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Vacation Wagon: 1964
... Bluish gray with white segment on the side, red and white interior. The first car my wife and I bought. Paid $1750 for it used in 1962. ... made up for the lack of chrome spears with its cavernous interior: two bucket seats in front for Mom and Dad, two bench seats, and a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/31/2022 - 1:09am -

        Our annual salute to the start of vacation road-trip season, first posted here 15 years ago. Everyone buckled in? Let's go! "Great Falls, Montana. Return after 3 weeks Vacation. June 27, 1964." This Kodachrome of a 1960 Chevrolet Parkwood station wagon is from a box of slides found on eBay. View full size. family trips in those carsI also spent some hot days in a car like that on the way to the grandparents. My mother flattened the second seat, put a mattress on the floor and loaded three of us and the stuff in on top of it, us and the stuff equally loose and not tied down. We whined and fought and slept our way to Cape Cod from southern NJ. My father always "had to work" (they were her parents), so she did the drive alone, I think maybe 12 or 16 hours? Seemed like forever. NostalgicThese people still had a bright future ahead of them, full of great hopes for the days to come. They hadn't gone to the Moon yet, and to them, by 2007 we'd have personal helicopters and robots would run everything. The possibility of the President being indicted for a crime was unthinkable. My job as a web designer hadn't even been invented yet. The lawn looks like it's literally astroturf. Were the colors really like that, or is it an effect of the kodachrome? Holy cow! We had a 59 chevyHoly cow! We had a 59 chevy stationwagon back in the day. Does this bring back memories. We would drive to Florida from Virginia a two day trip usually in the heat of the summer to visit grandparents. Five children two parents no ac. Damn! [This is a 1960 Chevrolet. - Dave] DeflectorsDoes anybody know/remember what the deflectors left and right of the rear window were for? These may have been an aftermarket item. It is amazing how well the colors in this slide are preserved after almost 50 years. It looks like Kodachrome all right, including the telltale blue cast in the shadows The Astroturf look......to my eye, seems to come from the little flowers (or toadstools?) that are in the lawn. At the smaller image size, they look like specular reflections, making it seem like the grass is shiny. [The white flowers are clover. - Dave] 1964As I remember it, this was less than a year after the assassination of JFK, there were race riots in the south and we (I was 14) were all starting to question attitudes towards women, blacks, hispanics, homosexuals and the culture we had grown up with. One of the more minor cultural things was the importance of your front lawn. 50 years?I was born in 1964, and trust me, it hasn't been 50 years since then, yet.... ;) Re:DeflectorsThe deflectors on either side of the rear window were intended to blow air across the rear window to prevent snow from accumulating. A similar deflector is often fitted along the roof on station wagons from the 60s on. I think they were usually a factory or dealer option in later years, but I really don't know specifically about this model or when they might have first been used. OK, 40 years.Sorry, I was too vexed on the year of manufacture of the car. I remember that someone in our street had the sedan version of this Chevy. Like any 8 year old, I was fascinated by the winged tail and the panorama windshield. You didn't see many of these in Europe around 1960; everbody, including my father, was driving Volkswagen Beetles. (He later had a new Ford Mustang 1964 1/2 , with a 289 ci V8 and a four speed box, rally pack and (optional) front discs, which I found very impressive at the time. A real gas guzzler by European standards. Family TrucksterThis is probably what Clark Griswold's dad took the family on vacation in. It's a 1960 Chevy, and I'm guessing it's a Kingswood model. The Brookwood was the more stripped down model and I think the "full dresser" was called a Nomad. This one isn't completely chromed-out and it has the small, dog-dish hubcaps so I'm thinking it's the middle of the line model. I think the rear air deflectors also helped keep exhaust gas from entering the rear passenger compartment when the vehicle was moving with the tailgate window was lowered. Though it doesn't look like there's room for anybody in the third row of seats for this trip. With the window up they also helped keep the rear glass clear of snow and dust. These are Parents of the Year......in my book. Can you imagine going across country now without all of the luxuries and Wendy's and portable DVD players and Nintendo and cell phones and credit cards? These parents did it all the HARD way...and I'll bet they made a lot of memories that summer! My jaw droppedOnce again the red stationwagon family blows me away. The color composition here is perfect. Chevy ParkwoodThis is a 1960 Chevrolet Parkwood. Parkwoods and Kingswoods both use Bel Air trim (mid-level). The Kingswood, a nine-passenger wagon, has the third-row rear-facing seat, and two steps on the rear bumper (one on each end just outside of where the tailgate would come down). Less obvious is that all Kingswoods have power tailgate windows, an option on the other Chevrolet wagons. I still drive a '59 ChevyI recommend owning one. In 2000 We took the ultimate road trip with mine from near the Canadian border in Washington State through the desert to Las Vegas and back up through California and Oregon. There really is nothing like seeing the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet. Cruising the Strip in Vegas was a blast. We might as well have been driving a space ship with the reactions we got. Sadly, these Chevrolets were mostly scrapped and very few survive. 60 ChevySadly, the third row seat had not been invented as of yet and the deflectors were used to deflect air into the rear of the stationwagon at slower speeds. I may not be an expert but I'm old enough to have ridden and slept in the back section of a folded down stationwagon. We didn't know about SUV's yet. Chevy WagonChevy's Parkwood and Kingswood wagons could both be had with a third-row seat. And back then, for the record - wagons WERE the "SUVs" of the day! [According to the 1960 Chevrolet sales brochure, only the Kingswood was available with third-row seating. The International Travelall and Chevy Suburban Carryall were two of the SUVs of the day. - Dave] The luggage rackis something you don't see anymore. It hung on the wall of the garage when not in use. Once my dad, who was in a big hurry, didn't secure the tarp on top properly... We played car games, like Alphabet, Road Bingo, and License Plates, read books, colored,sang songs and squabbled. You took your chances with local restaurants. We hadn't got used to entertainment on demand, so we didn't miss it. And to Dave Faris: It's the film. I once assured my daughter that colors when I was a kid were the same as today. "The Fifties," she said, in her narrator's voice, "were an oddly-hued decade." Slide ConversionHow does one convert slides to digital photos? Any website links or advice? [You'd use a film scanner. I used a Nikon 4000 ED for this one. - Dave] Family TrucksterWe had a green Ford station wagon, not nearly as nice as this, and with our family of six, it was a masochistic experience to take family vacations. Every summer we said that's it, we will never do this again, until the following summer when we did it again. The best part was arriving home again, but I will say that NOT having DVD's and high tech electronic gadgets forced the kids to look out the window and they gained incredible geographic knowledge from seeing the U.S. I could truthfully call these annual trips "purgatory on wheels." Road TripMost all of my long-distance car trips were connected with moving as my father was in the USAF. In August 1954, after being in the UK 2½ years, we got in our in our '53 Chevy coupe and went from New York City to the SF Bay Area, mostly along US 40. Entertainment consisted of looking at the scenery and checking off the towns on the free roadmaps that the service stations provided in each state. Iy being the pre-Interstate era, one did go thru many towns back then! (Excepting on the PA Turnpike) Burma-Shave signs relieved the boredom in the rural areas. We had a car radio (AM only, of course), but for some reason I can only recall it being used while crossing the salt flats west of Salt Lake City. Westward HoIn 1951 our family, my wife, son and daughter, living in Detroit, started taking trips to Cheney, Washington, to visit my WW2 buddy. All on old state highways, no air conditioner, 4½ hours to get through Chicago and the kids loved it. Took these trips out west to the 1970s. We still go west to see my buddy and my daughter in Seattle and we enjoy crossing Nebraska on old U.S. 30. It is a treat to be off of I-80. Nostalgia Ain't What it Used to BeDon't look at this picture and pine for the old days. Change the car to a green Olds Vista Cruiser and that's us in 1969. Back then, dads bought a new station wagon to kick off the summer vacation. Dads don't buy an SUV today for that reason. Without repeating some of the horrors already mentioned below, there was the additional joy of Mom sending back a Coca Cola bottle for one of her sons to use in lieu of a loo. If the girls had to go, we had to pull over. Not so with the boys. Watching mom backhand-fling a Coke bottle out her window, filled with fluid far different that what was originally intended, and seeing it bounce and spill along the shoulder as we whizzed along at 75 mph (pun intended), that's about the fondest vacation memory at least from the car perspective. Today with the daughter hooked up to a video iPod and the sons enjoying their PSP, it's a pleasure to drive for distances. Back then, we didn't play License Plates. We played Punch Buggy and Slug Bug, etc. Fistfight games. Let's go!I loved car trips, and I never had DVD players and Nintendo. I watched the scenery and kept a travel diary. those were some of the greatest times of my life. Road TrripWe had to make do with pillows & blankets. A mattress would have made it actually comfortable. I don't know if Dad didn't have the imagination for that, or just not the money. I suspect the latter. We'd sing sometimes. It was 12 hours from north Georgia near the North Carolina line to south Georgia, near the Florida line, where my grandmother lived. I see the moon; the moon sees me. The moon sees the one that I want to see ... Thanks for the memoriesMy folks had the four-door sedan version of this car, in sky blue & white. My mom used to have a station wagon, don't remember what kind, but it was memorable for its pushbutton transmission on the dash instead of a gearshift! However my favorite "finned" car was our family's Buick Invicta. Now that was a car! Third Row SeatsFords had third-row seats in 1955. I'm pretty sure Chevy had them by 1958 at least. Chevy didn't offer woodgrain sides until '65. Sunday ridesWe had that same car, only in light blue. No seat belts or infant seats for us! We'd put my baby sister in one of those deathtrap baby seats that hooked over the front seat and off we went! What a picture!This picture takes me back almost 40 years to the road trips our family did during summer holidays when I was a little boy. It feels like I myself am stretching my legs after coming home. The colours, the moment -- one of my favorite pictures in Shorpy. My Favorite Car was a 1960 Chevrolet Impala 2-dr hardtop. Bluish gray with white segment on the side, red and white interior. The first car my wife and I bought. Paid $1750 for it used in 1962. We made some wonderful trips in that car. Re: Family TrucksterJust saw this item on TV yesterday about a real family named Griswold that had their station wagon modded to look like the Family Truckster from National Lampoon's Vacation movie for their trip to Disney World. http://tinyurl.com/plo5kub See the USA in Your ChevroletFor our family, it was a 1962 Buick Invicta wagon. Huge car designed for doing massive mileage on the interstates and that's what we did -- six or seven hundred miles a day from Indiana to the Rockies for our annual vacation. Procedure for Accessing the Cargo AreaWe had one of these when I was a kid as well. Ours was a silver gray color. See the chrome disk on the trunk door? Upon arriving at destination, here's what you had to do: 1) Put trunk key in center slot (separate keys for ignition and trunk back then) 2) Open flap (as seen in photo) 3) Rotate flap several times till rear window is fully down 4) Reach in and grab handle to drop tailgate Simple, huh? Looking at old red carsmakes my elbows hurt! Seemed like some of those old single stage paints, reds in particular, had to be waxed every two weeks to keep them looking decent. The widespread adoption of clearcoat finishes in the late 80's to mid 90's freed modern kids from the dreaded frequent waxing chore, thereby giving them the leisure time to start the video gaming revolution... As Long AsThis isn't really the "End of the Road"! That's a scary title for all the Shorpy Faithful. 3 Adults + 7 Children =1000 mile round trip to see grandma. We kids didn't mind a bit. Seat belts?I don't think you heard "Everybody all buckled up?" all that much in '64. I'm not sure of the exact dates, but if you had seatbelts back then, you bought them at a discount store or an auto parts store like Western Auto or J. C. Whitney, and they were lap belts only. Three point seat belts didn't come along for several more years, if I recall correctly, and it wasn't until the government mandated new cars with ignition interlocks in the 1970's that "real men" started to actually use them. Back then, we used to spend our vacations camping, so the car was packed to the gills, including the center of the back seat. My sister and I each got little cubbyholes next to the doors, with just room enough to sit for the trip to northern Wisconsin. My dad drove a two tone green '55 Oldsmobile Delta 88. I saw a picture of that car a few months ago, and as soon as I did, I started remembering a surprising amount of detail about the car's details. It was handed down to me when I went off to college in '64. Seat beltsbobdog19006 is correct in that seat belts were not standard equipment in 1960. However, they had been available as a dealer-installed option since the 50s. By 1966, they were standard in all Chevys, and by 1968, they were federally mandated. I spent many a happy hour on family roadtrips in our '68 Ford wagon, nestled in the narrow gap between the second row and the rear-facing third-row seat, no seat belt, of course. Neither did my siblings in the third row. Service StickersI remember those stickers that service stations or car dealers put on the inside edge of the driver's door when you got your car serviced. This Chevrolet has two. Our road trip rigWe had a '76 Chevy Beauville van, a ho-hum light brown rather than red, which made up for the lack of chrome spears with its cavernous interior: two bucket seats in front for Mom and Dad, two bench seats, and a homemade plywood bed. Strangely, all that space wasn't enough to prevent sibling quarrels. The best story of this van was the return trip of its maiden voyage, when my uncle, who owned a small niche-market manufacturing firm, talked my dad into towing a piece of equipment from South Texas to a parking lot near Chicago, where we would deliver it to his customer from Wisconsin. We quickly got used to being asked at every single hotel, gas station, and rest stop, exactly what was the three-wheeled contraption with the hydraulically-actuated vertical roller-chain conveyor with teeth. The looks on everyone's faces when my dad told them it was a grave-digging machine: Priceless! Curtains?Every August for years we travelled from Birmingham to Cincinnati for a week of visiting my parents' relatives. Before our last such trip in '69, we went through a black-and-white '57 Plymouth Savoy, a metallic-beige '63 Ford Country Sedan wagon (the one without wood on the sides) and a '67 Olds VistaCruiser. I'd love to have that VistaCruiser back today. Ours was burgundy red and my dad put red stripe Tiger Paw tires on it. Imagine a 442 station wagon. As for Shorpy's '60 Chevy wagon, I only just noticed the homemade or aftermarket side curtains, with vertical stripes of brown, gold and red to compliment the bright red car. Thanks, Dave, for showing us this photo again... and including all the original comments, too. Great to relive all the great summer vacation stories with everyone! Re: deflectorsIn the days before the rear window wiper on a station wagon, some folks put these on and the deflected air current would help to clean off that window to a degree. Not having either, within a mile that rear hatch would be almost impossible to see through. Been there, done that and got the tee-shirt. This does bring back memoriesWe had a similar station wagon, but it was salmon (or was it mauve, or ecru?) colored with a white top (I think). It had a 460 a/c (four windows down while traveling sixty miles per hour, some times 560 with the rear tailgate window down). I remember taking a trip from Mississippi to Six Flags over Texas on U.S. Highway 82 (two lane most of the way) in Summer, 1964. The back seats were folded down, and the four of us kids had pillows, blankets, books, and board games to pass the time. It was replaced soon after with a 1965 Ford Country Squire Wagon with a/c, and fake wood paneling on the side. Instead of a rear facing bench seat, it had two small seats on either side that faced each each other. Memories of summer tripsWe also lived in Montana back then, and our family truckster in the 1960s was a 1963 Rambler Classic station wagon. (Yes, I suffered greatly for it among my friends.) That's what I learned to drive, and we ranged all over the western US and Canada in it. Before that, however, we traveled in a 1949 Studebaker Land Cruiser 4-door sedan, which my dad (both inventive and frugal) had outfitted with a set of three back seats that, when covered with the mattress from our roll-away bed, filled the back seat and trunk area with a very passable sleeping unit. That's where I spent most of my time on our travels. At other times, I would climb over the front seatback into the front bench seat between my parents. That's where I was on August 5, 1962, when we were preparing to leave Crescent City, CA, and heard on the radio that Marilyn Monroe had died. Deflector's actual purposeWas to break the "vacuum" the "wall" that was the rear of that wagon created which would suck exhaust into the car if that rear window was open even a little bit. The fresh air, the snowless/cleaner rear window were merely bonuses... Buckle up?A 1960 Chevy wagon probably didn't have seat belts unless the owner installed them. The kids in the back were pretty much free range as long as they didn't make too much noise. Lots of people piled the stuff on the roof and put a mattress in the back for the kids. It was a great way to go and most of us survived. [Seat belts were optional on all 1960 Chevrolets. - Dave] Car playgroundMy folks had a Ford wagon of that era. No seatbelts. Folks put a mattress in the back. Became our playground on long trips. We had no desire to "sit" in a seat. Miss station wagonsI miss station wagons. I prefer them to the SUVs that replaced them. I also miss the bold bright colors that cars use to come in. No SquattingLooking at all the stuff already loaded, I'm surprised the back of this wagon isn't dragging on the ground. In fact it's sitting pretty level. I wonder if dad had overload springs installed? We've had one built for you.To BillyB: Station wagon suspensions were designed with the idea that they would have to haul some combination of eight people and their luggage, so they did OK when loaded down. They *were* softer than contemporary pickup trucks, so the back end of the station wagon wouldn't bounce all over if there were only one or two people in it. Especially at the time of this photo, gas was 25 cents a gallon and would be that price forever, so the factory didn't mind spending a little extra weight on a beefier suspension. Also, most of the really heavy luggage went on the roof rack, which was fairly close to being in the middle of the wheelbase. The back-back, behind the rear seat, tended to contain lighter things, like blankets, pillows, the picnic basket, and - as the trip progressed - bags of souvenirs. If Dad wanted to use the inside rear-view mirror, you couldn't stack stuff much higher than the seats, anyway. Source: I rode in the back of a '79 Oldsmobile wagon every summer from '79 to '87. I think the longest trip we took in it was from Kansas City to Washington, DC and back. WagonsWe had a 1956 Ford wagon, then '61 Mercury wagon, finally a (I think) 1964 Ford wagon. I remember one year with the Mercury, my mom ran low on gas. We were up in the mountains in a resort town. To get to the gas station, she had to reverse up hills, turn around for the downhills, turn around again for going up the next hill. What a ride. Another time, 1965, we were in a typhoon in the current wagon. There were eleven of us in it. Another wild ride driving on a road along the bay. Waves washing over us, my mom hugging the middle of the road (there was an island we could not get across). Wagons were great. The 283 V-8with its 170 gross horsepower is not going to have much highway passing reserve with all that weight. Cross-flags over the V on the tailgate would have indicated one of several 348's which would have given more than enough reserve. That car is 58 years old but properly equipped could have kept pace with most cars on the road today in equal comfort. A 58 year old car in 1960 by comparison was barely even recognizable as such it was so rudimentary by comparison to the 1960 version in its looks and capabilities. The same comparisons held true in all other realms of life comparing 1960 to 1902--homes, conveniences, dress, you name it. Virtually any of those later areas are not that significantly different from their 1960 versions. Those deflectors... were supposed to keep dust off the back window Nikon CoolscanI am having a problem with mine. Can you recommend a place that can repair them. [There aren't any. Try buying them used on eBay. - Dave] 283 V8Although I agree that a 348 engine would have been a better choice for this station wagon. The 170hp 283 was the base V8 engine with just a single two barrel carburetor. The next option up was also a 283 but with a four barrel which the above wagon may have had, which would have given it a little more passing power. Koolscan softwareDave. What software program do you use with your 4000? As it seems the program that came with it is only works for Microsoft VISTA. [I use the NikonScan software that came with the scanner, on a Windows 10 workstation. To install the software on a modern operating system, you have to disable Driver Signature Enforcement. And it's Coolscan, with a C. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kodachromes 1, Travel & Vacation)
Super Giant: 1964
... Dimly lit with greenish fluorescent tubes, bare-bones interior decoration, and indeed a Brach's candy bin. My mom used Green ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/22/2008 - 6:35am -

