tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43456420589161517842023-10-09T02:26:52.274-07:00Random MusingsI post whatever I find interesting, maybe it will amuse you, too! :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger694125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-27546595690852941972023-02-05T20:28:00.008-08:002023-02-06T15:44:20.104-08:00Sherman Oaks Then And Now Ca. 1950<h2 style="text-align: left;">A Random Drive Through Sherman Oaks In The 1940s</h2><div>Most of my articles are about New York City because it is beautifully documented and full of history, much of which survives to this day. It is fun to reflect on the Big Apple and its ever-present past.</div><div><br /></div><div>But today we switch things up and go to my second-favorite locale, Los Angeles and its environs. Let's take a brief ride through Sherman Oaks sometime in 1949 or the early 1950s (there is some debate about exactly when this footage was taken). We are going to jump around a bit in the neighborhood, but basically, we are in the vicinity of Greenleaf Street east of the highway.</div><div><br /></div><div>We'll start our ride on Greenleaf Street heading west just past Cedros Street. Up ahead on the right side of the road, not quite in sight yet, as the road swerves left, is the Sherman Oaks Elementary School.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2vuEQwoitWHcYvTDcbO60cO5zw-tVonpMCUHpYBmAfFaUbeP_4cWrj6J_e_oogrbWXIX3qTRyDWo5eT3y23KJ9SbPMsl2ZS8l9xTlnjbWDl31CxmLUGvsiMJ1L-nCGPbf9n_a_tYbcFU6M69KdZp-8w9ybIK4snCaXpZDSBu0_VhC97J4jCEsdS8/s2593/Screenshot_20230205_065329.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1633" data-original-width="2593" height="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2vuEQwoitWHcYvTDcbO60cO5zw-tVonpMCUHpYBmAfFaUbeP_4cWrj6J_e_oogrbWXIX3qTRyDWo5eT3y23KJ9SbPMsl2ZS8l9xTlnjbWDl31CxmLUGvsiMJ1L-nCGPbf9n_a_tYbcFU6M69KdZp-8w9ybIK4snCaXpZDSBu0_VhC97J4jCEsdS8/w640-h405/Screenshot_20230205_065329.png" title="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenleaf Street, heading west, 1949.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The school is still there, but now it is called the Sherman Oaks Charter School.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie7x56KJ1VnOYTwNG6loIf7MgInBK5Gy-I16qZbtm7Uo-uvmyd8dzgiLBOkjidjb42XaDUWftq_b_j8q9UfMD4G9n1aXxiL_Kg4pZJcrKsLq1EBkrZdraWgOtAUlDrWimMgu3BkSc5r3-Hh8jVAGOOmX4Onbg3idzUp3Ep8UEzzO0B6A35hg6whx6/s2254/Screenshot_20230205_065356.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1283" data-original-width="2254" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie7x56KJ1VnOYTwNG6loIf7MgInBK5Gy-I16qZbtm7Uo-uvmyd8dzgiLBOkjidjb42XaDUWftq_b_j8q9UfMD4G9n1aXxiL_Kg4pZJcrKsLq1EBkrZdraWgOtAUlDrWimMgu3BkSc5r3-Hh8jVAGOOmX4Onbg3idzUp3Ep8UEzzO0B6A35hg6whx6/w640-h364/Screenshot_20230205_065356.png" title="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenleaf Street, heading west, August 2022 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We continue down Greenleaf Street, a nice suburban street then and now.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOee1UEI_PXalaZrh0hqGii0HjshMmACUxKMlbbCNsP_1HUSuwaxZzUzsBKbj6l1P7V8MZj4SB46y3gMYRVralBFx4BE0HGYaLEl4tjOyCni91IUksEmP_Au1IOPMjFGJRbEmLuO_ZT6vgB6rWtRH1eHjwqdC4ulX4uJz7mR-dHqGF1QxYQTA9nDy/s3244/Screenshot_20230205_070449.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1664" data-original-width="3244" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOee1UEI_PXalaZrh0hqGii0HjshMmACUxKMlbbCNsP_1HUSuwaxZzUzsBKbj6l1P7V8MZj4SB46y3gMYRVralBFx4BE0HGYaLEl4tjOyCni91IUksEmP_Au1IOPMjFGJRbEmLuO_ZT6vgB6rWtRH1eHjwqdC4ulX4uJz7mR-dHqGF1QxYQTA9nDy/w640-h328/Screenshot_20230205_070449.png" title="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenleaf Street, heading west, 1949.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>There is the school fence on our right, behind that driveway. Note the lampost over on the left.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdEqIuTOLUUna9URFUAT0xFtYRHMS2ZQYMUFyisyZrdPA9YgtcGeiH0FhCZ9I_RO-5N8V0pRlq32SDIOUU8DCm6bKwJUqf7ZzH10sb3z1Xd4EVse51TJR-PR8FsDeyBbbBYtZZpQhklqNwRYrji8glu7FIEOvZ75f_0BP6f6tRu0-CwceuEclhuMj/s2598/Screenshot_20230205_070517.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="2598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdEqIuTOLUUna9URFUAT0xFtYRHMS2ZQYMUFyisyZrdPA9YgtcGeiH0FhCZ9I_RO-5N8V0pRlq32SDIOUU8DCm6bKwJUqf7ZzH10sb3z1Xd4EVse51TJR-PR8FsDeyBbbBYtZZpQhklqNwRYrji8glu7FIEOvZ75f_0BP6f6tRu0-CwceuEclhuMj/w640-h320/Screenshot_20230205_070517.png" title="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenleaf Street, heading west, August 2022 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And above is the same spot today, with the fence over there on the right beyond the (greatly widened) driveway across from our friend the eternal lampost.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKOqVpeyLO6YICZAVYYPTPlt0dQPKryHGd_RK9ZkwRFxLi-cm2Otnm4aHTaoUHYRFeduLk6psAZobC9FzvKmiKsjTZh5IKH-VnxYxQFcTIdqqcQIoRMwKIN9ETdsCBwt098C4zApKzDKbyX_8tbjhjiJArG3BLMJeeNqPZ9JoLFsZbJ0-TryRG344/s3313/Screenshot_20230205_040123.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1794" data-original-width="3313" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKOqVpeyLO6YICZAVYYPTPlt0dQPKryHGd_RK9ZkwRFxLi-cm2Otnm4aHTaoUHYRFeduLk6psAZobC9FzvKmiKsjTZh5IKH-VnxYxQFcTIdqqcQIoRMwKIN9ETdsCBwt098C4zApKzDKbyX_8tbjhjiJArG3BLMJeeNqPZ9JoLFsZbJ0-TryRG344/w640-h346/Screenshot_20230205_040123.png" title="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saugus Avenue and Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, ca. 1949.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Above is the corner of Saugus Avenue and Greenleaf Street in Sherman Oaks, looking west toward the San Diego Freeway ("the 405" to you Californians), in 1949. Is that the same tree there on the corner? Sure looks like the tree has bent the same way, though admittedly it has straightened out some over the decades. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPW_eVcRf75T8EC1pwNT0__Mu-N-nc7rrd8foDNnblErgXSIoANMy-UBiuM6vqGDW9NSd3vOcQx5lKPMomtOvOnMrPJlZdWD8TXGZv10KY0zzSY_vztsMQOcQFISF6KuFFK64TPQCsi2YsQ8bySlU5NX6GvP1Pcix8cPpm0aV0xRA9z3_BWLULP_3T/s3273/Screenshot_20230205_082256.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Valley Oaks Cleaners, Sherman Oaks, ca. 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="3273" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPW_eVcRf75T8EC1pwNT0__Mu-N-nc7rrd8foDNnblErgXSIoANMy-UBiuM6vqGDW9NSd3vOcQx5lKPMomtOvOnMrPJlZdWD8TXGZv10KY0zzSY_vztsMQOcQFISF6KuFFK64TPQCsi2YsQ8bySlU5NX6GvP1Pcix8cPpm0aV0xRA9z3_BWLULP_3T/w640-h352/Screenshot_20230205_082256.png" title="Valley Oaks Cleaners, Sherman Oaks, ca. 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley Oaks Cleaners off Saugus and Sepulveda, the future site of the current Whole Foods.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The Valley Oaks Cleaners is over to the right, which begat the Westward Ho Market, which begat the current Whole Foods on Sepulveda.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgQRNVWaOnBKz_JhnAeKAfKwfjhikgT5EXjpBZTRSJlHKYyUG-mYyYt2CCbibh6SQO3uJ1AyH1JTUuDdAiBgf8COFmPZNzqomiji7G4jvnFxFrhtCSmsw1DbCDjo3IL_kyVTM9c6jFBtpgnHJQ0Fk2U6j9TIQI3ctwGJR2O6J-SJGGjkLdyxHJ6DH/s2203/Screenshot_20230205_040302.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenleaf Street at Saugus, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="2203" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgQRNVWaOnBKz_JhnAeKAfKwfjhikgT5EXjpBZTRSJlHKYyUG-mYyYt2CCbibh6SQO3uJ1AyH1JTUuDdAiBgf8COFmPZNzqomiji7G4jvnFxFrhtCSmsw1DbCDjo3IL_kyVTM9c6jFBtpgnHJQ0Fk2U6j9TIQI3ctwGJR2O6J-SJGGjkLdyxHJ6DH/w640-h310/Screenshot_20230205_040302.png" title="Greenleaf Street at Saugus, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saugus Avenue and Greenleaf Street in Sherman Oaks in August 2022 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And above we have the exact location in August 2022. The San Diego Freeway is still there, but it looks a bit different these days. The Whole Foods site is off to the right, mostly out of sight here.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1Gfdf6sRqQc92A2-DjZx6kwZFqrxHjuOiM6lf-SHvtEfw1cvABjhy3uo-Y_aI-b2KxI2hnsbYLcZGbz6Lp3Eyk8_WJkUXrEAP2ql71l1FzkYScV7nalNfn4gX2puEWcV1mSuIFaMaRmFvBiFVOFaAitkLOtYnPOxy5j5rFWYh8007tA2P2BlQ3Vv/s3376/Screenshot_20230205_032942.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1672" data-original-width="3376" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1Gfdf6sRqQc92A2-DjZx6kwZFqrxHjuOiM6lf-SHvtEfw1cvABjhy3uo-Y_aI-b2KxI2hnsbYLcZGbz6Lp3Eyk8_WJkUXrEAP2ql71l1FzkYScV7nalNfn4gX2puEWcV1mSuIFaMaRmFvBiFVOFaAitkLOtYnPOxy5j5rFWYh8007tA2P2BlQ3Vv/w640-h316/Screenshot_20230205_032942.png" title="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenleaf Street at Kester Avenue, northeast corner, ca. 1949.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Back up on Greenleaf Street, above, we pass a house on the corner of Greenleaf Street at Kester Avenue. Below, is the exact location recently.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsdhn7v4HMmyjmpmHXgle5AWH2M_JhOcvJ5T9oHffUezu7jH3RiznHusB7rXnldRCVuwG8LzJHyVs32pRVYO9TuL-nmCsBuWEI3vihwdEhk8zCs6XhxGvLBdGXT_ZlVpqLSZfo0AGoIM7ALjK3joLjwXr9dQTZkFj902BAvlkW6YFyyWu-CvysXcW/s2663/Screenshot_20230205_033639.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="2663" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsdhn7v4HMmyjmpmHXgle5AWH2M_JhOcvJ5T9oHffUezu7jH3RiznHusB7rXnldRCVuwG8LzJHyVs32pRVYO9TuL-nmCsBuWEI3vihwdEhk8zCs6XhxGvLBdGXT_ZlVpqLSZfo0AGoIM7ALjK3joLjwXr9dQTZkFj902BAvlkW6YFyyWu-CvysXcW/w640-h314/Screenshot_20230205_033639.png" title="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenleaf Street at Kester Avenue, August 2022 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Below is the same corner in 1949, but we see the other side of Greenleaf Street in a more straight-ahead shot. Notice the fire hydrant, telephone pole, and other street features on the left.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPK9CobzhSxZAu8nTFi521tXdTDB2-Ei59FAGdm5n2ZF9BGDc-tPMYLzF-B67isJqJ8tc4WsqsEwFUasKb3rJQfIgWD8PwMlCu6U0XmaMQ0hU9h_l_CFnEJVxM4zs3y0zpivGCeeB-LKDZlIxm8I83BqpFbmzDW_BNFB9fFWfUIJe3quYzNrtjzobO/s2763/Screenshot_20230205_051506.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1664" data-original-width="2763" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPK9CobzhSxZAu8nTFi521tXdTDB2-Ei59FAGdm5n2ZF9BGDc-tPMYLzF-B67isJqJ8tc4WsqsEwFUasKb3rJQfIgWD8PwMlCu6U0XmaMQ0hU9h_l_CFnEJVxM4zs3y0zpivGCeeB-LKDZlIxm8I83BqpFbmzDW_BNFB9fFWfUIJe3quYzNrtjzobO/w640-h386/Screenshot_20230205_051506.png" title="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenleaf Street, looking west, 1949.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Below, is the same view in August 2022.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpCXAsjUAbWggZQNFQoyJ6sEt1gx222bE8gZmWnadwmy-jkBa27nDjiodlB16BwHKLYOO0IW7ibXlo1ZZFHuSgOpWHuuKFsh93_C-FxmdfKP8Rog6hMmOeVXn8cWE3rK4RtiY530XpgnPr0e1V1so62UrF2tq2FDxLrningUt5NZw1sL5fn4RHY3q/s2157/Screenshot_20230205_051445.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="2157" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpCXAsjUAbWggZQNFQoyJ6sEt1gx222bE8gZmWnadwmy-jkBa27nDjiodlB16BwHKLYOO0IW7ibXlo1ZZFHuSgOpWHuuKFsh93_C-FxmdfKP8Rog6hMmOeVXn8cWE3rK4RtiY530XpgnPr0e1V1so62UrF2tq2FDxLrningUt5NZw1sL5fn4RHY3q/w640-h304/Screenshot_20230205_051445.png" title="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenleaf Street looking west, August 2022 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Below is Greenleaf Street and Noble Avenue looking west toward the freeway.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P7Y_zSFeMalrCyOwYAseMb0Uq2feAtvQ9JG3xUU_B0nXQb8M5qg1kZ6khOZPmmVzvJIKQVAzNZHtLEOJLsHNSWN2hafOHSsMZ0X_kHwQ9ccI9wpfTH42K5BeRmM75u6yGz3HTHO_h-0huZlGc_e79lQbsblNpaLk6xzoWy0Q0KX2geo39hHnRFVu/s3013/Screenshot_20230205_050235.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="3013" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P7Y_zSFeMalrCyOwYAseMb0Uq2feAtvQ9JG3xUU_B0nXQb8M5qg1kZ6khOZPmmVzvJIKQVAzNZHtLEOJLsHNSWN2hafOHSsMZ0X_kHwQ9ccI9wpfTH42K5BeRmM75u6yGz3HTHO_h-0huZlGc_e79lQbsblNpaLk6xzoWy0Q0KX2geo39hHnRFVu/w640-h380/Screenshot_20230205_050235.png" title="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenleaf Street at Noble Avenue, looking west.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Below is the corner of Greenleaf and Noble looking in the same direction. Note the similarities in the streetlights and telephone poles - hard to say if some of them are the same, perhaps the streetlamps are. Cars from different eras are parked in the exact same spot - the more things change, the more they stay the same. Also, in 1949 they were not "Stop" signs, they were "Slow" signs - and painted a different color - though they had the same shape and thus would be confusing for a modern driver taken back to that time.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8ZHGYqTQu7DgqvJESeRCm0nrOTqbmAS2tQTI2iDSDM7trb5MFSbJEUIOigdMWxd4uRQv1BAvkX9bSP5HmasWlc9DJATYn-FuCV90r4dpmid-QFBo-lyddGr7qkPYISmsN-1WzUfnSnb0PHrAztTFxb5Y321gcJZ3KjomZjuM6vkAwCy2zL3hUVVD/s2539/Screenshot_20230205_050509.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="2539" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8ZHGYqTQu7DgqvJESeRCm0nrOTqbmAS2tQTI2iDSDM7trb5MFSbJEUIOigdMWxd4uRQv1BAvkX9bSP5HmasWlc9DJATYn-FuCV90r4dpmid-QFBo-lyddGr7qkPYISmsN-1WzUfnSnb0PHrAztTFxb5Y321gcJZ3KjomZjuM6vkAwCy2zL3hUVVD/w640-h300/Screenshot_20230205_050509.png" title="Greenleaf Street, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenleaf at Noble looking west, August 2022 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Below is a 1949 image of Saugus Avenue looking south - for orientation, the San Diego Freeway is out of sight over to the right.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL00hl8oHIhs-dyA2t8tLcKoaKnMYtEJffgBCBaIWH7Db5M_sDiWTtoskYee7waeitv246FNuxLXchSIgk-jq3yTfwYtOywQxPsJsQQ0O-rphYp86-yfRz4NyekPWKvSUogiBzUNlGySj0zK9RFTmZUd1N7cvFGrecqLZxhsNyvxKBOeTaPiJ79c7f/s3234/Screenshot_20230205_063238.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Saugus Avenue, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1782" data-original-width="3234" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL00hl8oHIhs-dyA2t8tLcKoaKnMYtEJffgBCBaIWH7Db5M_sDiWTtoskYee7waeitv246FNuxLXchSIgk-jq3yTfwYtOywQxPsJsQQ0O-rphYp86-yfRz4NyekPWKvSUogiBzUNlGySj0zK9RFTmZUd1N7cvFGrecqLZxhsNyvxKBOeTaPiJ79c7f/w640-h352/Screenshot_20230205_063238.png" title="Saugus Avenue, Sherman Oaks, 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saugus Avenue looking south, 1949.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Below is the same street scene from August 2022. As in the other recent shots, the old lamposts - or, if not the same, identical facsimiles - are in the same places.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIxUGETTNbS8mqQ3LO3vla2Q2CyPtdfXQyVQXccXSbJTnsTVDGMo810Bp4drIXRB9cXZY9ejznzxT-pZkA7FJV_NGY_M_DjfkbGWpsNS0ZAI67G-H5YuPVbb1TCLyV_jkOZ2OhGxOCWhBc2kVDQlH7cx0u92N3wFYytLntyVdcJLEpi5MeO2a4tQm/s2382/Screenshot_20230205_063304.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Saugus Avenue, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="2382" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIxUGETTNbS8mqQ3LO3vla2Q2CyPtdfXQyVQXccXSbJTnsTVDGMo810Bp4drIXRB9cXZY9ejznzxT-pZkA7FJV_NGY_M_DjfkbGWpsNS0ZAI67G-H5YuPVbb1TCLyV_jkOZ2OhGxOCWhBc2kVDQlH7cx0u92N3wFYytLntyVdcJLEpi5MeO2a4tQm/w640-h322/Screenshot_20230205_063304.png" title="Saugus Avenue, Sherman Oaks, 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saugus Avenue looking South, August 2022 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Our last comparison is a bit far from these previous ones. In the ca. 1949 image below, you will see West Victory Boulevard looking east as we travel down North Maple Street heading south. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3g8yPEeiWzbI3nhA1wXrHP-hMsHwsb7nMty5w-5uD2k2mvogxb5j864NPky0b7-piEllxG9Y89PoBnm8Q0BsQ8NQIDm5tfoJ9orbitfu49Yznl8vXFzMOqgelRAexJOOCYlImJMwo7XhVgGBRCT1dMcyRkdBEjPVD3V-3PiNTlJvyGPG4tNRWpbKa/s3232/Screenshot_20230205_091815.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="West Victory Blvd at North Maple, Los Angeles in 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1806" data-original-width="3232" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3g8yPEeiWzbI3nhA1wXrHP-hMsHwsb7nMty5w-5uD2k2mvogxb5j864NPky0b7-piEllxG9Y89PoBnm8Q0BsQ8NQIDm5tfoJ9orbitfu49Yznl8vXFzMOqgelRAexJOOCYlImJMwo7XhVgGBRCT1dMcyRkdBEjPVD3V-3PiNTlJvyGPG4tNRWpbKa/w640-h358/Screenshot_20230205_091815.png" title="West Victory Blvd at North Maple, Los Angeles in 1949 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>This location may not be as obvious as some of the others. However, in the recent image below, we can pick out several details from the 1949 image. Specifically, you can see the prominent white chimney that remains unaltered after over 70 years. Three houses to its left, note the white garage that sticks out toward the street, the one with the car in front of it in the image above compared with the recent image of the garage in between the cars parked sideways below. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a match!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaptrmr3WXXbGFpGYVaSlsM5gMrLLtgjZtc5h-YfTgIhWQFyQ8MmA-MrG1TexgZgpfx_3PjmUxlyWYPfaPfRIDcI4WlEMitkMyWLmwWgYmFX5NPlVoiB1ZMyVjLzKieIHndkOXgyfm1RbVWxtD6_LvRnOy4d75yTQ-p_vUox3kdWAWZtMZ9EfG1CMF/s2619/Screenshot_20230205_091903.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="West Victory Blvd at North Maple, Los Angeles in 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1320" data-original-width="2619" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaptrmr3WXXbGFpGYVaSlsM5gMrLLtgjZtc5h-YfTgIhWQFyQ8MmA-MrG1TexgZgpfx_3PjmUxlyWYPfaPfRIDcI4WlEMitkMyWLmwWgYmFX5NPlVoiB1ZMyVjLzKieIHndkOXgyfm1RbVWxtD6_LvRnOy4d75yTQ-p_vUox3kdWAWZtMZ9EfG1CMF/w640-h322/Screenshot_20230205_091903.png" title="West Victory Blvd at North Maple, Los Angeles in 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West Victory Blvd at North Maple Street, Los Angeles, California, May 2017 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>This is intended to be educational to show how a neighborhood develops over time. By closely examining current structures, you can unearth enduring links to the past, sometimes where you least expect to find them.</div><div><br /></div><div>You still may be wondering, "Is there a point to all this?" Well, no, really there isn't. There is no point if you do not see one. It is just, as I said earlier, a nice drive through a suburban neighborhood at two different times in history. Nothing to it at all, aside from my constant refrain in these slices of history - that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Many of the things we take for granted were there long before we were here, and they will still be there long after we have moved along. We may not know exactly what will outlast us - but much of what we see will. Enjoy them while it's our time, as soon enough it will be someone else's turn to ignore the things that outlast us. </div><div><br /></div><div>The video from which I picked the 1949 images is below. Thanks for visiting.</div><div><div><br /></div><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gRS1LGvI8Lk" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></center><br /><br /><span class="updated">2023</span><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-47044281706557106792021-12-28T00:07:00.012-08:002022-01-11T08:24:40.393-08:00Then and Now: Suburban Burbank<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Beautiful Suburban Burbank</h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-cuUlC308sgjUtPyb4Z-DYu9hZWVD8I8bUUqCoXF733a8gO2JePFgMYmOpskXSOTjPzDHdcriC_PblqAgwEbuXUSdZMC4UTPB66wt3_MeJ1GqryBCQRkgrnWewk03tcmFNZEJ5mv7iLsVJjbpB3_Vf9eM3EAAP3sy_0pDZewXm6j7YCMrdk0BhrlB=s480" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Burbank, California, in the 1940s. randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-cuUlC308sgjUtPyb4Z-DYu9hZWVD8I8bUUqCoXF733a8gO2JePFgMYmOpskXSOTjPzDHdcriC_PblqAgwEbuXUSdZMC4UTPB66wt3_MeJ1GqryBCQRkgrnWewk03tcmFNZEJ5mv7iLsVJjbpB3_Vf9eM3EAAP3sy_0pDZewXm6j7YCMrdk0BhrlB=w640-h360" title="Burbank, California, in the 1940s. randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">While some things change from year to year, others seem more permanent and rooted in permanency. We're taking a look here at a neighborhood that illustrates that perfectly.</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br /></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">One of late-night entertainer Johnny Carson's catchphrases was "somewhere in beautiful downtown Burbank," said in gest to convey the humble location of the studio where he filmed "The Tonight Show." Well, Johnny said that a lot closer in time to the late-1940s film that is the subject of our quick trip back in time than he was to us.</div><div><br /></div><div>The past always seems a bit odd because it isn't familiar. But it was very familiar to the people seen in this brief drive through 1940s suburbia. Time marches on, <i>Tempus fugit</i>, and I am quite sure that our current gas-burners and McMansions will seem equally quaint to viewers in the year 2100. <b itemprop="name">Here we take some scenes from Burbank ca. 1949 and compare them to the same locations recently.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgB_6LhSAmg4QnUvpXOVU-rSrUgYz62wqnSoVyAzdQyAle3UEHLrgZq50-P_fpx4-93bFr4Rt8owo4lf44U0pv6F54i1zFAPSNgqBINTJghNL96zJm3X-06T_UGWLqG8pW8or7AvHdWLa3l30pVLi-pFYTg-muoMfvAlunD66Fv6ys0vJwMBEk2UShp=s480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank, California, in the late 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgB_6LhSAmg4QnUvpXOVU-rSrUgYz62wqnSoVyAzdQyAle3UEHLrgZq50-P_fpx4-93bFr4Rt8owo4lf44U0pv6F54i1zFAPSNgqBINTJghNL96zJm3X-06T_UGWLqG8pW8or7AvHdWLa3l30pVLi-pFYTg-muoMfvAlunD66Fv6ys0vJwMBEk2UShp=w640-h360" title="Burbank, California, in the late 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://worldwartwo.filminspector.com/2017/04/p-38-lightning-fork-tailed-devil.html" target="_blank">A P-38 Lightning fighter left over from World War II</a> takes off in the distance from the Hollywood Burbank Airport aka Bob Hope Airport (then Lockheed Air Terminal</i><i>) as we drive down Maple Street. The P-38 fighter was retired from the US Air Force right around the time this film was made, in 1949.<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>Below is a beautifully restored version of some old footage that most likely was captured for background shots in motion pictures of the day.</div><div><br /><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yt-xhtjOReM" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></center></div><div><br /></div><div>Just for comparison, here is the original footage.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='360' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyL0kueilA-goY3DwKZ0gmaXkHY6TfdGjxpsoN22B76oIHimWGUgJdkqJHDR5Md8ddtYzhFFG32yux0Zb1hmQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Original footage courtesy of <a href="https://ia803006.us.archive.org/6/items/pet1182r5la/PET%201182%20%20R-5_LA.mp4" target="_blank">Internet Archive</a>.</i></div></i><div><br /></div><div>The location of our drive is "the Valley" in Los Angeles.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijWZARSP7uh5ialTaSOzK-ZFFnaOCgtaHyc7GuEVbFRzijOA1eFyzjd-HtJ7TXNRYRCorJAi7fGHDu0L2pGHf9w652RsBo76rRzA-_Tq5wQ4lkLbbk8Qwb2-vtdqxQi9ALt590JZcOyl-nquNSYHfdFDsKoak4h5y69EFlCShYDUKHDGKbfruQv_xV=s956" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="956" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijWZARSP7uh5ialTaSOzK-ZFFnaOCgtaHyc7GuEVbFRzijOA1eFyzjd-HtJ7TXNRYRCorJAi7fGHDu0L2pGHf9w652RsBo76rRzA-_Tq5wQ4lkLbbk8Qwb2-vtdqxQi9ALt590JZcOyl-nquNSYHfdFDsKoak4h5y69EFlCShYDUKHDGKbfruQv_xV=w640-h500" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The location of today's drive (Google Maps).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Today's drive is done once and then repeated. The drive is split up into two parts, and then these two parts are repeated. That may sound confusing, but it's really not when watching the film. We are doing the same drive, which is interrupted once, over again starting about halfway through the film.</div><div><br /></div><div>We cover mostly the same ground in each section of the drive, though the beginning and endpoints are slightly different.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first part of our drive is from Pepper Street down Victory Street and thence to Maple Street. It isn't a very long journey, only about half a mile according to Google Maps.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second part of the trip begins at our original endpoint at Maple and Pacific. We go down Maple down to Jeffries and stop between Ross and Valley Streets. This portion of the trip is only a bit longer than the first part. All told, in both parts of the drive, we cover barely over a mile. However, we get to see a nice slice of mid-century Americana along the way.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a roundabout way, we are going from Pepper Street to Jeffries, with a detour up to West Pacific.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second half of the film is the same trip again. It's not a very exciting film! But it is very interesting if you like seeing the past up close and personal.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, let's compare some scenes.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrs3Ybx2RMgJfLmx1r5vkox9idKJzla8Rf5o9S3dbHy1CFENNSgGplQRwpHrRhhcyxxI0eHiLSYh_XfwQamgiSL_rrKyQkujJxijjYGq4UFIMnvY2wLBmL0NuA1ba8hx4H-nu2PR9D1WxTyXNTEUCK1y8FOI89GaEH9apiVZT8X6u8XDU_CEuHamuOtg=s1652" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1652" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrs3Ybx2RMgJfLmx1r5vkox9idKJzla8Rf5o9S3dbHy1CFENNSgGplQRwpHrRhhcyxxI0eHiLSYh_XfwQamgiSL_rrKyQkujJxijjYGq4UFIMnvY2wLBmL0NuA1ba8hx4H-nu2PR9D1WxTyXNTEUCK1y8FOI89GaEH9apiVZT8X6u8XDU_CEuHamuOtg=w640-h418" title="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our starting point at Victory Boulevard and Pepper Street in the late 1940s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The area was still being built up in the 1940s, but you'll really have to hunt down empty lots now.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVOgYdGz0tDbVBbjJVGYv8o-jpBPEXCiyHBtHlPXLMOco3VMOo-0h3uz7y9juK5CX5nYRrCPS1qXSJ6J3w31K7AdtKsmvT--aW04xWharKThkEUt8KU8bxaM8Hbw8UfeK1fhpz1XHiWUAk2NAHX3ul8IM1Mq_dn98We79fGUiZ6BoLgRUTF-rjS1WPRQ=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank recently randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="640" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVOgYdGz0tDbVBbjJVGYv8o-jpBPEXCiyHBtHlPXLMOco3VMOo-0h3uz7y9juK5CX5nYRrCPS1qXSJ6J3w31K7AdtKsmvT--aW04xWharKThkEUt8KU8bxaM8Hbw8UfeK1fhpz1XHiWUAk2NAHX3ul8IM1Mq_dn98We79fGUiZ6BoLgRUTF-rjS1WPRQ=w640-h444" title="Burbank recently randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victory Boulevard and Pepper Street in February 2021 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>While, obviously, the scene is different in 2021, I look for similarities. It isn't difficult to see some. For instance, the street corner is still rounded. You can see the mountains in the background in the most recent photo if you look closely enough. It's the same intersection, just in different worlds. However, we can add a little bit here to prove it a little better.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm going to show that house in the 1940s and you'll see how stepping back a bit gives an even better resemblance. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsUIY9YfGpCUvrLlXR6v7yAN5ixW9F5qYd37-NMuGIoAxkRmthIslja2UXCT9Nr-AV_ZdO5zJg_bNdTTuLSzVStL1eC1745VKpZdmrb96iqgv-akwIY4ABK4jwsitzmCb6oAmubq9yc-2_jcPue-fUhkfo8rvps66ZMf4_fpycueeC11VbYga48npjhA=s1500" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsUIY9YfGpCUvrLlXR6v7yAN5ixW9F5qYd37-NMuGIoAxkRmthIslja2UXCT9Nr-AV_ZdO5zJg_bNdTTuLSzVStL1eC1745VKpZdmrb96iqgv-akwIY4ABK4jwsitzmCb6oAmubq9yc-2_jcPue-fUhkfo8rvps66ZMf4_fpycueeC11VbYga48npjhA=w640-h400" title="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our starting point at Victory Boulevard and Pepper Street, late 1940s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Once we see the house, it all comes together. That chimney hasn't changed anything except its exterior coating. The house may have had some work done on it, but it certainly looks like the same structure. Yup, it's the same corner all right.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's move on to another comparison.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAQnquKZRIJ3EBX45JkFpMJcX06WUUt9m8bPxxIjFiKCRRr116yIc3rkap53pBnI9hgmqO47iJOTJcfrIL7Q1ib8UV9kvwUzfquyA6_FBCAmas_aODm_gxEZbH5z68MSwpsYzNLcC0mtMK6XOoX9FhtjqmSnUMlCPWyu78r-6rZ8IVrD_pih78AhtxIA=s1656" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1656" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAQnquKZRIJ3EBX45JkFpMJcX06WUUt9m8bPxxIjFiKCRRr116yIc3rkap53pBnI9hgmqO47iJOTJcfrIL7Q1ib8UV9kvwUzfquyA6_FBCAmas_aODm_gxEZbH5z68MSwpsYzNLcC0mtMK6XOoX9FhtjqmSnUMlCPWyu78r-6rZ8IVrD_pih78AhtxIA=w640-h366" title="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victory Boulevard and Screenland Street, late 1940s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Okay, here we have a nice house at Victory and Screenland. Notice how the garage is off on the side street, allowing a nice presentable front appearance which was considered very important back in the day. No sidewalk in the 1940s, but you know that's going to change.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBopi17tC5VzRQnBRGIvFH1NcGANiNFmUI7nFWQgNMYpfcN4WbfKIs582C5zivSNK6EJnfdboRKNQGdiDvHeOXDBq15dX8hMGz6IrrMHPMY31sY05ugv8UgurXYqMGZOyBWAMuXRu7byHzxVS9U23Ngt3FmndnExs-AGvvVYOHtvIvHoHiPWI1tSxKgw=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank recently randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="640" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBopi17tC5VzRQnBRGIvFH1NcGANiNFmUI7nFWQgNMYpfcN4WbfKIs582C5zivSNK6EJnfdboRKNQGdiDvHeOXDBq15dX8hMGz6IrrMHPMY31sY05ugv8UgurXYqMGZOyBWAMuXRu7byHzxVS9U23Ngt3FmndnExs-AGvvVYOHtvIvHoHiPWI1tSxKgw=w640-h358" title="Burbank recently randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victory Boulevard and Screenland Street, February 2018 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Checking in recently, we see that the scene hasn't changed much. Same house, same driveway off on the side street (though it appears to have been expanded)... you think they ever painted that house anything other than white? I highly doubt it. I liked the original darker roof though, tbh, made a starker contrast.<br /><div><br /><div>On to another view.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKUnZxL_FhOOV3TVQPj2gA_ttvlSHTYcEmPTu2Dh7CmrTHLXgRZlXZdSGDb02aXAcX12tZJD4L2tIpxCB4Xs1lyz1rmZLrW24cPAvXWLYI1aQ3VoFFgIUV7cNr05HO4Nkr5VdQkJSgr-fD9ORbbZ-7PIv0tS_zeoV3kWZDLww1z1VYwvlGS59SW63Qvg=s1610" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1610" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKUnZxL_FhOOV3TVQPj2gA_ttvlSHTYcEmPTu2Dh7CmrTHLXgRZlXZdSGDb02aXAcX12tZJD4L2tIpxCB4Xs1lyz1rmZLrW24cPAvXWLYI1aQ3VoFFgIUV7cNr05HO4Nkr5VdQkJSgr-fD9ORbbZ-7PIv0tS_zeoV3kWZDLww1z1VYwvlGS59SW63Qvg=w640-h372" title="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maple Street at Pacific Avenue, late 1940s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>At the beginning of the second part of our journey, we notice a very distinctive structure on the left in the distance. It certainly dominates the landscape in that 1940s film. Hmmm, I wonder if that survived?</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzDoR7Y9eJwQtGMpxW945sQuVeAc141c9KOhcpllY_YQrYwFXc7pWU9DGEG-PhlRzSx2TRGkB7sqq65oTNoGsxHOLBF25KusN2J6g_H-z4rw90yyBBs_wZ_tG9NWJXH5tUOs0_nTmmCRwVbCkX4GaK8WhxGUTJzXc7Bx2KjbIQawgnnKN1j9jJihkecw=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank recently randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="640" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzDoR7Y9eJwQtGMpxW945sQuVeAc141c9KOhcpllY_YQrYwFXc7pWU9DGEG-PhlRzSx2TRGkB7sqq65oTNoGsxHOLBF25KusN2J6g_H-z4rw90yyBBs_wZ_tG9NWJXH5tUOs0_nTmmCRwVbCkX4GaK8WhxGUTJzXc7Bx2KjbIQawgnnKN1j9jJihkecw=w640-h412" title="Burbank recently randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maple Street at Pacific Avenue, April 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>You betcha! Now that there are so many trees and everything has been landscaped it no longer dominates the landscape quite as much, but that's just context. There it is in the distance at the left-center. In the 1940s, it was simply the entrance to Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery. However, in 1953, only a few years after the film was shot, it was rededicated as The Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation. And that is how it is known now and you can visit it if you like.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSleS6sIc_hnKy3QeClrD-oSsLdACUQIQEbfM6y9sSMdqGm0u2sQTEgWv1hfFaXxDccL7Un_Xc_gvtkoU8UTB6zn0cltO9tl47djTjz9_GMOf-Zuu3sK1G7sO8l8LA6DP-_3sridJnIRgecbaFZtHBpmnwL9lwD0_VVlGKjLZoTCmFw6XNCgGTFBuFpA=s1428" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="884" data-original-width="1428" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSleS6sIc_hnKy3QeClrD-oSsLdACUQIQEbfM6y9sSMdqGm0u2sQTEgWv1hfFaXxDccL7Un_Xc_gvtkoU8UTB6zn0cltO9tl47djTjz9_GMOf-Zuu3sK1G7sO8l8LA6DP-_3sridJnIRgecbaFZtHBpmnwL9lwD0_VVlGKjLZoTCmFw6XNCgGTFBuFpA=w640-h396" title="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maple Street at Jeffries, late 1940s.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />We turn right from Maple at Jeffries Street. In the late 1940s, that was a pretty desolate area, awaiting some houses and love. I bet it doesn't look like that now!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVJw9HB2qus7SIZaI0z4-_cjmSRWeZENzD0H-t5Y0ex9t6k26rHS7zCxri2aWrHPV9EMZPKQ-I_WkAWncXD39LzRg7aLDx8iQLAVedHXvmXNWiantCDnsXTc_7JFeARPPImXgHBSzmDEIyiwX5nj-4GRTUPq9brvoSzlhhEDIIVoYlSLzQY7s1-aJx5g=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank recently randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="640" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVJw9HB2qus7SIZaI0z4-_cjmSRWeZENzD0H-t5Y0ex9t6k26rHS7zCxri2aWrHPV9EMZPKQ-I_WkAWncXD39LzRg7aLDx8iQLAVedHXvmXNWiantCDnsXTc_7JFeARPPImXgHBSzmDEIyiwX5nj-4GRTUPq9brvoSzlhhEDIIVoYlSLzQY7s1-aJx5g=w640-h444" title="Burbank recently randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maple Street at Jeffries, April 2019.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>That corner actually doesn't look all that different now. That empty area on the far corner has become the Maple Street Playground, and beyond it is the Luther Burbank Middle School. It was nice to have all that open land to build the school on!</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_BCGQ_1gzLindN7twkwafkjMBrtYpVL0JUso-vaaCM99qvpq8wW7cX_5_KEafEqdCQqSB4BSzJRjsxQghVpvvTWhTrmWegJ8GZyBErM8-Z4qe37ORcVOA-BbzX_OU6tMKD5_3z8WGWVoDu14Leo2gOsCwQql8gXYCFsAlXhvTaW4C9XHAtGwOys5AYg=s1472" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="1472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_BCGQ_1gzLindN7twkwafkjMBrtYpVL0JUso-vaaCM99qvpq8wW7cX_5_KEafEqdCQqSB4BSzJRjsxQghVpvvTWhTrmWegJ8GZyBErM8-Z4qe37ORcVOA-BbzX_OU6tMKD5_3z8WGWVoDu14Leo2gOsCwQql8gXYCFsAlXhvTaW4C9XHAtGwOys5AYg=w640-h400" title="Burbank in the 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maple Street at Victory Boulevard, late 1940s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Driving south on Maple, we have just crossed Victory Boulevard and notice that large church on the left. That entrance to the cemetery sure looms in the distance, doesn't it? Let's see if the church is still there.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUuXPLoRr4hzuDF04o64ErlH_aFv9hkLwDYu5o2HCBlbz-UbKsN9dMFjQTeJH6bhFpGLnlKY5fWbywF12tDvUiMauyCWazc5xtcpMaR92qnqu4hAJ4AP4me0LfQemgQbZ21okvE8LJIoHQoJPwfnjOqiTU0F2PxG6GOAghcNRX1xrRCiKgq_eDoJkAKQ=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Burbank recently randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="640" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUuXPLoRr4hzuDF04o64ErlH_aFv9hkLwDYu5o2HCBlbz-UbKsN9dMFjQTeJH6bhFpGLnlKY5fWbywF12tDvUiMauyCWazc5xtcpMaR92qnqu4hAJ4AP4me0LfQemgQbZ21okvE8LJIoHQoJPwfnjOqiTU0F2PxG6GOAghcNRX1xrRCiKgq_eDoJkAKQ=w640-h446" title="Burbank recently randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maple Street at Victory Boulevard, April 2014 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Well, the church is still there, over there on the far left corner. It is the Victory Celebration Center (they were celebrating a big victory in the 1940s, too). However, at some point, it looks like they downsized from that big white barn-like building to something more tasteful. They certainly widened the boulevard, too. Can't really see the Shrine to Aviation in the distance anymore, too many trees - but it's definitely still there, as we have seen. Just a different look for a different time.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you enjoyed this short drive into the past. As I always say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Check out some of our other glimpses into the then and now! Thanks for visiting.</div><div><br /></div>
