“Here Broadway approaches Union Square from the south, with what is probably the midday crowd on its wide sidewalks,” states the caption of this photo, published in a fascinating book of photos, New York Then and Now.
Sure, the businesses lining this stretch of the city’s longest street have changed in 100 years; see the signs on the left for a few furriers.
The hotel on the left is the fashionable St. Denis, built in 1852 by James Renwick, better known as the architect who designed Grace Church, at right, in the 1840s. (He was also behind St. Patrick’s Cathedral.)
Broadway teems with trolleys going in both ways. It’s like a game of Frogger. No wonder pedestrians were always dodging them—not always with success.
The same view exactly a century later shows that this corner is still prime real estate, and many of the buildings survive, with nail salons, delis, restaurants, and boutiques renting space.
Too bad you can no longer see the Flatiron Building from this vantage point.
Tags: Broadway and 10th Street corner, Flatiron building, Grace Church, James Renwick, New York City in 1911, New York street, New York then and now, St. Denis Hotel, Union Square history
November 22, 2010 at 10:09 am |
In the early 70s that white building on the corner of 11th Street & Broadway was a burnt out shell peopled by winos and bums who sat and slept on the side stairs of the building. I worked for a time at Grove Press, down the street, and always stopped in after work at Broadway Charlie’s a great bar on B’way filled with hippie drinkers and losers. Man, the drunkeness I felt there, whew! But we were only a few blocks north of the Bowery and some of us stayed there, never getting any farther…Boy, does time fly.
November 22, 2010 at 3:20 pm |
Thanks Mick. You know, I forgot to get back to you about Julian’s, the pool hall on 14th. I’ve been itching to do a post on it for a while. I think it was in the building that now houses PC Richard, on the other side of the Palladium dorm. Does that sound right? I’ve heard some good stories about it.
November 22, 2010 at 3:43 pm |
I’m sure it was torn down but I haven’t been there in a number of years. They had a great big Academy of Music sign on the wall
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25066688@N00/3508819112/in/set-72157617707215265/
The windows underneath the wall are the pool hall, see the Billiards sign outside
November 28, 2010 at 2:04 am |
Julian’s wasn’t quite as far west as where PC Richards now is– it was the building to the immediately east of the Palladium. I’ve confirmed this with my husband, who wasted countless hours of his youth at Julian’s, in the late ’70′s.
But, where was Luchow’s, in the scheme of things? I believe it was on that block, too. I remember it’s being there, when I moved to NY in 1979. (Or, have I created this memory from bits & pieces I’ve read?)
November 28, 2010 at 9:55 am |
Luchow’s was a small three story building that stood west of Julian’s
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mcny.org/museum-collections/berenice-abbott/l22.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mcny.org/collections/abbott/al22.htm&h=324&w=426&sz=21&tbnid=UltrafxkWNicjM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dluchow%2527s%2Brestaurant&zoom=1&q=luchow%27s+restaurant&usg=__3G2TmzR52XUgvxOznck-O5u6Mww=&sa=X&ei=fibyTNOCM4HGlQepipWmDQ&ved=0CCQQ9QEwAQ
Back when 14th Street was alive
November 28, 2010 at 10:55 pm |
Great photos, thanks for the links. I’m putting a Julian’s post on the docket…..
September 11, 2012 at 3:26 am |
Broadway Charlie’s was one of the best bars that ever existed in NYC Looking for information,there is Nothing… Jon Paris,Odevei Gorge, Moonbeam, Robert Ross etc. Others are just copies except CBGBs and Rodeo Bar , Terre Blues, Arhurs. Why no information on a wonderful place? Oh yes….Tramps. Club 55
September 11, 2012 at 2:12 pm
I allude to Broadway Charlie’s a few times in my book 100 Whores, but very briefly. It was a place to stop off from my walking about the East Village http://www.100Whores.com
November 28, 2010 at 6:19 pm |
There were as lot of antique stores in that area, only a few of them remain. There was also a great record store that had an amazing back catalog of new and vintage records, just south of Strand Bookstore at 822 Broadway, I think it was called Dalton’s.
December 1, 2010 at 2:52 pm |
Some remembrances of Broadway circa ’79, when I first arrived at this city’s teeming shore, and lived on Union Square West.
I remember lots of envelope manufacturers on Broadway, a little further south. “Unique Clothing Warehouse” was Broadway’s anchor retail tenant, for the most part it was otherwise pretty industrial.
A health food store on the corner of 17th Street & Union Square West (?) named “Brownies”.
A novelty store on Fifth Ave & 16th Street called “B. Shackman & Co”.
Max’s Kansas City was still at Union Square East & 17th Street, of course. Andy Warhol’s office was still on Union Square, and you’d catch sight of him in the neighborhood occassionally. There was some sort of club at Broadway & 17th (?) where Petco now is, though I can’t remember the name.
December 1, 2010 at 3:15 pm |
Thanks Lisa. I’ve been planning a post on Brownie’s actually. It was one of the first “health food” stores, as they were called back then.
And I think the B. Shackman sign is still up on the corner.
December 2, 2010 at 5:37 am |
Wow, you mean I’m not the only person who remembers Brownies? I think I bought my first bottle of Dr. Bronners magic soap there (“All One or none. ALL ONE OR NONE!) I spent far too many hours of my youth lounging in the tub, reading those wacky, inscrutable labels!
(For those of you who haven’t seen it, I highly recommend the documentary “Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox”, available from Netflix.)
December 13, 2010 at 4:17 am |
I used to shop regularly at Brownies, on 5th Ave near 17th Street. B. Shackman & Co was an amazing store, like a stroll back to 1940s style stationery and party favors.
August 24, 2011 at 7:08 pm |
The pictures that are on here are really amazing!
I was wondering if I would be able to use any of the old images that you have for a poster that I am making for a college video festival?
Please get back to me as soon as you can. Thank you