1964. The Super Giant supermarket in Rockville, Maryland. Color transparency by John Dominis, Life magazine photo archive. View full size. Twins?Look at the two ladies above checkout #7 and #8. They could be twins .. at least sisters. I love this photo ... there is so much to see! Funny how the Clorox label has not changed. That's good branding! Plaid ElephantDidn't that fellow come from the Island of Misfit Toys? Nice to see him or her gainfully employed. Credit cards?Are them Credit Card Imprinters on the registers? I didn't think grocery stores took credit cards until the late 80's. [The imprinters would be for charge cards, which for gas stations, grocery stores and other retailers go back at least to the 1950s and the era of the Charga-Plate. Charge accounts go back even farther, to the early days of retailing. Below: Artwork from a 1966 newspaper ad. What goes back to the late 80s is using bank-issued credit cards as an everyday substitute for cash, as opposed to merchant charge accounts, which generally had to be paid in full at the end of the month. - Dave] How little has changedIt's funny how things haven't changed. some of the equipment looks antiquated, but the whole checkout process is still the same. Little detailsLook closely at the rack at the checkout. One thing that stands out for me is razor blades. Lots and lots of razor blades. Now you're lucky if you even find them buried in among the 3-, 5-, 19-blade razors. (Don't even look for a safety razor today. I've tried 10 different stores here, no luck.) Next, just above the Lane 5 sign is a Brach's candy bin. Looks like the good folks at Time-Life have photoshopped the LIFE logo onto the bin. Anyone back me up on this? [That's not "photoshopped." It says "As advertised in LIFE." Often seen on product displays back in the Olden Days. - Dave] GeeSure were a lot of Caucasians back in 1964. Paper or plastic?It was at a Giant supermarket in suburban Washington in 1983 that I was first asked by the cashier "paper or plastic?" At first I was confused, thinking that she was asking me whether I wanted to pay with paper money or a credit card.... Keep GoingOh my great good God. I've never wanted a picture to "keep going" more than this one! I wish they had invented 360 degree viewing back then. AMAZING!! The good old daysI worked in a grocery store similar to this. Same cash registers. Brings back a lot of memories. Life Sure Got CasualComparing the turn-of-the-century pictures with this one shows the remarkable change in American public attire. The fellow writing the check in the right foreground might have been arrested for public indecency in earlier Shorpy Land. Didn't see too many men in short pants in 1905 stores. Deja VuI'm amazed at the number of products which are still instantly recognizable today. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for those prices! Check out the checkoutI can only imagine how long it took to get through the checkout line in the days before bar code scanners. It looks like the cashiers had to consult that notepad they all have propped up against their registers. Random musingsThose elephants are, like, crazy! People were thinner back then. The Clorox label hasn't changed a bit. Curious that the checkout ladies visible are all men. It's too bad we can't see the tabloid racks at the checkout stands. I just know there's a juicy headline on the Enquirer. Wow!I work about two miles from Rockville. Does anyone know the address of this store? Is it still there. This site is unbelievable... The ViewWhat strikes me about this is no one in view is morbidly obese. Look at the kid...... eyeballing that open Brach's candy display. Those are almost unchanged from than till now. I wonder if he copped a "sample"? CheckersThe checkers, the ones shown at least, are all male. This was once a well paid and somewhat skilled job if only for the sharp memory and hand-eye coordination. The gaudy merchandising hasn't changed much in 44 years but the checkout experience? Well, what do you all think , better or worse? Convenient beer & wineAt least in the late 70s, Marylanders learned to spot Super Giants, because through some complicated shift of definition (like SUVs = trucks), these stores were not subject to the prohibition that grocery stores and convenience stores can't sell alcohol. Today Giant Food remains but Super Giants are gone, and it's no longer possible to buy wine with your packaged ground beef. Pre-UPCOne of the more striking things here is the checkout registers where the clerk actually had to read a stamped-on price and key it in manually (after consulting a list of what might have been on discounted sale that day). Within ten years many registers would have their displays as bright glowing fluorescent digits (later LED/LCD) vs these mechanical pop-up number tags. UPC scanning lasers wouldn't be common for another 10 years or so. Look at all the Men!I am not accustomed to seeing so much testosterone in a grocery store! Everything looks supersized, even the hairdos. It's kinda funny how high they stacked the displays, you'd need a ladder to get at some of it. LinesThe lines are still as long after the "wonderful" invention of Bar Codes, Scanners and Chip & PIN credit/debit cards. One step forward, two steps back. So much to see!Dave, would you mind enlarging this to about six feet high? I can't make out all the details! What is Loon?On one of the ends.... [The sign says LOOK. - Dave] Supermarket "Where's Waldo?"Not one of these people have bottled water in their cart and there's no gum or candy visible on the registers... Now, find the: box of Life cereal, the Cracker Jacks, the Domino sugar, the Raisin Bran, the grape jelly, the grape juice, the box of Cheer detergent, and the anxious store manager. Brach's CandiesThe display of the bulk candy bin appears to read "Advertised in Life." I wonder how many Life readers caught the subtle product placement. A refreshing lack of "expression"Nary a tattoo nor a facial piercing in sight. Where's Waldo?I think he's in Aisle 6. Very interesting photo! Brach's CandiesScary how 21 years later, I could have been the kid looking into the Brach's Bulk Candies bin... I totally forgot about those bins until this picture. People were slimmer back thenOther than the antiquated cash registers and the male cashiers, what has changed the most is that we are more obese now. I love this pictureSo rich. So much to keep the eye busy. Almost like a Where's Waldo cartoon. From the Plaid Elephants advertising "Top Value" something-or other, all the way down to the Quaker logo on a box of Rice Chex. And who's that woman in line in front of the chip rack? She has a BIG BUTT! (If anyone tells me that's my mother, then she's YOUR mother.) Charge-a-platesThey go back to at least the 40's -- I remember them well. It was metal and specially notched for each of the stores which accepted them and where you had a charge account. Current plastic models, good for almost anything, are great but far less secure. Modern LifeThe Life cereal box behind the Rice Chex is virtually unchanged! Not so inexpensiveMedian income of all families in 1964 was about $6600. For female full-time workers, the median income was $3700. Median income of nonwhite males was $2800. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/popscan/p60-047.pdf I'll bet they didn't think these prices were all that cheap. I do wonder what day of the week this photo was taken - I'll bet it was a Saturday. Get your slob on!I imagine that this was taken on a very hot day. No matter what the weather, though, imagine this same scene in 1934 or 1904 - you wouldn't see people out in public wearing undershirts and shorts. I wonder if there's a particular moment in time or series of events when it became OK to look "slobby" in public? No sagging pants or backwards baseball caps, anyway. I second the vote For blown up sections of this photograph, a lot of shelves I would like to explore. [Click "view full size." That's as blown up as it gets. - Dave] Checking outWhen I worked in grocery in the mid 1970's, with only slightly newer registers, the checkout time would be about the same as now. Good checkers could check and bag at about the same rate as now - the difference being that the checker had to pay attention and couldn't have conversations with their coworkers while checking. The notepads have the produce prices on them. Typically, you would remember those after the first few checkouts of the same produce item per day and not need to refer back very often. Remember that the range of produce available was less than today, both because of improved distribution and widening of tastes. The preferred checking technique is to pull the item off with the left hand, check the price, and enter the price into the register with the right hand. The register we had had plastic covers to cover the keys for anything past $9.99, since items of that price were pretty rare, since grocery stores sold groceries and not other items. In general, we had fewer stoppages for price checks than a modern system will because of missing items in their database. The grocery stocked fewer items back then. The flip side is that inventory management was a pain - we would manually order based on what was on the shelves and did a periodic total inventory to find the correct wastage values from spoilage and shoplifting. I much prefer the wider range of food and produce available today. And just think...This could be one of the few larger group Shorpy pictures where most of the folks are still alive. The cute girl in the cart would be my sister's age; the adults are mostly in the mid-late 20s to early 40s range, giving them ages from the high 60s to the mid 80s. The older kids would still only be in their fifties. Anyone from Rockville know these folks? Fantastic Photo!Even though it's far "younger" that most of the great photos that Shorpy features, it's one of the most fascinating you've ever put up here. I can't take my eyes off it. Do we know the address?My partner and I -- en route to Bob's Noodle House -- have wondered about the origins of a now-empty grocery store in Rockville, near "downtown." Perhaps this Super Giant? Certainly of this era. You can just make it out in the middle of this view -- between the bus shelter and the tree -- through the parking lots. [The Super Giant was at 12051 Rockville Pike and Randolph Road, where Montrose Crossing is today. See the next comment up. - Dave] View Larger Map Rockville Super GiantThe 25,000-square-foot Super Giant that's the subject of this post opened November 12, 1962, at 12051 Rockville Pike at Randolph Road, anchoring a 205,000-square-foot discount shopping center with 3,000-car parking lot (and a "Jolly Trolley" to get you from car to store). Today it's a "lifestyle center" called Montrose Crossing. Below: A long time ago, in a shopping center far, far away ... Wow. Just wow.I, too, worked in a grocery store in the late-70s when I was in high school. As earlier commented, apparently not a whole lot changed from when this picture was taken to then (well, except the hairstyles and clothes -- which changed a *lot*). I remember the registers well -- the columns of keys were dedicated to 10's, 1's, 10 cents, 1 cent. The large palm-contoured key to the right would "enter" in the decimal digits. Lots of noise and moving parts. A good cashier could move the goods along the conveyor belt as quickly as the scanners of today. The rapid spinning of numbers on the register display was mesmerizing. The one big holdup was the dreaded "price check" if a stocker had to be summoned -- but more often the checker already had the price memorized (good thing too, since price label "swapping" was a problem). I stocked shelves using the incredibly complicated but efficient label gun used to print and affix the prices to the products. As a stocker you had a large holster that held this amazing device. The more I think about it, things have not changed that much. We still have lines, conveyor belts, "separators," shopping carts, impulse displays, checkers, baggers, stockers, butchers, and produce guys (the latter two being union jobs). At least until the self checkout and then later RFID based systems (you just walk out of the store with the goods and the store will automatically figure this out and bill your card). Top Value StampsMy mother collected those, they were also used at Kroger's in the Middle South. What surprises me is that there are no cigarette racks at the checkouts. When I was a kid, every grocery store had the cigarette packs in racks right at the checkouts, with a sign screaming "Buy A Pack Today!" Maybe it was a Maryland thing. I also remember drugstores and groceries where cigarettes were sold only in the pharmacies. Go figure. More of these pleaseI add my request for more photos like this of just ordinary life from the '50s & '60s. Sure brings back memories of simpler and I think happier times. When I was a kid I used to imagine how marvelous life would be fifty years hence in the 21st century. Well I'm there now -- and I'd like to go back to the 1950s please. [And you can, thanks to the magic of the Inter-nets! I wonder when we'll have those TVs you can hang on the wall like a painting. And Picture-Phones. Can't wait. - Dave] Mama can I have a penny?You know what would be right next to the electric doors (and that big rubber mat you had to step on to make them open) -- a row of gumball machines! Whatever happened to those? I loved just looking at them. Those glass globes, all those colorful gumballs. Sigh. RealityThats a highly posed photo. Everyone in the photo would have had to sign a model release for this to be published in Life. It is "possible" that the people where chosen for their looks. [I've worked in publishing for over 20 years. You wouldn't need a release for any picture taken in a public place, and certainly not for a crowd or group shot. Actually you don't need releases at all. Some publishers may have looked at them as insurance against lawsuits for invasion of privacy. Probably most didn't bother. As for "posed," I doubt it. - Dave] Blue StampsWhile I miss the concept of Blue Stamps or trading stamps, I get points from my store and they send me a check each quarter to use in the store. I have one premium my parents redeemed from a trading stamp program - a really hideous waterfront print which they had in their home until they divorced. I claimed it from my father and it's hung in the laundry room of every house I've ever lived in since I moved on my own. I remember the old way grocery stores were laid out, and I was always fascinated by the registers. Link: Whatever Happened to Green Stamps? [Down where I come from we had S&H Green Stamps -- Sperry and Hutchinson. And "redemption centers" chock-full of cheesy merchandise. Or you could get cash. When I was in college I chose cash. My fingers would be all green (and minty) from sticking wet stamps in the redemption books. - Dave] Lived next to one just like it in VirginiaThis is just like the Super Giant on South Glebe Road in Arlington, close by where my family was living in 1964. It's where my mother shopped and I loved to accompany her and browse around. You could buy anything from a live lobster to a coat, and just like the Rockville store, it was 20 minutes from downtown Washington. Deja vuMy supermarket experience goes back about 10 years before this one . . . but what a photo! We had women cashiers, and man, were they fast. I was a stock clerk and bagger, and had to move fast to get the groceries in those brown paper bags (no plastic). I also had to wear a white shirt and bow tie. Naturally, we took the groceries to the car for customers and put them in the car or trunk, wherever asked. That was known as customer service. We, too, gave S & H green stamps, although Top Value stamps were available a number of places. Price checkerMy father was a lifelong grocery man, making a cycle from clerk to manager to owner and finally back to clerking in the 1950s until he retired in 1966. He took pride in doing his job well, whatever it was. Each night, sitting in his green leather chair, he'd read our two newspapers, one local and one city, end to end. One night I noticed that he'd paused for quite some time at the full-page weekly ad for the market he worked at and I asked him why. He was memorizing the prices of the specials starting the next day. Brach's candy displayThe shot of the boy near the candy display reminds me of a time back in the very early 1960s where I did help myself to a piece or two. I looked up, saw an employee looking at me and boy, I was scared to death he would tell my parents. Also, with the evolution in scanning and so forth, it brought to an end, more or less, of checking the receipt tape against the stamped prices for mistakes the checker made. Checking ReceiptsI worked in a store just like this while in high school in the early '70s. The main difference I've noticed is that Sunday is a major shopping day now. Our store was open on Sunday, because the crosstown rival was open. We (and they) didn't do enough business to pay for the lights being on. Two people ran the store on Sundays - a checker and a stocker/bagboy. And we didn't have much to do. All we ever saw was people picking up a single item or picnic supplies. How times have changed. Now we check the receipt for mistakes made in shelf pricing. Did I get charged the sale price or not? [So after your groceries are rung up, you go back down the aisles checking the receipt against the shelf prices? Or you make note of the shelf prices while you're shopping? That's what I call diligent. - Dave] Stamp dispensersWhen I was a kid back in the late sixties, there were stamp dispenser next to each cash register, with a dial a lot like a telephone dial that would spew stamps as the cashier turned it. I'm surprised they don't have a similar thing in this store. [The grocery store we went to had an electric thingy that spit them out. Which looked a lot like the brown boxes shown in the photo. - Dave] Checking ReceiptsWe don't check every price - just the sale prices which are listed in the weekly ad, available at the front of the store. Sometimes the ad price doesn't get properly entered into the computer, so I pay attention, especially if it's a significant savings. Relative CostsMy mother kept note of her grocery bills for 40 years -- and in 1962 complained that it cost $12 a week to feed a family of four. Considering that my dad's salary was $75 a week, that was indeed a lot of money. We used to save Green Stamps, Plaid Stamps, and cigar bands for giveaways in the store. [That's a good point. I had to chuckle when I noticed that the most these registers could ring up is $99.99. - Dave] Amazing how pictures take you backThis is what grocery stores looked like when I was a wee lass in the '70's. This could have been our local A&P, except the freezer cases would have been brown instead of white. And I bet if you checked the ingredients on the packages those thin people are buying, you wouldn't see corn syrup as a top-ten ingredient of non-dessert items. A & PSee the short story by John Updike for the perfect literary pairing to this photo. Well, in my opinion anyways; it's the first thing that came to mind upon seeing it. I Remember Those Elephants!My great-grandma lived in Rockville at that time and I remember those elephants!! What a floodgate of memories just opened up! Thanks again, Dave! [Now we know why memory and elephants go together. - Dave] Making ChangeAs those cash registers (most likely) didn't display the change due, the cashiers actually had to know how to make change. [Cash registers waaay back in 1964 (and before) did indeed show change due. And sometimes were even connected to a change-maker that spit your coins into a little tray. - Dave] Brown paper packages tied up with stringThis is such an amazing photo -- I love it! As someone who was still 12 years away from being born when this photo was taken, I'm not familiar with the old customs. What kind of items would have been wrapped up in brown paper like the woman in line at register 7 has? It looks like a big box, so that ruled out meats or feminine products in my mind ...any ideas? [It's probably her laundry. - Dave] White MarketsIn Knoxville we had groceries called White Stores that looked like most any other grocery of the late 70's, early 80's: Dimly lit with greenish fluorescent tubes, bare-bones interior decoration, and indeed a Brach's candy bin. My mom used Green Stamps for years. It took eons to fill a book. At the White Stores you could "buy" various pieces of merchandise. She got a floor lamp one year and a set of Corning Ware the next. It seems like over the last 5-10 years, they've made grocery stores all upscale looking. Almost makes you feel like you're getting ripped off. Warehouse LookSay goodbye to this timeless shot and hello to the warehouse stylings of the local Costco. Grocery stores have been jazzing up their interiors hoping to attract and keep customers. It's not working. When I go to one, they are far less busy than even in the recent past. They have cut the payrolls down significantly here in San Diego due to losing profit to the warehouses. Consequently, the help is far less competent, far younger, far less helpful, and far below the wage scales of the wonderful veterans they cannot really replace. We need some grocery stores for certain smallish items that the warehouse giants will never carry. But they will dwindle down to a very precious few, and do it soon. Of course, this grandiose Super Giant displaced their mom-and-pop competitors. Same tune, different singers. Multi-tasking fingers>> the columns of keys were dedicated to 10's, 1's, 10 cents, 1 cent. And a really good clerk would be pressing at least two keys at a time, which modern keypads can't do. Pure gold.What could lure me from my busy, lurk-only status? Only this amazing photo! Wow. Just wow. And not a cell phone in sight... Pre-Obesity EpidemicAnd look. No great big fat people. Sure, there a couple of middle-agers spreading out here & there, but you know the ones I mean. Smaller aisles and carts!Because people are much bigger these days, everything else is too! I remember shopping with my mom and for the big holidays and having to use more than one cart. Super GiantThe Super Giant was in the shopping center that now has a Sports Authority, Old Navy and a much smaller Giant. Super Giant was similar to what you would find at WalMart now -- part department store, part grocery store. I grew up in Rockville and we used to shop there all the time, until they closed that is. Guess the world wasn't ready for that combination. I could be in that picture, but I'd be too young to walk. GurskyesqueThis reminds me of Andreas Gursky's photo "99 Cent" -- it could almost have been taken in the same place. Fiberglass tubs on conveyor belts.Great picture & website. I remember them bagging your groceries, putting them in fiberglass tubs, and giving you a placard with a 3 digit number on it. The tub would go on a conveyor belt to the outside of the store, you'd drive up, and they'd take your placard and load your groceries. Wonder if there are any pictures of those... Proto-WalmartThis store was huge and it was quite unique in the same model as today's Walmart with groceries, clothing, etc. It is odd that the concept did not survive in that era considering the success of Walmart today. Personally, as a kid, I didn't like it when my mom got clothes for me from there. They were the off-brands. I also remember the GEM membership store which was in the current Mid-Pike Plaza on the opposing SW corner, which was a precursor to Price Club except that it didn't have groceries. I Remember It WellI grew up in Rockville, MD and was in this store many times. It was a full "one stop" department store with a grocery store attached. I loved going there with my mother because while she was grocery shopping I could make my way to the toy department. Kid nirvana! I might have been there!Oh do I remember that! My family lived in Rockville until 1965, and my mother usually took me along. After moving, we'd go to the Rockville Super Giant only if we needed to stop at the department store side. The beige boxes that you see at Checkouts 6 and 7 were the Top Value Stamp dispensers. (The man in the T-shirt is signing a check on top of one.) They automatically spit out the right amount of those yellow stamps. We bought quite a few things with Top Value Stamps, including a well-built Westinghouse room dehumidifier. The Giant Food at Friendship Heights had a conveyor belt but this store did not. This one had so much land, there was a huge sidewalk area out front where you could bring your carts -- but not to the car. Instead there were pairs of plastic cards, one with a hook for the cart, one with a hole. They had a three digit number, and the note "NO TIPPING". Took me a while to understand that wasn't about tipping over the carts. When you pulled up, an employee (probably young) put the bags in your car for you. Speaking of brand names, I can see the stacks of Mueller's spaghetti in Aisle 6. It's the brand we ate then. (Now I know Farina flour has no business in pasta!) The meat department is along the wall at the left. Deli and seafood were at the far back corner. There were a pair of "Pick a Pickle" barrels in front of the deli counter. One Dill, one Half-Sour. Good pickles, and great fish. The fish department has always been a source of pride for Giant. Of course this was back when a flounder was over a foot long, not these six-inch midgets we get today. All the fish were whole on ice, only gutted, and they scraped the scales, and cut or filleted the fish to your order. The produce department starts behind the Brach's counter, and extends out the photo to the left. There were one or two manned scales there, where they would weigh your brown paper bag of produce, mark the price with a grease pencil, and staple it shut. If it was something tender like cherries, they would put "XX" on it, so that it would be correctly bagged. So the checkers only needed to know the prices of "piece" produce. There was a "post mix" soda machine at the end of Aisle 12, 13, or 14, which would mix syrup and soda water into a cup. I'd often get a Coke. Probably 5 cents. I remember getting Mercury dimes as change from that machine -- this photo is from the last year of silver dimes and quarters. (Serious inflation was kicking in to pay for the Vietnam War.) Cigarettes? Where were they? I should know, my mom smoked then. They were only in cartons, they were so dirt-cheap that nobody bought them by the pack, except in vending machines. They certainly didn't need to be kept "out of the reach of children" then. They were in a six-foot set of shelves somewhere. I suppose I had no taste in clothing at the time, as most of my clothes came from there. Well, let's be honest -- they were much nicer and more stylish than clothes at Sears. (Oh, those horrible Sears Toughskin jeans with the rubber inside the knees!) The department store side, which started to the right of the checkouts, was easily twice the size of what you see here. It had a lot of selection, and lots of good specialty counters. There was a photo counter at the front of the store (pretty much under the photographer, who was up in the balcony where the restrooms were). They sold things at fair prices, and gave good and honest sales help. There was a hobby counter in the far back right corner. Speaking of the restrooms, they had seats that automatically flipped up into the back of the toilet, with UV lights to "sanitize" them. Spooky. The current Giant Food store at that site, which my friends call the "Gucci Giant," is on the former department store side. When they first shut down the three Super Giant department stores, they left the grocery store were it was. I think about the time that White Flint Mall started "upscaling" Rockville Pike, they built a much fancier store on the old department store side. Compared to now, Rockville Pike was very working class, very blue collar. Congressional Plaza (on the site of the former Congressional Airport) had a JC Penney as the anchor, and a Giant Food. Near the Super Giant was an EJ Korvettes, now the site of G Street Decorator Fabrics. A little off Rockville Pike was GEM -- Government Employees Membership. These were the days when "Fair Trade" pricing (price fixing) was still legal, and enforceable everywhere but the District of Columbia. But GEM, being a "membership" store, could discount, so that's where you bought Fair Trade products like Farberware at a discount. Of course, GEM had to compete with discount stores in the District, which Congress had conveniently exempted from the Fair Trade Act, so they could shop cheaply. Scan itI enjoyed coming back to this photo for new comments -- I had one before, but long before the new post. I live not far from Troy, Ohio, where the local newspaper just had an article about the bar code scanner. The very first item scanned -- anywhere -- was at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, in 1974. Troy is less then 30 miles north of Dayton, where NCR developed the scanner. The Marsh store is still there, but NCR is leaving. King Soopers, 1960I work for a division of Kroger called King Soopers in Colorado. My store, which opened in February 1960, has a lot in common with this one. They have tried to modernize it but you can still see the old store showing through in places. Great photo. Bagger NostalgiaRegrettably, the baggers are out of view to the right. My greatest nostalgia for supermarkets past concerns the bag boys, practitioners of a high art. They took pride in how compactly they could pack your groceries with attention to putting the fragile items on top -- not to mention that they all tried to outdo each other in speed. Bagger Nostalgia...Part DeuxWhen I was a kid (1950s) I used to go with my father to the grocery (Kroger's) on Saturday morning. I always helped bag the groceries, especially if they were short handed, and he would always remind me of his bagging rule: "Don't even think about putting the meat next to the soap or even in the same bag." In the 50s as I remember it the majority of the cashiers were women and that was their only job at the store. I notice that even as early as the 60s they had the security screens next to the cash register to keep unwanted fingers out of the till form the adjacent aisle. I also remember making the family excursion to the Top Value redemption store to select the "FREE" gift that the household needed when we had sufficient stamp books filled. The other Super GiantThe third Super Giant is in White Oak. They took the "Super" off ages ago, but it is all still there. Mostly we went to the one in Laurel, which still retains its huge circa-1960 sign in the parking lot. Around 1980 it ate the old Kresge store next door, but by that time the department store features of the biggest stores were mostly gone. It's kind of funny -- the mall they built just south of the shopping center almost killed the latter, but now the shopping center is very busy and the mall may well be torn down. Memories from the early '60sMy mom worked at Chestnut Lodge and would often stop by the Super Giant on Rockville Pike on her way home to shop for groceries -- and clothes for me! I was much too young to be brand- or fashion-conscious and I remember loving the little cotton A-line dresses that Mom would bring home. We lived in the District and a big thrill for me would be to drive up to Rockville with my parents on the weekends and shop at the Super Giant and Korvettes! Crossing the PotomacThe hype of Super Giant was enough to entice these Northern Virginians into crossing The Potomac River into Maryland. The commute is commonplace today but not so much in 1964. We had not seen anything like it. Racks & racks of mass produced clothing and groceries, too! Grandmother bought the same suit in 3 different sizes. She and my mother got their money's worth. I was 13. It never left my closet. The NoiseThe old registers were so noisy. No screens to check what was going on, just quick eye movement to try and keep track. Ahh...back in the day when every item had a price on it. Ohhhh yeah and is that Blake Shelton?I spent many weekends at this gigantic store on Rockville Pike. I think I even bought a prom dress here....is that possible? I very clearly remember going up to the glassed in observation balcony on the second floor, which gave an overall view of the store (as this photo shows). That way I could scan the aisles in order to see where my Dad was at any given moment. I love this photo, and HEY isn't that a time-traveling Blake Shelton a little left of the center wearing a white short-sleeved shirt?? (LIFE, Stores & Markets)
Turkish Trophies: 1910
... in The Architectural Review included exterior and interior photographs, plus floor plans . Here is the basement . ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/02/2022 - 5:58pm -

