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Oyster Alley: 1922
... spot. At the right we see a sliver of the enormous Raleigh Hotel. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Raleigh Hotel A recent profile of the hotel here . The difference between ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 10:18pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Wearley's front." Exterior of the oyster bar seen in the previous post. This stretch of 12th Street N.W. seems to have been something of a seafood hot spot. At the right we see a sliver of the enormous Raleigh Hotel. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Raleigh HotelA recent profile of the hotel here. The differencebetween an oyster depot and an oyster house is the baggage clam! Weser's OystersThe establishment to the left is Weser's Oyster Depot. Prior to Howe's, #423 was Hogan's Oyster Depot. Wearley's (established 1898 by Oscar B. Wearley) later moved to 418 12th. In 1950 another move to 516 N. Capitol Street, where it survived until the 1960s. Does anyone know the distinction between an Oyster Depot and an Oyster House? Washington Post, Feb 20, 1907 Edward Weser Dies of Old Age. Edward Weser, eighty-three years old, died yesterday morning at this home, 441 Seventh Street southwest. Death was caused by a complication of diseases due to old age. He was a native of Germany, but came to the United Sates when a boy. He was for several years a maker and seller of sulphur matches. In 1858 he established an oyster house at Twelfth and E streets, the management of which he continued until his death. He is survived by his wife and three daughters, Mrs. Annie Gordon, Mrs. Barbara Swing, and Mrs. A.J. Comiskey, and two sons, C.H. Weser and Joseph B. Weser. 1887 Boyd's directory of the District of Columbia 1908, Washington Times At a theatre near you!Dorothy Dalton in The Siren's Call. Here's what she looked like. Has anyone ever seen it? Larry, Moe, & Curly (or was it Shemp?)Might this be the place where the stooges had such trouble eating a simple bowl of soup? "Old Fashion"Isn't it interesting and telling that "Old Fashion" could be used in 1922 to distinguish one establishment from two adjacent businesses that all seem to sell the same basic product. Re: Why Oysters?Anyone with the time and inclination to learn about oysters ought to read Mark Kurlansky's book The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. In part, the prevalence of oyster houses reflects the prevalence of the oyster itself. Europe's oyster beds had long been depleted from over-fishing and destruction of beds. In contrast, the waters of east coast (especially around New York Harbor) were bounteous. At one time, the fledgeling U.S.A. produced 88% of the world's oyster production. As a result oysters provided a cheap source of protein for people of all economic classes. In the 20th century, urban pollution (largely sewage and run-off) lowered the water quality and destroyed many of the oyster beds. Incidentally, when this photo was made, my ancestors were dredging oysters in the Chesapeake - probably supplying oyster depots in both Baltimore and Washington. UPDATE: Link to 2001 NYT article by Mark Kurlansky: "CITY LORE; When the Oyster Was Their World" The world would be my oysterif I could rent that room on the top floor! Ornamental crustaceansGotta love those lobster decorations on the balcony railing above Wearley's. Gayety, Palace, and MetropolitanThe posters in front of Howe's advertise shows at three theaters that we've seen before on Shorpy: Gayety: https://www.shorpy.com/node/6455 Palace: https://www.shorpy.com/node/5844 (in comments) Metropolitan: https://www.shorpy.com/node/5539 OystercentrismMuch like today, blame New York for the trend. They became very popular there in the 19th century. Cheap from beginning to end, you could get them on most streets and they fed the working class. As immigrants poured in and the shift moved, they took their appetite with them and the oyster moved inland thanks to the burgeoning railroads that could deliver them. Soft ClamsI know what soft shell crabs are but what is a soft clam? Why Oysters?This may have been discussed before, but can anyone shed light on the appetite for oysters in America in the late 19th to early 20th centuries? I've seen pictures of small Midwestern and western towns with only a handful of businesses, and an "Oysters" sign among them. It seems folks couldn't go more than a day or two without eating an oyster. [Fast-forward 100 years. Substitute "Starbucks" for "oysters." - Dave] Weser descendants thank youAs descendants of Edward Weser and Joseph B. Weser, we thank you for this posting. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Natl Photo)
Ghost Town Hotel
One of the same women who previously was seen posing in slacks and pedal pusher shorts, with a car and her sister, puts on a dress to pose with her mother in front of a California ghost town motel. From a collection of photos I found in a Simi Val ... 
 
Posted by aenthal - 06/13/2014 - 8:24pm -

One of the same women who previously was seen posing in slacks and pedal pusher shorts, with a car and her sister, puts on a dress to pose with her mother in front of a California ghost town motel. From a collection of photos I found in a Simi Valley, California antique store. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Grand Atlantic: 1905
... Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1905. "Grand Atlantic Hotel -- Open All Year." Someone grab a ladder and oil that creaky shutter. ... Would like to stay in the annex next to the main hotel. Men with hats It would appear that Derbies were in this season. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 6:58pm -

Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1905. "Grand Atlantic Hotel -- Open All Year." Someone grab a ladder and oil that creaky shutter. View full size. Back in the day, when weBack in the day, when we weren't so paranoid about letting the outside air drift through our homes. First bed and breakfast?Would like to stay in the annex next to the main hotel. Men with hatsIt would appear that Derbies were in this season. I WonderDid these gorgeous buildings face the ocean? Forget the HotelI want a room in the annex. No unsightly trolley wires hereOthers have pointed out at this photo: https://www.shorpy.com/node/12774?size=_original that the Grand Atlantic is on Virginia Ave., which is at a right angle to the ocean, so the front of the Hotel doesn't face the sea. There is modern electric streetcar service to this termite's delight, but it's not a trolley. The far track is equipped with the Pullen System of surface electrical contact boxes. The near track hasn't been converted from horse car or steam dummy service. Extract from a Jersey Shore Diary April 25th 1905 I just spent a most enjoyable day and didn't have to travel a bit which was enjoyable since I had spent a few hours on trains and ferries from Philadelphia and arrived late. I was able to get my usual room (2nd floor front) at the annex where the service is as good as the main building but seems less formal and not as crowded. I slept in late and took a perch on the main porch and was delighted by the gentle breezes and the parade of handsome and genteel ladies who passed by. There were even a few winks and flashing smiles thrown my way. I ambled over to the barbershop for a trim and a little baseball talk. The Athletics look good this year and since Rube Waddell was pitching today I asked Tony to place a $5.00 wager on the A's. The sea air had given me quite the appetite so a visit to the Grand Atlantic Hotel Bar & Buffet seemed to be the logical next step. There was all manner of seafood and stout lagers to be found there. After a hearty meal at the bar I lit a cigar and noticed one of the ladies who had given me a grand smile passed by and entered the ladies section with another couple. Feeling a little bold I introduced myself and discovered Ethel of The Grand Smile was vacationing with her brother and sister-in-law. After an hour or so of conversation about mundane, practical and profound things we made a date to meet the next morning for a Beach & Boardwalk stroll. Hopefully I'll be able to convince Ethel to ride with me in one of those two-seat man propelled carriages on the Boardwalk. I blush to think where the conversation we have as we travel the Boardwalk might lead? (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
Generation Gap: 1937
... in location does to what catches one eye. Soniat House Hotel As mentioned in This thread the building is still there and is now the Soniat House Hotel. It still amazes me how the homes of New Orleans have survived. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 4:08pm -

New Orleans circa 1937. "Courtyard at 1133-1135 Chartres Street." Young and old, hangin' with the laundry. The head count here is three, the foot count nine. 8x10 acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. This is one great photographIn subject and composition. Good One!Is this a shoe of a camera-shy someone? Change of PerspectiveI thought this looked familiar. I'm not sure which I prefer. This one tends to draw me out to the arches across the street while the other draws my focus to the scene in this courtyard. Two good examples of what a minor change in location does to what catches one eye. Soniat House HotelAs mentioned in This thread the building is still there and is now the Soniat House Hotel. It still amazes me how the homes of New Orleans have survived. As a photographer I reallyAs a photographer I really like this shot. There is a very nice balance to the photo. I want to wander through the archway, across the street and into the courtyard in the distance, just to see what is there. The two legs sticking out in the distance are what draw me in that direction. I wonder how much of the interesting detail we see in this image would be lost if the image had been taken with a digital camera. You win!Rip Tragle, I missed that one. But I am still not sure if the two boys really have two feet each, let be it that I could count them! +75This address is now a wonderful hotel called the Soniat House. I stayed there back in Feb, 2012 and here is a shot of what I think is the same courtyard. Missing Socks - The Scourge of MankindI just knew there would be an odd number of white socks hanging on the line (five in this case). Porgy and BessOn seeing the photo I was immediately reminded of the early stage set renditions for "Porgy and Bess" as in the rendition below from the 1930s: StreetcarStanley: Stella!! (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston, Kids, New Orleans)
Moses and Sons: 1923
... National Photo Co. View full size. Harrington Hotel Washington's oldest continuously operating hotel. 436 11th Street N.W. (corner of 11th & E) Opening day: March 1, 1914 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 4:28pm -

