Transportation On The Bowery Near Houston Street c. 1900
In this magic lantern slide view from around 1900. a pair of horse drawn trolleys make their way along the Bowery. One going to Harlem – one coming from Harlem. The horses trod along the trolley rails laid within the Belgian block pavement. A delivery wagon is parked at the curb.
The four car train of the Third Avenue Elevated is being pulled by a steam engine. The Third Avenue El began using an electrified third rail to power its trains on March 24, 1902.
The partially visible address in the background building – 29 (illegible) – indicates this is close to Houston Street.
For the heck of it we tried colorizing this photograph and cleaning up some of its imperfections. The details are not as sharp as the original, and the colors somewhat inaccurate, but it came out decently.
Nice colorization! Glad you posted the original, though. Damn shame the city paved over the Belgian blocks. I realize they made for a bumpier ride, but they’re much more charming.