Detroit circa 1910. "Campus Martius -- Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Elks Monument and Wayne County Building." Far right, the Hotel Pontchartrain. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Ferry talesWow! - wethinks - wouldn't it be swell if the truly ginormous D.M. Ferry warehouse was still around ?? Well we're (sort of) in luck: it (sort of) is. The "sort of" part being, sadly, that the westernmost building in the complex (above) - the back of which we see in the main picture, isn't the part that's still around. Oh deerI can find the Soldiers and Sailors monument on googmaps, but looks like the arch thing with Bambi's mom and dad on top is no longer with us? Comparing 1910 to 2022, seems like I always prefer the old to the new. So much more lively and real. Dyslexia Hotel Usually Shorpy hotels burn. But here, we have the Burns Hotel. Hello, Dolly?This looks a lot like the still photo that opens the film version of Hello, Dolly. Is it? [That was New York on a Hollywood backlot -- a still that morphs into live action. - Dave] Interurban StreetcarAt the bottom right is an interurban streetcar that would have travelled to any number of Michigan locations, and even Toledo, Ohio. The interurban system was extensive, covering over 500 miles of track. This car looked quite deluxe compared to the city cars -- in railway car style, it even has an open rear platform. Hotel PontchartrainThere are better photographs of the Hotel Pontchartrain. But I'm taking this opportunity to share what I found. There was a good article with photographs in the January 1908 Architects' and Builders' Magazine, when the Pontchartrain was new. The architect, George D. Mason described the mechanics, features, and decor of the hotel. He wrote the hotel was designed anticipating four stories might be added later. In April 1908, an ad said rates were $2 per day and up. In 1913 five stories were added, and a review in The Architectural Review included exterior and interior photographs, plus floor plans. Here is the basement. Arch RivalThe arch was a temporary build celebrating the 1910 convention of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The inscription is the Elks' motto: "The fault of our brothers we write upon the sand. Their virtues upon tablets of love and memory." There was another, larger arch at the other end of downtown; the Elks must have brought a lot of business. Rajah CoffeeOkay, let’s do the math: 23 cents per pound, or two and a quarter pounds for 50 cents, which is 22.22 cents per pound. Which is such a bargain? You've got a long way to go yet babyAlthough it would be another 19 years or so before the Edward Bernays ‘Torches of Freedom’ campaign kicked in, it appears as if some of the tobacco companies had already taken such initiatives as early as 1910, if not earlier. True, the Turkish Trophies cigarette billboard does not show the woman actually smoking, but in my mind the connection is clear. (Panoramas, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
L.A. Over D.C.: 1931
... These were later drawn into the hangar constructed on the interior of the airship." 4x5 inch nitrate negative by Theodor Horydczak. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/26/2023 - 1:19pm -

        UPDATE: The aviation experts among us aver that the photo shows the USS Los Angeles, not the Akron. In which case the date would be November 2, 1931, when both airships overflew the capital. August 19, 1932. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. "The Navy airship Akron appeared in the morning and after circling the city released several of her small fighting airplanes over Hoover Field. These were later drawn into the hangar constructed on the interior of the airship." 4x5 inch nitrate negative by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. Non-flammable, but deadly nonethelessAll Most of the Navy's airships came to tragic ends (the Los Angeles was the only one to make it to retirement). The Akron's death toll of 73 -- coincidentally the same as the number of flights it had performed -- was the worst of the lot. Flying aircraft carriersIt seems incredible now, but in the early 1930s the Navy experimented with launching and retrieving fighter planes from airships like the Akron. The photo below, taken three months before Horydczak's, shows a Sparrowhawk fighter suspended from the "trapeze" of the Akron. The pilot can be seen reaching to check the wing attachment that will allow the plane to be dropped safely into the air. The program died after two fatal accidents, both caused by weather. Almost MemorialThe top of that memorial looks like a pathetic "hurry up and finish it" to an otherwise very nice building. Sad and deadly endingThe USS Akron was destroyed in a thunderstorm off the coast of New Jersey on the morning of April 4, 1933, killing 73 of the 76 crewmen and passengers. The accident involved the greatest loss of life in any airship crash. I'm doubly impressedFirst, that F9C Sparrowhawk fighter planes could be released from the airship. Even more, that the Sparrowhawks could return to the airship. USS Los Angeles!The Akron was a great ship, however this is the USS Los Angeles built by Zeppelin in 1923. This is the ZR-3 USS Los Angeles, not ZR-4 USS AkronUSS Akron's engines were in a single line along the lower half of the hull, where USS Los Angeles had 5 engine pods (4 staggered on the hull and one on the bottom). The airship in the photograph is ZR-3 USS Los Angeles. I don't think that's the AkronLooks like the Los Angeles, but not the Akron or Macon. The engine pods give it away. Engines on the Akron and Macon were internal with drive shafts out to the props. Wrong AirshipThat's the Los Angeles (ZR-3), not the Akron. Comparing photos of the two make that obvious. The Akron may have been in the same area at the time but it's not in this picture. [The Akron and Los Angeles overflew Washington on November 2, 1931. However the Library of Congress photo caption (which is not dated) says it's the Akron. - Dave] Dirigibles were grossly overrated. Yes, that's the Los Angeles. The Akron hat four vertical lines on its skin from the condensers which were used to recoup water from the exhausts so they would not have to vent ever so much scarce and expensive helium. As for being overrated, just look how they all fared. Imperial German airships - way more than half lost to accidents, bad weather and enemy action. Well, they make one hell of a big target. LZ 32 even had the distinction to be shot down by a submarine. Of the six post WW1 zeppelins actually built two were lost and three of the rest hardy flew at all. The Brits were not doing much better. And had their own notorious command economy showcase with R101. The US had five of them (arguably some to the finer ones, especially the domestically built) - and lost four. Just look how often somebody comes up trying to resuscitate them - and not getting anywhere. IMHO a clear case of "mine's bigger than yours". Blimps on the other hand are a different matter. [Blimps are dirigibles. Dirigible means directable, i.e. steerable. - Dave] (The Gallery, Aviation, D.C., Theodor Horydczak, Zeppelins & Blimps)
Old Colony Trust: 1913
... three years old when the 1913 photograph was taken. The interior was not complicated . I do not know what all different purposes it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/19/2022 - 11:48am -

Boston, 1913. "Old Colony Trust Company, main office, Court Street at Court Square." With on-street parking for ice wagons. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. These Buildings EndureLikewise, the Old State House, just out of the photo at right. But the neighborhood is now dominated by steel and glass towers. Recent renovations to this buildingThis has been the New England Center for Homeless Veterans for a long time. A few years ago they did a beautiful job replicating the awning you see in the LOC photo. It had been simplified in the '60s style at some point, but now it's very appropriate for the building. 17 Court Street, BostonBoth building and trust have been through some changes. The Old Colony Trust Company was founded in 1890. * In 1910 it merged with the City Trust Company in Boston, forming the second largest trust company in the United States, with capital of $2.5 million, surplus of $10 million, and deposits totaling nearly $70 million. * In 1929 it merged with First National Bank of Boston, creating largest private bank in New England. * On January 4, 1971 it became inactive, and Fleet National Bank was the successor bank. On the same day it was merged into and subsequently operated as part of The First National Bank of Boston. Very possibly Fleet took part of the portfolio or operation and sold the bulk to Boston. * In 2005 it was merged into and subsequently operated as part of Bank of America. From what I can tell, all these mergers were voluntary and not the result of financial distress. The building was only three years old when the 1913 photograph was taken. The interior was not complicated. I do not know what all different purposes it has served. Today it houses the New England Center and Home for Veterans. Ames BuildingBoth of these buildings still stand, almost 110 years later. An earlier poster is correct: the Old Colony Trust Building is now a homeless shelter for veterans. The building to its right is the Ames Building, erected in the 1890's, and the tallest building in Boston at the time, until the Custom House Tower was constructed some years later. It was converted to a hotel about 15(?) years ago, but was recently sold to Suffolk University, whose campus is now scattered around downtown Boston. It will serve as dormitory space for Suffolk students, who have had a long-standing issue with affordable residential space in the very pricey Boston real estate market. Very handsome building. Learn Something Every DayThe tall building next door is the historic 1893 Ames Building, Boston's first "skyscraper" and the second tallest masonry load bearing-wall structure in the world. It's gone from boutique hotel to Suffolk University dormitory now. Screwy-scapeHere's hoping the building next door was never set ablaze -- imagine the inhabitants reeling and retching as they rotate down that spiral fire escape! And thanks to Doug for supplying the construction date of The World's Oldest-Looking Three-Year-Old Building. TimelineNot sure about ownership of 17 Court Street, but the years don't match up with the bank names. Prior to 1982, Fleet was Industrial National Bank which has a long history in my native Rhode Island going back to 1791. My parents worked for INBank (as it was known) in the late 50's/early 60's. The First National Bank of Boston became Bank of Boston in 1982, then BankBoston in 1996 after merging with BayBank. BankBoston then merged with Fleet in 1999, and then Fleet merged with Bank of America in 2004. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC)
Bon Voyage: 1903
... She Lives On After being scrapped in 1914, parts of her interior were sold off, with the skylight of the first-class dining room ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/08/2023 - 8:33pm -

New York, 1903. "R.M.S. Majestic -- outward bound farewells." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. O Captain! My Captain!Commanded at this time by Edward Smith, who served as captain from 1895 to 1904. In 1904, White Star started assigning Smith as captain on their newest (and largest) ships as they were launched: the Baltic in 1904, the Adriatic in 1907, the Olympic in 1911, and of course, the Titanic in 1912. The Majestic snaps backOn the upper deck an officer, in white, is snapping a photo of the crowd bidding the Majestic bon voyage. On the deck below him there are only working-class men who, to me, look more like crew members you don't normally see during the voyage than third-class passengers. Click to embiggen: She Lives OnAfter being scrapped in 1914, parts of her interior were sold off, with the skylight of the first-class dining room eventually ending up at the Smithsonian Institution. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1342683 The handsome tug shown wresting the behemoth Majestic from its wharf is the R.J. Barrett, built 1893 at Athens, New York, by Peter Magee for E.E. Barrett & Company, a prominent New York harbor towing firm founded by the father of Captain Richard J. Barrett, the vessel's namesake, Hoboken resident, and then the firm's head. For its time the Barrett was a large and powerful ship handling tug with a single cylinder steam engine and a firebox boiler, all of which it would retain its entire life. If the year is 1903, the location is Pier 48. The Barrett had a remarkably long life for a wooden tug, operating for Barrett until 1943 when sold to the Mathiesen Shipping Company of another well known New York tug family, renamed Mathiesen. The end came in 1947 when the Mathiesen was abandoned, probably at the graveyard of tugs at the east end of Arthur Kill. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)
A Crocker Christmas: 1925
... office tower above it, which was removed in 1983. The interior has a carved marble staircase along with more marble benches and ... Glenn Ford and Lee Remick. Some pictures of the interior . Dear Santa Instead of toys, could you please bring me ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2015 - 11:12am -

        Before getting to all those department stores, Santa has to hit the bank. Leave your checkbook at home, but bring the kids! December 1925. "Christmas tree and Santa Claus at Crocker National Bank, Post & Montgomery Streets, San Francisco." 8x10 nitrate negative, formerly of the Wyland Stanley and Marilyn Blaisdell collections. View full size. Now Wells FargoThe Crocker National Bank building, designed by Willis Polk (1867-1924), used to have an 11-story office tower above it, which was removed in 1983. The interior has a carved marble staircase along with more marble benches and counters. It was used as the location for the 1962 film "Experiment in Terror" starring Glenn Ford and Lee Remick. Some pictures of the interior. Dear SantaInstead of toys, could you please bring me another sailor suit? Tour de forceWhat a challenge! Herd every one into a cohesive group, get their attention and fire off the flash powder for a technically outstanding exposure. Those commercial photographers of the early twentieth century leave me in awe. And kudos to Dave for the scan and final result here. FacesSo, one happy face near the tree looking left. A series of shocked open mouths on the lower right. A man looking at a woman doing a face-palm over on the right about half way up. What did that photographer say? What did he do? HumbugAssuming that this bank is named for the same Crocker who built the eponymous Crocker spite fence on Nob Hill, I’d like to offer its malevolent memory on balance to the Christmas cheer his descendants seem to be spreading here (and who, I believe, maintained the fence after his passing). Happy Holidays! Hats OffNot a gentleman wearing a hat indoors, and that's the way it was - (back then). Big BangIt must have been a really big bang! "Where's the bar?"The look on the men's faces totally says" Gawd I need a drink" (The Gallery, Christmas, Kids, San Francisco, W. Stanley)
Immigrant Children Meet Santa
... Kodachrome slides, here is an exterior view and an interior view of the Ford Rotunda. Santa wouldn't be making his 1955 ... in front of the 1956 Ford Fairlane Station Wagon in the interior shot reads, "MICHIGAN leads the nation in the number of state parks ... 
 
