Photo/Video: 1980s New York As Imagined In 1930

via the NYPL

In the 1930s, people had a much different vision for what the 1980s would look like for New York City. This image is from the New York Public Library archives, and is captioned: "New York in 1980 as imagined in a new talking picture" (from 1930). Just look at how clean everything is! Nothing like the real '80s, which looked a bit more... apocalyptic.

So what do we have going on here? It looks like the sub-streets, which we've seen before, have been worked into the rendering. Even with some skyscrapers in the background, it doesn't really look like New York City, however. In fact, it looks like a lot of the elements of castle architecture have been included here, sort of like this vision of the city in 1999, drawn up by a man in 1900.

We've contacted the NYPL for more information on this image, and will update when we hear back.

Update: This is from a 1930s film called Just Imagine, which is "best known for its art direction and special effects in its portrayal of New York City in an imagined 1980." It's never officially been released on DVD or VHS, but here's a look:

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on February 8, 2012 12:45 PM

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InternetHandle

NY filmmaker Jay Stern gave a presentation on Just Imagine at Kevin Geeks Out, and wrote about it for the "Visions of the Future" issue of the zine I Love Bad Movies. It sounds even weirder than that opening scene would suggest.

zampano

Where de black folk at?

Nos Feratu

Always with those idiotic aviation fantasies. Know what the future is going to look like? It's going to be closer to 1880 than the above version of 1980. You can pretty much forget personal aircraft, more people are going to be riding mass transit and biking....like it or not.

splicernyc

Planes flying around skyscrapers?!? 9/11 prediction!!!

tsol

JDS thinks all of those art deco buildings need a nice coat of graffitti.

tsol

They didn't take into account the Bauhaus-enabled dreck that would kill off ornamentation and esthetics and sprout up all over the city like cheap brick tombstones.

OleS

If he really knew what it would end up looking like, he'd probably puke and cry.

whodiditandran

What, no bike lanes?!?

WZA

Crack castles in the sky.

Cool.

RobertMosesSupposesErroneously

This looks to me to be a view of Norman Bel Geddes's 'Futurama' exhibit from the 1939 World's Fair. The famous "streamline modern" designer was commissioned by General Motors to build a massive model of the "city of the future" (albeit 1960, not 1980 as stated here).

Shares many similarities with this photo: below-grade traffic expressways, Art Deco buildings, low-flying commuter planes, and the scale seems about the same as Geddes' model. If I recall from my research, there was a "talking picture" that accompanied the exhibit.

Spirit of 76

To me, it looks more like the city from the Buck Rogers TV show.

http://img.artknowledgenews.co...

RobertMosesSupposesErroneously

I can see that! Although Buck's city looks more Populuxe-style than Deco. Syd Dutton who did the matte effects for Buck Rogers wasn't born until 1944.

Spirit of 76

Or how about this, a stock shot from most of the later first season episodes. It sure seems to have more of the feel of the picture in the article, complete with streets lower than ground level:

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sit...

RobertMosesSupposesErroneously

Although Bel Geddes didn't start work on Futurama until 1938 - so this could be from one of his earlier urban models (I know he built a similar "Metropolis City of 1960" exhibit in 1935-36).

Fascinating guy - designed everything from airplanes to cocktail shakers to theater sets to the first computer hardware. And yes, Barbara Bel Geddes was his daughter.