology, The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads, The Office)
Pleasantville: 1910
... UPDATE: As many commenters correctly surmised, the city is Pensacola, Florida. The original caption: "Tarragona Street wharf, ... a Chance ... "Bay" St. Louis, Mississippi? Lovely city on the Gulf It's Pensacola, Florida. Here's a photo with the Court of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2019 - 9:07pm -

Circa 1910 comes this most agreeable vista. Who'll be the first commenter to put a name to a place? (Hint: Half the answer is already here.) View full size. UPDATE: As many commenters correctly surmised, the city is Pensacola, Florida. The original caption: "Tarragona Street wharf, Pensacola, Florida." Louisville, KYHome of Hillerich & Bradsby and the former Belknap Hardware Company. The Lewis Bear Co.Your place in Tampa Florida to get a Gonzalo Cigar Half a Chance ..."Bay" St. Louis, Mississippi? Lovely city on the GulfIt's Pensacola, Florida. Here's a photo with the Court of Record still under construction. And while I don't see any dogs lying about, Uneeda Biscuit is here. Good ViewBuena Vista, California. And it is ...San Francisco? I'll hazard a guessPensacola, Florida? PensacolaI can say without a shadow of a doubt this is Pensacola, Florida. The structure in the bottom left is currently the T.T. Wentworth Jr Florida State Museum. It was built in 1907, however, and served as Pensacola City Hall from 1907 - 1985. I don't know wherethis is but suddenly I feel like I needa Biscuit. Chula Vista?Chula Vista, California? PleasantvilleI'm thinking Chula Vista, California. A GuessPensacola, FL [Holding up hand]Port of Tampa? Tampa?The building just to the left of the Coca-Cola billboard building says Tampa, Fla. [Should have stopped at the billboard! - Dave] Some thoughtsWell, I don't see the half of the name, but I do see that this is the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Cannot find a map of that system on line, but it did serve Mobile Alabama and Pensacola Florida. Pensacola, FloridaNice photo. The Lewis Bear Company building mentioned Tampa, Florida. That company got me to Pensacola and after that I found the T. T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum which is in the lower left of this picture. Don't ask me where the cannons went. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad went to Pensacola, but not to Tampa at that time, so that information helped, too. Is it ...Pensacola, Florida? Pensacola FloridaFor Sure! That is the old City Hall in the lower left - now a museum. And the city isSan Francisco? Tampa, FloridaShot in the dark. The Lewis Bear CompanyLewis Bear Company was started in a town that has a water front layout like this -- Pensacola. The building across the street from the official looking building in the foreground could be the one in their 1899 ad. L. & N.R.R. Louisville & Nashville Railroad. I learn SO much on this site! More entertaining AND educational than normal websurfing. PensacolaI will guess Pensacola, Florida, because of "The Lewis Bear Company" on the white building just to the right of the center. It was founded in 1876 in Pensacola. PleasantvilleNever mind that, what about the cannons? Has to be ...Louisville, Kentucky. I'd guessSpanish architecture, L&N Rail Road, and an ad for the Lewis Bear Co leads me to think Florida add in the comment about the agreeable vista and I'm going with Buena Vista, Florida. Even then, a major Navy base.Notice the two early destroyers steaming along the waterfront. The one in the lead (on the right) could be either USS Smith, DD 17, commissioned in November 1909, or USS Lamson, DD 18. According to Friedman's "US Destroyers," these two (built by Cramp in Philadelphia) were the only ones with the No. 2 and 3 funnels paired. The photo shows the original low funnels; they were increased in height after sea trials. The ship on the left is one of two built in Bath, Maine, either Flusser (DD 20) or Reid (DD 21). All these were commissioned in 1909 and belong to the last group of coal fired destroyers built for the US Navy, displacement about 700 tons, and later called the "flivvers" (lightweights) once 1000-ton destroyers became normal in the run-up to World War I. Pensa ... That towerOn the right -- what's it for? [Looks like a fire bell. - Dave] Split-level wharfThe railway docks have been built with a trestled ramp which raised the freight cars up to a higher level for loading directly from the ship when at high tide. A lower level track was on the dock itself, for low tide loading. I've never seen this before. Almost the view from my window!I am seeing this a few days too late to be the first to answer, but I am currently sitting in my office with my windows facing that view, but I am one building to the right of where that picture was taken -- my office window faces the TT Wentworth Museum and the park. I have bricks from the warehouse by the water tower in the picture from when it was demolished back in about 2003, I used them to build a small paver patio in my yard. Pleasantville 1910 and the NavyI see two very early US Navy destroyers behind the wharves. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Florida, Pensacola)