Posted by UpNorthBob - 07/27/2012 - 9:36pm -

Even though my cousin Kathy gave this photo the title "Immigrant children meet Santa for the first time," we were not immigrants, even though it looks like we had just escaped war-torn Warsaw. And we had met Santa many times, despite brother Billy's concerned expression. Taken in 1959 at the Ford Rotunda, Detroit, MI. View full size. Bucky Fuller and the RotundaMany a home in the tri-county area have photos with Santa at the Rotunda. I never got to see it; it burned down when I was a toddler, although my parents told me it was fantastic. Small consolation to a kid. Ford Rotunda in KodachromeFrom my collection of old Kodachrome slides, here is an exterior view and an interior view of the Ford Rotunda. Santa wouldn't be making his 1955 appearance at the Rotunda for another 5 months. The sign in front of the 1956 Ford Fairlane Station Wagon in the interior shot reads, "MICHIGAN leads the nation in the number of state parks and prepared campsites available to the public!" Twilight ZoneLooks like Art Carney's portrayal of Santa in The Night of the Meek from the Zone. Remembering that day.It's funny that I remember that day so well. I remember that the LAST place I wanted to be was at the Ford Rotunda Christmas display. I wanted to be home, because the Harlem Globetrotters were going to be on ABC's Wide World of Sports that day, and I wanted to watch. Sadly, we returned home just as the program was ending. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Monticello: 1916
... used as a study by Jefferson's son-in-law. A view of the interior . Slave Quarters? Or a kitchen perhaps? [The slave ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 10:27am -

Albemarle County, Virginia, circa 1916. "Outbuilding, Monticello. Estate of Thomas Jefferson." This is the North Pavilion, the last building constructed at Monticello. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Honeymoon cottageIsn't this the structure in which Jefferson and Martha spent their honeymoon?? [You're thinking of the South Pavilion. - Dave] North PavilionThe North Pavilion was used as a study by Jefferson's son-in-law. A view of the interior. Slave Quarters?Or a kitchen perhaps? [The slave quarters were mostly wood cabins. This was the North Pavilion, the last building constructed at Monticello. - Dave] Nice view! who's the Lady?Ar first I thought it was a caped crusader of the 17th century, but wondering who the woman by the tree enjoying the view might be...? Pre-restorationThis scene is a lot closer to the way it would have been for Jefferson than now, that's for certain. The North PavilionActually, the North Pavilion is more now the way it would have been than in the early 1900s. The estate was then owned by Jefferson Monroe Levy. The Levys had owned the estate for 70 years at that point and had taken very good care of it, all things considered. However, at that point the L-shaped North Terrace from the main house had fallen away. The steps and the door shown here were added to accommodate this, but they weren't there in Jefferson's day. (The Gallery, Harris + Ewing)
30 Rock: 1933
... the 1933 photo. Lots more buildings now. I was doing an interior architectural shoot, and went out on the terrace of a wedding-cake ... 
 
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)
Iowa City in the Snow: 1940
... and Sweet Shop in Iowa Falls. It's an incredible piece of interior design on the main street in Iowa Falls. Didn't find any good pics of the current interior, but here is a short page about the Iowa Falls location. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:35pm -

February 1940. The main street in Iowa City during a snowstorm. View full size. Businesses in this view include Bremer's, the Capitol Cafe and Princess No. 2. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. CoolnessI love the "Air Conditioned" sign on the front of the Capitol Cafe, I bet that drew customers in on a cold winter day in Iowa. Also, what's that hanging from the bike's handlebars? Some kind of tail ornament? Cool! Same block as the last one?This looks like the same block of E. Washington as the last Iowa City picture. Not my picture, and not quite the same angle, but it looks like the Capitol Cafe building is in the middle of this shot. Bicycles, white shirts and tiesCome to Utah, we have *plenty* of those. They'll come to your door and talk about Jesus! That said, I really liked this picture. Snow makes me happy! More IC winterThat photo is wonderful! The UI Libraries are featuring a digital collection of similar early 20th century winter scenes: http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/winter IC WinterThank you for posting these photos. I love looking at the past through photos. I'm not from Iowa, Newfoundland Canada actually. Also a car buff, and this picture has it all. When was the last time you saw a boy riding a bicycle in a snowstorm with a white shirt and necktie? Capitol Cafe, Iowa CityHere is a 1938 photo of the inside of the Capitol Cafe. Princess Sweet Shop?I'm guessing the Princess 2 is a sister shop to the Princess Cafe and Sweet Shop in Iowa Falls. It's an incredible piece of interior design on the main street in Iowa Falls. Didn't find any good pics of the current interior, but here is a short page about the Iowa Falls location. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/hardin/pri.htm Capitol CafeHere is the corrected photo of the inside of the Capitol Cafe --> Click on the thumbnail for big image version. "This picture has it all"Yes, not to mention the clock that tells us what time it is, and a nice reflection of the bicycle on the side of that shiny sedan. Shorpy is a time travel machine. +83Below is the same view from May of 2023. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Bicycles, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
Little England: 1935
... Places. The current owners did wonderful things to the interior a couple of years ago. (The Gallery, Cats, F.B. Johnston) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/02/2018 - 9:33am -

1935. "Little England, Bena vicinity, Gloucester County, Virginia." 8x10 inch acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. Spectacular renovationThis historic place apparently has been incredibly restored and is in private hands. A 2016 story in Coastal Virginia Magazine shows the beautiful interiors: http://www.coastalvirginiamag.com/April-2016/Little-England-Plantation/ Looking better nowLittle England is located at 8075 Little England Road in Hayes, Virginia, across the York River from Yorktown. It was built in 1716, reputedly from plans drawn by Christopher Wren. The Georgian house was restored about 4 years after this 1935 photo was taken. With an addition in 1954, it now has 27 rooms including 15 bedrooms, with 10 full and 2 half baths. A pool has been added. Land is more than 58 acres. Still there, lookin' good!https://www.littleenglandfarm.com/farm/ Still There Impressive restoration, minus the old front door and porch add-on is gone. One thing you could see in the old photo is the fantastic brick laying of a quality build. https://www.littleenglandfarm.com/farm/ QaaaaatIt must really be a home; there is one. The house was restored a few years later, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The current owners did wonderful things to the interior a couple of years ago. (The Gallery, Cats, F.B. Johnston)
My Dear Mr. President: 1939
...       Production of the U.S. Department of Interior's radio play My Dear Mr. President, broadcast on Jan. 8, 1939, the subject of which was the Interior Secretary's annual report to the President. January 1939. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/05/2015 - 11:32am -

        Production of the U.S. Department of Interior's radio play My Dear Mr. President, broadcast on Jan. 8, 1939, the subject of which was the Interior Secretary's annual report to the President. January 1939. "Reception room, office, script writers' room, small and large studios, and sound control room. These actors are members of the cast for My Dear Mr. President, a play based upon the President's budget message presented in January 1939 through the channels of the national hookups." Harris & Ewing Collection 4x5 glass negative. View full size. Wow-rareCan't even find out anything about the play on Google. Even filtering out "pink" and adding Interior Department. Would love to have heard that broadcast. Harold IckesHarold Ickes was FDR's Secretary of the Interior, generally considered the greatest to hold that position. He started out as a New Deal supporting Republican, and became one of FDR's most effective administrators. His position included administrating some of the price control functions of the National Recovery Act (NRA), and as such had tremendous importance during the first years of the Depression. And he administered the PWA (Public Works Administration) NOT, tho often, to be confused with Harry Hopkins's WPA. The PWA is the one that built all those bridges and post offices during the 30s. He also deserves much of the credit for allowing Marian Anderson to sing on the Lincoln Memorial steps after she was rejected by the DAR. His edited 3 volume diaries provide a wonderful insight into the day to day operations of the White House. Ickes was a prickly insecure character, but a great and good man, nonetheless. This is just the kind of interesting, innovative thing he would support. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Performing Arts)
Coliseum Garden: 1907
... was the third in a series of Coliseums. Here's some cool interior photos! The Ellery Band The Ellery Band played at the 1904 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:07pm -

Chicago circa 1907. "The Coliseum, 15th & Wabash Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Hans Behm, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Subtle ... notCould they have put more frills, furbelows, flagpoles, icing, arches, awnings, transoms, turrets, ornaments, lights, and rooflines on one building? I do believe the architect took his cue from Luna Park at Coney Island. Then in a true spirit of overkill, someone found it necessary to prop ten-foot-high signs in front! Second CityI'm sure it is gone now, but I'd guess this was the Chicago answer to Madison Square Gordens in that other city. Great structure! [I guess that would be Gorden City. - Dave] Another viewFrom DPC's competitor, V. O. Hammon. It's huge!It's colossal, it's stupendous. Yes, it's a gigantic chuckhole and it's big enough to swallow up that flivver parked in front of it. Long Strange TripBuilt in 1899, closed 1971, demolished 1982. Its last events included a lot of rock bands which you can't remember very well if you were there. The Ellery BandI have heard of the Ellery Band. This might be them: FordAnother very interesting piece of history. That looks like a new Ford Model R parked in front. The Site TodayThe castle-like wall was part of Libby Prison, which was moved from Richmond Virginia to Chicago. The ruins of the wall were still around in the early '90s. At that time, the area was pretty desolate with empty warehouses and such. I remember seeing a few squatters' camps within the ruins. It's since been developed into a residential area with high-rise and loft condos. What remained of the Coliseum was finally cleared to make way for a Buddhist Center. Ford Model SCar on the left is a Model S Ford. It has got full running boards, unlike the model R that did not have those. Model S was sold between 1907 and 1909, and 3750 were made. Formerly a Civil War MuseumThe old Libby Prison in Richmond was dismantled and rebuilt in Chicago with an elaborate castellated wall about it. The Civil War museum failed to bring in enough revenue and the exhibits (and bricks of the prison) were sold off. The Coliseum was built within the wall. Roller DerbyWhen I was a teenager in the 50s, a bunch of us would go to the Roller Derby there on weekends. Pimp my rideThe auto in the lower left corner has one fascinating bulb horn--long long tube from the driver to the coil and bell mounted on the engine cover; and those headlamps are way kewl. Interesting historyApparently, this was the third in a series of Coliseums. Here's some cool interior photos! The Ellery BandThe Ellery Band played at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St Louis. Model R or Model S ??From the photo if would be difficult if not impossible to identify the Ford on the left as a 1907 Model R or 1907-08 Model S runabout. Both cars used the same fenders and running boards. The R was a more delux version of the Model N that had step plates instead of running boards. The detail needed to positively identify the car would be the rear view showing the turtle deck mounted behind the seat. Model R had a rounded deck while the S had the same pointed one as the Model N. Another version of the Model S was the "roadster" which used different fenders, running boards, and had a metal cowl instead of the wood one on the other models including the Model S runabout. Nifty little cars for sure with subtle but significant differences among the four different versions. A sensation when introduced in 1906, the Model N sold for $500. Quite a bargain for a FOUR cylinder automobile when most inexpensive cars had only one or two cylinders. The Model R had an impressive price increase to $750 followed by the Model S for $700. Ford Model NOur eagle eyed contributor Hap Tucker at the MTFCA forum nailed the particulars as to why this must have been a modified 1906-07 Model N; only the Model N had two front fender brackets like this car has. R & S had running board brackets -- this car has just the Model N step plate partly covered by an accessory running board. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, DPC)
There's a Tall Hotel: 1905
... for W. W. Astor. It's brief, 35-year history and some interior photos can be seen here . Hopefully a Window Washer? That ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2023 - 2:26pm -

New York, 1905. "Hotel Netherland, Fifth Avenue and 59th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. At at Lower Height"There's a Small Hotel" was from 1936 Rodgers and Hart musical "On Your Toes" -- which us lucky readers have to be to catch Dave's classic wordplay. A fine version by Count Basie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90wyOs2cboI The Sherry-Netherlandreplaced it in 1927- New, old, newBuilt in 1892-93 as the New Netherland, a name making more sense historically, and touted as the world's tallest hotel. The 'New' was dropped in 1908. Demolished in 1927 and promptly rebuilt on the same footprint, 21 stories taller but eclipsed in height by the Woolworth Building. Opened as the Sherry Netherland: Louis Sherry, whose fashionable restaurant had been in the Netherland since 1919, now owned the whole place. Still there with his name but not the restaurant (or a wishing well). Seventeen stories tallThere is a description of the yet completed Hotel Netherland in the May 1891 edition of Building Age magazine, along with floor plans for the cellar and basement, first and second floors (note the nurses dining room in the top left-hand corner of the first floor), and third and seventeenth (laundry) floors. The Hotel Netherland was designed by William H. Hume and built for W. W. Astor. It's brief, 35-year history and some interior photos can be seen here. Hopefully a Window Washer?That doesn't look particularly safe! (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Picket Fences: 1903
... has since been removed). It has a five-bay facade with interior end chimneys , and outbuildings that were reconstructed by the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 1:40pm -

Circa 1903. "A street in Yorktown, Virginia." 8x10 glass negative by none other than William Henry Jackson. Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Ye Olde Main Street.This is Main Street, Yorktown. The first building on the right after the picket fence is still there. Care has been taken to protect and preserve many of the old buildings in this area. Twain StreetI'm looking to see Tom Sawyer painting the fence, or getting everyone else to paint it. What a challengeI would be stunned if someone was able to pinpoint this location. SignageCan anyone read the sign hanging out from a building right down the middle of the road? Really surprised to see any signage in what I thought was a rural area. [BARGAIN STORE J.R. Hillman & Co. General Merchandise - Dave] Main Street in YorktownThe house on the right has had the front porch removed and the shoddy looking addition to the beautiful brick house on the left is now gone as well. Both homes appear to have been beautifully preserved and most of the structures seen further down the street on the right no longer exist. Main StreetThis is Main Street at the intersection of Smith Street. The house on the right is the Cole Digges House and the Nelson House is down the street on the left. The Victory Monument is to the right and slightly behind the camera. A very nice place to visit today as it must have been 250 years ago. Main Street between Smith and ReadThe satellite view on Google Maps (alas there are no street views) shows that most of these structures are still standing. The impressive brick house on the left is the Nelson House, built ca. 1730 and home of Governor Thomas Nelson, signer of the Declaration of Independence. It faces Main St. and is located on the western corner of Main and Nelson Streets. A picture on Google Maps shows that there is a cannonball embedded between the windows in the pediment facing the camera in the photo above. The frame house with the hipped roof and the attached office on the left is across Nelson St. from the Nelson House. The house in the immediate foreground at right is the ca. 1760 Dudley Digges House, which survives today sans portico at Main and Smith Streets. The white house with 3 dormers and the "Bargain Store" sign is the Cole Digges House (father of Dudley), thought to be constructed ca. 1720ff. It is located at Main and Read Streets and now houses the Carrott Tree restaurant. Google Street View Saysthe three foreground homes are all still standing. The twin smokestacks at the left belong to the house at the NW corner of Main and Nelson. The house in front of it, obscured by the trees, is on the SW corner. The white foreground house on the right has five gables, three of which appear in the photo. It has lost its front porch. In this view the three chimneys on the left are in close alignment with the vintage photo. View Larger Map Mud streetsAs charming as this view is, it's hard to imagine what having dirt streets even on the main drag of town would have been like. Imagine just trying to walk down the road. And after a rain, the mixture of mud and horse manure must have been really ... quaint! Digges HousesThe house in immediate foreground at right is the Dudley Digges House, built ca. 1760 (portico is a later addition, and has since been removed). It has a five-bay facade with interior end chimneys, and outbuildings that were reconstructed by the National Park Service in the 1970s. The Cole Digges House (Dudley's father) is the white plaster house with the Bargain Store sign in the center background. It was built during the 1720s or later according to the historic structures report prepared by the architectural historians of Colonial Williamsburg. It is owned by the NPS and today houses a restaurant. I am trying to find something about the house immediately in front of the Nelson House in this photo. It still survives today per Google Maps (along with the attached office), on the other side of Nelson Street at Main Street. Like the Dudley Digges House, it is five bays wide and of frame construction, but with a hipped roof and exterior brick chimneys. If you look to your left you will see the lovely Addams residence, to the right the is the beautiful home of the Munsters. Sessions-Pope-Sheild HouseThe house adjacent to the Nelson House was built ca. 1692 on Lot 56 by local carpenter Thomas Sessions. It is of brick construction and not frame, as I erroneously noted below. According to the York County Historic Resources Survey (2005 update; page 4): "This one-and-a-half story brick dwelling is considered one of the finest examples of mid-eighteenth century colonial architecture. The building has remained intact for close to 300 years. During the Civil War, the building served as headquarters for Union General Henry M. Naglee following the abandonment of the town by the Confederates. The property has remained in the Sheild family since 1901, and has hosted Presidents Wilson, Harding, Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt." +112Below is the same view from April of 2015. (The Gallery, DPC, Small Towns, W.H. Jackson)
Occoquan: 1911
... Really this is is exterior view of same building? The interior view seems to be of a much wider building. For instance there seems ... one in each of the bays. Also the windows in the interior view seem to start at least 10 or maybe even 11 feet above the floor. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 6:37pm -