Washington, D.C., 1923. "W.B. Moses & Sons, F and 11th Sts." Note the unusual circular windows at the top of the building. National Photo Co. View full size. Harrington HotelWashington's oldest continuously operating hotel. 436 11th Street N.W. (corner of 11th & E) Opening day: March 1, 1914 http://www.hotel-harrington.com/index.htm Drivers, Take Your MarksLooks like an old gran prix style race start. Those round windows were the first things I noticed. I believe there was a similar round swiveling window in the attic of the Griswald home in Christmas Vacation. Just a fact taking up space in my brain. Also notice that long straight-up fire escape. Seems like the stairs type would be safer in a panic situation. There are also flag holders outside many of the windows. "Fire Escapes"Those are probably for getting into the building, not out. The ladders are fire-control access to the various floors. There are standpipes on either side with a connection point at each floor and two supply connections at the bottom. AwningsWho did you have to be to get awnings on your windows? [A shady character? - Dave] Top heavyThose trucks look so top heavy. I bet a lot of them ended up on their sides during this era. W.B. Moses & Sons Washington Post, Jan 4, 1914 W.B. Moses & Sons The History of a Great Washington Business Establishment Although Washington makes no boasts of surpassing the great commercial centers, it should be a matter of no little satisfaction and pride to Washingtonians to know that here in the Capital is located the largest exclusively retail furniture, carpet, and drapery house in America - the widely known establishment of W.B. Moses & Sons. During the civil war, over fifty years ago, Mr. W.B. Moses, who had for a number of years been engaged in the furniture business in Philadelphia, came to Washington upon the dissolution of the partnership in which he was interested in the Quaker City, and rented a small store on D street, between Sixth and Seventh streets. He had received, as his share of the stock upon dissolution of the Philadelphia firm, about three carloads of furniture, and with this he opened business here. He met with such demand for goods that most of the stock was sold on the pavement before he had time to move it into the store room. Within a few months he rented the three upper floors of the building at No. 508 Seventh street, and, several months later, he rented the large building at the corner of Seventh and D streets, which he occupied in addition to the other establishment. Meeting with continued success, and his business constantly increasing in great strides, in 1869 he secured the old hotel at the corner of Seventh street and Market space (on the site of the present Saks building) know as the "Avenue House." Here Mr. Moses executed a business innovation which attracted attention over the United States. He fitted up the parlors, libraries, dining rooms, and bed rooms completely, decorating and furnishing them in every detail and particular, and in many different colors and combination of colors, in order that almost any one's taste could be satisfied. As a result of this venture, it was no unusual occasion when a patron would say, "Duplicate this apartment" or "that apartment" - meaning the furnishing of an entire house like the sample shown. His business continued to improve until, in 1884, he purchased the property at the corner of F and Eleventh streets, and began the construction of the present building, now occupied by W.B. Moses & Sons. This building was started in June, and was open for business in the following October. The architect was Mr. A.B. Mullett, who designed the State, War and Navy building, and Mr. John Howlett was the builder. They built well, and it was said they completed the building in less time than any building of like size had been constructed up to that time. Mr. Moses conceived the practical idea of going two stories underground; and as this was a radical departure for Washington, the citizens, when the observed the great excavation being made, predicted bankruptcy and complete failure for the enterprise, particularly as there was no business to speak of in that day on F street. W.B. Moses & Sons were the pioneers. Shortly after, through the efforts of Mr. Moses, Woodward & Lothrop removed from Pennsylvania avenue to the present location at the corner of Eleventh and F streets, and property on this short business street has been greatly in demand. In 1884, $2.50 per square foot was the prevailing price; a short time ago a lot 30 by 75 feet, near the Moses building, could not be bought at $90 per square foot. The original Moses building was seven stories high, with two stories underground making nine stories, and covered a space 50x100 feet. In 1887 an additional piece of property on F street, size 25x100, was secured, and built up seven stories to match the main building. Still another addition was put up on the Eleventh street side 50x100, in 1889, matching the original building. Again and 1898, still another building was put up on the Eleventh street side, 45 feet front; this addition was built up ten stories, and is absolutely fireproof. This later addition to the Moses establishment was designed to accommodate the shops and manufacturing departments of the store. The present establishment of W.B. Moses & Sons is one of the handsomest and most complete stores of its kind in the United States, and the largest house devoted to the sale of retail furniture, carpets and draperies. In their factory, which is by far the largest in Washington, there is employed a great force of artisans and skilled workers, cabinet makers, upholsterers, &c. The firm furnishes estimates on furnishings, draperies and decoration, and where desired decorative effects in the color will be designed for the approval of patrons. This branch of the work is in charge of a skilled artist. One of the store events looked forward to by many thousands of Washington families is the "Annual January Sale," an occasion when prices are quoted which are a genuine surprise, and are away below the real values of the merchandise. This sale is scheduled to begin tomorrow, Monday, January 5th, full details of which will be found in today's papers - Advt. FurnitureI actually just inherited a piece of furniture with a label on the back saying W.B. Moses and Sons Washington D.C. Causing me to google the name. I am trying to find out approximately how old the piece is. Any Ideas when this store closed its doors? Moses ClosesW.B. Moses & Son closed up in 1935. Press accounts in May 1935 indicate the store is still open. However, on September 29, 1935, an article in the Washington Post reports the former site of W.B. Moses & Son at Eleventh and F has been leased as office space. A few ads in early 1936 announce the auction of oriental rugs: "Balance of the former stock of W.B. Moses & Son" Moses MaterialI have found a beautiful piece of cloth in my aunt's belongings, with a store tag pinned to the cloth -- "W.B. Moses & Sons, Washington D.C." It is the most exquisite, and very dense piece of red velvet, with a price tag of seventy-five cents. I believe the cloth belonged to her mother who took this cloth to China and back to the U.S. somewhere around 1920. I can’t imagine the price it would bring today. It would have been nicer that it was a piece of furniture but I am happy to have the cloth. The store must have been grand. +77Below is the view of 11th Street looking south from F Street taken in April of 2010. The Hotel Harrington can still be seen in the distance on the corner of E Street. "Ask The Man Who Owns One" (or Two)The two trucks on the far right are Packards. The truck with license plate "36 205" is a circa 1913 model and the truck with license plate "36 204" is a circa 1911 model. The primary identifying feature is the radiator grille which is a widened version of what was used on Packard passenger cars starting in 1905. Packard trucks were made from 1905 - 1923. In 1912 a Packard truck carrying 3 tons was driven from New York to San Francisco in 46 days (July 8th to August 24th). Many of Packard's large automobile chassis were also used for commercial purposes such as hearses and ambulances. These commercial auto chassis were available well into the 1950s. Packard's automobiles were made from 1899 - 1958. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Seven Points: 1900
... Universal Studios, I can see the Munsters house! Hotel Josephine According to an 1886 Sanborn map, the Hotel Josephine was at the corner of Whittington Avenue and Cedar Street. Just ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 3:54pm -

Hot Springs, Arkansas, circa 1900. "Seven Points." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Seven PointsWhat are they? Future home of what president?Bill Clinton went to elementary school in Hot Springs! New AtlantaIt's New Atlanta, silly, not Hot Springs. ;-) Bessie Smith wrote a blues about it."If you ever get crippled, let me tell you what to do. Lord, if you ever get crippled, let me tell you what to do Take a trip to Hot Springs, and let 'em wait on you." From Bessie Smith's "Hot Springs Blues," a song she wrote in 1926, after visiting her husband there—he had suffered a nervous breakdown, or so he said. Looks like a Studio Back LotI think it's actually Universal Studios, I can see the Munsters house! Hotel JosephineAccording to an 1886 Sanborn map, the Hotel Josephine was at the corner of Whittington Avenue and Cedar Street. Just to the left was the Southern Hotel. That block is now occupied by the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, housed in the "new" St. Joseph's hospital building, built in 1926. Sadly, they plan on demolishing the grand hospital building. The large building in the background with the two crosses is the original St. Joseph's Infirmary, built in a converted hotel circa 1888. The church at left is St. Mary of the Springs Catholic Church (est. 1869). The church was rebuilt in 1923. What was the population back then?Garland County, AR, had a total population of 18,873. How large was Hot Springs? Large enough for a trolley, at any rate. Still WonderingWhat were the 'Seven Points'? My SchoolIt's really neat to me to see this because I am currently in the senior class at the Arkansas School for Math, Science and the Arts and I'm quite interested in the campuses past so to see this is really cool. And it saddens me as well that they are going to tear some of the buildings down but some of them are staying like the old intensive care building and the "newest" addition to it when it was a hospital. But I did ask why they are tearing down the old 1926 building and it's because it's so old that it's a money hole to keep up and running and that's why they are building a completely new campus behind the current one that is scheduled to open for the incoming junior class next year. The photo I've included is one I took of the school currently. (The Gallery, DPC, Hot Springs, Streetcars)
The Martinique: 1961
Columbus, Georgia, circa 1961. "Martinique Motor Hotel, Fourth Avenue." The New Frontier in Old Dixie. 4x5 inch acetate negative ... where the Martinique sign was. "Hotel Service, Motel Convenience ... 198 Rooms - Restaurant - Heated Pool ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/03/2022 - 9:25pm -

Columbus, Georgia, circa 1961. "Martinique Motor Hotel, Fourth Avenue." The New Frontier in Old Dixie. 4x5 inch acetate negative from the Shorpy News Photo Archive. View full size. Only a memoryThe Martinique changed hands many times over the years and expanded its footprint in the process. During the 1980s it got a makeover that introduced a series of gabled roofs that did nothing to help the appearance. This photo was taken just before the demolition of the building. You can still see the square block structure where the Martinique sign was. "Hotel Service, Motel Convenience ...198 Rooms - Restaurant - Heated Pool ... FA2-6641" Recently deceased: ended its days as a Hojo's Gallimaufry of namesAll right there or within a walk: The Martinique Chattahoochee (River) Muscogee (County) Columbus Georgia Bibb City (historic district) Phenix City (twin municipality) Not listedSadly, the Martinique was not listed in the 1960 Green Book. Still driving 'emThis could be Havana today! '56 Chevy in the lot... off the starboard quarter of the paralleled Ford wagon. I downloaded a Greenbook a few years back. The key is a talisman. Two Rare BuicksA nice 1959 Buick station wagon front & center and a 1960 Buick behind the 1958 Mercury two door. 1959 & '60 Buicks are scarce as hens' teeth today! Hip to be SquareUnder the big tree nearest the hotel entrance is a customized second-generation Thunderbird (1958-60), often referred to as "Squarebirds." The one in the photo is most probably a '58. That 1960 Buick... behind the 1958 Mercury looks an awful lot like a Pontiac to me. My first car was a '53 Pontiac. [The car is a 1960 Buick Electra 225, parked next to a 1955 Chevy, next to a 1959 Oldsmobile. There are two Pontiacs (1958, 1960) on the other side of the driveway. - Dave] Behind the Mercury ...I guess it depends on how you interpret the term 'behind'. From the point of view of the camera then it's a Buick behind the Mercury. I was thinking in terms of the Mercury and behind it, on the street, is a Pontiac. [Oh, THAT Pontiac. You are correct! - Dave] Mid-Century ModernI've always had an affinity for Mid-Century Modern, or 'Googie' architecture. I thought it fun and fairly whimsical. I wish there was more of it around nowadays but those structures and road signs are few and far between. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive)
Unpacked: 1939
June 1939. "Hotel bedroom. Elkins, West Virginia." The Bare Bulb Arms hopes you enjoy your ... and available light. Just comforting I know the hotel may have been something of a "flophouse", and you might have been able to ... neighbors and smell every cigarette ever smoked in the hotel, but there is something comforting about those old rooms with wallpaper, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/24/2019 - 11:56am -

June 1939. "Hotel bedroom. Elkins, West Virginia." The Bare Bulb Arms hopes you enjoy your stay in the Edward Hopper Suite. Acetate negative by John Vachon. View full size. Vachon knew what he was doingMust be another bulb on the room's ceiling -- or maybe it's a nice combination of flash and available light. Just comfortingI know the hotel may have been something of a "flophouse", and you might have been able to hear your neighbors and smell every cigarette ever smoked in the hotel, but there is something comforting about those old rooms with wallpaper, decent millwork around the windows and doors, and a very basic bed. Takes me back to many happy days in the homes of my grandparents. The Name should be Bare Bones InnWhat do you want to bet that is only one room and every room in the inn is like that. This was before the days of luxury suites we have now. LOL!!!!Edward Hopper Suite!! I'm rolling around on the carpet. Love this place! Welcome to the Hotel NoirFree electric lighting and hand towels included in room rate. Modern water closet facilities conveniently located on every floor! Hotel bath and wash room available (25¢). Speaking of aromasIt was not entirely unknown for men of a certain height to use the sink for other purposes, especially on cold nights when a trek down the hall seemed particularly daunting. We'll leave a light on for you.Probably was a welcome sight after a day of driving the roads back then. No TV but if you're lucky you can watch the bedbugs and cockroaches fight. Whose Room?Considering the intimate nature of the image, wonder if Mr. Vachon is the one doing the unpacking. Elkins!I lived there from 1967 to 1972. Great little town, and home to the annual Mountain State Forest Festival which was held earlier this month (October). (The Gallery, John Vachon)
Brighton Beach: 1903
Brighton Beach, N.Y., circa 1903. "Brighton Beach Hotel and boardwalk." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic ... further inland. 120 railroad cars were used to support the hotel, and three pairs of double engines slowly pulled the building 600 feet ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/24/2019 - 12:01am -

Brighton Beach, N.Y., circa 1903. "Brighton Beach Hotel and boardwalk." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Two couplesI like those two couples on the right, the way one person in each duo is glancing up. With regard to the man couple, the fellow is definitely checking out the photographer (in what I take to be a fetchingly bemused manner), and with the woman couple, I can’t tell whether the lady is also checking out the photographer or the man couple ahead of her on the boardwalk. Moving DayThe ocean was eroding the beach, and was almost lapping at the front porch. In a bold move that was costly, but highly publicized, Engelman had the entire enormous building raised up on tracks and moved further inland. 120 railroad cars were used to support the hotel, and three pairs of double engines slowly pulled the building 600 feet inland. It took over three months, but they did it, and the hotel was saved. Not even a window pane was broken.* *Source: Brownstoner Magazine Fill in the Blank (Sign)Willing to bet the bleached-out sign says "Keep Off the Grass". Either that, or "Fire Hazard". Mobile HotelQuite a story on several websites how they had to move this entire hotel due to beach erosion. But no record of it burning down. It did burn down did it? I mean, since the advent of fire insurance, didn't all such wood structures burn down? Lots of history herehttp://www.heartofconeyisland.com/brighton-beach-coney-island-history.ht... Elegant livingWow! What beauty and elegance. I would love to be there -- strolling on the boardwalk, taking my paints down to the beach and doing some sketches, back to the hotel for a delicious dinner and retiring to my room to read a book before bed. (The Gallery, DPC)
Pleasant and Main: 1907
... Company. View full size. Postcard of the Eagle Hotel Here's a postcard of the Eagle Hotel the same year, from eBay. A firm foundation The trolley rails were ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/28/2013 - 9:15am -