<span class="updated">2021</span>
</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0N Maple St, Burbank, CA 91505, USA34.1531271 -118.34337875.8428932638211535 -153.49962870000002 62.463360936178844 -83.1871287tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-62809869395174587262021-12-01T07:40:00.006-08:002022-01-11T14:34:44.789-08:00Then and Now: John's Pizza on Bleecker Street<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Warm Memories</h1></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1horb3_7jAwaNeSdpfexWOGU5Zztj5jqNn4vQ7tN5kaQyDl3e9DSgkNssnSYb9mySbjgqIO3jv12BMrWk7-qiZGD0iX0E5aWuYVYDh8c-8TBemag8j8n_BBDdoOMuD8SfcrZBS9u4BeMPnnXIErDvUjr7cwPRIGZmYfx-1qAmFeEtMzKEeCFNGfqp=s612" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="John's Pizza 1976." border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="409" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1horb3_7jAwaNeSdpfexWOGU5Zztj5jqNn4vQ7tN5kaQyDl3e9DSgkNssnSYb9mySbjgqIO3jv12BMrWk7-qiZGD0iX0E5aWuYVYDh8c-8TBemag8j8n_BBDdoOMuD8SfcrZBS9u4BeMPnnXIErDvUjr7cwPRIGZmYfx-1qAmFeEtMzKEeCFNGfqp=w428-h640" title="John's Pizza 1976." width="428" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John's Pizza, 1976.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">One of my common themes for these articles is zeroing in on local joints that mean a lot to the local community. While today's subject is a bit more well known than that, it has been a pillar of downtown Manhattan for almost a century and has meant a lot to many people.</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br /></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">I stumbled across the above photo of John's Pizza taken in 1976 and it intrigued me. For those who aren't familiar with John's Pizza located at 278 Bleecker Street between 6th and 7th, New York City, it is a Greenwich Village institution.<div><br /></div><div>Founded by Naples, Italy, immigrant John Sasso in 1929 (as the canopy loudly proclaims, though it may be even older), John's was an offshoot of Lombardi's Pizza. This is the granddaddy of all pizza joints, a traditional restaurant opened in 1905 on Spring Street down in Little Italy. Lombardi's brought coal-fired ovens to the U.S. world of pizza. They run hot, and anyone who is an aficionado of pizza will tell you that the secret to a good pie is a hot oven. Sasso apparently learned his trade at Lombardi's. That restaurant also began the tradition of classy pizza places not selling by the slice.</div><div><br /></div><div>John's first location was on Sullivan Street, but in 1934 Sasso moved over to Bleecker Street across from Jones Street. The Vesce brothers purchased it in 1954, and in 1993, Bob Vittoria, one of their nephews or similarly related, became the majority partner.</div><div><br /></div><div><b itemprop="name">Let's take a look at John's Pizza on Bleecker Street in NYC then and now</b>.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpgIkM880RDmGKWyiuQKC5YEm_nMeNdo62ByV8PhdmSXRfJDoMf8_7HUxYo2hY0Y1KT3G4ebChyzzyk-dd41y82kP1OlEOe1Usqx49Y84CpZMMWIX-iV__12Cbj_6kMqHzwWa7BwMK7_Ei9XkvAS6Q3oSjH45ARBrlZv5KI4UR3Sxa33JkNoLe_kbE=s984" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bleecker Street 1950s" border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpgIkM880RDmGKWyiuQKC5YEm_nMeNdo62ByV8PhdmSXRfJDoMf8_7HUxYo2hY0Y1KT3G4ebChyzzyk-dd41y82kP1OlEOe1Usqx49Y84CpZMMWIX-iV__12Cbj_6kMqHzwWa7BwMK7_Ei9XkvAS6Q3oSjH45ARBrlZv5KI4UR3Sxa33JkNoLe_kbE=w416-h640" title="Bleecker Street 1950s" width="416" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The general locale of John's on Bleecker Street, January 1956. Photo by Albert Abbott.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Whether or not the restaurant actually opened in 1929 is a bit hazy. It may have opened to sell "pies" by Filippo Milone at 175 Sullivan Street in 1915, with Sasso taking over due to a marriage ca. 1925. But that's for historians to debate and is irrelevant to the mythology. Until they change the date on the canopy, I'm going with 1929. No matter, we can all agree that John's has been there for a long, long time.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiazjoR4aaK6-cbTMSHQlDuB4mZ_m1j57bqljneKpa_XGBV_MGzZHDgM2PjTv5CO63V2aGoF6a-hUT29zaBkpE_EJnGo9uPxYqNsVQz33JIhqIt0MFQ5lejxi2y19Xuba5XH5Us-WY2OszEUbqQ6oE9Rc9rG4YjS0WjGV_XCljGAbXgRT86AlyDHsk0=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Owners of John's Pizza in the 1920s - 1930s." border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="640" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiazjoR4aaK6-cbTMSHQlDuB4mZ_m1j57bqljneKpa_XGBV_MGzZHDgM2PjTv5CO63V2aGoF6a-hUT29zaBkpE_EJnGo9uPxYqNsVQz33JIhqIt0MFQ5lejxi2y19Xuba5XH5Us-WY2OszEUbqQ6oE9Rc9rG4YjS0WjGV_XCljGAbXgRT86AlyDHsk0=w640-h502" title="Owners of John's Pizza in the 1920s - 1930s." width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Sasso, Augustine Vesce, Joe Vesce, and Lucille Vesce. This is undated, but probably in the 1950s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>John's is well known for its 800-degree brick oven, its cash-only policy, and the fact that it doesn't take reservations. Unless there's a line outside, you can generally just walk in and grab a spot at one of the tables. If you haven't been there, form a picture of that high school or college joint with unpretentious tables and booths you may have frequented where they served big beers and you could throw darts or do something similar. That's the atmosphere. You know, an unpretentious but fun joint. That's John's Pizza.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, it's not some corner dollar-a-slice pizza joint. They don't even sell slices. Pizza, calzone, and a few pasta dishes and sides, washed down with wine or beer. You sit down, order beer or the beverage of your choice, and partake of a pie with your friends. That's the deal, and it's a good deal for a Manhattan restaurant because prices are quite reasonable given the location.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOel5iR1RWrG5O-iXSoJXu0CUUONkGCXKdv0f0m1xEzLcnvrhm8eACD0lU81qSnL_l9cozcOh5PlN1AdqKU-xVSPs0unfigtRwM9JzdYXasdC-t3-04x31-PWN790Uo7UJ99iqQA8k-9TeAfwNj_rjnv8zKc_J3tethezQiAMDo6xz7dyHxZRcfow5=s811" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="276 Bleecker Street in the 1930s." border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOel5iR1RWrG5O-iXSoJXu0CUUONkGCXKdv0f0m1xEzLcnvrhm8eACD0lU81qSnL_l9cozcOh5PlN1AdqKU-xVSPs0unfigtRwM9JzdYXasdC-t3-04x31-PWN790Uo7UJ99iqQA8k-9TeAfwNj_rjnv8zKc_J3tethezQiAMDo6xz7dyHxZRcfow5=w506-h640" title="276 Bleecker Street in the 1930s." width="506" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">276 Bleecker, which is now part of Johns’s of Bleecker, February 2, 1937. The neighborhood at one time was full of Italian delis and the like, but now only John's remains. Photo by Bernice Abbott</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>"John's Pizza" has become a signature name. It was never as ubiquitous as "Ray's," which as any longtime New Yorker will tell you became practically the obligatory name for corner pizza joints. However, there have been "John's Pizzas" up and down Manhattan at one point or another. But this is the original one (and no, not the "original" as in the phony "Original Ray's Pizzas," but the real deal).</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_mJkt6-EWWZoTxLUM8hEvis8iJRwiTlra30cnK9zwNPXpPY-XrQ8Itu-x9S1Wj43fKHk4akXXL4SKoViVVcvyl6cHASi3xiFAG2Ctf2ck6NtQXUCA67_ujXALKFwbC1DCen8rWrlhkFsArvVTW0QfUt2bUuW22-pl1GEa6O3i04h_2kebN3MO0J5d=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="John's in 2009." border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="640" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_mJkt6-EWWZoTxLUM8hEvis8iJRwiTlra30cnK9zwNPXpPY-XrQ8Itu-x9S1Wj43fKHk4akXXL4SKoViVVcvyl6cHASi3xiFAG2Ctf2ck6NtQXUCA67_ujXALKFwbC1DCen8rWrlhkFsArvVTW0QfUt2bUuW22-pl1GEa6O3i04h_2kebN3MO0J5d=w640-h422" title="John's in 2009." width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John's in May 2009 (Google Street View).<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>John's also differs from many other pizza joints in not staying open late into the night. Closing time traditionally has been 10:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday and 11:00 otherwise, be there by then or come back some other day. If you waltz in right at closing time, you'll have to take your pie to go. It's a classy joint, appearances can be deceiving.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3l_poDaXcdNBbKWl2KO1hvfn5-uWkxO_66EDd-9QOh47tB6ZFESZu-qFWnBnu156tLFXI0Fkn46X-sQX2ya2f40wNxjX4dlOvoRzhxhdFIouUo07_ZRiixZ7ZfJfxxIaGFkkf-8HwLhJvvxAveFEEGsCVT4so9aUSw6YNnY4QwbemFijmC0t9i6Qb=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="John's in 2019." border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="640" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3l_poDaXcdNBbKWl2KO1hvfn5-uWkxO_66EDd-9QOh47tB6ZFESZu-qFWnBnu156tLFXI0Fkn46X-sQX2ya2f40wNxjX4dlOvoRzhxhdFIouUo07_ZRiixZ7ZfJfxxIaGFkkf-8HwLhJvvxAveFEEGsCVT4so9aUSw6YNnY4QwbemFijmC0t9i6Qb=w640-h342" title="John's in 2019." width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John's in June 2019. While the restaurant hasn't changed much in the ten years since the previous photo, the vans outside have gotten sleeker. (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br />John's has some practical advantages from being around so long. It is grandfathered in to use coal-fired ovens, which otherwise are not permitted. That's a nice barrier to entry for any business, not that John's needs any help. It also has become a selling point for the restaurant online. The pies have a distinctive look as a result. The crust can be toasted black and crisp, and they slop on a lot of olive oil. Yes, it's quite tasty. New York City's clean and clear tap water from upstate no doubt helps the quality.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cTu_kl3wAqY/YaeWjdNfAVI/AAAAAAACm_4/hQgUqnN9iJgqAnL2qGBXHIPGOzDC6c7NACLcBGAsYHQ/s842/Johns_Pizza_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="John's in 2019 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cTu_kl3wAqY/YaeWjdNfAVI/AAAAAAACm_4/hQgUqnN9iJgqAnL2qGBXHIPGOzDC6c7NACLcBGAsYHQ/w243-h320/Johns_Pizza_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" title="John's in 2019 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="243" /></a></div><br /><div>Among other authentic touches, the walls have photos of celebrities who have stopped by over the years. The worn wooden booths have etchings from patrons of long ago. The place has real atmosphere.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had some great meals at those tables in my otherwise misspent youth. Great place to take a date who is down-to-earth. Or old schoolmates. Or visiting out-of-town relatives. Everyone should be able to afford the meal without taking out a second mortgage and be nice and full when they walk out. I can't say that about other well-known NYC restaurants.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj92ogzDViYDMn_HtmX9UlxSMzccH9wUf-E5N9wlHSS9iPRTlIYt8y-X2c1rAR4GLRi9qvA9uBf7jRvNO0fZ9DgBxrVaJ8CKwYgimlsWj_64dETNhNjBVM0n3z8qc3Yas4ztnDcZ7ZG5FXqTcFfVATHFBDsBaOmCfYdheQs8OHPluxYjxaFrcduKOsq=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="John's in 2019." border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="640" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj92ogzDViYDMn_HtmX9UlxSMzccH9wUf-E5N9wlHSS9iPRTlIYt8y-X2c1rAR4GLRi9qvA9uBf7jRvNO0fZ9DgBxrVaJ8CKwYgimlsWj_64dETNhNjBVM0n3z8qc3Yas4ztnDcZ7ZG5FXqTcFfVATHFBDsBaOmCfYdheQs8OHPluxYjxaFrcduKOsq=w640-h496" title="John's in 2019." width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 2019 (Google Street View).<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>John's had to shut down its indoor dining in 2020 due to the pandemic. However, it reopened for indoor dining at 25% capacity on 12 February 2021. It also has or had outdoor dining. You can't deprive New Yorkers of their classic pizza!</div><br /><div><br /><span class="updated">2021</span>
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0280 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014, USA40.7316979 -74.00350209999999212.421464063821155 -109.15975209999999 69.041931736178839 -38.847252099999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-83177272287504138052021-11-09T16:56:00.001-08:002021-11-09T16:56:38.186-08:00Then and Now: Valentine Avenue at Fordham Road<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>History in a Bronx Intersection</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Janx8gA83I4/YYsYTZcfnTI/AAAAAAACm3c/EymsuWKYcAw9mTrt3E-fuN7gu20XbSKwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="RKO Fordham Theatre at Fordham Road and Valentine Avenue, 1940 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Janx8gA83I4/YYsYTZcfnTI/AAAAAAACm3c/EymsuWKYcAw9mTrt3E-fuN7gu20XbSKwwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_16.jpg" title="RKO Fordham Theatre at Fordham Road and Valentine Avenue, 1940 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RKO Fordham Theatre at Fordham Road and Valentine Avenue, 1940.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">Let's take a stroll down memory lane in the Bronx.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d5Hkzwq0vqY/YYr5Y4I3D8I/AAAAAAACm14/Uh0X3oWLOT862ehrhj-RG2Uj6OYyaf4_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="960" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d5Hkzwq0vqY/YYr5Y4I3D8I/AAAAAAACm14/Uh0X3oWLOT862ehrhj-RG2Uj6OYyaf4_QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h284/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking east, 1951 (The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library).</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It's easy for me to get caught up in Manhattan, because there's so much to see there. However, I do venture out into the "outer boroughs" now and then, and this is one of those times. Let's do <b itemprop="name">a then-and-now of Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue in the Bronx, NYC</b>. <br /><br />The first thing I want to point out to people unfamiliar with New York City customs is that the avenues are sometimes streets and the roads are sometimes avenues. I know this makes no sense, but the main drag here is Fordham Road and the sidestreet is Valentine Avenue. This isn't Paris and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, but it is a major hub near the Grand Concourse. As Jack would say, that ain't beanbag!<div><br /></div><div>Another thing is that the area had a real small-town feel back in the day. You can spot Whelan's Drug Store, Gorman's fast food joint, Bond's clothier, and the like. If you took that 1951 street scene and transposed it to the midwest of the era, it would not look out of place at all. Believe it or not, there are still scattered sections of the Bronx that have a somewhat similar quaint feel, but it is long gone from Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue.<br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PQQ55dxBb0Q/YYsEM6b0W5I/AAAAAAACm3A/U7rbyc5Hv_4t6FsXwoLJ64B7vKRjgD_kACLcBGAsYHQ/s720/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_13.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking east, 1960s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="720" height="356" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PQQ55dxBb0Q/YYsEM6b0W5I/AAAAAAACm3A/U7rbyc5Hv_4t6FsXwoLJ64B7vKRjgD_kACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h356/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_13.jpg" title="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking east, 1960s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking east, 1960s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Above, we're looking northeast. In the 1951 shot, you can just see the edge of that billboard on the extreme left.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are quite a few shots available of Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue. It has quite a history, with its shares of ups and downs, and we'll see some of them play out in these scenes. The top photo on this page from 1951 was taken on Fordham Road looking east toward Fordham University. You can see Keating Hall of the university in the 1951 photo and more recent ones because it was built in 1936 and is something of a landmark in the Bronx.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LMQRjGjKJBc/YYr8hBD2HmI/AAAAAAACm2A/V2kw-utv0SY1H_knEzPCEVSSGGc-73EMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="640" height="318" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LMQRjGjKJBc/YYr8hBD2HmI/AAAAAAACm2A/V2kw-utv0SY1H_knEzPCEVSSGGc-73EMQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h318/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking east, October 2019. You can see Keating Hall at Fordham University, which was built in 1936, in the center of this recent photograph just as in the 1951 one.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Above, the same view looking east as in the 1951 photo. The billboards are all gone, Woolworth's is gone (bankrupt in the 1990s), and now it all has that dreary suburban strip-mall feel.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm going to show all parts of this intersection. While it may get a bit confusing which way we're looking, fortunately, there are certain landmarks such as Keating Hall to help us out. </div><div><br /></div><div>We've been looking east. Let's turn around and look the other way, toward the west.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70zBfGZlhsg/YYr_JiEEBmI/AAAAAAACm2Q/U2SzolibPMkJz00z16svLxVGUih1H_zrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s564/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="East Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1926." border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="564" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70zBfGZlhsg/YYr_JiEEBmI/AAAAAAACm2Q/U2SzolibPMkJz00z16svLxVGUih1H_zrwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="East Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1926." width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1926.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Turning around from virtually the same spot as the original 1951 photo was taken and looking toward the northwest, we see on the right (north) side of the street what later became the grand RKO Fordham Theater in 1926. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufuaf6kVqdM/YYsWGJjs7bI/AAAAAAACm3Q/qdp-Ws5akUkoqvO-unVJvavGF2CReg2xQCLcBGAsYHQ/s536/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_15.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="RKO Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue ca. 1929 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufuaf6kVqdM/YYsWGJjs7bI/AAAAAAACm3Q/qdp-Ws5akUkoqvO-unVJvavGF2CReg2xQCLcBGAsYHQ/w574-h640/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_15.jpg" title="RKO Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue ca. 1929 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="574" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The RKO Fordham ca. 1929.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Designed by William H. McElfatrick and opened on 14 April 1921 as Keith's Fordham Theater, it featured vaudeville acts. With vaudeville on the ropes and the talkies luring moviegoers into the theaters, RKO bought it in 1929 and renamed it RKO Fordham. It became one of seven RKO theaters in the Bronx.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e2GyaB_grpc/YYsDRDC5hnI/AAAAAAACm24/AvbIedJYpRg8d_hglMbR5nNVSINqMdGFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1142/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_12.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="1142" height="340" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e2GyaB_grpc/YYsDRDC5hnI/AAAAAAACm24/AvbIedJYpRg8d_hglMbR5nNVSINqMdGFQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h340/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_12.jpg" title="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1940s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1940s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Looking a little further west, we see how the area looked in the 1940s, with streetcars.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-15GIMfE45Yo/YYsAga6oPqI/AAAAAAACm2Y/1__oxO0BjxUvEQPNxur6pbCOyJBQpyc-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1230/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="East Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1950s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1223" data-original-width="1230" height="636" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-15GIMfE45Yo/YYsAga6oPqI/AAAAAAACm2Y/1__oxO0BjxUvEQPNxur6pbCOyJBQpyc-gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h636/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" title="East Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1950s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1951.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The RKO Fordham didn't show exclusive films - that was the job of the Paradise - but certainly was successful.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4j9q-N4lvI8/YYsCKHKLMbI/AAAAAAACm2o/ElVJRPL2kjg7Zdz44PKKpD7T78KLZDbBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s964/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="East Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1960s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="964" height="388" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4j9q-N4lvI8/YYsCKHKLMbI/AAAAAAACm2o/ElVJRPL2kjg7Zdz44PKKpD7T78KLZDbBwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h388/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" title="East Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1960s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking west, 1950s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>A random street scene from the area. I love the barbershop pole out on the street. I can remember when they had wooden Indians out there. Those days are long gone, of course.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--CUR9sqbEvo/YYsGUUzVXdI/AAAAAAACm3I/Fgb_cnmv1Owi5KzS2Z39T-wAnm8aaEc0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_14.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking east, mid-1960s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="640" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--CUR9sqbEvo/YYsGUUzVXdI/AAAAAAACm3I/Fgb_cnmv1Owi5KzS2Z39T-wAnm8aaEc0wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h512/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_14.jpg" title="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking east, mid-1960s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RKO Fordham, ca. 1960.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens on the stage together at the RKO Fordham! Bestill my heart! I don't think they ever starred in a film together, so I'm not sure why they were there. However, I think we can call this the halcyon days of the areas.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBHCh784Hus/YYsBpNS1x-I/AAAAAAACm2g/JHjFs_qHvJwHD0bTjOBp0pbjnUQcArB7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s539/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1960s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="537" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBHCh784Hus/YYsBpNS1x-I/AAAAAAACm2g/JHjFs_qHvJwHD0bTjOBp0pbjnUQcArB7ACLcBGAsYHQ/w638-h640/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" title="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1960s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="638" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1960s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We're turned around again in the above photograph. I don't have a date on it, but the styles of the cars and what people are wearing make me think it is around 1967-69.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-lufVmmQXc/YYsCycKi_9I/AAAAAAACm2w/hD7PjWvILksr3TBaBWSUA7bgMOXG87kNACLcBGAsYHQ/s1187/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_11.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking east, mid-1950s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="1187" height="498" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-lufVmmQXc/YYsCycKi_9I/AAAAAAACm2w/hD7PjWvILksr3TBaBWSUA7bgMOXG87kNACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h498/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_11.jpg" title="Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking east, mid-1950s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking southeast, mid-1950s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>A quick look at the southeast corner (I think) of Fordham Road and Valentine Avenue. Looks like the 1950s to me. Imagine being a time traveler set down in some random year in this area, it would be awfully difficult to guess the exact year!</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4_qpJ1-EN6Y/YYr2v5sZyRI/AAAAAAACm1w/ed36A3tkM-o3hbzfv28XNQNeRnLyYzYegCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fordham Road at Valentine St 1974 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="500" height="520" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4_qpJ1-EN6Y/YYr2v5sZyRI/AAAAAAACm1w/ed36A3tkM-o3hbzfv28XNQNeRnLyYzYegCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h520/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Fordham Road at Valentine St 1974 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, 1974.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>In 1974, the RKO Theater was still there, looking a bit worn and tired. It was, after all, over 50 years old by this point and we all show our age over the decades. There are some interesting similarities to how this area looked in 1974 and how it looks recently, however.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vnCJkZP6tNU/YYr9a5yot8I/AAAAAAACm2I/NxnCRrD-gHYOHRto6o4L68kmG5pg-9xdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fordham Road at Valentine Ave October 2019 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="640" height="322" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vnCJkZP6tNU/YYr9a5yot8I/AAAAAAACm2I/NxnCRrD-gHYOHRto6o4L68kmG5pg-9xdwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h322/Fordham_Road_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" title="Fordham Road at Valentine Ave October 2019 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue, looking northwest, October 2019.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>First, I was able to precisely locate the recent shot directly above to the 1974 scene because a few things haven't changed. Namely, that building in the distance with the billboard is still there (though the billboard has shifted position). The red firebox in the 1974 shot just visible on the left is still there, kind of, though in a vastly different form (no doubt slimmed down to improve intersection visibility). The stoplight looks the same, though it looks as though they shortened the pole and removed the street signs to the opposite corner for some reason.</div><div><br /></div><div>But, overall, a person transported from 1974 to 2019 should be able to recognize that they're in the same place at Fordham Road and Valentine Avenue even though the distinctive RKO Fordham is gone.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>And that brings us, as Paul Harvey would say, to the <i>rest </i>of the story.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>The Fordham Theatre lasted through the 1970s and was triplexed in 1976. It added a fourth screen in 1980 as cinemas became multiplexes in a bid to survive against television. However, as the recent photos illustrate all too vividly, the area was in decline.</div><div><br /></div><div>The neighborhood’s business district lost its small-town feel, the nondescriptive chains moved in, and that was that. The Fordham Theatre closed and was demolished in March, 1987. It was replaced by strip-mall style retail buildings populated by the usual banks and pharmacies and random outlets. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Sic transit gloria</i>, as they say, at least the old neighborhood had some style and character even if it wasn't perfect.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you enjoyed this random walk down Fordham Road at Valentine Avenue. The more things change, the more they stay the same, and this intersection does illustrate that in its own way. People shop differently now and are entertained differently, and you can see those changes through the camera lenses.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for stopping by, and please visit some of my other pages in the Then and Now series!</div></div><div><br /></div><span class="updated">2021</span>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0E Fordham Rd & Valentine Ave, Bronx, NY 10458, USA40.8622735 -73.895906912.552039663821155 -109.0521569 69.172507336178853 -38.7396569tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-36412158782874769272021-10-06T15:37:00.007-07:002021-10-06T15:44:37.162-07:00A Drive Down 1951 Wilshire Blvd, LA, in Color<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Clean and Pristine, Stark and Beautiful</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lsccldkwGxU/YV4icgqMNDI/AAAAAAACmh8/EuBBJuBTlFc-sUPTI5EpSwn2G6Cl-xgCACLcBGAsYHQ/s1590/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Wilshire Boulevard, LA, in 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1590" height="430" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lsccldkwGxU/YV4icgqMNDI/AAAAAAACmh8/EuBBJuBTlFc-sUPTI5EpSwn2G6Cl-xgCACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h430/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" title="Wilshire Boulevard, LA, in 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilshire Boulevard in 1951. You can see a Bank of America sign in the distance. Bank of America has a long history stretching back to 1784, but it acquired its name in 1922 with the formation of Bank of America, Los Angeles. It was considered an "immigrant's bank" for Italians in those days, though that reputation was quickly changing by 1951. Amadeo Pietro Giannini, who basically founded the modern Bank of America, had just passed away in 1949. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I love peeks into the past that provide a new perspective on things we think we know about. New algorithms and apps enable old films to be enhanced to make them more enjoyable for modern audiences.</div><div>This film, restored by NASS on Youtube, shows Los Angeles, California, in 1951. That was an important year for LA because the Jack Webb television series "Dragnet" began that fall and showcased the city and its police department for the next twenty years. This film was likely made to provide background shots for films and television productions and, who knows, may even have been made with Dragnet in mind. We go up and down <b itemprop="name">1951 Wilshire in Los Angelese</b> a few times but get different perspectives each time.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLC7IpuPis8/YV4SA5QJE9I/AAAAAAACmg8/Ac3ukEm-hoMpT9jE21y20EHd39kKt9UpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1078/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="LA in 1951 movie theater randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="1078" height="390" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLC7IpuPis8/YV4SA5QJE9I/AAAAAAACmg8/Ac3ukEm-hoMpT9jE21y20EHd39kKt9UpQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h390/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="LA in 1951 movie theater randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would you like to go to the movies tonight? That new Richard Widmark picture is playing down on Wilshire.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We know the film is from 1951 because we see two movie marquees. They advertise "The Frogmen," a Richard Widmark film released on 29 June 1951, and "Fugitive Lady," a Janis Paige film filmed in Rome that was released in the U.S. on 15 July 1951. The NY Times called "Fugitive Lady" "meandering claptrap," However, "The Frogmen" fared better, earning two Academy Award nominations. In addition, if you have sharp eyes and know your car history, there are some 1951 models passing by.