The year is 1903 and two toy merchants are showing their products to passerby. The title of the photograph by the Detroit Publishing Co. is “Gutter Toy Merchant.” That is a term I have never heard applied to those who sell merchandise on the sidewalk. Continue reading
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 Continue reading
Our stereoview photograph from 1903 shows Madison Square Park looking south towards The Flatiron Building.
A newsboy looks over his shoulder noticing the cameraman photograhing this scene. Nearby, a woman with two children by her side pushes a carriage. Continue reading
This 1889 view of Broadway north from Bowling Green shows the street before skyscraper construction would permanently alter the famous corridor.
We are dating the photograph by the buildings visible and most importantly the presence of overhead telegraph wires.
After the blizzard of 1888 caused wires around the city to come down, a movement to place wires underground began in earnest. Upon taking office in 1889 Mayor Hugh J. Grant immediately set upon removing overhead wires, sending crews with axes to chop down poles if the companies responsible for the wires did not promptly relocate them.
We see pedestrians going about their business as horse drawn vehicles make their way up and down Broadway. Parking does not seem to pose a problem and a wagon advertising “hams” is making a delivery on the west side of Broadway. Bowling Green’s original 1771 fence is visible in the foreground.
On the right with arched entryway is the nine-story Welles Building at 14-16-18-20 Broadway. Beginning in 1882 the Welles Building became the home of the Petroleum Exchange.
It make sense that adjacent to the Welles Building, in 1885-1886 the Standard Oil Company would build its ten-story 157 foot tall headquarters at 26 Broadway. Continue reading
Our photograph is from American Art Views, a view book published September 15, 1903 showing contemporary New York City.
To the right, with a flag on its roof is the six-story Fifth Avenue Hotel (1859-1908). The clock in front of the hotel remains standing today, though the hotel is long gone. On the corner of 24th Street we can glimpse the sign for for “Maillard’s.”
Maillard’s restaurant and confectionery shop was on the ground floor of The Fifth Avenue Hotel. Continue reading
This view from the southwest corner of 28th Street looking south along Broadway was taken by the Detroit Publishing Company circa 1908.
Let’s take a closer look at this photograph.
On the left is the eight story Hotel Victoria stretching from Broadway to Fifth Avenue along 27th Street. President Grover Cleveland would use the Victoria as his headquarters whenever he was visiting the city. The hotel began operations in 1872 and was razed in 1914.
You are not contemplating suicide when on the third floor, but there is a man standing on the hotel’s window ledge. He does not appear to be cleaning the windows.
In the background Continue reading
Before the construction of Stuyvesant Town this is what the area looked like.
The news caption reads: Continue reading
This photograph was taken by the Department of Bridges official photographer, Eugene de Salignac.
For over three decades until 1934, de Salignac took thousands of photographs for his job with the city. Many show an artistic eye and were compiled in New York Rises: Photographs by Eugene de Salignac (2007) Aperture. Continue reading
This photograph by Percy Loomis Sperr shows the Ninth Avenue El looking north from the west side of 23rd Street.
We can see the entire corner from 23rd to 24th Street has been cleared in preparation for the construction of the London Terrace apartment complex. London Terrace has 14 buildings stretching from Ninth to Tenth Avenues. Continue reading
This stereoscope view of lower Manhattan was taken from the St. Paul Building at 220 Broadway around 1900.
The development of steel skeleton buildings enabled skyscrapers to be constructed towards the end of the 19th century.
The 25-story St. Paul Building stood at the corner of Broadway and Ann Street. Continue reading