Laconia, New Hampshire, circa 1907. "Pleasant and Main Streets." There's a lot to see in this super-detailed view, including the latest "moving pictures." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Postcard of the Eagle HotelHere's a postcard of the Eagle Hotel the same year, from eBay. A firm foundationThe trolley rails were built below the general road level with ties similar to today's rail construction, then covered with dirt so horses, autos and walkers wouldn't trip when walking across them. The fire hydrant on the corner checks outView Larger Map Local ProductIt's a safe bet that beautiful open streetcar was built by the town's own Laconia Car Co. Adrift in New YorkActually, Adrift in New York was not a moving picture, but a play, written by and starring the incredible (if you believe the press of the time) Sara MacDonald. It opened in the late summer of 1906, as most great plays of the time did, in Boonton, NJ. It had stops in Baltimore, Newark, New York, and a few towns in New England. It must have gone on to great success because by 1917 the "Sara MacDonald Company" was advertising casting calls for the play in various theater publications. You can get a pretty clear view of the sign with MacDonald's name here, which is another view of Main Street, Laconia, only a few doors farther away from the Eagle Hotel: https://www.shorpy.com/node/15112?size=_original#caption Trolleys rails on dirt street?I don't think I've ever seen a trolley running on what appears to be a dirt street. How did they keep the rails aligned? "Circa" is correctThis would appear to be in 1907, as Sept 17 falls of Thursday in 1908, Tuesday in the former. The Pooper ScooperIs headed for the poop! He'll have job security for probably another 15-20 years. So much to see that has so much to say!The placard for the moving picture "Adrift in New York" gives flesh to the urban-rural social dichotomy that still prevailed in the early 20th Century, no doubt heightening Laconians' gratitude at being able to live where the air was clean, the trolley yielded right-of-way to the street sweeper, L.L.'s cousin Frank ran the livery stable, and the café patronized the services of a sign painter of a decidedly calligraphic bent. Ties that bindJust like with railroad tracks in the weeds, there are ties buried under the rails in that dirt. But, cyclists and pedestrians should give wide berth when the trolley car company's sprinkling pot comes by. The electric pump on its water tank gives great reach to the spray from its nozzles, wetting down the dust all over the unpaved street. The Cook Building is still thereThe building just past the Eagle Hotel on Main Street is the (according to the placard on it in Street View) The Cook Building built in 1898. (The Gallery, DPC, Movies, Small Towns, Streetcars)
Cathedral Place: 1906
... Basilica of St. Augustine at right, with the Ponce de Leon Hotel at the end of the street. 5x7 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... is younger than Fernandina. GHOSTS. Ponce de Leon Hotel Yes, the Ponce de Leon Hotel never burned down, because it was built ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/28/2020 - 1:55pm -

St. Augustine, Florida, 1906. "Cathedral Place at Charlotte Street, Plaza de la Constitución." The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine at right, with the Ponce de Leon Hotel at the end of the street. 5x7 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. St. Augustine is amazingSt. Augustine is one of the most pleasant cities to walk around in at night. That probably sounds crazy, but it's FACT. As a kid growing up in Fernandina Beach, we used to say, "Oh, YEAH? Fernandina is older than St. Augustine," and who really knows? Both are old, and both are beautiful—and spooky. New Orleans is another such place. Maybe Baltimore, too. But I've been fascinated from Day One by coquina buildings, and just imagining all the folks who've live in them. Wow. Cool town. Even if it is younger than Fernandina. GHOSTS. Ponce de Leon HotelYes, the Ponce de Leon Hotel never burned down, because it was built of solid mass concrete (unreinforced). The concrete is mixed with coquina shells, like the local stone used to construct the nearby Spanish fort, the Castillo de San Marcos, in the late 17th century. Many other 19th-century hotels were built of wood frame construction, which is why they had a tendency to burn down. The architecture firm of Carrere and Hastings designed the Ponce de Leon Hotel, as well as the Hotel Alcazar across King Street, the Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church, and the Grace United Methodist Church; all these St. Augustine structures are built of unreinforced mass concrete. Much the Same TodayThe street view from this direction looks remarkably unchanged -- sans cannonballs! The Ponce de Leon Hotel is apparently one of the rare ones that didn't burn to the ground like so many others. The magnificent building is now a part of Flagler College. Cannonball RunI see that there is a pyramid of cannonballs stacked up at the corner in case the Spanish come back to reclaim Florida. We are now so used to not seeing underground utilities that telephone poles are getting to be, more and more, an oddity. I had hoped to see them completely eliminated in my lifetime, but since they are popular (and cheap) as neighborhood towers for the new 5G service, I have to doubt it. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida)
Main Street: 1917
... are lit up. Must have been an awesome sight! Victoria Hotel The Victoria was built in 1904 on East Main Street. It was gutted by ... Main Steet Way up on Main Street was the Victoria Hotel. Beside that was the Gaiety Theatre, then devoted to the art of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 5:18pm -

Norfolk, Virginia, circa 1917. "Main Street." The port city's bustling business district. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Cash registerJust sitting on its dolly, waiting patiently for a guy to hoist it into the NCR wagon. Those things are heavy. The Iron ArchesOn the right, it's a MacDonald's luncheon restaurant! Over 10,000 served! Did they really serve the Big Mac in 1910? Who knew?! Not a sailor in sightSure doesn't look like the Norfolk I remember from the 1960s. Whoa!I think I see a MacDonald's diner there in the center! I do, I do see a MacDonald's! Lots Of LightsWOW ! Look at all the street lights this must be a beautiful place to be when the snow falls, Would love to go pack in time just for one day and view this. Night ViewI want to be there at night when all those arches of lamps are lit up. Must have been an awesome sight! Victoria HotelThe Victoria was built in 1904 on East Main Street. It was gutted by fire in 1945, and torn down in 1954 under the downtown redevelopment project. Eerily UpsettingI'm bothered, to say the least, by the sign ("GEM Da---") on the sporting goods store. It looks like an evil bearded man doing something to/with an infant. Someone please tell me that there's a good explanation for this. Main SteetWay up on Main Street was the Victoria Hotel. Beside that was the Gaiety Theatre, then devoted to the art of burlesque. Rumor had it that sailors called the hotel the "Riding Academy." Alas, all has disappeared with the area bland and dull. Five and DimeHad no idea "McCrory's 5 & 10" was around back then. I would have thought 10 cents got you a lot in 1917. Gem Dameskeene RazorI realize I am commenting to a site that may be inactive in 2017, but the Razor ad was relating a new safety razor being safer. The dad holding his child has the razor slipping from his grip and the child is reacting in fright, however it's a safety razor, not likely to cut the child has straight razors did in years prior. [Inactive? Us? -tterrace] (The Gallery, DPC, Norfolk, Streetcars)
Keeler's: 1908
Albany, New York, circa 1908. "Keeler's Hotel." Next door, one category of retailing that's taken a hit over the years: ... buried beneath the crumbling walls. Fire Sweeps Keeler Hotel Here's the NY Times article reporting its demise. A Fire ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/11/2021 - 1:27pm -

Albany, New York, circa 1908. "Keeler's Hotel." Next door, one category of retailing that's taken a hit over the years: "Carriage & Sleigh Robes." 6½x8½ inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Hatters and FurriersOn the floor above the Carriage and Sleigh Robes was another industry that would be, albeit later, in the tank. Destroyed by flamesThe Keeler was gutted by fire on June 17, 1919. All the patrons escaped without harm, but a fireman was killed when he was buried beneath the crumbling walls. Fire Sweeps Keeler HotelHere's the NY Times article reporting its demise. A Fire Escapefrom every window, but I don't see ladders to ground level. The builders must have figured there would be a devastating fire in 1919, so better prepare for it now. Sled robes for baby[Looks dangerous. Shouldn't Baby be strapped into a rear-facing sled seat? - Dave] The Happy Warrior Future New York governor and presidential candidate Al Smith used to hold court here with his friends during his days as a State Assemblyman. Well yeahSince all those big-box and online stores starting horning in on the sleigh-robe business and put all the "little guys" out of business. More Attention to Detail In 1908When compared to today's signage, it's refreshing to note the inclusion of the apostrophe in the Hotel's roof sign. Awnings!The awning business appears to be the one I would have bet on. They were probably real canvas too. (The Gallery, Albany, DPC)
Washington à Go-Go: 1917
... the earliest visual representation of "go-go." Raleigh Hotel in the background. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View ... don't forget the Evening Star, in the background. That hotel I believe the hotel in the background is the famous Willard Hotel, not ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/06/2014 - 8:44am -

1917. "District of Columbia -- traffic Stop & Go signs." From the birthplace of that musical genre, perhaps the earliest visual representation of "go-go." Raleigh Hotel in the background. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. One fine motor carI sure hope one of our eagle-eyed regulars can ID that auto! Newspaper RowForeground is the 1300 block of Pa. Ave NW. Visible at top left is the Washington Post building (1339 E St.) and the Munsey Trust Building (1327-29 E St., housing the Washington Times), seen previously on Shorpy here and here. Haynes RoadsterThe Haynes was manufactured in Kokomo, Indiana, from 1905 until 1924 by Elwood Haynes and brothers Edgar and Elmer Apperson. Before that, they produced the Haynes-Apperson from 1896 as the first automobile manufacturer in Indiana and one of the earliest in the United States. Another pic of the same car is here. License and registration, pleaseAs seen from a different angle, this car has license number 41441. According to the Sept. 17, 1916 Sunday Star, that tag was issued in early September 1916 to the Haynes Motor Company for use on a demonstration vehicle. HaynesThis is actually a 1917 or 1918 Haynes Light Twelve Cloverleaf Roadster. Newspaper Row, ctd.And don't forget the Evening Star, in the background. That hotelI believe the hotel in the background is the famous Willard Hotel, not the Raleigh. It still stands. [It's the Raleigh. -tterrace] Test-TestThe Evening Star reports on the go-go experiment in October 1915 and its implementation in November of the same year. Same architect.I understand FloridaClay's confusion. Both hotels were designed by architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh who apparently liked the style. The Willard is a decade older and a floor shorter than the Raleigh. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Streetcars)
Vacation Wagon: 1964
... We quickly got used to being asked at every single hotel, gas station, and rest stop, exactly what was the three-wheeled ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/31/2022 - 1:09am -