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lU5AXEivRgM/YV4Pr6j2KNI/AAAAAAACmg0/93EMKfrKGCEGQS0H5-DKHnlGPQNJpd_fgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1068/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bomb Shelter for $795 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1068" height="430" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lU5AXEivRgM/YV4Pr6j2KNI/AAAAAAACmg0/93EMKfrKGCEGQS0H5-DKHnlGPQNJpd_fgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h430/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Bomb Shelter for $795 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy a cheap bomb shelter!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The film shows the scenery on Wilshire Boulevard. Do you need a bomb shelter? Get one cheap for the bargain price of $795! The Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb on 29 August 1949, and the fear of a nuclear holocaust permeated the 1950s. The May Company, seen in the background, was founded in Leadville, Colorado, in 1877. It effectively went out of business in 2005-06 when acquired by Federated. We see the La Brea tar pits park before all the development that later occurred around it.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-By2bCgjQrF0/YV4USnwEMHI/AAAAAAACmhE/6HveENfCGekfGqDL6lOPAepFJ3ABX4LZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1076/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A cafeteria on Wilshire randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="1076" height="392" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-By2bCgjQrF0/YV4USnwEMHI/AAAAAAACmhE/6HveENfCGekfGqDL6lOPAepFJ3ABX4LZgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h392/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="A cafeteria on Wilshire randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Cafeteria on Wilshire. Traffic in those days was a bit more lively than it is now, with drivers "taking command of the intersection" as their driving instructors taught them.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Sometimes the things that you don't see are what matter, like in the Sherlock Holmes tale of the dog that didn't bark. Very few, if any, foreign vehicles. The numerous billboards don't feature any scantily clad models. You won't see any McDonald's or Burger Kings fast food joints in this film. McDonald's was founded in 1940 in San Bernardino but did not really expand beyond a few locations until 1955. White Castle predates McDonald's, but there aren't any on Wilshire. Burger King was not founded until 1953 in Jacksonville, Florida. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gAGewEKMUFQ/YV4baKz0IkI/AAAAAAACmhc/l01ayMWgLHgJiVsHCPfC5t-02LxQsyIKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1076/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Coffee Shop on Wilshire randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1076" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gAGewEKMUFQ/YV4baKz0IkI/AAAAAAACmhc/l01ayMWgLHgJiVsHCPfC5t-02LxQsyIKgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h424/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="Coffee Shop on Wilshire randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical coffee shop on Wilshire.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>In 1951, you went to a "Coffee Shop" or a "Deli" if you wanted lunch. These were not little, insignificant places off on some side street, either. They were bold, magnificent, and often the centerpiece of the block.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MbqRc-SH4mg/YV4X3ETRVGI/AAAAAAACmhM/ro7r76hNygIxjJEEpccsFFNgbrPl_dW2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1072/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Street scene in LA 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="1072" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MbqRc-SH4mg/YV4X3ETRVGI/AAAAAAACmhM/ro7r76hNygIxjJEEpccsFFNgbrPl_dW2ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Street scene in LA 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So little traffic, you often had the road to yourself. I love the sharp angles and sleek styling in this capture.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>If you're a fan of art deco, fastback cars, and empty roads, 1951 Los Angeles was the place to be. Some of the scenes look like they came out of an Edward Hopper painting like "Nighthawks" (1942).</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuio-kxdIIs/YV4ZJ0CLGdI/AAAAAAACmhU/7VBreGP7gb0qSRoXE-XJxU6jejF6o9tNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1068/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zoot Suit 1951 LA randmomusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1068" height="430" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuio-kxdIIs/YV4ZJ0CLGdI/AAAAAAACmhU/7VBreGP7gb0qSRoXE-XJxU6jejF6o9tNQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h430/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" title="Zoot Suit 1951 LA randmomusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Men's fashions were a bit baggier in the 1950s. That fellow in the foreground appears to be wearing a Zoot Suit, though I'm not enough of a fashion expert to be sure. If you needed rust-proof gasoline, Richfield was for you! That fellow in the billboard in the distance could have served as an inspiration for James Bond. Incidentally, Ian Fleming began writing his first Bond novel, "Casino Royale," at Goldeneye in Jamaica not long after this film on 17 February 1952.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2z7MbxTfh5Y/YV4dFsBRpTI/AAAAAAACmhk/l-pWckDQJu0G-DGtwnYocSeV2DGIwpt7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1066/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ralphs on Wilshire in 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="1066" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2z7MbxTfh5Y/YV4dFsBRpTI/AAAAAAACmhk/l-pWckDQJu0G-DGtwnYocSeV2DGIwpt7wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h418/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" title="Ralphs on Wilshire in 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ralphs on Wilshire in 1951.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>You may buy your groceries at Ralphs. Well, that chain has been around since 1873, founded in Los Angeles. It opened its most famous store, in Westwood, in 1929. This one a few miles away is pretty impressive, too. That's a sweet convertible in front of it.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FYi_iUfIxY8/YV4ekeKvGxI/AAAAAAACmhs/nbH5YlNTewM_29HnXJ9gVc5IT0tWDjSfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1072/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Arthur Murray Dance Studio on Wilshire, LA in 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1072" height="422" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FYi_iUfIxY8/YV4ekeKvGxI/AAAAAAACmhs/nbH5YlNTewM_29HnXJ9gVc5IT0tWDjSfwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h422/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" title="Arthur Murray Dance Studio on Wilshire, LA in 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Arthur Murray Dance Studio on Wilshire. The huge Arthur Murray sign dominated the Wilshire street view for miles.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Imagine driving on empty streets like this through the heart of LA today. Maybe at 3 in the morning, but not in the middle of the day. Oh, and if you want to be in pictures, you'd better know how to dance. There's an Arthur Murray Dance Studio over there if you need some lessons (founded in 1925, though he began a previous business that failed in 1912). Compared to Murray, Fred Astaire was the new kid on the block.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sX98Ou7QKaU/YV4g_8JZ5EI/AAAAAAACmh0/aSsl661bqKgN4t0LV6Qqx-_2RMoFqK-AwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1592/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Coffee shop/bakery on Wilshire in 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1592" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sX98Ou7QKaU/YV4g_8JZ5EI/AAAAAAACmh0/aSsl661bqKgN4t0LV6Qqx-_2RMoFqK-AwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/LA_1951_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" title="Coffee shop/bakery on Wilshire in 1951 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Another coffee shop/bakery on Wilshire, with traffic looking like the wild west. Have some art you want to sell? Put up a folding table and a chair on Wilshire and have at it!</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I hope you enjoyed this tour down Wilshire in 1951. It hasn't changed that much, but really it's changed completely from the way it was back then. Just another example of how society marches on and completely remakes itself every few generations. Thanks for stopping by!</div><div><br /><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5fL8n_aAisQ" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></center><div><br /></div><div>Some other pages in this series:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/02/1920s-paris-cafe-society-in-color.html">1920s Paris Cafe Society<br /></a><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/12/1890s-children-in-color-lumiere-films.html">1890s Children in Color</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/10/1925-dordrecht-holland-in-color.html">1925 Dordrecht, Holland</a></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/gay-paris-in-1890s-restored-film.html">Paris in the 1890s</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/the-1902-flying-train-in-wuppertal.html">The 1902 Flying Train of Wuppertal, Germany</a></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/06/film-of-san-francisco-1906.html">San Francisco in 1906</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2018/12/see-may-1907-vancouver-canada.html">Vancouver in 1907</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/06/color-film-of-new-york-city-1939.html">New York City in 1939<br /></a><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/07/color-film-of-hollywood-in-1931.html">Hollywood in 1931</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/new-york-city-in-1911-in-color.html">New York City in 1911</a></div></div></div></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/03/1935-beverly-hills-in-color.html">1935 Beverly Hills in Color</a></div></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/10/a-drive-through-1951-la-in-color.html">1951 Wilshire Boulevard, LA, in Color</a></div></div><br /><br /></div><span class="updated">2021</span>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com05801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, USA34.0637378 -118.3554515.7535039638211529 -153.51170100000002 62.373971636178844 -83.199201tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-43995492171972965892021-10-05T21:23:00.002-07:002021-10-05T21:29:25.988-07:00Then and Now: 58th Street at 5th Avenue, NYC<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Time Stands Still On Fifth Avenue</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvjRNY2Uu0c/YV0PBD0l__I/AAAAAAACmf8/4Hk3Yva8uu4zIp9zkol_9fKNW9oNQ7mrACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="58th and 5th 1984 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="500" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvjRNY2Uu0c/YV0PBD0l__I/AAAAAAACmf8/4Hk3Yva8uu4zIp9zkol_9fKNW9oNQ7mrACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="58th and 5th 1984 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">58th and 5th Avenue in NYC, 1984.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Sometimes, things just stay the same. We like to think that everything involving us is new and improved, so much better than, you know, "before." But that isn't true in a lot of ways. We are just continuations of generations before us, adding our own unique style but really not changing the world as much as we might like to think.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I like city views that show how little time can mean to big cities. If you go to many places in Paris or London, they'll be exactly like they were in the 1800s. New York City has some of those spots, too, though they're a bit less common. But sometimes you come across a view that has changed very little in almost 40 years, and that's saying something.<div><br /></div><div>Above we have <b itemprop="name">a view of 58th and 5th Avenue in 1984</b>. If you're a native New Yorker or a longtime resident, you'll recognize the scene instantly even though it isn't taken from a typical tourist vantage point. We're looking south toward the Empire State Building, which you can see pretty clearly in this shot silhouetted against the sky. If you're a film buff, you may recognize this stretch of road as being close to where Audrey Hepburn's taxi brings her to Tiffany's at the start of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1963). That was when traffic still went both ways on Fifth Avenue, which ended in 1966 so that now it only goes south.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just for fun, let's do a comparison with how this scene looked recently.</div><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8TqZEvXNhJ0/YV0QMnSa6qI/AAAAAAACmgE/MqO8xJAUZ181MuvMYznmIKzgClEFN73VACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="58th and 5th June 2019 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8TqZEvXNhJ0/YV0QMnSa6qI/AAAAAAACmgE/MqO8xJAUZ181MuvMYznmIKzgClEFN73VACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="58th and 5th June 2019 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">58th and 5th, looking south, in June 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>While I couldn't get the same precise angle, the above is close enough. It shows a similar view south toward the Empire State Building. Let's pick out the things that are the same and a very few that have changed.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D0TejePyxiU/YV0S4612wPI/AAAAAAACmgM/DRcq8MXaO3I_JXERidhb_o89jFYwTEtYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Southeast corner of 58th and 5th, July 2021 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="640" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D0TejePyxiU/YV0S4612wPI/AAAAAAACmgM/DRcq8MXaO3I_JXERidhb_o89jFYwTEtYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h398/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="Southeast corner of 58th and 5th, July 2021 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">58th and 5th, looking east, in June 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The first thing you will have noticed if you have very sharp eyes is that the business at the extreme left of the 1984 photo (on the southeast corner of 58th Street) was F.A.O. Schwartz. It was an institution in 1984 and it likely seemed it would never close its flagship store on 5th Avenue. You may remember it from "Big" (1988) when Tom Hanks danced on the giant piano. New Yorkers fondly remember it for its annual Christmas displays, one of the highlights of the season.</div><div><br /></div><div>F.A.O. Schwartz operated at 745 Fifth Avenue, the site shown in the 1984 picture and the one directly above, until 1986. Then, after some mergers and acquisitions that were all the rage in 1986, a new owner moved it across 58th Street to 767 Fifth Avenue, better known as the GM Building. That would be behind and to the left of where the 1984 photographer was standing.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Alas, after numerous ownership changes and a bankruptcy, F.A.O. Schwartz wound up being bought by Toys 'R Us in 2090. That corporation had a lot of problems. So, the flagship store in the GM Building closed down in 2015.</div><div><br /></div><div>But not to fear! F.A.O. Schwartz reopened its store at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in November 2018. So, we can all still get our holiday fix there.</div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RB0_jUauYdQ/YV0bIXzOW9I/AAAAAAACmgc/2ROSNyGGlFMe3NX-dj3sjjGzZQkX8IlOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The GM Building at 767 Fifth Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="640" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RB0_jUauYdQ/YV0bIXzOW9I/AAAAAAACmgc/2ROSNyGGlFMe3NX-dj3sjjGzZQkX8IlOwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h418/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" title="The GM Building at 767 Fifth Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The GM Building at 767 Fifth Avenue on the left, with 745 Fifth Avenue at the center-right in August 2021 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Just to give a little perspective, the above capture shows the two sites of F.A.O. Schwartz on Fifth Avenue. The old site from 1931-1986 is in the center-right, while the 1986-2015 location in the GM Buildings is at the left. Yes, they literally just moved across the street. I personally identify F.A.O. Schwartz as being in the GM Building on the ground floor. It was spacious and had good light. I saw Susan Sarandon, who lives nearby, give some kind of presentation there in 2001. It really was a great location.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USKAJDXg1K8/YV0VY87CuKI/AAAAAAACmgU/8KQ6rh5f4uAAnrvzNn9Hbnn5FBx9oX13wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bergdorf Goodman, 58th and 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="640" height="348" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USKAJDXg1K8/YV0VY87CuKI/AAAAAAACmgU/8KQ6rh5f4uAAnrvzNn9Hbnn5FBx9oX13wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h348/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Bergdorf Goodman, 58th and 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">58th Street and 5th Avenue, looking southwest, June 2019.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Speaking of Bergdorf Goodman, you probably knew that it was that massive building on the far side of 5th Avenue in the 1984 photo. It has been there since 1928, so its centenary is coming up fast. Now, while it may have seemed like F.A.O. Schwartz was eternal, Bergdorf Goodman on 5th Avenue actually <i>is </i>eternal. It seems that if there's ever, God forbid, a nuclear holocaust, the cockroaches will still go to Bergdorf Goodman to buy their $300 sweaters. Bergdorf opened a men's store across the street (on the east side of 5th Avenue) in 1990 and since has expanded to take over the F.A.O. Schwartz space. </div><div><br /></div><div>You may remember Bergdorf Goodman from the film "Arthur" (1981). It was already a long-established presence then. However, Neiman Marcus, which owns Bergdorf Goodman, recently filed for bankruptcy due to the 2020 pandemic, so who knows what the future holds in store for it. Strangely enough, due to numerous corporate transactions, F.A.O. Schwartz, which has recently opened stores in Beijing, London, And Dublin, now is probably more financially sound than Bergdorf Goodman. That's life in the big city.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2TWGMiUB8Js/YV0dN6_7I2I/AAAAAAACmgk/qe5wJ0YfABsZpHKCctj7VdlQEB-3N_mVACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Arthur_1981_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, and Sir John Gielgud in "Arthur" (1981) randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2TWGMiUB8Js/YV0dN6_7I2I/AAAAAAACmgk/qe5wJ0YfABsZpHKCctj7VdlQEB-3N_mVACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Arthur_1981_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, and Sir John Gielgud in "Arthur" (1981) randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Avenue, in the background of a scene from "Arthur" (1981).</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Anyway, so the view of Fifth Avenue south from 58th Street hasn't changed much since 1984 aside from some that. If you go there today, you'll see basically the same view and probably will for decades to come. As I like to say in this series, the more things change, the more they stay the same, and the view south from 58th Street down Fifth Avenue in NYC proves it.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-voQ9s8tjIx8/YV0iKm1NfkI/AAAAAAACmgs/Xa_vs5pIoskCIs6SCgfzTi7HDtdNBoPiwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Looking north on Fifth Avenue NYC from 58th Street, 2019 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="640" height="374" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-voQ9s8tjIx8/YV0iKm1NfkI/AAAAAAACmgs/Xa_vs5pIoskCIs6SCgfzTi7HDtdNBoPiwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h374/58th_and_5th_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="Looking north on Fifth Avenue NYC from 58th Street, 2019 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">58th Street and 5th Avenue, NYC, looking north in June 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Before we take our leave of this spot, let's do a 180 and see what that 1984 photographer had his or her back to. That's the Plaza Hotel over on the left (built 1905-07 with many later renovations), Central Park off in the distance in the center (created 1857-76), and The Sherry-Netherland at 781 Fifth Avenue on the right (built 1926-27). Yes, this little corner of the world has been pretty much the same (including the GM Building, built 1964-68) for a long, long time.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Thanks for stopping by! Please visit some of my other pages as we look at how things looked then, and now.<br /><br />
<span class="updated">2021</span>
</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com05th Ave & 58th St, Brooklyn, NY 11220, USA40.6406269 -74.01499319999999212.330393063821155 -109.17124319999999 68.950860736178839 -38.858743199999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-58860454559058450172021-05-11T21:58:00.009-07:002021-05-11T22:15:07.719-07:00Monkees Wild Dancing<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Swinging Sixties Baby!</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b8g0YkWhp2E/YJtdk26wRSI/AAAAAAAClBU/JyT8OhKxwQUkUiTYEpKJGz4uAbL8bx8jgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="640" height="624" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b8g0YkWhp2E/YJtdk26wRSI/AAAAAAAClBU/JyT8OhKxwQUkUiTYEpKJGz4uAbL8bx8jgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h624/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outta sight!</td></tr></tbody></table>I like to post odd stuff on this site that pleases me for whatever wild reason. There's no deep thought involved. Basically, things pop up here just because they do. As the title says, if it pleases me, maybe you'll find it humorous, too. Yes, this is self-indulgent to the X Factor, but I've found that these pages can be surprisingly popular with my eclectic audience.<div><br /></div><div>Yes, this page is going to take an ungodly amount of time to load. Sorry about that, modern technology is on it, it's ON it!<br /><div><br /></div><div>Today, I present to you: <b itemprop="name">Monkees wild dancing!</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cx1NJIH69Jc/YJtUQm9Pn5I/AAAAAAAClAs/VXTbOT0uUbo2lA4c_BHLbUtjIzhtcM1dgCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cx1NJIH69Jc/YJtUQm9Pn5I/AAAAAAAClAs/VXTbOT0uUbo2lA4c_BHLbUtjIzhtcM1dgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.gif" title="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>Who were the Monkees? Well, if you didn't know that, you likely wouldn't be here in the first place. But, okay, here you go, but you can skip this video if you know who they are.</div>
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F6clYpKVk4g" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></center>
<div>In brief, the Monkees were a band put together by a guy named Don Kirshner for a television show in the mid-'60s. They started as a sort of joke but eventually became a real band with real hits. Sort of like a boy band of the '60s. Like, oh, Justin Timberlake's old band, I suppose. Oh, wait, some of you probably weren't born in the '90s, either. Okay... well, they were like rappers. But they didn't rap! Well, maybe Peter Tork did occasionally. See how original they were!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FilIs_rjrE8/YJtWi8NchzI/AAAAAAAClA0/WnS9To7Edpk4-yZq03iyDFkotU4Znf81gCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FilIs_rjrE8/YJtWi8NchzI/AAAAAAAClA0/WnS9To7Edpk4-yZq03iyDFkotU4Znf81gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.gif" title="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>So, who are the dancers in these clips from "The Monkees"? Darned if I know. You're not supposed to know who they are. If you do know, you're one in a million.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G9Tnzu1pTpQ/YJtX_TqV2aI/AAAAAAAClA8/4u7-wbM_514HPp5fc1qlRpSVitIQF9zkACLcBGAsYHQ/s480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G9Tnzu1pTpQ/YJtX_TqV2aI/AAAAAAAClA8/4u7-wbM_514HPp5fc1qlRpSVitIQF9zkACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.gif" title="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>I don't know how you'd characterize this page. If you want to think of it as a Monkees tribute page, that's fine by me. If you want to think of it as an ode to Swinging Sixties dancing, okay then. Or maybe it's all about ... Davy Jones.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pyk0VMrfxM/YJtaAFCYbpI/AAAAAAAClBE/NNymZKXNYjQzlYRh3pL3ElGW_IKmvIJlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pyk0VMrfxM/YJtaAFCYbpI/AAAAAAAClBE/NNymZKXNYjQzlYRh3pL3ElGW_IKmvIJlQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.gif" title="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>Oh, noes! Love has entered the room! Icksnay!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tP0uJT1GqaM/YJtcYFSoKnI/AAAAAAAClBM/emB_kMPRigM2rtkfWu01NY59nKOLqBefACLcBGAsYHQ/s480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tP0uJT1GqaM/YJtcYFSoKnI/AAAAAAAClBM/emB_kMPRigM2rtkfWu01NY59nKOLqBefACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.gif" title="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>By now, you're probably wondering, what was the point of this? Well, here's your answer: there is no point! I just like wild sixties dancing and the Monkees! Yes! That's it!</div><div><br /></div><div>I guess either you get it or you don't get it. If you don't get it, I sincerely apologize. If you do... you're welcome!<br /><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for stopping by, and consider watching some of my other pointless dancing videos that you can find over there on the right if you're on a desktop! <a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2015/01/how-to-dance-hang-on-sloopy.html">The one with the Hang On Sloopy girl is loads of fun.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l9RgjMXTuSI/YJtfNqtGvzI/AAAAAAAClBc/1J5uZYvhZF4aBXWTHZqDAN3CXZQL17_dQCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l9RgjMXTuSI/YJtfNqtGvzI/AAAAAAAClBc/1J5uZYvhZF4aBXWTHZqDAN3CXZQL17_dQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Monkees_1_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.gif" title="Monkees wild dancing randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span class="updated">2021</span>
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-86567240408340729882021-04-22T20:39:00.002-07:002021-04-22T20:42:37.229-07:00Then and Now: First Avenue's Downtown Beirut<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Gone But Not Forgotten</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4s6bbCeo1c/YIIogBMX8TI/AAAAAAACk28/3yjoIHHwNjEvDSKSGbRjBo_mIwO84XE5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Downtown Beirut ca. 1987 randommusings.filmiinspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1280" height="390" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4s6bbCeo1c/YIIogBMX8TI/AAAAAAACk28/3yjoIHHwNjEvDSKSGbRjBo_mIwO84XE5QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h390/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Downtown Beirut ca. 1987 randommusings.filmiinspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets, ca. 1987.</td></tr></tbody></table>The East Village was one of the most eccentric spots in Manhattan in the 1980s. It was run-down, abandoned buildings were everywhere, and it was a lot of fun. It's been gentrifying slowly but surely ever since, but it's nice to reflect on the days when it still resembled the Wild, Wild West.</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br /></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">To an out-of-towner or pretty much anyone unfamiliar with the ways of the East Village, the above street scene probably seems fairly mundane. A bunch of ratty shops in some ancient tenement, long gone and long forgotten.<div><br /></div><div>To people who do know a thing or two about New York City and the East Village, they know exactly why this photo was taken.</div><div><br /></div><div>Downtown Beirut!</div><div><br /></div><div>We're going to do a quick <b itemprop="name">then-and-now of First Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets, NYC</b>.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TxDI-tMcvtc/YIIxlru3EII/AAAAAAACk3U/9dCWcKDMGE4LSl4HlahGsL7scv_pQoVUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Downtown Beirut, NYC, 1980s randmomusings;filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TxDI-tMcvtc/YIIxlru3EII/AAAAAAACk3U/9dCWcKDMGE4LSl4HlahGsL7scv_pQoVUgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Downtown Beirut, NYC, 1980s randmomusings;filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Beirut, NYC, the 1980s.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>What was Downtown Beirut? A bar in Manhattan. You can describe it in various ways, but probably the most accurate is that it was a classic dive.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2WHcteHGCM/YIIxmBHBnkI/AAAAAAACk3Y/PkAG2z5j2gwRoehml6frK3jPJWrvNd2CwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Downtown Beirut, NYC, 1981 randmomusings;filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="640" height="460" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2WHcteHGCM/YIIxmBHBnkI/AAAAAAACk3Y/PkAG2z5j2gwRoehml6frK3jPJWrvNd2CwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h460/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" title="Downtown Beirut, NYC, 1981 randmomusings;filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets, ca. 1981.</td></tr></tbody></table>As a dive, Downtown Beirut had a lot of company. Some of its peers were Hogs and Heifers in the Meatpacking District (1992-2015 RIP), Scrap Bar, Union Square’s bar/restaurant the Coffee Shop (1990-2015 RIP), and, well, I could go on for a while. But this isn't about them, it's about Downtown Beirut.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b9Cy3thXSxc/YIIzfxzae8I/AAAAAAACk3k/eK2o-akc_kYQnnxRfSCBiod6H1h2yaIJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1015/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="NIGHT AT DOWNTOWN BEIRUT, video by Mike Enright" border="0" data-original-height="1015" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b9Cy3thXSxc/YIIzfxzae8I/AAAAAAACk3k/eK2o-akc_kYQnnxRfSCBiod6H1h2yaIJQCLcBGAsYHQ/w404-h640/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="NIGHT AT DOWNTOWN BEIRUT, video by Mike Enright" width="404" /></a></div>A long city block from Tompkins Square Park, Downtown Beirut acquired an offbeat reputation. If you stayed late enough, some girls in halter tops and boots might get up and dance on the bar. The jukebox was renowned for having a great selection of tunes you were pretty unlikely to hear elsewhere. Want to play some pinball at 2 a.m.? Downtown Beirut was your spot.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qd4XVnU_WRM/YIIuyJWRANI/AAAAAAACk3M/TMuX9UkUOtME51G5MezGe96cxQk_xz-MgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Downtown Beirut, NYC, ca. 1990 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qd4XVnU_WRM/YIIuyJWRANI/AAAAAAACk3M/TMuX9UkUOtME51G5MezGe96cxQk_xz-MgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="Downtown Beirut, NYC, ca. 1990 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Beirut, NYC, ca. 1990.</td></tr></tbody></table>For such a quirky East Village dive, a lot of people still remember Downtown Beirut fondly. For instance, it was featured in "Come Here Often?: 53 Writers Raise a Glass to Their Favorite Bar" by Elissa Schappell. Mike Enright made a video about it. The New York Times included it in a 2012<a href="https://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/manhattans-most-mourned-bars/" target="_blank"> list of "Manhattan's Most Mourned Bars</a>." When you start poking around on the Internet looking for beloved New York bars of the past, "Downtown Beirut" always seems to pop up. That's no small feat considering the thousands of little hole-in-the-wall joints that come and go in the Big Apple.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8z0VUs-OmXs/YII1H4f2g4I/AAAAAAACk3s/vmaMdywcxDEl1aQl_pOd9ryHhO9yDXOgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s267/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Downtown Beirut, NYC, ca. 1990 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="267" height="479" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8z0VUs-OmXs/YII1H4f2g4I/AAAAAAACk3s/vmaMdywcxDEl1aQl_pOd9ryHhO9yDXOgwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h479/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.gif" title="Downtown Beirut, NYC, ca. 1990 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's 3.a.m., do you know where your children are? A clip from a deleted scene from "Night At Downtown Beirut," video by Mike Enright</td></tr></tbody></table>Unless you've lived in New York, you might not understand how these neighborhood joints served a need. The heavy metal crowd could hang out together at Scrap Bar, the models could sit at Coffee Shop's amazing bar and hold court and then walk over to a table and have some grilled shark (it's very salty), and the punk crowd could spend a few hours at Downtown Beirut. It wasn't that far from CBGB, you could catch Patti Smith and then walk over and play something on the jukebox. It was nice to have a place to just be among like-minded folks and maybe all sing "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" together in July just because you could. Why? Well, if you have to ask... <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s4rxGIUFzGQ/YIIqb6xhJBI/AAAAAAACk3E/WEdMazfcVDI51dDDxQLoHhBAXmSMKeTtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="First Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="640" height="542" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s4rxGIUFzGQ/YIIqb6xhJBI/AAAAAAACk3E/WEdMazfcVDI51dDDxQLoHhBAXmSMKeTtQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h542/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="First Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets, June 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table>Well, New York buildings are eternal, especially in the East Village. The building was built in 1920, so it just celebrated its centenary. Yay 2020! It will probably still be there in 2120, too, because those old buildings never go away. It's what gives New York its charm.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Dgvv7n0MZw/YIJBA_oUmQI/AAAAAAACk30/rfKjScN9ni84fmHylCyLF6S2p5pWKCLlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1026/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Downtown Beirut, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Dgvv7n0MZw/YIJBA_oUmQI/AAAAAAACk30/rfKjScN9ni84fmHylCyLF6S2p5pWKCLlgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h640/Downtown_Beirut_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" title="Downtown Beirut, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best jukebox in town! Downtown Beirut.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>As you can see above, "Downtown Beirut" is no longer with us. It closed in 1994 around the time of Rudy Giuliani's election as mayor. That location now houses "Yu's On First," where you can get a nice back and foot rub. If you go to Yu's Facebook page, it tells you that "We Believe Massage Is the Way to Physical Relaxation." Downtown Beirut did the same thing, in its own way. So, as we like to say, the more things change, the more they stay the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you enjoyed this random walk through the East Village. Please visit some of our other pages!</div><div><br />
