The Neighborhood Of Avenue B & 16th Street Before Demolition

Before the construction of Stuyvesant Town this is what the area looked like.

The news caption reads:

To Be Razed
The famous –or rather odoriferous –gas-house district in old New York will be torn down to make way for Stuyvesant Town, a private post-war housing project. At least 3,400 families live in the 18-block area, between First Avenue and Avenue C, and from 14th Street to 20th Street, will be razed for development. A gigantic cluster of gas tanks, which produced the evil smell, stopped production a few days ago. Here is a street scene taken at 16th Street and Avenue B , looking east – and one of the gas tanks at the far end of the street. – credit Wide World Photos 3-13-1945