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The Duchess of Dallas: 1920
... even the Charleston, to the music of Jimmie Joy's Baker Hotel Orchestra as well as Jack and Fred Gardners' Orchestras, all early 1920's ... in San Antonio, she would have danced at the St. Anthony Hotel (still in business today) to the same bands because they played in both ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/18/2018 - 1:10pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Miss Inez Thomas of Dallas, Texas." Who represented her city as the Duchess of Dallas at the 1916 San Antonio Fiesta. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Texas bellesMy husband used to travel a lot for business, and he always said the most beautiful women were in Dallas. Aye for "Pretty Girls"The votes are in, Dave. I think Miss Thomas deserves elevation to the revered "Pretty Girls" category. [Consider her elevated. - Dave] That Look!Can't decide if it's "come hither" or "touch me and you'll be crippled for life." Everything about her screams "1920s" and she's gorgeous. The Eyes Have ItI wonder if they're blue or maybe hazel. Either way I say hubba hubba. Reservation for oneI'll bet the "Duchess" dined out on that for years. Dallas women haven't changed much in the last century. From what I heard...that's not all she did at the 1916 San Antonio Fiesta! Shades of 1977Miss Thomas reminds me of Donna Pescow when she played the girl who couldn't win the heart of John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever". WOW! Just one word, WOW! A very pretty woman. Pretty eyes, nice full lips, what's not to like? An air of mystery about her, for sure. **sigh** Knows her nosePortrait of one fine-looking Texan, made all the more so by her (or the fotog's) realization that a slight tilt up minimizes the effect of a generously-sized nose. Note the focal point is right at her irises; everything else is soft. Oh, to be the Duke to such a Duchess. "Another ladle of Tex-Mex chili to go with your Pearls lager, m'lady?" Flawless BeautyNo unnatural "pillow-lips" or plastic enhancements, dressed in elegant attire and probably a Neiman-Marcus customer (if it was there in 1916). For those who think that all "flyover country" is full of hicks and rubes, I can assure you that lots of the most beautiful people on the planet exist in between the two coasts. They just aren't heavily promoted. Top Ten!I would put her in the running for Shorpy's top ten females. Guardian angleThat pose can be used to minimize an alarming nose. Elegance beyond comparison!!!Neiman-Marcus was founded in 1907 and I'm certain this gorgeous and elegant lady was a valued and regular patron! I'm sure she danced fox trots and waltzes, maybe even the Charleston, to the music of Jimmie Joy's Baker Hotel Orchestra as well as Jack and Fred Gardners' Orchestras, all early 1920's graduates of the University of Texas. While she was in San Antonio, she would have danced at the St. Anthony Hotel (still in business today) to the same bands because they played in both venues with the names of the hotels changed where appropriate. I have many of their mid-20's jazz records. The Duchess of DallasHits the blogosphere in the Dallas Observer: According to the Texas History experts over at the Dallas Public Library, Miss Thomas was a student at St. Mary's in 1908 and attended Fairmont Seminary in Washington, D.C. This photo appears to have been taken in our nation's capital, probably when Miss Thomas returned for alumnae events. She went on to marry one J. William Rubush in 1926, though her husband seems to have shot himself in 1948. A quick glance over at The Dallas Morning News historical archive suggests that she remarried a man named Schubert and died herself in 1978, living at an address on Lomo Alto Drive not far from our very own Unfair Park headquarters. Not a completely charmed lifeInez Thomas Rubush Schubert was born Sept. 29, 1893, and died July 23, 1974. Her father made a large financial contribution to the San Antonio Fiesta in 1916, which is what got her the "Duchess" title. A graduate of Fairmont Seminary In Washington, D.C., she returned to Dallas and married her first husband, Joseph Rubush, in 1926. He committed suicide in 1948; she later married a Mr. Schubert. Mystique and classSimply gawjus. Dallas Doozies!I lived in Dallas (Addison suburb) for a year in the mid 80's. It seemed that everytime I stopped at a light on my daily commute and took a second or two to glance around, I always saw one or two gorgeous women drivers. I have visited the area many times since, and I have to say Big D would get my vote for the most beautiful women in the nation. Photo induced nose enlargingI think the camera has enlarged her nose a bit, as happens very often on closeups, even with modern cameras. I think she had a gorgeous nose, and would love to see a profile of her! Profiles were very popular in those days, and the greatest beauties in the movies usually had fairly prominent, "shapely" noses. Nose enlargingRe noelani's comment below, the facial distortions you often see in amateur close-ups are the result of a wide-angle lens. Be sure to step back and zoom in when taking a shot of your sweetie! This is why professional portrait photographers use a medium or long focal length lens. Or used to, since weirdifying faces is sort of a style in and of itself these days. She's a wholesome beauty.What a beauty! (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Portraits, Pretty Girls)
Stardust Memories: 1964
... Funny thing is... ...compared to today's gargantuan hotel/casinos, this looks like a fancy strip mall. Googie! The Stardust ... 
 
Posted by rsyung - 06/26/2015 - 10:17pm -

Taken by my dad in Las Vegas, June 1964. 35mm Kodachrome. View full size. ESQUIVEL!My all-time favorite space-age bachelor pad music hero is on the bill and that almost made me giddy. Fords and Chevys and Caddys, Oh My What a great illustration of good old American iron. We started the family garage business in 1962 and I probably worked on most of those as a teenager helping my dad and learning the business. Vintage carsOh my... just look at that parking lot of vintage cars. What I wouldn't give to have those in my garage. The cars of my youthWe will not see their like again. Trending nowSpike in google searches for the De Castro Sisters and Esquivel! Mixed memories of old ironIn the desert, these beauties wouldn't rust out in 5 years or so like they did here in the Midwest. But these are most likely out of towners for the most part. I lovingly, painstakingly patched and filled the rust on my secondhand '62 Bel Air, gave it SS trim, dual exhausts and '67 Chevy bucket seats and console, then smashed its primer-coated hulk in a car wreck in 1970. Gone at age 59This dazzling casino was built in 1958 at the pinnacle of space age enthusiasm when Sputnik (1957) was newly launched and all the world was reaching for the stars. The decor and architecture proclaimed everyone's fascination with outer space and inter-planetary exploration and when all lit up at night, this moving, twinkling light display was hypnotic. It was one of the many casinos frequented by Sinatra's rat pack and was used to film the Robert DeNiro movie "Casino". Not only were the cars, decorative signage and motifs unique to that era but people really did feel optimistic and hopeful, looking forward to a great and prosperous future. Alas, by 2007 it was being demolished as obsolete, dated and shabby. To me it represented the best of times but for people of other ages, it may mean something different. I'm pretty sure that the phenomena of "happening only once in a lifetime", like many things in life, makes those memories special to hold on to. This picture was taken when the casino was just 6 yrs. old. Not just American IronA lowly, lovely, pastel blue VW bug lurks in this photo. Betcha!I'd wager that my aunt and uncle are inside there somewhere. They drove a Caddy and gambling in Vegas was their favorite pastime. They both were in the CIA so I can only guess where they got their gambling money! LOL De Castro Sisters got their big breakAs a hobby, I sell vinyl records at local record shows. An older customer came up to me once looking for the song "Teach Me Tonight" (1954) a big hit by the De Castro Sisters that he had been looking for for years. But he only wanted it on a 78rpm record version. Just so happened I had brought a separate box of 78's that had a copy of the record in it. He was ecstatic and bought it right away, thanking me profusely. I saw him later in the show, asked him how he was doing and he told me that he had taken the record out to his car, placed it on his front seat to drive out to lunch, opened the car door, got in, forgot the record was there and sat on it - broken into a hundred pieces. I sympathized with him and told him he'd find another copy in 20-30 years. Funny thing is......compared to today's gargantuan hotel/casinos, this looks like a fancy strip mall. Googie!The Stardust appears to be from the commercial architectural school of design known as "Googie", which originated in 1950s Southern California with the styling of coffee shops and fast food outlets. It was all about The Space Age. For someone born in 1950, the car lot is a feast for the eyes. My favorite is the 1961/1962 cream Continental hardtop, a design that is still fresh today - look at the current Roller. The Rambler and the FalconThe owners of the "economical" cars in the parking lot could be at The Stardust for the 99 cent buffet....yum. Station wagonsI always wondered what happen to station wagons. My family had several during the '50s & '60s. They seem like a useful design- better than SUVs that seem to have replace them. The Vanishing WagonIn the days before federal fuel mileage standards, almost every car model had a wagon in the lineup, from the VW Squareback to the Buick Roadmaster. Because those mileage limits applied to cars but not to trucks, manufacturers determined that they could best get their fleet averages under the limit by discontinuing wagons and building more trucks and SUV's for people who want to carry more than what a sedan's trunk will hold. This is called the "law of unintended consequences" and it trumps every law on the books, every time it's tested. [It was the minivan, not the SUV, that did in the station wagon. - Dave] Got here in a C-47As a USAF ROTC cadet at the University of Arizona, along with a bunch of other boys, I was dumped here at the Stardust for an afternoon by the base bus from Nellis AFB (we had flown up from Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, in a veteran C-47 as part of a practical exercise). That was in early 1963, a little more than a year before this picture was taken. Although I was only 18, being in a brand-new, well fitting Class A blue uniform must have made me look grown up. At any rate, no one kicked me out of the casino and I made $12 in silver dollars at the slots. At the time, back in Tucson, I had a ’62 Chevy Impala 2-door hardtop SS 409, 380 hp (one 4-bbl carb), 4-speed, not unlike at least one of the cars in the photo. Coincidence?We just returned from Las Vegas today. It was 113F in the shade. This is old Las Vegas, quite different from the Las Vegas of today but one thing in common - a lot of high hopes and broken dreams. I found a few clips of Esquivel, and Delworthio is right. They sound like something Major Don West of Lost in Space would listen to in his pad. Got here in a C-47As a USAF ROTC cadet at the University of Arizona, along with a bunch of other boys, I was dumped here at the Stardust for an afternoon by the base bus from Nellis AFB (we had flown up from Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, in a veteran C-47 as part of a practical exercise). That was in early 1963, a little more than a year before this picture was taken. Although I was only 18, being in a brand-new, well fitting Class A blue uniform must have made me look grown up. At any rate, no one kicked me out of the casino and I made $12 in silver dollars at the slots. At the time, back in Tucson, I had a ’62 Chevy Impala 2-door hardtop SS 409, 380 hp (one 4-bbl carb), 4-speed, not unlike at least one of the cars in the photo. Pick of the crop . . .If I could pick one of the cars in this remarkable photo to have, it would be the 1961 gold-and-white T-Bird. That red two-door Chevy is also a beauty. Dream CarsI would take the 59 Chevy, hands down. Nice1959 Pontiac convertible hiding behind the '61 Falcon wagon to the right of the snap. Where is it now? You'se read my mind!All the classic car comments were right out of my head! Today, this parking lot would be worth a cool couple million! HoneymoonMy wife and I honeymooned at the Riviera, across the street from the Stardust, in October of 1959. When I took my new bride to the Lido de Paris she was blown away by the nudity. Almost too much for the small country farm Texas girl. Could not understand how the girls could keep the strategically-placed flowers in place. I suggested glue. The old Rivera is gone, so is the old Startdust and most of the culture that made Las Vegas of the 1950s. We lived in Las Vegas from June 2000 through August 2005 and things were a lot different. My car at that time was a 1958 Chrysler Newport 4-door hard top painted in three colors with fins so high I occasionally though some was on my bumper. The marqueeStardust photos are usually easy to date because the year was on the marquee most of the time through the 50s-70s. Not so in '64, so it's nice to see an accurate date with the photo. They still make wagonsThe wagon lives on in the car catalog under its new name: the crossover. "Station wagon" is a dated term that conjures images of, well, you know what a station wagon looks like. "Crossover" is hip and new, even though its literally the same thing as a station wagon, but styled to look like its SUV big brother. Mercury Colony Park wagonThe standout in this shot is the light blue Mercury late fifties Colony Park four-door hardtop wagon. The style was derived from a 1956 Ford show car that foresaw high-speed turnpike cruising in comfort on the new Eisenhower Interstate Highways which, by the way, were the most successful government stimulus program in history. And since the government, meaning American citizens, financed and built it, there have been no, zero, tolls on the interstates since they were built. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
A Handsome Couple: 1915
... After performance he walks from the theater to his hotel, where he repeats the morning exercise. These followed by a hot bath and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/09/2018 - 5:34pm -