Fairfax County, Virginia, circa 1911. "Occoquan Work House, sleeping area." Part of the jail operated by the District of Columbia Department of Corrections, shown shortly after its construction. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Then and NowThe prison was closed down the 1990s, and the low security dorm shown in this photo has been converted into an center for the arts and a museum -- quite a change! http://workhousemuseums.org/ Love the track lightingI think it fits the decor. The exteriorof another part of this charming facility. Click to embiggen. "Occoquan Work House, exterior." (Harris & Ewing) The beds don't look too comfybut it's clean, there's heat and lots of natural light. I can think of worse places to be locked up. I'm guessing these guys were minimum security types. The well-read inmateAt least one inmate here reads the Washington Post. Today the workhouse is an arts center: http://www.workhousearts.org/ The Work HouseWhat exactly was a Work House? Sounds like something out of Charles Dickens. I worked there.I was employed by the Department of Corrections for over ten years starting 1971. The workhouse, at least in those days, was simply the minimum security facility of Lorton Reformatory. The DCDC had five facilities in Lorton, Virginia. Maximum Security (the Wall, where I ate lunch every day for a dollar), Big Lorton (Central Facilities), the Workhouse (or Occoquan - never actually called Minimum Security). There was also YC1 and YC2, both Youth Centers. I started as a Correctional Office at YC2, then worked in the Industries Division at Central for 10 years. Many a time I have walked the sweltering underground tunnels connecting YC2 to the steam plant at Occoquan. Occoquan was where an inmate could hope to graduate to, from Big Lorton, when nearing his parole and escape risk was very low. Inmates at the workhouse could be truck drivers' helpers, or any number of jobs at the facilities, and earned a small salary which would help a lot when paroled. I could write a book about all that went on in Lorton, and am always thrilled to see old photos. Here is one of One Tower and the Salleyport at the Wall. It was never called the Citadel. Really this is is exterior view of same building?The interior view seems to be of a much wider building. For instance there seems to be space for 4 rows of beds with additional room for 2 wide corridors, one in each of the bays. Also the windows in the interior view seem to start at least 10 or maybe even 11 feet above the floor. [As noted in the captions, the interior shot shows the workhouse dormitory and the outdoor shot shows the workhouse. - Dave] Outdoor & Indoor Shots?The more I look at the two photos, the more i think they are two separate buildings. The interior space, height of the windows from the floor ... [As noted in the captions, the interior shot shows the workhouse dormitory and the outdoor shot shows the workhouse. - Dave] More elevated steamAnother photo showing radiators 5 feet or more off the floor. First time I saw this was from another Shorpy picture of an auto repair shop. Only times I have ever seen this. SimilarThis shot reminds me a lot of these Civil War images. Aside from steam radiators and electric lights, there's not much difference. https://www.shorpy.com/node/2388?size=_original https://www.shorpy.com/node/2384?size=_original Been there, done thatSpent two nights there with Mr. Chomsky and Mr. Mailer back in '67. Good place to plan the Revolution. (The Gallery, Harris + Ewing)
Fill In the Blanks: 1931
... Post, May 25, 1954. Mrs. Dietz Dies; Worked at Interior Mrs. Leafie E. Dietz, 78, who put the signatures of two ... to homestead land grants as part of her job at the Interior Department, died yesterday at the Washington Sanitarium. She lived at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/20/2013 - 9:03pm -

UPDATE: The photo now has a caption. Signs the president's name. Mrs. Leafie E. Dietz, recently appointed the "Secretary to Sign Land Patents," a position in the Government Land Office which, since its creation under President Arthur, has been held only by women. She signs "Herbert Hoover" to land patents and is the only person who has authority to sign the President's name. Washington circa 1930. The document at hand in this unlabeled Harris & Ewing negative is a form ready for the signature of Herbert Hoover. Perhaps someone versed in bureaucratic history will recognize this lady. View full size. CylindersCould they be for sending messages through a pneumatic tubing system? The Mysterious CylindersThe Land Office probably trafficked in large documents -- maps and such. The cylinders might have to do with storing, transmitting or duplicating them. They look too long to be dictation cylinders or radio batteries. Difficult JobCan you imagine how difficult it must have been for a woman in those days to be part of the White House staff? I love her glasses and her very direct, no nonsense look. There is a small star on her ring. I imagine someone will recognize its significance. I bet those flowers wiltedThe moment she sat next to them. Possible identificationI'm not sure, but I think that might be Ed Wynn. A woman before her time?It looks like she was married and had a successful career, too! Not an Ordinary Worker BeeWell dressed, with a fat engagement/wedding ring combo and what looks like an Order of the Eastern Star ring. Job DescriptionThe document is a form of the General Land Office, predecessor to the Bureau of Land Management; the lady is authorized to sign the President's name as described in a caption accompanying a 1937 Harris & Ewing photo of another lady in what may be the same room: Signs president's name. Washington, D.C., Sept. 8. Affixing the signature "Franklin D. Roosevelt" to land grants and patents, Jeanne [...], 20, is getting a great thrill out of her new [...]h the General Land Office. As "Secretary to the President [...]ning Land Grants and Patents," she is the only [...] authorized to sign the president's signature to documents. She is the youngest person ever appointed to the position. 9/8/37 Cylinders????What are the tall cylindrical objects against the wall? If we could identify them it might give us a clue as to what department she works in. The labels on them are far too out of focus to read. Soil samplesSince this is a land management office, the tubes might well be soil sample cores. Contemporary tubes are a similar size and shape. [The Land Office didn't have anything to do with dirt. - Dave] Pot MarigoldThe flowers appear to be the common calendula officianalis, or the more common name of pot marigold. A popular cut flower back in the day, it has the unusual characteristic of sleeping, or folding up at night time. Much used in present day lotions and fragrances. Re: Cylinders?My first thought, as well, but aren't they awfully long canisters? The required bend radius in the pneumatic lines would be huge! Her name is Leafie E. DietzAfter a fun little search these past couple of hours, I've discovered her identity. It is Leafie E. Dietz, designated by President Hoover in 1931 to sign land patents, by Executive Order 5529. This photograph shows the preparation of a land patent granted to Janie Furr, for 640 acres of land in two sections (8 and 17) in Grant County, New Mexico, dated Jan. 21, 1931. The most exciting part was the hunt! I work in land administration, so I immediately recognized the document as a patent or similar document. I rotated the image and messed with the contrast to try and read the document. I immediately recognized a chunk of the writing as a legal description. At first, I couldn't make out much, but after recognizing the words "New Mexico Meridian" (23rd Meridian) and "six hundred forty acres", I was able to discern the township and range: T16S R15W (or "Township sixteen south of Range fifteen west" as it is written on the patent). From there, I did a simple search of the BLM's land documents using the legal description, which pulled the original patent (fully filled out by that point!) image with matching description! (attached below, original accession # 1043289). Stupidly, I did not look down at the signature block, and attempted to locate the identity of this woman through a search of the congressional registry for 1931. After searching the GLO's employees, as well as the executive office's employees (thanks to the hint from Dave's comment), I was not able to find anything further...until... I took another look at the patent, and voila! How blind could I be?! There, under "Herbert Hoover"'s signature, is the notation "By Leafie E. Dietz, Secretary." It's her! A quick Google search turns up the executive order by Pres. Hoover designating her to sign land patents, and also some results regarding her involvement with the Order of the Eastern Star (in Colorado, apparently), as hinted by her ring. A search on Ancestry.com returns census records, indicating she was born in Iowa about 1878 (making her about 53 in this photo), and the 1920 and 1930 censuses show she lived in Washington, D.C. The 1920 census lists Joseph, Dorothy and John as children (22, 16 and 14 respectively). Interestingly, it also shows George working as a law clerk in the Land Office, but Leafie with no occupation. She must have started the position after the children were grown, perhaps hearing of the opening through her husband. Joseph is listed as a stenographer. Also see the image below of a snippet from the New York Sun, (Jan. 13, 1931, only days before the Shorpy photo above!) highlighting her new post. A fun way to pass a couple of hours! I love research/genealogy (and land records!). I'm glad I found this site!! Wow!Wow, jordannelson, that's an amazing piece of sleuthing. Good thing Mrs. Dietz has long departed this vale of tears, or Mr. Dietz might accuse you of stalking his wife. Petworth Lady Washington Post, May 25, 1954. Mrs. Dietz Dies; Worked at Interior Mrs. Leafie E. Dietz, 78, who put the signatures of two presidents to homestead land grants as part of her job at the Interior Department, died yesterday at the Washington Sanitarium. She lived at 8424 Queen Anne's dr., Silver Spring. After her husband, George C. Dietz, an Interior Department lawyer, died in 1929, Mrs. Dietz was appointed a clerk in the General Land Office of the Interior Department. There she was legally empowered to sign land patents for homesteaders with Presidential signatures. She served under Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Mrs. Dietz, who retired in 1944, moved to Washington in 1918. She was a native of Keokuk, Iowa, and was married in Silver Cliff, Colo., in 1895 during a silver rush there. Active in the the Order of the Eastern Star, she helped found the Joppa Lodge Chapter in Petworth. She was a member of the Petworth Women's Club and the Petworth Methodist church. Surviving are two sons, John E. Dietz of 9143 Sligo Creek parkway, Silver Spring, and Joseph M. Dietz, of Harrisonburg, Va.; one daughter, Mrs. Dorothy Trautman, of 8424 Queen Anne's dr., Silver Spring; three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. … (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, The Office)
Southdale Center: 1956
1956. Edina, Minnesota. "Interior Garden Court with stairway to upper level in Southdale Regional ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2019 - 3:36pm -

1956. Edina, Minnesota. "Interior Garden Court with stairway to upper level in Southdale Regional Shopping Center, the first enclosed shopping mall." Color transparency by Grey Villet, Life magazine photo archive. View full size. RockwellianSomething about this photo is almost like a Norman Rockwell painting. The soft colors and muted details help, but what I notice are the little vignettes scattered about the mall — the dignified older man in the gray suit, the woman looking at a book with her son, the lady rummaging through her shopping buggy. The presence of a Woolworth's is just the sort of touch I would expect from Rockwell had he painted this scene. This photo is an excellent find! The disposable mallAfter having worked on several shopping malls, and knowing how much work goes into the construction of them, I am amazed how fast they are considered obsolete! This one would fail by today's standards, even though it was truly a work of art. Not Obsolete yet!This one is still open. ChangesThere's a lot less brown paneling now, and the escalators have been turned so they both face toward the camera. My highschool hangoutMostly because a friend of mine worked at the Babbages that was there for a while, and because it was a pretty short drive from home. Of course, it looked nothing like this then (highschool was late 80's to early 90's), but you can still make out the similarities. I can't quite get my bearings in this picture - where's the Apple Store? It looks like to the right might be the hallway down to where JC Penney is (is it still there? I don't frequent Southdale too much anymore). If I remember right, that would make this picture looking toward the Apple Store (which was a B. Dalton before that). At least the ceiling is the same (what parts they haven't expanded/remodeled, that is). Fading MallsFrom the 1950's through the early 2000's, didn't shopping malls have a great run? They're all subtly turning into ghost malls. There's another one near the Twin Cities called Har Mar (yes, like Har Mar Superstar) that's practically a marble desert with a dwindling Barnes & Noble being its biggest draw. There's also another popular local: The Mall of America. The Death Star. The Sprawl of America. The Mall of Gomorrah. Because what the hell else is there to do in Minnesota? Especially when it's colder than a witch's tit outside? [Some malls. Even many malls. But not all malls. - Dave] Victor Gruen and "indoor town centers"Southdale was designed by Victor Gruen, often considered the "father of the shopping mall." It's interesting that this picture depicts what Gruen wanted malls to be -- an indoor town center where people would be comfortable just hanging out as they would in a downtown park -- even if they weren't buying anything -- but nowadays I can't imagine anyone other than teenagers actually spending time just "hanging out" in a mall. James? James Lileks?Mr. Lileks, have you taken over Shorpy, you naughty blogger? First thing I thought of when I saw the (awesome) picture, and then I saw it was in Minnesota, his stomping grounds. The Terrazzo JungleGreat piece in The New Yorker a few years back about Victor Gruen and his how his vision for malls was undone by a change in tax regulations regarding depreciation of capital assets. Great, if somewhat depressing, reading. "Victor Gruen invented the shopping mall in order to make America more like Vienna. He ended up making Vienna more like America." Plus ça change...I think these slice-of-life pictures are my favorites. And, it's amazing how little malls have changed over 50 years. Such fond memories of eating at the Woolworth's lunch counter in the 1970s and '80s. Still bustlingSouthdale Center is, incredibly, still quite bustling. It's the more sane alternative to the nearby Mall of America. It has upscale shops but is still approachable, is small enough to navigate but has many of the options most people want. I hope this little gem doesn't go anywhere! P.S. - Minnesota in the cold months is ALSO bustling! Don't discount the ice skating, nearby skiing and snowboarding, local arts and theater, and the hardiness of its residents, who are always willing to put on a thick pair of mittens and go out and live life to its fullest (and coldest)! Takes me backI was born in 1964 and spent my early childhood going to this mall with my mother. She used to push me around in a stroller. The tall cage on the left was filled with canaries and parakeets. I was mesmerized by this. We would always stop at Fanny Farmer (just past Woolworth's) to get a treat of jelly fruit slices and continue around the corner on the left side to the pet store near the exit. There was a magnificent parrot that lived in a cage right out front of the store that I used to talk to. I think he might have known more words than me at the time! There was an FTD florist near the same spot, and I loved the fragrance of the fresh flowers that wafted into that part of the mall. It smelled like springtime, even in the middle of a dreary and cold Minnesota winter day. Dayton's and Donaldson's were the anchor stores; one on each end. I believe Donaldson's would have been directly behind the camera and Dayton's would have been straight ahead, on the far end (or vice versa). The shimmery gold floor-to-ceiling mobile type structures on the right, past the escalators, fascinated me too. They were so glamorous and HUGE! The lighting hadn't been changed yet, this is exactly what it looked like in the late '60's, although, later on when I returned there in my teens, there had been many changes and additions and a lot of these features had been removed. Going to this mall for a small child in Edina was possibly the equivalent of going to Disneyland for a child growing up in L.A. Thank you, Shorpy, for this special memory! Woolworth'sI bet there is a great diner inside that Woolworth's with lots of tasty things like meat loaf, stuffed bell peppers, and root beer floats. Yum. The Apple StoreThe Apple store would be behind and to the left of the camera. The upper level bridge is still there, so crossing from the left and continuing to the right would take you to Penney's. MemoriesThis really brings back memories. I was 10 years old when Southdale opened. I actually took part in some of the opening ceremonies. A friend and I hitch-hiked out to the mall and in the parking lot somehow we got picked to participate in a contest. Four of us kids were picked to catch passes from two pro quarterbacks. My friend and I caught passes from Otto Graham and the other kids caught passes from Tobin Rote. Whichever team caught the most passes would be treated to malted milks paid for by the winning quarterback. My team won but all four of us were treated to malts. Otto and Tobin us into Southdale and we all crammed into a booth and listened to them talk shop about the upcoming season. Quite a memory. I still live in the area and often thought I should contact Southdale to see if they might have any pictures of the event. Classy Early MallsIndoor malls were first developed in colder climates for obvious practical reasons. Over the years, mall design shifted from a focus on shopper experience and comfort (coat check rooms, lockers, sufficient restrooms ... even items of local historical interest) to maximizing the revenue of businesses (row after row of mini-vendor carts along what had heretofore been pedestrian walkways). On balance, I'll take the early generation mall ... or better yet, the restored downtown shopping district. [The synthesized version of "restored downtown shopping district" is the current hot concept in retailing -- the faux-urban "lifestyle center." A shopping mall turned inside out. - Dave] CorrectionThis is not the first enclosed mall. The first was (and still is) in Milwaukee. Built just after the Civil War. It is on Wisconsin Ave. I haven't more information at my fingertips. I am no historian, but was amazed to find this here. It is very attractive, too. [Covered markets and shopping arcades go back hundreds if not thousands of years. Southdale was the first enclosed, climate-controlled shopping center of the modern era. In other words, the first shopping mall. - Dave] More coverage of this pictureKottke has a piece on this, including another link to a relevant Economist article. I was struck by this picture when it came through the RSS feed the other day. Lovely to read these comments and articles on it too. Growing up in the UK in Cambridge, shopping malls were something of an oddity. I think the nearest real one was in Peterborough, at least 40 minutes race north. Cambridge now has two, I think (more's the pity because beautiful subsidised Georgian and Victorian housing was destroyed to build them, and Cambridge doesn't handle large numbers of people driving into town anyway). Both are relatively modern compared with this one so I never even considered shopping in a place like this. I wonder what the original mallrats would have looked like. I grew up with this mallI was five when Southdale opened. It didn't have a JC Penney at that time. It did have a little play area in the basement with a maze for kids. The basement also had a shoe repair place that is still there, though it is now on the second floor. Southdale also had Gager's Hobby and Handicraft store (on the opposite side of the open area from Woolworth's) where I could get chemicals for my chemistry set. I have no idea what kids do for chemistry sets these days. Do they even sell them? There was also our favorite, the Toy Fair, that sold nothing but toys. It was to the right of where the camera was. They also had a grocery store called Red Owl. It would have been off to the left of the camera and down a hall. The grocery store didn't last too long, probably because people who just wanted groceries didn't really want the hassles of a big mall. Thanks for sharing this photo. I had told my wife about the bird cage there, and now she has finally gotten to see it. Surely not!This photo doesn't look dated at ALL. You know the saying, "Everything old is new again"? Well, decorating trends are very similar to what's being shown here. Shopping MallsIt depends on how tight the specialty is to consider this the "first shopping mall" in the US. If you are looking at the subset of first enclosed, suburban, multi-level, postwar shopping mall, then yeah, it is the first. But if you want the first enclosed shopping mall then no. Northgate Mall was built quite a few years earlier as were a few others: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northgate_Mall_(Seattle) [A mall, in the original sense of the word, is something like a fairway or greenspace. The pedestrian walkway or mall running down the middle of Northgate Shopping Center between two rows of stores was mostly open to the sky, so this was not a "shopping mall" as we know it today. - Dave] Another photo of the mallhttp://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/11788654.jpg You Are HereI was 6 or so when Southdale opened. Back then the Dayton's department store had a sporting-goods department. My mom got shot in the back of the head with a BB gun by a clerk demonstrating the gun! When we would go shopping and bring my grandma along, she would sit by the birdcage and chain-smoke unfiltered Camels while we shopped. She loved to people-watch. Yup, great memories! Woolworth's was my favorite store when I was little! Two floors of "neat junk." Skipping School in the late 70'sOh yes, it looked very similar to the version in this picture in 1979-80. I was part of the "burnout" crowd in high school. I skipped class constantly in my 10th grade year and spent the rest of high school in summer school so I could graduate. We would take a bus to Southdale and I'd cash my hard earned McDonald's paycheck at a bank somewhere near the York steakhouse, which was the big hangout at the time. We sit in a booth in the back near the doors, smoking all afternoon. There was an arcade in the basement near the post office area and across from the County Seat. There was also a Musicland down there. Once and a while we'd eat at the Dayton's restaurant upstairs or the Woolworth lunch counter. I also recall from earlier trips in the 70's with Mom and my sister a restaurant/Deli called The Brothers and Red Owl as well as a Snyder's, where I went to a big going out of business sale around 1975. Another favorite (maybe this is still there?) was Spencer Gifts. The Southdale Theater (where I saw "Purple Rain") was across the street with the great bowling alley next door. Those were also major high school hangouts. Great memories. I can't go there anymore without nostalgia for the birdcages and goldfish pond, and that wonderful art deco style. Come on down!I was 13 years old when Southdale opened. I saw Bob Barker host a TV game show there. I got his autograph on the steps leading down to the basement where the zoo and shoe repair shop was. This TV show was very exciting to me -- it made an impression. I became a New York-LA TV director. My friends and I also put firecrackers in the planters hanging down from the send [?] floor. Oh My GoodnessFirst job? Busing tables at The Brothers. There was an open-air restaurant in the courtyard; Dayton's had the "fancy" restaurant. In the basement there was a shoe repair place and then a games arcade. Man, I loved growing up at Southdale. Mall ZooI heard there once was a zoo in the basement of the mall. Does anyone know about this? Milwaukee "Mall"It appears you are referring to what today is known as the Grand Avenue Mall, sadly in decline since its rebirth in the early-1980s. I shuttled various documents to and from the construction site on a regular basis at that time. But prior to its conversion, the oldest of the buildings comprising the GA Mall was known as the Plankinton Arcade. Yes, there are references that mention it being considered a "shopping center", its construction being 1915. As to it being enclosed, yes; as to it being climate-controlled, maybe if the windows were opened in the Beer City's humid summer to catch a delightful lake breeze and hope the winds didn't shift to the stockyards in the Valley. In Milwaukee the first shopping mall, albeit outdoor, was Southgate, located off the corner of South 27th Street (US Highway 41) and Morgan Avenue, and opened in 1951. At about the time in the early-1970s Northridge (now demolished) and Southridge were constructed Southgate was converted to an enclosed mall, but is now long gone, recently the site of another superlative, that of the first Super Wal-Mart in Milwaukee County. This metro area's first enclosed shopping mall as I recall was Brookfield Square in 1968, still in existence today and from all appearances doing well. Parakeets, new shoes and cheeseburgers in paradiseIn my family, Southdale circa 1960 was much more than a mall. My mother called it "The Cities," because it was as far as she was willing to drive on those "crazy" city highways. 35W was out of the question, but 494 to France Ave exit was tolerable (unless we hit RUSH HOUR). We lived on a farm, about an hour away, and before Southdale, the only outings were to school, church and occasional food shopping at the Red Owl, the Meat Market and the Variety Store with the cranky storekeeper who always thought we were stealing stuff. But Southdale, Wow! I was 5 years old, the youngest of four children, and twice a year, we would make the great journey to "Emerald City." Dayton's was Mom's favorite store, and for a farm wife, my mother had impeccable taste. Donaldson's came in second, and then Jack & Jill -- a small boutique with pricey, well-tailored children's clothing. Lunch was always at Woolworths, and our order was always the same. "HamburgerFrenchfriesMalt" (spoken so fast and with such excitement it sounded like ONE word); I remember the clattering of plates, the whir of the blender, the bar stools at the counter. Waiting for the food, we could check out the parakeets & goldfish. My oldest sister convinced my mother to purchase a parakeet, cage, & and all the accoutrements. We had that bird for years, and when he died we headed back for a second. This time, the bird died in his little paper travel carton before we even got home -- and since we only went to "The Cities" twice a year, my mother decided to freeze it along with the receipt until our next trip six months later. How strange to present a frozen parakeet back to the store for a refund. While the clerk was surprised to see the frozen parakeet, she did offer us another bird in exchange. A few years later, Southdale became a whole new adventure when my best friend's aunt drove just the two of us, and I bought my first long-playing album at Musicland, Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence." After that, my friend convinced me we should be drinking coffee and gossiping, or at least pretending to gossip, since none of our friends were old enough to be scandalous. Then we smoked Chesterfield Kings in random Southdale "Ladies" rooms and we both felt like we were going to throw up. Southdale! Never stopped to think about it, but Southdale was, and will always be, among my fondest childhood memories. "The Cities." Southdale MemoriesBoy this pic brings back memories. My family moved to Mpls in 1956 when I was about 3, so my earliest memories date from about 1960 or so. I later worked as a dishwasher and soda jerk at the Walgreen's on the upper level facing 66th street. They had a soda grill, as did most drug stores of that era, and the Woolworth's had a cafe as well. My first exposure to Chinese food was at the tiny little Half Moon restaurant, although I think initially I would order hamburgers, which were on the menu for fussy American kids. Behind the escalators in the picture was an "outdoor" restaurant. There was a Fanny Farmer on the second floor to the left. Southdale was THE place to hang out when you were a kid or teenager, especially the arcade in the basement. Southdale in the 1950sI grew up just a few blocks from Southdale. I was about 3 years old when it was built. My mom and I would walk there about once a week. Dayton's and Woolworth's were fabulous! The fish pond was fun, but seemed to sport dead fish frequently (wondered if they weren't poisoned from the coins being dropped in there). Christmastime was unbelievable! The tallest trees, the biggest bulbs, and Santa ... oh, Santa!! The line to see him, and the crowds were amazing! There was the Courtside Cafe, and oh so many shops! I shopped there for all my Christmas gifts, and worked there in my teen years. We didn't hang out there too much as to the crowds. We hung out more at Bridgeman's ice Cream Shop and Nelson's FireSide Pizza both in Richfield. They used to host fireworks in the parking lot for the Fourth of July. They didn't have too many, but, still it was fascinating. Many kids learned how to drive in the east parking lot. With all the curlicue and ribbon styled roadways within the parking lot, it was an exciting way to practice steering those big '56 Chevys! The parking lot markers of foxes, bears and lions were interesting, too. I would love to see a picture of Christmastime at Southdale from the 1950s. Thanks for all your posts -- they've been fun to read! Back when ...In those days people still used to dress up, at least to a reasonable degree, to go out to a public place like this. Compare to today's Walmarts, for instance. We have become a nation of slobs. Another early mallThose of us who grew up in the Boston area were told that Shopper's World in Framingham was "the first mall." It was not, however, enclosed. And I suspect that dozens of other places made the same claim. I had a very pleasant date there in the 1970s. I just discovered that it was demolished in 1994. Sic transit gloria mundi. The World of TomorrowForecast by the 1939 New York World's Fair. Attention, ShoppersThe first structure in the United States that might legitimately be called a shopping mall is probably the Westminster Arcade in Providence, RI, opened in 1828 and still extant, albeit recently converted into residential "micro-lofts." It's a marvelous building, all the more wonderful for still being around. [The shopping arcades of the 19th century, being arcades, are just what that term implies -- covered passageways, and not malls, a term that originally meant an open-air promenade. The suburban shopping plazas of the early 1950s -- rows of stores facing each other across landscaped malls -- were the immediate forebears of the enclosed, roofed shopping mall. - Dave] Southdale Shopping Center: Calling for IntervieweesMy name is Zinnia Ramirez and I am a student at the University of California, Irvine. I am a third year journalism major and as one of my big projects we are tasked with writing a narrative reconstruction (recounting the events in a narrative storytelling style to paint an image of what happened in a particular instance in history) about an event in history (big or small), I decided as I was looking through the web that I wanted to reconstruct the Southdale 1956 Richfield Edina Shopping Mall in opening day. One of the larger elements is, to have narrative voices from people who experienced the allure of Southdale, possible describe a day there, the atmosphere, stores, etc. So if anyone remembers what opening day was like, I would love to talk! Thank you for your time. Zinnia (LIFE, Stores & Markets)
That Seventies Mall: 1973
... Columbus, Indiana, 1973. "Commons Courthouse Center. Interior view of shopping mall atrium with trees, walkways and crowd. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/07/2023 - 4:30pm -

