Monday, September 28, 2009

Now and then: Bowery and First Street

Bowery at East First Street looking south toward Houston

Late 1970s...



Today...



Top photo reprinted with permission from Randall's Lost New York City Collection

11 comments:

  1. I would love to know what was going on at the time in those buildings in the top photo...the mind swims with possibilities.

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  2. Im with you, NYCD...

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  3. I had started to do a little photo project a while back - documenting this corner/block over the years because it's changed so much. At one point, I'd linked to a 1914 or 1911 photo on Shorpy's website, but now I can't find it...it showed Suicide Hall and a hotel/pub with suited men in hats standing on the sidewalk in the shadow of the elevated train. I can't believe how 100 years of history were wiped out with one stomp of the glass box beast...

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  4. I have an out of print paper back from the early 70's about pimps and prostitutes on the Bowery. Also the Hell's Angels. One Chapter talks about a prostitute named "Suction Cup Mary" who lived on Bowery and 1st. She charged a few dollars and was aging. The "Pimp" was a 70 something year old former sailor. His name was "Sailor Jack" or something like that. It's amazing how this was the early 70's on this same street, a low life hell hole with scumbag people everywhere.

    Today, It's hard to find a real hell hole.

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  5. Ah, so the 5-story red-brick was McGurk's? I didn't reconginze it - thanks Goggla!

    Here is another view of that corner when the Suicide Hall was still standing there...

    http://gammablog.com/gammablablog/im05/02feb/06/suicide-pano300.jpg

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  6. Yeah, McGurk's...I have a few pics here that were taken just before the demolition:

    http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=suicide&w=24771397%40N00

    Forgotten NY also has a good piece on it:

    http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/bowery/bowery.html

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  7. Goggla, I think this is the 1914 shot:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/40045986@N00/3544114921/

    NYPL has a shot that shows the base of the building(s) on that corner, including McGurk's.

    http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=406576&imageID=716778F&total=6&num=0&word=bowery%20%221st%20street%22&s=1&notword=&d=&c=&f=&k=0&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&imgs=20&pos=2&e=w

    (wow, long link...hope it works)

    I posted a few shots of this block from 2002 as well here:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/38222723@N06/sets/72157621934247507/

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  8. Thanks for the links, everyone. Wow, I completely missed that this corner was McGurk's. Should have been noted in my original post!

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  9. Here's 2 more shots of that corner from 1942 - can't remember where I got them from though:

    Southeast corner -
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/tampackman/3969674707/sizes/o/

    Northeast corner -
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/tampackman/3969674703/sizes/o/

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  10. Wow, the SE shot is amazing - unrecognizable!

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  11. That a great area. I have been looking near there for good nyc apartments.

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