        Our annual salute to the start of vacation road-trip season, first posted here 15 years ago. Everyone buckled in? Let's go! "Great Falls, Montana. Return after 3 weeks Vacation. June 27, 1964." This Kodachrome of a 1960 Chevrolet Parkwood station wagon is from a box of slides found on eBay. View full size. family trips in those carsI also spent some hot days in a car like that on the way to the grandparents. My mother flattened the second seat, put a mattress on the floor and loaded three of us and the stuff in on top of it, us and the stuff equally loose and not tied down. We whined and fought and slept our way to Cape Cod from southern NJ. My father always "had to work" (they were her parents), so she did the drive alone, I think maybe 12 or 16 hours? Seemed like forever. NostalgicThese people still had a bright future ahead of them, full of great hopes for the days to come. They hadn't gone to the Moon yet, and to them, by 2007 we'd have personal helicopters and robots would run everything. The possibility of the President being indicted for a crime was unthinkable. My job as a web designer hadn't even been invented yet. The lawn looks like it's literally astroturf. Were the colors really like that, or is it an effect of the kodachrome? Holy cow! We had a 59 chevyHoly cow! We had a 59 chevy stationwagon back in the day. Does this bring back memories. We would drive to Florida from Virginia a two day trip usually in the heat of the summer to visit grandparents. Five children two parents no ac. Damn! [This is a 1960 Chevrolet. - Dave] DeflectorsDoes anybody know/remember what the deflectors left and right of the rear window were for? These may have been an aftermarket item. It is amazing how well the colors in this slide are preserved after almost 50 years. It looks like Kodachrome all right, including the telltale blue cast in the shadows The Astroturf look......to my eye, seems to come from the little flowers (or toadstools?) that are in the lawn. At the smaller image size, they look like specular reflections, making it seem like the grass is shiny. [The white flowers are clover. - Dave] 1964As I remember it, this was less than a year after the assassination of JFK, there were race riots in the south and we (I was 14) were all starting to question attitudes towards women, blacks, hispanics, homosexuals and the culture we had grown up with. One of the more minor cultural things was the importance of your front lawn. 50 years?I was born in 1964, and trust me, it hasn't been 50 years since then, yet.... ;) Re:DeflectorsThe deflectors on either side of the rear window were intended to blow air across the rear window to prevent snow from accumulating. A similar deflector is often fitted along the roof on station wagons from the 60s on. I think they were usually a factory or dealer option in later years, but I really don't know specifically about this model or when they might have first been used. OK, 40 years.Sorry, I was too vexed on the year of manufacture of the car. I remember that someone in our street had the sedan version of this Chevy. Like any 8 year old, I was fascinated by the winged tail and the panorama windshield. You didn't see many of these in Europe around 1960; everbody, including my father, was driving Volkswagen Beetles. (He later had a new Ford Mustang 1964 1/2 , with a 289 ci V8 and a four speed box, rally pack and (optional) front discs, which I found very impressive at the time. A real gas guzzler by European standards. Family TrucksterThis is probably what Clark Griswold's dad took the family on vacation in. It's a 1960 Chevy, and I'm guessing it's a Kingswood model. The Brookwood was the more stripped down model and I think the "full dresser" was called a Nomad. This one isn't completely chromed-out and it has the small, dog-dish hubcaps so I'm thinking it's the middle of the line model. I think the rear air deflectors also helped keep exhaust gas from entering the rear passenger compartment when the vehicle was moving with the tailgate window was lowered. Though it doesn't look like there's room for anybody in the third row of seats for this trip. With the window up they also helped keep the rear glass clear of snow and dust. These are Parents of the Year......in my book. Can you imagine going across country now without all of the luxuries and Wendy's and portable DVD players and Nintendo and cell phones and credit cards? These parents did it all the HARD way...and I'll bet they made a lot of memories that summer! My jaw droppedOnce again the red stationwagon family blows me away. The color composition here is perfect. Chevy ParkwoodThis is a 1960 Chevrolet Parkwood. Parkwoods and Kingswoods both use Bel Air trim (mid-level). The Kingswood, a nine-passenger wagon, has the third-row rear-facing seat, and two steps on the rear bumper (one on each end just outside of where the tailgate would come down). Less obvious is that all Kingswoods have power tailgate windows, an option on the other Chevrolet wagons. I still drive a '59 ChevyI recommend owning one. In 2000 We took the ultimate road trip with mine from near the Canadian border in Washington State through the desert to Las Vegas and back up through California and Oregon. There really is nothing like seeing the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet. Cruising the Strip in Vegas was a blast. We might as well have been driving a space ship with the reactions we got. Sadly, these Chevrolets were mostly scrapped and very few survive. 60 ChevySadly, the third row seat had not been invented as of yet and the deflectors were used to deflect air into the rear of the stationwagon at slower speeds. I may not be an expert but I'm old enough to have ridden and slept in the back section of a folded down stationwagon. We didn't know about SUV's yet. Chevy WagonChevy's Parkwood and Kingswood wagons could both be had with a third-row seat. And back then, for the record - wagons WERE the "SUVs" of the day! [According to the 1960 Chevrolet sales brochure, only the Kingswood was available with third-row seating. The International Travelall and Chevy Suburban Carryall were two of the SUVs of the day. - Dave] The luggage rackis something you don't see anymore. It hung on the wall of the garage when not in use. Once my dad, who was in a big hurry, didn't secure the tarp on top properly... We played car games, like Alphabet, Road Bingo, and License Plates, read books, colored,sang songs and squabbled. You took your chances with local restaurants. We hadn't got used to entertainment on demand, so we didn't miss it. And to Dave Faris: It's the film. I once assured my daughter that colors when I was a kid were the same as today. "The Fifties," she said, in her narrator's voice, "were an oddly-hued decade." Slide ConversionHow does one convert slides to digital photos? Any website links or advice? [You'd use a film scanner. I used a Nikon 4000 ED for this one. - Dave] Family TrucksterWe had a green Ford station wagon, not nearly as nice as this, and with our family of six, it was a masochistic experience to take family vacations. Every summer we said that's it, we will never do this again, until the following summer when we did it again. The best part was arriving home again, but I will say that NOT having DVD's and high tech electronic gadgets forced the kids to look out the window and they gained incredible geographic knowledge from seeing the U.S. I could truthfully call these annual trips "purgatory on wheels." Road TripMost all of my long-distance car trips were connected with moving as my father was in the USAF. In August 1954, after being in the UK 2½ years, we got in our in our '53 Chevy coupe and went from New York City to the SF Bay Area, mostly along US 40. Entertainment consisted of looking at the scenery and checking off the towns on the free roadmaps that the service stations provided in each state. Iy being the pre-Interstate era, one did go thru many towns back then! (Excepting on the PA Turnpike) Burma-Shave signs relieved the boredom in the rural areas. We had a car radio (AM only, of course), but for some reason I can only recall it being used while crossing the salt flats west of Salt Lake City. Westward HoIn 1951 our family, my wife, son and daughter, living in Detroit, started taking trips to Cheney, Washington, to visit my WW2 buddy. All on old state highways, no air conditioner, 4½ hours to get through Chicago and the kids loved it. Took these trips out west to the 1970s. We still go west to see my buddy and my daughter in Seattle and we enjoy crossing Nebraska on old U.S. 30. It is a treat to be off of I-80. Nostalgia Ain't What it Used to BeDon't look at this picture and pine for the old days. Change the car to a green Olds Vista Cruiser and that's us in 1969. Back then, dads bought a new station wagon to kick off the summer vacation. Dads don't buy an SUV today for that reason. Without repeating some of the horrors already mentioned below, there was the additional joy of Mom sending back a Coca Cola bottle for one of her sons to use in lieu of a loo. If the girls had to go, we had to pull over. Not so with the boys. Watching mom backhand-fling a Coke bottle out her window, filled with fluid far different that what was originally intended, and seeing it bounce and spill along the shoulder as we whizzed along at 75 mph (pun intended), that's about the fondest vacation memory at least from the car perspective. Today with the daughter hooked up to a video iPod and the sons enjoying their PSP, it's a pleasure to drive for distances. Back then, we didn't play License Plates. We played Punch Buggy and Slug Bug, etc. Fistfight games. Let's go!I loved car trips, and I never had DVD players and Nintendo. I watched the scenery and kept a travel diary. those were some of the greatest times of my life. Road TrripWe had to make do with pillows & blankets. A mattress would have made it actually comfortable. I don't know if Dad didn't have the imagination for that, or just not the money. I suspect the latter. We'd sing sometimes. It was 12 hours from north Georgia near the North Carolina line to south Georgia, near the Florida line, where my grandmother lived. I see the moon; the moon sees me. The moon sees the one that I want to see ... Thanks for the memoriesMy folks had the four-door sedan version of this car, in sky blue & white. My mom used to have a station wagon, don't remember what kind, but it was memorable for its pushbutton transmission on the dash instead of a gearshift! However my favorite "finned" car was our family's Buick Invicta. Now that was a car! Third Row SeatsFords had third-row seats in 1955. I'm pretty sure Chevy had them by 1958 at least. Chevy didn't offer woodgrain sides until '65. Sunday ridesWe had that same car, only in light blue. No seat belts or infant seats for us! We'd put my baby sister in one of those deathtrap baby seats that hooked over the front seat and off we went! What a picture!This picture takes me back almost 40 years to the road trips our family did during summer holidays when I was a little boy. It feels like I myself am stretching my legs after coming home. The colours, the moment -- one of my favorite pictures in Shorpy. My Favorite Car was a 1960 Chevrolet Impala 2-dr hardtop. Bluish gray with white segment on the side, red and white interior. The first car my wife and I bought. Paid $1750 for it used in 1962. We made some wonderful trips in that car. Re: Family TrucksterJust saw this item on TV yesterday about a real family named Griswold that had their station wagon modded to look like the Family Truckster from National Lampoon's Vacation movie for their trip to Disney World. http://tinyurl.com/plo5kub See the USA in Your ChevroletFor our family, it was a 1962 Buick Invicta wagon. Huge car designed for doing massive mileage on the interstates and that's what we did -- six or seven hundred miles a day from Indiana to the Rockies for our annual vacation. Procedure for Accessing the Cargo AreaWe had one of these when I was a kid as well. Ours was a silver gray color. See the chrome disk on the trunk door? Upon arriving at destination, here's what you had to do: 1) Put trunk key in center slot (separate keys for ignition and trunk back then) 2) Open flap (as seen in photo) 3) Rotate flap several times till rear window is fully down 4) Reach in and grab handle to drop tailgate Simple, huh? Looking at old red carsmakes my elbows hurt! Seemed like some of those old single stage paints, reds in particular, had to be waxed every two weeks to keep them looking decent. The widespread adoption of clearcoat finishes in the late 80's to mid 90's freed modern kids from the dreaded frequent waxing chore, thereby giving them the leisure time to start the video gaming revolution... As Long AsThis isn't really the "End of the Road"! That's a scary title for all the Shorpy Faithful. 3 Adults + 7 Children =1000 mile round trip to see grandma. We kids didn't mind a bit. Seat belts?I don't think you heard "Everybody all buckled up?" all that much in '64. I'm not sure of the exact dates, but if you had seatbelts back then, you bought them at a discount store or an auto parts store like Western Auto or J. C. Whitney, and they were lap belts only. Three point seat belts didn't come along for several more years, if I recall correctly, and it wasn't until the government mandated new cars with ignition interlocks in the 1970's that "real men" started to actually use them. Back then, we used to spend our vacations camping, so the car was packed to the gills, including the center of the back seat. My sister and I each got little cubbyholes next to the doors, with just room enough to sit for the trip to northern Wisconsin. My dad drove a two tone green '55 Oldsmobile Delta 88. I saw a picture of that car a few months ago, and as soon as I did, I started remembering a surprising amount of detail about the car's details. It was handed down to me when I went off to college in '64. Seat beltsbobdog19006 is correct in that seat belts were not standard equipment in 1960. However, they had been available as a dealer-installed option since the 50s. By 1966, they were standard in all Chevys, and by 1968, they were federally mandated. I spent many a happy hour on family roadtrips in our '68 Ford wagon, nestled in the narrow gap between the second row and the rear-facing third-row seat, no seat belt, of course. Neither did my siblings in the third row. Service StickersI remember those stickers that service stations or car dealers put on the inside edge of the driver's door when you got your car serviced. This Chevrolet has two. Our road trip rigWe had a '76 Chevy Beauville van, a ho-hum light brown rather than red, which made up for the lack of chrome spears with its cavernous interior: two bucket seats in front for Mom and Dad, two bench seats, and a homemade plywood bed. Strangely, all that space wasn't enough to prevent sibling quarrels. The best story of this van was the return trip of its maiden voyage, when my uncle, who owned a small niche-market manufacturing firm, talked my dad into towing a piece of equipment from South Texas to a parking lot near Chicago, where we would deliver it to his customer from Wisconsin. We quickly got used to being asked at every single hotel, gas station, and rest stop, exactly what was the three-wheeled contraption with the hydraulically-actuated vertical roller-chain conveyor with teeth. The looks on everyone's faces when my dad told them it was a grave-digging machine: Priceless! Curtains?Every August for years we travelled from Birmingham to Cincinnati for a week of visiting my parents' relatives. Before our last such trip in '69, we went through a black-and-white '57 Plymouth Savoy, a metallic-beige '63 Ford Country Sedan wagon (the one without wood on the sides) and a '67 Olds VistaCruiser. I'd love to have that VistaCruiser back today. Ours was burgundy red and my dad put red stripe Tiger Paw tires on it. Imagine a 442 station wagon. As for Shorpy's '60 Chevy wagon, I only just noticed the homemade or aftermarket side curtains, with vertical stripes of brown, gold and red to compliment the bright red car. Thanks, Dave, for showing us this photo again... and including all the original comments, too. Great to relive all the great summer vacation stories with everyone! Re: deflectorsIn the days before the rear window wiper on a station wagon, some folks put these on and the deflected air current would help to clean off that window to a degree. Not having either, within a mile that rear hatch would be almost impossible to see through. Been there, done that and got the tee-shirt. This does bring back memoriesWe had a similar station wagon, but it was salmon (or was it mauve, or ecru?) colored with a white top (I think). It had a 460 a/c (four windows down while traveling sixty miles per hour, some times 560 with the rear tailgate window down). I remember taking a trip from Mississippi to Six Flags over Texas on U.S. Highway 82 (two lane most of the way) in Summer, 1964. The back seats were folded down, and the four of us kids had pillows, blankets, books, and board games to pass the time. It was replaced soon after with a 1965 Ford Country Squire Wagon with a/c, and fake wood paneling on the side. Instead of a rear facing bench seat, it had two small seats on either side that faced each each other. Memories of summer tripsWe also lived in Montana back then, and our family truckster in the 1960s was a 1963 Rambler Classic station wagon. (Yes, I suffered greatly for it among my friends.) That's what I learned to drive, and we ranged all over the western US and Canada in it. Before that, however, we traveled in a 1949 Studebaker Land Cruiser 4-door sedan, which my dad (both inventive and frugal) had outfitted with a set of three back seats that, when covered with the mattress from our roll-away bed, filled the back seat and trunk area with a very passable sleeping unit. That's where I spent most of my time on our travels. At other times, I would climb over the front seatback into the front bench seat between my parents. That's where I was on August 5, 1962, when we were preparing to leave Crescent City, CA, and heard on the radio that Marilyn Monroe had died. Deflector's actual purposeWas to break the "vacuum" the "wall" that was the rear of that wagon created which would suck exhaust into the car if that rear window was open even a little bit. The fresh air, the snowless/cleaner rear window were merely bonuses... Buckle up?A 1960 Chevy wagon probably didn't have seat belts unless the owner installed them. The kids in the back were pretty much free range as long as they didn't make too much noise. Lots of people piled the stuff on the roof and put a mattress in the back for the kids. It was a great way to go and most of us survived. [Seat belts were optional on all 1960 Chevrolets. - Dave] Car playgroundMy folks had a Ford wagon of that era. No seatbelts. Folks put a mattress in the back. Became our playground on long trips. We had no desire to "sit" in a seat. Miss station wagonsI miss station wagons. I prefer them to the SUVs that replaced them. I also miss the bold bright colors that cars use to come in. No SquattingLooking at all the stuff already loaded, I'm surprised the back of this wagon isn't dragging on the ground. In fact it's sitting pretty level. I wonder if dad had overload springs installed? We've had one built for you.To BillyB: Station wagon suspensions were designed with the idea that they would have to haul some combination of eight people and their luggage, so they did OK when loaded down. They *were* softer than contemporary pickup trucks, so the back end of the station wagon wouldn't bounce all over if there were only one or two people in it. Especially at the time of this photo, gas was 25 cents a gallon and would be that price forever, so the factory didn't mind spending a little extra weight on a beefier suspension. Also, most of the really heavy luggage went on the roof rack, which was fairly close to being in the middle of the wheelbase. The back-back, behind the rear seat, tended to contain lighter things, like blankets, pillows, the picnic basket, and - as the trip progressed - bags of souvenirs. If Dad wanted to use the inside rear-view mirror, you couldn't stack stuff much higher than the seats, anyway. Source: I rode in the back of a '79 Oldsmobile wagon every summer from '79 to '87. I think the longest trip we took in it was from Kansas City to Washington, DC and back. WagonsWe had a 1956 Ford wagon, then '61 Mercury wagon, finally a (I think) 1964 Ford wagon. I remember one year with the Mercury, my mom ran low on gas. We were up in the mountains in a resort town. To get to the gas station, she had to reverse up hills, turn around for the downhills, turn around again for going up the next hill. What a ride. Another time, 1965, we were in a typhoon in the current wagon. There were eleven of us in it. Another wild ride driving on a road along the bay. Waves washing over us, my mom hugging the middle of the road (there was an island we could not get across). Wagons were great. The 283 V-8with its 170 gross horsepower is not going to have much highway passing reserve with all that weight. Cross-flags over the V on the tailgate would have indicated one of several 348's which would have given more than enough reserve. That car is 58 years old but properly equipped could have kept pace with most cars on the road today in equal comfort. A 58 year old car in 1960 by comparison was barely even recognizable as such it was so rudimentary by comparison to the 1960 version in its looks and capabilities. The same comparisons held true in all other realms of life comparing 1960 to 1902--homes, conveniences, dress, you name it. Virtually any of those later areas are not that significantly different from their 1960 versions. Those deflectors... were supposed to keep dust off the back window Nikon CoolscanI am having a problem with mine. Can you recommend a place that can repair them. [There aren't any. Try buying them used on eBay. - Dave] 283 V8Although I agree that a 348 engine would have been a better choice for this station wagon. The 170hp 283 was the base V8 engine with just a single two barrel carburetor. The next option up was also a 283 but with a four barrel which the above wagon may have had, which would have given it a little more passing power. Koolscan softwareDave. What software program do you use with your 4000? As it seems the program that came with it is only works for Microsoft VISTA. [I use the NikonScan software that came with the scanner, on a Windows 10 workstation. To install the software on a modern operating system, you have to disable Driver Signature Enforcement. And it's Coolscan, with a C. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kodachromes 1, Travel & Vacation)
Swan Street, Buffalo: 1911
... top floors of the buildings shown here have them. The 1907 hotel Statler has them entirely. Obviously they didn't abruptly stop ... which the flat top windows do not give the walls? The Hotel Statler built in 1907 at Swan and Washington Streets was Ellsworth ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 10:41am -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1911. "Swan Street." The motorcar gains a foothold where hooves once trod on Swan in Buffalo. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Elllicott Square BuildingA block up the street on the left is the Ellicott Square Building. When it was built, in 1896, it was the largest office building in the world. Nice Truss!That's an optimistic tire patch, and it doesn't look home-made. Could it be a Patented Herniated Tire Belt? Parking against the kerbI was always taught (in UK, and I don't think kids these days are taught it anyway) that if you are parking on a downwards slope against the kerb, then turn the wheels inwards so that if the handbrake gives then the vehicle would only roll towards (and be stopped by) the kerb. The car in the centre of the picture would roll out across the highway. Right Hand DriveOf the cars where the steering wheel can be seen, all three have right hand drive. Surely they weren't all imported from eg. Europe? When did LHD become standard in the US? [There was a gradual transition from a mix of left- and right-hand drive cars. - Dave] Where's Waldo[rf]?I see Statler Meep! Meep!Why am I imagining that Wile E. Coyote is somewhere under that great block of stone on the curb? Anchor? Horse-hitch? Something to do with the ghostly passers-by? TaggedThe cars have two license plates. Why izzat? [One for New York and one for Ontario. - Dave] VaultsI love the carriage all the way on the right. "Vaults for Silver storage. Cold Storage Vaults for furs." Not a fancy motorized vehicle but instead an old fashioned carriage with wooden wheels. Looking at windowsOne of the ways you can tell if a building is from the 1800s or not, is if it has arch-top windows. Obviously they knew how to make flat-top windows then. The top floors of the buildings shown here have them. The 1907 hotel Statler has them entirely. Obviously they didn't abruptly stop making them on December 31, 1899. But for the most part, you can date a surviving old brick building when it has those windows. The building in the right foreground is a classic round-top masonry example that would have been around during the Civil War. I love it, especially the windows. (Though I'd hate to try and get a 2011 glass man to replace one of those upper panes). Was it just fashion that made so many buildings have this look, or was there something structural all those keystones added to the masonry, which the flat top windows do not give the walls? The Hotel Statlerbuilt in 1907 at Swan and Washington Streets was Ellsworth Statler's first hotel. Although still owned and operated by Statler, it became the Hotel Buffalo in 1923 when the new Statler at Niagara Square opened (built where the Castle Inn had stood). Hotel Buffalo was sold in the 1930s. It was closed in 1967 and demolished in 1968. The land was vacant until what is now Coca-Cola Field was built in 1988. Tire patchWonderful tire patch. THE most important historic element in the photo. Arched WindowsArch-top windows don't need a steel lintel to hold the masonry above them. The masonry arch itself directs the downward force of the bricks or stones above out to the side. With a flat top you need to use steel or a very hefty chunk of stone over a very narrow opening to do the same thing. Glass for an arched window isn't very difficult to get, and even the window frame itself isn't particularly complicated as long as it's a wood window (metal windows or metal-clad windows are another story). Getting glass that's bowed out, like you see in the windows around some turrets, now that's difficult. I figure the turn of the century is about the time that steel became cheap enough and well understood enough structurally to be used for window and door lintels. It certainly saves on masonry work, because you don't need to build wood falsework to form the arch, nor do you have to cut the many bricks to fit around that arch. Unfortunately, these steel lintels need to be painted and maintained, because if they start to rust they break up the masonry around them and are a huge pain to replace. Multiple License PlatesCars that traveled out of state were not automatically considered registered in their non-home state. We take for granded this reciprocity today. Oftentimes you needed to acquire a temporary license plate or a permit to operate your vehicle in the state you were visiting. These license plates would differ by size, shape, and/or color to differentiate them from regularly issued plates. Probably the owners of these vehicles worked in New York City and commuted from Ontario or vice versa. The use of multiple license plates can be found in many places including photos of New York City, with New Jersey or Connecticut license plates displayed, and in the District of Columbia with Maryland or Virginia license plates displayed. +111Below is the same view from September of 2022. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC)
Wish You Were Here: 1906
... Atlantic City bathers peering a century into the future. "Hotel Traymore and Brady's Baths." At left, the domed Marlborough-Blenheim hotel. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 7:25pm -