Woodward Avenue: 1917
... I would be sippin' some a that Cascade whiskey. Motor city, for sure! Not one single horse in view. Temporal Ache Man, this ... October 5, 2009: "The Tragedy of Detroit: How a great city fell, and it it can rise again." Speaking of moonlight Farewell, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:50pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1917. "Looking up Woodward Avenue." Dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. "Mellow as Moonlight"If I was a drinkin' man, I would be sippin' some a that Cascade whiskey. Motor city, for sure!Not one single horse in view. Temporal AcheMan, this is one of those Shorpy photos that really make me wish I had a time machine. Not much leftAbout the only thing still remaining is the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and even it has been moved about 300 feet from where it stood for 130 years. An amazing photo. Casting against TypeI see the film "Somewhere in Georgia" is playing, where Ty Cobb stars surprisingly as a small-town Georgia baseball player who signs with the Detroit Tigers. Health InsuranceAlmost 100 years later, the country is in a major pique over health Insurance and the Detroit Creamery had the answer all along. This maybe the best urban photograph yet, it certainly is the busiest. Notice the #2 streetcar?It's got one of those fancy-schmancy 'people scoopers' on it, like this: https://www.shorpy.com/node/4468 HodgepodgeOne of the best urban pictures yet! Too much to take in at one sitting; The Opera House, that wonderful memorial, the traffic, those streetcars. I wonder what the tent was for in front of that fountain, just across from the Opera House. FascinatingThere's so much to look at in this photo. I especially enjoy seeing people going about their daily lives, not posing for a camera. The movie theater sign says "All Next Week, Somewhere in Georgia". According to IMDB.com "Somewhere in Georgia", starring Ty Cobb, was filmed in the winter of 1916 and released in June 1917. Is the 1915 date on the photo in error? [Do we know what "circa" means? - Dave] An Edison ElectricI notice that the Edison Electric is being driven by a woman. My grandmother (who lived in Detroit) said that the only car she ever drove was an Edison Electric. She was afraid of driving a gasoline-powered car. [Women liked electrics because there were no gears to shift, and no clutch -- shifting and clutching on cars of that era required quite a bit of muscle. - Dave] Cloudy crystal ballCover story in Time Magazine, October 5, 2009: "The Tragedy of Detroit: How a great city fell, and it it can rise again." Speaking of moonlightFarewell, good moonlight towers. Twenty years gone by the time of this photo. Is it a coincidence that Shorpy has hit upon another star of the silent screen? The theater beneath the Blackstone Cigar sign (far right)features Gladys Brockwell, who, like Kay Laurell (1890-1927), died in her thirties. Horrific 1929 car crash in California. Merrill FountainThe Merrill Fountain in front of the Opera House still exists, too. Granted, it was moved about seven miles up the road to Palmer Park. Before it was called Wootwart (Woodward)The definition of the "good old days" ... Traffic LightsGreat image. Did traffic lights look different then, or did they not have them in Detroit? [In 1917, traffic signals came on two legs. - Dave] Re: An Edison ElectricLooks more like a Detroit Electric car than the very rare Edison. The main reason the ladies like the electric car was no crank starting. Charles Kettering changed that a few years later with the electric starter motor if IC engines. Notice the complete absenceof horse poop. And horses. Stop sign doesn't apply...Surprised to see that pedestrains do not follow traffic signs as they crossed the streets. It seems that those signs were for trolleys and cars only. It anwered my question why my g-g-great uncle got killed by a trolley. ProsperityWow! You can almost hear the hustle and bustle of prosperity in this amazing photograph -- the essence of early 20th century proud American urbanity. Go to Google Earth or some other mapping web site and visit the corner of Woodward and Fort today -- a dreary, faceless, lifeless desert of glassy highrises without a pedestrian in sight. HeartbreakingWhen I go through Detroit now it is a vast third world, broken down, trashed city, with gangs and thugs peering from behind collapsed buildings. How in the name of all that is worthy could this magnificent American city come to what it is today? Almost makes me want to watch Glenn Beck. Oh what a feelingI had to smirk a bit when I opened of the intersection on Google streets and the first thing I saw was a shiny Toyota. FABULOUSThis image is go busy and wonderful. There is so much to notice. I wonder what the conversations were and so