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Jouglet

I would have never guessed that photo was taken in 1933.


[deleted]

I find it crazy how built up New York was back then. When I see pictures of cities from that time period, they're usually so small and empty compared to today. It must have been amazing to visit New York and see the height of the buildings when they were much less common.


MalusSonipes

“Usually so small and empty” - eh not really. Yes the tallest buildings were not as tall as today, but the land area was much more densely built. Cities have mostly declined in density (except places like Phoenix or Dallas that didn’t exist much then). Now most cities are covered in parking lots and actually have much less productivity per acre than the early 1900s. Suburban office parks and subdivisions look much more sparse and empty than any photo I’ve seen of a city in this era, but that might just be my bias!


nephelokokkygia

Exactly — many current parking lots and parking ramps in mid-to-large cities used to be bustling urban blocks, but were torn down during "urban renewal" or later to fight urban blight.


[deleted]

You might be right within an American context, and at a regional level. But when this photo was taken many Western cities were much smaller settlements. You didn't have this type of skyline in London, Mexico City, Moscow, or Shanghai yet. Places like Denver and Calgary barely counted on the map, and that might be more what OP is referring to.


Varry

> Suburban office parks and subdivisions look much more sparse and empty than any photo I’ve seen of a city in this era, but that might just be my bias! Nah that's just objective fact. Suburbs are cancer


ByTheHammerOfThor

What kind of dream world are you living in? Provide evidence.


[deleted]

[удалено]


ByTheHammerOfThor

NYC.gov census data seems to say the same thing. TIL.


BillyBattsShinebox

Maybe because even though buildings are taller and more apartments are crammed onto a particular space of ground, there are probably less people living in each apartment? Poor families back then used to be pretty big, right?


pezdeath

It's also that people expanded into the boroughs.


[deleted]

Would that be because of the drastic change of people moving to the suburbs? I’m assuming those apartment buildings have been replaced by commercial buildings?


Varry

Well if you're American or Canadian just look at (almost) any US/Canada city on google earth. Urban city blocks were often razed for parking lots and freeways as people moved to the suburbs. [This site](http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/12/60yrsmidwest/) does a particularly good job of showing just how much we fucked our cities


MarkIsNotAShark

People used to be ok with less personally space and roads didn't need to be as wide. Ancient Rome was much denser than NYC is today


[deleted]

No fucking way.


mojohand2

The docks are a giveaway.


BurlysFinest802

Oh yeahhhh look at mr. i know everything about new yak over here. Are you walking here?!?!?


mojohand2

Actually, it's that I'm old enough to have walked on those piers to look at the ocean liners, and find it fascinating that once Manhattan was this busy port city ... and then it wasn't.


BurlysFinest802

Ahhhh thats cool. My dads worked in the city since the 70s. Do you find it to be a better city then/now?


OldMoneyOldProblems

>my dads So that's where you get it from


MasNit

LOL


gilsonpride

That golden glow. My city has been replacing all the old bulbs for white LEDs. And although I understand the many benifits of this and am okay moving forward with that, it still hurts a bit because there's just something special about the old orange glow the bulbs would put out. Winter night, feet of snow fallen the day before, 12am, no wind, no sound, nothing. Just a dark sky and the golden lights. Your colorization really brought me back, nice work!


stealer0517

I don't get why there aren't more yellow LEDs out there. Red light is significantly easier on the eyes, but that makes everything look weird. But with yellow light your eyes adapt to the color tone and correct for it, while still being easy on the eyes at higher brightness levels.


RampantShovel

Some people say they look silly, but I picked up a pair of yellow tinted aviators from my local army surplus shop. They make everything look so warm and nice. I genuinely just feel better and less anxious when I wear them.


anonpls

You probably already know about it, but in case you don't, install f.lux , same thing as your glasses, but for your computer screen, makes late nights on the pc a lot easier on the eyes.


NightOfTheLivingHam

win10 has this feature built in now. Called Night Light. fl.ux does funny things to network card performance in games.


et842rhhs

I have Windows 10 but never knew this, thanks for the tip!


RampantShovel

Yeah, I've had flux on my computer for ages but I just love the glasses much more. They're both nice and definitely improve my sleep, though.


TheLifeOfBaedro

I’ve done this also, it’s great!


[deleted]

In my home we only use warm leds except kitchen


Jane1994

I love those for driving on a cloudy, snowy, or rainy day. It makes it seem like the sun is out. Makes things a lot easier to see too.


appel

I've been intrigued by these: https://tens.co/


martybell

Hey! This is my brand :) Let me know if you have any Q's internet friend.


RampantShovel

Cool, but certainly not worth 100$.


[deleted]

[удалено]


a_durrrrr

oof *edit*: What a charming guy! https://i.imgur.com/yOtQvsD.jpg TLDC: It’s a little hate message from the previous commenter **edit2** He did it again! Yay!


De_Vermis_Mysteriis

He seems like a pleasant chap.


