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New York City, Circa 1930

The 1930s were a time of breadlines and Hoovervilles (homeless encampments); there was even a shanty town in Central Park for a few years, in the former Lower Reservoir of the city water supply system. As New York is struggling through a new financial crisis, take a look back at the city as it developed during the Great Depression.

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  • chee1rs

    Obamavilles , the new Hoovervilles

  • west side Michael

    This old New Yorker wishes to remind

    you that most heating here was made by someone

    shoveling coal into a furnace ,The East River

    had slums amongst the city animal slaughter houses

    and gas works now the fancy UN area.

    Many apartments shared bathrooms,Some we lived

    in did not have hot water,i.e."coldwater" flats.

    The cop on the beat on your block was a self

    employed worker,supreme court and jailer.

    Neighborhoods were segregated by nationality

    and race until the idea of public housing projects

    came about.



    Yeah! we did all go to Central Park at night

    to sleep when it was hot as it was safe.

    A cheap thrill was walking to Times Square just

    to see the lights.

  • Knarf

    Wow - - and to think this guy holds the copyrights to all these phenomenal photos! Even Margaret Bourke-White's stuff!

  • HUGO_MEGO

    #21 Future Taliban, Sorry taliban boy but cult leader Obama is top dog now.

    Welcome to Barack HUSSEIN Obama's Amerikka where the president is liberal and open minded but against gay marriage.

  • NannyState

    Who doesn't love this stuff! Thanx Jen and a thousand more!



    And babyhitler, there was air conditioning back then and for two+ decades before, but for most ordinary NYers, the only place to enjoy AC was at the movie palace. That's why movies got so big: it was the AC!

  • Wza

    Great photos!

  • Gwinny

    weird, now they are back.

  • Gwinny

    ... hey, where did the photos go??

  • Gwinny

    Also, Future Taliban: not sure who you mean by "you azzholes" -- but it's really a stretch to New Yorkers for Bush. I don't have the stats for 2000 on hand, but the city voted 81% for Kerry in 2004 and has been a solidly Democratic city for a long time.

  • Shinobi Shaw

    The economic crash was not Bush's fault (he did exacerbated with his idiocy though).

    It was the Bankers and The Federal Reserve that are responsible for what's coming.

    Bush was a puppet, the Presidential position is a puppet position for the Bankers.

  • Future Taliban

    Hoovervilles, breadlines, massive unemployment. Good article to help get NY'ers psychologically ready to relive those days all over again.

    Courtesy of GW Bush, whom most of you azzholes voted for not once but twice.

    SUCK ON THAT NOW.

  • Cobalt

    Especially love the first photo with all of those fresh Art Deco skyscrapers. The Chrysler building, the Daily Plan... er News building and all.... now that's architecture!

  • babyhitler

    people don't realize that if you went back in time there would be no goddamn air conditioning! that's the deal breaker. I think I could live without internet but no air conditioning would kill me.

  • Gwinny

    matty: you are such a n00b. personally, I long for gay NY of the 1890's.

  • lanciano

    Man, I love old new york! Great pictures!

    I hope that straatis has permission to post those or that they're in the public domain. There might be some disgruntled people out there.

  • hortenz

    There's a really good website for all types of olde timey pictures. Here is a link to the New York section.

    http://www.old-picture.com/new-york-index-001.htm

  • donner

    My man in pic #6... has a serious pair.

  • chuzzlewit

    so that's what were headed for? that looks quaint, bring on the crash!

    PS will the pitbulls all have a ring around one eye and only bite the cops and lanldords?

  • JacqueMehoff

    didn't people used to throw garbage out their windows back then? that's the reason why woman walked near the curb as to not get hit by garbage.

    by "people" I don't mean what's referred to as those people nowadays. I think they called them the "n" word back then.

  • mocanlagunas

    If you could go back in time to see how it was back then, you wouldn't want to really live there... I would buy some real estate, but other than that, no thank you...

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