Guess The Year: Relaxing Edition

Can you guess which year this photo was taken? Bonus points if you can guess where in New York City this is. We'll update later with the answer and more details.

UPDATE: This photo—which we posted way back in 2007 in a post about a community board proposal to bring medians to Park Avenue for pedestrian safety—was taken on Park Avenue, looking north towards St. Bartholomew's Church, in the early 1920s. Until 1922, Park Avenue was a park. From StreetsWiki (it's a thing!): "In May of 1922, the New York Times published an editorial about the newly refurbished Park Avenue. The paper quoted then-Borough President of Manhattan Julius Miller's boasts about the civic: 'The present roadways are 27 feet wide, the sidewalks 15 feet, and the centre strips 56 feet.' For a few years, Park Avenue was, in a sense, both a small park and a functional avenue. The unusual width of the avenue allowed for ample sidewalks; one lane of automobile traffic on either side; and a broad, luxurious footpath in the middle." And then... the cars took over.

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on November 4, 2010 5:17 PM

Guess the Year

Comments [rss]

Spirit of 76

"This photo—which we posted way back in 2007"

Uh huh. And somehow, my post mentioning just that got deleted. Interesting coincidence.

nicemarmot

I do remember your post. That is a bit sketchy of you guys, Gothamist. Of course, some of my posts randomly get held for no reason and never posted at all, so what do I know.

fuboy

Ah the beauty that was destroyed to make way for cars.

The Great Arturo Bandini

Wasn't it raised like that because trains headed to Grand Central went under it? You could do the same thing with cars...

Erin

St. Bartholomew's Park Ave between 50/51st photo circ 1918?

Dolomite

Why does that mean it's after 1924 and not before?

sarah

excellent point.

sarah

It has to be between 1924 and 1951 because the parks are still visible in the 1924 aerials on NYCityMap. Check it out here: http://gis.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/?z=10&p=991554,215208&c=GIS1924&s=a:325,PARK+AVENUE,MANHATTAN

jim

1931?

St. Bart's @ 50th Street and Park Avenue looking uptown.

augustojr

My favorite fact i found out today is "Park Avenue ends north of 132nd Street, with connections to the Harlem River Drive. The name is continued on the other side of the river in the Bronx by the street just east of the railroad."