December 15, 2007
Picture of the Day: NYC - 1970
Kevin Walsh of Forgotten NY directed our attention towards this site, which features a number of photographs from a New York that brings to mind the fact that we're not just in another decade in this city; we're in another century. The picture above is identified as probably 55th St. near 8th Ave. in Manhattan and taken in 1970. We wonder if "Sexual Freedom in Denmark," then playing at the Eros Theater [right-hand side of the image] is now available on DVD? There are more pictures after the jump.
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the 2nd and 4th ones are from 8th street and 6th ave. Crazy that it still looks like that. man those cars were low back in the day.
I think the 3rd pic is on 55th and 8th. The Hearst building is in the background.
wow, the good old days... too bad that prophetized rain eventually came and washed it all away, in the name of Giuliani and Disney.
I love those pix of the earlier seedier NYC from the 70s. I recall being driven through the family car as a youngster amid all the raunch and actually feeling embarrassed for my parents. I'm sure KW will appreciate them also.
Yeah, I wonder if Scorcese and Schrader foresaw that someone would listen to the rantings of their psychopathic character and think, "Gee, what a good idea!"
New York ... just as I pictured it ...
"His hair is long, his feet are hard and gritty
He spends his life walking the streets of New York City
He's almost dead from breathing in air pollution
He tried to vote but to him there's no solution
Living just enough, just enough for the city..."
-- Stevie Wonder
BTW that first pic is more likely near the mid 40s if you use the Howard Johnson's and the Columbus Circle statue as reference points.
The link is terrific. All the NYC tagged pictures are here: http://www.rchrd.com/photo/archives/new_york/new_york_city/
This one is nice: http://www.rchrd.com/photo/archives/2006/01/6th_avenue_at_4.html
#1 is, I think, right on about Pic4, but Pic2 (with the Jefferson Market Library visible) is the NW corner of 10th and 7th, in front of the re-opened Smalls (no. 185--notice the 183 canopy on the left).
#7 is correct about Pic1, and I'm guessing by the one-way sign it's 45th and 8th. Those two porn theaters lasted a long time; the Eros was a gay joint eventually, the one higher up straight (this all from memories of strolling up 8th from the bus terminal, so granted it's suspect). Just to the lower left of the hotel sign you can see a neon "Bar," and that must be the late, lamented McHale's.
Good times, good times!
Ease up, guys. Keep this up and you'll have the whippersnappers complaining about all the old farts in this thread.
We wonder if "Sexual Freedom in Denmark," then playing at the Eros Theater [right-hand side of the image] is now available on DVD?
Unfortunately not, according to the IMDB and Amazon.
These photos are brilliant.
I love seeing these old shots of the city and comparing them to today.
Wow. Thanks for all the comments.
I lived in Greenwich Village from 1963-68, before moving to Berkeley CA. I'm putting many of my pictures from that time on my website, along with the rest of my life. http://rchrd.com/photo
It's a photo blog, so new (old) pictures appear almost daily. And, you can comment on the site.
It's clear that the face of NYC has changed a lot in 40 years. My only advice is to take lots of pictures of your daily surrounds now, because forty years from now its all going to change and you'll be stuck, like me, trying to figure out if it REALLY was like that.
Thanks for the cross post. I'm enjoying this.
Actually, the complete NYC archive so far is at:
http://www.rchrd.com/photo/archives/new_york/new_york_city/
And, there are some earlier pictures here, including the '67 Be-In: http://rchrd.com/Gallery/Sixties/NYC66/index.html
By the way, if you want some serious nostalgia, check out my friend Ned Otter's website of his dad's pictures from the Village in the 50's:
http://robertotter.com/
Man, if NYC had half the character (& smell) it did in these pictures I'd move back in a second.
3rd pic is 55th street at 8th avenue (hell's kitchen) hearst building in the background.
The first shot (with the porn theater) is the view looking North on 8th avenue, about to cross 45th street. On the right side of the image you can see the partially obscured sign for "Smilers" which is still there (the bodega is there, the sign is gone). The parking lot just past the Eros theater is also still there.
Thanks for the links and these great pictures.
Rchrd's correct about documenting your 'hood now. My neighborhood deli on Spring St. near Lafayette recently closed down. It was housed in a building I would guess was circa 1900. I took some photos of the building, and then within 2 weeks the whole structure was gone.
hmmm...the name is the same, buts its a different city now from 10 or 20 yrs ago let alone 30 or 40 - I know I liked that ny, but I can't seem to fall in love with this new new york. so it goes
Richard: Just stumbled on your page yesterday; great stuff, it was a different planet 40 years ago.
www.forgotten-ny.com
The pic on your blog of village cigars at Christopher Street is fantastic. Thank you.
The pic on your blog of village cigars at Christopher Street is fantastic. Thank you.
I remember it all. New York when it had character.
Recently someone sent me pictures of what Sheridan Sq looks like today, trying to match the same view as my original photo.
It was quite a shock. Where did all the cobblestones go?
http://www.rchrd.com/blog/2007/10/visual_discord.html
Stay tuned to my photo blog, as I'm posting more pictures from my vault.
The RSS feed is http://www.rchrd.com/photo/index.xml
Thanks so much for posting these!
Picture #1 is in fact 45th and 8th Av, and that DEFINITELY is McHales.
The Eros was turned into a bar/restaurant called Playwrights. I remember watching them transform it, wondering what would rise from the ashes of the old porn relic.
Picture #1 is in fact 45th and 8th Av, and that DEFINITELY is McHales.
The Eros was turned into a bar/restaurant called Playwrights. I remember watching them transform it, wondering what would rise from the ashes of the old porn relic.