Incredible ‘then and now’ images uncover New York in its infancy – before the World Trade Center replaced ‘bustling immigrant enclave’ of Little Syria and Times Square was overrun with LED ads and tourists
A fascinating new book reveals just how little or how much change New York has endured over the past century, with black and white images juxtaposed with today’s photos.
Jamie McDonald, the author of New York City Yesterday and Today, sifted through hundreds of photographs taken mostly for the IRS between 1930 and 1940 in an effort to document virtually every piece of real estate in the city’s five boroughs; Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.
He notes in the introduction that at one point “nearly 1,000 employees were working on the project, mostly auditors and bookkeepers… (but) only 32 photographers took the pictures.”
One area that has evolved somewhat thanks to the invention of LED screens is the north triangle of Times Square, known as Duffy Square. McDonald writes of how signage has changed in the area: “Neon and incandescent light bulbs were replaced by video screens and fiber optics. Coca-Cola still has a place here, for decades.’
Another startling contrast can be seen if you compare an image of the World Trade Center Complex with the “Little Syria” neighborhood that used to exist there. McDonald says it now has “almost nothing to show from its busy days as an immigrant enclave.”
Take a walk down below and see how the Big Apple has changed over time, with many remnants of the past still intact, and others long lost due to architectural and technological innovation…
224-228 WEST 47TH STREET, HOTEL EDISON, MANHATTAN: The uptown Hotel Edison remains open to this day, and McDonald reveals that when it opened in 1931 “his namesake, inventor Thomas Edison, was there to solemnly turn on the lights.” doing’
200 WEST 47TH STREET, PATRICK DUFFY SQUARE, MANHATTAN: One series of photos captures Times Square’s northern triangle, known as Duffy Square. The previous building, says McDonald, “housed several offices, many of which focused on the entertainment sector,” while a new office building was built in 2008. With the new building, “neon and incandescent lights were replaced by video screens and fiber optics,” but Coca-Cola still has a place here, “after decades”
228 WEST 52ND STREET, GALLAGHER’S STEAKHOUSE, MANHATTAN: Opened in 1927, Gallagher’s is considered by McDonald to be a “quintessential New York City steakhouse.” He reveals that it originally served as a speakeasy conceived by vaudeville performer Ed Gallagher and his wife, Ziegfeld girl Helen Gallagher, along with gambler Jack Solomon. The venue can also “claim to be the first place to serve a New York strip – a premium cut of beef on the loin”
193 GREENWICH STREET, WORLD TRADE CENTER DISTRICT, MANHATTAN: The neighborhood known as Little Syria, now home to the World Trade Center complex, “has almost nothing to show from its busy days as an immigrant enclave,” says McDonald. The photos above show another angle of the same area near 191 Greenwich Street
146-150 ORCHARD STREET, MANHATTAN: This black-and-white photo of Orchard Street, says McDonald, “shows how much the Lower East Side was a melting pot, not only in terms of ethnicity but also in terms of goods and services”
19 PELL STREET, MON HING CO., MANHATTAN: At the time this tax photo was taken, McDonald reveals that 19 Pell was a local restaurant supplier. In the early 1900s, however, the apartments above housed “quite a few unsavory characters,” including “suspected Chinese gang members,” and “at least one” murder took place outside. Fortunately, “the only haircut going on here today” is in the barbershop on the first floor
2 WHITE STREET, THE GIDEON TUCKER HOUSE, MANHATTAN: This scene in Tribeca remains virtually unchanged. McDonald reveals that the listed “Federal Style House” was built in 1809 by Gideon Tucker – a city alderman and owner of a plaster factory on the same site – for his family. He adds that over the centuries “a multitude of shops and businesses have been here…including a barber shop, restaurant and cigar shop”
1216 SURF AVENUE, WORLD CIRCUS SIDE SHOW, BROOKLYN: This establishment, McDonald writes, “gave Coney Island its own signature sideshow along the lines of traveling country carnivals and PT Barnum.” He continues: ‘Created by “Professor” Samuel Wagner, the World Circus Side Show was long-lived, operating from 1922 to 1941. Many of the stars of the World Circus Side Show are well known even today, including Pip and Zip (the Pinheads), Prince Randian (the human torso) and Lady Olga (the bearded lady)’
1005, 999, 997 CASTLETON AVENUE, STATEN ISLAND: This row of buildings in West Brighton, Staten Island, “appears to have once been a bustling shopping spot,” McDonald notes, but not today with the stores long closed
42 REID AVENUE, G. CAIOZZO CANDY STORE, STATEN ISLAND: This building in South Beach, Staten Island, has been modified several times over the decades, the current owners say. McDonald tells readers to look at the more recent photo and “look for the center roofline above the Royal Deli & Grill sign to see the original building.” He adds: ‘Note also that the wooden front porch and gravel road have been replaced with a concrete sidewalk and street’
2007 CORNELL AVENUE, CLASON POINT, THE BRONX: McDonald says of this unusual Bronx structure, “After being used as a barge, this ship was landworthy and became a home. Thanks to the lax city and building codes of the time, these types of structures could have been more improvised. For example, tar paper huts and even tents were still used as homes and shops well into the middle of the 20th century.’
203 EAST 29TH STREET, LOG HOUSE AND BRICK CARRIAGE, MANHATTAN: This log home is one of the last remaining structures of its kind in the city, McDonald reveals. He says little is known about its history or why it was built, and “you guess it was a small farm with an orchard.” Even its age is a matter of debate, with estimates ranging from 1747 to 1845