much more. There is a tent in the middle of the square to the left of the statue. Why? What is the statue of? All in WhiteI love the woman all in white crossing the street with her plaid skirted friend (near the front of the photo, just before the frontmost car). She looks so different than everyone else. I bet the two women just walking into the frame below them are talking about her. She's showing ankle AND calf! I'm sure she'll be a flapper in a few years! The girl in whiteI think that the girl in white is in fact a girl - probably a young teen accompanying her mother (the lady in the plaid skirt). Therefore she would be perfectly well dressed for her age. However that also means that she would be in the right demographic to become a flapper once the twenties (which would coincide with her twenties) rolled around. Great picture - Lord I could look at it for hours! That banner over the street"ENLIST NOW! YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU" And to your left...Seems even Detroit had its requisite "Seeing..." touring bus company. I count three "charabancs" in this photo, one across the street from Bond's with "WELLS" emblazoned on the back, and two in the centre-left crammed with mostly female tourists. Wonder what they were off to see next? I'm loving the little insignificant human moments the photographer caught and immortalized: the man at the lower left trying to make something out on a bulletin board; the hefty many putting his arm around his companion's waist next to the memorial; three ladies converging outside the theater. Fantastic. The building on the far leftis the 1896 Majestic Building, designed by the famous Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. Among other things, Burnham also designed the Flatiron Building in NYC, and oversaw the construction of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The Majestic was Detroit's tallest building until 1909, when the Ford Building (also a Burnham creation) was completed. The Ford still stands today, as well as Burnham's other Detroit creations, the David Whitney Building and the Dime Building. Sadly the Majestic was torn down in 1962 to make way for the exponentially less-interesting 1001 Woodward Building. “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die, but long after we are gone be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistence. Remember that our sons and our grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty.” -Daniel H. Burnham Sight Seeing in Detroit ca. 1917The Dietsche Sight Seeing Company was one of several companies that offered tours of Detroit back in this time period. Below is a photo of their advertisement offering their services to local companies who might want to entertain their out-of-town customers with a "Sight Seeing Trip around the city, Belle Isle, or Water Works Park." Given the description of the street banner, this photo was probably taken sometime around June 5, 1917, which was the date on which all men between the ages of 21 and 31 were required to register for the draft. Soldiers and Sailors MonumentStill nearby, but not as nicely maintained. Very Nicely MaintainedThe Soldiers & Sailors monument is actually very well maintained. Notice how it's not all blackened with soot as in the old photo. When you view it up close you can also see where some very nice restoration has recently been done. Not everything in Detroit is a rotting hulk. Still busyNot like this, but the ice skating rink at Campus Martius is already set up and would be approximately directly in front of the Detroit Opera House. Downtown Detroit is not the home of thugs or crime at all, really, but is sadly quiet when the businesses are closed. Many of the buildings are still here, and magnificent. Come visit before they tear them all down. I'll be ordering a large print of this image! Thank you Shorpy. Re. "Mellow as Moonlight"I saw this photo a few days ago, and, like GeezerNYC, I was quite struck by the Cascade Whiskey billboard. Now, I know that Geo. Dickel is still in business, and I was familiar with Dickel's Tennessee Sipppin' Whiskey and Old No. 8, but I had never heard of Cascade. It must have gone the way of the buggy whip and Lydia Pinkham, I thought. But then today I stopped at the liquor store after work to pick up a bottle of wine, and GUESS WHAT THEY HAD?!?! shhhh...too loud. So, then and I bought some. And do you guys know what? It's pretty goood. I';m drikning it right now. And I just wanna True story I swear. Hey! do you know what? I bought some oft hat Cacsade whiskey? Or is it whishky? Aanyway, I just wanna You know what/ You guys are greatf. I just wanna Hudson's Grows, and...Hudson's grew with Detroit, and perhaps inevitably, declined with Detroit. Cascade HollowThe current Cascade Hollow Whiskey was created to deal with a shortage of the Dickel No. 8 and then just hung around. They didn't have enough whiskey of a certain age so they made a new brand and put their younger stuff in it so that the quality of the No. 8 