Circa 1915. "Couple at champagne supper." Anyone recognize their uncle here? 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. My uncledidn't wear that much eyeliner. Uncle?Yeah, he's the guy in drag. If that's my uncle... that sure isn't my aunt! I don't know about my unclebut that "lady" looks a lot like Michael Jackson. Uncle, Nobut maybe Charley's aunt. Every Inch a LadyThe lady looks like Julian Eltinge (1881-1941), probably the most popular female impersonator in American history. After the success of his performance in "A Fascinating Widow," Broadway producer A.H. Woods built him the Eltinge Theatre on 42nd Street, still in business as the AMC Building. Julian from EdinburghI am so glad someone has suggested that the photo is of a female impersonator (and a namesake no less!) Stupidly, it never occurred to me that this might be the case. I just thought that she was, in the words of my Grandma, "blessed in less obvious ways." Bob's your uncleOr Roberta, as he liked to be called at Champagne suppers. Types of American Women Washington Post, Feb 9, 1913 Couldn't Fool Vienna Several years ago, before he began starring in "The Fascinating Widow," and while touring the world as a "headliner," Julian Eltinge played an engagement in Vienna, and received in that city what he claims to be his greatest and queerest compliment. Eltinge's act was entitled "Types of American Women," and during the course of his exhibition he presented four dazzling pictures of femininity. At the end of his performance the famous impersonator pulled off his wig and walked off the stage. The next day the leading newspaper of Vienna came out with a "roast" on the act. The heading was "The Latest American Bunk." The article said, in part: "A woman with closely cropped hair sings two or three ditties, pulls of her wig, and then struts off the stage like a man, trying to make you believe her a female impersonator. She is not. This is merely another clever American 'bunk.'" Washington Post, Oct 11, 1914 Want to Keep Thin? Eltinge Tells How Of all the dire worries that confront an actor in the line of his stage-craft that of taking on a pound or two of weight is probably the least. Yet with Julian Eltinge, star of "The Crinoline Girl," the fear lest his figure grow the least bit stouter is his bete noir. With Eltinge's productions almost everything depends upon his ability to wear his gowns with all and more than the grace of a woman. So, to keep his figure in perfect trim, he wages a constant battle against adipose tissue. In the ten years that he has been on the stage, he has reduced his weight warfare to a science. In the first place he eats no starch foods whatever, such as wheat bread, potatoes, and sugar, or such fatty foods as fat meat, butter, and foods prepared with lard. Nor does he ever touch a drop of alcoholic stimulant, one of the greatest fatteners. Every morning when he arises he takes a cold shower. Than for half an hour he takes stooping and bending exercises, winding up with work on an "exerciser." He eats a very light breakfast. An hour after breakfast he walks for 5 miles. Then follows a light luncheon. Two hours after luncheon he spars for an hour with a professional boxer; after which he takes a cold plunge. His dinner might be termed moderate. After performance he walks from the theater to his hotel, where he repeats the morning exercise. These followed by a hot bath and then to bed. In eight years he has not varied this routine. As a result, Eltinge is far more lithe and graceful than he was a decade ago, and last year's gowns he finds fit him quite as well as those made for him yesterday. Washington Post, Oct 25, 1914 Laughter Lures to Theaters This Week There are many female impersonators and there is Julian Eltinge. But Mr. Eltinge prefers to be known as an "interpreter" of feminine roles. The success with which he impersonates warrants his being a big captious. So he shall be designated as an interpreter of femininity in his new play, "The Crinoline Girl," which returns to the Columbia tomorrow night. Unlike "The Fascinating Widow," the new entertainment is not a musical comedy, but a "dramatic farce with songs." Pancake dinnerThe makeup looks like it was applied with a crop duster! Okay, if you say soI believe I prefer the "Daddy's Back" lady a few panels earlier. Please tellme that they are in stage makeup or something. Otherwise . And that sure looks like a man trying to pass himself off as a woman. I mean the one in the hat so there is no mistaking. YikesWhat's with the makeup on both of them? - and yeah - that might be my uncle on the right. The "lady"is, I am pretty sure, the noted stage actor and female impersonator Julian Eltinge. Some Like It HotJack Lemmon he's not. TSA agent's nightmareAlthough the Adam's apple is somewhat of a warning. The gentShould put that cellphone down and concentrate on his, uh, lady. He's already got her all atwitter. Handsome couple?Pretty scary couple if you ask me. She's no DivineAnd here I thought Divine was the most popular Female Impersonator in the world. Queen Of PopAm I the only one to notice that the shemale looks eerily like Michael Jackson in his later years? Major full-body shiver when I saw the photo. No good night's sleep for me tonight, I guess. Eltinge - Well spotted, all!Well done spotting Julian Eltinge! I found on YouTube quite a tremendous compilation of stills from his films and stage appearances. You can't fool meThat's Tony Curtis! She wouldn't all look that badwith a closer shave Look closer, but not too closeEltinge was probably very effective onstage but enlarging the picture doesn't do him any favors. Still, unlike most of today's drag queens, he's not attempting to look like a hooker. Not a cheap one, anyway. Staged?Whether or not the "lady" is Eltinge, the photograph is clearly a staged image. There are several clues: first, the gregarious amount of makeup on both diners, second, the lack of dinner in our dinner scene, third, perfectly full champagne glasses, and fourth, the lady's gloves -- it is a complete breach of etiquette for a lady to have gloved fingers at the dinner table. [Gregarious makeup -- her lips said no, but her lipstick said Hello! - Dave] (The Gallery, Bizarre, DPC)
The Automobilists: 1906
... say Jerome Ave. If so, the combination of that and Huber's Hotel seems to mean that the photo was taken in the Bronx at the site of the future Yankee Stadium. [Huber's Hotel was at Jerome Avenue and 162nd Street. - Dave] Whaddaya mean, we ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 2:06pm -

June 1906. "REO Mountaineer -- New York to San Francisco and back." Percy Megargel and David Fassett at the conclusion of their 10-month round trip. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Just In TimeIf that is oil under the vehicle, fortune rode and finished with them. And I do like the holstered rifle accent. ArmedTry riding into NY with a rifle hanging on your car now. StemsInteresting to note that not only is the vehicle a right hand drive but each wheel has five valve stems. [Those are tire clamps -- retainers that hold the tire on the wheel. - Dave] Chain driveThe Reo, like a lot of early automobiles, used chain drive (a heavier-duty version of what you'd find on a bicycle) to turn the rear wheels. The canvas slung under the car would have kept the chain from getting tangled up with underbrush. The chains were lubricated with grease, which would explain the oil spots. Talk about road rage.The rifle seems to be an accessory that has gone by the wayside. Pity. One Grueling GrindBoth men look worse for wear after their months-long adventure. This New York Times article from 1908 details the East-to-West half of their grueling trip, their detour (turn left at the Sierra Nevada range), and a list of things they'd do differently next time. That included taking TWO Winchester rifles to ward off wolves, a vehicle with much higher clearance and a lot more food (they went without eating for four days at one point). Note the searchlight on the hood. Came in handy at night for targeting all those wild and woolly critters out there. Site of Yankee StadiumThe numbered street sign is illegible, but the other one seems to say Jerome Ave. If so, the combination of that and Huber's Hotel seems to mean that the photo was taken in the Bronx at the site of the future Yankee Stadium. [Huber's Hotel was at Jerome Avenue and 162nd Street. - Dave] Whaddaya mean, we need an E-Z-Pass?Once again Percy and David are rebuffed by the Holland Tunnel. And the Oyster Bar was close, so very, very close. I Call Shotgun!What else can be said. In this case, literally. Hoarse and Buggyis what they were after traveling 11,000 miles sans windshield. The Clampettsmust have bought this one used! If that is a sanitation worker in the left background, he's probably excited that the car produces zero emissions of a different kind! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC)
The Arcade: 1905
... Emery Arcade The Emery Arcade connected the Emery Hotel and Race Street one block west. Built in 1877, it predated shopping malls with stores, offices, a restaurant, and hotel all under one roof. The glass roof was 40 feet in height, with two ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 2:41pm -

Cincinnati, Ohio, circa 1905-1910. "The Arcade." Which way to Banana Republic? 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. ConvergenceAnother wonderful example illustrating the principle of perspective's vanishing point. LovelyWow, this is pretty contemporary for 1905! Too bad we didn't get to see shoppers strolling about! [I count at least six people in this time exposure. - Dave] But you really don't get to see them clearly in all of their finery. Emery ArcadeThe Emery Arcade connected the Emery Hotel and Race Street one block west. Built in 1877, it predated shopping malls with stores, offices, a restaurant, and hotel all under one roof. The glass roof was 40 feet in height, with two stories on each side. The arcade passageway was 15 feet wide with gaslights hung in the center. Destroyed in 1929 to make way for the Carew Tower and its new arcade, which is still in use today. -- Cincinnati Postcard Views Hot Time in the Arcade tonight!I have not done the math but looking at the number and variety of electric light sources in this arcade it must have been a warm place in the dead of winter. Plus the arc lamps. Retail RedundancyBy my count there are three dry cleaners and two manicurists/chiropodists in this small space in Cincinnati. At least you can also enjoy a 5-cent cream soda and have your mandolin restrung. Mandatory Study for PerspectiveEvery art student should be given a copy of this picture. I don't recall ever seeing a picture that better illustrates a vanishing point so dramatically. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Traffic-Stopper: 1941
... case in her left hand, needed for an overnite stop at the "Hotel Discreet" just up the street. [Or it could be a camera. -Dave] ... the former Medinah Athletic Club (now the InterContinental Hotel). 545 N Michigan Ave has the RCA Victor sign in the Shorpy photo. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/17/2013 - 11:22am -

"Michigan Avenue, Chicago, July 1941." And just a block ago, they were strangers. 35mm negative by John Vachon, who has a lens for the ladies. View full size. I saw you, John VachonEnlarge the picture and you'll notice her discreet but smiling gaze toward the photographer. And suddenly the man is more real to us. What a lovely girl. Strangely FamiliarGood Lord, I think it's Dairy Queen's big sister! Faux Purse?A handsome couple and a gorgeous girl but what is that she is carrying? Surly not a purse. A train case perhaps? [He's definitely not a purse, but the jury is out on surly. -Dave] Just maybeThat's a cosmetic case in her left hand, needed for an overnite stop at the "Hotel Discreet" just up the street. [Or it could be a camera. -Dave] The Lucky guyand lovely woman seem to be walking northward, north of the river, given what appears to be a downward slope to the street from right to left---towards Chicago Avenue. If so, they’ve just crossed the overpass (marked by the billboards) of the street that took one eastward to the Chez Paree. Have walked the mile many times in the late 50s while going to school in Chicago, frequently in the company of Miss Mickey. (Mickey, I still adore you, wherever you are.) Christopher Lasch once observed that fond memories will be a source of sustenance in old age. Truer words have never been written or uttered. And oh, my warmest regards to the ubiquitous Checker A. The classy looking car at left?Although out of focus, it's a 1941 Buick. Surviving buildingsThe couple is indeed crossing Ontario Street, walking north. On the other side of the street, at 601 N. Michigan, is a four-story building that first housed the Lake Shore Trust & Savings Bank, then the First National Bank of Chicago, and now a Chase branch surrounded by a Guess clothing store. At the time of this photo, its classical features (rounded columns) were understated. Further down that side of the street (across Ohio), behind the "RCA Victor" sign, is the Jacques Building, 543-545 N. Michigan. It was built in 1929, has art deco features on its facade, and is topped by a Paris-style mansard roof. After recently housing a Nokia store, it is currently undergoing a mildly controversial renovation. Even today.....that young lady would stop traffic. Three buildings in the photo still existOn the far right edge of the Shorpy photo is a sliver of the Chicago Tribune tower. Next to the Trib is the former Medinah Athletic Club (now the InterContinental Hotel). 545 N Michigan Ave has the RCA Victor sign in the Shorpy photo. It's a Nokia store in the current Google street view. View Larger Map No traffic?Gas rationing is a year away but there are only three cars visible. Doesn't that seem strange? Avon calling!Perhaps she is an Avon lady. I'd buy something from her. And him for that matter. Could he be blind?I believe this man could be blind, as the eyes appear quite sunken or he is squinting. But why squint? The woman isn't. Doc?If he was carrying a guitar case, I'd swear that was Doc Watson escorting the lovely lady. Re: Faux PurseThe young lady is carrying a train case. My mother had one exactly like it. It was dark blue "alligator" with a brown leather handle. It had a removable tray inside. With it was a plastic two-piece box for bar soap, a shoe horn, a button hook for shoes or a dress with small buttons and a comb. The exterior of the case deteriorated years ago and it was discarded. I don't know what happened to the soap box and comb, but I still have the shoe horn. I had the button hook until a few years ago when the plastic handle deteriorated and the metal hook rusted, so I threw it out. The plastic items were made of a grayish mother of pearl finish over a brown plastic. Very stylish. And as a kid, I used to like to open the latch to the case. When you would close it, it made a very secure sounding "pop". Doc!Oh my! I think jimchig has it nailed. I pulled up two windows of the photos to the same scale size and I think this is indeed Doc Watson being guided down the street as lulu states. RIP Doc, your performances will be missed. [Below, left: Doc Watson in 1939 at age 16. - tterrace] Guild for the Blind?Though she is doing a very good job of not making it obvious, it appears the gentleman is being guided at the elbow by the woman. With The Catholic Guild for the Blind (now called Second Sense) about 1/2 mile from the location noted below, I think Mr. Adams may be correct that the man in the photo may be blind. Not DocThe similarity is striking, but Doc never left western NC/eastern TN until "discovered" by Ralph Rinzler in 1960. (The Gallery, Chicago, John Vachon)
101 Broadway Pharmacy: 1957
... and he was now divorced. His residence is at the Lyric Hotel. In 1955 he worked at Bellini's Bayside Pharmacy and his wife Lola ... 
 