<span class="updated">2021</span>
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0158 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10009, USA40.7284926 -73.98441500000001312.418258763821157 -109.14066500000001 69.038726436178848 -38.828165000000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-76907139356534058712021-04-17T18:50:00.002-07:002021-04-17T19:46:47.234-07:00Then and Now: A Random Drive Down 5th Avenue<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Driving Through the Past</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tt-V-hP9GYY/YHuCu1LBkrI/AAAAAAACkwc/0saaNn4TYrIpE7Q-LxTodFLFPuMg_QbegCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Tiffany_randommusings.filmnispector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Park & Tilford, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="640" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tt-V-hP9GYY/YHuCu1LBkrI/AAAAAAACkwc/0saaNn4TYrIpE7Q-LxTodFLFPuMg_QbegCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h396/Tiffany_randommusings.filmnispector.com_1.jpg" title="Park & Tilford, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East 57th Street, New York City, in 1938. Home to a Park & Tilford grocery store.</td></tr></tbody></table>Let's take a drive down Fifth Avenue! Well, not today's Fifth Avenue, but Fifth Avenue almost a century ago. </div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br /></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">Fifth Avenue in New York is one of the priciest stretches of real estate in the world. But just how much has it changed? I decided to look over this video of a drive down Fifth Avenue ca. 1938, late in the Great Depression at a time when plenty of poverty and wealth coexisted in close confines. Using it, let's <b itemprop="name">compare this 1938 video of Fifth Avenue to recent times.</b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1dC88E8QDk/YHuEA_bZXjI/AAAAAAACkwk/oLt1kgv7Ph4TqJQGqeZL81H3LbH_MCBnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Tiffany_randommusings.filmnispector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Tiffany & Co., 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1dC88E8QDk/YHuEA_bZXjI/AAAAAAACkwk/oLt1kgv7Ph4TqJQGqeZL81H3LbH_MCBnQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Tiffany_randommusings.filmnispector.com_2.jpg" title="Tiffany & Co., 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You may know the old Park and Tilford location better as its 1940 replacement, Tiffany & Co.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The video shows both sides of Fifth Avenue. First, we'll look at the west side bordering Central Park and down into the commercial area, and then the East Side. Down to around East 60th Street, Fifth Avenue was and is primarily residential. Some of the scenes from 1938 surprised me, but a lot more look awfully familiar.</div><div><div><br /><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EvEtWYNSreM" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></center><div><br /></div><div>Time to get oriented. The video shows (apparently one vehicle shot this while rolling three cameras in different directions) three views from Fifth Avenue. One camera shows the western side, another a central view, and the third shows the eastern side of the avenue.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Start with the camera facing directly north ca. East 75th Street:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>East 74th 0:22</div><div>East 73rd 03:34</div><div>East 72nd 0:45</div><div>East 71st 0:55</div><div>East 70th 01:05</div><div>East 69th 01:33</div><div>East 68th 01:47</div><div>East 67th 01:50</div><div>East 66th 01:58</div><div>East 65th 02:08</div><div>East 64th 02:16</div><div>East 63rd 02:26</div><div>East 62nd 02:58</div><div>East 61st 03:09</div><div>East 60th 03:16</div><div>East 59th 03:28 (Central Park South)</div><div>East 58th 03:39</div><div>End ca. East 57th</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Switch at 03:49, west side of Fifth Avenue</b></div><div><br /></div><div>65th Street 04:30</div><div>64th Street 04:42</div><div>West 60th 05:27</div><div>West 59th 05:38</div><div>West 58th 05:46</div><div>West 57th: 06:00</div><div>06:12 I believe that big maroon car is a Packard ca. 1937.</div><div>West 54th 06:26</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Switch to the east side of Fifth at 06:52. Start just south of East 74th Street.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>East 73rd Street at 06:56</div><div>East 72nd Street 07:14</div><div>East 71st Street 07:23</div><div>East 70th Street 07:30</div><div>East 69th Street 07:37</div><div>East 68th Street 07:44</div><div>East 67th Street 07:53</div><div>East 66th Street 08:18</div><div>East 65th Street 08:26</div><div>East 64th Street 08:33</div><div>East 63rd Street 08:42</div><div>East 62nd Street 08:49</div><div>East 61st Street 08:56</div><div>East 60th Street 09:32</div><div>Park & Tilford Grocer at 57th Street 10:00</div><div>E.M. Gattle & Co. Jewelers at East 55th in St. Regis 10:16 (Gattle closed in 1940).</div></div><div><br /></div>Okay, let's look at a few specific scenes and see how they've changed.<br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fytIISUDn-8/YHtKCOzCHZI/AAAAAAACkuU/u7lL460AsToov_Z0HxGv1nYkAKPx26tsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/75th_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="75th Street randomusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="640" height="404" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fytIISUDn-8/YHtKCOzCHZI/AAAAAAACkuU/u7lL460AsToov_Z0HxGv1nYkAKPx26tsQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h404/75th_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="75th Street randomusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north at 75th Street, 1938.</td></tr></tbody></table>At the very start of the video, looking north from around 75th Street, is a typical residential neighborhood. The comparison with how it looks recently is going to be a common theme in our review.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TI2Pss8sWgA/YHtSQFN4Q1I/AAAAAAACkuc/J5niXBY5Oz4M4RkkQtkdLRAjFry-H_ALQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/75th_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="75th Street randomusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="640" height="450" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TI2Pss8sWgA/YHtSQFN4Q1I/AAAAAAACkuc/J5niXBY5Oz4M4RkkQtkdLRAjFry-H_ALQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h450/75th_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="75th Street randomusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north at 75th Street, May 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table>Well, well, what do you know. It hasn't changed much at all. That apartment building on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue hasn't changed at all (the corner building is 1 East 75th Street, and the one beyond is 944 Fifth Avenue). That's Manhattan, folks, in the residential areas you could go over 100 years without seeing much difference.<div><br /></div><div>All right let's look at another spot. This time, we'll look at the corner of East 60th Street.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zFnwvPXX6es/YHteIBBLX-I/AAAAAAACkuo/vnxrrBs1VUoaWGje-xJsOkX8w2PlsAeBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/60_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="60th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="640" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zFnwvPXX6es/YHteIBBLX-I/AAAAAAACkuo/vnxrrBs1VUoaWGje-xJsOkX8w2PlsAeBgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h408/60_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="60th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East 60th Street in 1938.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Okay, let's see what has changed in 80 years.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VE_oLaBOQNE/YHtfLZYGoEI/AAAAAAACku0/6CVzl_L4wqE4IqODvNc5lISF10aYco7eQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/60_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="60th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="640" height="456" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VE_oLaBOQNE/YHtfLZYGoEI/AAAAAAACku0/6CVzl_L4wqE4IqODvNc5lISF10aYco7eQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h456/60_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="60th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East 60th Street in June 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table>Well, it doesn't look like much has changed at all. That building on the northeast corner of 60 Street is the Metropolitan Club at One East 60th Street. It's had some renovations and facelifts over the years, but it's the same building that it has been since 1893. That's not likely to change anytime soon, either.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Let's move down by Grand Army Plaza.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-INQVqHDAJNQ/YHtjcxM6Z0I/AAAAAAACku8/vUeA_mYTX5sdKeYpc9ncYjVpW4xO67qHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/58_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="58th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="640" height="402" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-INQVqHDAJNQ/YHtjcxM6Z0I/AAAAAAACku8/vUeA_mYTX5sdKeYpc9ncYjVpW4xO67qHQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h402/58_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="58th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north from 58th Street in 1938.</td></tr></tbody></table>Now, this time we do have a noticeable change.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d6WOQkfhccA/YHtkOXMx_vI/AAAAAAACkvE/1azEHW52eHo0KnRUvq9UjMBX-LfR0IX-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/58_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="58th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="640" height="508" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d6WOQkfhccA/YHtkOXMx_vI/AAAAAAACkvE/1azEHW52eHo0KnRUvq9UjMBX-LfR0IX-QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h508/58_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="58th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north from 58th Street in June 2019.</td></tr></tbody></table>The most obvious change is that now we can clearly see the Sherry-Nederland. It was built in 1927, and during the 1930s it was obscured by a wall of sandstone buildings. Now, that entire block of buildings is gone, replaced in 1968 by the General Motors Building and its plaza at 767 Fifth Avenue.<div><br /></div><div>Let's just say that I'm not a big fan of razing all those classic old buildings between 58th and 59th Streets and replacing them with... that. The pointless plaza on the right destroys the effect of Grand Army Plaza on the left, which somewhat resembled an old town square when it was hemmed in on three sides. Now, it's just another open space.</div><div><br /></div><div>Moving along, let's take a closer look at Central Park. While it may seem like it's just a big, you know, park, there actually are quite a few buildings in it.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cq8GSsuC7mY/YHtoaD8lqtI/AAAAAAACkvU/XuYRfX90KRg2D5HN0GnSN-M0Oe393PYdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Parks_Building_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Arsenal, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="640" height="404" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cq8GSsuC7mY/YHtoaD8lqtI/AAAAAAACkvU/XuYRfX90KRg2D5HN0GnSN-M0Oe393PYdwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h404/Parks_Building_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="The Arsenal, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arsenal in 1938.</td></tr></tbody></table>Well, that's certainly an old, castle-looking building. It sure looks spooky! Let's see if anything's left of it.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXM52LgDxMw/YHtnosgNQNI/AAAAAAACkvM/_Yz47S-zGYotNT0AeOf0VkcQi5bV0l2bQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Parks_Building_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Arsenal, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="640" height="422" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXM52LgDxMw/YHtnosgNQNI/AAAAAAACkvM/_Yz47S-zGYotNT0AeOf0VkcQi5bV0l2bQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h422/Parks_Building_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="The Arsenal, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arsenal in May 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Well, there it is! Well, obscured by trees, but trust me, it's all there.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's actually a debate about how many buildings should be allowed in Central Park. The city could make quite a bundle, for instance by allowing in some fast-food restaurants there. They'd make a killing, too, because there are tons of hungry joggers and walkers and sunbathers in the Park all the time. However, so far those efforts have been resisted by people who think a park should be a park and not an open-air food court.</div><div><br /></div><div>But the Arsenal at 64th Street has a unique claim to being in Central Park because it was there before there even was a Central Park. It was built in 1847-51 to be a, well, an arsenal. They designed Central Park around the Arsenal, and there is stays. Fortunately, they build such buildings to last back in the old days, and there are more of them remaining than you might think (such as the Archive Building in Greenwich Building). Anyway, the Arsenal was there in 1851, it was there in 1938, it was there in 2019, and it's likely to be there in 2200, too. It houses the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the nearby Central Park Zoo. If you want to reserve a ballfield or a tennis court, that's where you go.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lYxSD1pUQlU/YHtwc46e3VI/AAAAAAACkvc/A8kjZzDSVGYcYRBs9ytpUY_Jbjbr63YsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/57_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="57th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="640" height="404" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lYxSD1pUQlU/YHtwc46e3VI/AAAAAAACkvc/A8kjZzDSVGYcYRBs9ytpUY_Jbjbr63YsgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h404/57_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="57th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north toward 57th Street in 1938.</td></tr></tbody></table>Fifth Avenue at 57th Street is one of the most desirable retail areas in the world. Judging from the 1938 scene, it was pretty fancy back in the day, too. The stately maroon car, incidentally, appears to be a 1937 Packard (correct me if I'm wrong).<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9N73IfudYyw/YHtxKbNG8OI/AAAAAAACkvk/tHBeYnrV2XQjXCCprmGIIcZl0P-dbeVsACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/57_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="57th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="640" height="388" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9N73IfudYyw/YHtxKbNG8OI/AAAAAAACkvk/tHBeYnrV2XQjXCCprmGIIcZl0P-dbeVsACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h388/57_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="57th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north toward 57th Street in June 2019.</td></tr></tbody></table>Well, the look of this block obviously has changed quite a bit. That happens in retail sections of the city. However, in the 1938 photo, look on the other side of the street (57th Street Street). That building hasn't changed much at all. It is the Beaux-Arts style Bergdorf Goodman Building that was built in 1928. Now, if this video had been taken about a dozen years earlier, you would have seen the glorious Cornelius Vanderbilt II House. That is considered a long-lost treasure of New York architecture. But... the Bergdorf Goodman building is pretty memorable, too, and it's likely to be there for quite a while longer despite the 2020 bankruptcy of its parent company, Neiman Marcus.<div><div><br /></div><div>Not everything was peaches and cream in 1938 despite all the fancy Phaetons and other signs of conspicuous consumption. The Great Depression was still in effect. Let's look at a subtle sign of it in our video.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2QYZTWqdj8/YHt2XUhCvcI/AAAAAAACkvs/M9G1XKaV5_UMpgcKYf0p_pXkTGLj3212gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/73_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="73rd Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="640" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2QYZTWqdj8/YHt2XUhCvcI/AAAAAAACkvs/M9G1XKaV5_UMpgcKYf0p_pXkTGLj3212gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h396/73_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="73rd Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East 73rd Street in 1938.</td></tr></tbody></table>The photo above shows a lovely Brownstone mansion that has seen better days. Those closed-off windows suggest that it has been abandoned and likely is slated for demolition. It's not the only one we see on our 1938 drive, either. I didn't hold out much hope that I would see it still there recently.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1GewqryR6dE/YHt3adKBzrI/AAAAAAACkv0/DE4SRVNCbr06hCxbtV66qoVk_GSo3pCGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/73_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="73rd Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="640" height="494" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1GewqryR6dE/YHt3adKBzrI/AAAAAAACkv0/DE4SRVNCbr06hCxbtV66qoVk_GSo3pCGgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h494/73_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="73rd Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East 73rd Street in May 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table>Well, the brownstone is long gone, along so with many others. In its place is 923 Fifth Avenue built in 1950 and converted to condominiums in 1983. Can you imagine a boarded-up building at 73rd Street and 5th Avenue these days? Those were some hard times.<div><br /></div><div>Let's look at an interesting edifice.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FQICRm3OTHs/YHt7KEMidlI/AAAAAAACkv8/ZhztDcE1lDY52rSIIWQ-plsjMVpbuRkwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/70_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="70th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FQICRm3OTHs/YHt7KEMidlI/AAAAAAACkv8/ZhztDcE1lDY52rSIIWQ-plsjMVpbuRkwQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h400/70_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="70th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">70th Street in 1938.</td></tr></tbody></table>This wasn't one of your typical Upper East Side mansions of the 1930s. Let's see if it is still there.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R1YwhgRv6Cs/YHt73MZVKdI/AAAAAAACkwE/fUdf9qM7oDkn85GMasW7VzGM732HAn_PgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/70_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="70th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="640" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R1YwhgRv6Cs/YHt73MZVKdI/AAAAAAACkwE/fUdf9qM7oDkn85GMasW7VzGM732HAn_PgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h342/70_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="70th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">70th Street in June 2019.</td></tr></tbody></table>Well, there it still is! That's the Lenox Library, completed in 1877 by James Lenox to house his personal book collection. The Lenox Library was old already in 1938, it's still around, and it's still housing those books from James' personal stash.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's look at something a little different.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EGNYbfIqGr0/YHuMdlYW2SI/AAAAAAACkws/o0v_5iVtq4UXUTRElvPjePX8X25wmyXiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/66th_Street_randommusings.filmisnpector.com_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="East 66th Street, Fifth Avenue, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="640" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EGNYbfIqGr0/YHuMdlYW2SI/AAAAAAACkws/o0v_5iVtq4UXUTRElvPjePX8X25wmyXiQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h406/66th_Street_randommusings.filmisnpector.com_1.jpg" title="East 66th Street, Fifth Avenue, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northeast corner of 66th Street in 1938.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>There's an empty lot on the northeast corner of 66th Street and 5th Avenue, and there doesn't seem to be any work going on there. What gives? Let's find out what happened to that lot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeQuDpxOITY/YHuNUHaXxRI/AAAAAAACkw0/pglvSUFx5Sk6Rtm2o84SV7PCo7MpWJNJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/66th_Street_randommusings.filmisnpector.com_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="East 66th Street, Fifth Avenue, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="640" height="540" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeQuDpxOITY/YHuNUHaXxRI/AAAAAAACkw0/pglvSUFx5Sk6Rtm2o84SV7PCo7MpWJNJgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h540/66th_Street_randommusings.filmisnpector.com_2.jpg" title="East 66th Street, Fifth Avenue, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div><div>We have the right place. The reason we can be certain is that the small building to the north (on the left) is still there, with its distinctive pointed window casings.</div><div><br /></div><div>That empty lot turned into 1 East 66th Street. It's a pricey coop, you'd better have a couple of million dollars in cash lying around if you want to live there. It was designed by Rosario Candela and completed in the late 1940s.</div><div><br /></div><div>I haven't been able to find a reason why the lot was empty in the 1930s and not filled for a full decade ca. 1947-49. Perhaps the war intervened? Or, it being New York, maybe the parcel was in litigation the entire time. In any event, building there made a definite improvement over a construction zone.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HUeYyIVKXFQ/YHt-IfsnCzI/AAAAAAACkwM/uVmI2givKwUjunbdpIF-o8E12qOKcomfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/55_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="55th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="640" height="404" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HUeYyIVKXFQ/YHt-IfsnCzI/AAAAAAACkwM/uVmI2givKwUjunbdpIF-o8E12qOKcomfQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h404/55_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="55th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">55th Street in 1938.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>Finally, just as the video fades out, the driver makes it down to 55th Street. That is the location of the St. Regis Hotel, one of the grand hotels of Manhattan. These retailers lease their space from the St. Regis hotel. As can be seen, in 1938 we can see two of those retailers on the southeast corner of 55th Street, E.M. Gattle & Co. Jewelers and Kayser Hosiery.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YgxUFyPvK60/YHt_QYaIkII/AAAAAAACkwU/eCzsB9x79gUvuQ_L3hty_boHa-RWJ9Y_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/55_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="55th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="640" height="368" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YgxUFyPvK60/YHt_QYaIkII/AAAAAAACkwU/eCzsB9x79gUvuQ_L3hty_boHa-RWJ9Y_ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h368/55_Street_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="55th Street, 5th Avenue NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">55th Street in June 2019.</td></tr></tbody></table>Today, E.M. Gattle is long gone (it closed its doors in 1940). Kayser, on the other hand, is still in business as Kayser-Roth, though it long ago left its space in the St. Regis. Replacing them is Harry Winston, a top jeweler. As we like to say here, the more things change, the more they stay the same...<div><br /></div><div>I hope you enjoyed this walk, er, drive down memory lane. If you did, please visit some more of our pages!</div><br />
<span class="updated">2021</span>
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com05th Ave, New York, NY, USA40.7744146 -73.965617712.464180763821155 -109.1218677 69.084648436178838 -38.809367699999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-31336517762784117192021-03-24T16:30:00.003-07:002021-03-25T15:23:26.563-07:00Then and Now: Christopher Street, West Village, NYC<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>A Tale of a Changing Neighborhood</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zAOZ86wDou0/YFukRvoqRaI/AAAAAAACkWg/_bDcMbKCoKIlFO-ZmwTXVExkIPj0YZJ_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Pot_Belly_Stove_ransommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="David's Pot Belly Stove on Christopher Street randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zAOZ86wDou0/YFukRvoqRaI/AAAAAAACkWg/_bDcMbKCoKIlFO-ZmwTXVExkIPj0YZJ_gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/Pot_Belly_Stove_ransommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="David's Pot Belly Stove on Christopher Street randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David's Pot Belly Stove, Christopher Street, New York, NY, in 1979.</td></tr></tbody></table>Local joints are among my favorite topics to cover because they are at the same time completely insignificant to the world at large and yet loom large in our memories. They thus receive little attention despite the huge impact they had and have on local residents. </div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br /></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">A continuing theme of this blog is that tectonic social shifts in a big city can pass almost unnoticed if you aren't intimately involved. The buildings and streets remain the same, but everything around them and the way they are used can evolve in unexpected ways. Social changes form cross-currents around the more permanent parts of society that are made of steel and stone. They barely leave a trace unless you go looking for them.</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br /></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">Well, here we're looking at some of those changes. While going through old photos of Manhattan, I noticed the photo above and it caused me to reflect on how changing social patterns give a neighborhood its character. So, we'll take <b itemprop="name">a then-and-now look at David's Pot Belly at 94 Christopher Street, NYC, from 1979 to the present</b>.<br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mM4Jwg4vVe0/YFutwOAC55I/AAAAAAACkWo/oHVY9ceODyUxE5K1LdltUwWnCN4QcDBFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="David's Pot Belly Stove on Christopher Street randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="640" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mM4Jwg4vVe0/YFutwOAC55I/AAAAAAACkWo/oHVY9ceODyUxE5K1LdltUwWnCN4QcDBFgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h420/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="David's Pot Belly Stove on Christopher Street randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a><br />David's Pot Belly was not some earthshaking establishment that goes into the history books like a Lutece or a Four Seasons. It was just a burger joint that opened in 1971 near the corner of Christopher Street and Bleecker Street. The "David" in the name was David Levine. He quickly opened another David's Pot Belly (people now remember the name as David's Pot Belly Stove, but it's unclear if that was ever its official name) on Hope Street in Providence, Rhode Island, so perhaps his intent was to start a chain. If that was the plan, it failed, because both restaurants are long gone. However, the restaurants made an impact. Musicians <a href="https://library.brown.edu/htmlfiles/1123701113358891.html" target="_blank">David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth, for instance, worked at the Providence David's Pot Belly</a> in the early 1970s and that led (very indirectly) to the founding of Talking Heads. Byrne and the others were attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD, pronounced "riz-dee") at the time. RISD has always attracted an artistic crowd that contrasted nicely with the more staid Brown U. crowd nearby. Incidentally, and this is getting way off track, but Byrne, who was really only interested in music at the time, got the job at the Providence Pot Belly after being fired from a hot dog stand for having hairy arms (true story). But, let's get back on track...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fA0qP6tw7B4/YFvES4W0fEI/AAAAAAACkXQ/AWX9rtgXx00CPtcZgloEx54cXKVrqtuAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s854/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="David's Pot Belly Stove on Christopher Street randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fA0qP6tw7B4/YFvES4W0fEI/AAAAAAACkXQ/AWX9rtgXx00CPtcZgloEx54cXKVrqtuAwCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpeg" title="David's Pot Belly Stove on Christopher Street randommusings.filminspector.com" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The David's Pot Belly location was located in a classic four-story 1910 residential building that is typical of Greenwich Village. </td></tr></tbody></table><div>The owner and names of David's Pot Belly, David Levine, was volatile and ran a tight ship. The waiters and waitresses (mostly waitresses, the guy generally were dishwashers) had to move fast and remain presentable (probably a new experience for kids in the early '70s). A lot of students worked at his restaurants and, despite having Levine yelling at them from time to time, were usually grateful for the work. I know I was grateful for any side job while I was in school. Pot Belly was open late, so, if you wanted a hamburger with bleu cheese and anchovies or French Onion Soup after the bars closed at 1 a.m., you could head there. It was cozy and rustic for NYC, but it had a hip party crowd befitting the neighborhood and the after-hours crowd. There weren't a whole lot of after-hours diners in the '70s and '80s, so people who enjoyed the nightlife at Limelight or Palladium fondly remember the joints that could satisfy that sudden french-fry craving at 3 a.m. These included David's Pot Belly and nearby Florent on Gansevoort Street. There was a Haagen Dazs right next door, which was convenient if your companion had different cravings.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qZ12XGX-Jok/YFuziE7WkeI/AAAAAAACkWw/eEXgCGciiWowqv3k-fWwxQf8DwNHDB5aQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="David's Pot Belly T-shirt randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="640" height="634" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qZ12XGX-Jok/YFuziE7WkeI/AAAAAAACkWw/eEXgCGciiWowqv3k-fWwxQf8DwNHDB5aQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h634/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="David's Pot Belly T-shirt randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gone but not forgotten: you may still buy David's Pot Belly T-shirts <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/David-s-Pot-Belly-Stove-by-FaQuad/73658607.6ATOD.XYZ?fbclid=IwAR1TjsgTwMBG-MwbFuG4Y5J8uB0RbdAAFTiTuv0UfdPWSzt7LQt4w7Vwxxg" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>Word is that Levine eventually soured of the restaurant business. Yelling at his employees probably didn't earn him a lot of friends, either. After a bitter divorce during which he lost custody of his child, David Levine became depressed and committed suicide, apparently in the 1990s. That likely led to the demise of David's Pot Belly, if they didn't close earlier. A sad story, but bad things happen in this world. Oh, and just to be clear about this, there apparently is no connection whatsoever between David's Pot Belly and the current Potbelly Sandwich Shop chain. Or, at least none that I could find.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqnCVds_G-M/YFu3bVp352I/AAAAAAACkW4/XPKrXWNpm-QXvc1m6Dnv-tBztZQ9zyP7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Havana Alma de Cuba randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqnCVds_G-M/YFu3bVp352I/AAAAAAACkW4/XPKrXWNpm-QXvc1m6Dnv-tBztZQ9zyP7ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Havana Alma de Cuba randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Havana Alma de Cuba occupied the site at 94 Christopher Street before it, too, closed.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>After Pot Belly closed its doors, apparently in the 1990s or shortly thereafter, it was replaced by Havana Alma de Cuba restaurant. That lasted a long time but now apparently, that too has closed. In 2018, it became a victim of rising rental prices, a common story for New York City restaurants. Christopher Street in the '70s and '80s was a center for gay nightlife, but the area has gentrified like so many other formerly fringe Manhattan areas (such as the nearby Meatpacking District) and now gets a lot less foot traffic than it once did. There used to be crowds of leather-clad folks on the street, but that is no longer the case. Even the Haagen Dazs is gone.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wVU5i5b8u44/YFu_cexGTOI/AAAAAAACkXI/3PePINSwjzIOt3SEzldb7uuirpgt88iGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s854/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Havana Alma de Cuba randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wVU5i5b8u44/YFu_cexGTOI/AAAAAAACkXI/3PePINSwjzIOt3SEzldb7uuirpgt88iGgCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpeg" title="Havana Alma de Cuba randommusings.filminspector.com" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photo of the location from September 2018.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>The Christopher Street area has gone through a wrenching evolution in a very short period of time. Unfortunately, nearby Bleecker Street has lost a lot of its 1980s luster as a fashion center. There were dozens of designer stores nearby decades ago (Coach, Mulberry, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, <u>etc.</u>), but they've all gone as well-heeled residents have moved into the neighborhood because of its "vibe." Meanwhile, the artists (other than Hollywood celebrities who these days own many apartments nearby) have left. That, in turn, has brought a new vibe that is much different than what attracted all these new residents in the first place. At last look, the David's Pot Belly site was vacant and for lease, as are several retail locations nearby. Since upper-middle and upper-class residential neighborhoods are among the most stable of all Manhattan areas, the new status quo is likely to remain for a very long time.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fHAIkitWoPw/YFvGDVlj9JI/AAAAAAACkXY/zPAjvgCcuy4t8DP2s0CrpV1-_P06_9kfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Havana Alma de Cuba randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="640" height="432" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fHAIkitWoPw/YFvGDVlj9JI/AAAAAAACkXY/zPAjvgCcuy4t8DP2s0CrpV1-_P06_9kfgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h432/Pot_Belly_Stove_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" title="Havana Alma de Cuba randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old David's Pot Belly location as of October 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table>I hope you enjoyed this wandering walk down the winding streets of Greenwich Village. The world around them may change, but the streets of New York endure. Please visit some of our other pages in this "the more things change, the more they stay the same" series!<br /><div><br /></div>