Columbus, Indiana, 1973. "Commons Courthouse Center. Interior view of shopping mall atrium with trees, walkways and crowd. Architect: César Pelli, Victor Gruen Associates." View full size. 1973-2008I remember the opening of this mall, a big deal in J. Irwin Miller's architectural development of his hometown. The formal dedication (the year after this photo was taken) featured not only Miller and Pelli, but avant-garde Swiss sculptor Jean Tinguely, whose 7-ton kinetic scrap-metal sculpture, Chaos 1, was the centerpiece. (That dark tangle center rear is Chaos 1.) Most of the mall was demolished in 2008, but Chaos 1 was preserved and the space redeveloped around it. An interesting bit of trivia was the contest to name the mall. The suggestions (and the eventual choice) were not very exciting. 50 Years LaterSome interesting history and up to date photos here. https://thecommonscolumbus.com/about/history/# It appears to be some sort of Girl Guides meeting in that photo. I see different troop numbers and a lot of young girls in GG and Brownie uniforms. That's Chaos for youand I'm not talking about the crowd of Girl Scouts. Chaos is the name of the mechanical sculpture. I was a kid in Columbus when the built the mall. We would sit and watch Chaos running while eating ice cream from Zaharakos across the street or pastries from Tiffany's in the mall. Most of the mall is gone now, but this part remains. Still scouring the photo for anyone I know. Kinetic Sculpture The sculpture to the rear by the ramps has many moving parts. It is Chaos 1 by Swiss artist Jean Tinguely. Scouting out the new mallOverload of Columbus-area youth presenting a range of not-entirely-clear handiwork (knots, leaves, cupcakes?). In the background, "Chaos I" by Swiss artist Jean Tinguely. Here's a 2021 video tour of the mall, now rebuilt using the original frame, with Tinguely's work still in place. Something's MissingNot a single person is on a phone. Wonder how people survived? NowadaysThere's not that many people in the local shopping mall in 2 months. ZaharakosYou might be going to Columbus for Chaos but stay for ice cream at Zaharakos. A fantastic place that wouldn't look any different than a Shorpy ice cream parlor photo dated a century or more past. The times have changedHere's a closer look at Jean Tinguely's 1973 sculpture, Chaos. Here is chaos in a mall in 2023. (The Gallery, Balthazar Korab, Stores & Markets)
Public Square: 1900
... itself. Does anyone know what this leads to and is the interior still accessible? Secret enterance to the Great Lakes Brewing Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/07/2023 - 11:19am -

Circa 1900. "City Square. Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Cleveland." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. The May Co. BuildingWow, looks like the predecessor of the modern curtain-wall design. Large lights of 1/4" plate glass no doubt. Would love to see some architectural drawings of that facade. Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul Soon to become The Milwaukee Road, with Hiawatha service to almost anywhere. Brook Stevens who designed their rail cars would have (maybe did) marveled at the May Co. building of the future. I'm marveling at in this picture. Probably 50 years before its time. No rebellious women?One would think there would have been at least one daring young woman who would have had the gumption to wear a black blouse with a light colored skirt, just to be a little outrageous and stand out, but nooooo. Times sure have changed in the area of seeking attention through outrageous fashion and personal appearance. Or maybe today's girls just feel more comfortable expressing themselves, which certainly does make street scenes more interesting. Where's the Cable Car?http://www.cable-car-guy.com/html/ccohio.html#cccr According to the above link, the cable car slots under the trolley car were used for another year until 1901, even thought the St. Clair trolley car in the foreground had directly replaced the horsecars on its line in 1893. Western RailroadsTerryN, thanks for pointing out the CM&StP sign in the window. The same building also has signs for the Burlington Route and Rock Island. The interesting thing is that none of these railroads served Cleveland, at least not directly. They all went from Chicago westward. So their offices in Cleveland must have been for exchange of freight between eastern and western railroads, I suppose. Euclid BeachA year later, the Humphrey family would take over Euclid Beach Park east of the city, and turn it into a legend. You can still buy their popcorn at many stores in NE Ohio. The Edison patented lightbulb goes onAfter seeing so many flagless giant flagpoles on major buildings here on Shorpy, it finally dawned on me that they were not intended for a US flag, but for advertising/corporate ID, as can be seen here. Inside the Monument?It appears that there is a door leading into the monument itself. Does anyone know what this leads to and is the interior still accessible? Secret enterance to the Great Lakes Brewing Company tasting room perhaps? [What's inside the Civil War monument is addressed in the comments here. - Dave] May Co. reduxHere's a later view of the May Co. building, greatly expanded. One has to wonder if this postcard is again the work of Detroit Publishing. The gardensI like the surrounding gardens that have been made into the shapes of Unit or Division emblems and heroism awards. (The Gallery, Cleveland, DPC, Streetcars)
Individual Dixies: 1930s
... Ford Trimotor (1929, I believe). You can see that the interior is much too small for this picture. Airline travel had devolved ... Condor I found this online searching for Curtis Condor Interior. Looks like y'all nailed it. From their clothes It looks like ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/20/2013 - 9:13pm -

UPDATE: The photo now has a caption. January 10, 1930. Tea time in the air. Miss Wanda Wood, hostess for the Eastern Air Transport, serves tea for two -- Misses Charlotte Childress and Elizabeth Hume, aboard one of the line's passenger planes. The company provides bridge, tea and cigarettes, with hostesses to arrange the bridge games and serve the tea. We seem to be aboard an aircraft in this unlabeled glass negative from the Harris & Ewing collection. Beverage service uses real china as well as "Individual Dixies." Who can identify these ladies' means of conveyance? View full size. Inside a TriMotor todayAttached is a picture of me in a restored Ford Trimotor (1929, I believe). You can see that the interior is much too small for this picture. Airline travel had devolvedUnlike almost every other technology or means of transportation, it seems airline travel is the only one that has actually devolved in the past 30 years. Any trip under 1000 miles is almost as efficient to drive rather than fly (which is a sad commentary on airline travel). But after seeing this photo, perhaps I should amend that to the past 70 years. CondorI found this online searching for Curtis Condor Interior. Looks like y'all nailed it. From their clothesIt looks like it is too early for the DC 3 to be flying so I'm going to take a wild guess and say one of the lovely old Ford Tri-Motors of the late '20s or early '30s. They were stylish aircraft with seating of two on one side of aisle and single seats on the other side. It could also be a DC-2. The one thing that throws me off is that both aircraft were tail draggers -- the rear end sat much lower then the main wheels, while this aircraft appears to be level. The stewardess would have to walk uphill if the aircraft was on the tarmac. Okay, on second thoughtI agree with mramsey. The window frames, especially the locations of the attachment screws and the roll-up shades, say it's a Condor. Another Vote for the CondorNote that the cabin lamps over the windows are identical in both the Shorpy and the Mramsey-provided photos. There's an off-chance they could be outsourced, I suppose. Agree with the othersIt indeed looks too early for the DC-3. My first impulse was to say this was taken aboard a dirigible because of the shape and spaciousness of the interior, but mramsey may have nailed it with the Condor. Today, those ladies would be wearing T-shirts, jeans, and flip-flops. Curtiss Condor II AT-32Looks like a Curtiss Condor II biplane airliner, as flown by American and Eastern airlines during the early 30s. Another interior shot here. Dixie CupsIntroduced in the early 1900s to replace the unsanitary common water dipper, the Dixie Cup was a standard railroad coach appurtenance by the time this photo was taken. It appears that aircraft cabins got 'em too. A different train of thoughtIf you look in the background there is a sofa and seats facing away from the camera. Unless there were early commercial aircraft with rearward facing seats, then this might actually be the interior of a passenger train. Possibly a Brill or EMC motorcar or an early streamliner unit train. Flying machine, butDefinitiely an aeroplane. But it looks way too big for a Tin Goose. My wager would be on one of the flying boats of the time. Note the sleeper compartment arrangement - the Tri also didn't have the legs to make that worthwhile. Not a Boeing 314, either. The ladies' headgear looks too early for that, and I can see wing struts through the window. Maybe some Sikrosky? [Or Sikorsky. - Dave] Looks may be deceiving.Yes, by known standards it looks like a plane. But by the standards of the 1930s I'm guessing this photo was taken on a train. W.A.G.Dirigible? Two-way seatsI don't understand why the seats behind our flying ladies are facing the other way. Maybe this is a training room on the ground, not really a flying machine in the air? Plus, that's a lot of headroom for any plane in that era, or for the next 25 years. [Passenger plane cabins of the era were quite tall. - Dave] Let's rule some planes outGreycat is right that it's not a Douglas. Too big inside to be a Ford or Fokker trimotor. At first I thought a Boeing 80, but the windows are the wrong shape, and I found an interior picture of a Fokker F-32 which appears to have a much bigger cabin cross section. The compartmentalization of the cabin and the level attitude (assuming this is not an inflight photo) argues for a flying boat. But again, the window shapes seem to rule out any of the early Sikorsky or Consolidated models. Only possibility I can still think of is one of the early inline-engined Curtiss Condors. Have not been able to find another interior photo to confirm or deny. Tri againProbably not a Ford Tri-motor unless they made a wide body. All the pictures on the internet show only one seat eiether side of the aisle. For the level orientation it could be a float plane or in flight. But either of those scenarios would be bumpy I would think. It also has sharp angled windows which agrees with the Tri-motor and the DC-3 pics I've seen. Although the DC also had round windows. It's obviously an upper winged plane, you can see the struts outside the window for the upper wing and also a landing gear strut. So that rules out a DC-2 or DC-3. I don't know what it is. The clothing looks to be early '40s or late '30s to me. I like the coffee service in the stewardess area. Pardon me boys,Is that the Chattanooga choo choo? Looks more like a train to me. Another Vote for the Ford TrimotorThe wings appear to load high on the fuselage, given the appearance of struts through the passenger window. Speaking of windows, the Douglas DC-2 would not have square windows like these. On a different note, the stewardess looks like a Faye Dunaway. Curtiss Condor?There's an interesting 1930s promotional film about a flight on a Condor at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCnWLR28pfE Ford Tri-MotorI think Greycat is correct. Notice the windows are rectangular shaped and fairly long. That fits with the Tri-motor, as opposed to the DC-2. As far as the cabin being level, this photo was almost certainly taken in flight. The only other possibility is they jacked up the tail to simulate in-flight refreshment service. I'm going with in flight based on looking out the window over the lady's shoulder. I don't see tarmac and it has that hazy appearance you get when airborne. (The Gallery, Aviation, Harris + Ewing)
Notre Dame de Montreal: 1900
... Company's wonderfully detailed photo of the basilica's interior. I thought it would be pretty easy to find a comparable modern color ... as complete and undistorted a record of the Basilica's interior features as Detroit's carefully adjusted view camera version. It is of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 10:24pm -