Circa 1906, Atlantic City bathers peering a century into the future. "Hotel Traymore and Brady's Baths." At left, the domed Marlborough-Blenheim hotel. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Wish you were herealong with the other 49,000 other bathers. "Hey Internet""Get a load of us!" Getting my feet wetLet me be the first to observe that there seems to be more overweight people in this pic than usual for this period. Hotel Traymore Implosion, 1972 Tan lines?It may be an artifact of the B/W image, but people in these beach scenes do not look nearly as tanned/leathery as their NJ contemporaries. Trying on his sweetie's hat?Over there on the far right of the picture, 2nd man in at the lower right corner, a man with a mustache smiles congenially at the camera, holding the arm of his girl. He's holding his hat strings in his other hand, grinning at us, and seems to be saying "Do you like my bonnet? Is it very fetching?" -- She seems to be calling to someone else, getting them to get a load of him. Refreshing lively spirit here! Now THIS one...I just don't trust! Thumbs UpI like the Jerry Colonna-ish fellow near the center front. He's giving the thumbs up sign, which I don't remember seeing before in Shorpy's hundred year old (+or-) pictures. He's having a great time. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Met Life: 1909
... the blimp! 3 Blocks From Madison Square Park The Hotel Seville, on the right, is now the trendy Carlton Hotel. Up until a few months ago it housed an overpriced restaurant called ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 3:37pm -