wouldn't suffer. The Cascade Hollow has been discontinued, but it's still on the shelves in many places. The name Cascade was replaced by the Dickel name after Prohibition and a number. In order of price (& quality) the current Dickel offerings are: (Cascade Hollow) Dickel No. 8 Dickel No. 12 Dickel Barrel Select (which is one of the best whiskeys I've ever had. And I've had a lot.) Anyway, Dickel is currently owned by the evil international spirits conglomorate Diageo, which also owns Guinness, Hennessey, Smirnoff, Johnny Walker, Tanqueray, Bushmills, Cpt. Morgan, Jose Cuervo, Crown Royal and many many more. I can't relate to this picture at allThere is no one in this picture that looks like me or anyone else in my family and for that matter most of my friends...maybe that's how most of the people making comments about it want Detroit to look like. Movie ID helpIn the background, there appears to be a movie showing called "The Spoilers", but Wikipedia says it came out in 1914, not 1917. Just below that it looks like "Barrymore (?) as Georgia" and to the left of that is "Ty". Anyone have some ideas as to which movies are being advertised? [The movie is "Somewhere in Georgia," with Ty Cobb, released in 1917. - Dave] Re: Re: An Edison ElectricMy great-great-grandfather Frank Montgomery Foster was selling Kissel Kars in Detroit. In 1913, he also had "one of the Detroit's finest garages at the corner of Gratiot Avenue and Grand Boulevard." It looks like the two cars in the bottom left of the photo (with the barrel fronts) may be Kissels, but I don't know enough about autos of the era to ID them. KernsMy co-worker's last name is Kerns. I showed him this picture one day and eventually forwarded it to him. He then forwarded picture to his family and learned that his mother Americanized their Polish name around 1917 after seeing that building "Kern's Children's Clothes." One of the best!The photo is insanely busy and the comments led me on a couple scavenger hunts online. Introduced to Gladys Brockwell, Daniel Burnham, Cascade, Dietsche company, etc. A very entertaining hour and a half on this one pic! Of course, being from Detroit makes it that much more interesting. Also, Heartbreaking, Detroit is a pheonix. You watch what she can do! The people have so much spirit. We love our city like a member of our family. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
City Fruit Stand: 1942
... barber shops across the street from each other. And no City Fruit Stand. But there is a Walmart Supercenter 7.7 miles south down ... They are parked parallel ... to one another! City Fruit Stand I would love to have that Coke sign. This was "branding" in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/26/2022 - 3:10pm -

May 1942. "Childersburg, Alabama. Street scene." Medium format acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Those Southern RebelsEither "Park Parallel" has a different meaning in 'bama, or the citizenry is decidedly un civic-minded. [They're in a diagonal universe. - Dave] Too shade. But deep down, they know better They're parallel parking nowAs did Notcom, my first thought was, "Aren't they angle parking?" But the rebellious citizenry has finally been brought into compliance. I was able to establish the building with the pointed top in Google Street view was down the sidewalk from John Collier in 1942. Behind Collier, on the block across 1st Street, was where he took the photo of the lawman, whom I suspect was very effective at getting compliance. Not much retail on this stretch of street now. There is no bowling alley anywhere in town. I doubt there are two barber shops across the street from each other. And no City Fruit Stand. But there is a Walmart Supercenter 7.7 miles south down Highway 280, in Sylacauga. Parallel is relativeMy thought was, well, the first driver in the morning parks how he wants, and then everyone else has to park parallel to his car. Nobody said "parallel" means "to the curb," after all. There's been a misunderstanding hereI believe the good citizens of Childersburg thought the signs said parallelogram parking. Public AnnouncementAt first I thought the announcements coming from the truck would have been the soul savin' kind ... but I was wrong. Upon closer examination, I noticed they are pushing the latest film. Judging from the poster for the film and of the woman with the legs that won't quit, I'm thinking the folks from Childersburg could use some religion! LawsuitsThe bench in the foreground looks like an accident waiting to happen. They are parked parallel... to one another! City Fruit StandI would love to have that Coke sign. This was "branding" in the past. Local distributors would get signs from Coke and have local sign painters "letter" and install them. Not a big money maker for the sign guy, but it was a steady and coveted account. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Collier, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Pearl Harbor Bar: 1942