Posted by Cazzorla - 06/29/2014 - 5:37pm -

I purchased this 8 x 10 print at the swap meet. On the back is printed: Mr. and Mrs. Cliff McCorkle, proprietors of the 101 Broadway Pharmacy, Richmond, Calif., getting an order ready for delivery. 5 November 1957. Photographer: Pfc. Barbara A. Warner, Sixth US Army Photo Lab, Presidio of San Francisco, Calif. Official US Army photograph. View full size. "Fling"?Somebody is going to have to convince me that it's really for feet. SquibbThey were an official ER Squibb Vitamin Headquarters. Having grown up next to the factory in Brooklyn, I recognize the 3 column logo. My color versionI've been getting into colorizing photos. If a product name was legible, I looked up references of old packaging on google to try to get the colors as accurate as possible. Some of the hair care products and lotions I had to fudge on it because I couldn't find them, but most of the other stuff is accurate. I had a lot of fun doing it and I think the color really adds to the photo. It was my intention to get it as accurate as possible. Check it out: https://www.shorpy.com/node/18065 ImpressedI am happy that this photo has been well received. I never thought that I'd get to see a color version, or a photo of the photographer! I have a few more pictures from this collection that I will share sometime. Divinity memoriesAs a kid growing up in Mississippi in the 1950s, divinity was home made candy. Sugar, eggs whites, corn syrup, vanilla, sugar and pecans combined to make a divine candy. I haven't visited Mississippi in 25 years, but today there is always the hope someone will bring divinity to a church supper. Maybe I should just make some tonight. Top GunkI can't see any in the photo, but I bet they carry Dapper Dan pomade. S&HAnd they give out Green Stamps. Sales no longer allowedNearly 50 years from the date on this picture, Richmond enacted an ordinance that prohibits the sale of tobacco products in establishments with pharmacies. You have to go to El Cerrito or Albany now for your nicotine fix. Why?A very odd subject for an official Army photograph. Since Letterman Army Hospital had a complete pharmacy and all military personnel stationed at the Presidio would have had access thereto, I'm left to wonder why this shot was taken. For Your HealthGet your Myadec vitamins here! Only $85.50 for the economy size! That amount equates to $723.86 in today's dollars! Gone but not forgotten, until now.Clove Life Savers I guess that flavor is not popular any longer, but I do remember purchasing them in the past but not really sure why? Coffee Time!Am I the last living human who remembers the taste of coffee-flavored candy? It was pretty good, actually. ...and is there ANYBODY who ever ate Clove Life-Savers? They musta sold okay, but yikes! Can't rememberthe last time I saw a package of"Clorets"! "Brusha, Brusha, BrushaWith the new Ipana." CloveI remember clove gum, but not the Life Savers. The thing that strikes me is the great variety of 1950s cigarettes in the back--Camels, Kents, Cavaliers, Pall Malls, Marlboros, L&Ms, and Herbert Tareytons. RepurposedAppears the address still exists, but the building is now a Planned Parenthood office. Divinity candyWhat was that? I don't remember them. If you eat it were you guaranteed to go to heaven or were they just sold to Priests? [Divinity. -tterrace] Clove Lifesavers and other flavorsI remember very well getting the Lifesavers Sweet Story Book every Christmas back in the 50s. It was a book-shaped box that opened and revealed 10 rolls of Lifesavers. They always included Clove, Wint-O-Green, Butter Rum and Butterscotch, 5-flavor, Orange, and others. Clove and Wint-O-Green were my favorites, and always saved until last. We were neighbors!I lived in Richmond in November 1957 (I was 4 at the time). I wonder if my folks ever shopped here? Shoot, maybe my mom was standing just off to the side when this picture was taken (she was always kinda shy). Tough TownAh, Richmond. I grew up just south of there, in Albany. Always a tough place: factories, warehouses, oil refinery. Best part of Richmond for me was that it was where we got on the Ferry to San Rafael on the way to Stinson Beach most Sundays. Looking for a certain productI was hoping to catch a glimpse of the cold and flu products near the vapor rubs, to find 4 way cold tablets. My mother swore by them for any signs of a cold coming on. Take the 4 way pill, get under a heavy blanket, and sweat the cold right out of you. And believe it not, they actually worked! Does anyone else remember them? Old Time products!Amazing how many of those items are still available and how many are gone. I was 11 years old when that picture was taken. If it didn't say where it was from it could have been from any Drugstore in America at that time. I know there was one across from the school I went to in Chicago at the time that had that same kind of goodie rack and one closer to my house same thing. Neighborhood pharmacy!I lived just a few blocks away from this pharmacy from birth to age 20! My folks undoubtedly knew the McCorkles! Very cool photo! Wint-O-Green memoriesAh! The counter candy stand of my youth. Separate comments here each touch on one part of the story, but marketing ad-speak nowadays has dropped the use of "breath-mints" as a catchall. Yes, all those packs of cigarettes often got sold with strong breath masking mints, candies and gum. Let me also make a nod toward the LifeSaver Sweet Story Book. At Christmas we each got one and could always identify it although wrapped. Opened last, its contents assisting in thoughtful appraisal of our acquired loot. We called Wint-O-Green "spark-in-the-dark." Chew some with your mouth open and lights out to understand why. Not in Kansas anymoreThe article below is from page 3 of the Sunday, December 30, 1956 issue of the The Salina Journal. By the time Barbara returned to Hays, Kansas in 1961 for her mother's funeral (her father had died in 1954), she was known as Mrs. Barbara Constantin of San Francisco. There was a particular smell and a particular coolnessthat hit you when you entered a drugstore of that era -- I can't describe it except that it was very clean smelling. Regardless of whether the store was a Rexall or a Walgreens or a local independent, the smell was the same -- very pleasant. I always associated it as a cross between the medicines that the druggists were compounding (always in white tunic like in the picture) and the soda fountain that was inevitably part of the store. There was also a coolness to drug stores when I was growing up (1950's). A lot of stores were still not air-conditioned at that time, especially if they were not a chain or franchise, but it seemed to me that drug stores always felt cool. When you sat at the fountain, the marble or the formica or tile of the counter was always cold to the touch. You go into a drugstore today and the smell and that coolness just isn't there. Have a cold?That Vicks Vapo Rub and Mentholatum were Moms favorites for a chest cold. First was the application to the chest just before going to bed so the vapors could work overnight. If that didn't work, the next step was to put a spoon or two of Vicks or Mentholatum in a large bowl, add hot water, and have me breath the vapors with a towel covering both my head and the bowl. It usually worked to clear out congestion. My High School Addiction --Wint-o-GreensAh LifeSavers. Through the early 60s. I went through roll after roll of that addictive goody. Cliff & Lola McCorkleOur pharmacist is Clifford W. McCorkle, born in Tygh Valley Precinct, Wasco County, Oregon on June 6, 1906 to farmer Rufus W. McCorkle and his wife Jessica L. McCorkle. He had two older brothers: Calvin, born in 1891, and Lester born in 1892. He was still living with his parents in 1920, but they are all shown as living in Wapinitia, Wasco County, Oregon. He graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Pharmacy on June 3, 1929. The photo below is from his senior yearbook. The 1930 U.S. Census shows him living in Hillsboro City, Washington County, Oregon. He married at the age of 21, it shows him as a lodger in the home of John Kelley, but his wife is not listed with him. He is already working as a pharmacist in a drug store. In 1931 he is shown with his wife Lillian living at 297 E. 39th Street in Portland, Oregon. The 1940 U.S. Census shows that he was residing in San Francisco by 1935. In 1937 he was working at Birnbaum & Son Drugs at 757 Market Street, San Francisco, CA. He was living with his wife Lillian at 511 Leavenworth in San Francisco. In 1940 he was working as a pharmacist in a drug store in San Francisco, California, he was making $2,185 a year, and he was now divorced. His residence is at the Lyric Hotel. In 1955 he worked at Bellini's Bayside Pharmacy and his wife Lola is a clerk in the store. They resided in Oakland, California at the time. He died on January 10, 1972 still in Richmond, Contra Costa County, California. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Monstera: 1945
... here! And out the window is a view of the Broadmoor Hotel, now the Broadmoor condominiums, where I used to live. Thanks for an ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 6:35pm -

March 23, 1945. "Dover Book Shop, 2672 Broadway, New York." Audrey will be happy to ring you up. Acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. I can see my house from here!And out the window is a view of the Broadmoor Hotel, now the Broadmoor condominiums, where I used to live. Thanks for an interesting view of the (very) old neighborhood. Prominently DisplayedCool bookstore and it has my favorite author right over the money. "Cannery Row" was published the year this photo was shot. Good Times, Boom TimesI wonder what was in the "Good Time Package." The books aimed at new parents hint at the just-beginning baby boom. Bet It's a BoyWho knew that Matt Groening got his drawing style from Betty Bacon Blunt? Also, I don't think that's Audrey; looks more like her cousin Phil. Yankee StrangerThat book must have been a good seller, You can see a copy of it on the bottom left AND on the top right of the photo. PB prices61 cents would buy you a couple paperbacks well into the 1950s. In high school my brother was a Ray Bradbury fan and I have several of the paperbacks that adorned his bookshelf c.1953-4, priced 25-35 cents. More Books!And the links on Amazon.com.
Mermaid Queen: 1899
... home of Los Angeles Fireboat #2. Nob Hill, where the Hotel Clarence sat, is gone. The hotel was around 1st, 2nd or 3rd street. I think that's Beacon Street running ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/28/2012 - 7:30pm -