New York circa 1909. "Madison Avenue and the towers." Starring the new Metropolitan Life building. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Tallest in the World!When completed in 1909, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower was the tallest building in the world at 700 feet. It took the title from the dearly departed Singer Tower (finished in 1908) and yielded its crown to the Woolworth Building in 1913. Sic transit gloria mundi ... Met Life Tower BellsIf you look closely at the very top of the MetLife Tower you can see four Meneely Bells (made in Troy, NY), which were the highest bell installation at 650 feet above the Madison Square streetscape. They can still be heard on quiet weekends in Manhattan. New clock!Met Life was a progressive company, if you look real hard you can almost see the blimp! 3 Blocks From Madison Square ParkThe Hotel Seville, on the right, is now the trendy Carlton Hotel. Up until a few months ago it housed an overpriced restaurant called "Country" that started off with a bang in 2006, got great reviews but tanked about two months ago. New York's a peculiar place when it comes to restaurants, its one strike and you're out, there are just too many great eateries, especially in that neighborhood. Look Ma, No Hands!There's a scaffold right below the tower clock and both clock hands are missing. There also seems to be a scaffold on the right side of the tower as well. Wonder if there were clocks on all 4 sides of the tower? There's a man standing on the corner of the next level above the clock....and more scaffolds near the top. Must have been some major renovation going on at the time. [Not exactly renovation -- the building isn't even finished yet. - Dave] StatuesqueThat's one strange exposure there. [Oops. Too much absinthe! - Dave] Hotel SevilleDang. The Hotel Seville. It's only about five years old in this shot. This commercial bombarded local television in the 1970s: For a while, it was a real dump. I lived about 4 blocks from it in 1980; not impressive. But now it's a little boutique hotel called the Carlton. This photo is taken from the north, looking downtown, probably from around 30th Street. I work there!My office just moved to 105 Madison, which is between 29th and 30th, on the east side of Madison Ave----just about where that ivy covered townhouse is. . the one in the middle of the block at the left of the photo. . . so cool! Interesting to see that it was mainly residential at the time the photo was taken. . . She movedDiana lives in Philly now. So far as I know, there's nothing from either that version of MSG or the one on Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th streets. +101Here is the same view from April of 2010 - it's looking south from 30th Street. World's tallest building(s)It's been remodeled a bit on the outside since 1909 but it still stands today and still looks good. In 1909 it was the world's tallest building at 50 floors, 700 ft and would remain the tallest for 3 years until the Woolworth Building was built. An interesting side note is that in 1928 Met Life started construction on another skyscraper right next to this tower which was supposed to have been 100 stories tall and would have given them the tallest building again except that the 1929 depression came along and the money dried up. The beginnings of that second building still stand today as well, but it only goes up 32 stories. I've been in that second building several times on business and always wondered why a 32 story building had so many elevators until I looked up its history. Taller than the tallest in many big cities todayAccording to my 2010 almanac the tower is still ranked in NYC. It is 40th in height at 50 stories and 700 feet. 39 buildings over 700 feet in the city. Chicago has 19 over 700 feet. Those two cities have the most that tall by far. How about The Garden? I don't think anyone commented on the presence in this great picture of the old (the second, I believe) Madison Square Garden seen just past the residences on the left. It has the smaller tower in this fine photo and helps the uninformed to answer the old question when visiting today's Garden: "Why is this place called the Madison Square Garden? It's neither square, a garden nor is it on Madison Avenue." Part of my family lived nearby on Gramercy Park at this time and had for sixty years and would for another fifty - I wish I could spend an afternoon exploring this neighborhood. In 1909, I mean. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Single, Looking to Hook Up: 1943
... is the former Medinah Athletic Club, now known as the Hotel Intercontinental . Re: Skyscrapers The building behind the ... old Medinah Athletic Club. It's now the Intercontinental Hotel, and still has the beautiful ceramic-tiled indoor pool from the athletic ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 6:37pm -

Chicago, April 1943. "General view of part of the South Water street freight depot of the Illinois Central Railroad. Chesapeake & Ohio R.R. caboose." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI. View full size. The CupolaIn the days before sophisticated trackside detection equipment, and F.R.E.D. (flashing rear end detection device), the condition of the cars in a moving train was determined by three of our five senses. The head-end brakeman in the locomotive and the conductor and rear-end brakeman in the caboose were required to look, listen and smell for signs of hot wheel bearings, loose loads, dragging brake equipment, etc. Myth has it that the first cupola was invented near the scene of this picture when a mid-nineteenth century conductor stuck his head through a hole in the roof of a derelict boxcar being used as a caboose and was amazed at the better view it gave him of the train. Chairs on the roof and eventually a small shelter quickly followed. Some railroads, for clearance and other reasons, favored a "bay-window" on either side of the caboose. The Pennsylvania (The Standard of The World) and several other railroads put rear-facing "doghouses" on locomotive tenders as kind of a cupola for head-end "brakie." Cupolas and SkyscrapersWhat was the cupola on a caboose for? and what's that tallest building the background, please? That Tall BuildingI believe that would be the Chicago Tribune in the background. CupolaMain reason was so those in the caboose (conductors, brakemen, guards, etc.) could get a better view of the forward part of the train to ensure nobody was riding the roofs, that they were still attached to the engine, and other potential threats. Cupolas and Skyscrapers1) The cupola was there so crew could sit on elevated seats and look out over the train to see if there were any problems. 2) The Wrigley Building. I still see caboosesI still occasionally see cabooses up here in Canada. The CN uses them on short local switching runs out in the area, presumably because it would be too much of a hassle to disconnect and reconnect the FRED every time they dropped and added a new car. I've always wondered about the ride in a caboose. I See What You SawThe cupola was used by the rear end crew (Conductor and Brakeman) to watch the train in front of them. They had the responsibility to watch for smoking/burning axle journals, broken and dragging equipment, derailments, and the train uncoupling. It's an interesting view of the railroad, I have ridden in the caboose train at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union several times. Incidentally, the caboose rode on special trucks that gave a slightly smoother ride than a regular freight car. The tall building closest to the camera is the Chicago Tribune. I do not know the name of the building with the onion domed top. -- Ken SkyscrapersYay, Jack is back! To the left, with the flag atop it, is the Tribune Tower, looking rather soot-stained. To the right, with the copper dome, is the former Medinah Athletic Club, now known as the Hotel Intercontinental. Re: SkyscrapersThe building behind the Tribune Tower is the old Medinah Athletic Club. It's now the Intercontinental Hotel, and still has the beautiful ceramic-tiled indoor pool from the athletic club days. The distant building just to the right of the caboose is probably the old Allerton Hotel (home of the Tip Top Tap) on north Michigan Avenue, also fully remodeled in the last few years. Love those Jack Delano railroad pics! Purpose of the cupolaYou can read about the cupola on wikipedia (lots of other good info on cabooses (cabeese?) too). The EndI remember when I was little trains still had cabooses, and all the kids would be excited to wait for it at the end as the man would always wave and smile at us. I think I was only about 7 or 8 when most of the railroads decided to switch to automated cameras instead, but I remember being quite sad about it. I Have a DreamI always dreamed of having a caboose like this sitting on a piece of property somewhere - just outfitted enough to be an escape from the daily grind. It is never going to happen, but it is a nice dream. That toddling townThe gothic tower in the foreground is the Tribune Tower at 36 stories. The more distant one is the InterContinental Hotel, 42 stories. If wikipedia is to be believed, the mast on the hotel was built so that dirigibles could dock there. Cupolas for DummiesThe cupola provided a lookout. Where you see the windows on the outside of the cupola, you'll find seats (not comfortable) on the inside. A crewman, usually the rear brakeman or flagman, would occupy a seat, facing forward so he could watch the train ahead for any problems such as a dragging load, or a "hotbox" (an overheated friction bearing journal that could cause a serious derailment). There was also an air gauge and an emergency air valve so that the train could be stopped if needed by bleeding off the train airbrakes from the caboose. As freight cars grew larger, the cupola became less effective. There were also safety issues, as crewman could and did fall out of the cupola, a drop of several feet. Some roads opted for bay window cars as a result. Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.Since no one else seemed to mention it I guess I'll throw it in. Although the building no longer exists, HS&B carries on under the familiar name of True Value Hardware. Little Red CabooseAs a very young kid, possibly 5 or 6, we used to sing, upon seeing one of these: Little red caboose, chug, chug, chug, Little red caboose, Little red caboose behind the train, train, train, train, Smokestack on its back, back, back, back, Coming down the track, track, track, track, Little red caboose behind the train. Now I will take my pills and go to bed. Loose CabooseSome railroads around the Chicago area still use a caboose for switching because of the necessity to run with the engine pushing the train. Also it offers more protection while preforming the switching operation and to allow the brakeman to be closer to the needed cars. The South Shore Line still uses a caboose and before the Union Pacific bought The Chicago and Northwestern many local or switching runs used a caboose. the later were in bad shape, very rusty and most if not all the windows had been covered with steel. WavingLike HME, I'm old enough to remember us kids on the playground, next to freight tracks, waiting to wave at the guy in the caboose, who always waved back. Waving rememberedYes, I also remember how the guys in the caboose (and the engine, too!) would return our waves. What was it about railroaders that made them so friendly to kids? Today, nobody has time for that. We as a society have lost so much in the last 70 years! Arlo Guthrie on the Illinois CentralIllinois Central Monday morning rail Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders, Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail. Well, Steve Goodman anyway.Steve Goodman was the writer of the song. Arlo has a pretty neat story about how he met Steve and the song. Caboose DriverMy grandfather was a caboose driver in Ohio in the Forties and Fifties. On certain days his kids used to gather at a certain part of the track after school and he used to throw them the leftovers from his lunch. Unfortunately I never met him because he died before I was born. The "Moose Caboose" in Kennett, MOThere used to be a train with a caboose that came past our small cotton farm in Kennett, MO and we would wave to the engineer if we were out in the pasture area of our place... We also would always wave to the guy that was always back in the caboose area of that small train... The engineer always tooted his whistle at us to let us know that he had saw us and that made us happy that "The Moose" had said "Hello" to us 8-) The railroad tracks and the train no longer runs in Kennett and our small cotton farm is no longer there either, as small town suburbia has taken over most of the small farm land(s) that is/were on City Limits. It is always sad to go back to our hometown and see that lonely, empty weedy abandoned railroad track... 8-( Ruth Chambers Holt (aka --> TheSteelButterfly) (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Avenue C: 1904
... to be heading straight towards the camera. Gralynn Hotel The building to the left of the picture is well known by local history enthusiasts in Miami; it is the Gralynn Hotel at the intersection of today's SE 1st Avenue and SE 2nd Street - this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/09/2014 - 12:41pm -

1904. "Avenue C -- Miami, Fla." Renamed First Avenue after the city's brief fling with lettered streets. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Very differentThere are two locations with railroad tracks, and neither looks anything like this anymore. Not sure which location it is. [The street sign in the photo is a clue. - Dave] Scary!That woman's ghost seems to be heading straight towards the camera. Gralynn HotelThe building to the left of the picture is well known by local history enthusiasts in Miami; it is the Gralynn Hotel at the intersection of today's SE 1st Avenue and SE 2nd Street - this particular view is looking north. The Gralynn disappeared a long time ago but most of us knew it before it was demolished (though it was heavily transformed towards the end); I have attached a picture of it. The railroad tracks disappeared a long time ago; they were an east-west extension of the main line, connecting with the Royal Palm Hotel. Flagler's hotel suffered greatly during the 1926 hurricane and it was demolished shortly after, but I do not know how much longer the rails lasted. The aerial image shows two arrows: the black one marks the location and direction of the now-extinct railroad tracks; the red one shows the approximate location and direction from which the picture was taken. Some blocks have merged over the decades and therefore the railroad tracks are now partially buried underneath buildings like NationsBank, for instance. I also placed a very faint circle around the building which now occupies the old site of the Gralynn Hotel. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Miami)
On the Grid: 1939
... D.C., in 1939. "Aerial view in front of the Willard Hotel at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, showing pedestrians and rather ... less trouble dealing with steep hills. Willard Hotel Streetcar Tracks The caption identifying the location as 14th Street ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 11:06am -