Circa 1900. "Main altar, Church of Notre Dame, Montreal, Quebec." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Masterpiece!As genuinely glorious as Montreal's Notre Dame is, in this case I'm referring to the Detroit Publishing Company's wonderfully detailed photo of the basilica's interior. I thought it would be pretty easy to find a comparable modern color photo, and was surprised to find that, of the dozens of photos available in Google Images, many of them taken by professional architectural photographers, almost none of the images comprised as complete and undistorted a record of the Basilica's interior features as Detroit's carefully adjusted view camera version. It is of course exciting but not surprising to learn that the primary color scheme is blue and gold. The Basilica's own website includes many fine detail images of the building's artworks and decorations, available at www.basiliquenotredame.ca/en/basilica/pictures.aspx, but no single interior view as technically accomplished as Detroit's. I did find one view online, despite its monitor-friendly horizontal format, that seems overall to come closest to the qualities of the Detroit image, taken in 2011 with a Nikon D90 by professional photographer Ash Henderson. The OrganThe Organ can be heard and the present day interior viewed by clicking here. A challenge to the coloristThis is one time when black and white really fails to do justice. Except for the pews and the central sculptures on the reredos and on the pulpit, virtually everything in this picture is either gilded or polychromed, including the ceiling. The pillars are polychromed and gilt in patterns. And they weren't finished, even then: the stained glass didn't arrive until the 1920s, and at some point someone apparently felt that the one blank area on the back wall of the apse above the reredos needed some decoration too, so they put a sort of celestial background on it-- gilded, of course. The replaced the altar with a different one which incorporates three reliquaries; need I say, gilt over every square inch of their Gothic revival surfaces? I have to say, though, that Gothic revival skylights are something only the Victorians could have though of. And alas, the light fixtures among the pews are no longer with us. Notre Dame Basilica, MontrealGreat interior view -- would love to see a shot from the opposite direction of the Casavant organ (1891) in the rear gallery. (I'm an organist.) Pipe questionThose sure do look like pipes along both sides of the aisle. Could they be for heat? Hot water pumped from a boiler? Similar PhotosThis photo is reminiscent of https://www.shorpy.com/node/6456 PipeCan that be a pipe running along the floor next to the pews? So out of place if it is. Well, to me it looks likethe fanciest zeppelin hangar in the world. Be Careful Be careful when you compare this photo with the modern views. The church was heavily damaged by fire in 1978, and most of the present interior dates from after the fire. Heat requiredAs a Montreal resident I can certainly attest to the need for heat, it was 10 degrees F this morning. Pipes of this type are very much associated with hot water heating and the proximity to the rows of pews, along with the unusual detail of doors to the pews which clear the pipes suggests that these pipes may have fed arrays of pipes that passed under the foot space in the seating areas which, with the little doors closed to block drafts, may have provided sufficiant heat to enable parishioners on a cold winters day (-10F is not unusual) to sit through the two hour long latin masses that were typical of the day. Just guessing though. PipesA quick check with an older family member who used to frequent that cathedral a long time ago confirms that the pipes were for hot water heating, with radiators below the "prime" seats. You'll notice that most of the pews in the central rows have a door and a little plaque. That was because they were private seats for wealthy Montreal families. A "generous" contribution to the parish got your family a private pew in a prime well heated location and a plaque with your family name for all to see. Be careful of being carefulThe smaller Chapel of Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur was damaged by fire in 1978 and was rebuilt afterward, but the main basilica interior is still largely original. Or so I believe. (The Gallery, DPC)
Buy War Bonds: 1942
... owners later the theater was returned to its over-the-top interior and is now called the Rococo. To the left, on the west side of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/13/2023 - 12:51pm -

May 1942. "Street corner in downtown Lincoln during University of Nebraska commencement week." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon. View full size. The Nut House is no moreHere is a photo with which to make a better comparison of the tall building behind the Buy War Bonds sign and the Street view below. If I'm correct we're at the intersection of 13th and O streets, looking north. The brick two-story structure on the corner has been replaced by a modern five-story and the Nut House did not survive the transition. Nuts! About war bondsUS Savings Bonds were first authorized in 1935. In April 1941, Series E were issued as Defense Bonds. As the billboard dramatically shows, they became War Bonds right after Pearl Harbor. Just as the goal of gasoline rationing was to save rubber, a major purpose of war bonds was to reduce inflation by taking money out of circulation during a time of full employment and rationing. War bonds paid a mere 2.9% interest after 10-year maturity. Only about one percent of matured savings bonds have not been redeemed, but that amounts to around $9 billion. We haven't stopped having wars since 1945, but the term "war bond" has never been used again. Stuart TheatreYes, this is looking at the northeast corner of 13th and "O" Streets. I used to walk by here all the time when I lived in Lincoln in the 1980s. The tall building in the background was built in 1929 and contained the exuberant Stuart Theatre. The theater was poorly renovated in the 1970s to cover up much of the original decor. It was still a great place to watch a movie, however. A couple of decades and a few owners later the theater was returned to its over-the-top interior and is now called the Rococo. To the left, on the west side of 13th Street, now sits a bank building designed by I.M. Pei that is shaped like an outline of the state of Nebraska. It was the first place I used an ATM! (The Gallery, John Vachon, Stores & Markets, WW2)
Mirador: 1926
... Registry of Historic Places Inventory: The interior reflects the 1920s remodeling in such details as the central spiral ... ... Since the 1920s renovation, the focal point of the interior has been the flying spiral staircase at the center of the house at the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 4:41pm -

1926. Albemarle County, Virginia. "Mirador, Greenwood vicinity; built 1842. Renovation architect (1920s) William Adams Delano. Home of the Langhorne family." 8x10 acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. Clampett MansionYes, you just know Irene Ryan is going to pop out of that trunk. 21 steps and countingAlso reminded me of the Clampett Mansion. Through the arched doorway look at the giant spool of thread turned on the side. 1920s RenovationThe 1920s renovation included the curved staircase. From the 1982 application for inclusion on the National Registry of Historic Places Inventory: The interior reflects the 1920s remodeling in such details as the central spiral stair and Georgian Revival woodwork. ... Since the 1920s renovation, the focal point of the interior has been the flying spiral staircase at the center of the house at the intersection of the hallways. The staircase is decorated with a wrought-iron handrail carried by two slender balusters per tread. Mirador was the childhood home of Nancy Langhorne (later Lady Astor, the first woman member of the British Parliament and opponent of Winston Churchill), as well as her older sister Irene, who married Charles Dana Gibson and was the model for the Gibson Girl. The Adams renovations occurred during the ownership of Nancy and Ronald Tree -- Nancy Tree was Nancy Astor's niece. Awesome CarpentryThat's one impressive staircase. Imagine the design, carpentry and finishing skills required to construct a free-flying staircase with such a long complex curve. Even if added as part of the "1920's renovation" it's impressive. How would YOU design the beam that supports the outside edge? Elegantly ModernThe curves give this an elegant modern look. Although at first glance, I too thought it was a "Beverly Hillbillies" soundstage shot of the Clampett home. Pretty closeas you can see A floor with directionI love the compass rose on the floor. Gracefully BeautifulAs a stair and handrail craftsman of the last 30 years, I find the simplicity of this design very graceful. There was a lot of work that went into its construction. The interior framework of the structure could be made of iron or steam-bent wooden stringers. The newel post and balusters look as though they are made of iron. Mainly because their slim design would be very flimsy if made of wood. The handrail itself looks to be steam-bent wood. The volute at the bottom end of the handrail was surely carved out of a block of wood. The large wood starting tread at the bottom is very inviting. The curved bottom riser was a tricky piece to make. The skirtboards along the wall could be plaster, but are more likely bent wood. All in all a simply and gracefully beautiful staircase. CarpentryCurved stairs certainly are impressive feats, but they aren't necessarily as difficult to design and construct as you may think. In many cases there will be several beams or joists cantilevered from the wall to support short sections of the stair. That way the outer beam doesn't have to be a single long serpentine affair. Even so, it would usually be a laminated beam glued up from smaller pieces that are easier to bend into such a compound curve. Mirador TodayJust a small country home with a nice view. Oddly ReminiscentOf the Clampett Mansion staircase. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston)
Chez Prez: 1920
... I've ever seen a side-cut out on a building like that with interior windows. You'd think they would have just put windows on the side of ... attached to it or very close to it, in which case, the interior windows would still have been odd. [Townhouses on interior lots ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/07/2013 - 4:19pm -

Washington, D.C. "Woodrow Wilson house, S Street." Residence of the former president and his wife starting in 1921, and where he died in 1924. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Looks as good as ever!I wonder if its haunted? View Larger Map Concrete?What can you tell about the odd contraption that may be a concrete mixer? Can I make one to pour my 800 foot long driveway? [Concrete mixer. -tterrace] My next moveMy next move I am calling Security Storage Company! Look how well they wrapped up that chair! Odd DesignI am perplexed by the design; at the opening on the right, there are windows. They appear to be facing the back of the front of the building. Why would they do that? Any architects out there? [The light-well or air-shaft style of construction was common in big townhouses and apartment buildings around the turn of the century. - Dave] Pass the Grey Poupon?According to that slit on the side of the building, the neighbors to the rear are a mere arm's length away. [That's all the same house, not "the neighbors." - Dave] Interesting architectureI don't believe I've ever seen a side-cut out on a building like that with interior windows. You'd think they would have just put windows on the side of it, unless there was once a building attached to it or very close to it, in which case, the interior windows would still have been odd. [Townhouses on interior lots generally don't have side windows -- the neighbors are just a few inches away, or physically adjoining. - Dave] Light and AirThe right hand side of the house is built as a solid party wall, most likely right on the lot line with the adjoining property. If another house had been built right up to the lot line from the other side, there would be no possibility of placing any windows or other openings on the right hand side of the Wilson House. The fact that there is no house built that way there now does not mean that the builders could reasonably expect that there would never be a house built to "block" that side some day. The indentation in the Wilson House's volume provides the same source of fresh air and natural light to the interior parts of the house as the air shafts between the "dumbbell" tenements of New York City, but hopefully in a much better fashion. [The other possibility is that the house next door was demolished after the property was purchased to make room for Wilson's driveway and garage. - Dave] According to the bird's eye view feature of Bing Maps, there is an identical indentation on the left hand side of the Wilson House, where there is an actual party wall situation. Perhaps it was done on the right hand side for the sake of symmetry ... Lot next door/windows/changes to original floorplansThe lots on S Street were subdivided and planned for a full, contiguous row of townhouses, but the Wilsons' good friend Bernard Baruch bought the as yet un-built lot next door and allowed them to construct a garage. The slab being poured in the image is for the driveway, but the garage hasn't been built yet. Later the Wilsons cut through the bottom portion of the air shaft to make a door from the driveway. The windows in the airshaft provide light for the servants' stair case, the butler's pantry and two bathrooms. This photo was taken on the first week of March 1921. All the furniture was in and ready by March 4 when the Wilsons left the White House. And the staff of the Wilson House still use Security Storage to move exhibition cases when needed! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Phila Up: 1904
... is behind all that masonry added to the steel skeleton and interior fit-out. Looks as good as new today! (The Gallery, DPC, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/18/2023 - 5:59pm -

Philadelphia, 1904. "Land Title Trust Building, Broad Street." The umpteenth appearance on these pages of this early skyscraper. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. PossibilitiesThe rise (?) of such buildings was made possible by many technical advances such as steel design and engineering, but right at the top is Elisha Otis's safety elevator. The Same View Today There's a lot still thereFrom what I can tell, everything on the left in 1904 from the Second Empire building with the curved staircases to City Hall is still there. Although at least one building closer to City Hall, that looks like it was originally a bank, has been repurposed as a Ritz-Carlton hotel. +109Below is the same view from October of 2013. ImpressiveOh, 8x10, you've done it again. Superb image and stunning building. Just imagine how much weight is behind all that masonry added to the steel skeleton and interior fit-out. Looks as good as new today! (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia)
San Leandro: 1942
... marble for the wainscoting and stair entrances in the interior. The building was restored in 1973-1974 by the Best Building ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/23/2023 - 10:53am -

April 1942. "Portuguese-American communities in California. Main street in San Leandro." Estudillo Avenue at 14th Street. Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Foreign Information Service of the U.S. Office of Coordinator of Information. View full size. Seven-fingered Danielhttps://patch.com/california/sanleandro/san-leandro-s-forgotten-industri... Name on BuildingWho was Daniel Best? Palace theater? Gone.This is still there: Banksy I’m so glad to see that the bank building is still there. Lovely architecture. All the BestAccording to HMdb.org (Historical Marker Database), the Best Building is a significant example of commercial architecture in San Leandro and the only San Leandro Plaza building remaining from the early decades of the 20th century. As a manufacturer and inventor, Daniel Best had already contributed much to San Leandro’s growth before he retired from Daniel Best Agricultural Works and began a banking career in this building. Constructed in 1910, the Best Building opened in 1911 housing the San Leandro State Bank. The building featured classical Beaux Arts detail and ornamentation. The architect used white terracotta tiles on the exterior and imported marble for the wainscoting and stair entrances in the interior. The building was restored in 1973-1974 by the Best Building Partnership. Best also constructed a theater next door to the bank. It opened showing silent films, but on July 19, 1913, Thomas Edison’s first moving and talking picture was shown at the Best Theater. No longer a bank but still a beautyWhile it’s no longer a bank, it’s still there and still a beautiful building. The Best Theater is technically still there as well, though it is just retail stores now and the facade, while still of matching stone, was massively changed at some point. The City of San Leandro has a photo archive which contains a good number of photos of this building over the years from the turn of the century forward. Most of the other buildings around the main square, which is really a triangle, we’re made of brick and build prior to this one, and so, one by one, they fell into disrepair. Across the way was the Estudillo House, which was a hotel and stopover for travelers going up and down the coast down to San Jose and the like, since that was a multi day trip back then between horse and wagon and primitive roads and trails. Eventually the Hayward/San Leandro railroad would run directly in front of the Best building, electric rail ran through town for a while for commuters in the 1910s to 1930s, and then they were all ripped out by a evil consortium of companies, which ended up in court where the big companies lost… and then they made Roger Rabbit (which was about L.A., but the same story). The Best Theater, as it wasAs you can see in Dave’s photo, the Best Theater, built next to the Best Building sometime around 1910(?), was no longer a theater by the 1940s. While the building is still there today, the insides are entirely different, as two retail stores occupy the space. While it’s still the same stone as the Best Building, and you can recognize individual features of the stone work, the facing is reworked that it’s unrecognizable. The reworked stone work seems to have been done with some real talent. The image is from the City of San Leandro’s historic photo archive. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
California Modern: 1950
... comes around... I'm from New Zealand, and this style of interior is becoming extremely popular again. I think it's wonderful, nothing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/05/2008 - 12:47pm -