Los Angeles, California, circa 1899. "The Harbor at San Pedro." A panoramic view made from two Detroit Publishing glass negatives. View full size. Straight, forward!Thanks for this and the thousands of other wonderful photos you have shared with us over the years. I have seen some of the LOC versions of shots Shorpy has posted, and I truly appreciate the work that has been done to present them in better format here. Our history comes alive on these pages. The watermark is well-earned and a fine testimony of your care and talent. Carry on! Los Angeles Soap CompanyFrom the USC archives: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assetserver/controller/view/CHS-14109 I also want to say thank you for the images and the work you put into them to present them here, it gives people an opportunity to see scenes from past days that would otherwise be buried in an archive somewhere. Merry Christmas! SteamyI believe that the third hunk of equipment from the right on the dock (with the vertical cylinder and inverted funnel) is a stationary steam engine, used to power the jib crane a little farther to its left. The item at the extreme right looks like another steam engine with a horizontal boiler, powering some off-camera machine. I say, keep on stitchin', and keep on watermarkin', and keep on includin' the credits with each image for people to ignore and then question, gripe or contradict. Thanks for an enjoyable part of my daily routine! What's with the petty criticism recently?I don't understand these people coming out of the woodwork and castigating this site for some imagined sins. Don't they get the concept of "value added"? The LOC isn't putting these exact images online, and the fact that Shorpy is free for anyone to view doesn't exactly imply that someone's being robbed here. The attributions are clearly posted for anyone with a mouse to see. Sheesh. There has to be some better place to vent the snide zeitgeist than this website, which is a happy reminder of times when civility mattered a bit more than it does now. All done without stitching!This is a really wonderful panorama with superb detail. Created before digital photography was even thought about, let alone stitching software. Magnificent! [The two images were stitched together by me, using Photoshop. Took an hour and a half! - Dave] Hot Rod LincolnPulled out of San Pedro late one night The moon and the stars was shinin' bright We was drivin' up Grapevine Hill Passing cars like they was standing still Lone dog looseOn the street upper left. And for an obvious reason. No automobiles yet to run them over. You could let Fido out the back door to enjoy his day. Now the World Cruise CenterThis was taken close to the current location of Fire Station #112, the home of Los Angeles Fireboat #2. Nob Hill, where the Hotel Clarence sat, is gone. The hotel was around 1st, 2nd or 3rd street. I think that's Beacon Street running up the hill, past the water tank and windmill. Today that scene would be dominated by the cruise terminal and the Vincent Thomas Bridge. I photographed the Queen Mary 2 there on her first trip to Los Angeles. Instapundit gives Shorpy some loveNice coincidence that Shorpy has been featuring LA and then Instapundit today has a link to the Shulman house from the 1960s. Twofer Tuesday, perhaps? Trains to TrolleysRed Cars run there now. A close relative is a restorer/mechanic for the line. http://sanpedro.com/spcom/redcar.htm On watermarks...Nice photo, but why do you watermark each one like it's yours? Shouldn't the watermark read "Shorpy/LOC"? After all, they're the ones who've done all the hard work. And please, give proper credit to the folks working at the LOC and move your "about the photos" disclaimer to the top right column of your front page where it can be seen, instead of hiding it down at the bottom (where statistics show most folks don't navigate to). You can mock others all you want but the fact remains - your practices are deceptive. [The purpose of the watermark is to publicize Shorpy. The images here go out in "feeds" to hundreds of other web sites as soon as they're published. There are also numerous "scraper" sites that copy the jpegs here en masse for republication elsewhere without us ever knowing about it. People are of course free to use the jpegs from the LOC database, but they are not the same as the images seen here. This image being a special case in point. The caption info under the photos already credits the people who did the "hard work" -- the creators of the images; the Library of Congress is their repository. The digitization was done by subcontractors. You, whoever you are, have a poor grasp of what this is all about. - Dave] "Mermaid Queen"It took me a minute or two to figure out your title for this image, but it's in there! Nice Pshop work, Dave. I sure hope somebody can get an updated view of this harbor from the same angle. dave www.heritagefilm.net 5... 6... 7... Oswald was a...Unless I miss my guess (I'm not from this area, and welcome correction), this is where the dockside shootout in "The Usual Suspects" was set and shot. "The strangest thing..." Best part of my day!What a joy to see this fabulous panoramic action picture, which would make an intriguing model village for an electric train setup or a conversation starter for a restaurant wall. The three men in the boat remind me of the legend of the Blue Willow (an old China pattern) and the industriousness and daily activities shown are both fascinating and stimulating. There's a lot going on here and great food for thought and inspiration. It is by far the most interesting thing I've seen all day (so far). Thank you for the pleasure. I know I'm going to keep coming back to it. Harbor ShotReverse angle. Same spot. Portable steamThe steam engines sitting on the Wharf weighed several thousand pounds, but were on movable bases that allowed them to be called "portable." People were apparently stronger back then! My home townI grew up in San Pedro. My grand father was a sea captain for Klaveness line. His ship was sunk by a German u-boat off the East coast of the US and Bermuda in 1942. (Interesting read= http://warsailors.com/singleships/pleasantville.html ) anyways..... afterward, the company gave him a desk job in the San Pedro municipal building (City hall) at this location until his retirement in the 1950s. He took the ferry (down the street from here) each day back and forth from Long Beach where he lived with my grandmother and my dad. The Norwegian (Swedish) Seaman's Church is still here too, has a long sentimental history with the locals and a haven for Scandinavian sailors far from home. Although we didn't attend, we went there when I was a kid for some of the functions (what-up Norwegian waffles with strawberry jam and coffee!!....sigh) San Pedro was simply the west side of the L.A. harbor (and a part of L.A.). Lots of Europeans. Slavics, Hispanics, Greeks, Italians and Norwegians (and Swedes). When I was a kid I remember one of the older folks say, to live here you had to have an "ia" an "itch" an "ez" a "kos"or a "son" at the end of your name. And its true. All of my friends did. (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Los Angeles, Railroads)
Chicago: 1901
... all still standing: 1) the first portion of the Congress Hotel (originally the Auditorium Annex, Clinton J. Warren, 1892-1893), 2) the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:36pm -

Chicago circa 1901. "The lakefront from Illinois Central Station." Panorama of two 8x10 glass negatives. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Would you really want to drinkthe "Best Kidney Water on Earth"? StatueThat is one seriously gorgeous statue in the middle of the park. Anyone have any info on that? Perhaps another photo? [It's the Logan Monument.] Thanks, Dave. Love the photos up close! KodaksInteresting that one of the signs says "Kodaks Cameras and Supplies" and not "Kodak Cameras and Supplies." [Shorpy abounds with signs advertising "Kodaks," meaning Kodak cameras. - Dave] Illinois Central Station Are there any pictures of the Illinois Central Station available? I assume that this picture was taken from near the top of the clock tower looking north towards the lakefront. [Also from the DPC:] GrassDoes anyone know how they kept large expanses of grass like this mowed back in 1901? [See this earlier comment.] ObsolesenceIronic that CP Kimball's carriages and harness products would soon be obsolete with the advent of the automobile. Fast forward 110 years, and Kodak just announced they will file Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to digital photography making their own products obsolete. Three agentsFrom the Ministry of Silly Walks, on the west side of the Michigan Avenue, lower left. [Their apparent stance is an optical artifact.] Holy landscaping!That area is filled with trees and concrete walks now! Pollution?It's photos like this that leave me scratching my head whenever people start griping that our air isn't clean enough today. KimballAn interesting piece on the Kimball family if you are so inclined. http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/k/kimball/kimball.htm Kimball TimeOh my! It's K minutes to B o'clock! I better hurry or I'll miss my train. Lakeshore DeltaIf you Google-Maps "901 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60605" you can see that all the Lake Michigan waterfront visible in this photograph was filled-in and is now occupied by the Buckingham Fountain, 6 tennis courts, 16 baseball diamonds, South Columbus Drive, and even South Lakeshore Drive. Henry GeorgeFascinating to find a 5-cent cigar named after Henry George (1839-97), founder of "Georgism" and author of "Progress and Poverty." He proposed the "single tax"--based on the theory that land, and thus rents, should be common property. Given that, shouldn't tobacco products be free? All Gone, Up to a PointEvery building shown here lining the west side of South Michigan Avenue has been demolished and replaced with bigger and usually better buildings - up to the point just beyond the "Studebaker Bros." sign. Then we see three great buildings in a row, all still standing: 1) the first portion of the Congress Hotel (originally the Auditorium Annex, Clinton J. Warren, 1892-1893), 2) the Auditorium Building (Adler & Sullivan, 1887-1889), and 3) the Fine Arts Building (formerly the Studebaker Building, Solon S. Beman, 1884-1885). The slender tower in the distance belongs to the Montgomery Ward Building (Schmidt, Garden & Martin, 1897-1899); it, too, is still standing, but its steep sloping roof was lopped off long ago. Chicago: 1901That statue of the soldier is General Logan, the Civil War Officer who worked to have the 30th Day of May honor Military Dead as "Decoration Day" / "Memorial Day". General LoganWas a focal point of the 1968 demonstrations during the Democratic Convention. Montgomery Ward BuildingAs Michael R says regarding the Montgomery Ward building, "the steep sloping roof was lopped off long ago." Here is a photo showing what is the top of the building today. Current ViewI was fortunate to live in building on site of old Illinois Central Station and have this view of same locale looking north during my two years in Chicago. (Panoramas, Chicago, DPC, Railroads)
Bien Venido: 1897
... very extensively used today, although only one is still a hotel. In the immediate foreground are the entry gardens of the Ponce, now ... On the left is the Cordova, now known as the Casa Monica Hotel, and it is as beautiful as ever. My wife and I stayed there for an ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 7:06pm -

St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1890s. "The Alcazar and Cordova from the Ponce de Leon." Three of Henry Flagler's landmark Florida hotels, with a welcome spelled out in Edison lights. 8x10 negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size. Still looks lovely.I'll spare everyone the cliche; Like stepping back in time! Bing Birds-Eye view: http://binged.it/LimZBh Looks like a good place to winter. Assuming 'winter' can be used as a verb. (which I do) The Nation's Oldest City!All three of these buildings remain open and very extensively used today, although only one is still a hotel. In the immediate foreground are the entry gardens of the Ponce, now Flagler College. Though not seen in this photograph, the Ponce's original ornate ballroom is the dining hall for today's students. The Alcazar is on the right behind the full-block sized gardens, which are also still there and kept up very well, thank you. Today the Alcazar serves as both St. Augustine's City Hall and the Lightner Museum where you will find preserved many "Splendors of the Gilded Age" as they put it. On the left is the Cordova, now known as the Casa Monica Hotel, and it is as beautiful as ever. My wife and I stayed there for an anniversary just a few years ago. Don't forget that St. Augustine is home to many historic sites including Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, or "The Old Fort", a 17-century Spanish bastion. And coming up in 2015 is St. Augustine's 450th Anniversary! (Take that, Santa Fe!) Did Not Burn Down!Amazingly, these buildings are all still there. One is still a hotel, one is now city hall and one is used by a college. St. Augustine Lighthouse in distanceIf you at the top of the left-hand tower of the Cordova (now the Casa Monica Hotel) what looks like a small spire of some kind is not on the hotel roof at all. It is the St. Augustine Lighthouse in the distance, across the Matanzas River on Anastasia Island. Built in 1874, The Lighthouse still stands today, too, with its unique black and white spiral paint job and bright red framework for the beacon housing. A museum now fills a reconstructed Keeper's House at the base of the tower and the tower itself is open for tours daily. The Lighthouse remains as proud a landmark for locals as The Old Fort, The Bridge of Lions and Flagler's hotels. By the way, this photograph is looking generally southeast with the ocean way out beyond Anastasia Island where the Lighthouse stands. The waterway in the middle distance is the Matanzas River, also called the Matanzas Bay, with some tidal marshes visible off to the south (to the right in the photo). The Matanzas River is part of the modern Intracoastal Waterway system. Mostly still thereI was just there and was amazed to see how much is still there today. You can take a quick walking tour of Flagler College (which owns the courtyard below), then stroll over to Hotel Alcazar. Be sure to see Cafe Alcazar where the large indoor pool was (you'll find pictures of it here on Shorpy). Here's a 360 of the entryway at the bottom left of this picture. Why They Did Not Burn DownAll three hotels are built of mass concrete (without any steel reinforcing), with a coquina shell aggregate found in the neighborhood. The two St. Augustine churches built by Flagler, Grace United Methodist Church and Memorial Presbyterian Church (both designed by Carrere & Hastings, architects of the Ponce de Leon and Alcazar Hotels), are also built of this material. A large number of the 19th-century hotels that burned were built of wood. Flagler dorms nowMy friend went to college here, and had a dorm room you can just about see in this picture! Amazing. Still beautifulProving once again youth is wasted on the young as an 18 year old college freshman I ate my dinner in the Flagler College dining hall, the old Ponce's ballroom surrounded by the world's largest collection of Tiffany stained glass and gorgeous murals and hardly noticed. http://www.flagler.edu/campus-life/interactive.html (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, W.H. Jackson)
Pensacola: 1910
... still stands, although it was converted to a Crowne Plaza Hotel. Beer Perspective It is an unusual way that we no longer think of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 8:21pm -

Pensacola, Florida, circa 1910. "Louisville and Nashville Railway station." Where libations for the parched traveler are a mere stagger away. View full size. Grand HatsThere are two ladies in this photo and both have nice big hats. I also particularly like the travel coat the lady on the right (facing away) is wearing. The StationIt appears as if the old station shown in this picture was replaced by a new station in 1912. That one still stands, although it was converted to a Crowne Plaza Hotel. Beer PerspectiveIt is an unusual way that we no longer think of beer as food. I discovered a beer tray of the same period of the Chattanooga Brewing Company. I have maintained for years that Beer is Food!I got a good laugh out of that one. I imagine... that sfter sampling all of the different shops' offerings, you might start to see weird things like this! ErgoIf beer is considered pure liquid food,I submit a bratwurst as an example of pure solid beer. Special carCheck out that odd railcar on the right. The entire end of the car opens like a garage.Some boxcars were equipped with end doors for loading autos and such, but this car has a smokejack on the roof, indicating this was a railroad maintenance car of some sort. Beyond that car on the upper right of the photo, is the front of a locomotive, with a smokestack from a Matthew Brady photograph. The large funnel stack indicates this was a woodburning loco. Railroads of the deep south burned wood for fuel long after the practice was ended elsewhere. Old DepotMy father's family is from Pensacola, so I'm always excited to see northwest Florida photos. This station, at Tarragona and Wright streets, opened in 1882. A new station (still standing) opened in 1913, just across what is now I-110, at the corner of Alcaniz and Wright. Liquid LunchA pint or two of Guinness has been an Irish lunch for a long, long time. The Volstead Act In the short 10 years after this picture was taken, Prohibition would have done a number on the businesses adjacent to the RR station. The four visible storefronts were all selling booze. In theory these merchants were driven out of business, but they probably survived somehow. The Sheriff of Escambia County (of which Pensacola was the county seat) was removed from office by the governor for not enforcing the Prohibition laws. Also sacked, two thirds of the police force. High NoonJudging by the shadows on the "telephone pole" at the right side of the picture and the shadows elsewhere, I bet it is close to noon on this day. "Pure Liquid Food"Love it. Put 'er there, pal.Favorite vignette in this rich scene: the handshake. Pure Liquid FoodMy (late) doctor used to say, "Beer is a poor man's bread." ObservationsOnly two women traveling at this time. Considering the bars in the area, they are pretty clean outside except for the one bottle I found. Barley Sandwich in a CanA river guide friend always refers to his beers as "sandwiches." So apparently the concept is not new. That wagon in front of the barMail or Paddy? [Mail ("USM"). - Dave] Beer As FoodSome time ago I was looking through a reference on food values, and found that beer has all you need but protein. so beer and steak will see you through quite well. East of the BorderI'll bet the adjacent Alabama county was dry as a bone, if not the whole state at that time. That would account for the plethora (I do know what it is, El Guapo!) of liquor stores shouldering up to the station. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Pensacola, Railroads)
Ponce Parlors: 1890
... Florida, circa 1890. "Parlors of the Ponce de Leon Hotel." Glass negative by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. View ... then the awesome ceiling treatments. This was not a hotel for the day-to-day tourist. WOW!!! Where are the rope swings? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 1:35pm -