Washington, D.C., in 1939. "Aerial view in front of the Willard Hotel at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, showing pedestrians and rather dense traffic in autos and streetcars." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by David Myers. AwwwThat's so funny - what "rather dense traffic" looked like as a baby! D.C. TrafficThere are bikes in the middle of the street. And a traffic cop, remember those? StreetcarsNotice that the two street cars have their poles down on the roof. That is because power is being grabbed from the slot between the rails. This is somewhat like the SF cable cars, but in the case of the DC cars there is a 600v direct current cable in the slot which supplies electricity to the cars. This is fairly unique to the DC system. Actually not like San FranciscoThe street car in this picture are electrically powered, drawing current from a "shoe" that runs in the slot. The San Francisco cable cars are an entirely mechanical system. The cars have a grip, which is described as being like a pair of pliers, that grabs hold of a cable that runs under the street on loop from a main power station where there are electric motors for each of the lines. The cable moves and physically pulls the cars along their routes. The advantages of this system over a conventional trolley system is that the cable cars have significantly less trouble dealing with steep hills. Willard Hotel Streetcar TracksThe caption identifying the location as 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue is incorrect. There were no junction tracks between the routes at the intersection of 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The actual location of that picture is two block north at 14th and G Streets. the picture was taken from the upper floors of the Western Union building that still stands on the northwest corner of that intersection. [I think you're mistaken. The caption was written by the photographer. Below, photos of the Willard and from the Willard circa 1923, showing the intersection and streetcar tracks. - Dave] 14th & PennsylvaniaThe bottom photo, looking southeast at 14th and Pennsylvania NW, is prior to the 1935-36 Capital Transit reconstruction project, which resulted in a track connection for Route 54 Navy Yard streetcars southbound on 14th Street to southeastbound on Pennsylvania Avenue. The main photograph, however, does show the perpendicular crossing "specialwork" trackage at 14th & G streets. Rodchenko perspectiveThe style of this photo is very much like those of Alexandr Rodchenko, the Soviet modernist photographer, a decade or two earlier. Second opinionIt is not too hard for casual visitors and friends of Washington DC to think this view is from the Willard Hotel at 14th & PA Av NW. However, as a streetcar historian living in Washington DC since 1953 and keeping records of track and cars from 1862, I can positively suggest to you that the view is from the office bldg on NE corner of 14th & G Sts NW. The SE corner is the National Bank of Washington. The SW corner was the city ticket office of Pennsylvania RR. The NW corner was the city office of Western Union by the late 1930s. If you look at the width of Pa Av - it is much wider than shown on this view. This switch was used for rush hour trips from Bureau of Engraving/USDA to G St for cars running to North Capital and Hyattsville. I have had this print in possession for more than 50 years. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., David Myers, Streetcars)
Evening Star: 1924
... Washington Evening Star newspaper next to the Raleigh Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue between 11th (on the right) and 12th streets. ... Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Hotel Harrington The Evening Star may have moved on, but the Hotel ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/07/2013 - 12:06pm -

Washington, D.C., 1924. "Evening Star building." Offices of the Washington Evening Star newspaper next to the Raleigh Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue between 11th (on the right) and 12th streets. Where there seems to be something of a mold problem. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Hotel HarringtonThe Evening Star may have moved on, but the Hotel Harrington is still going strong. It would have been 10 years young at the time of this photo. Flag at half mastCould it be for Woodrow Wilson who died that year? Street viewGoogle street view. View Larger Map Technical questionI've noticed with a lot of these building photos that, despite being relatively wide angle, they don't suffer from the usual "converging vertical" problem that affects these shots. It's been a long time since I did any photographic theory - am I right in thinking this would have been done with a bellows camera that had the facility to shift the lens off-axis from the centre of the negative plate? So the lens and the plate both remain vertical, rather than panning the whole camera up to get the shot? [Yes. - tterrace] No Leaves on the TreesWilson died February 3, 1924, so it's likely this was taken within 30 days of that date. A venerable Washington institutionThe Evening Star was at this location from 1881 until it moved to new quarters in Southeast in the alte 1950s. More about the building and the company can be found here. Avoiding Converging PerspectiveThose lenses with the bellows in the middle worked like a charm. My medium-format Mamiya gear bag had one but it took me a while to get one for my Nikon F2. I'm trying to remember whether it was a lens or an adapter to a lens. Whatever it was, it worked great! --Jim Dueling PhotographersA rare Shorpy occurrence of the same building photographed by both Harris & Ewing and the National Photo Company, which captured the same corner three years prior at Evening Star: 1921. Quite different perspective but very little has changed other than the billboard to the left and the removal of the Hart, Schaffner & Marx Clothes signage at 1109-1111 Pennsylvania Avenue. Same mailboxes at the corner. To the right, up Eleventh Street Northwest is Hotel Harrington and the furniture showroom and warehouse of W.B. Moses and Sons. Both are winter photos which may explain the removed awnings of the street-level stores. Rather than shading a strolling summer customer, the panels are removed to let winter light into the store. Too Much Perspective Correction???While I fully agree with BigAl42's comment and also with tterrace's agreement I do have a thought about the subject matter shown here... It may be just an optical illusion caused by the fancy masonry work near the top but it appears that the perspective correction on this image and some others previously shown on Shorpy have been over adjusted. In this image the building looks to be slightly wider at the top than it is at the bottom. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Broadway From Dey: 1900
... and buses. New York City's first great hotel That's Astor House up past St. Paul's. After it opened in 1836, it became New York's first great hotel, for many years the (unofficial?) headquarters of the Whig Party, and the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2023 - 12:29pm -

New York, 1900. "Broadway looking north from Dey Street." Rising at left, the Western Union Telegraph Building. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Words travel by wire, people by cableA relatively rare glimpse of cable cars in NYC -- the Metropolitan Street Railway came late and didn't last long -- at least if the date is correct: unlike most areas, Manhattan went from cable cars to conduit-powered streetcars, so it's hard to tell by the trackwork alone. But the cars seem a match. [The streetcars in our photo look a lot more like the electric streetcars seen here. - Dave] Could be: the changeover date was May 25, 1901, so the premise rests entirely on exactly what the date is...I'll trade my comment for a "circa". - N And upon this rock they built a churchAt center left is St. Paul's Chapel. Built in 1766 in the Georgian style, it is the oldest existing church building in New York City. Here is the view at street level today. Wherefore art thou?A remarkable lack of women out and about in 1900. Rush hour traffIcNew York City has changed little in the last 123 years, huh? Clang, clang, clang went the trolleyAccording to one source, it wasn’t until about 1909 that electric trolleys were pressed into service in New York. Prior to that there were ‘cable cars,’ as evidenced in the post. Looking carefully one can see the cable stretched out between the rails of each line. [The electrification of Manhattan's streetcar lines began in the 1890s. That's not a cable between the rails -- it's a slot over the electrical conduit under the street. - Dave] Frequency of serviceFor me the most interesting thing about this picture is the interval between the streetcars, which is close to NOTHING. OK, maybe there's heavy traffic, and a bunch of them got jammed up together ... but looking off to the north it appears that there's just a steady stream of streetcars. Imagine how this would change city life if we tried this today, with trolleys and buses. New York City's first great hotelThat's Astor House up past St. Paul's. After it opened in 1836, it became New York's first great hotel, for many years the (unofficial?) headquarters of the Whig Party, and the favorite place of Senators Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, who told the NY Times he "would stay at no other hotel." Thurlow Weed supposedly lived there for 30 years. Photographer Mathew Brady lived there, and Thomas Edison stayed there when visiting from Menlo Park. William James was born there in 1842. http://www.tribecatrib.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/standaloneslid... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Astor-loc.jpg/... (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)
Keep Smiling: 1906
... smiling lady and left that evil eyed old biddy behind. Hotel Traymore As noted in Dave's comment, vantage point for the previous ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 11:39am -

The Jersey shore circa 1906. "Rolling chair on the Boardwalk, Atlantic City." In the distance, the giant safety razor seen on the Gillette sign in the previous post. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Keep SmilingWhaddaya mean, keep smiling ? I AM smiling. The Wicked Witch of the East?The smiling, striding woman on the left is a dead ringer for Margaret Hamilton. Ouch!I was admiring the smiling lady, which seems uncommon in this period, and when I panned over to the stern couple in the rolling chair with the sign I laughed myself out of my chair. Thanks Dave, this is the most delightful photo I've seen. A Short Time LaterI hope the poor bugger in the rolling chair hopped out and ran away with the smiling lady and left that evil eyed old biddy behind. Hotel TraymoreAs noted in Dave's comment, vantage point for the previous birds-eye view of the beach. Is it a smileor a maniacal grin? The lady on the left seems to be holding her cane in a very threatening way. Perhaps it's her husband in the rolling chair running off with her mother! Rolling chairsAh, that's what you call them. I was thinking maybe "nobility scooter." Hello Pork Pie HatLove the gent's hat. A cool modern topper, especially compared to the fusty lady sitting next to him. Rolling Chair Evils Washington Post, Apr 22, 1900 Reforms in Atlantic City Rolling-Chair Evil Regulated This resort wears the aspect of summer, with a crowded boardwalk, and ideal sky, warm breeze, and everything in the way of amusement and entertainment in full swing. So great is the multitude of people that certain features of the city which have given it its attractiveness promise to become, and to certain extent now are, veritable nuisances. Once of these is the rolling chair, which every invalid who has ever been here and many of the perfectly able visitors know and have enjoyed. There are other visitors, those of the pedestrian class, who find their strolls on the Boardwalk at times almost blocked by the chairs, which line up five and six across the walk. There are no less than 600 of them. But a new grievance against the chairs has come up. Careless attendants have recently been employed, and because of the rolling of the chairs against a number of visitors, several handsome Easter promenade gowns have been torn, and others ruined by the dust and grease from the unprotected wheels. The authorities have now stepped in with vigor, and all the chair attendants are to be uniformed, provided with badges, and are to held accountable to the police department. This move will be hailed with general satisfaction. The morals of the Boardwalk have also been tuned up by the authorities. It took the police an entire week to learn that one or two mutascope showmen were exhibiting for "a nickel a look," scores of pictures decidedly "Frenchy." Then one morning Mayor Frank Stoy and a Baptist clergyman took a stroll and examined the pictures. Before night official orders were issued, and before morning the mutascope men had changed the pictures in toto, and now complain that business has fallen off. But the police order stands. Washington Post, Feb 12, 1939 Atlantic City Rolling Chairs Prove Popular The Boardwalk rolling chair, almost exclusively an Atlantic City vehicle, which was first introduced in 1887, is still a popular feature in the resort. The late George Hayday at first rented the chairs to invalids, who found the Boardwalk chair rides stimulating but later learned that persons in the best of health also enjoyed the chairs. The chairs, which are constructed here, were later enlarged to accommodate two or three persons. There are now 1,500 in use. Everyone who has ever visited Atlantic City will remember them and many a romance has started under the moon in a Boardwalk rolling chair. Should the weather prove to be a trifle cool, a warm robe and glass windshield protect the ride. Amazing photoIt's almost surreal the way the characters pop out of this photo. The clarity of those early lenses makes one wonder why modern cameras can't match the dots per inch. Amazing! [It's not so much the clarity of the lens as the size of the "image sensor." In this case, a humongous 8 by 10 inches. - Dave] Sun GrinsThe "smiling lady" doesn't seem to be smiling to me. She has the same expression I do when I go outside and forget my sunglasses. I have VERY light sensitive eyes and end up with the "sun grins" without my sunglasses, even in cloudy weather. I can easily assume I'm not the only one to have this problem. DopplegangerLooks like Amy Winehouse stumbled into a time machine. The third wheel Oh God, Harold, She's gaining on us, give the man another dollar! (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Travel & Vacation)
Keep Off the Grass: 1904
... said, "Just like a Yankee to make the woman walk." Hotel Netherland That's the Hotel Netherland in the background. Built in the 1890's. The current 'Sherry ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 10:21pm -