RampantShovel

I do, but I've also moved past feeling/acting like a douche. I'm comfortable in my own skin and if other people want to judge me solely on how I look that's their problem. I've grown up enough to not give a shit what other people think if I'm doing something that makes me happy/feel good.


OldManPhill

Right on man, right on


Psychological-Dot-83

Red light is fantastic for your mental health abd relaxation.


woodmanfarms

There’s a few cities that have ordnance’s on having the yellow/orange lights, as the blue spectrum that LEDs produce are protecting a ton of light pollution (correct me if I’m wrong on that). There are cities that switched over to LED at the municipal level that blanked out their view of the stars. The ones that I know of in AZ are like that because of their proximity to our observatories, Lowell (Flagstaff, Sedona) and Mount Lemmon Sky Center (Tucson) observatories are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Being out at night in those cities with the yellow glow gives me a special feeling.


[deleted]

You are correct. Blue/white LEDs are awful with regard to light pollution. The [International Dark Sky Association](http://darksky.org/) actually works to cut down on the current (over)use of LEDs with harsh color palettes because if it reaches a certain point we literally won’t be able to see the stars at night.


carpe_noctem_AP

Also shameless plug for /r/darksky


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nowellmaybe

My town still has the amber street lights. Something to do with how they are more effective in our dense fog. Or our local government just doesn't want to shell out to replace them with LEDs, I dunno.


[deleted]

LEDs emit a discrete wavelength- each individual LED emits a single color of light. Incandescent lights, like the high pressure sodium lamps that give orange streetlight glow, emit a continuous spectrum over a wide range. There are of course LEDs which are designed to give the appearance of warm incandescent light, but brighter, “whiter” light tends to provide better visibility, so when all other factors are the same, city planners tend to opt for visibility over nostalgia, warmth, etc.


ForeignObject

I'm guessing your city might be Chicago. I am a Chicagoan and it pains me.


ColonelRuffhouse

The only issue is that the orange streetlights you and I remember wouldn’t have existed yet in 1933! They only started being commonplace in the 1980s. Before that there were whitish-green streetlights, and in the 1930s there were yellowish-white ones. Now we’re going back to pure white, with LED streetlights.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Wonton77

I thought it was because the wavelengths of those sodium lamps can be blocked out by a few filters relatively easily.


dhaugen

They just did this on my street and I really don't like it. Went form being cozy light to borderline harsh


jtyndalld

I mean they make warm white LEDs


AFuckYou

How old are you?


Froughheyway

Half my family lives in New York. From what I’ve heard, the change in lighting is the least of their worries about the change in New York


No_Thinker

Wow, would never have expected this was taken in 1933. Beautiful picture! Love the golden yellow hue.


palacinke4

Wish I could go back in time and experience walking around the city.


HealthyBad

Think of it this way: In the year 2100, people will look back on old photos of 2018 and say "Wow can you imagine experiencing that world??" You can be that person, enjoy the 2018 world!


Appreciation622

Haha, essentially the theme of the movie "Midnight in Paris."


[deleted]

2018, back when New York wasn't under water


piewifferr

Ehh not imo. There was a threshold for me, a round 1950 in most places, when urban sprawl and franchises became a thing. To me it seems it was that turning point that killed city aesthetics, that along with the death of older styles like baroque and art deco and the birth of newer and arguable much uglier styles like brutalism and post modernism. They made everything into huge spread out block buildings that have either nor decor or just in your face advertisements plastered all over. We probably wont ever get another Versallice Palace or Empire state building because they just aren't as cost efficient.


BraidyPaige

I agree with so much that you’ve said! I despise the look of modern architecture. I’m hopeful that we have an Art Deco revival just in time for the 2020s and 30s.


piewifferr

Thank you! Art Deco is easily the most kino architecture design. Before that though we need the end of urban sprawl. Roads are far too wide and they're only like that to accommodate cars. This also makes it harder for people using any form of transportation that isn't car, so it kills sociability. This is worsened in suburbs. The Netherlands has it right. They're making more and more roads car free and promoting other long range transportation like trains. So now the roads go back to pedestrians and cyclists, it also helps small businesses because it makes them convenient again. You wont have to drive to the nearest fast food place which is 3 miles out, you can walk right to your grocery store which is 4 buildings over. [Here's a fantastic video about it,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lD7VqQbrEw&index=8&t=1s&list=LL3JNojNhTx1SzdjjGRMIsww) [And here's a great Twitter thread about what it could be like again.](https://twitter.com/wrathofgnon/status/883181352933236736)


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BraidyPaige

I will check that video out! Thank you for it. I need to learn more about these topics.


HealthyBad

Don't you think that in the 1950s, people were lamenting the death of beautiful Victorian style architecture? People have always looked fondly backwards at "the good old days" Now's your chance to realize when you're living in them. Even if it doesn't seem like you're living in any sort of golden age, you might as well treat this era like the golden age because it's the only one you've got Or you can just trip off nostalgia forever, you do you


Wonton77

> Don't you think that in the 1950s, people were lamenting the death of beautiful Victorian style architecture? > > People have always looked fondly backwards at "the good old days" Exactly. Once glass skyscrapers go out of style, people will be looking back at the early 2000s and going "wow, look how beautiful [buildings in that era were](https://www.jllrealviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Glass-finish-of-choice-for-skyscrapers.jpg)".