St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1890. "Parlors of the Ponce de Leon Hotel." Glass negative by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. The anti-Bauhaus... or everything the International Style rebelled against. European elegance made possible by American industry- with tassels! No smoking?I don't see a single ash receiver or cuspidor in this room. Highly unusual for an 1890 parlor. We'll leave a light on for yaHoly cow. Motel 6 it ain't. PoshThere is no other word for the elegance of this area. From the piano stool to the chandelier and then the awesome ceiling treatments. This was not a hotel for the day-to-day tourist. WOW!!! Where are the rope swings? Add about four feet of water to this room and you'd be all set! Great roomYou can almost smell the cigar smoke and sea breezes. Curiosity SatisfiedI used to live near St. Augustine and have been riding past these hotels for years. I always wondered what they looked like in their heyday. Thanks, Dave, for giving us look inside these grand hotels. Furniture an AfterthoughtWhat an odd mix of furniture styles, and none of the pieces look very happy about being in the room. A strange atmosphere, somehow. PonceAhhh, the Gay Nineties... SpookyNot sure I would want to be here at night. Looks like a good place for ghosts. Spanish BeautyThe portraits of "exotic beauties" are great, especially the "Spanish" one over the piano. I wonder what became of them? Are they hanging in a private collection, destroyed in a storm or fire? It would be great to see them today. As Shakespeare wrote,"To gild refined gold, to paint the lily... is wasteful and ridiculous excess." Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King John (Act IV, Scene ii). The Gilded AgeA perfect illustration of the term "gild the lily." The Not So Exotic BeautiesThe portraits of the women are actually the famed Shakespeare heroines. They were a part of Henry Flagler's private collection. The hotel is now a college and the paints still hang there. Though I don't believe they are in their original locations. Also there are no ashtrays in the room because this was the parlor for the women. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, W.H. Jackson)
Entrance for Automobiles: 1910
... Massachusetts, circa 1910. "Entrance driveway to the Hotel Aspinwall." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... Then and now-ish https://lostnewengland.com/2016/02/hotel-aspinwall-lenox-mass/ 31289 NY 1910 New York license plate. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/04/2023 - 2:25pm -

Lenox, Massachusetts, circa 1910. "Entrance driveway to the Hotel Aspinwall." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Motorist Tourists -- Then and now-ishhttps://lostnewengland.com/2016/02/hotel-aspinwall-lenox-mass/ 31289 NY1910 New York license plate. Lenox is quite close to the NY state line, but this trip would have been an adventure over the Berkshires. Model A(AA)Hard to believe that the AAA was formed before Henry built his first Model A. And before Mr. Holmes built the first tow truck. And before the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk. You have to admire the foresight of the people who embraced this new technology and capitalized on it. Heads upNo need for umbrellas with that group. Where the pavement endedor would have, if it had been paved, there was something worth seeing: Tho you might never guess it, given the inordinate number of souvenir shots given over to the grounds. Did the other side of the sign say "EXIT FOR AUTOMOBILES" ? Alas, we may never know. Late to build, late to burn Car ID1910 Peerless. Autos still welcome. Was the world just wider back then? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC)
San Leandro: 1942
... Across the way was the Estudillo House, which was a hotel and stopover for travelers going up and down the coast down to San Jose ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/23/2023 - 10:53am -

April 1942. "Portuguese-American communities in California. Main street in San Leandro." Estudillo Avenue at 14th Street. Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Foreign Information Service of the U.S. Office of Coordinator of Information. View full size. Seven-fingered Danielhttps://patch.com/california/sanleandro/san-leandro-s-forgotten-industri... Name on BuildingWho was Daniel Best? Palace theater? Gone.This is still there: Banksy I’m so glad to see that the bank building is still there. Lovely architecture. All the BestAccording to HMdb.org (Historical Marker Database), the Best Building is a significant example of commercial architecture in San Leandro and the only San Leandro Plaza building remaining from the early decades of the 20th century. As a manufacturer and inventor, Daniel Best had already contributed much to San Leandro’s growth before he retired from Daniel Best Agricultural Works and began a banking career in this building. Constructed in 1910, the Best Building opened in 1911 housing the San Leandro State Bank. The building featured classical Beaux Arts detail and ornamentation. The architect used white terracotta tiles on the exterior and imported marble for the wainscoting and stair entrances in the interior. The building was restored in 1973-1974 by the Best Building Partnership. Best also constructed a theater next door to the bank. It opened showing silent films, but on July 19, 1913, Thomas Edison’s first moving and talking picture was shown at the Best Theater. No longer a bank but still a beautyWhile it’s no longer a bank, it’s still there and still a beautiful building. The Best Theater is technically still there as well, though it is just retail stores now and the facade, while still of matching stone, was massively changed at some point. The City of San Leandro has a photo archive which contains a good number of photos of this building over the years from the turn of the century forward. Most of the other buildings around the main square, which is really a triangle, we’re made of brick and build prior to this one, and so, one by one, they fell into disrepair. Across the way was the Estudillo House, which was a hotel and stopover for travelers going up and down the coast down to San Jose and the like, since that was a multi day trip back then between horse and wagon and primitive roads and trails. Eventually the Hayward/San Leandro railroad would run directly in front of the Best building, electric rail ran through town for a while for commuters in the 1910s to 1930s, and then they were all ripped out by a evil consortium of companies, which ended up in court where the big companies lost… and then they made Roger Rabbit (which was about L.A., but the same story). The Best Theater, as it wasAs you can see in Dave’s photo, the Best Theater, built next to the Best Building sometime around 1910(?), was no longer a theater by the 1940s. While the building is still there today, the insides are entirely different, as two retail stores occupy the space. While it’s still the same stone as the Best Building, and you can recognize individual features of the stone work, the facing is reworked that it’s unrecognizable. The reworked stone work seems to have been done with some real talent. The image is from the City of San Leandro’s historic photo archive. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Fishkill Sluggers: 1907
Circa 1907. "Holland Hotel, Fishkill-on-Hudson, N.Y." Backstop for our sidewalk athletes. 8x10 inch ... and the Hudson Valley is very scenic. No more Holland Hotel, alas. Speaking of the Dutch settlers, as late as World War II there ... view is looking toward the Hudson on lower Main St. The hotel is no longer there. Something Is Missing Something is missing in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/27/2013 - 1:38pm -

Circa 1907. "Holland Hotel, Fishkill-on-Hudson, N.Y." Backstop for our sidewalk athletes. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Nemo has nothing to fearFishkill's name has nothing to do with knocking off marine life. "Kill" means "creek" in Dutch, and "fish" means, well, "fish," so Dutch settlers in the 1600's bestowed the name after finding local streams to be full of fish. The name Fishkill-on-Hudson has fallen into disuse, most likely because the center of town is several miles east of the river. It's home to a huge IBM manufacturing and research facility and to an even larger state prison. The latter's presence notwithstanding Fishkill is a nice town, and the Hudson Valley is very scenic. No more Holland Hotel, alas. Speaking of the Dutch settlers, as late as World War II there were some elderly people in this area who spoke Dutch as their first language. As immigration from the Netherlands had pretty much ended in the late 1600's, this means that children were still being raised speaking Dutch at least five or six generations after the last immigrants arrived. There may be no other case in the world of an ancestral language surviving for so long. Hey, I foul tipped it!Oh man, stickball. This pic should bring back memories to many Shorpies. I played stickball on a quiet rural road at home as well as busy streets when visiting relatives in the city. The best was half-ball with a sawed off broom handle and the hardest part was getting our ball back from the mean old man with the fenced in yard. That's why I now give the kids back their soccer and footballs - I remember the names we called that geezer. BeaconFishkill-on-Hudson is the former name of Beacon, NY and shouldn't be confused with the village of Fishkill a couple miles inland. Without Mt. Beacon in the background I'm guessing this view is looking toward the Hudson on lower Main St. The hotel is no longer there. Something Is MissingSomething is missing in this image from 1907, but not for long probably. Several horses and no automobiles. DetailWhat details in the building...fancy brickwork, etc. A dying skill to lay bricks today. Straight faced structures is all you see IF they decide to use brick. Fishkill on Hudson is now Beacon Same scene today, hotel is gone but some of the buildings beyond are still there today. View Larger Map The DutchessApparently the name was later changed to the "Dutchess of Beacon." I found newspaper references until around 1950, but nothing later. A postcard, maybe ten years later, shows a significant addition to the hotel taking up the grassy yard area. The hotel was said to have been at Main and S. Chestnut, but the current Google Street view doesn't seem to support that location. for DeziI had found the address on Main at the corner of Elm. That particular reference escapes me now. Following pic from google books titled "Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Dutchess and Putnam New York", Volume 1 By J.H. Beers & Co puts The Holland at that location. Take the street view and travel a little down the street and compare the buildings just beyond the hotel. The 2 story red brick followed by the 3 story, then the small frame and then the 3 story 10-12 window wide red brick. I believe it is the same block. (The Gallery, DPC, Kids, Sports)
The Arcade: 1901
... from 1971 to 1997 when they gave us the boot to make it a hotel. We were in room 310, then 319. Fascinating history, built by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/03/2017 - 9:18am -

Circa 1901. "The Arcade, Cleveland." Coming soon: Cinnabon and Sunglass Hut. 8x10 dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Still BeautifulThe Arcade is still open for business in downtown Cleveland and is still just as beautiful as ever. Near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Space and Science Center. Man I miss Cleveland!! Ahhh! That Edison windowI just love it! I saw many pics of gramophones and the like but never such detailed and natural everyday windows like this one. Thanks! Ravel in Montreal Beautiful spaceThe designers of the Mall of America should have looked at this photo. This Mall Is EPIC!One of my hobbies is viewing websites of the malls and dead malls here in the USA and abroad. I came upon this picture and was positively struck by how beautiful and ornate this mall was, and frankly had no idea that such spaces existed that far back in time. It really reminds me of some of the more ornate malls I've seen photographs of that are in Canada and in Europe. Who knew back then that malls would take such a tacky and lowbrow turn as many of them have today. This photo is truly indicative of a time when people had some decorum; the ornamentation and details of a mall such as the one you feature here demonstrate an era where people actually gave a damn about presentation and creating a space that elevates, rather than demeans, humanity. Truly a special and unexpected find for me here today! [Strictly speaking, it wasn't really a "mall." It was a retail arcade. - Dave] Something missingOh yeah. The mall rats. Dr. I. Yankem Ah yes! A stop by the "Painless Dentist" to end your day shopping at the Mall. Come on get fluffyI spy a few ghosts I think, including one in a smart straw boater. Beautiful lamps, I love the alternating clear and colored bulbs! And the store on the right, offering "COME IN - Have your (what?) made FLUFFY"? [Have your HAT made fluffy! - Dave] Edison InexhaustibleSmart or shrewd was it to stack both the phonograph and below floor a music as well as phonograph storefronts; they both could "try" to out crank and outplay each other in a subdued and fully retrained late-Victorian challenge of musical Kings. At least they could prop their respective front doors open! The $30 Edison on the wall would be equivalent to $680 today. Save up for that! The more things change ...This is one of my favorite places in all of Cleveland. Tenants have come and gone, and the Cleveland Press is now defunct, but aside from the lamps and the items inside the stores the Arcade looks the same today as it did over a century ago. That even includes hand-lettering on the windows. Now in living colorThe Arcade is celebrating its 120th birthday this coming May. It was built in 1890 for well under $1 million, and renovated in 2001 for $60 million. The lower two levels house shops and restaurants; the Hyatt Regency occupies the upper three. A very unique place to stay, within walking distance of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center, and the Browns and Indians stadiums. http://theclevelandarcade.com/content/history SouthdaleI always find it comical when I see claims that the Southdale mall near Minneapolis (circa 1960's) was the first enclosed shopping mall. [A mall (Southdale) and an arcade (Cleveland) are two very different things. - Dave] ArcadianI remember this gorgeous spot when growing up in Cleveland. I'm so very happy it still exists. The Emporium of Gold.Careful examination of the windows will yield one glorious two-toned, split-blended shaded, embossed centered, gold-leaf sign after another (after another), each rendered in reverse directly upon the glass: the expert accomplishments of trained journeyman signpainters, in the halcyon days before the advent of the computer, and the end of beautiful window signage. There exist today not one in a hundred display windows worthy of even a first glance, thanks to the digital degradation of the lettering craft. But once, artistic signs provided a delightful and inviting entree to the goods shown within -- in a more refined and genteel culture. Apple Store on the left corner!On the upper left corner, I see the Apple Store! They sell Macintoshes, Granny Smiths, Pippins, and even the small Fujis! When I think of Home, THIS is where my mind goes!I grew up in this building from 1971 to 1997 when they gave us the boot to make it a hotel. We were in room 310, then 319. Fascinating history, built by Roebling Bros. (Brooklyn Bridge). The Old Arcade represents everything that is American and good. Beauty, functionaity, community, longevity, class! Jay Rosen - Rosen & Company My favorite placeI used to work at The Old Arcade. I was responsible for the decorations of the atrium for the 100 year celebration in 1989. I absolutely love this building and its history. I visit it weekly as I still work in the downtown area. Of course it is not the same, but it brings back wonderful memories. +115Below is the same view from July of 2016. (The Gallery, Cleveland, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Prisoners of War: 1864
... Confederate Army. Sure, the prison camps weren't a Hilton Hotel but at least you weren't getting shot at and shelled all the time. ... commenter who wrote, "the prison camps weren't a Hilton Hotel but at least you weren't getting shot at," may want to read up on Civil ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/05/2008 - 10:08pm -