1950. Cocktail hour at the Spencer residence in Santa Monica. Note the mirror-view television sunken into the table. Architect: Richard Spencer. Color transparency by Julius Shulman. View full size. Is Uncle Miltie on tonight? Where is Hugh Hefner?This is reminiscent of the mood of the old TV Show "Hugh Hefner's Penthouse Party." It was all so "chic and stylishly sophisticated" and only the young and beautiful need apply. I do LOVE the streamlined clean look of it all but the guy standing by the fireplace appears to be wearing sandals with a suit, kind of a strange combo. And the powder blue chenille chair in the left foreground would have left lots of lint on black clothing. Quite a slick depiction of the trends of 1950, although most of it is timeless good design. Thanks for the flashback, I love your Shorpy time machine. Meaningful Look...... between Standing Man and Black Dress Woman. Who knows what else they have in common besides biblical footwear? The night is young... Time and placeSandals and a suit? Hey, this is California -- not only that, Santa Monica. As California goes, so goes the future, and it was true in 1950. Granted, I was only 4 then, and my family wasn't in any way immersed in this kind of lifestyle and fashion, but I grew up aware of it, so this scene is completely believable. About the only thing not cutting-edge that I can see are what appear to be 78-rpm record albums (they were literally albums) on the bottom two shelves. 1950 ArmaniWhen I saw this, I immediately thought of Armani Casa, the style is so similar. And the woman on the right in the black dress with the small pois pattern is pure Emporio. SandalsSandals on men are just wrong. Sandals with a suit are an abomination. This guy wuld probably be wearing flip flops to work today. Steak TartareIs that a big plate of raw hamburger there? [Probably not. - Dave] Name that tune.How about you all guess what suave, very cool and modern music that fits the scene might have been playing on the stereophonic hi-fi in 1950. I'm guessing something with Les Paul and Mary Ford. [There was no stereo hi-fi in 1950, but what the heck. Miles Davis. - Dave] Books!The thing that struck me immediately was the prominence of books in this otherwise very spare room. Note the tapered, built-in bookcases, the hard-bound volume carefully placed on the coffee table and the stack of books in the centre unit of sectional couch. Clearly, those who "dressed" this room could imagine the living room as a space where people would read, and they wanted to project the possibility. Today's living rooms -- and the "entertainment units" with which they are furnished -- are designed around electronics, with some allowance for a few magazines or decorative items. Bookcases, where you actually find them, tend to have oversize shelves for binders, photo albums and magazines, not octavo sized books. Soviet ChicI love the Soviet Chic concrete block wall. It reminds me of the university building where I currently work. Probably constructed in about the same era. Two observations: (1) without a ladder, how do you reach the books at the top of the 12-foot-shelf? (2) I love that the flask on the table matches both the drink on the table (which looks like Hawaiian Punch to me) and the pillows behind the bored blonde. [The "flask" is a table lighter. - Dave] Huaraches Going out on a limb here that those sandals are huaraches which were big in the 60's. I know because I had a Rat Fink surf themed LP, Surfink, in the 60's that mentioned huaraches. I suppose that qualifies me some. Modern and Cold...I like a lot of the modern designs from the 50's. However, this one looks too cold and industrial. This is one cocktail party that I am glad I didn't go to. Just look at how much fun they are having! Oh my! Swank padThe future was going to be so cool, and look what we did with it. Shag?Is that SHAG carpetting on the chair? And why is Mr. Spencer wearing Birkenstocks with his suit? Even the ladies shoes seems to be.... less than fashionable. House overall seems somewhat dated, but functional, but the furniture (except maybe the TV) needs to go. And the TV needs to be an LCD pop up with something like Microsoft Surface. Otherwise, this looks like a bad retro-istic look at yesterday's today. Looking like today!High ceilings, simple, sparse furnishings, even the fashions look contemporary. Usually there would be a grey brick fireplace and evidence of robin egg blue palette or chrome and blond furniture around for the fifties. This could be 2009 decor. Santa MonicaSo, tt, what was "this lifestyle" that was on the periphery of your awareness? Spooky ChicThe very chic woman on the right looks so contemporary it's almost spooky. Going DownI thought it was simply a blocky coffee table, until I saw the opening to the steps leading to the chic pleasure dungeon. The guy in the suit and the blonde are obviously planning an immediate descent. Playboy PadThe guy in the suit and sandals looks like a cross between Woody Harrelson and Hugh Hefner. Yeah, Baby . . . So Cool!This is probably the first Shorpy pic that truly makes me want to time travel and immerse myself completely into this scene. I love the coolness and sleekness and the fact that 58 years later, this looks like something that I could probably mimic today without too much fuss. Well, except the smoking. About Santa MonicaI phrased that poorly; my intention was to zero in on Southern California in general, not Santa Monica specifically. What I was driving at was that Southern California had long been a place where the new, the novel, the offbeat was a familiar part of the culture; also that there was a particular style of upscale living - influenced by, among other things, the climate, the movie industry and that tolerance for the idiosyncratic and unusual. A scene like this, in a ritzy, high-concept-design postwar modern living/entertaining room, with a guy in open-shirt designer garb in sandals, well, this is so totally Southern California that I can't stand it. And it's 1950. We're witnessing the dawn of casual chic. Hi-De-FiThe hi-fi system is highly unusual. They were not commonly built into coffee tables! They were commonly custom built, however. The components often didn't come with cabinets. I assume that the TV mirror is so thick because it has a layer of that zebra-grain plywood on it. I also assume that the preamp sticking out near Black Dress's knees tucks in when not in use. There would also be a record changer that slid out when the records needed changing. As someone noted, the records are those old-fashioned 78s. The 33 rpm LP record was just coming into vogue at that time, being introduced c. 1948. The draperiesThe draperies--I assume that is what they are--are amazing. But I really, really want that lamp on the right. [Those are probably boards set at an angle. Your classic mid-century room divider or window baffle. - Dave] True date of this photoThe unbroken horizontal top of the bodice on the sleeveless and strapless gowns gives me pause about the date 1950. I've found only one photo of 1950, "Carmen's Armpit" by Norman Parkinson, that shows a model in such a gown, but the top of that bodice has a break in the overfold to suggest cleavage. By 1952 such gowns as appear in this photo were worn; by 1954-1955 they were common. The short hairstyle on the blonde belongs to 1951-1952, or to 1955, especially if she has a flip curl in front. This image could be as late as 1955. Perhaps a source for the unusual TV setup will help pin down the exact year. [This photograph was taken in 1950. - Dave] More on the SpencersI found the Spencers' wedding announcement (in the January 28, 1949 Long Beach Independent). Based on the accompanying photo I'd bet that they are the two standing by the fireplace. Most remarkable was her wedding dress - "an apple green dressmaker suit and orchids." He was described as an industrial engineer, originally from Denver, who studied abroad. She was the former Josephine Caruso, whose parents had a Long Beach address and who graduated from Polytechnic High. "They will make their home in Santa Monica Canyon." Neal Cassady by the wallWith Kerouac chatting up the local hipsters, while traveling "On the Road." HotDo you suppose the fire is actually burning that wood? If so, Mr. Sandals wouldn't be able to keep his hand on the fireplace screen very long. That is unless he is so mesmerized that he doesn't notice. [Some people are just too cool to get burned. - Dave] As seen on AMC's Mad MenThe woman on the right sure looks like Betty Draper. Of course this would have been before she met her future hubby, Don. Time TravelerI can't believe that woman in the black outfit is from 58 years ago. I am intensely curious as to how she aged in the following decades... How did she look in 1965? 1974? 1995? The writer Robert Benchley once had to console a man who was in love with a woman who'd been dead for a hundred years. I feel myself falling in love with this woman, and wish I had a time machine. The lobbyistsThis room looks more like an upscale lobby or waiting room than a room in somebody's home. I'm guessing the little Spencers didn't play in this room. I think one of the biggest reasons the woman in black looks so contemporary is her millennial borderline-underweight figure, in a time when most of the starlets were more pneumatic. [You'll note from the caption that the owner of the house is the architect who designed it. - Dave] That mirror TV cabinetLet's see if we can figure out how that mirror cabinet for the TV worked... We need two mirrors to keep from reversing the image. Could the TV screen be facing the photographer, with one mirror out of sight reflecting the image up to the mirror we can see? No, then the viewer would see a sideways image, unless the TV is on its side. Probably the TV needed to stay upright? Or could it be on its side, or upside down? [Mirror view televisions, whose sales peak was sometime around 1948, were used for the larger screen sizes (17 inches and up) back when the bigger picture tubes were too long to fit front-to-back in a standard cabinet. Generally the tube was wired to display a reverse image. The standard design was an upright cabinet with mirrored lid. Some used a prism or extra mirrors. They were superseded by direct-view sets once picture tubes got short enough to fit front-to-back in a 24-inch-deep enclosure. Custom installations continued to make use of the principle. - Dave] Time is relative...Our family was totally working class, but, I remember the homes (and offices) of more "sophisticated" people looking much like this when I was a kid. Ours was a two-university town. This looks like the home of a prof or department head, and it resembles a lot of the university architecture being built at the time, the time being the early 1960s for me. It took a decade or more for California Chic to percolate down (and up) to the likes of us in Southern Ontario. This room is ugly and the people look strange.Why does the woman in black appear to have been decapitated and then had her head put back on the neck? What is wrong with this picture? There certainly is a lot wrong with the room. It's about as homey as a public toilet. Another worldWow. I can't even imagine how wealthy one would have to be to live like this in 1950. When I first saw the picture I assumed these people were all movie stars. My father was born in 1947, and his working class upbringing in Northern England, in an unheated home lacking an indoor bathroom, would have been almost literally on another planet compared to this. Astonishing. Kind of Cold In Here...I agree with all those who find this room cold and impersonal, but I suppose it would be a good place to hang out and smoke a couple packs of butts, like these people are doing. Girl in the black dress is exceptional by the standards of any era. For those who like this room I suggest a visit to Aqueduct Racecourse. That was built in 1961, but style hadn't changed all that much, and the little foyer below the grandstand escalator is still furnished something like this. A real time warp. What goes around comes around...I'm from New Zealand, and this style of interior is becoming extremely popular again. I think it's wonderful, nothing like a public toilet. (Art & Design, Julius Shulman)
Jiffy Lube: 1904
... which can be removed when the engine is cold to access the interior of the boiler and the throttle valve. The third dome from the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:31pm -

Circa 1904. "Michigan Central Railroad. Oiling up before the start." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. That Other Dome...The rear dome is the steam dome, where the steam collects before it is piped into the cylinders. What's the pipe?What's the pipe just behind the big left driver? My first thought was sand, but you wouldn't sand, behind the wheel. Neither would you vent something wet, like steam, onto the wheel. Anybody know? Safety couplerNote that the coupler is resting on the pilot deck. It is swung out of the way so that it will not catch an object that on the track. Modern diesels have snow plows that deflect objects that might become lodged under the wheels. Enough with the pipes already!The two pipes coming from the sand dome are for SAND! One for forward and one for reverse. The lever from the cab to the dome is for turning on and off the flow of sand. Perhaps out of sight behind the trailing truck is a rail washer because leaving the grit on the rails after it's needed causes friction and unnecessary wear on the wheels of the rest of the train. The small pipe in front of the valve chest is for oil from the hydrostatic lubricator in the cab. What I don't see if a boiler check or a line from the injector to feed the water to the boiler. I don't see it on the color photo either. WowMore like this please! 4-4-2 Atlantic typeBuilt in 1902 for fast passenger service. A sister locomotive, Detroit Toledo & Ironton #45 (also built in 1902) survives at the Henry Ford Museum. Fifty years to go before the diesel engines outnumbered steam locos. Sand, yesMy guess would be sand, for reversing perhaps? Also since that rear pipe leads up to the same spot the pipe in front of the front drive wheel goes... TractionYep, those are sanders. You need them both forward and reverse. From the looks of the tires on those drivers, they were used plenty. (They're called "tires" even though they're metal.) Here's how they change them: http://www.sps700.org/gallery/0411drivers_part1.shtml As for the pipeThat pipe is a sand dispenser. Think of this way. If the wheels start slipping backward, the sand would be delivered to the right spot to regain traction. Also, when the train reverses direction, which they did in railroading to improve stopping. Remember the airbrakes took several seconds, up to a minute to get the rearmost car to brake. So you have the front of the train going backward as the rear of the train is still going forward. Kind of results in a lot of steel on steel as the couplers crash against each other. The other domeThat's the one for whipped cream. Sorry; I couldn't not get into this comment thread. Re: What's the pipe?Notice that there is also an identical pipe ahead of the other driver wheel. Obviously, you might need to sand the track for more traction whether you are pulling or pushing with the engine. Thus, you have sanding pipes on either side of the drive wheels. Mystery pipeConsidering that the pipe comes from the same location as the pipe that goes to the front driver, and considering that trains can go backward, it's a pretty safe bet that it too is a sand pipe. The sand delivered to the front wheel, when going forward, will still be on the rail by the time the rear wheel gets to it. Same when going in reverse. Sand PipeThat is, in fact, a sand pipr behind the rear driver. Note that it comes down from the sand box as does the other pipe in front of the front driver. The Pipe is a Sand PipeFollow the pipe upstream -- it's connected to the sand box, and was used to afford traction when the locomotive was backing up. What's the pipe?I think the sand pipe behind the wheel is used when going in reverse (??) Re: the pipeI think sand is probably the right answer, since the pipe would be in front of the wheel when the engine was in reverse. Note the very similar pipe in front of the other driver wheel. What's the pipe?I believe it was for sand...for backing up. Reverse gearI believe it's a sand pipe for going in the opposite direction. SanderAnonymous, your first thought was right. The pipe behind the rear driver is to deposit sand on the rails during backing moves. There's another sand pipe ahead of the front driver. Both pipes lead from the sand dome atop the boiler, and you can also see the control linkage that allowed the crew in the cab to apply sand when needed for traction. I think sand is the correct answer.An identical pipe runs down the side of the engine to just in front of the forward driver wheel, and both pipes originate from the same dome on top of the engine. Sand is the most likely explanation. My best guess as to why they would have pipes on both sides of the driver wheels would be to provide traction while the engine runs in reverse. Sand it is!The two diagonal pipes coming from the "sand box" (first dome behind the bell) carry sand to the drivers when needed. The engineer can operate a three-way valve for forward-off-reverse sand application. You can see small air lines to the sander valve which run under the jacket. Sand would be applied automatically on an emergency brake application. I am more curious about the lever arrangement to the sand box. The sand had to be perfectly dry to flow through the pipes. Was this lever used to break up clumps of sand in the box? One good question deserves another! Sand Gets in your Eyes, and Elsewhere.The pipe behind the rear driver IS for sand, when backing up. These high-wheeled engines were very slippery when starting and when the engine brake was applied. A sliding wheel, as opposed to a spinning wheel, will develop a flat spot very quickly, which can damage the rail each time it goes around. Without sand the Engineer might not be able to start a train at some locations, especially if the rail was wet or greasy. Modern Diesel locomotives still use sand applied in front of the leading wheels for traction. If too much sand is applied when not necessary, the locomotive will run out of sand and have none when it is really needed. Sand also blows back along the train, getting into parts where it is not desired and mixes with grease or oil, and, into the eyes of patrons on passenger trains without air conditioning, the windows being open. Some streetcars had sanders, the sand being in bins under the seats which folded up to fill the hoppers from within the car. What's the pipe x2A similar pipe hangs down in front of the other driver, right by the guy's left leg. Both seem to originate from the bell shaped thing on top. Backwards sandingYou would sand behind the driver if you needed traction when starting in reverse. Both pipes are coming from the sand dome. What's the pipethe pipe behind the left driving wheel is for sand, but when the loco is running backwards. if you look on the right had side just infornt of the mans leg you will see the same thing and that is for sanding going forwards. That other dome...That's the steam dome. It contains the opening to the main steam pipe and its purpose is to allow this opening to be kept well above the water level in the boiler. This arrangement acts as a simple steam separator and minimizes the risk that water will be carried over to the cylinders where it might cause a hydraulic lock - this is also known as priming. When starting a steam loco, before you start to move, you open the cylinder drain cocks to get any condensate out of the cylinders. As far as keeping the sand dry, that's one of the reasons for putting the sand dome where it is, boiler heat helps keep it dry. The sand is pushed through the sand pipes by compressed air, and in the example you can see the air connections and valves where they enter the dome. Sand was dried and stored in steam heated "sand houses" before being loaded to the locos. Nowadays, AC traction control has helped immensely, but sanding, and knowing when to sand is still needed. The PipeIt's GOT to be for sand. Note that both the "fore" and "aft" pipes go up to the same dome, which has a rather loose-looking lever connected to the cab by a rod (that is ALWAYS slightly bent in these pictures). So the "after" pipe is for those times when the engine must BACK UP on slick rails. Just makes you marvel, at driving wheels tall as a man, and the double-barrel compound cylinders (first the high pressure steam, than rather than wasting the residual pressure, let it work again in a low pressure cylinder). To the true locomotive experts out there - how does the sand get INTO the dome? The SandpiperSomething tells me the goddam pipe is for sand. Whipped cream would be nice, but...That second dome is the steam dome. As the water in the boiler boils, steam is withdrawn from the steam dome, which allows pickup of the steam from a point which is always above the water level. Sand DomeThanks. I found an explanation of the Sand Dome. That's about the last place I'd have looked for sand. Give Me a Brake!It is worth noting that the four wheels of the leading truck have brake shoes to assist in stopping the train, or just the locomotive when operating alone travelling to from it's train. If there is rain, grease, oil, grass or frost on the rail head, a steam locomotive can be VERY difficult to control, thats where the sand comes in to play. If the rail is 'bad', an Engineer will often apply sand just before the train stops so there will be sand beneath all the driving wheels for starting. It appears the front coupler is of a folding-up design and is lying on top of the pilot beam. The Engineer has poked the spout of his oiler into the hole provided for the purpose and is oiling the wrist pin within the crosshead on the front of the main rod that connects the crosshead with the crankpin on the rear driver. The crosshead and main rod convert the reciprical motion of the pistons within the cylinders to rotary motion at the wheel. The right crankpin usually leads the left by 90 degrees on a two-cylinder engine. There is a relief valve on the front of the steam cylinder to admit air when the engine is drifting with the throttle shut, otherwise there would be a vacuum or air pressure within as the pistons move constantly when the engine is in motion. The small curved pipe just visible in the steam above the valve chest carries valve oil from the lubricator in the cab and into the steam supply for lubrication of the piston valve and the piston below. At each end beneath the cylinder can be seen condensate drains which are opened from the cab with links and levers to drain water from condensed steam from the cylinders before it can accunmulate to a level to stop the piston in it's travel, damaging the cylinder heads or causing other mechanical damage. A QuestionDo any of you fellows know what that pipe behind the driving wheel might be for. Sand, perhaps? Whipped cream? Dome, De Dome DomeThe dome behind the sand dome is the steam dome, where the throttle valve is located to allow steam to enter the clyinders through internal piping in the boiler. The next open dome area is where the whistle and poppet valve (pressure relief valve) is to allow excess steam pressure out. Domes Galore.The front dome is for sand, as mentioned in several posts. The Engineer pulls a lever in the cab, the rod of which is seen, and this moves a plate beneath the sand in the sand dome until holes line up above the outlets to the pipes leading to the front or rear drivers. There is another handle in the cab which admits compressed air front or back to force sand down the pipes to the wheels, their control air pipes also visible at the base of the sand dome. There usually is a round recessed lid on top of the sand dome with a recessed hand hold, secured with a length of chain within the dome cavity, where sand is poured in on the shop track when servicing the locomotive between runs. Two little steps can be seen bolted on to the boiler side to access the sand dome, bell etc. The heat of the boiler keeps the sand dry and 'fluid' if rain does get in. Coal and water would be added to the tender at the same time, and the cab supplies such as oils for lubrication, grease for some bearings, and lamp oil for the various lamps on the engine. This engine does not yet appear to have a steam-operated electric dynamo nor an electric headlight. It may have an Acetylene headlight? The second dome along the boiler-top from the front is the Steam Dome. Within it's sleek casing is a heavy flat-topped dome on top of the boiler proper which houses the steam throttle valve above the water level in the boiler. The throttle valve is opened and closed thru a rod which passes thru a gland with packing against the boiler pressure to the Engineer's throttle handle in the cab. Moving his handle lifts and lowers the balanced throttle valve in the steam dome, admitting steam to the cylinders. On top of the steam dome proper there is a round heavy metal plate bolted down with a steam-tight fit which can be removed when the engine is cold to access the interior of the boiler and the throttle valve. The third dome from the front is called a 'pop dome' and on top of it can be seen pressure safety valves, 2 in this case. These valves, when both are open, MUST be able to pass more steam than the boiler and firebox can produce under all firing conditions. One safety valve opens, usually, 3 to 5 pounds sooner than the second. The vertical round cylinder just ahead of the cab roof, but behind the safety valves is the whistle. The bell ahead of the sand dome is air-operated on it's right side, the small air pipe visible. The left side of the bell has a rope so the bell can also be 'rung' by the fireman on the locomotive's left. Dome, de dome, domeNow that we have solved the sand dome mystery including the pipes, valves, and control linkage what is the pupose of the other dome beside or behind it? The Rules of AttractionIf anything at Shorpy attracts (pun intended) more attention than a pretty girl, it has to be a railroad engine! New RulesOr tterrace! D'Udder DomeThe rear dome is called the Steam Dome. It is the highest point of the boiler and is where the throttle valve is located. Taking the steam from here keeps water from going into the "Dry Pipe" and hence into the steam cylinders up front. Domes a plentyThe other dome behind the sand dome is the steam dome. It was where the steam was "gathered" prior to being sent to the cylinders. Most all horizontal boilers on trains and traction engines have steam domes. Vertical boilers typically don't need steam domes. Two domesMust mean it's a lady locomotive. The other dome The dome behind the sand dome is the "steam dome". That is where te steam is drawn from the boiler. If it was lower on the boiler there is more of a chance of picking up water instead of steam which would not be good. You can see the steps on the side of the boiler below the sand dome. They are there because this was somewhere that needed to be serviced (filled) often. ThrottledThe dome behind the sand dome is the steam dome which contains the throttle. Immediately behind that is the auxiliary steam dome which has the whistle, safety valves and most likely a dry pipe for the turret in the cab which supplies steam to the appliances. Bactrian LocomotiveThere are two domes because this is a Bactrian Locomotive, not a Dromedary locomotive! The other dome is known as the Steam Dome. Inside this dome is a pipe which collects the steam made by the boiler and is eventually sent to the pistons to power the locomotive. The dome puts the steam pipe as far away as possible from the boiling waters below so that only steam, not water, gets into the steam pipe. Water, being incompressible, will break the pistons or cylinder covers. The other domeThe other dome is the steam dome. What you actually see is just a cover. The throttle is located inside of the steam dome. There is also a Dry pipe to the turret located inside of the steam dome. The reason for the dome is to allow dry steam to exit the boiler. Percolator DomeNow, out of which pipe do you get the fresh-brewed coffee? I have no choice!I had to chime in on the discussion about all the "pipes", seeing as I am employed as a rail road "Pipefitter" Lol! 1. It is for sand 2. It's still used 3. Yes, it has to be bone dry because they still constantly clog. Snappy shoes!Hmmm.. that oiler is wearing what appears to be a sharp-looking pair of dress shoes. A little surprising considering the working environment! Alumni Did anyone notice this beauty was produced here in Schenectady NY? The General Electric Alco works, produced some of the finest and biggest locomotive engines ever to run the rails. Sadly, Alco is being demolished for condos, and only a few of these magnificent steamers still ply the rails. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)
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