... in all the wrong ways. [Meanwhile back at the mall, City Briefs is now called Urban Underwear. - Dave] Ah yes, next to ... in a letter to his wife Penny written in Oklahoma City's Biltmore Hotel that "this hotel, in this dry state, has a nice bar for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/07/2023 - 3:37pm -

October 1942. "Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gas station converted into a bar." Libation station for the Duration. Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Infamy in a boothThis was looking north(west-ish) on Main from Ninth. To the disappointment of many, I imagine -- but the surprise of few -- it's currently a vacant lot. The PHB seems to have lasted at least a few years, mostly making the pages via the police blotter: various nefarious goings-on which recalled the namesake in all the wrong ways. [Meanwhile back at the mall, City Briefs is now called Urban Underwear. - Dave] Ah yes, next to Wisenheimers. But back to our station, it seems to have started life under the Rainbow Oil Company operating under a number of titles - "filling station", "service company" - and mottos.... "Limp in and Leap out!" scored well on the Cleverometer A question of tasteIt's difficult for me to imagine a "World Trade Center Bar" in early 2002. Matriarchical neighborhoodThe full name painted on the window is Ava's Pearl Harbor Bar, right across the street from Cathey's Furniture. I guess it was a time when women brought home the bacon and fried it up in a pan. Seldom seen nowI had a good buddy who was an accomplished artist and a sign painter. He had to make ends meet, ya know. I always liked being able to identify his signs by the signature applied in one corner or the other. Now, with more and more signs done in other mediums, that characteristic is nearly vanished. Gone with the painter's touch under the modern vinyl or something. So, it was a pleasant thing to see the proudly added signature of "Cruzan" above the alcove's header. Hope he did well for himself, and my friend too. Nice picture, Dave. Keys, keys, keys!I think they also make keys. Out of luckProperty looked good, apparently a vacancy as well -- just had to make it over to "1102 So. Boulder" to make an inquiry. Alas, the owners seem to have permanently moved out, like the Pearl Harbor Bar itself. LovelyA technically beautiful photograph. Great contrast. The diagonal slash of sunlight across the upper reaches of the dark-brick building in the background is mesmerizing. That posteron the right side of the building is, I believe, this one. Easier to sayI would have named it Pearl Harbar. Near two main streetsThe owner's choice of an eye-catching name for the business may relate to its proximity to "The Main Street of America - Route 66 (which passed a block or two south of the intersection of Main Street and Ninth Street in Tulsa). No doubt the "Pearl Harbor Bar" name appeared among the many billboards facing those whose non-replaceable tires (and soon, ration stamps) enabled them to travel by car or truck during wartime. Tough state to own a barOn Oct. 24, 1942, after what photographer Vachon called his "two wonderful wasted sunny weeks in Tulsa," he complained in a letter to his wife Penny written in Oklahoma City's Biltmore Hotel that "this hotel, in this dry state, has a nice bar for army or navy officers only." In 1942 Oklahoma was mostly dry; hard liquor was illegal but watery beer (not more than 3.2% alcohol) was legal. (The governor and AG didn't concede an exception for military personnel, and tried and failed to convince the Supreme Court to let it keep whiskey seized en route from St. Louis to Fort Sill's officers club.) So with vast numbers of young men temporarily encamped or employed within Oklahoma's boundaries due to the war, an off-base bar like the Pearl Harbor could barely benefit from it. Tulsa is confusing!For those of trying to figure out where this is - Google informs that there are no fewer than 5 intersections between "9th Street" and "Main Street": N 9th & W Main, W 9th & N Main, E 9th & S Main, E 9th & N Main, S 9th & E Main; there may be more, google only ever lists five suggestions. If internet chatter is to be believed, Pearl Harbor Bar was where E 9th turns into W 9th as it crosses S Main. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Gas Stations, John Vachon, WW2)
Radio City: 1932
December 7, 1932. "International Music Hall, Radio City, Rockefeller Center, New York. House with curtain down, from main ... by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Radio City Music Hall From this past Thanksgiving, to see the Rockettes' Christmas ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/25/2018 - 3:30pm -