<span class="updated">2021</span>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Christopher St & Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014, USA40.7334072 -74.004247712.423173363821157 -109.1604977 69.043641036178855 -38.847997699999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-6173518302172741892021-03-16T22:11:00.020-07:002022-01-11T10:11:41.383-08:00Then and Now: Malibu, California<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Fun at the Beach!</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f4-HrXVxbdo/YFGRt1J96_I/AAAAAAACkSM/bIgu5P6sEMwApYNXMC1Wd9s3RW62k24cACLcBGAsYHQ/s881/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_16.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Jane Fonda in 1965 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="881" height="446" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f4-HrXVxbdo/YFGRt1J96_I/AAAAAAACkSM/bIgu5P6sEMwApYNXMC1Wd9s3RW62k24cACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h446/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_16.png" title="Jane Fonda in 1965 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane Fonda is making a dash for the beach, 9 May 1965.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Ever wonder what celebrities do while their movies are being released that make them stars? Well, we have the answer to that for some big names here. At the same time, we're going to get a view into the past and compare that with how things look now and see what kinds of changes the decades can bring.</div><div><br /></div><div>While this blog usually focuses on New York City because I'm from there and the Big Apple is very familiar to just about everyone, at times we stray further afield. This is one of those times, and we go all the way to the West Coast. Hopefully, though, this will still entertain you because it makes an interesting <b itemprop="name">comparison then and now of Malibu, California</b>.</div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiolI6Pfkf5M2iJEqpgxVJiHJvrDoFrgdXadszcJXSliYj1SOFtOvxFWVt3l1qqZZmaSHH_f-3yorWi0j2B9VEc5QvmOK7keF3h70Jlic3R2a6uUgx_bbmkDmfAeSwloXMX9pgF6KkyzgV3yyN8rWxbvSx7D0PJrLLn2eTg5nKoiDIK0QSa15cHEwdH=s563" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Malibu in the 1960s" border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="563" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiolI6Pfkf5M2iJEqpgxVJiHJvrDoFrgdXadszcJXSliYj1SOFtOvxFWVt3l1qqZZmaSHH_f-3yorWi0j2B9VEc5QvmOK7keF3h70Jlic3R2a6uUgx_bbmkDmfAeSwloXMX9pgF6KkyzgV3yyN8rWxbvSx7D0PJrLLn2eTg5nKoiDIK0QSa15cHEwdH=w640-h472" title="Malibu in the 1960s" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">We get a rare insight into the life of celebrities because one of them took the time to record his activities for posterity. Actor Roddy McDowall knew almost everyone who was anyone in Hollywood during the 1960s through 1990s. He also was quite an amateur filmmaker of his own, though his works were done with a consumer-grade film camera and remained in his private collection until his 3 October 1998 passing. One of Roddy's films records a gathering at his Malibu Beach bungalow on 9 May 1965. That puts it squarely within the usual time frame we like to compare against. Let's see what has changed and what is different about the site of this epic gathering.</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3aOaKoOKOXU/YFGJs_Ot-5I/AAAAAAACkSE/JWFw1yzYPkIhDclu8RZ3fRG7YKYpw3zFACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Roddy_McDowall_randommusings.filminspector.com_15.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Julie and Emma Andrews in 1965 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="640" height="472" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3aOaKoOKOXU/YFGJs_Ot-5I/AAAAAAACkSE/JWFw1yzYPkIhDclu8RZ3fRG7YKYpw3zFACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h472/Roddy_McDowall_randommusings.filminspector.com_15.jpg" title="Julie and Emma Andrews in 1965 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Julie Andrews gets a chance to see a Mary Poppins doll at Roddy McDowall's beach house on 9 May 1965. "Mary Poppins" had been released to theaters the previous year, while "The Sound of Music" opened a couple of months before this scene.</td></tr></tbody></table>Beach parties at Roddy's house were nothing unusual, but this one was special. While there were quite a few luminaries at Roddy's party that day, two of them will help show what Malibu was like that sunny day. The first is actress Julie Andrews, who had just finished filming "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music" back-to-back and had just won the Academy Award for Best Actress a month earlier on 5 April 1965. In the clip below from Roddy's film, we see Julie and her two-year-old daughter Emma Walton leaving the party and driving down the road.<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_BNdwgIqx4Y/YFF3atm4cPI/AAAAAAACkQk/UfPUoKd6hXckn9Ul5guISERmtAOxFlWUACLcBGAsYHQ/s267/Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Julie and Emma Andrews in 1965 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="267" height="479" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_BNdwgIqx4Y/YFF3atm4cPI/AAAAAAACkQk/UfPUoKd6hXckn9Ul5guISERmtAOxFlWUACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h479/Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.gif" title="Julie and Emma Andrews in 1965 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This clip shows Julie Andrews and her daughter walking southeast from Roddy McDowall's house to her car.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Our mission, as always, is to compare what was with what is. Let's set the scene by showing the road that Jule and her daughter walked down. It is Malibu Colony and it runs from northwest to southeast. In the above clip, Julie Andrews and her daughter are walking to the southeast (toward downtown Los Angeles).</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jMpiLXsnFdo/YFF_rUTfH9I/AAAAAAACkRE/dhbp4A8iurki32HFLbzy8Vq9SQdEYfNGACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Malibu Colony Road randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="640" height="468" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jMpiLXsnFdo/YFF_rUTfH9I/AAAAAAACkRE/dhbp4A8iurki32HFLbzy8Vq9SQdEYfNGACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h468/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" title="Malibu Colony Road randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malibu Colony Road, looking southeast from roughly the same spot, in 2021 (Google Earth).</td></tr></tbody></table>A comparison shows that the scene hasn't really changed that much despite the passing of almost six decades. Just to verify that we have the exact location (which we know anyway because we know Roddy's old address there, 23560 Malibu Colony Road), the white garage that is visible to the left as the Andrews walk to their car is still there in 2021.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M70zAwbwsGY/YFGCSfXyS3I/AAAAAAACkRU/Jrq8O-mIQoE7NzuLuiwcaPIwQGLn0hxZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Malibu Colony Road randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="640" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M70zAwbwsGY/YFGCSfXyS3I/AAAAAAACkRU/Jrq8O-mIQoE7NzuLuiwcaPIwQGLn0hxZQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h396/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector_6.jpg" title="Malibu Colony Road randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malibu Colony Road in 2021, showing the distinctive white garage visible in the 1965 film (Google Earth).</td></tr></tbody></table>The same white garage is there in the center-right of the above photograph. Julie Andrews parked her Ford Falcon station wagon where that white pickup truck is parked over to the right in front of the tennis court. Whereas there were trees there in 1965, they since have been replaced by that tennis court. To the left in the photo, the white picket fence visible in the 1965 film has been replaced by a brick wall.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5T8zBnGASBw/YFGEGLa6oNI/AAAAAAACkRk/84-q55wK2bsKDK1lL030Sm8qmmzSMrjrACLcBGAsYHQ/s267/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Malibu Colony Road in 1965 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="267" height="479" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5T8zBnGASBw/YFGEGLa6oNI/AAAAAAACkRk/84-q55wK2bsKDK1lL030Sm8qmmzSMrjrACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h479/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.gif" title="Malibu Colony Road in 1965 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>Roddy's video concludes with Julie and her daughter driving away to the north. There's an intersection up ahead where another car is just turning as Andrews is leaving. This same scene appears quite similar today.<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aaMLfQKkLC8/YFGDaIt7qdI/AAAAAAACkRc/whhNjNnSLJQbJIpYAx0cjl0ioWhyrQ1xgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Malibu Colony Road randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="640" height="544" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aaMLfQKkLC8/YFGDaIt7qdI/AAAAAAACkRc/whhNjNnSLJQbJIpYAx0cjl0ioWhyrQ1xgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h544/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.jpg" title="Malibu Colony Road randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malibu Colony Road looking northwest in 2021, with the intersection up ahead. The top of the white garage is visible center-right in this view (Google Earth).</td></tr></tbody></table>As can be seen in the 2021 comparison, the house on the left with the angled roof is still there. The same brown house is in the background to the right (minus the TV antenna!), though it is now hidden by trees.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ARuAT_L1tUU/YFGGPpg7V8I/AAAAAAACkRs/8HDb5IOjSw8tHMhC3GJiegeOuQeiTQ9PgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Malibu Colony Road randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="640" height="464" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ARuAT_L1tUU/YFGGPpg7V8I/AAAAAAACkRs/8HDb5IOjSw8tHMhC3GJiegeOuQeiTQ9PgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h464/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" title="Malibu Colony Road randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another angle on Malibu Colony, showing the brown house that is in the background as Julie Andrews drives away (Google Earth).</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Our second celebrity is actress Jane Fonda. Her new film, "Cat Ballou," had just opened two days earlier in Denver and was awaiting nationwide release. We see Jane running off of Roddy's deck down to the Pacific Ocean for a quick dip.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PEwUd30TyL4/YFF5_lROJlI/AAAAAAACkQ0/vL9YrcG8w8Y_4z9D_FnFdAqTIVsfjxRhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s267/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Jane Fonda on Malibu Beach randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="267" height="479" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PEwUd30TyL4/YFF5_lROJlI/AAAAAAACkQ0/vL9YrcG8w8Y_4z9D_FnFdAqTIVsfjxRhgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h479/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.gif" title="Jane Fonda on Malibu Beach randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div><div>While this may seem like a mundane shoreline view, it actually reveals a greater truth when compared to the same scene today.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gdZdXeWSKZE/YFF-EU0FMEI/AAAAAAACkQ8/fOw-Hcx9yxEHTZg90o70QcZwh887UvN0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Malibu Beach randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="640" height="468" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gdZdXeWSKZE/YFF-EU0FMEI/AAAAAAACkQ8/fOw-Hcx9yxEHTZg90o70QcZwh887UvN0wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h468/Malibu_Colony_Road_Malibu_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Malibu Beach randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roddy McDowall's old Malibu bungalow, in the center with the curved third floor, in 2021 (Google Earth).</td></tr></tbody></table>It's easy to see what has changed about the beach (the house actually hasn't changed, at least very much). The beach was much wider back in 1965. As a consequence, at some point in the intervening decades, they added large boulders to protect the houses. The drop from the deck to the beach also appears to have gotten much bigger. These changes give the setting a much different look than it used to have, though, of course, it is still lovely and exclusive. The old-timers who remember what the beach used to be like must be very worried about beach erosion. And that is the biggest change between then and now.<div><br /></div><div>There's a lot to learn from old films, especially amateur clips, if you do a little comparing. I hope you enjoyed this entry in our "the more things change, the more they stay the same" series. Please check out some of the other articles!</div><br />
Below is Roddy McDowall's home movie from which the clips were taken.
<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iF0N8Rp11Ig" width="640"></iframe>
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<span class="updated">2021</span>
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Malibu Colony Rd, Malibu, CA 90265, USA34.0330065 -118.68847275.7227726638211536 -153.8447227 62.343240336178845 -83.5322227tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-38565390312807907652021-03-14T19:17:00.006-07:002021-10-06T15:45:01.583-07:001935 Beverly Hills in Color<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Tinseltown in the Thirties</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iKUJRmIm_w4/YE65pmksl0I/AAAAAAACkQA/qX50nWc_pUw5a_DxkymPTp40dLH_YQDnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Wilshire Boulevard in 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="640" height="496" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iKUJRmIm_w4/YE65pmksl0I/AAAAAAACkQA/qX50nWc_pUw5a_DxkymPTp40dLH_YQDnwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h496/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="Wilshire Boulevard in 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beverly Hills in the 1930s. Do you recognize that vehicle? It's a Rolls Royce. My guess is that it was a 1935 Rolls Royce Phantom II Limousine Hooper Coach. At least one has survived until today in perfect condition, maybe that exact one. That was owned by <i>somebody</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly... Hills, that is. Swimming pools, movie stars.</i></div></i></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><b itemprop="name"><br /></b></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><b itemprop="name">Let's take a cruise down Wilshire Boulevard in 1935</b> (film at bottom of the article).</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br /></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">In the year 1935, there was a global Depression that had begun with the stock market crash of 1929. It lasted until 1939 and wasn't truly through until after World War II. People lived in shacks in Central Park and sold apples on street corners to make a few pennies. However, the Great Depression's effects were not evenly felt everywhere. There was a pocket of wealth was in California, specifically, in a town called Hollywood. The 1930s were a great decade for the film industry. Money flowed from across the country and world to the West Coast as people crowded into movie palaces to escape their dismal plights. This created enduring stars like Clark Gable, Ginger Rogers, Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, James Cagney, and Carole Lombard. It also created this film.<br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuJahlo3NME/YE65paae1LI/AAAAAAACkP8/Cdv0iY8eWM4dmdCWfPRvA0wMnVoHcRefwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Wilshire Boulevard in 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="640" height="368" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuJahlo3NME/YE65paae1LI/AAAAAAACkP8/Cdv0iY8eWM4dmdCWfPRvA0wMnVoHcRefwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h368/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" title="Wilshire Boulevard in 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look over to the extreme left, you will see that gasoline was nine cents a gallon. Even with inflation, that would make it only about $1.80 in today's money.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>All of that wealth is apparent in this beautifully restored footage of a drive down Wilshire Boulevard ca. June 1935. The usual restoration tricks have been applied to make the old black-and-white original footage more palatable to the modern eye. The sharp-eyed will spot many telling details throughout this footage which likely was considered exceedingly mundane and fit only for rear-projection purposes at the time it was filmed.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dpNLyHa0V24/YE65o37LxoI/AAAAAAACkP4/fwfTP1e6Jl4wKCWEr8Bn8CHuqdF4Vz37ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="640" height="376" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dpNLyHa0V24/YE65o37LxoI/AAAAAAACkP4/fwfTP1e6Jl4wKCWEr8Bn8CHuqdF4Vz37ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h376/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Wilshire Boulevard in 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left is a tow truck pulling an unfortunate accident victim. Yes, they most definitely did have traffic accidents back in the day, perhaps aided by the fact that there were no traffic lanes.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Needless to say, Wilshire Boulevard looks nothing like this today. For one thing, then there were no lane markings on the roads. Drivers just went where they wanted and were expected to stay on their side of the road. You would be driving quite properly if you simply straddle the line running down the road. Not quite an honor system, but far from today's highly regimented traffic rules.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QAV6e3DCnq4/YE65omssYAI/AAAAAAACkP0/bJSXZ7py3JIhZ4qLL0upKexN9R1voNNvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Wilshire Boulevard in 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="640" height="372" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QAV6e3DCnq4/YE65omssYAI/AAAAAAACkP0/bJSXZ7py3JIhZ4qLL0upKexN9R1voNNvgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h372/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="Wilshire Boulevard in 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you wanted a cheap room on Wilshire Boulevard, you could get a "beautiful single apartment" for $30 per month. Even in today's money of about $600 that would be cheap.</td></tr></tbody></table>There are many little vignettes in these types of films. You pass a car lot full of the latest Packard sedans, a woman dressed all in white including a bonnet, empty fields - all quite normal in 1935 Los Angeles.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlYiVZteLbQ/YE65okNCXrI/AAAAAAACkPs/r7k2p5gwi8kirvQ-bx4sQPLxnPQktbNDACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Wilshire Boulevard in 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="640" height="372" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlYiVZteLbQ/YE65okNCXrI/AAAAAAACkPs/r7k2p5gwi8kirvQ-bx4sQPLxnPQktbNDACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h372/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="Wilshire Boulevard in 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Warner Bros. Beverly Hills Theater had ample parking right next to the entrance if you wanted to catch the matinee. Today it is "Oil for the Lamps of China," starring Pat O'Brien, which was released on 8 June 1935. Doesn't look too popular today, though. Well, times are tough, it's 1935, you know and money is tight.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Even people who are very familiar with Wilshire Boulevard will have a difficult time placing most of these locations. The entire area has changed radically over time, particularly during the years immediately after World War II. Jack Warner opened the Beverly Hills Theater in 1931. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EmstibFarB8/YE7GSkiXuXI/AAAAAAACkQU/nNBL7YG5usE-_rsyLaFY9u9mGXoLrUSJACLcBGAsYHQ/s2785/Beverly_Hills_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Beverly Hills Theater ca. 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="2785" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EmstibFarB8/YE7GSkiXuXI/AAAAAAACkQU/nNBL7YG5usE-_rsyLaFY9u9mGXoLrUSJACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h240/Beverly_Hills_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Beverly Hills Theater ca. 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Warner's Beverly Hills Theater ca. 1935, directly ahead at the end of the road.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The Beverly Hills Theater lasted until 1975, after which it was purchased by a bank and then demolished. Perhaps the most striking thing that you don't see in this 1935 film are homeless people, tents, or panhandlers. You would have seen them all across the country in 1935 and in 2020s Los Angeles, but not on this drive down 1935 Wilshire Boulevard.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HF83UAjr1CM/YE65ogO70xI/AAAAAAACkPw/hAt2RLvsjmIPtCI70Pc2EhdFGfj6YhSugCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Wilshire Boulevard in 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="640" height="374" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HF83UAjr1CM/YE65ogO70xI/AAAAAAACkPw/hAt2RLvsjmIPtCI70Pc2EhdFGfj6YhSugCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h374/Beverly_Hills_1935_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Wilshire Boulevard in 1935 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just drive on the lines, it's okay in 1935!</td></tr></tbody></table>Anyway, I hope you are like me and enjoy these old films and restorations. It's a window into another time and place that came and went and will never be repeated. Whether that's good or bad is your decision, but it's always fun to take a peek into the past and see where we came from.<div><br /></div><div>If you like this excursion, please consider taking a few more from the following selection:</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/02/1920s-paris-cafe-society-in-color.html">1920s Paris Cafe Society<br /></a><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/12/1890s-children-in-color-lumiere-films.html">1890s Children in Color</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/10/1925-dordrecht-holland-in-color.html">1925 Dordrecht, Holland</a></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/gay-paris-in-1890s-restored-film.html">Paris in the 1890s</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/the-1902-flying-train-in-wuppertal.html">The 1902 Flying Train of Wuppertal, Germany</a></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/06/film-of-san-francisco-1906.html">San Francisco in 1906</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2018/12/see-may-1907-vancouver-canada.html">Vancouver in 1907</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/06/color-film-of-new-york-city-1939.html">New York City in 1939<br /></a><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/07/color-film-of-hollywood-in-1931.html">Hollywood in 1931</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/new-york-city-in-1911-in-color.html">New York City in 1911</a></div></div></div></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/03/1935-beverly-hills-in-color.html">1935 Beverly Hills in Color</a></div></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/10/a-drive-through-1951-la-in-color.html">1951 Wilshire Boulevard, LA, in Color</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ViNoQd4OaIo" width="640"></iframe></center><br /><span class="updated">2021</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, USA34.0641069 -118.37187855.7538730638211533 -153.52812849999998 62.374340736178844 -83.2156285tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-9478994693559352092021-03-10T22:09:00.002-08:002023-05-14T14:21:56.795-07:00Then and Now: Broome and Thompson Streets, NYC<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>The More Things Change...</h1></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XOarznbkAHaLoHQjjiuOaJMe9ra7rx7x-RdNAyWBUYFkeOr30lYr1gO8Yc6nMLGo0JW0nUKNz7YRsa6kw5Y431MmA_dIPDW2bPqacdTxHBIf8aqpyp4QlW5Ep8G4UE2tEyJF1_ufTMW7Ef1finsasaWdOvisFdhXCdNQrerpY9LpaanFJ4FsW2JZ/s450/Berenice-ABBOTT-Broome-Street--New-York_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Berenice Abbott 1935 Broome Street randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XOarznbkAHaLoHQjjiuOaJMe9ra7rx7x-RdNAyWBUYFkeOr30lYr1gO8Yc6nMLGo0JW0nUKNz7YRsa6kw5Y431MmA_dIPDW2bPqacdTxHBIf8aqpyp4QlW5Ep8G4UE2tEyJF1_ufTMW7Ef1finsasaWdOvisFdhXCdNQrerpY9LpaanFJ4FsW2JZ/s16000/Berenice-ABBOTT-Broome-Street--New-York_1.jpg" title="Berenice Abbott 1935 Broome Street randommusings.filminspector.com" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This 1935 photo by Berenice Abbott shows 512-514 Broome Street, Manhattan, New York.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">That lady knew how to take photographs!</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br /></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">While this blog usually looks at photos from the 1960s through the 1980s, occasionally an older photo intrigues me enough to do a little research on it. Such was the case with the above photo by pioneering photographer Berenice Abbott (1898-1991). She began her career in Paris but moved to New York in 1929 - just in time for the Stock Market Crash. After scratching out an existence for the next five years, she happily was picked by the city to contribute to a project called “Changing New York.” Funding was allocated by the U.S. Government commissioned through the New Deal art projects WPA Collection. This was one of many similar efforts to employ artists of various types during the Great Depression, and Abbott rewarded the city by taking some of the most evocative shots of the city ever, both before and since.<div><br /></div><div>Abbott took the photo above of some dwellings at 512-514 Broome Street in 1935. Her choice perhaps was influenced by a friend, Professor Henry-Russell Hitchcock, who asked her to focus on antebellum buildings. In any event, Abbott's photograph of the Broome Street buildings is stunning and shows a deep understanding of all aspects of photography.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Nathan Silver's classic "Lost New York" (1967), he references the above photo and claims that the buildings "are now gone." Well, maybe not exactly, Nate. We are going to do <b itemprop="name">a then-and-now comparison of the corner of Broome Street and Thompson Street in NYC</b>.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8QRGLRqtHrVwESXHL6ZocpSRbrRR6C3ySRuwqNQVZr5W5e1WxxFfO-G6JfChhCnBqbDRpCv6IdIb-fz_D3kNMfIhQ-nLGV7KZoFXTuwOzWrfUfteJPE8197vTai43RnuSndSmy4fJbzI2I5X0YjmdTs7r_eHZ-ddgRkKEB5nhvG_H6z0DppyU_xS/s680/Broome_Street_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Peter Sekaer Broome Street randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8QRGLRqtHrVwESXHL6ZocpSRbrRR6C3ySRuwqNQVZr5W5e1WxxFfO-G6JfChhCnBqbDRpCv6IdIb-fz_D3kNMfIhQ-nLGV7KZoFXTuwOzWrfUfteJPE8197vTai43RnuSndSmy4fJbzI2I5X0YjmdTs7r_eHZ-ddgRkKEB5nhvG_H6z0DppyU_xS/s16000/Broome_Street_2.jpg" title="Peter Sekaer Broome Street randommusings.filminspector.com" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another photo of the same scene in the 1930s, around the same time as the Berenice Abbott photo (Peter Sekaer).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>While the photo doesn't show it, the buildings were made of red-painted brick. These were typical buildings from the pre-war - pre-<i>Civil War</i> - era and typically were twenty-five feet wide and two or three stories tall. They were two rooms deep - city tax laws favored narrow but long residence buildings - with pitched roofs and dormers. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, let's look at the same site "now."</div><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfHEFExvR4mEK8zC2j9lfVOUodDoOcFACv8tGSiVniPEJ0GlJklqahuuKtRGIJOGsrkwkdsi3e174FCZ1kq6sB3IK3uQikWYagQEPEt37IDGAk0meo-qL9J5RZLwzCryhvh2ZiLWwkava-ca8sq2Hz9OrU1zvvII4wo2qjg-bcPhWGWA1_WkonK-L/s1580/Screenshot%202023-05-14%20144211.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="512-514 Broome Street July 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1580" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfHEFExvR4mEK8zC2j9lfVOUodDoOcFACv8tGSiVniPEJ0GlJklqahuuKtRGIJOGsrkwkdsi3e174FCZ1kq6sB3IK3uQikWYagQEPEt37IDGAk0meo-qL9J5RZLwzCryhvh2ZiLWwkava-ca8sq2Hz9OrU1zvvII4wo2qjg-bcPhWGWA1_WkonK-L/w640-h365/Screenshot%202023-05-14%20144211.png" title="512-514 Broome Street July 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">512-514 Broome Street July 2022 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>As New Yorkers may know, Broome Street lies in the neighborhood of SoHo, which stands for South of Houston Street. It now is one of the more fashionable areas of the city, but it wasn't in the 1930s. The large warehouse in the background was a Grocers Warehouse Corporation building on Thompson Street. At some point subsequent to the historical photographs the owners installed windows in its south facade facing us during the conversion into residences. That building takes up about one-third of Berenice's frame, so worth mentioning. That is 52 Thompson Street and is located in SoHo between Broome and Spring Streets. Seven stories tall, 52 Thompson Street has 11 units inside, including two residences. They are massive, luxurious residences, and most likely at least one is owned by someone you have heard of.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPOMJnOM6DpPprN8CkHc_EUcLUXzRSl6EYrFHHVcbT5PWzg6JrdgNLwfUNkNDB3BOUHvLfy2YB6P7WETIzBUMmhDsK66P9Z7-oJQaNX6qcmoijjy1WO-rmWW8r9mJNxuu41a72dWmEaHvm6R2PuDrW8nqUj2SAhJi3biO0G1TW4VhEUT6uDV_kfHO/s1189/Screenshot%202023-05-14%20151737.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="52 Thompson Street NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="1189" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPOMJnOM6DpPprN8CkHc_EUcLUXzRSl6EYrFHHVcbT5PWzg6JrdgNLwfUNkNDB3BOUHvLfy2YB6P7WETIzBUMmhDsK66P9Z7-oJQaNX6qcmoijjy1WO-rmWW8r9mJNxuu41a72dWmEaHvm6R2PuDrW8nqUj2SAhJi3biO0G1TW4VhEUT6uDV_kfHO/w640-h498/Screenshot%202023-05-14%20151737.png" title="52 Thompson Street NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This may help place the location in context. We are looking south on Thompson Street with Broome Street directly ahead and the World Trade Center in the distance. The two low buildings photographed in 1935 would be just around the corner to the left, the large brick building on the left was the warehouse in the background (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>If you're wondering how all these old buildings survived, well, partly it is due to serendipity. They all, however, just missed being included in either the Soho-Cast Iron District or the <a href="http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2590.pdf" target="_blank">Sullivan-Thompson Historic District</a>, so it seems the city wasn't doing anything to save them.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was a lot of construction on that corner in 2008. Below is how it turned out by 2009.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzotiIzH7e5-_-yk1VkEFrOeQt9mkLT_b6JgMayxmZUAvxt0kagg2jyaUtE2xEaZua9bBTHwnBT6RNuK874og9CCZREpRVKgZgGvj13AV2H54XeD5QhKH25d7gCWOFIo8IjqLbrg6JBBlQRdnbrv6L-dU0M9I1G3GbR08x9yIoLo8aYZQHbsBC4ZHn/s1362/Screenshot%202023-05-14%20144717.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="512-514 Broome Street April 2009 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1362" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzotiIzH7e5-_-yk1VkEFrOeQt9mkLT_b6JgMayxmZUAvxt0kagg2jyaUtE2xEaZua9bBTHwnBT6RNuK874og9CCZREpRVKgZgGvj13AV2H54XeD5QhKH25d7gCWOFIo8IjqLbrg6JBBlQRdnbrv6L-dU0M9I1G3GbR08x9yIoLo8aYZQHbsBC4ZHn/w640-h348/Screenshot%202023-05-14%20144717.png" title="512-514 Broome Street April 2009 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">512-514 Broome Street April 2009. Note that the buildings have been significantly spruced up and made presentable. The low building on the right keeps getting little changes to make it work for new purposes (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>However, the tax laws favor remodeling and renovating old structures rather than completely replacing them, so the city actually did have something to do with saving them, albeit indirectly. That's why a grungy old warehouse will be left standing and have windows cut into the walls for new apartments rather than just tearing down the entire thing.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSUJX6BjirJmpxizOLtdMWRXpMfVzSdObeN_tAP0hzHIkIkch4sanzCOW-5J2Ec7-CJvs6otJx1M9fZdj5uWc7LD5smuHh2UasO0h2H6INjXKYJ61IW6qD8iqVcQxjocIRpW0UZa8s3b1QHTVCKS1qfx2a1iRN-HBf4j7IPRXBJCEhz6Hi7iS7xbm/s1527/Screenshot%202023-05-14%20145114.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="512-514 Broome Street NYC July 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1527" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSUJX6BjirJmpxizOLtdMWRXpMfVzSdObeN_tAP0hzHIkIkch4sanzCOW-5J2Ec7-CJvs6otJx1M9fZdj5uWc7LD5smuHh2UasO0h2H6INjXKYJ61IW6qD8iqVcQxjocIRpW0UZa8s3b1QHTVCKS1qfx2a1iRN-HBf4j7IPRXBJCEhz6Hi7iS7xbm/w640-h388/Screenshot%202023-05-14%20145114.png" title="512-514 Broome Street NYC July 2022 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same area looking from the side. It appears there is a community garden with a basketball hoop on that corner now where there used to be a debris-strewn vacant lot. All the greenery along the street reflects the city's new priorities in terms of landscaping (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The former warehouse in the background at 52-54 Thompson Street is said to have been built in 1900. That's just broker-speak, however. It probably means it was built at some uncertain point in the late 1800s. It was converted to condominiums at some point, but not just ordinary cookie-cutter condos. There are six floors with condos in the building, and each condo takes up an entire floor. A current listing as of this writing in 2021 shows a 10-room unit for sale for $13 million. So, there's money in those old buildings if you know what to do with them.</div><div><br /></div><div>As these photos show, New York City is an evolving place with its roots firmly anchored in the past. While needs change and styles come and go, buildings often are not simply disposed of as many people think. Instead, they are repurposed and reimagined. Those grungy old buildings from the past were not old soldiers destined to fade away, but instead are survivors that withstood the destructive forces of time and outlived almost all of their former owners.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you found this article interesting. If so, please visit more of our entries in this "the more things change, the more they stay the same" series. Thanks for visiting!</div><div><br /></div>