1864. "Chattanooga, Tenn. Confederate prisoners at railroad depot waiting to be sent north." Wet plate glass negative, photographer unknown. View full size. Slim soldiersI noticed how thin all the soldiers are and also the woman and two children by the group of men on the tracks. I really enjoyed browsing over this picture since it showed so much detail. Train CarCheck out the train car that is labeled "Hospital Car." I wonder what the interior looked like. Officers and RationsBy their uniforms a number of these are officers. Their slimness derives from the poor rations most Confederates had in the last year of the war, so the Union rations must have been a relief. OTOH, they are may be en route to Block Island prison on the Great Lakes, which got miserably cold and dank in the winters. RationsYes, the rations were lacking (I use that loosely) at that time of the War. I seem to recall a Confederate memoir by Sam Watkins recalling that the cavalry was eating the corn out of the feed that they were giving their horses. Nice shot of Lookout Mountain in the background. PrisonersSure they're skinny, so are their guards. But what surprised me is that most of them looked relaxed and kind of happy! And that guy on the right, is he talking on his cellphone (above the tophat guy) (only kidding!) Hospital TrainGiven the large opening in the center and lack of windows, this is a converted boxcar. There were also purpose-built Hospital Cars that more closely resembled passenger coaches. In both cases, they were specially equipped for stretcher cases, however the boxcar's large center door opening would facilitate moving wounded in and out of the car. Period illustrations show a stove for heating, and what appears to be a double boiler for heating water or perhaps cooking at the opposite end of the coaches. As the boxcar shown here has two smokejacks on the roof, it appears it was similarly equipped. For some period artist's sketches and information on the cars, including an interior sketch circa 1864, click here. RelaxedYeah, I'll bet they are relaxed!! After being in battle off and on for a couple of years, they know they will have it better in a Union prison camp than in the Confederate Army. Sure, the prison camps weren't a Hilton Hotel but at least you weren't getting shot at and shelled all the time. Family HistoryOne of my relatives was captured in the fighting around Chattanooga near the end of 1863, probably several weeks before this picture was taken. He ended up at Rock Island, Illinois, from December 1863 to June 1865. The commenter who wrote, "the prison camps weren't a Hilton Hotel but at least you weren't getting shot at," may want to read up on Civil War prison camps. They were pretty horrific on both sides, and at Rock Island specifically, the prisoners had several months during which the guards on the wall made a habit of shooting prisoners at the smallest pretense or, whenever bored, firing off a random shot into the compound. I certainly don't want to get into a discussion of which side's prison camps were "worse," because they were all pretty damn awful. It was bad, bad stuff, and don't think there were many prisoners on either side who would not gladly return to their regiments if they could. All Union soldiersAll these men are Union troops. The overcoats that look gray are light blue. The photo is very remarkable in that it shows many different uniform styles and headgear. (The Gallery, Civil War, Railroads)
Greetings From Asbury Park: 1914
"Asbury Park, New Jersey." The North End Hotel on the Ocean Grove side of the boardwalk circa 1914. George Grantham Bain ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 6:44pm -

"Asbury Park, New Jersey." The North End Hotel on the Ocean Grove side of the boardwalk circa 1914. George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. "In the Beautiful Seaside Air"That's the title of a Victor record by Billy Murray and the Peerless Quartet, circa 1915. My late Grandma's favorite vacation spot was Asbury Park, and I'm glad that she didn't live long enough to see the boardwalk fall into ruin. One of the large buildings (the Exhibition Hall?) once had a museum of player pianos and mechanical music boxes, which all worked. I wonder what happened to them? Postcard View Trim and FitA fantastic picture. Caught in mid-conversation, everyone seems so animated, even the onlookers on the benches. The men, as always, were in ties, sport coats and hats, even though it was probably summer. But what is really astonishing is that absolutely everyone in that picture is trim and fit, no fatties in sight anywhere that I can detect. Ninety-five years later, another picture taken in the same area would undoubtedly yield a broad selection of suburban New Jersey heavyweights. In case of fire -- run for your lifeThe lace on each of those dresses is gorgeous, and the expressions on the faces make you feel that you were really there. But on the far right is a bucket labeled for fire. If you tried to put out anything larger than a burning napkin with that little bucket you would be in sorry shape. There is no apparent supply of water with the bucket. What did they expect you to do, run off the boardwalk, over to the waves, and run back, one bucket at a time, to splash the fire out? [Weren't fire buckets usually full of sand? - Dave] Fourth of July, Asbury ParkGossip overheard on the boardwalk this day: "Did you hear, the cops finally busted Madam Marie for tellin' fortunes better than they do?" Feels like I am right there.I love that you can get all the root beer and ginger ale you want for 5 cents! A Derby?Guy at bottom right: "You're on holiday, man - where's your straw boater?" DynamicsWhat a wonderful negative. I marvel at these treasures, some of which are well over 100 years old. I wonder how well our current generation of digital images will fare over this same time. My fear is that most of them will be lost forever. (I've already heard people bemoaning the loss of pictures they were to "busy" to transfer from an old computer to a new one.) But I digress. This picture is a wonderful microcosm of American society. There are dynamics at work here. A father and his "soon-to be flapper" daughter just exiting the bottom of the frame. Three young girls walking up the boardwalk, one of whom seems to be casting an eye back ... to what? (a rival?) Not far away is an animated discussion between three men. A little farther up, a family (?) of six females and two small boys, stretched out in a line. A man all alone, suffering from a cold (?) and on and on. Until up on the right, most disturbing of all, a small knot of men clustered at the swimming pool fence. Ansel Adams had the Zone System. I'm working on the points system. First I points it here, and then I points it there ... So Many ScenariosOne need not walk into the "SCENARIO" entrance to see them. For free, a lot of them are playing out right here. Here are some favorites: The Prohibition is clearly in force here. Against smiling. What a grim bunch of happy vacationers. The man talking in front right to the other two - he is flashing "East Side," homie. I hope he got the right sign back, for the sake of the man in the bowler. The man, dead center, blowing his nose. Look at the wide latitude he is given. No wonder. A runny nose in 1914 was fearsome. I give up trying to see what the young girl, front bottom center, is turning around to spy upon. If a young man is returning that gaze, about 20-30 people might be alive today as a direct result. The Summer of '47Wow! This brought me back to 62 years ago. I spent a week in Ocean Grove with a family of neighbors while my dad was on a business trip in Europe. High spots of the time there was at the Carousel on the Asbury side of the lagoon, going for the brass ring, and seeing a performance of "Pirates of Penzance" in the huge old wooden auditorium. Ocean Grove was an old Methodist tent-meeting resort back then, like Ocean City farther down the Jersey Coast, and Oak Bluffs up on Martha's Vineyard. At Saturday midnight, chains were put up on all streets entering the Grove to prevent any auto traffic on Sundays. I wonder if they still do that there. And thanks for putting up the old postcard to reorient me. Everyone is so thinin a good way. "By the sea........by the sea, by the beautiful sea, you and me, you and me, oh, how happy we'll be..." I don't know the rest of the words but it seems to precisely describe this photo of the halcyon days of 1914. Looks like a "barbershop quintet" of five similarly dressed males who just might be entertainers. Wish I was there. Oh, the clothes!I know, I know. If all we talked about in Shorpy comments was clothes, we could still be here all day. But this is one of my favorite fashion eras, where the elaborate styles of the nineteenth century were enjoying a happy marriage with the simpler, more practical ones of the twentieth. I could spend hours just poring over the lace insets the black-hatted lady in the lower right is sporting on her summer frock. The bemiddied teen girls at center are adorable, yet comfortable enough to play with the boys. And every man is Maurice Chevalier! Re: Can you hear me now?Is that person serious? You get a lot of comments like this, Dave? [No comment. - Dave] Can you hear me now?This is such a detailed recreation, it almost had me fooled. The man with the cell phone gives it away as a fake. He is about even with the man blowing his nose, a few paces to his right. Clever, Dave. But not clever enough :-) [Seeing as how his hand is empty, he's probably not chatting on his cell. - Dave] It was a jokeUm, I was joking. I guess I sounded too much like some of the genuine comments that insist Dave is trying to pull the wool over our eyes in some fashion. I'll try to be more obvious in my attempt at humor from now on. Love the site, and this picture in particular. Sunday DriversBob, sorry but they no longer put up the chains across the roads on Sunday. It ended back in the Seventies. Someone from New York, vacationing in Ocean Grove, complained that a Newspaper Delivery man was allowed to enter the Grove in the early hours on Sunday to deliver the Sunday paper. A lawsuit ensued and now the chains are gone. At one time nothing on wheels rolled in Ocean Grove on Sunday. Not bicycles or baby carriages. Everyone walked. Even cars had to be parked either in garages or out of town. Not on the streets of Ocean Grove. Most everything in Asbury Park and Ocean Grove, from that time, is gone. Even the carousel that had the brass ring is gone. I was born in Neptune and raised there about 60 years ago, and still live down by the beach. (The Gallery, Asbury Park, G.G. Bain, Sports)
Hello, Columbus: 1905
Columbus, Ohio, circa 1905. "Great Southern Hotel." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Still there This is the one hotel from the late 1800s they did not tear down. It is still in operation as a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 2:37pm -

Columbus, Ohio, circa 1905. "Great Southern Hotel." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Still thereThis is the one hotel from the late 1800s they did not tear down. It is still in operation as a Westin hotel. The section of the building at the left with the fancier arch is the Southern Theater, which was recently renovated. View Larger Map My Home TownIt's nice to see it here on Shorpy. Have any more? 10-11-10I guess this is Shorpy's way of saying Happy Columbus Day! A familiar sightI worked in downtown Columbus for three years in the late '90s. My office was on Broad Street across from the original Wendy's, about four blocks from the old Great Southern. Columbus is a neat town. I miss it. One of the greatest public libraries in the US is there. Hello HollyThere's another one of those Holly hydrants. Comfort OutI've stayed here, and the experience suggested a few reasons why most such hotels *have* been torn down. It's hard to make them work properly as hotels now. When the building was constructed, hotel rooms didn't all have private baths, desks, two nightstands, easy chairs, giant TV armoires, and king-size beds. Add those things to this building's standard rooms and you have to sidle around the room, squeezing yourself past the furniture. (The bigger corner rooms, incidentally, are as ridiculously large as the standard ones are ridiculously tiny. Book one of those.) When I was there, the lobby was lit with the original electric chandelier, i.e. 100 unfrosted light bulbs about 30 feet above the floor. This thing was a technical marvel in 1897, but the light it casts is like the light from 100 bare light bulbs 30 feet away. It's easy to forget when looking at long-exposure photos that to the people who inhabited these interiors at the time, these were likely all very dim and shadowy places when the sun was not shining. Unflattering light or no, the lobby well worth a visit for Shorpy fans, as there is (or was, anyway) a collection of historical photos showing the differing appearance of the lobby over the years. Today's version is self-consciously "original" but with more comfortable furniture, but in the past they more or less took the approach of using the room as a setting for whatever decor happened to be in vogue at the time. Now just where is that ATM?Certainly looks like the lady is looking for something. +101The view from almost the same perspective from September of 2006. Building to the rightI was just driving by here last week. It stands out in my memory because the building to the right of the hotel has a very fancy facade, but the rest of the building is a very plain brick box. My daughter thought it was a peculiar combination. Columbus is nice like that though, lots of old buildings in and around downtown. (The Gallery, DPC)
Braddock House: 1910
... Alexandria, Virginia, circa 1910. "Braddock House." The Hotel Braddock -- Rooms 25 and 50 cents. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... of Alexandria, on the corner, and both became the Green Hotel. In 1855, a four-story addition was built along North Fairfax Street, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/16/2022 - 11:43am -