December 7, 1932. "International Music Hall, Radio City, Rockefeller Center, New York. House with curtain down, from main orchestra." Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Radio City Music HallFrom this past Thanksgiving, to see the Rockettes' Christmas show. (It was my wife's idea, honest.) Dueling Organs?I've heard of Dueling Banjos, and dueling pianos, but dueling organs? Are there actually two full four-manual, 100+ stop organs in that hall, or one big one that can be played by two tandem organists? Ghosts! Appears to be haunted by several ghosts. Almost lostRadio City was almost lost to bankruptcy in the late 1970s. Thank goodness it was rescued. It's a gem. And the most comfortable theater I've ever been in. Air Conditioning of RCI remember when RC opened. Our friend and neighbor, Jack Lantry, was the engineer to get the contract to air condition Radio City. It was one of the first to be done on a large scale. The fresh air was compressed, then expanded and finally cooled by water. Ghosts?Theaters don't have Ghosts, they have Phantoms. Two ConsolesThe Radio City Wurlitzer organ consists of 58 ranks of pipes and a wide assortment of percussion instruments (drums, bells, etc. including a 9' grand piano) all installed above and behind the stage. Because of a relatively new computer relay (brain) now in place, it can be played from either of the two independent consoles or simultaneously by 2 organists. It is worth noting that S.L. "Roxy" Rothafel intended the organ to be built by Kimball Organ Co., but Kimball was not the #1 theatre organ builder. Others argued that RC couldn't do with anything less than the best. So, it was built by Wurlitzer according to a Kimball design. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Music, NYC)
Virginia City: 1940
March 1940. "Main street in Virginia City, Nevada." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Visiting Virginia City before it was touristy That auto facing us on the left has New York ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2018 - 6:02pm -

March 1940. "Main street in Virginia City, Nevada." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Visiting Virginia City before it was touristyThat auto facing us on the left has New York license plates (bottom reads "New York World's Fair 1940"). What a trip that was on the roads of the 40s! Virginia City retains much of its historical architecture and today is heavily visited. Back then it was a working town, but it already had been discovered by at least one tourist. Stormy weatherI count five extra tall rods on the rooftops, each w/ a sphere on top, all on one city block. I'm assuming these are lightning rods. I wonder what's up with that? Is Virginia City known for it's ferocious thunderstorms? That auto on the leftis a 1939 DeSoto. It probably would have had no trouble making the trip from New York. Very nice riding cars, even today. Tourist or photographer?Maybe the car with New York plates is the photographer's car? Car on the far rightIs what, please? (Beautiful rear end!) Old Washoe ClubJudging by the eight window openings and the cornice, I'd say we're looking at the Old Washoe Club on the left, just beyond the Tahoe Beer arrow. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
City of Cleveland: 1908
Circa 1908. "Steamer City of Cleveland , Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co., Lake Erie ... looking a little different. A little history City of Cleveland III , US.204080, Sidewheel Overnight Passenger Steamer built ... Mich., as Hull #168. Launched January 5, 1907 as City of Cleveland for the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co., Detroit, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 4:33pm -

Circa 1908. "Steamer City of Cleveland, Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co., Lake Erie Division." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Quite a ContrastThe elegant steamer dressed to the nines contrasted with the spewing soot from her boilers. Breathing on the afterdeck might have been difficult. Method of PropulsionI assume this steamer is propeller driven? I don't see a paddle wheel. [Look closely and you'll see that the boat is a sidewheeler. - Dave] Cleveland SteamerThat is a fabulous picture of the boat, but I always imagined a Cleveland Steamer looking a little different. A little historyCity of Cleveland III, US.204080, Sidewheel Overnight Passenger Steamer built in 1907 by the Detroit Ship Building Co., Wyandotte, Mich., as Hull #168. Launched January 5, 1907 as City of Cleveland for the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co., Detroit, Mich. Length 420 feet by 54 feet wide. Powered by a 6,500 hp three cylinder inclined compound steam engine and eight coal-fired Scotch boilers. Because of a fire in her cabins during fit out at the shipyard, her maiden voyage was delayed a year until May 1908. She was built for the Detroit and Cleveland overnight run. She was renamed City of Cleveland III in 1912. On June 26, 1950 the Norwegian freighter Ravnefjell collided with the City of Cleveland III in early morning fog in Lake Huron off Harbor Beach, Mich. The Norwegian vessel crashed into the D & C liner's cabins but did not penetrate her hull. Four passengers were lost in the collision. The Cleveland III was able to proceed to Detroit where she discharged her remaining passengers. She did not sail again and was scrapped at Buffalo in 1956. Pleasure CruiserThis and other lake boats were enjoyed by thousands of people in the Great Depression, myself included. Oars?Just what are those big timbers hanging from the side of the ship? [Pier bumpers. - Dave] Side timbersThe timbers on the side of the boats are wood fenders to prevent damage when side docking. When boat is away from the dock the bottom of the fenders are pulled up on deck hanging at about a 45% angle. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Expert Truss Fitting: 1900
