Street Scenes

Mulberry Bend, New York City

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Mulberry Bend, around 1896. Photo from Out of Mulberry Street: Stories of Tenement Life in New York City by Jacob Riis.

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The same view in 2014:

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Throughout much of the 19th century, the Five Points neighborhood of Manhattan was one of the worst slums in the United States.  At the heart of it was Mulberry Bend, named after the curve in Mulberry Street which is visible in the two photos.  In part because of the work of social reformers like Jacob Riis, efforts began at the end of the century to clear out the worst of the slums and tenements.  Shortly after the first photo was taken, the tenements on the left were demolished, and replaced by Columbus Park.  Several of the buildings on the left survive, though, and are now a part of Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood.

This photo was taken just south of the intersection of Mulberry and modern-day Mosco Streets, just north of where this photo was taken a few years later.  If the photographer in that photo had turned left, this is approximately the view that he would have looking up Mulberry.

Times Square (3)

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A view of Times Square around 1908. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

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The same scene in 2014:

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One more view of Times Square; the 1905 photo shows the Hotel Astor, which was opened in 1904 and lasted until 1967, when it was replaced by the building on the right, the one prominently advertising The Lion King.

Times Square (2)

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Times Square in New York City, around 1905. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

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Times Square in 2014:

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The only building that is readily visible in both photos is the New York Times Building, which gives some kind of scale to show the amount of development that has occurred in the past 100+ years.  Hiding behind a variety of electronic billboards, the building is still there, and has not changed in height.  It’s hard to tell, but in the 2014 photo the top of the building is right around the bottom of the Toshiba sign.  In 1905, the building towered over the rest of the square; today, it is barely noticeable among the much taller skyscrapers that now front Times Square.

New York Times Building Under Construction

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The Times Square Building as it appeared during its construction, around 1904. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

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The building in 2014:

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As mentioned in this post, the New York Times Building is literally a shell of its former self.  Because of its narrow dimensions, it is more profitable to rent out the outside of the billboards, than to rent out the interior for offices.  Today, only the ground floor is used; as of 2014, it was the home to a Walgreens.  It looks completely different from the 1904 photo; it wasn’t even completed, and it still easily towered over its surroundings at Times Square.  Both the building and the square were named after the New York Times, and although the paper moved to a new location in 1913, the name stuck.

Metropolitan Opera House, New York City

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The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, around 1905. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

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The scene in 2014:

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Located diagonally across from the Casino Theatre, the Metropolitan Opera House was opened in 1883, along Broadway between 39th and 40th Streets.  It closed in 1966, and was replaced by the current office building.  Notice the New York Times Building a few blocks away – it’s still there, but is completely overshadowed by the buildings around it, as well as by its own billboards, which cover almost the entire facade.

Mott Street, New York City

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Mott Street in Chinatown, around 1905. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

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The street in 2014:

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From this angle, not much has changed on Mott Street, looking north from Chatham Square.  Almost all of the buildings on the left (west) side are still there, including probably the oldest building in the photo, the Church of the Transfiguration, which was built in 1801 and has served as the building for a variety of different denominations for a variety of immigrant groups.  Today, it is a Roman Catholic church with a predominantly Chinese congregation.