Derek Strahan

Aside from running the Lost New England blog, Derek Strahan is the author of two books: Lost Springfield, Massachusetts and New England Then and Now, along with being the host of the Western Mass History podcast. Derek is a graduate of Westfield State University, with degrees in English and Regional Planning, and he currently works as a land use and environment planner in Western Massachusetts. Derek also serves on the board of directors of the Springfield Preservation Trust, and he lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife Melissa and their two sons.

Grand Central Terminal, New York

March 31, 2019January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

Grand Central Depot in 1871. Image courtesy of New York Public Library.

The newly reconstructed Grand Central Station around 1900. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The present-day Grand Central Terminal in 2019:

The three photos show the three different versions of the railroad station on 42nd Street. Originally built in 1871 and named Grand Central Depot, it was a joint effort between three New York railroads, hence the term “grand central.” It was extensively rebuilt from 1899 to 1900, as shown in the second photo, but it didn’t last for long. Starting in 1903, it was demolished in stages and replaced with the current structure, which was completed in 1913. This building itself was threatened in the 1960s – it was designed to be able to support the weight of a tower above it, and several proposals were considered, one of which would have kept the original structure, while stripping it of most of its historic significance. Ultimately, the city declared the building a landmark, thus preventing it from being altered or demolished.

Cy Young at Huntington Avenue Grounds, Boston

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

Cy Young, warming up at Boston’s Huntington Avenue Grounds in 1908. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Bain Collection.

The scene in 2014:

Finding the precise location of this photo is tricky, since nothing in the 1908 photo still exists. The top photo was taken of Cy Young, the winningest pitcher in baseball history, during his last year with the Red Sox. At the time, the Sox played a few blocks south of what would become Fenway Park, at the Huntington Avenue Grounds.

The site of the field is today part of the Northeastern University campus, and in this courtyard is a tribute to Cy Young and the old baseball field. In the foreground is a granite home plate marker, and 60 feet away in the distance is a statue of Cy Young. The Cy Young statue is on the approximate location of the pitcher’s mound (which can be seen behind and to the left of Cy Young in the 1908 photo), but home plate would have actually been further to the right of where the 2014 photo was taken (which is now a building).

Because of that, it is likely that the 2014 photo was taken from approximately the same location, looking in roughly the same direction, as the 1908 photo, although the lack of any landmarks makes it difficult to be exact.

Robbins Reef Light, New York Harbor

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

Robbins Reef Light in New York Harbor, in 1951. Photo courtesy of United States Coast Guard.

The lighthouse in 2012:

Built in 1883 to replace an earlier structure, Robbins Reef Light is situated in New York Harbor, near the route of the Staten Island Ferry, which is where the second photo was taken. Now deactivated, the lighthouse has clearly seen better days, especially when compared to the 1951 photo. However, in 2011 it was sold to a museum in order to preserve the historic lighthouse.

Empire State Building (6)

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The view of the upper east side of Manhattan from the top of the Empire State Building in 1932. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Gottscho-Schleisner Collection.

The same view in 2011:

Quite a lot has changed in the Manhattan skyline since 1932 – the two photos show the contrast between the early 20th century skyscrapers, which were mandated to have step-like setbacks, and the sleek, box-like modern skyscrapers of 2011. However, many of the old skyscrapers survive today, especially in the foreground. The most prominent in the 1932 picture, the Chrysler Building, is still easily seen from the Empire State Building today, although today it is more its distinctive spire, rather than its height alone, that sets it apart from the rest.

Empire State Building (5)

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The view looking west from the Empire State Building in 1951. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library.

The scene in 2011:

There hasn’t been an incredible amount of change in the past 60 years in this small wedge of Manhattan, but one notable building that no longer exists is Penn Station, seen in the upper left of the 1951 photo. The above-ground part of the historic station was demolished in 1963 and replaced with Madison Square Garden, which is barely visible in the 2011 photo – the round building immediately to the left of the tall black skyscraper.

Empire State Building (4)

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A worker atop the Empire State Building in 1931. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

The view in 2011:

Probably the most famous photo of the construction of the Empire State Building (and not to be confused with the staged photo of construction workers eating lunch on a beam atop the Rockefeller Center), one of the most dramatic elements of this photo is the contrast between the old worker and the new progress of the Empire State Building. Also interesting about it is the Chrysler Building, which had previously been the tallest building in the world, now looking small and insignificant in the shadow of the new title holder.