... The merchants of Buffalo, aside from making that fine city a haven for the herniated, also offered a wide range of "deformity ... "Smoking on three rear seats only." - Dave] Safe City That is one safety-conscious city. Note the pedestrian catcher mounted ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:35pm -

"Main Street, Buffalo, N.Y., circa 1900." The merchants of Buffalo, aside from making that fine city a haven for the herniated, also offered a wide range of "deformity appliances." Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. Fireproof indeed!The fireproof tiles on the roof of the Iroquois were a big selling point after the horrific fire that destroyed the Richmond Hotel, which stood on the same site until 1887. Mirror Writing?The reverse lettering above the motorman's head looks like the back of a glass sign that says SMOKING ENTRANCE REAR SEATS ONLY, whatever that means exactly. [The signs says "Smoking on three rear seats only." - Dave] Safe CityThat is one safety-conscious city. Note the pedestrian catcher mounted on the front of the trolley. Niagara Falls!!!!Niagara Falls! "Slowly I turned...step by step...inch by inch..." From the Three Stooges short "Gents Without Cents" Oh MyWhat a picture. This is definitely a downtown scene. I am curious about the rides to Lockport, Lewiston and Queenston. Are they entrance cities to Canada? Perhaps they are tourist destinations like Niagara Falls. This photo will take a while to gather it all and to understand Buffalo as a major U.S. city at the time. [Those cities were excursion destinations. - Dave] Shuffle off to Buffalo...So much detail to take in. Wonder what a "Deformity Appliance" is. [I am thinking something along the lines of a super-dangerous cake mixer. - Dave] Bustling BuffaloNothing is more depressing than seeing the once-bustling major city that is now Buffalo. Interesting that the streetcar was the main mode of public transportation, and yet the newer "metro" line (consisting of one short rail from HSBC to the University of Buffalo) has contributed to the death of downtown. Martha!And "I Love Lucy." Your neighbor the sign painterBesides the five (or six or seven) signs of his own, Mr. Scott seems to have painted all the other signs on that building. I wonder if he traded signs for trolly rides, cigars, or deformity appliances. Trolleys Then and NowThe open-seat single-truck trolleys seen in this picture (with smoking allowed in the three rear seats only) have long been absent from the City of Buffalo. The line is now the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's Buffalo Metro Rail light rail line. Interesting that the tracks on Main Street have survived, while those on Church Street, and all of the surrounding buildings, including the Iroquois Hotel, have all vanished. View Larger Map No heritage hereSo, is this was were the Main Street Mall now resides? Seems all these blocks were demolished. The Iroquois Hotel was torn down in 1940. The Perfect VignetteWhat a great photo! The "Signs" signs, the omnipresent hats, the fancy streetlight. I love the advertisement for the "tobacconist"--that would make a catchy little business card, I think. Some people are dentists, some are salespeople, and then there are the tobacconists. And I wonder what got thrown into the wires crossing the street? I also love the trolleys in the picture--somehow, my daily bus ride doesn't seem quite as cool as this. One question. What is the net in front for? I would guess it's for luggage or large packages? [The net would be for inattentive or careless pedestrians. - Dave] LockportLockport was and is a neat little city in NW central New York State where canal boats travel down a series of locks. It's fun to watch. The city is also the home of an American standard in every kitchen: Jell-O! Cars?Sign says "cars leave every 15 minutes"...I don't see any cars, it's 1900 (or so) What do they mean by "cars"? [Streetcars. - Dave] The GlobeSure would like to be able to see more detail on that globe painted on the left side - looks like the continents have been anthropomorphized into pinup gals. BuffaloCool! I stayed a night in Buffalo early last month. Had it still been standing, I would have chosen the Iroquois over the Holiday Inn for sure. Looks like a fun city, but you've never seen anything more depressing than Niagara Falls (the town) in winter. You Are HereIn response to the many requests seen in comments for a time machine: here you