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.

Empire State Building (3)

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A worker atop the Empire State Building in 1931. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library.

The view in 2011:

The caption of the first photo is “Icarus, high up on Empire State.” However, this worker, thankfully, did not have his wings (cable?) melt. Both photos show some of the changes in the area looking north of the Empire State Building, toward the Upper West Side, the Hudson River, and New Jersey beyond it. The only readily-identifiable building from both photos is the large white building in the lower right corner of the 931 photo – it is barely noticeable in the same area of the 2011 photo.

Empire State Building (2)

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A worker atop the Empire State Building in 1931. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library.

The same view in 2011:

These historic photos, which capture the human element of the construction of the Empire State Building, also show how much midtown New York has changed in the past 80 years. One prominent landmark that didn’t even exist in 1931 was the Rockefeller Center, whose construction was just beginning when the first photo was taken. It is now easily visible in the upper center of the 2011 photo.

Empire State Building (1)

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A worker atop the Empire State Building in 1931. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library.

The same view in 2011:

The view from atop the Empire State Building, looking north toward the Upper West Side and the Hudson River. Central Park is seen prominently in the 1931 photo, but it is barely visible 80 years later, as the increasing height of the skyscrapers has all but blocked it from view.

Football at Fenway (2)

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A football game at Fenway Park, sometime between 1947 and 1956. Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library.

The same view in 2006:

As mentioned in my previous post, football was a common occurrence at Fenway Park. However, this photo was taken a couple decades after the other one – a couple telltale signs are the right field bullpens and the light tower, which was not added to Fenway until 1947. I don’t know the exact date of the first photo, or whether this was a college or professional game, but it could be a Boston Yanks game. The Yanks were a short-lived NFL team that played at Fenway Park from 1944 to 1948, which would put it within the time frame of the first photo, and the scoreboard above the bleachers has “Boston” and “Visitor” as the two teams, which suggests this was a professional team that regularly played home games here.

Football at Fenway (1)

January 23, 2016January 1, 2014 by Derek Strahan

Fenway Park, hosting a football game in 1934. Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library.

The same scene in 2007:

Football at Fenway may seem strange today, but the park was home to several professional football teams, including the Boston Redskins from 1933-1936, and the Boston Patriots from 1963-1968. The top photo was taken during the Redskins’ time at Fenway, but the game in the photo is actually a high school game – Dorchester High against Mechanical Arts High, on October 12, 1934.

The second photo also shows a lower-level team playing on a major league field – here, the Pawtucket Red Sox are warming up prior to its 2007 Futures at Fenway game. In many ways, Fenway Park is still very much the same as it was in the 1930’s, but one obvious difference is the lack of lights – Fenway would be the second to last MLB park to get lights, in 1947. Another change is the fact that the Green Monster was not yet green, and instead was covered in advertisements. Today, the green color is there, but as of late it has slowly been getting re-covered in ads, as seen in the 2007 photo.

View from Bunker Hill Monument, Boston (5)

September 11, 2024January 1, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The view from the Bunker Hill Monument, sometime between the 1860s and 1880s. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library.

The view in 2024:

This view is zoomed in on the Boston Navy Yard, and some of the buildings are easily identifiable in both – in fact, all four of the visible shipyard buildings in the 2010 photo are also in the first photo. Further away, in East Boston, much of the land in the 2024 is new – the harbor was filled in to create Logan International Airport. One of the runways is barely visible in the upper center.

In the navy yard, the ship visible on the far right of the 2010 photo is the World War II-era destroyer USS Cassin Young. It contrasts sharply to the wooden sailing ship in the first photo, which I believe is the USS Ohio, a ship of the line built in 1820. By the time this photo was taken, she was being used as a receiving ship. The Ohio was in Boston from 1850 until 1883, when she was sold and burned for scrap metal.