Looking North On Fifth Avenue From 42nd Street c. 1875

We are looking north along Fifth Avenue to the east side of 42nd Street.

When looking at these stereoviews it’s always nice to pin a date on the scene. While it is impossible to exactly date this stereoview, it is definitely before 1881.

During the 1870s, the nearest building at the northeast corner of 42nd Street, number 503 Fifth Avenue belonged to Levi P Morton, Vice President of the United States from 1889 – 1893 and Governor of New York from 1895-1896. In 1881 Morton’s former home was expanded from four stories to six. The six story structure was later renamed the Seymour Building around 1892.

The five buildings seen here between 42nd and 43rd Street were all erected by 1862. Temple Emanu-El on the northeast corner of 43rd Street was constructed between 1866-1868.

The two things that narrow down the date are the stereoview manufacturer and the street sign indicator on the corner in front of 503 Fifth Avenue. Other views in this “the ‘Best’ series” are from the mid-1870s.

As far as street signs, there is not much literature on when these freestanding street signs began to appear in New York. At the turn-of-the-century these type of signs were still appearing in photographs.