are. Absolutely fantastic picture. Pan-American ExpoThat's the logo for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, held in Buffalo -- where President McKinley was shot and later died. Trolly carsThey mean Trolly cars. [Or maybe trolley cars. ("Cars" = streetcars.) - Dave] Look out above!The top three floors of the Iroquois were "superadded" for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. In 1923, owner Ellsworth Statler opened another hotel, and the Iroquois became the Gerrans Office Building. The building with the tower was transformed into one of the earliest movie theaters, the Strand. Steve Miller Someplace near the crossroads of America Leroy not LockportLeroy is the home of Jell-O, not Lockport! Visit the jello museum in Leroy to learn more about the product invented by a man named Pearl. CSI: BuffaloNice Cigar Store Indian on the right. Oh that logo The Pan-American Exposition Company chose Raphael Beck's design from over 400 entries, awarded him $100. They copyrighted it as the official logo in 1899. At first the design was to be used only for "dignified purposes," but due to its popularity, the decision was made to license its use. The logo was soon available on souvenirs of every conceivable description and was plastered on "everything that didn't move and some things that did." Some unscrupulous vendors ignored the licensing process and sold unofficial souvenirs with the logo. Here is a plate and a watch souvenir (both official): Beck made sketches of President McKinley when the president toured the fair and made a speech there. After McKinley died Beck completed the painting titled "President McKinley Delivering His Last Great Speech at the Pan-American Exposition, Sept. 5, 1901." Beck went on to design the logo for the 1905 Portland, Oregon Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. His father Augustus—who designed the bas relief at the base of the Washington Monument—named his son after the famous painter Raphael. +122Below is the same view from September of 2022. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC, Streetcars)
City Hall: 1903
1903. "City Hall -- Nashua, New Hampshire." Where municipal eagles perch. 8x10 inch ... towns reunited in 1853 when Nashua was incorporated as a city. This City Hall was torn down in 1940 and was replaced with a new building on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/10/2022 - 2:30pm -

1903. "City Hall -- Nashua, New Hampshire." Where municipal eagles perch. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Page right out of historyThank you Shorpy, et al. I lived in the North End for a decade or so around the turn of this last century. Would go for runs through Greeley Park and distinctly remember the plaque on a good size boulder informing me of the original name of "Nashville, NH". I never got the chance to look up the "why?". Denverlev - thank you for the quick synopsis. Our house was built in 1890 and still had beautiful woodwork everywhere, all original hardware on all the doors, and counterweights in all the windows. We miss it so! The building that divided the town in two.The residents of then Nashua Village disagreed over the planned location of this building (built in 1842). It caused a split between the residents to the north and those to the south of the Nashua River. The North, whose lawyer was future President Franklin Pierce, lost to the South and broke off from Nashua, splitting the town in half, creating the town of Nashville on the north side of the river. The two towns reunited in 1853 when Nashua was incorporated as a city. This City Hall was torn down in 1940 and was replaced with a new building on the other side of Main Street. The eagle and cupola were restored and used on the new City Hall built a few blocks south of the old City Hall and is still there today. Eagle took flight in 1940The Eagle flew down the street when they built the new City Hall in 1940. Junior partnerIn 1939, Nashua replaced this city hall with the new one below. The eagle on top of the tower and the bell (front, right) are from the old city hall. The windowsTwo things: 1.You gotta love the intricate workmanship that went into the round leaded glass oculus at the cornice. (Probably ended up in a landfill sadly) 2.The sash weights for those giant size hung windows must be the size of a child. Logo?The mullions in that round window certainly must be intended to represent a globe and with the olive branches (though upside down) it anticipates the U.N. logo by many years. [Strictly speaking, that's an emblem, not a logo. - Dave] Construction InstructionCity planner: "Okay, on either side of the front steps I want a wheelchair ramp installed." Contractor: "Got it; front steps." A brick in your stocking.When this building was torn down in 1940, a local hardware store, Osgood's, gave out bricks from it for Christmas presents to it's its customers. (The Gallery, DPC, Small Towns)
« first‹ prev1 [2]3…next ›last »
Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.