<span class="updated">2023</span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-90746967792058765382021-02-24T02:27:00.011-08:002021-02-24T22:34:10.467-08:00Then and Now: La Unica Caridad Restaurant, NYC<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A3u0rHNlVeo/YDX_1wDNykI/AAAAAAACkJg/uVzIxK0FaioyYRsOS1LHaqrCVWsCQpQ9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s739/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A3u0rHNlVeo/YDX_1wDNykI/AAAAAAACkJg/uVzIxK0FaioyYRsOS1LHaqrCVWsCQpQ9QCLcBGAsYHQ/w624-h640/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" width="624" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Caridad Restaurant, Broadway and 78th, ca. 1970.</td></tr></tbody></table>Life is not just epic events and huge buildings. One of the themes of this blog is the details of life matter. Corner joints may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but they serve a purpose and affect local residents in underappreciated ways. They give a neighborhood character, provide a place to meet people, and also often offer tasty treats for the discerning foodie. You also might spot a celebrity, you never know when that will happen in New York.<div><br /></div><div>One such neighborhood eatery was La Caridad (technically called "La Unica Caridad"). Located on the southwest corner of Broadway and 78th Street, it was a neighborhood fixture for 52 years. Opened in 1968, La Caridad offered Chino Latino food, which blends Mexican and Chinese food. Here, we do <b itemprop="name">a then-and-now comparison of La Caridad on the Upper West Side</b>.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pcG8V70Ab0U/YDYcY5MHfsI/AAAAAAACkKA/ytZt--J1ZYQ9Yw6Hg3kKndYFIuEd84EYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pcG8V70Ab0U/YDYcY5MHfsI/AAAAAAACkKA/ytZt--J1ZYQ9Yw6Hg3kKndYFIuEd84EYgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" title="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Caridad (then called "La Caridad 78 restaurant") in October 2007 (Michael Minn).</td></tr></tbody></table>One of the things that endlessly fascinates me about New York City is that you can pick out a random photo from decades ago and it will have surprisingly recent echoes. Such is the case with the 1970s photo at the top of this page.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9AIM4yXjtwA/YDYdVVEjXfI/AAAAAAACkKI/sPTNqCie7DcWXOaaB2a6GaMg1uUeD1wYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_11.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9AIM4yXjtwA/YDYdVVEjXfI/AAAAAAACkKI/sPTNqCie7DcWXOaaB2a6GaMg1uUeD1wYQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_11.jpg" title="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The La Caridad takeout menu in June 2009. Note that this is the Cuban menu, the Chinese food menu was on the other side.</td></tr></tbody></table>You might think that some old black-and-white photo from before when most of the people reading this were born is just some historical artifact. Well, it is, but the restaurant itself lasted until very recently.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-odyQG4KNPvU/YDYf7HLjOKI/AAAAAAACkKY/zzvx1qxAAjcdODVLMVZ1AIJUK-OSqGezgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1139/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_13.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1139" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-odyQG4KNPvU/YDYf7HLjOKI/AAAAAAACkKY/zzvx1qxAAjcdODVLMVZ1AIJUK-OSqGezgCLcBGAsYHQ/w360-h640/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_13.jpg" title="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" width="360" /></a></div>The name Caridad is a girl's name that is popular in Cuba. It means "Charity." La Caridad apparently had different names through the years at its iconic location at the corner of 78th Street and Broadway. Just a random search of photographs shows it being called La Unica Caridad, La Caridad, and La Caridad 78 Restaurant. It was always known as La Caridad, though.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DMv-ra5qciA/YDYfObdSssI/AAAAAAACkKQ/V8_hvIf20_Udyg8kWZ1RLa_HbcB1-NGMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_12.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DMv-ra5qciA/YDYfObdSssI/AAAAAAACkKQ/V8_hvIf20_Udyg8kWZ1RLa_HbcB1-NGMwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_12.jpg" title="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Caridad changed over the years from the 1950s counter-seating diner setting shown in the top photograph to a more typical diner setting, with tables where you could eat and get in and out of quickly.</td></tr></tbody></table>The delightful thing about neighborhood joints like La Caridad is that you could get good, cheap food that you'll never find at the big chains. Just pop in during a day of shopping and grab some quick vaca frita or sesame chicken, in and out within half an hour for under $10 per person. Try doing all that at the Golden Arches.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JcEYPtDUoog/YDYDYcOpKYI/AAAAAAACkJw/MkTEokfWussiKJoKChyjDtNubUtCjk6MgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="640" height="464" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JcEYPtDUoog/YDYDYcOpKYI/AAAAAAACkJw/MkTEokfWussiKJoKChyjDtNubUtCjk6MgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h464/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Caridad, May 2009 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><div>La Caridad's founder, Raphael Lee, was a Chinese immigrant who had lived in Havana. He developed a love for both Chinese food and local Cuban delicacies from that city’s Chinatown. While the food is called "fusion," however, they never really and truly melded. You didn't get fried plantains and chicken with cashews on the same plate. The restaurant had its ups and downs over the years - it was temporarily shut down by the Department of Health in 2016 when live roaches were found in the kitchen - but it lasted for five decades, and that ain't beanbag.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qg3Y0m6Rwic/YDYmNqDNEeI/AAAAAAACkKg/hY3q3QLTw60C1kWCdy745iz8ysTINbbOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1139/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1139" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qg3Y0m6Rwic/YDYmNqDNEeI/AAAAAAACkKg/hY3q3QLTw60C1kWCdy745iz8ysTINbbOwCLcBGAsYHQ/w360-h640/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_14.jpg" title="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" width="360" /></a></div><div>Let's not get too rhapsodic about the quality of the food. To be blunt, the Chinese food was standard Manhattan Chinese American (want some General Tso's Pork Chops?), while the Cuban dishes were on a separate part of the menu. If you were looking for something exotic and an "experience," you could turn the menu to the Cuban pages and order some sancocho soup. Your companion, meanwhile, could stay in the comfortable Chinese menu section and choose the nice and safe Crispy Spring Roll followed by Sesame Chicken. But it was still a melange of styles, with large portions of interesting fare served without any fuss.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZVAWOMLahM/YDYE4qYQ5yI/AAAAAAACkJ4/0rq4q-xAi9Q1cupEGLn3chgw_7WoC8-xwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="640" height="528" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZVAWOMLahM/YDYE4qYQ5yI/AAAAAAACkJ4/0rq4q-xAi9Q1cupEGLn3chgw_7WoC8-xwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h528/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Caridad, June 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table>La Caridad closed in July 2020. Even <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/24/dining/la-caridad-78-closes.html" target="_blank">the New York Times</a> took notice, that's how iconic La Caridad had become. Again, you may never have heard of this random restaurant in the middle of so many other restaurants, but many neighborhood people develop a bond with these local joints and are sad when they finally disappear. They mean something to someone and thus are important for that reason alone. Plus, there are workers there who develop relationships and a sense of identity from working there and it's sad for them, too, when the place finally shuts down.</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br /></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">Whether the closing was related to the pandemic is an open question, though that likely had something to do with it. Local residents noticed employees emptying out the store in the preceding weeks and the owner did not disclose why he was leaving. Taking a wild guess, the cause was probably a combination of the pandemic and rising rents. Who knows if La Caridad will ever be back, sometimes these restaurants pop up in other locations where the rents are low like they were when the restaurant was founded. But the memories remain of the glorious takeout and ambiance of a classic local joint.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NuLy_GWWuPc/YDYBdsxQv2I/AAAAAAACkJo/Z5REnkaMpjInHTbGWiIp0TORNwAYFDnegCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NuLy_GWWuPc/YDYBdsxQv2I/AAAAAAACkJo/Z5REnkaMpjInHTbGWiIp0TORNwAYFDnegCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/La_Caridada_randommusings.filminspector.jpg" title="La Caridad randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Caridad ca. 2020 (Robert K. Chin).</td></tr></tbody></table>
<span class="updated">2021</span>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-25807334426588583842021-02-11T14:06:00.006-08:002021-02-11T21:50:27.103-08:00Then and Now: Jack's Discount Center, Coney Island NYC<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wbeq9bFWfbA/YCWbZFokn3I/AAAAAAACkGw/miGiiC9yX4w5gEdCdIm_ZpdL3gSAardoACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_11.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Jack's Discount Center, Coney Island randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wbeq9bFWfbA/YCWbZFokn3I/AAAAAAACkGw/miGiiC9yX4w5gEdCdIm_ZpdL3gSAardoACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_11.jpg" title="Jack's Discount Center, Coney Island randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack's Discount Center, 1970.</td></tr></tbody></table>Few New York City neighborhoods have gone through as many ups and downs over the years as Coney Island. The area we call Coney Island isn't actually on its own island (though it used to be kind of an island until Coney Island Creek was filled in during the 1920s/1930s) unless you count it being on Long Island. It is located on the western portion of the Coney Island peninsula west of Ocean Parkway.<div><br /></div><div>Coney Island was a sleepy little town until 1878, when two major things happened to it. The huge Brighton Beach Bathing Pavilion opened that year as well as the Brooklyn, Flatbush, and Coney Island Railway, which opened on 2 July as the predecessor to the New York City Subway's present-day Brighton Line aka Brighton Beach Line. The original two-track line was acquired by the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation BMT in 1923, which in turn was folded into the modern subway system in 1940. The subway was the defining feature of the area, resulting in businesses being constructed along its route.</div><div><br /></div><div>Coney Island reached its peak in the 1930s through the 1950s. It was the preferred way for city residents to "beat the heat" in the days before the widespread use of air conditioners. Even though the beaches were far away for most people and insanely crowded, they were still better than sitting in a sweltering apartment. However, by the 1960s the area fell into a steep decline.</div><div><br /><div>Anyway, I spotted the photo above from 1970 of a typical old-school "dollar store" before they were known as such. This one was called "Jack's Discount Center," and it was located at the current street address of 1403 Mermaid Avenue, Coney Island. So, I decided to do <b itemprop="name">a comparison of Jack's Discount Store in Coney Island then and now</b>.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tN1SmxuQEeg/YCWaAyQH5YI/AAAAAAACkGo/ED-_gkw8Ovc7CYLy_4RfsC7uiAkcWBpgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Jack's Discount Center, Coney Island randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tN1SmxuQEeg/YCWaAyQH5YI/AAAAAAACkGo/ED-_gkw8Ovc7CYLy_4RfsC7uiAkcWBpgACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Jack's Discount Center, Coney Island randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shot in 1978 taken from the subway platform gives a little more perspective. Note the top of the subway car in the foreground.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>The property, located at coordinates 40.5772094,-73.9818174, was originally built in 1930. Located a few blocks from the beach, it already was starting to look run down by 1970, and things didn't get any better during the 1970s. These types of discount stores used to be much more common in New York City than they are now. While you may still some scattered in various places such as Jackson Heights in Queens, the Lower East Side in Manhattan, and the South Bronx, they've largely been supplanted by gentrification, exorbitant rents, and smaller, more focused chain retailers.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bFbtaPGMhhw/YCWbjePXh1I/AAAAAAACkG0/S_FedeIRTmEq5XstaHVnYvQiNNzo4FrkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Mermaid Horizon randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bFbtaPGMhhw/YCWbjePXh1I/AAAAAAACkG0/S_FedeIRTmEq5XstaHVnYvQiNNzo4FrkwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" title="Mermaid Horizon randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Undated, but the same site perhaps ca. 2000. Note that this version was called "Mermaid Horizon Discounts" in honor of the street location. Now it became a "99 Cent" store.</td></tr></tbody></table>These days, businesses have to be real money machines to survive. That's why you see so many of these quaint old businesses disappearing, to be replaced by bank branches, pharmacies, and Starbucks establishments. Nothing wrong with that, it's what the people who are voting with their dollars want.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l-BK1OyuG_4/YCWifUCG1JI/AAAAAAACkHA/vRaJJTBDzNwgBFRrfgANW5qTTSvut3_cACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="McDonald's at 1403 Mermaid Avenue, Brooklyn, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l-BK1OyuG_4/YCWifUCG1JI/AAAAAAACkHA/vRaJJTBDzNwgBFRrfgANW5qTTSvut3_cACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" title="McDonald's at 1403 Mermaid Avenue, Brooklyn, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new McDonald's in 2012, boarded up for Hurricane Sandy.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Around 2008-2009, the building, which was located on two parcels. Fiserv Mastermoney was drastically renovated and replaced with a <a href="https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/location/ny/brooklyn/1403-mermaid-avenue/33375.html" target="_blank">McDonald's restaurant</a>. While it certainly looks like the building was completely torn down, complete tear-downs don't happen too often in New York City for tax reasons. You want to keep just enough original structural elements to be able to classify it as a "renovation." But, basically, the old 1930 building disappeared around that time.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i5uf1LObrtw/YCWirSX39eI/AAAAAAACkHE/nTHPlkAP2NoNwh_nyucCSbRE6og7_klPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_12.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="McDonald's at 1403 Mermaid Avenue, Brooklyn, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="640" height="540" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i5uf1LObrtw/YCWirSX39eI/AAAAAAACkHE/nTHPlkAP2NoNwh_nyucCSbRE6og7_klPwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h540/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_12.jpg" title="McDonald's at 1403 Mermaid Avenue, Brooklyn, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A recent photo of the location. Note that this angle gives you a little perspective, showing a sliver of the massive elevated subway line that is just across the street.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>That area of Brooklyn has become a rough area over the years, and there was a fatal stabbing at that McDonald's on Easter Sunday 2014. That's just a reflection of the neighborhood, which has never completely recovered from its steep decline during the 1960s and 1970s.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>However, lest you be left with the wrong impression, the McDonald's gets an "A" grade from the NYC Health Inspectors, though, so it has that going for it. It gets onto Coney Island's "Ten Best Eating Establishment" lists, which probably tells you as much about the current state of Coney Island as it does this particular burger joint. The world needs fast food, and this looks like a great location for one.</div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jPUeU9Xvuks/YCWj_KOxC9I/AAAAAAACkHQ/f3AN8raV3VMYHi24GZkewOgU6Mb3GFcCACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_14.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="McDonald's at 1403 Mermaid Avenue, Brooklyn, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="640" height="372" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jPUeU9Xvuks/YCWj_KOxC9I/AAAAAAACkHQ/f3AN8raV3VMYHi24GZkewOgU6Mb3GFcCACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h372/Jacks_Discount_Center_randommusings.filminspector.com_14.jpg" title="McDonald's at 1403 Mermaid Avenue, Brooklyn, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This capture from Google Street View in November 2019 gives a little more context. The subway line is revealed right across the street. One can imagine that the original Jack got a lot of business from the subway trade, thus explaining all of his garish signs facing in that direction.</td></tr></tbody></table>The story of this parcel of land really speaks volumes about the evolution of New York City. The small, independent businesses in their colorful but ramshackle buildings had their day, and now it is a time of chain restaurants and sleek architecture and everything served to you the same way it is served to people in Florida and Nebraska and Wyoming. The uniqueness, the individuality, the quirkiness is gradually but inexorably disappearing. That's what the people want, so that is what they are getting. There are some constants such as the subway lines, however, that maintain the structure of the city even as everything around them changes. Really, the story of this particular little plot of ordinary land in a remote corner of New York City speaks volumes about larger trends that are at work.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I hope you enjoyed this little walk through the past in our "the more things change, the more they stay the same" series. Please visit some of our other entries!</div><div><br /></div>
<span class="updated">2021</span>
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-62414255646176489902021-02-08T20:36:00.004-08:002021-10-06T15:45:20.706-07:001920s Paris Cafe Society in Color<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Cafe Chic!</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XztkTZ-VEp8/YCILw32KB9I/AAAAAAACkEs/Lcpe7PmCqgMnxKFJY567HFpAqhlsoQwlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XztkTZ-VEp8/YCILw32KB9I/AAAAAAACkEs/Lcpe7PmCqgMnxKFJY567HFpAqhlsoQwlwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" title="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful day in Paris during the sunny 1920s.</td></tr></tbody></table>Let's go out today, love. It's the perfect time to visit <b itemprop="name">the choice cafes in 1920s Paris</b>. We can stop off at the Cafe de la Paix, the Cafe du Dome, and other fashionable places to be seen. That's the whole point of going, right?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMX4AdTkZd0/YCIMFESHkNI/AAAAAAACkE0/eBqMd_U7pF0eojTr8de1dj6zUCJvqfvdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="640" height="442" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMX4AdTkZd0/YCIMFESHkNI/AAAAAAACkE0/eBqMd_U7pF0eojTr8de1dj6zUCJvqfvdwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h442/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.jpg" title="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The streets are bustling.</td></tr></tbody></table>Yes, I know it will be crowded. It's Sunday and the sun is shining, the streets will be packed. But don't you worry, love, I know all the maître d'hôtels and we'll get only the best tables.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mor8LpmQtsU/YCIMrmGt6yI/AAAAAAACkE8/HIra6sJsby4onDOBzBy5OrCeDK_CkyZDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="640" height="440" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mor8LpmQtsU/YCIMrmGt6yI/AAAAAAACkE8/HIra6sJsby4onDOBzBy5OrCeDK_CkyZDQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h440/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>Say, isn't that Madame DuBarry? She's looking quite chic in that hat and fur, she's always so stylish. But that young swain with her, that's not her husband, is it? I think that's one of her violin students... We'd better not go and say hello, she looks like she doesn't want to be recognized. But you really should ask her tomorrow where she got that precious mink stole.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5_ZJdqAvQg0/YCINCWycqcI/AAAAAAACkFI/ot2xhztBaF8wlpj9YciUv0uiRvdXf704QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="640" height="470" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5_ZJdqAvQg0/YCINCWycqcI/AAAAAAACkFI/ot2xhztBaF8wlpj9YciUv0uiRvdXf704QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h470/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>What is that couple eating over there? Looks delicious, though she doesn't look too happy about something. Let's order the same thing. Love the hat, too, but she could use more jewels.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ku8QVZp4YMk/YCINNbkor1I/AAAAAAACkFM/ASBcF11qEP0cn9bfyi5VebD2nGzofXnIgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.com-6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="640" height="440" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ku8QVZp4YMk/YCINNbkor1I/AAAAAAACkFM/ASBcF11qEP0cn9bfyi5VebD2nGzofXnIgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h440/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.com-6.jpg" title="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>Oh look, there's Jacques. He always did have an eye for you! I don't think his date notices that he's suddenly distracted. She should have worn a hat to keep his attention. And maybe some mink.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kHfLR6up_30/YCINc-TCroI/AAAAAAACkFY/z2i6UWsIGDEw6aber8R_CTtyIIRqnoKvACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="640" height="444" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kHfLR6up_30/YCINc-TCroI/AAAAAAACkFY/z2i6UWsIGDEw6aber8R_CTtyIIRqnoKvACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h444/Paris_1920s_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" title="1920s Paris in color randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>We'll wind things up with a dance at Robinson's in the park. Oh, what a delightful day!<div><div><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9R3VxPz1aE0" width="640"></iframe></center>I hope you enjoyed our little visit to the past. These restored films are becoming more and more common as algorithms improve. I understand they still require quite some time to render and finalize, though. If you liked this one, visit some of our other pages. And thanks for stopping by!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/02/1920s-paris-cafe-society-in-color.html">1920s Paris Cafe Society<br /></a><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/12/1890s-children-in-color-lumiere-films.html">1890s Children in Color</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/10/1925-dordrecht-holland-in-color.html">1925 Dordrecht, Holland</a></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/gay-paris-in-1890s-restored-film.html">Paris in the 1890s</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/the-1902-flying-train-in-wuppertal.html">The 1902 Flying Train of Wuppertal, Germany</a></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/06/film-of-san-francisco-1906.html">San Francisco in 1906</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2018/12/see-may-1907-vancouver-canada.html">Vancouver in 1907</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/06/color-film-of-new-york-city-1939.html">New York City in 1939<br /></a><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/07/color-film-of-hollywood-in-1931.html">Hollywood in 1931</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/new-york-city-in-1911-in-color.html">New York City in 1911</a></div></div></div></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/03/1935-beverly-hills-in-color.html">1935 Beverly Hills in Color</a></div></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/10/a-drive-through-1951-la-in-color.html">1951 Wilshire Boulevard, LA, in Color</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><div><br />
<span class="updated">2021</span>
</div><br />
</div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-67683949149900636032021-01-10T19:37:00.004-08:002021-01-10T23:08:05.398-08:00Then and Now: Manhattan's Lower West Side<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>A New Colossus Arises From the Sea</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nyP8JKvTqxs/X_u4_2roDkI/AAAAAAACjs8/nakYxZjulG0x8t4QxLAcssVBiXLGHjt8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1280" height="472" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nyP8JKvTqxs/X_u4_2roDkI/AAAAAAACjs8/nakYxZjulG0x8t4QxLAcssVBiXLGHjt8wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h472/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lower West Side of Manhattan, future site of Battery Park City on the left, in 1975. </td></tr></tbody></table>The Manhattan shoreline has gone through drastic revisions down through the centuries. It used to be a much larger distance to travel from Manhattan to New Jersey, but repeated work to expand the number of extremely valuable acres in the Big Apple has greatly shortened that distance at the island's southwestern tip. However, the changes go far beyond just the addition of new real estate to sell.</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br /></div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">While much of New York City hasn't changed much in the past 50 or even 100 years, there is one part of the city that has undergone dramatic changes since 1970. That is the Manhattan waterfront. Until the 1980s, the waterfront - which you might think would be a treasured resource - was neglected and barren. While the 1975 picture above shows a construction zone, that wasn't much different than other areas that tended to have abandoned piers and parking lots as their main "attractions."</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br />The above photo caught my eye because it just seemed so familiar. That's what the Manhattan waterfront looks like! Or rather, that's what it <i>did </i>look like to people who grew up before the city and state poured massive resources into developing it. So, this is <b itemprop="name">a then-and-now comparison of the Battery Park City site</b> located on the southwest corner of Manhattan Island.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xi6IdPGVBgk/X_u5A2TInsI/AAAAAAACjtE/EQUmwSPSk849XVqUJIt3yRAurv4pUpHiACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_6a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="800" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xi6IdPGVBgk/X_u5A2TInsI/AAAAAAACjtE/EQUmwSPSk849XVqUJIt3yRAurv4pUpHiACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h280/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_6a.jpg" title="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The future Battery Park City site in 1960.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The first thing to realize is that the Manhattan waterfront originally cut to the east of Battery Park City. The above photo from 1960 shows the pre-development shoreline extending just beyond the West Side Elevated Highway. In fact, the "natural" shoreline is even further east and had been extended a block or two west ca. 1800. New York City was still the home of numerous docks in that area that accommodated the ships that had serviced the city since its founding. By 1960, shipping had declined in importance and the piers were beginning to deteriorate.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9VrCF_JZCNY/X_u492fF4HI/AAAAAAACjs0/1_3iv3CyRoIdkJJy_VdR2vtDFhwb1AiwACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9VrCF_JZCNY/X_u492fF4HI/AAAAAAACjs0/1_3iv3CyRoIdkJJy_VdR2vtDFhwb1AiwACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h400/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lower West Side of Manhattan ca. 1977</td></tr></tbody></table>The idea of building a World Trade Center began during World War II but took decades to turn from conception to construction. Demolition of the area began in March 1966 and the Twin Towers were completed in 1973. While it was being built, the New York State Legislature in 1968 created the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) to prepare plans for future development to the west of the West Side Highway. Developments in Manhattan can take a long time, and it wasn't until 1972 that any funding appeared. Landfill excavated to build the World Trade Center was just trucked across the highway and dumped along the shoreline. This created the first landfill for the future Battery Park City.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--MLkephjvWk/X_u5AJC8kGI/AAAAAAACjtA/OZISSgmg7_4i4E3tLyin8oLL6aQpvETMACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1354" data-original-width="2048" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--MLkephjvWk/X_u5AJC8kGI/AAAAAAACjtA/OZISSgmg7_4i4E3tLyin8oLL6aQpvETMACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h424/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The future site of Battery Park City in 1975.</td></tr></tbody></table>Title to the landfill was transferred from the city to the Battery Park City Authority in 1979. From that point, construction accelerated, but it still went fairly slowly as the ground needed to be improved for the construction of large apartment buildings. By the late 1980s, most of the essential points in Battery Park City were in place, though development continued throughout the 1990s. It became a great place to live for young lawyers and stockbrokers working in the financial district and other young up-and-comers even though it was still unfinished.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-83Pj_AZBxyE/X_u4_zfkN7I/AAAAAAACjs4/PUMMhbGRDag4g9kiXMexLJrOx1EhKl2ywCLcBGAsYHQ/s956/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-83Pj_AZBxyE/X_u4_zfkN7I/AAAAAAACjs4/PUMMhbGRDag4g9kiXMexLJrOx1EhKl2ywCLcBGAsYHQ/w428-h640/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" title="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" width="428" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The future site of Battery Park City in 1975, complete with homeless people. Naturally, befitting the times, there is trash everywhere. This shot clearly shows the deteriorating West Side Elevated Highway, finally demolished after much wrangling in the 1980s.</td></tr></tbody></table>While neighborhoods in New York City are never "complete," Battery Park City was largely intact by 2000. The waterfront then looked completely different, with a long sidewalk, plenty of greenery, and a small port where millionaires' yachts were parked.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfR0ZwDHw-w/X_u5BKSUEfI/AAAAAAACjtI/P7EA4-McCAUTDmXAPWhWJ3SKQt-uV-6qgCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfR0ZwDHw-w/X_u5BKSUEfI/AAAAAAACjtI/P7EA4-McCAUTDmXAPWhWJ3SKQt-uV-6qgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" title="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battery Park City under construction in September 1982.