Alexandria, Virginia, circa 1910. "Braddock House." The Hotel Braddock -- Rooms 25 and 50 cents. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Half a house?Part of it is still there. Ad for the BradHere is an ad from the book A Concise History of the City of Alexandria Virginia in 1883. Looks like the rates were higher in better days: Now is the way it wasThe real story of the Braddock House is the Carlyle Mansion hidden behind it. The mansion was built in 1751. The back fronted a river, now N. Lee Street, and the large front yard extended to what is now North Fairfax Street. In 1848 the mansion became a combined property with the former Bank of Alexandria, on the corner, and both became the Green Hotel. In 1855, a four-story addition was built along North Fairfax Street, blocking any view of the mansion from the street. This addition made the Green Hotel, renamed Braddock house in the 1880s, the largest hotel in Alexandria. In 1969, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority voted to acquire and restore the property as a public national historic site. The Braddock House was torn down, leaving the original Bank of Alexandria building on the corner, and returning the large front lawn to the Carlyle Mansion. +105Below is the same view from November of 2015. (The Gallery, D.C., DPC, Kids)
Inn by the Elms: 1908
Circa 1908. "Broadway and Grand Union Hotel, Saratoga Springs, N.Y." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... View full size. A Genius Lived Here When the hotel was demolished in 1953, a mural by French painter Adolphe Yvon, "The ... Gone They were wiped out by Dutch Elm Disease and Dutch Hotel Disease. Ugliness Beneath the Beauty Scene of one of the most ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/14/2014 - 12:20pm -

Circa 1908. "Broadway and Grand Union Hotel, Saratoga Springs, N.Y." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A Genius Lived HereWhen the hotel was demolished in 1953, a mural by French painter Adolphe Yvon, "The Genius of America," was moved to Chancellor's Hall in the State Education Building in Albany. It was concealed behind draperies for several years because of its controversial depiction of slavery, and once again put on public view in 2012. GoneThey were wiped out by Dutch Elm Disease and Dutch Hotel Disease. Ugliness Beneath the BeautyScene of one of the most publicized antisemitic incidents in US history (at least to that point) when Judge Henry Hilton denied entry to Joseph Seligman and his family because they were Jewish. As reported in the Adirondack Almanack. View in 1939....Beautiful hotel, even with cars.... What an elegant picture.Makes you wish you could step back into that time for a visit. I still live hereThey are re-building the last grand hotel downtown, to make it appear much as this picture. There's a Starbucks on the far corner. The area behind the hotel will be used for meetings and receptions. LOVE MY TOWN!!! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC)
Jersey Shore: 1908
Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1908. "Hotel Traymore, bathers on the shore." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... town of Sea Bright.) M-B The Marlborough-Blenheim hotel is also in this photo. It's the structure with the beautiful dome and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2012 - 3:11pm -

Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1908. "Hotel Traymore, bathers on the shore." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Time Traveler Alert!The man directly behind "Freud" -- The Captain looking for Tennille. Unrecorded TolkienHobbit throws stick for dog. Razor's edge!The Gillette Razor sign in the background would fall over from the number of mega blades we have today! POOF!No Snooki! Where's the rest of me?Right behind the kid with the dog I see two legs and feet in wingtips sticking out of the sand, but no apparent torso or head. An early Sopranos reference? Great Day for the BeachIt must be, or there wouldn't be such a big crowd. Compared to today, it's odd how many of the people are wearing street clothes -- jacket and tie with starched Edwardian collars and brimmed hats for the men and ankle length full-cut dresses for women. Bathing attire for men seems to be a T-shirt or tank top with tight fitting shorts (which would be acceptable even in most restaurants in Atlantic City today!) Women seem to just have a shorter skirt for bathing -- must have been very clumsy in the surf line. However, the lifeguards are well equipped. Note the teenage boy in horizontally striped tank top on the left, leaning on a surf boat, lapstrake planked, with thole pins for the oars instead of metal locks. This type of boat, rare today, is the ancestor of the powered "Jersey skiff" used in racing. I think the rowing surfboat version seen in this photo was called the Sea Bright Skiff (after the northern NJ beach town of Sea Bright.) M-BThe Marlborough-Blenheim hotel is also in this photo. It's the structure with the beautiful dome and chimneys to the left of the Traymore. It was once the largest reinforced concrete building in the world. AnalysisSigmund Freud pauses for a pose whilst studying the peculiar humans reasons for returning to the sea. Standing directly behind Siggy is William Asher, inventor of the beach blanket. Inevitable fat commentNot an obese person in sight. Imagine a similar cross section today. AhhThere's nothing I enjoyed more as a boy than being serenaded by a barbershop quartet as I dug a hole in the wet Jersey sand. Thanks Dave-for the memories. Clothing Optional?My eyes must be deceiving me. If this man is as naked as he looks, I believe he would be causing more of a commotion than what is evident. [Eyes deceptive. Bad, bad eyes! - Dave] Safety razorOh wow, I didn't realize that Gillette safety razor design went back so far. I have one of those razors in my medicine cabinet, although I haven't used it in a while. The last time I tried using it it sliced me up good compared to the latest plastic stuff. I guess safety is a comparative term. Doncha wonderwhen the first shirt came off on the jersey shore? My grandpa on the beach"Freud" looks exactly like my paternal grandfather, who always dressed with a wing collar. The daytime collar was smaller than the nighttime collar. As time went by my grandmother had a lot of trouble trying to find the right size or at least what Grandpa said was the right size. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Rise & Fall: 1903
... inscription Augusta, Georgia, circa 1903. "Albion Hotel and Confederate Monument." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... Street no longer so broad Apparently the Albion Hotel burned to the ground in November 1921, and was replaced by Hotel Richmond ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/18/2014 - 1:01am -

No nation rose so white and fair. None fell so pure of crime.         — Confederate Monument inscription Augusta, Georgia, circa 1903. "Albion Hotel and Confederate Monument." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Selective perception?White? Fair? Pure of crime? Ha-rump. Where does "the other half" fit into this image? Or the "special institution"? Ye gads! The wires!The Victorian Internet was in full swing with telephone, telegraph and electric power! So much so that crossarms are suspended from wires, just to add to the mix. Birds had no problem looking for a place to rest. But where are the automobiles?Plenty of carriages and bicycles seemed to be in full swing, though. Street no longer so broadApparently the Albion Hotel burned to the ground in November 1921, and was replaced by Hotel Richmond (now the Richmond Summit Apartments), which still stands. The Confederate monument is still there - at approx. 755 Broad Street (which is not quite so broad now) Pure of crime?Only if atrocities toward Africans do not count as a crime. What blindness those Confederates had. Thank god they were crushed. Well, they got the "white" part rightNo disrespect intended to the fallen, but that inscription borders on the sanctimonious. That teamsterAssuming he is literate, which is by no means certain, but which I wouldn't bet against, is no doubt using the broad brim of his hat to prevent his eyes from rolling at the sight of that inscription. This is a survival skill common to every black American in that era, and long after. Not everyone was a criminalSome, like my great-great grandfather fought for Georgia, not because he owned slaves, but for for things like protecting his friends, family, and property. Most memorials in the South, like this are to remember the dead that fell in a war, regardless of the issues. Respect the dead, and remember that racism wasn't, and isn't, exclusion to the South. Still "Broad"Broad Street is still "Broad," it just has lots of trees and a median that was put in during a downtown renovation in the late '70s. When I was a kid growing up there in the '50, Broad Street was treeless, like in this photo. The Richmond Hotel seemed, to my small-town eyes, like the height of urbanity. Loved the overstuffed leather chairs, the barber shop, the newsstand in the lobby, the smell of cigars, when my mom would visit the beauty parlor there and I'd have to wait in the lobby with all the traveling drummers. Still Broad, and a 'New' FacadeThe hotel building itself appears original, with an 'updated' deco-esque veneer. View Larger Map (The Gallery, Civil War, DPC, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Custom House: 1915
... In The tower is now a smallish (87-room) Marriott hotel. Nice Renovation For those that don't know, the base of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/25/2019 - 10:52am -

Circa 1915. "Custom House tower, Boston, Massachusetts." Note the wireless masts next door. Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. What is on the clock face between the 6 and 7?I cannot see what it is from the full view size. [6:30 - Dave] Best towah evahGlad to see my *favorite* building in Boston on Shorpy! The Custom House Tower looks just as gorgeous today as it did back then. The Art of PhotographyThere is a rather timeless quality about this image, don't you agree? [The clock is definitely timeless. - Dave] Look Ma, No Hands!It looks as if the Custom House clock is "out to lunch." It was only recently that the brothers David & Ross Hochstrasser were successful in making this clock a reliable timekeeper. The clock's original hands were far too heavy and the clock would frequently stop due to the load of the minute hands when they were ascending the dials. Today, the clock's hands are made of lightweight plastic. Carter's Tested SeedsCarter's seems to have been a British seed producer. Not only did they offer seed for turf around "some of the finest holes" -- one assumes this refers to golf courses -- they offered flower and vegetable seed, included the largely-unloved Brussels Sprouts. WirelessWhat are the wireless masts for? It's too early for broadcasting. [Radiotelegraphy goes back to the late 19th century. Its most widespread application was ship-to-shore communication. Wireless telegraph and telephone ("Marconi") masts began to appear in large cities, especially along the East Coast, around 1910. - Dave] ScalePerfect example of how to get a large building on a tiny site! Beautifully simple! My favorite too!I've always loved that building and what it means to Boston's maritime past. What I remember most fondly though is the trip I made in 1970 as a 14 year old geek to take my commercial radio license exam at the FCC offices that were there. Some years later I was able to ride the tiny elevator to the observation deck above the clock. Sadly, I didn't have a camera with me. A timeless punGood one, Dave! I think what Fort Worth Guy is asking about is the little door between 6 and 7, which perhaps was needed for someone to assist the heavy hands with making their upward climb on occasion. [It's where the cuckoo pops out. - Dave] Checking InThe tower is now a smallish (87-room) Marriott hotel. Nice RenovationFor those that don't know, the base of the building was completed in 1847, but the twenty-six floor tower was not added until 1913-15. We don't build them like this anymore! Gas worksIn the distance can be seen one of the ubiquitous (at the time) municipal gas holders. These got quite a bit of discussion in some earlier Shorpy threads at: https://www.shorpy.com/node/5575 and https://www.shorpy.com/node/5587 I think these old dinosaurs have pretty much disappeared from the contemporary city skyline. Wonderful ViewAs I write this, I am looking at this very building, as I do every day from my office on the Boston waterfront. Still one of the more striking profiles on the Boston skyline, even though it is now surrounded by a number of more contemporary structures. Incidentally, the handsome building upon which the wireless masts are anchored, at the corner of India and State streets, is still there, very nicely preserved, and serves, among other things, as the current home of Kitty O'Shea's, an Irish bar on the State Street side. And the Gothic beauty with the arched windows at the right margin of the photograph -- the Flour and Grain Exchange Building -- also still syands, also very well-preserved, and newly visible now that the dreadful Central Artery has been torn down. Terrific photograph! Weird architecture This is a weird looking building. It seems to be cross between a courthouse, office building and church. A SurvivorNice to see that this building still stands. It's amazing how much they destroyed of their old city in Boston. Somebody Goofed?What's the point of a clock tower if one can't tell the time by it? Where were the hands at the time this was photographed? [In a crate with the rest of the clock. - Dave] Now a Marriott vacation timeshare.It is now a Marriott vacations property. A friend gave my wife and I two nights of their timeshare last week. We were on the 19th floor facing the harbor (the top of the three floors by the fluted columns.)The room key accessed an elevator to the observation deck. We saw a few groups of people not staying there approach front desk and were given an escort to the observation deck. ViewWhen I was a boy, the Custom House was the only skyscraper in the City of Boston. I could look across the harbor from my home in Winthrop, and see the Custom House, and the United Shoe Building, the second tallest edifice, illuminated at night by lights on its roof. Boston GemI just recently stayed there. I did take a tour of the building. Great history behind it. The 36 original pillars at the east and west entrances are solid granite weighing in at 42 tons each. 1847 means ox had to deliver them. The dome of the original structure was kept intact and the tower built over it and can only be seen from the interior. Tropical RadioThe radio towers belong to Tropical Radio. A part of the United Fruit Company. This was their contact with fruit growers in South America. Growing up in a small town south of Boston I had a friend whose father was employed by Tropical Radio as an auditor and traveled all through South America visiting their locations. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC)
Red Widow: 1911
... Endearing Times Square From the halo glow of the Hotel sign atop the building to the plethora of illuminated signs, what a treat ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 1:28pm -

