Years Archives - Page 370 of 390

Lower Manhattan (2)

January 26, 2016February 8, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The view of Manhattan from New York Harbor, around 1913-1920. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

A similar view in 2012:

There’s a lot going on in the first photo. New York City has always been a busy port, but it was especially so in the early 20th century. The top photo shows three major ships – the two battleships, and the passenger liner to the right. In addition, there are several US Navy torpedo boats visible.

The two battleships are two of the five Virginia-class battleships, which were built by the US Navy between 1905 and 1906. By the time this photo had been taken, they had already been rendered obsolete by new advances in battleship design, but they remained in commission until 1920, and were scrapped or sunk as target ships by 1923. As for the ocean liner, it is German, as evidenced by the flag on the stern, but I don’t know its exact identity. The 2012 photo, on the other hand, shows the type of shipping that is most common today. New York is no longer a destination for trans-Atlantic ocean liner traffic, nor is it a major military base, but today it is a major port for container ships, such as the Charles Island that is seen in the photo.

New York’s skyline has obviously changed in the past 100 years, although a few landmarks are still visible. the angle isn’t exact between the two photos – the 2012 one was taken slightly to the east of the first one, but they show the same general view. Both photos show the Whitehall Building, which is fairly prominent in the first photo, just above the stern of the lead battleship. Today, its distinctive shape is still visible, just above the middle section of the container ship. Another major building in the first photo is the Singer Building, seen just behind and to the left of the Whitehall Building. It was demolished in 1967 to make way for the far less architecturally significant One Liberty Plaza, which is the large, black, rectangular building just above she ship’s bridge. Also in the 2012 photo is the new World Trade Center. At the time that the photo was taken, the two tallest buildings were still under construction.

Corner of Main & State Streets, Springfield

January 24, 2016January 13, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The northeast corner of Main and State in Springfield, sometime in the 19th century. Photo from Picturesque Hampden (1892).

The same location, around 1892. Photo from Picturesque Hampden (1892).

The corner in 2014:

Many of these Springfield street scenes follow a predictable pattern over the past 150 years or so – first, a pre-Civil War Federal style commercial block, followed by a larger, more ornate building in the latter part of the 19th century, and finally some sort of modern, 20th century structure. In this case, we clearly see all three generations of commercial development at the corner of Main and State, culminating with the MassMutual Center of the 1970s. Of particular interest is the building in the second photo – above the entrance is a sign that reads “G. & C. Merriam & Co Publishers,” the publishers of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Today, the company is still headquartered in Springfield, just up the hill on Federal Street. See this post and this post for a few other angles of the neighborhood that is now the MassMutual Center.

Chicopee Bank Building, Springfield

January 24, 2016January 12, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The Chicopee Bank Building, at the corner of Main and Elm, sometime before 1889. Photo from Springfield Present and Prospective (1905).

The same location, between 1889 and 1895. Photo courtesy of James Ward Birchall Collection.

The scene in 2014:

The original building was built in 1835, at the same time as the other three-story commercial buildings on and around Court Square. It was demolished in 1889 and replaced by the current structure, which survives with minimal changes. The building to the left, however, has been trimmed down in height. On the other side, along Elm Street, the 1835 Byers Block survives as a remnant of what the old Chicopee Bank building once looked like.

Corner of Dwight and Sanford Streets, Springfield

January 24, 2016January 12, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The building that once stood at the corner of Dwight and Sanford Streets. Photo from Springfield Present and Prospective (1905).

The location in 2014:

As seen in today’s photo, the buildings in the first photo don’t exist anymore, and in fact neither does the street on the right, Sanford Street. The first photo shows two different 17th century houses: the old Nathaniel Ely Tavern in the foreground, built in 1660, and the Margaret Bliss House just beyond it, built around 1695. Obviously both buildings are long gone. I don’t know when they were demolished, but it is safe to say they were gone before the MassMutual Center was built in the 1970’s.

Court Square, Springfield (6)

January 24, 2016January 12, 2014 by Derek Strahan

Springfield’s Court Square, sometime in the 1880s or earlier. Photo from Springfield Present and Prospective (1905).

The scene in the 1890s. Photo from Our County and Its People: A History of Hampden County, Massachusetts (1902).

The scene in 2014:

The three photos show the progression of the appearance of Court Square in the past 125+ years. In the first photo, the buildings along Elm Street are all 1830’s-era three story commercial buildings, most of which were replaced by the Court Square Theater in 1892, which can be seen in the second photo, a rare view of the building before the 1900 expansion on the right side. That is essentially the only change between the second photo and today’s scene – not much has changed with the four major buildings in this angle. One notable survivor on the far left is the Byers Block, which was built in 1835 and is the last remaining part of the Elm Street commercial blocks from the first photo. Wedged in between two much larger late 19th century building, it is the oldest surviving commercial building in the city, although not the oldest building in the photo – Old First Church on the far right dates to 1819.

Monson Academy, Monson, Mass.

January 24, 2016January 12, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The old Monson Academy building, prior to the 1880s. Photo from Our County and Its People: A History of Hampden County, Massachusetts (1902).

The second Monson Academy building, probably around 1900. Photo from Our County and Its People: A History of Hampden County, Massachusetts (1902).

The same site in 2010:

And one year later, following the June 1, 2011 tornado:

Monson Academy was founded in 1804, when the building in the first photo was built. It served as the main building until 1886, when it was destroyed in a fire. It was replaced by the building in the second photo, which also burned, in 1953. Finally, in 1961, the building in the last two photos, Harper Gumnasium, was built on the site. Barely visible to the right of the Harper Gymnasium is the much-older Holmes Gymnasium, which was built in 1900. Both buildings were destroyed by the June 1, 2011 tornado, and were demolished the following year.