This postcard was mailed in 1943. But a typical day at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street doesn’t look much different in 2010.
Here’s a look at what occupied this corner before 1911, when the building opened.
Tags: beaux-arts buildings, Croton reservoir, Landmark buildings in NYC, New York Public Library, NYPL, NYPL main branch, Vintage NYC postcards
Ephemeral New York 
March 15, 2010 at 2:53 pm |
well it looks like there are a lot more people walking in the street, which makes me think the streets were less overrun by cars back then. that would be nice.
March 15, 2010 at 4:33 pm |
Lovely postcard!
Great to see Patience & Fortitude in miniature…although it looks like Patience was pulling a bit of a disappearing act!
March 15, 2010 at 5:18 pm |
I looked at the postcard a long time before concluding that yes, both are represented. They’re icons!
May 16, 2011 at 3:12 am |
[…] the Depression taking its toll on the city, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia declared them to be “Patience” and “Fortitude.” He felt that these were the qualities city residents needed most to survive the horrible […]