</td></tr></tbody></table>Of course, the entire environment changed with the attack on the World Trade Center on 11 September 1911. Fortunately for Battery Park City, the Twin Towers largely collapsed in a pancake fashion and did not utterly destroy the new residential buildings in Battery Park City. However, some structures such as the Winter Garder were severely damaged by falling debris, and toxic dust clouds caused a lot of residents to develop health problems.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TPGkwSSK17k/X_u7OPIIxwI/AAAAAAACjtk/j8XqYrBVpyQcyb6YRu6z4VurbmFXb7G6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="640" height="516" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TPGkwSSK17k/X_u7OPIIxwI/AAAAAAACjtk/j8XqYrBVpyQcyb6YRu6z4VurbmFXb7G6ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h516/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battery Park City ca. 2020.</td></tr></tbody></table>While the World Trade Center had to go through a long reconstruction, Battery Park City basically shrugged off the attack. Goldman Sachs opened its world headquarters there in 2005 and you really have to look hard within Battery Park City for any remnants of the attack aside from memorials.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2uFGLwy-U-g/X_u5Bb5FbGI/AAAAAAACjtM/Lg2Nz5-C6H4BhcR0mf-8uZnwJv3IfdWWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="640" height="376" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2uFGLwy-U-g/X_u5Bb5FbGI/AAAAAAACjtM/Lg2Nz5-C6H4BhcR0mf-8uZnwJv3IfdWWQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h376/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" title="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battery Park City in October 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table>Today, while having been literally on the edge of devastation and destruction, Battery Park City is in its prime. As the above photo shows, the east side of West Street below the new World Trade Center remains largely as it was before the construction of Battery Park City, though the elevated highway has long since been replaced by the greatly expanded West Street. It's a remarkable illustration of beating off adversity, but that's what New York and New Yorkers are all about.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uwIAGr5zStA/X_vHcaXPULI/AAAAAAACjtw/EMaXfNtUYIE20sw7NnxMWNJON4bPGgolwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="640" height="456" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uwIAGr5zStA/X_vHcaXPULI/AAAAAAACjtw/EMaXfNtUYIE20sw7NnxMWNJON4bPGgolwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h456/Battery_Park_City_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" title="Battery Park City site randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A look due north up West Street toward the World Trade Center (partially visible in the distance) (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">I hope you enjoyed this entry in our "the more things change, the more they stay the same" series. Please visit our other articles taking a quick look into the past!</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><br /><span class="updated">2021</span>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0285 Fulton St, New York, NY 10007, USA40.7127431 -74.013379512.402509263821152 -109.1696295 69.02297693617885 -38.8571295tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-53727594326060941282021-01-03T17:12:00.000-08:002021-01-03T17:12:04.062-08:00Then and Now: View of Manhattan<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>The Evolving City</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-goMGikkTJwQ/X_JVKoy6OqI/AAAAAAACjo8/H-81p17aFKslSOv_aErlCRNYtwmUrJJrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1554/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1554" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-goMGikkTJwQ/X_JVKoy6OqI/AAAAAAACjo8/H-81p17aFKslSOv_aErlCRNYtwmUrJJrQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.com_2.jpg" title="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manhattan Skyline from Dumbo, 1978.</td></tr></tbody></table>Sometimes we focus on the details of New York City in this blog, but it's also good occasionally to step back and take in the "big picture." We're all familiar with the typical postcard view of the Manhattan skyline with the Brooklyn Bridge in the foreground and Manhattan Island looming above it. The above photo from 1978 is a slight variation of this well-known scene, which is usually taken from the riverbank near the bridge. This is taken from a higher vantage point than usual and thereby showing the scene in some detail. I saw that grand view and wondered how it has changed over the years, and so here we examine <b itemprop="name">then and now for the Manhattan skyline from the Dumbo section of Brooklyn</b>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPQ7gPJ-QUc/X_Jd4q7X_NI/AAAAAAACjpg/LWMF7dRVecUGH8gs4uqMkaa3TYAl2IhPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPQ7gPJ-QUc/X_Jd4q7X_NI/AAAAAAACjpg/LWMF7dRVecUGH8gs4uqMkaa3TYAl2IhPwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" title="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>To be sure, it's hardly a unique vantage point and has been over and over throughout the years. But, anyway, let's define terms. "Dumbo" here is not the Disney elephant, but a Brooklyn neighborhood. The name literally stands for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass," but it spans the entire waterfront area between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges (the Manhattan would be slightly to the right of this photo) along with another section of Brooklyn east to Vinegar Hill.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-exTPFj505Bc/X_Jh4ons7WI/AAAAAAACjp4/8w_Q69z2dHsBruYIPJOHPHuj7aXoGNmXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="640" height="446" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-exTPFj505Bc/X_Jh4ons7WI/AAAAAAACjp4/8w_Q69z2dHsBruYIPJOHPHuj7aXoGNmXgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h446/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" title="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Manhattan skyline during World War I, proving that this particular view has been preferred for over a hundred years. Looks uncannily similar, doesn't it? Note the Woolworth Building, completed in 1913, serving as the center point that the World Trade Center later filled (<a href="https://www.shorpy.com/node/12949" target="_blank">Shorpy</a>).</td></tr></tbody></table>The fact that the photo at the top of this page was taken in 1978 is particularly appropriate because that was the year that the acronym "Dumbo" was coined. Local residents feared onrushing gentrification and figured giving the area an unattractive or even forbidding nickname - think "Hell's Kitchen" - would keep out the dreaded Yuppies.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B18__zXSxmc/X_JkRz3uDAI/AAAAAAACjqE/867b2zmrxeMNM9hb7hUgfwz-GH2oM6KMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="1200" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B18__zXSxmc/X_JkRz3uDAI/AAAAAAACjqE/867b2zmrxeMNM9hb7hUgfwz-GH2oM6KMQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h398/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" title="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a view of the Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn showing part of the Manhattan skyline in 1939. Already, the Woolworth Building has been dwarfed by other buildings. Credit: Associated Press.</td></tr></tbody></table>That didn't happen, and the Yuppies (who morphed into a new breed of invaders called tech workers) could not be held back. While the nickname somewhat ironically stuck anyway, Dumbo is now the most expensive neighborhood in Brooklyn and the fourth for the entire city.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AtCgFvynG6M/X_JqWYx_SsI/AAAAAAACjqY/-vxGy9HWBFgzga0mvWLo3nauiORgk4W7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="640" height="488" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AtCgFvynG6M/X_JqWYx_SsI/AAAAAAACjqY/-vxGy9HWBFgzga0mvWLo3nauiORgk4W7wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h488/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_11.jpg" title="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same view in May 1961. The massive Chase Manhattan Building, all 1,800,000 square feet above ground level, foreshadows the drive toward gigantism that culminated a decade later in the massive bulk of the World Trade Center.</td></tr></tbody></table><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">Perhaps giving the area any nickname at all helped to give the somewhat ramshackle area (at the time) an identity and actually brought attention to it. Now, it's home to tech firms like Etsy, and their employees have bid up rents so much that they eventually forced out many of the original residents. It's an old, old story, and the people of San Francisco and many other places can tell you all about it.</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sw9KPgBmgBg/X_JfFsAexSI/AAAAAAACjps/MBubev6ar-Ei0wgvu6H74IPmQ3H3y_k4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sw9KPgBmgBg/X_JfFsAexSI/AAAAAAACjps/MBubev6ar-Ei0wgvu6H74IPmQ3H3y_k4QCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h640/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" title="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" width="512" /></a></div>I have a confession to make, and that is that I personally feel the photo at the top of the page is "the" Manhattan skyline as seen from Brooklyn. As we'll see, it has changed quite a bit in some respects, but the classic view of the Twin Towers serving as a solid background for this scene will always be my favorite. I actually prefer the new World Trade Center for several reasons, but in this one respect - the view along with the memory - I just don't think New York City looks complete without those two fateful projections into the sky. That's my hangup, I suppose, but judging from the many posters and prints of that view from the 1970s that are for sale, I doubt I'm the only one who feels that way.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_d8-BwY1EuU/X_JbnsaFeGI/AAAAAAACjpU/4J-oIw_OU4I25fd12E7Rw5iyvJL5ClzEACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_d8-BwY1EuU/X_JbnsaFeGI/AAAAAAACjpU/4J-oIw_OU4I25fd12E7Rw5iyvJL5ClzEACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standard recent postcard view from the same location.</td></tr></tbody></table>Anyway, the Manhattan skyline was irrevocably changed in September 2001, leading to its present state. The basic scene remains unchanged - a bridge over a river leading into a grand city - but the Great Clock, as Tolstoy would call it, has done its work all around it. For better or for worse.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3bVmOz2du4s/X_JlKh5WiBI/AAAAAAACjqM/gQsAB29r7P0d4b5xuHX0Tunz5TokxYHkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3bVmOz2du4s/X_JlKh5WiBI/AAAAAAACjqM/gQsAB29r7P0d4b5xuHX0Tunz5TokxYHkgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/NYC_Skyline_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="View of Manhattan from Dumbo randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manhattan skyline from Dumbo recently ca. 2020 (Google Earth).</td></tr></tbody></table>I hope you enjoyed this walk down through time from a specific point of view on planet earth. Changes in the world around us can be dramatic or they can be subtle, but they can't be stopped and they can't be avoided. All we can do is understand them, appreciate them, and hope for the best.</div><div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing">
<br />Please visit some of my other pages in my "then and now" series!<br />
<br /><span class="updated">2021</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-79352518577113014172020-12-30T22:05:00.001-08:002020-12-30T22:05:29.584-08:00Then and Now: Wonder Wheel in Coney Island<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>A Coney Island Wheel of Wonder</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfN1oSJV_jU/X-1JhVutdqI/AAAAAAACjlI/63xuTIGjqQ8iibJ0gsbdUFVxW-jElSHpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s650/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="650" height="406" itemprop="image" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfN1oSJV_jU/X-1JhVutdqI/AAAAAAACjlI/63xuTIGjqQ8iibJ0gsbdUFVxW-jElSHpwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h406/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bowery Street at West 12th Street, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, in 1993 (<a href="https://untappedcities.com/tag/gregoire-alessandrini/" target="_blank">Gregoire Alessandrini</a>).</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Some scenes in New York just don't change much over time. When you do something right the first time, you tend to keep it just like it is. While most of the posts on this blog show places in Manhattan, that's only because it is the most recognizable part of New York City to a wide audience. New York City is much more than Manhattan, of course, so occasionally we venture outside the confines of that island to look at other neighborhoods. In this post, we look at a simple street scene in Brooklyn, specifically, at Coney Island.</div><div><br /></div><div>The photo above was taken at the corner of Bowery Street and West 12th Street. The center point of the photo is the <b itemprop="name">Wonder Wheel</b>. This is located between West 12th Street and the famous Coney Island boardwalk, actually called the Riegelmann Boardwalk.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pebFvib4Tnc/X-1QclYdQAI/AAAAAAACjlY/3o6lWOuwQXEI3WevNe17tmCSsR0dzVvvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.filminspector_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="640" height="500" itemprop="image" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pebFvib4Tnc/X-1QclYdQAI/AAAAAAACjlY/3o6lWOuwQXEI3WevNe17tmCSsR0dzVvvQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h500/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.filminspector_4.jpg" title="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wonder Wheel in 1941, taken from the same location as the photo at the top of this page (Alfred Palmer, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress).</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The Wonder Wheel is an institution in Coney Island. It was novel in concept, taking after the famous G.W.G. Ferris' giant wheel with some modifications, and designed by Charles Hermann. The new ride was constructed in 1920 by Hermann, William J. Ward, and Herman Garms along with the famous Coney Island Tilyou family, who owned Luna Park. The Wonder Wheel's original name was "Dip the Dip," though "Wonder Wheel" was always a term associated with it.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cWheQhJm2l4/X-1oVGbgO6I/AAAAAAACjmU/HevoR_KwhM8Y9b3E7axg3f2kzSg0JqLnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s838/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.com_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="640" height="640" itemprop="image" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cWheQhJm2l4/X-1oVGbgO6I/AAAAAAACjmU/HevoR_KwhM8Y9b3E7axg3f2kzSg0JqLnQCLcBGAsYHQ/w488-h640/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.com_10.jpg" title="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" width="488" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original 1920 patent for the Wonder Wheel.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The Wonder Wheel survived the decline of Coney Island as a resort after the 1940s. It changed hands in 1983 when the Vourderis family took over. The portion of West 12th Street adjacent to the Wonder Wheel is now named Denos D. Vourderis Place after the family patriarch. He renamed the area around his new property Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NnRJnyZ15xY/X-1jXYsFCNI/AAAAAAACjmI/hrnyl4ZEgZQmdeEwb9C1bn6vNX9KO7vvACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="640" height="606" itemprop="image" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NnRJnyZ15xY/X-1jXYsFCNI/AAAAAAACjmI/hrnyl4ZEgZQmdeEwb9C1bn6vNX9KO7vvACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h606/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.com_6.jpg" title="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another photo of the Wonder Wheel from the same location in the 1940s (Image courtesy of the Coney Island History Project).</td></tr></tbody></table><div>While it looks like many other Ferris wheels, the Wonder Wheel is actually a bit different than many of them. It is an "eccentric" wheel. This means that riders can choose cars that drop away from the wheel at various times, giving the impression of free-fall. Naturally, that is exactly what some savvy fellows were looking for on dates as their companions squeal out in sudden terror and reached out to them.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Sh31c595OM/X-1fvGNjpHI/AAAAAAACjlw/V2TeI3E0yJ05gZCSYXae94Pkzt7b82tuACLcBGAsYHQ/s895/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.filminspector_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="895" data-original-width="640" height="640" itemprop="image" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Sh31c595OM/X-1fvGNjpHI/AAAAAAACjlw/V2TeI3E0yJ05gZCSYXae94Pkzt7b82tuACLcBGAsYHQ/w458-h640/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.filminspector_6.jpg" title="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" width="458" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wonder Wheel at its opening in 1920 (photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.denoswonderwheel.com/" target="_blank">Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park</a>).</td></tr></tbody></table>There aren't a lot of the original attractions remaining in Coney Island aside from the Wonder Wheel. There's the nearby Coney Island Parachute Drop from the 1930s and, well, not a lot else. So, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission officially designated the Wonder Wheel as a landmark in 1989. It remains a family business as of 2020, its centennial.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ox8FY6BasVg/X-1JhRxbwbI/AAAAAAACjlE/quEksSrLFZMLn_yPgSHkJyrFIKyiaJmPACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.filminspector_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="640" height="460" itemprop="image" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ox8FY6BasVg/X-1JhRxbwbI/AAAAAAACjlE/quEksSrLFZMLn_yPgSHkJyrFIKyiaJmPACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h460/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.filminspector_3.jpg" title="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bowery Street at West 12th Street, October 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table>As can be seen from a recent view, nothing much has changed through the years. The streets are the same, the Wonder Wheel is still there spinning around, and the usual touristy buildings surround it.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WgHbWcM6sw4/X-1iG8MQWvI/AAAAAAACjl8/ZtNiHgEXChUIOQRww02u6jD1AnuUN_GKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.com_8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="640" height="344" itemprop="image" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WgHbWcM6sw4/X-1iG8MQWvI/AAAAAAACjl8/ZtNiHgEXChUIOQRww02u6jD1AnuUN_GKwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h344/Bowery_St_Coney_Island_NYC_randommusings.com_8.jpg" title="Coney Island Wonder Wheel randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bowery Street sign at West 12th Street, Coney Island in October 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><div>One interesting thing is that the "Bowery Street" sign is badly faded - it may actually be the same one seen in the 1993 photo. Or even earlier. It's curiously befitting a scene that extends virtually unchanged back well before almost all of us were born.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you enjoyed this brief trip down memory lane in an obscure corner of Brooklyn. The spirit of Coney Island lives on even as the community has changed and grown. Please visit some of the other entries in this series!</div><div><br /></div>
<span class="updated">2020</span>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY, USA40.5755438 -73.970701612.265309963821153 -109.1269516 68.885777636178844 -38.8144516tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-38074605817772352032020-12-26T21:31:00.000-08:002020-12-26T21:31:26.563-08:00Then and Now: Broadway at West 88th Street<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aAVHsZgPDrk/X-gHB19fF2I/AAAAAAACjfQ/y7PPqBoJ8ZsTCbt4rie0H47d31zq0yv7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Broadway_and_88th_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1280" height="352" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aAVHsZgPDrk/X-gHB19fF2I/AAAAAAACjfQ/y7PPqBoJ8ZsTCbt4rie0H47d31zq0yv7ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h352/Broadway_and_88th_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC, in 1960.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The residential areas of Manhattan tend to change very little over time. While office buildings in some sections of the city can come and go, apartment buildings tend to have very long lives. Let's take a look at <b itemprop="name">
Broadway and West 88th Street then and now</b>, a classic Upper West Side area, and so how it has fared over the past sixty years.</div><div><br /></div><div>The picture of the intersection from 1960, above, shows a typical Manhattan scene. There are the usual solid edifices on either side of the street, with small businesses such as a drug store that catered to the local residents. The scene looks barren, everything aside from the people and cars being composed of lifeless rock and asphalt.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nzKisaoD7g0/X-gD-sr_swI/AAAAAAACjfA/mzXE8F0ZbDMpRHfo6S63haMIfyb-b4zFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Broadway_and_88th_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="640" height="404" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nzKisaoD7g0/X-gD-sr_swI/AAAAAAACjfA/mzXE8F0ZbDMpRHfo6S63haMIfyb-b4zFwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h404/Broadway_and_88th_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC, in 2020 (Google Earth).</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The first thing we notice from a recent picture of the same scene is that the buildings haven't changed much at all. The building on the far (southwest) corner, 2389-2395 Broadway, is a 7-story office building that was completed in 1920. The building across from it, at 255 West 88th Street, is a 14-floor residential building completed in 1924. So, 1960 was just a typical and random year for this corner over the past 100 years, just as 2020 is and likely 2050 will be as well. Nothing much changes when buildings serve their purpose, and there's nothing wrong with that at all.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWabP0Jm578/X-gH8fxAIEI/AAAAAAACjfY/vsIaM51NWk4Za7Cw7wyUbbRuTu3D_EiAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Broadway_and_88th_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="640" height="516" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWabP0Jm578/X-gH8fxAIEI/AAAAAAACjfY/vsIaM51NWk4Za7Cw7wyUbbRuTu3D_EiAgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h516/Broadway_and_88th_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" title="Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC, in 2020 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table>A ground-level view shows that some things never change. People need drug stores, so Zelnick's Drug Store has given way to a Duane Reade pharmacy (though apparently, it has closed). The 2007 MillionTreesNYC initiative certainly has softened street corners like this, which previously looked like industrial wastelands.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KzZ2ZvaIopw/X-gD-jOE0dI/AAAAAAACje8/4TIcHx9voUcn3oY1F0sUkpmD8-nIS7NMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Broadway_and_88th_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="640" height="460" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KzZ2ZvaIopw/X-gD-jOE0dI/AAAAAAACje8/4TIcHx9voUcn3oY1F0sUkpmD8-nIS7NMQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h460/Broadway_and_88th_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broadway at West 88th Street, NYC, in 2020 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table>One last change that can be seen is that the variety of stores has gone down drastically since 1960. In the 1960 photo, you can see a drug store, a cigar store, what looks like a haberdashery (Bilks), and several other businesses. In 2020, you have the massive Duane Reade, a bank, and an eatery. You literally can find these same businesses on practically every other street corner in NYC these days. The invasion of the chain stores and bank branches has reached epic proportions in Manhattan shows no signs of stopping.<div><br /></div><div>I hope you liked this entry in our "the more things change, the more they stay the same" series. There's something to be said for permanency in residential areas like the Upper West Side, and if that's what you're looking for, you can do a lot worse than the corner of Broadway and West 88th Street. Please visit some of our other entries in this series!</div><div><br /></div>
<span class="updated">2020</span>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-30871758117555433192020-12-26T11:33:00.000-08:002020-12-26T11:33:27.011-08:00Then and Now: Beacon Theater on Broadway, NYC<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Faded Glory</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_J0rbdMXMOo/X-d6MF00HgI/AAAAAAACjeI/qq_fJpNR3aIWBRPxDPBioxzPKlItFjznACLcBGAsYHQ/s796/Beacon_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Beacon Theater NYC ca. 1981 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="796" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_J0rbdMXMOo/X-d6MF00HgI/AAAAAAACjeI/qq_fJpNR3aIWBRPxDPBioxzPKlItFjznACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/Beacon_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Beacon Theater NYC ca. 1981 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beacon Theater on Broadway and West 74th Street, NYC, ca. December 1980.</td></tr></tbody></table>New York City used to be the home of many monumental movie palaces. Most of them are long since gone, but a few theaters from the grand age of vaudeville in the 1920s and 1930s remain. Let's take a look at one of these grand survivors, <b itemprop="name">the Beacon Theater at 2124 Broadway, NYC</b>.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AmWFrOG15fo/X-eKKm9wUkI/AAAAAAACjeY/LaaOV_14Pq8Vl3SlKmJKlXpMLcB2VSspgCLcBGAsYHQ/s853/Beacon_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Beacon Theater randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AmWFrOG15fo/X-eKKm9wUkI/AAAAAAACjeY/LaaOV_14Pq8Vl3SlKmJKlXpMLcB2VSspgCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/Beacon_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="Beacon Theater randommusings.filminspector.com" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Beacon Hotel and Theater not long after its completion in 1928.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The Beacon was a 2,894-seat, three-tiered palace designed by Chicago architect Walter W. Ahlschlager, who had just designed the nearby Roxy in 1927. Trying to duplicate the Roxy's glamour, the Beacon's first name was the Roxy Midway. With the building completed November 1928, and the enclosed theater opened in 1929, the Beacon contained the usual theater kitsch of the era, complete with seated golden lions on each side of the stage and a Wurlitzer 4 manual 19 ranks theatre organ. Warner Bros operated the Beacon until 1932, when it sold it to the first of many subsequent operators.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kHFpk_kmddo/X-eLJgB69CI/AAAAAAACjeg/nvZM2EPs7OkAJWft2KkfW_MkWRBdk07EgCLcBGAsYHQ/s846/Beacon_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Gold Diggers of Broadway showing at the Beacon randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kHFpk_kmddo/X-eLJgB69CI/AAAAAAACjeg/nvZM2EPs7OkAJWft2KkfW_MkWRBdk07EgCLcBGAsYHQ/w484-h640/Beacon_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Gold Diggers of Broadway showing at the Beacon randommusings.filminspector.com" width="484" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Beacon showing the technicolor "Gold Diggers of Broadway" (1929) during its glory days.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>As the decades rolled along, the old theaters succumbed to age and urban renewal. In the mid-70s, Steven Singer and Stephen Metz bought the Beacon and hosted a series of concerts by the Grateful Dead in 1976. The new crowds weren't as respectful of the kitsch and the theater began to deteriorate quickly. By 1986, the Beacon was the largest surviving picture palace in Manhattan. It was in sad shape by the 1980s, though, as the picture at the top of this page shows. New owners in 1986 converted the theater into a disco, a bit late to that fad but better late than never! Unfortunately, that meant gutting the interior, so if the golden lions were still there then, they weren't thereafter. On November 4, 1982, the entire 24-story Beacon Theater and Hotel was designated a national landmark and is now on the Register of Historic Places.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cGfOalJfHrk/X-eAbe8jufI/AAAAAAACjeQ/JzKcSNhyCswBq9RvnQe4tealvSEvyePoACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Beacon_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Beacon Theater featured in "Who's That Knocking At My Door?" randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="640" height="372" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cGfOalJfHrk/X-eAbe8jufI/AAAAAAACjeQ/JzKcSNhyCswBq9RvnQe4tealvSEvyePoACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h372/Beacon_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="Beacon Theater featured in "Who's That Knocking At My Door?" randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stars Harvey Keitel and Zina Bethune in Martin Scorcese's "Who's That Knocking At My Door" (1969), with the Beacon Theater looming in the background.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Martin Scorcese is a big fan of the Beacon and has featured it in his movies. While a student at NYU in the 1960s, he filmed "Who’s That Knocking At My Door?" (1969), starring Harvey Keitel, and the Beacon makes its first appearance in a Scorcese film. It reappears in his 2006 documentary “Shine a Light” about the Rolling Stones shows that year at the theater.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fnPJcYMFknY/X-eMxHfm5cI/AAAAAAACjeo/Hg3oenAjvscb2fm0OGMW8Kr0fYHbVj1gQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Beacon_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Beacon Theater randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="640" height="338" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fnPJcYMFknY/X-eMxHfm5cI/AAAAAAACjeo/Hg3oenAjvscb2fm0OGMW8Kr0fYHbVj1gQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h338/Beacon_Theater_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" title="Beacon Theater randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same view as the one at the top of this page in May 2019 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table>The Beacon obviously has been through a lot of incarnations through the years and no doubt has many more to come. Currently, Cablevision, which has been gobbling up New York City showplaces such as the Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden, holds the lease to the Beacon Theater. It has restored the Beacon to a much more presentable appearance that hosts top acts in a variety of entertainment formats. The interior is still majestic, though nothing like the original glamor of the 1920s.<div><br /></div><div>I hope you enjoyed this trip through time with the Beacon Theater. Please visit some of our other pages if you liked this one!</div><div><br />
<span class="updated">2020</span>
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-46931135444481523982020-12-10T14:16:00.004-08:002021-10-06T15:45:40.289-07:001890s Children in Color: Lumiere Films<div itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing"><h1>Step Back Into 1896</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-27ve6usv7PA/X9KXSkuNt1I/AAAAAAACjUM/-ZVgGyIQel4cMks-l-_cGC0NHWqKshS4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1890s_kids_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Lumière Brothers films from 1896 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="640" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-27ve6usv7PA/X9KXSkuNt1I/AAAAAAACjUM/-ZVgGyIQel4cMks-l-_cGC0NHWqKshS4wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h512/1890s_kids_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="Lumière Brothers films from 1896 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An 1890s girl feeds her very large tabby.</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm a fan of old films that have been restored and colorized using the most modern neural network techniques. Here we have some <b itemprop="name">Lumière Brothers films from 1896</b> that have been processed so they look as if they were taken with Kodak film from the 1980s.<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j_DGRXvKkD4" width="640"></iframe></center>
