Detroit Publishing Company

State Street from Walnut Street, Springfield Mass

by

The view looking east on State Street from the corner of State & Walnut, between 1900 and 1910. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

210_1900-1910-loc.tif

The same view in 2014:

210_2014

This was once a common scene in the towns and cities of New England: streets lined with stately elms that formed almost a tunnel over the road with their branches.  However, within a few decades of the first photo being taken, most of the large elms in the northeast, and eventually the entire country, were wiped out by Dutch Elm Disease.  Today, flora aside, a trip down State Street is very different from a century ago; instead of single-family homes, the road is fronted primarily by apartment buildings and commercial developments, although the buildings on the far left that once made up part of the Springfield Armory are still there.

Springfield Public Library, Springfield Mass (3)

by

The newly-completed Springfield Public Library, around 1912. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

219_1912c-loc.tif

The building in 2014:

219_2014

Springfield’s current main branch of the public library system was opened on January 10, 1912, which is probably around the time that the first photo was taken. The Library of Congress data indicates that it was taken between 1900 and 1910, but obviously that is not the case. Regardless, not much has changed with this view, although the foreground is now a parking lot; in 1912, it was the front lawn of the Church of the Unity.

Springfield Public Library, Springfield Mass (2)

by

Springfield Public Library, around 1900-1910. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

218_1900-1910-loc.tif

The same view in 2014:

218_2014

Another view of the old library, which was built in 1871 and moved around 1910 in preparation for the construction of the new library, which sits on the same spot today.

Springfield Public Library, Springfield Mass (1)

by

The Springfield Public Library, around 1900-1905. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

217_1900-1905-loc

The same scene in 2024:

Springfield’s first public library opened in 1871, on State Street just up the hill from Chestnut Street.  However, it didn’t take long to outgrow the building, and in 1905 Andrew Carnegie donated money to Springfield to build a new main library and several branch libraries.  The library needed to stay open during construction, so the old building was moved back and the new building was built in its spot. It was dedicated on January 10, 1912, and the old library building was subsequently demolished.

Times Square (3)

by

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

202_1905c-loc

The same scene in 2014:

202_2014

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)

by

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

203_1908c-loc

Times Square in 2014:

203_2014

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.