New York circa 1911. "Times Square at night." Now playing at the Astor: Raymond Hitchcock as Cicero Hannibal Butts in the musical comedy "Red Widow." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Pity the poor commaAbused here in the Evans' Pastilles sign: FOR COLD'S COUGH'S HOARSENESS. Some things never change! [Pity the poor apostrophe -- so often confused with the comma! - Dave] Why Every Citizen Should Read the ChiefUpper right hand corner has a billboard for New York's Civil Service newspaper, still published today, with the same masthead. Only in the bizarro Shorpy worldWould it were possible that the character Cicero Hannibal Butts was the great-grandfather of today's real-life stage actor Norbert Leo Butts! Hail to The ChiefThe Independent Voice of New York City Civil Service Since 1897, so they say. Still publishing once a week, it was the place to check for info on government jobs in the NYC area before the Internets started laying down their tubes. Same View--Seven Years laterThis is the same view as found in this post but several years later. Looks like the Packard dealer didn't make it. https://www.shorpy.com/node/7407 IncredibleCompared to the non-stop intense sounds of Times Square today, that region looks to have been quiet, even peaceful during the time this picture was taken. Well, peaceful might be a stretch unless you closed your eyes to shield from the already dominant presence of light displays. I love both New Yorks. +99Below is the same view south from 45th Street taken in April of 2010. A Daunting ChallengeMaking a silent movie that's a musical comedy would be quite a challenge, I'd expect. [It would be, and it's not a movie. - Dave] Historical Photos Moments caught on camera that will never be seen again. I love old photos~ Wow! This I really like.What a fantastic and almost unbelievable contrast to today! ChiropodistIt's almost seven at night. Must be autumn? I'm wondering what a Chiropodist was? Someone who cracks your spine with his feet? Someone who handles feet? Endearing Times SquareFrom the halo glow of the Hotel sign atop the building to the plethora of illuminated signs, what a treat this magical place is. The automobiles look almost 3D like and so in focus. It's only 9:35 and the night is still young. How about those cool lanterns on their standards. Oh New York, New York. Two cabs, no waitingIdle taxis waiting for customers at the hack stand. And the chiropodist -- my mom went to one in the 1950s to get her aching feet checked. Great picture. Match Game '11Amazing to see how quickly electric lighting became commonplace, and how things looked in the era before neon, although if Wikipedia is correct neon lighting was demonstrated in Paris shortly before this photo was taken. I see the Match Game is on at the billiard parlor. Probably where Brett Somers made her debut. Louis MartinsVisible on 42nd Street are signs for both the Broadway and Seventh Avenue entrances for this 5,000 seat restaurant and lobster palace. It was the reincarnation of the elaborate but ill-fated Cafe de l'Opera, which failed when it required evening wear, and served food that cooled during the long trip from the kitchen. The Great White WayWas bright as it ever was in 1910. Times Square: The PaintingThe remains of a Chancellor Cigar poster from a drugstore. It took me years to find it depicted Times Square. There's a subway entrance depicted in the right half. I couldn't discern whether there is a similar structure in the photo. ChiropodyThe Chiropodist treated both hand and foot. Chiropody, and emptinessYes, a chiropodist is someone who handles feet - specifically, treats things like bunions, corns etc. They're still known as such in the UK (I think they're podiatrists now in the US but I might be wrong!) I love the cars/taxis! And how empty it looks. I've never seen it like that. Was it realyl short exposure so all the people are blurred and not really visible? (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Detroit Landmarks: 1908
... "Cadillac Square, Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument and Hotel Pontchartrain from City Hall." Also the lower section of one of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/19/2023 - 12:32am -

Detroit, 1908. "Cadillac Square, Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument and Hotel Pontchartrain from City Hall." Also the lower section of one of the city's famous "moonlight tower" arc lamps. And: Someone stop that hat! 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A Spindly AffairThis is my first time to see one of those moonlight arc lamp towers up close. Seems kind of flimsy - though I notice all the guy wires. Climbing one of those for maintenance was surely a risky business and there doesn't seem to be anything to prevent anyone from doing so. [The lamps probably come down to street level for maintenance. Hence the crank. - Dave] Moonlight ElevatorDave, the lights didn't travel down to meet the man. The man used a hand-cranked elevator to travel up and service the lights. This is depicted and described in the following NY Times news article: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/travel/austins-moon-towers-beyond-daz... (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Americana: 1962
October 31, 1962. "Americana Hotel, 52nd Street and Seventh Avenue, New York City. Coffee shop II. Loew's ... not in all respects. New in '62 The 53-story hotel operated as the Americana until it was acquired by Sheraton in 1979 and renamed Sheraton Center Hotel & Towers. It underwent a $192M renovation in 1992 and became the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/29/2013 - 2:12pm -

October 31, 1962. "Americana Hotel, 52nd Street and Seventh Avenue, New York City. Coffee shop II. Loew's Hotels. Morris Lapidus, Harle & Liebman architects." Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Sign of the TimesOh, how I remember this sort of dining experience. The days when "modern" meant everything would be stone, glass and metal eventually. Glad they were wrong, about that at least. Judging from the date, this photo must have been taken just days after the conclusion of the Cuban Missle Crisis. It was a better world then, but not in all respects. New in '62The 53-story hotel operated as the Americana until it was acquired by Sheraton in 1979 and renamed Sheraton Center Hotel & Towers. It underwent a $192M renovation in 1992 and became the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. After a $160M renovation that expanded guest facilities was completed early in 2012, the name was shorted to Sheraton New York Hotel. Prune danish and cigarettesWhat horrid crowded little tables. Not designed for today's "body profile" for sure. I see myself at 9 years old jammed in with my brother and parents (smoking like fiends) while I try to eat some eggs. Check out the "Alien hieroglyphic" tile motif on the columns. This room sends me a messageAnd the message is: uncomfortable seating, mediocre food, indifferent service, outrageously high prices. Late Frank Lloyd Wright influence?The tiles on those columns look a lot like the molded concrete "textile blocks" Wright and his son used in their California houses, the Miller, Storer, Ennis and Freeman houses (though those blocks were much larger). Ennis House has been used in several films and music viceos. Of course, this place copies only the idea, not the style or the execution. At the AmericanaI attended the first Consumer Electronics Show, held at the Americana in June 1967. There were only about 20 vendor displays. I remember being in one the audio listening rooms and getting a product pitch and a demonstration of a manufacturer's loudspeakers. There was an older gentleman listening as well. I wasn't impressed with what I heard. As we left the room the other fellow asked me what I thought and I told him. He agreed with my assessment and we introduced ourselves. He was Avery Fisher, an industry legend, the founder of the Fisher Radio Company and a lifelong philanthropist. Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center was named for him. A fixture of my childhoodThose circular diffusers were everywhere when I was a kid, including our living room ceiling. Why So High?The coathooks on the wall seem to be awfully high; OK maybe for an adult but mighty tough for children. [If they were lower, coats would be in range for damage from chairs being backed up against the wall. And presumably parents would take care of their kids' garments. - tterrace] (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Minute Service No. 1: 1925
... to be looking north on 17th Street with the Mayflower Hotel in the background. 17th and L Looking northwest. Tom has correctly identified the Mayflower Hotel (the only landmark) View Larger Map Oiling and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 6:03pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Minute Service Station, 17th & L streets N.W." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. GaseteriaI see Amoco, Sunoco, and Standard. How many brands do they have at one station? A real life game of MonopolyIt was actually quite common for the full service stations of early days to give patrons a choice of petroleum brands. Just look in the Shorpy archives at other 1920's filling stations and you will see many stations with various "brands" at their pumps. However all of these particular brands are related. Standard Oil of John D. Rockefeller fame was broken up in 1911. But Amoco, Sun Oil and Standard were all once part of the Rockefeller monopoly that got trust-busted. PerspectivesThis appears to be looking north on 17th Street with the Mayflower Hotel in the background. 17th and LLooking northwest. Tom has correctly identified the Mayflower Hotel (the only landmark) View Larger Map Oiling and GreasingA fine modern design by architect Robert F. Beresford, previously seen in final construction. Beresford aided in the design of the adjacent Mayflower Hotel as well as other service stations seen on Shorpy including Minute Service Station No. 3, and Lord Baltimore No. 6. Other Minute Service Stations seen at Shorpy are No. 2 and No. 5. I find the advertisement for the L street Garage interesting in that original business model for the garage was to provide overnight, heated parking for the finicky autos of the day. The L street Garage was later renamed Mayflower Garage and provided parking for both guests of the hotel as well as shoppers on Connecticut Avenue. The service station and garage were razed in 1960 to make way for office space. Washington Post, Apr 9. 1922 Open Largest Gas Station Tomorrow New Building is Last Word in Completeness, Beauty, Speed and Arrangement. Washington's largest and most attractive gasoline station will be opened for business tomorrow. The announcement will be of interest, particularly to motorists of the large northwest section, and will mark the coming of something new in gasoline stations. The Washington Accessories Company, composed of Messrs. W.T. Gallither, president of the American National Bank; C.E. Galliher, of W.T. Galliher & Bro., lumber dealers and Allan E. Walker, president of Allan E. Walker & Co., is the owner of the new enterprise, which represents an investment of more than $150,000, in ground, building and equipment. ... Particular stress is laid on the fact that the station is so designed as to have free entry to every pump for either side, and to make it possible to drive out when ready, no matter how many cars are at the pumps ahead. Calling attention to a rapidly growing evil in gas stations - that of tipping - the company announces that its employees are positively forbidden to accept tips under any conditions. ... A large two-story granite stucco building has been erected on L street. This houses the accessories store. A very complete stock of automotive supplies will be carried, and both wholesale and retail business will be featured. A second building, similar in construction, in in the rear of the first, and contains an auto laundry, battery station, and tire repair departments. ... Edward E. Lipphard, who has been connected with the automobile accessory business in Washington for several years, and who enjoys a wide acquaintance, throughout the Capital, will manage the new enterprise. (click to enlarge) Washington Post, Sep 30, 1923 New Garage Opening The L Street garage, a new four-story, fireproof garage building, located at 1705 L street northwest, will be opened for business tomorrow, according to an announcement made by the company. The garage will be operated by the L Street Garage company incorporated, which is owned by Galliher-Walker Investment corporation. D.M. Gordan is the manager of the new enterprise. It adjoins the splendid filling station and accessory store of the Washington Accessories Company which is owned by the same corporation. The L Street garage is a splendid 4-story, fireproof building with lime-stone front, which presents a very attractive appearance. It is located on a lot 43 by 130 feet with over 5,500 square feet of floor space on each floor, a total of over 22,000 square feet. One of the unusual features of this building is that the supporting pillars are place within four feet of the side walls, thus leaving practically the entire width of the building free for easy movement and arrangement of cars. Very liberal window space provides unusual light on every floor. Wide entrances are located on L street and on the alley at the rear of the building. Offices and an accessory store are located on the the first floor with comfortable and attractive waiting rooms adjoining. A ladies' rest room is located on the mezzanine. (click to enlarge) You don't see that anymoreI have to say that all gasoline stations of the 30-40's just seem so much nicer, safer and friendlier places than they are today. Perhaps it is because you have people waiting to assist you, the down side of course it that they closed, they certainly were not open 24 hrs a day. I would love to visit that station and ask them to "fill er up." Many faces of Standard OilThe Standard Oil in DC was the New Jersey company, and fits the bill for the pre-bust comment. American Oil was not part of the Trust, Amoco was based in Baltimore before Indiana Standard acquired it. Sun Oil (Sunoco) was also not part of pre-1911 Standard Oil. It did buy in to the Standard legacy when it bought the remains of the old Atlantic Refining Company of Philadelphia (Atlantic) from Arco in 1988. Atlantic was part of pre-1911 Standard. Sunoco's A-plus convenience stores are the biggest legacy of old Atlantic. +90Below is the same view from May of 2015. (The Gallery, D.C., Gas Stations, Natl Photo)
Phila Up: 1904
... originally a bank, has been repurposed as a Ritz-Carlton hotel. +109 Below is the same view from October of 2013. Impressive ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/18/2023 - 5:59pm -

Philadelphia, 1904. "Land Title Trust Building, Broad Street." The umpteenth appearance on these pages of this early skyscraper. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. PossibilitiesThe rise (?) of such buildings was made possible by many technical advances such as steel design and engineering, but right at the top is Elisha Otis's safety elevator. The Same View Today There's a lot still thereFrom what I can tell, everything on the left in 1904 from the Second Empire building with the curved staircases to City Hall is still there. Although at least one building closer to City Hall, that looks like it was originally a bank, has been repurposed as a Ritz-Carlton hotel. +109Below is the same view from October of 2013. ImpressiveOh, 8x10, you've done it again. Superb image and stunning building. Just imagine how much weight is behind all that masonry added to the steel skeleton and interior fit-out. Looks as good as new today! (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia)
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