<div>The Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean (you can see why everyone just calls them the Lumière brothers!) made advanced film equipment. To demonstrate it, they made short films between 1895 and 1905.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OqKzTlQ8zfc/X9KXyPU8fuI/AAAAAAACjUU/2jPEsvzoB4U-bxC3AxRmcZRaZ-WVmj0FwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1890s_kids_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lumière Brothers films from 1896 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="640" height="460" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OqKzTlQ8zfc/X9KXyPU8fuI/AAAAAAACjUU/2jPEsvzoB4U-bxC3AxRmcZRaZ-WVmj0FwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h460/1890s_kids_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" title="Lumière Brothers films from 1896 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>The Lumière brothers filmed ordinary scenes of daily life. They didn't go out looking for train wrecks or anything like that. All they wanted to do was show how this new medium of film could be used. So, they recruited family and friends to make their films. The public quickly became interested, and the Lumière brothers are credited with the first cinema presentation of their work in December 1895.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DPD6Cfoz4EQ/X9KYUINKtrI/AAAAAAACjUc/thJ9jLjLpm0XDpg43QrctvGNDtn5jujmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1890s_kids_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lumière Brothers films from 1896 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="640" height="560" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DPD6Cfoz4EQ/X9KYUINKtrI/AAAAAAACjUc/thJ9jLjLpm0XDpg43QrctvGNDtn5jujmwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h560/1890s_kids_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" title="Lumière Brothers films from 1896 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>So, what we see here in these 1896 films is not quite the first film the brothers ever made, which would have been in August 1894 (according to the brothers themselves) or March 1895 (according to historians). However, all of this film precedes the birth of Hollywood, which was established around 1911, by 15 years.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sfMi0KmWU-k/X9KYyNhYZhI/AAAAAAACjUk/LNCOAFUYPq8aQydaBB6xO0ioZG3iq1oyACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1890s_kids_randommusings.filminspector.com_12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lumière Brothers films from 1896 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="640" height="564" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sfMi0KmWU-k/X9KYyNhYZhI/AAAAAAACjUk/LNCOAFUYPq8aQydaBB6xO0ioZG3iq1oyACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h564/1890s_kids_randommusings.filminspector.com_12.jpg" title="Lumière Brothers films from 1896 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>If you compare these snippets with the very first films, you'll see a great improvement in quality in just a year. The Lumière brothers quickly learned to set up scenes like a modern cinematographer and do close-ups of their subjects. Oh, and in case you're wondering about the films, yes, they are in black-and-white originals. However, a type of color film already was in development when these films were made and the Lumière brothers themselves patented a color photographic process in 1903 and began marketing it in 1907. So, the idea of actual color film from the 1890s is not quite as far-fetched as you might think, though it certainly wouldn't have had the outstanding quality of this sort of processing.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ddhG2abzF6U/X9KWfu94iCI/AAAAAAACjUE/FSc9OPNkPFsdXfb2bGZ46jdwlwrOAUh2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1890s_kids_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lumière Brothers films from 1896 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="640" height="540" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ddhG2abzF6U/X9KWfu94iCI/AAAAAAACjUE/FSc9OPNkPFsdXfb2bGZ46jdwlwrOAUh2gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h540/1890s_kids_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="Lumière Brothers films from 1896 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div><div>I hope you enjoy these brief visits to the past in ways that you might never have thought possible. If you do, consider giving some of these other films a look, too.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/02/1920s-paris-cafe-society-in-color.html">1920s Paris Cafe Society<br /></a><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/12/1890s-children-in-color-lumiere-films.html">1890s Children in Color</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/10/1925-dordrecht-holland-in-color.html">1925 Dordrecht, Holland</a></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/gay-paris-in-1890s-restored-film.html">Paris in the 1890s</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/the-1902-flying-train-in-wuppertal.html">The 1902 Flying Train of Wuppertal, Germany</a></div><div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/06/film-of-san-francisco-1906.html">San Francisco in 1906</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2018/12/see-may-1907-vancouver-canada.html">Vancouver in 1907</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/06/color-film-of-new-york-city-1939.html">New York City in 1939<br /></a><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2013/07/color-film-of-hollywood-in-1931.html">Hollywood in 1931</a></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2020/09/new-york-city-in-1911-in-color.html">New York City in 1911</a></div></div></div></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/03/1935-beverly-hills-in-color.html">1935 Beverly Hills in Color</a></div></div><div><a href="https://randommusings.filminspector.com/2021/10/a-drive-through-1951-la-in-color.html">1951 Wilshire Boulevard, LA, in Color</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>2021</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-15796788538850504402020-10-16T21:02:00.024-07:002023-04-23T00:15:01.496-07:00Then and Now: Big Top Theater, Broadway at 49th Street, NYC<h1>Spice on the Fringes of Times Square</h1>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--mKrYsW-tvU/X4pgR2pqMfI/AAAAAAACizc/8XxONsQMvP8Wfprkn1irEJjEZdaH5J-hgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1023/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, in the 1970s randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="1023" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--mKrYsW-tvU/X4pgR2pqMfI/AAAAAAACizc/8XxONsQMvP8Wfprkn1irEJjEZdaH5J-hgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h410/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, in the 1970s randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north on Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, during the 1970s. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Times Square is one of the great tourist attractions in the world. Tourists come from around the world to walk through it and admire the lights and the architecture and the hustle-and-bustle. It may look very similar to the way it used to, but in truth, it has changed dramatically in the last 40 years.<div><br /></div><div>The Times Square area has been cleaned up quite a bit during the last few decades. "Hustle" had a completely different meaning in the Times Square of the 1970s. During the city's dark days, the adult industry invaded the area in a big way. It wasn't hidden away, either, it was right there out in the open. You've heard of Broadway theaters, well, the Broadway theaters of the 1970s were not just showing "Man of La Mancha" and "Chicago."<br /><br />The corner of 49th Street and Broadway is right on the fringes of Times Square. It's just a short walk from Madame Tussauds and the Disney store. Great place to bring the family these days.<br /><br />Well, the area serviced a completely different clientele back in the day.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yA272_k9C3M/X4pgQWD0SuI/AAAAAAACizI/bAnTsMKkrKk34H8VQQ2kPA0_W9xSJU0rQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Big Top Theater at Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, around 1984 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="523" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yA272_k9C3M/X4pgQWD0SuI/AAAAAAACizI/bAnTsMKkrKk34H8VQQ2kPA0_W9xSJU0rQCLcBGAsYHQ/w522-h640/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="The Big Top Theater at Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, around 1984 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="522" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the Big Top entrance just to the right (south) of the main Circus Cinema marquee.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Located at 1604 Broadway were two theaters that easily could be mistaken for just one. The more obvious theater with the big marquee was Circus Cinema. After opening on March 2, 1971, with "Acts of Love," it showed films for the heterosexual raincoat crowd throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Somewhat obscurely located to its side was a completely different experience, "Big Top Theater." This was entered via a stairway just to the south of the Circus Cinema entrance that led to a separate theater above Circus Cinema. This theater catered to a same-sex clientele. So, the building catered to a broad spectrum of society looking for something a little different than "The Aristocats" and "The Black Stallion" and "Star Wars." Business was good, but eventually, Disney began moving into the area in a big way and nothing has been the same since.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4qkkvDj_PDY/X4pgQqbjnCI/AAAAAAACizQ/y0DT5NALTSU-UfUGUTcCthG2vnGDj_XLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Big Top Theater at Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, around 1984 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="466" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4qkkvDj_PDY/X4pgQqbjnCI/AAAAAAACizQ/y0DT5NALTSU-UfUGUTcCthG2vnGDj_XLgCLcBGAsYHQ/w466-h640/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="The Big Top Theater at Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, around 1984 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="466" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Just looking at the advertisements that appeared in all of the normal newspapers of the day (such as the New York Times, Newsday, you name it) gives you some idea of the types of shows shown at the Big Top. "New! Live! Go-Go Boys!" reads one advertisement. This was all out in the open, with the ads in the theater section near the back of the newspaper. One tag line was "More than just a theatre!" Well, the Big Top served a buffet on Sunday afternoons according to the advertising, so absolutely it was more than just a theater. It was a buffet as well! Yes, those were different times.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UKyjU0khX10/X4pgQoilXyI/AAAAAAACizM/TiGAZQ1oPqY9ps9OUAGu-86U8u7gyFmcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s529/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Big Top Theater at Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, around 1984 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="430" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UKyjU0khX10/X4pgQoilXyI/AAAAAAACizM/TiGAZQ1oPqY9ps9OUAGu-86U8u7gyFmcwCLcBGAsYHQ/w520-h640/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="The Big Top Theater at Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, around 1984 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div>"Men Between Themselves" was not a World War II film - I think. Actually, I don't know when it was set, but I have a feeling the setting was likely Fire Island or Key West. But, who knows, those sorts of films literally could be set anywhere and the location wouldn't interfere with the drama.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Big Top was owned by Bill Perry, who also owned the Broadway Baths. He ran "P.M. Productions," a gay film production company, so Perry was sort of the Daryl Zanuck of that particular genre. Rents were high in that area, but Perry was able to pay them due to the steady patronage he was receiving throughout the 1980s until the Big Top finally closed around 1990. I saw a photo afterward showing Big Top as a video store. I'm sure that's long gone, too. Circus Cinema shut down in 1996, a victim of the Giuliani administration's campaign to clean up Times Square and changing times.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5r6hUuakIzI/X4pgRkrh4_I/AAAAAAACizU/QxKKtF12kQMC2juqdCT88g2HcQ_V0hFOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, ca. 2020 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="640" height="332" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5r6hUuakIzI/X4pgRkrh4_I/AAAAAAACizU/QxKKtF12kQMC2juqdCT88g2HcQ_V0hFOwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h332/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" title="Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, ca. 2020 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, ca. 2020 (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>These days, the raunchy theaters are almost all gone (there may still be one or two over on Eighth Avenue, I'm not entirely sure). The scene above shows how the same corner looks recently. Just to verify that this is the same location, notice the medium-sized brown building in the background of the photo at the top of this page. I've zoomed in on it below just to verify the location.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8s85YhLHzEg/X4pgRiVbzDI/AAAAAAACizY/GDJMBTaWOs8d9Z7uXDirCRloosBBtHYkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, ca. 2020 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="640" height="562" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8s85YhLHzEg/X4pgRiVbzDI/AAAAAAACizY/GDJMBTaWOs8d9Z7uXDirCRloosBBtHYkQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h562/Big_Top_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="Broadway at 49th Street, NYC, ca. 2020 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close-up of the building in the background of the original 1970s photo. This is from ca. 2020 and it hasn't changed at all. Here, in one of the busiest areas in the world, old buildings can survive just like elsewhere if they serve a useful purpose (Google Street View).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>You may wonder, "Why does this guy focus so much on the sleazier aspects of New York?" Well, overall, I don't, this blog simply is a random overview that focuses on things that have changed. But, you can't understand where we are if you don't know where we came from, even if we sometimes review the outliers of common life. Sleazy theaters (I believe that's an accurate way to describe them, sorry if that offends anyone) were a very common sight in the big tourist areas of Manhattan until very recently, and that certainly has changed, making it prime fodder for this blog. You could not walk through Times Square, perhaps the top tourist destination in the United States, without seeing them all around. If you didn't know that before, you know it now.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfkrSgH3u1GFfp6avVqvCpQuZRi7MiNhFo7E5vUujNNij6D2Y3VSIVpmFDeb99VfFvi-N8Q4UQ2gHlQ7-ymicNlqJ3_X6lXt9kANQh1c3BxmS4tXyc52MuzFtpEcxzXpByyupG_Pei8t6hDRUY5Ssyi8AFq_1TvpYLPPEEWBAeGoGCNI7JDs5PsTF/s1440/Circus_Circus_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Circus Cinema randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1440" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfkrSgH3u1GFfp6avVqvCpQuZRi7MiNhFo7E5vUujNNij6D2Y3VSIVpmFDeb99VfFvi-N8Q4UQ2gHlQ7-ymicNlqJ3_X6lXt9kANQh1c3BxmS4tXyc52MuzFtpEcxzXpByyupG_Pei8t6hDRUY5Ssyi8AFq_1TvpYLPPEEWBAeGoGCNI7JDs5PsTF/w640-h360/Circus_Circus_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.webp" title="Circus Cinema randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out from the Circus Cinema, October 10, 1984. This is the view that patrons of Big Top would have had when leaving. (AP).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>That's where we were, that's who we were, that's who we <i>are</i>, like it or not. And being ignorant of the past doesn't mean it didn't happen. It just means you choose to ignore or overlook it. That is entirely reasonable but means you will never have the full picture of life in the Big Apple. It's good and bad and wrong and right all coming together in a giant casserole to create the greatest city in the world. Only you can decide what is wrong, what is right, what you find acceptable, and what values and judgments you place on artifacts of the past. I'm just here to give you the information to use as you wish.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the themes of this blog is that despite the fact that NYC streets and buildings look the same as in the past, the world around them has changed. It now is a completely different world from just a few decades ago even though in some ways it looks the same. Times change, people change, but in New York City, many of the buildings stay the same. The more things change, the more they stay the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you enjoyed this entry in our "the more things change, the more they stay the same" series. Please visit some of our other pages if you liked this one!</div><div><br /></div><span class="updated">2023</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-53398950821554800982020-10-12T11:08:00.000-07:002020-10-12T11:08:11.180-07:00Then and Now: Grand Army Plaza, NYC<h1>Something Has Changed, But What?</h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p30j623Bytc/X4SORH9MW8I/AAAAAAACiyg/v_DenMO7facftpEhuldLCLc4tKhJHEWagCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1280" height="464" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p30j623Bytc/X4SORH9MW8I/AAAAAAACiyg/v_DenMO7facftpEhuldLCLc4tKhJHEWagCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h464/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Army Plaza, 59th Street in NYC, in 1979.</td></tr></tbody></table>Changes in New York City can be very subtle, and that can go double for midtown Manhattan. A casual comparison of old and new photos might not show much change at all aside from vehicles, clothing fashions, and the like. However, subtlety does not bother us, we're going to uncover a very subtle change in this article that reflects changes around the seemingly permanent buildings and streets.<div><br /></div><div>The above photograph is from 1979 and shows Grand Army Plaza in Manhattan. This is one of the most well-traveled locations in the city, providing a rare midtown break from the grid pattern and providing a grand entrance to Central Park from the southeast. The photo shows a very peaceful and sedate scene, with horse carriages lined up ready to take lovers and tourists on a ride through the park. While it might not be apparent at first glance, though, something very noticeable about that scene has changed, and very recently.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-laLwY292k7E/X4SOQpxjShI/AAAAAAACiyY/EsQWg6sncGYVX4En-eMRN9hwZwocmJ7UwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="640" height="560" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-laLwY292k7E/X4SOQpxjShI/AAAAAAACiyY/EsQWg6sncGYVX4En-eMRN9hwZwocmJ7UwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h560/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Army Plaza recently, using Google Earth.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>First, let's zoom in on Grand Army Plaza using Google Earth. We immediately see that the basic street pattern is the same, and the buildings look the same, too. That's the Plaza Hotel on the left, which was built in 1907, so it sure hasn't changed in the last 40 years. The Sherry-Netherland hotel (781 Fifth Avenue) barely visible on the right was completed in 1927, so that sure hasn't changed much. The same goes for the low Metropolitan Club building (One East 60th Street) just beyond it that was built in 1894. You get the picture: this is not an area of the city that has seen a lot of big changes recently. However, as noted above, something about it <i>has </i>changed, so let's get to that.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tBm2EW712es/X4SOQr7oENI/AAAAAAACiyc/Stm5xa75iDc00fTQI6K67LCsq1Ta_bpmACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="640" height="356" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tBm2EW712es/X4SOQr7oENI/AAAAAAACiyc/Stm5xa75iDc00fTQI6K67LCsq1Ta_bpmACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h356/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Army Plaza recently, using Google Street View.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>A very careful look at the 1979 photo shows, as mentioned early, a scenic lineup of horse carriages primarily for the tourist trade. The more recent photos ca. 2020 do not. This is not an accident or anomaly, the carriages no longer are there. Why they are no longer there leads us into the big change that has taken place recently.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bY-ZepF7A8E/X4SORYKsNBI/AAAAAAACiyk/bQ18W_0OgxUsYW0hgS0tuV0I5DER9NnHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="640" height="608" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bY-ZepF7A8E/X4SORYKsNBI/AAAAAAACiyk/bQ18W_0OgxUsYW0hgS0tuV0I5DER9NnHwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h608/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" title="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Army Plaza recently, using Google Street View.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>While there are conflicting views and evidence as to how well horses fare in big cities, in recent years a movement has arisen to eliminate them for their own well-being. Montreal has banned carriages, and Chicago appears likely to do so shortly (if it already hasn't by the time you read this). New York City's current mayor, Bill de Blasio, tried to ban them outright in 2014 but failed. This may in part have been because carriage rides rank as one of the top three visitor attractions in NYC (<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60763-Activities-c61-New_York_City_New_York.html" target="_blank">Tripadvisor</a>).</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hllvYQO1ZJ8/X4SORSBdbiI/AAAAAAACiyo/plOHb0a7XR8fIeheKQwueUaN1vwD0aJ6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="640" height="492" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hllvYQO1ZJ8/X4SORSBdbiI/AAAAAAACiyo/plOHb0a7XR8fIeheKQwueUaN1vwD0aJ6gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h492/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Army Plaza recently, using Google Street View.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>While the ban failed, New York City enacted a rule in 2018 forcing carriage pickups to take place only within Central Park itself. As noted above, the carriages shown in the 1979 photo are parked on 59th Street. That is no longer an allowed pickup spot, and the <a href="https://patch.com/new-york/central-park/city-plans-move-horse-carriage-pickup-central-park" target="_blank">rule</a> now requires those carriages to be parked further north within the park itself at the entrance on 60th Street. This, presumably, protects them from traffic and noise.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJCradE1PJU/X4SORpbW2EI/AAAAAAACiys/F7KBJSGJrT0Jdni8s3mlI6gUHlVP6k6xQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="640" height="468" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJCradE1PJU/X4SORpbW2EI/AAAAAAACiys/F7KBJSGJrT0Jdni8s3mlI6gUHlVP6k6xQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h468/GAP_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" title="Grand Army Plaza, NYC randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></div>This may not seem like the most earth-shaking change, and you would be right. However, as we have seen, changes in this area are few and far between. The buildings are the same, the streets are the same, but the horses are gone for good. The setting may look the same, but the world is changing around it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for visiting! If you enjoyed this page, please consider visiting some of our other "then and now" articles.</div><div><br /></div><span class="updated">2020</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345642058916151784.post-82853840741297384452020-10-10T14:50:00.001-07:002020-10-10T14:50:37.967-07:00Then and Now: The Port Authority Bus Terminal, NYC<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7M6OnnluDxQ/X4Harj71HkI/AAAAAAACixs/WWIcjMQrMZEPmZFlOACzubMJIHlx0J9DwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1745/Port_Authority_1979_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1745" height="430" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7M6OnnluDxQ/X4Harj71HkI/AAAAAAACixs/WWIcjMQrMZEPmZFlOACzubMJIHlx0J9DwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h430/Port_Authority_1979_randommusings.filminspector.com_1.jpg" title="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Authority Bus Terminal, viewed from the southeast in 1979.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>My goal with this series of then-and-now articles is not to prove anything in particular. If things have changed, that's interesting, but if things are the same after 40 or more years, that's interesting, too. This is a review of how things compare to the past, not a polemic on changing cities or anything like that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Above is a view of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan sometime during 1979 (from the looks of it, during the winter). It is taken from the southeast and shows the intersection of West 40th Street and Eighth Avenue. People familiar with the city know this is about a block west of Times Square, though most tourists probably never go over to see it. If you're not travelling by bus, there's really not much reason for a tourist to visit this area.</div><div><br /></div><div>Incidentally, nobody actually calls it "The Port Authority Bus Terminal" unless theyr'e trying to sound formal. It's just the Port Authority to most New Yorkers. If you say you're heading to the Port Authority, everyone will understand where you're going.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm going to dissect part of this photo that you're likely not noticing and discuss how that reflects a changing truth about New York.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R48IcmsPYJA/X4HamPsnuWI/AAAAAAACixI/cIlHf2nIU_IJuuTfb9onh49xYgXaS7j7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="640" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R48IcmsPYJA/X4HamPsnuWI/AAAAAAACixI/cIlHf2nIU_IJuuTfb9onh49xYgXaS7j7wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h290/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_2.jpg" title="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Authority Terminal recently (Google Earth).</td></tr></tbody></table>Viewing the Port Authority Terminal from the same angle we can see that it looks pretty much the same. Let's get a little closer.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nKKx2LNAv-8/X4HanF8hdPI/AAAAAAACixQ/CClETwIu_U8efb15AD-u1qGuHJ-kRkNWACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="640" height="328" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nKKx2LNAv-8/X4HanF8hdPI/AAAAAAACixQ/CClETwIu_U8efb15AD-u1qGuHJ-kRkNWACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h328/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_3.jpg" title="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Authority Terminal recently (Google Earth).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We can see from this view that the Port Authority structure is the same as it was in 1979. There has been some superficial work on the exterior, but not a lot has changed. Basically there it was, and there it is, and that is that.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--lAFVqI5dk0/X4HanbwJNqI/AAAAAAACixU/XZVCCGVvX4MTpjx8-Tu3NCWK2wLAedPhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="640" height="380" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--lAFVqI5dk0/X4HanbwJNqI/AAAAAAACixU/XZVCCGVvX4MTpjx8-Tu3NCWK2wLAedPhQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h380/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_4.jpg" title="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Authority Terminal recently (Google Earth).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>One thing that has changed, though, is the parking lot on the southwest corner of the intersection. In 1979, it was just a parking lot. You may not know this unless you drive in the city, but parking has changed a lot in New York City in the last 40 years. And that uncovers a larger truth about NYC.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VbjH2cA_ZTA/X4Han1JvzBI/AAAAAAACixY/TOeHjyaJnxEfAUEcm8YmRcZWaQCgALvUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="640" height="388" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VbjH2cA_ZTA/X4Han1JvzBI/AAAAAAACixY/TOeHjyaJnxEfAUEcm8YmRcZWaQCgALvUgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h388/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_5.jpg" title="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Authority Terminal recently (Google Earth).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Public surface parking lots are disappearing in Manhattan, victims of condo development and growing official disfavor of motor vehicles. Nowadays, getting a private parking spot is considered one of the pricey perks of buying a condo and is very hard to do otherwise. Since the condos themselves have been one of the prime causes of disappearing public lots, this has worked out well for the condo developers.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AcFHSbrocB8/X4HaoNYKmvI/AAAAAAACixc/2BE1vA8IpOI3DdMws0NIqOpS6ye5LJrtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AcFHSbrocB8/X4HaoNYKmvI/AAAAAAACixc/2BE1vA8IpOI3DdMws0NIqOpS6ye5LJrtwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h400/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_6.jpg" title="Port Authority in 1979 randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Authority Terminal recently (Google Earth).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Things have changed drastically regarding parking since the 1979 photo was taken. It used to be that developers were required to provide parking because, you know, the United States was a car culture and people needed their cars. Private developers in much of the city were actually <i>required </i>to provide a parking space for four out of every 10 apartments in their buildings. This led to a lot of land set aside for lots.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7xmoXTxwrpU/X4HaokgMC-I/AAAAAAACixg/eSZX9dg_HB0lAK2K0IeZsUvSagj9ODsAACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Port Authority in randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="640" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7xmoXTxwrpU/X4HaokgMC-I/AAAAAAACixg/eSZX9dg_HB0lAK2K0IeZsUvSagj9ODsAACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_7.jpg" title="Port Authority randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Authority Terminal recently (Google Earth).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>However, this changed completely in 1982, when the city effectively banned new parking lots south of 110th Street. Ever since, the number of parking spaces provided by developers cannot exceed 20 percent of the total number of apartments in buildings from Midtown down to Manhattan’s southern tip. In addition, a 35 percent cap applies to the Upper East and West Sides. So, instead of there being a <i>requirement</i> that a minimum number of parking spots be provided, now there is a <i>limit </i>on how many can be provided. You are not required to provide any at all. That's a big, but subtle, change.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3NEgfuOlD9Q/X4Hao528tII/AAAAAAACixk/tGhTG4xJhgwm7pOImAj5ady_SPqiaP54ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Port Authority in randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="640" height="368" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3NEgfuOlD9Q/X4Hao528tII/AAAAAAACixk/tGhTG4xJhgwm7pOImAj5ady_SPqiaP54ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h368/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_8.jpg" title="Port Authority in randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Authority Terminal recently (Google Earth).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>So, basically, everything has been conspiring against the parking lots that used to dot Manhattan. The city disfavors them, and the condo developers now can offer them as a "special perk" to their clientele - for a price. Believe it or not, some establishments now charge upwards of $200,000 for a parking spot. No more of this "$10 for 10 hours" stuff. You buy a parking spot just like you buy your apartment, and if you don't, you have nowhere to park except wherever you can find a space on the street. Good luck finding one nearby, and then you have to play the "alternate side parking" game and all that.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kEHViuog8ig/X4HapbbiyBI/AAAAAAACixo/3MMc08RZ5M8uwvgkWlCJR1kmGXZoTDSQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Port Authority in randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="640" height="486" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kEHViuog8ig/X4HapbbiyBI/AAAAAAACixo/3MMc08RZ5M8uwvgkWlCJR1kmGXZoTDSQQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h486/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_9.jpg" title="Port Authority in randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Authority Terminal recently (Google Earth).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Anyway, the former parking lot site is now home to the Beer Authority, considered one of the best beer gardens in the city. It's only a two-story building, probably because the property owner long ago sold the air rights to some nearby tower. This is the Garment District, and people like their beers and typical pub fare like chicken wings. There are over 100 beers on draft, in addition to a full bar. Now that's a nice selection! So, if you're a prospective tourist reading this, you may not be able to park your car, but you now can get your fill of beer!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5u4dJdR2AiY/X4HamawCtWI/AAAAAAACixM/vjIs6AgRtAwei1MIGArIQLVdMHoZgrvhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Port Authority in randommusings.filminspector.com" border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="640" height="416" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5u4dJdR2AiY/X4HamawCtWI/AAAAAAACixM/vjIs6AgRtAwei1MIGArIQLVdMHoZgrvhwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h416/Port_Authority_randommusings.filminspector.com_10.jpg" title="Port Authority in randommusings.filminspector.com" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View looking southeast from the Port Authority Terminal recently toward where the original picture was taken in 1979 (Google Earth).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Anyway, the point I'm making is that New York City is a very subtle place. A simple tourist snapshot from the 1970s compared with the current location uncovers some surprising truths about changing life in the city. A missing park lot may seem like small potatoes - but not when it uncovers a much larger and pervasive truth.<div><br /></div><div>Many thanks for visiting! If you like this content, kindly consider visiting some of my other "Then and Now" pages.<br /><div><br /></div><span class="updated">2020</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0