It might be a macabre sight to contemporary eyes.
But no one in this 1918 photo seems bothered by the German helmets arranged in a neat pyramid or the canons on display near Grand Central Terminal—captured from enemy supply bases by U.S. soldiers.
The setup is on something called Victory Way, described as an “open-air temple of victory” at Park Avenue just above Grand Central. A 1919 New York Times article has this to say:
“The row on row of captured German guns, the pyramids studded by thousands of German spike helmets and crowned by golden Victory statues, and the lofty white columns garlanded with wreaths, made a striking picture.”
Tags: Grand Central Station 1918, Grand Central Terminal old photos, New York after World War I, New York City World War I, pyramid German helmets, Victory Way Park Avenue
Ephemeral New York 
September 2, 2013 at 12:47 pm |
Look at all that beautiful sky the PanAm building wiped away.
September 3, 2013 at 3:17 am |
Love your blog and have been subscribed for a year or more. I just saw this today and wanted to share http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/This_Interactive_Map_Compares_the_New_York_City_of_1836_to_Today.html#.UiUOTzorNk0.twitter
September 3, 2013 at 3:28 am |
That is very cool, thanks! The 1836 map itself is fascinating, with so many place names and streets that no longer exist.
September 3, 2013 at 4:30 pm |
Great map! I always wonder why my neighborhood is named Turtle Bay and now I see why. Thanks.
March 17, 2015 at 3:28 am |
This pyramid of War Booty / the helmets of defeated Germans in WWI, reminds me of another infamous American war-themed pyramid It is located in a national park today. It is a heap of Civil War cannon balls, welded into a gigantic pyramid. It graces the tortured earth at Shiloh Battlefield in Mississippi. It is both ghastly and mesmerizing to gaze upon – and absolutely should have been preserved as ‘a reminder…’