New York circa 1904. "Gen. Sherman statue at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street. Hotels Netherland, Savoy and St. Regis." 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Typical NorthernerAs Florence King's grandmother once said, "Just like a Yankee to make the woman walk." Hotel NetherlandThat's the Hotel Netherland in the background. Built in the 1890's. The current 'Sherry Netherland Hotel' was built on the same site in 1926/27. View Larger Map Jack BennyOn Jack's radio show, Mary Livingston would stay at the Sherry Netherland , while Jack {in the plot of the radio show} stayed across the street in the "Acme Plaza Hotel" , penthouse 4 flights down. Jack said on the show that he would rather pay Acme Plaza rates , and look out his window at the Sherry Netherland , then pay the price of a Sherry Netherland room and look out over the dump that he was living in.. +108Below is the same view from April of 2012 (the trees which used to line the plaza were destroyed in a snowstorm in October of 2011). Vanderbilt MansionIf you look to the far right of the 1904 photo of Fifth Avenue at 59th Street you get a somewhat obstructed view of the Cornelius Vanderbilt II Mansion located at 1 West 57th Street (57th and Fifth). It was the largest private residence in Manhattan at the time and was demolished in 1938. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
The Seaside: 1905
Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1905. "Seaside Hotel." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... Most everything during this time is beautiful, the homes, hotel and the very lovely ladies. I wish I could stroll this street right now. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:03pm -

Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1905. "Seaside Hotel." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Vacationing VictoriansOh how I love this photo! Most everything during this time is beautiful, the homes, hotel and the very lovely ladies. I wish I could stroll this street right now. I was born in the wrong time. Sigh. Five Kinds of Wheels1. Motor vehicle 2. Horse drawn wagons 3. Bicycle 4. Entrepreneurial fellow with the wicker push chair 5. Mom with crutch pushing baby carriage. MonopolistsAtlantic City, home of the famous Boardwalk. I wonder if they passed "Go." Paddle Steamer HotelThe structure of that hotel is reminiscent of the big paddle steamers, with the full-length double deck verandas, the tall cupolas taking the place of the smokestacks, and the staircased portico at the side standing in for the paddle wheel. I wonder if this was deliberate imitation. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, Bicycles, DPC)
The Big Hotels: 1915
... Gotta Ask Anyone know or remember why the M-B hotel has those two vertical elements? What were they for? Lovely I ... that we would go for a vacation and stay in the grand old hotel because it had once been such a fine place of its day. (Or maybe the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:42pm -

Atlantic City, N.J., ca. 1915. "Bathing in front of the big hotels -- Traymore [right] and Marlborough-Blenheim." Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Gotta AskAnyone know or remember why the M-B hotel has those two vertical elements? What were they for? LovelyI really love old beach photos. They really makes me feel I'm right there. Maybe I was born in the wrong age. BTW, boys didn't go to the beach to watch girls, I guess. Just before ka-boom-boomJust before they demolished the Traymore, my parents decided that we would go for a vacation and stay in the grand old hotel because it had once been such a fine place of its day. (Or maybe the management were renting the rooms at half price, since the end was near, and my father covered up his cheapness with the story of how we had to see that bit of history before it was gone). By that time it was rather a dump. You didn't get a shower in your room. It was down at the end of the hall, and you had to wait your turn in that hallway. What passed for luxury in the Traymore's time was really primitive. It looked far better from the outside than the inside. Did everyone rent bathing suits then?It seems there was only one style for each gender. Helmar SmokesI never heard of them, but from the looks of their ad, they were popular. Probably a nickel a pack. And those suits and dresses at the beach just crack me up. Such different times. Over-the-top Art Nouveau-ish hotelWhat grand architecture, in a Moorish style, right on the beach. Helmar HeightsThat is quite the cigarette billboard. The spare construction of that is really interesting and kind of beautiful. I'd love to see one of those old signs up close. The elaborate edges make it look like the whole thing was somehow rubber stamped on the photo itself. Neat. Aside from that, I love these old beach pictures. It's a little difficult to get past the bathing costumes, but once you do, it's amazing how similar it looks to a modern beach scene--splashing, talking, sunbathing (and the few protecting themselves from the sun). I guess people have always behaved in similar ways in sand and surf. How many went down with heatstroke?I am always amazed at these beach photos. It is just beyond me to even imagine what it would be like to spend the day at the beach in a full suit, starched collar, tie and leather shoes. And all that before modern breathable lightweight fabrics. I do not even want to try and think what it must have been like for the ladies in those dresses. Ping Pong, Pilotis and GenesisFrom the enlargement emerge tantalizing details of some largely forgotten characteristics of the sandy playground. A few doors left of Brady's Baths sits a concession stand with a sign for "Japanese Ping Pong." Not table tennis, but a typical arcade game of the era. It seems to have been a flatter, shorter-lived cousin to skee-ball. A.T. Hayashi appears in a 1920 directory as the proprietor, also operating one of the more numerous and better documented Japanese bric-a-brac shops. "Piloti" is a bit of insider jargon that architectural critics used to describe each of the distinctive boardwalk-end columns on the Blenheim section of the Marlborough-Blenheim. The four-sided pylons were ecstatic expressions of architect William L. Price's confidence in the great things that can be done with reinforced concrete. Functional, too: the hotel was built with a longer tourist season in mind, and great fireplaces sent smoke up the chimneys within each pylon. The Historic American Buildings Survey has photos. The hard-to-read, double-sided electric sign to the left of the Blenheim is set back from the boardwalk. Each side displays "Creation of the World." Don't know if the exhibit toured, but it sounds like a serious affair. Presumably the sign in our 1915 photo refers to the same show described in a booster magazine, The Suburbanite. From what looks to be the poorly edited September 1908 issue: The greatest attraction near Young's Million-Dollar Pier, is the Scenographic illustration of "The Creation of the World," showing he (sic) evolution of the Universe emerging from Chaos, no (sic) birth of the World, and the Creation of man. The Creation of the World occupies a large steel and concrete building on the boardwalk. The Creation of the World is a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar production, the largest Scenograph ever produced, it is far ahead of anything of this nature given in any other place. [Imperfectly scanned, not poorly edited. - Dave] (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Work Zone: 1906
... telephone poles & wires? Alleys, maybe? Peabody Hotel The original Peabody Hotel built in 1869. Home of the Peabody Marching Ducks since 1932. There ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 11:47am -

Circa 1906. "Main Street. Memphis, Tennessee." Please pardon our dust. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. WirelessBelow, also from 1906, Salem, Mass. Where did Memphis (and other cities of the time) put their telephone poles & wires? Alleys, maybe? Peabody HotelThe original Peabody Hotel built in 1869. Home of the Peabody Marching Ducks since 1932. There are now several locations which feature the ducks and their Duckmaster. The Duckmaster resembles a circus ringmaster with top hat, tails and a cane or baton who leads the troupe (flock?) from the elevators to the Grand Fountain in the lobby to the accompaniment of a Sousa march playing on the lobby speakers. Each morning at 11 they march in then spend the rest of the day in the fountain. They never wander away or shy away from tourists who gather to take photos with them. At 5:00 PM the show reverses and they march out to return to their rooftop garden quarters where they live a life of luxury. You can Google search to find many videos of them. They have also appeared on several TV shows through the years. Sk8r!Always enjoy your photos, especially those with boats in them. In this one I enjoyed seeing the kid roller skating down the ramp next to the millinery store. Then as now! I've got a brand new pair of roller skatesIn front of the millinery store. I'm not sure what he has in his right hand, could this be a paddle-ball toy? [It's his cap. - Dave] A ReminiscenceI cannot help but think of Faulkner's "The Reivers" whenever I see photos of Memphis from the early 1900s. I almost expect to see Boon, Lucius, and the Winton Flyer along the street somewhere. Hatless- outdoors!This rollerskating kid had the nerve to remove his hat in public. Loeb's LaundryFor almost 120 years now the Loeb family has owned and operated businesses in Memphis. Although the name stays the same the businesses have changed dramatically. In 1887 Henry Loeb Sr. was in business making and selling both hats and shirts. Ladies taking delivery of the shirts often suggested that he launder the shirts as well as selling them. The market for shirt laundering was considerable and Henry Sr. found his business growing. By 1910 he was expanding his business into a 3 story cleaning plant on Madison Avenue. As this was two full blocks east of Main Street, Loeb's horse-drawn delivery service was welcomed by the community. Extreme SportsA boy, roller skates and a small wooden ramp with two men looking interestingly on -- it's a small ramp, but the beginning of Xtreme sports we know today. +107Below is the same view (north from Union Avenue) from August of 2013. (The Gallery, DPC, Memphis, Streetcars)
New Tontine: 1900
New Haven, Connecticut, early 1900s. "New Tontine Hotel, Church and Court streets." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... New Haven County" (1887, Wm. Hale Beckford): The hotel building is a substantial four-story structure, on the corner of Church ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 2:51pm -

New Haven, Connecticut, early 1900s. "New Tontine Hotel, Church and Court streets." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Street lightFound the light fascinating. Wiring from the pole and then a cable and pulley system to raise and lower the light itself. Amazing contraption. [It's an arc lamp. - Dave] All gone, except the Green.From "Leading Business Men of New Haven County" (1887, Wm. Hale Beckford): The hotel building is a substantial four-story structure, on the corner of Church and Court streets, opposite the Yale College grounds or "Green." Tbe cuisine is unexceptionable, the aim of the prudent landlord being to supply everything calculated to tempt the appetite, and to serve the viands in a manner calculated to please the most exacting bon vivant. Every modern appliance and convenience has been provided, and a stay at the "Tontine" will ever be remembered by the guests of Mr. Bradley as the most pleasing experience and feature of a visit to the Elm City. The fence is still thereView Larger Map A perfect view of how the arc lamps were used.This picture clearly shows the pulley mechanism for the servicing of the electrodes and the cleaning of the globe. Dave, if you ever come across a shot of an arc lamp being serviced, please share it with us. Arc lamp serviceI think the photo was taken in Colorado. The blanket on the hood of the Model T service truck tells us it's winter. I love the block of wood the electrician is standing on, to insulate himself from ground! Interesting name for a hotel A Tontine is a scheme for raising capital which combines features of a group annuity and a lottery. Each member in the group puts an agreed upon sum into a pot, and upon the death of every other member, the last person remaining collects the pot. (The Gallery, DPC)
Saratoga: 1908
... without being spotted by the employees. Grand Union Hotel On the left side of Broadway is the porch-lined facade of the Grand Union Hotel, first built in 1802 and demolished in 1953. This hotel was the scene of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 4:36pm -

Saratoga Springs, New York, circa 1908. "Congress Hall and Broadway." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Tropical foliageThose other plants with the palms are rubber trees (Ficus elastica). Don't get too close to them or they can make the back of your knee itchy. Still learningIs the architectural feature on the front referred to as a portico? It is a grand looking element of the building. Potted Palms It seems that at the turn of the 20th century, palms of some kind or another were de rigueur for hotels and even office buildings. We have a lovely example of this here on the long porch of Congress Hall. I see that there are also what look like some rhododendrons thrown in for good measure as well. Interesting Corinthian columns and arches as well. Ye Olde Novelty ShoppeWhat on earth are they selling in the Novelty Shop? The fellow walking through the door appears to be hiding his face, while the elderly gent outside is straining his neck to get a peek at the Novelty Shop merchandise without being spotted by the employees. Grand Union HotelOn the left side of Broadway is the porch-lined facade of the Grand Union Hotel, first built in 1802 and demolished in 1953. This hotel was the scene of the celebrated "Second Battle of Saratoga" in 1877. Joseph Seligman, the Wall Street banker, was refused accommodations when he arrived because the hotel's new owner, Judge Henry Hilton, had decided to bar Jews from his establishment. This became a major scandal and the first major incident of social anti-Semitism in America. Brilliant site!Dave, I love you. This site, and the pictures are magnificent. Thank you!! Used to live in Saratoga during the 90'sI lived in Saratoga for 12 years, beautiful place. Some of Broadway still looks like this as the town refuses to let the likes of Wal-Mart in to keep the old world charm. Beautiful place in the summer when the horse races are in town. (The Gallery, DPC, Saratoga Springs)
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