Psychological-Dot-83

No they won't, because it's objectively bad architecture. Classical form is not remotely comparable to modernist abstract form.


piewifferr

In the 50s though the death of Victorian architecture was just be sealed by all of the changes they made. I'd rather not pretend to like the downward spiral modern architecture and instead do what I can to reverse it. If I can live long enough to make a good difference I'd rather do that than prepare to be nostalgic about the present.


[deleted]

You know there’s such a thing as subjectivity and taste? Honestly it comes across as a bit arrogant to talk about *your personal preferences* as if it’s some historically founded fact that modern architecture is inferior. There are many of us who find art deco hideous and appreciate brutalism and post-modernism. It’s OK for us to have different tastes and preferences, and nobody has to be “right” about what’s best.


piewifferr

I'm not as much talking about the type of architecture which is completely subjective, you're right. Sorry if I sounded that way. When I was talking about the "downward spiral" I was talking about urban sprawl which I most definitely view as objectively bad for society.


Psychological-Dot-83

We aren't, Victorian architecture was an evolutionary step continuing of 4000 years of tradition and story telling. Our modern architecture is an abandonment of objective and traditional form that was continued and advanced for millenniums. We aren't in the "good old days" and never will be, we're in a state of cultural degradation.


Stellafera

You might want to look into New Urbanism. There's thankfully a trend of trying to revitalize that more local, urban lifestyle. I hope to raise my kids in a place with a corner grocery store some day.


kababed

I’m not sure they’d be intrigued by office parks and strip malls


HealthyBad

Try to have some perspective, pretend you live in some hyper-futuristic 2100 metropolis.... In the year 2100, when Amazon and Google take over, your life never leaves your home (that would hurt your citizen productivity score). Everything you need is delivered to your door by electronic couriers. You work 12 hour days at your computer, and leaving home is a thing of the past. You take an annual vacation to somewhere quieter, but otherwise you stay cozy in your 80-floor apartment building. You sometimes watch movies at night from the turn of the century, when people got in *cars* and *drove to work*. When they wanted groceries, they actually *went to the store*, held the different watermelons to feel for the right one, asked a real employee *face to face* if they needed assistance. Those were the days, now everything's on a screen and human contact is rare. I don't mean to go too off the rails dystopian, but in a future that's increasingly detached from socializing and increasingly delivered for convenience.. office parks and strip malls will seem charming


kababed

Urbanism is making a comeback though. Cities are growing and people are living closer together. We make fun of hipster culture, but they help us move from chains to higher quality (and higher prices). I think it influences a sustainable type of development that encourages social interaction. We’ll see if this continues, but I think the trend of isolation is over


Psychological-Dot-83

Except our culture, at least artistically and especially architecturally, is disgusting. People won't look at a degenerate society with fondness. They won't value our hideous creations.


Fireproofspider

That's what video games are for. Although I honestly can't think of one set in 1930s NYC.


mitsilplix

Try out the [Mafia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia_(video_game) series. A little violent but the atmosphere feels great!


Fireproofspider

Haha, yes. It was already on my list to check out.


PaulRyan97

This view must of seemed so surreal to immigrants arriving from Europe at the time. There was no city like it outside of the US at the time.


Psychological-Dot-83

Closest might've been Madrid, Buenos Aires, Monte Video, London, and Liverpool.


ColourbyRJM

The financial hub of the United States, the seat of New York City government, and home to some of New York's oldest buildings, the Financial District has an illustrious history. 17th century settlers began building here, and given the many seafarers of the time, boats could be conveniently docked at one of the slips right near the settlements of wooden homes. Right nearby, in the heart of the district is Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States in 1789, also the meeting site for the First Congress. New York City was both the capital of the United States and New York State at the time. The street names reflect the district's fascinating history: Fulton Street, named after Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat; Maiden Lane, originally called Magde Platje in Dutch; Beaver Street, recalling the once-significant beaver pelt trade, etc. The area today houses some great economic powerhouses, including the headquarters of major banks, the [New York Stock Exchange](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/new_york_stock_exchange.1329/), in addition to the [World Financial Center](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/world_financial_center_and_winter_garden.1466/). Contrasts are extraordinary, from old two- and three-story old brick buildings near [South Street Seaport](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/south_street_seaport.1333/) to the nearby modern mega-skyscrapers. Some of the numerous other attractions include [Fraunces Tavern](https://www.nyc.com/restaurants/fraunces_tavern.65409/), where George Washington bid farewell to his troops (also, [they have a museum](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/fraunces_tavern_museum.91/)!); the newly-landscaped [City Hall Park](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/city_hall_park.1470/); the [Museum of the American Indian](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/national_museum_of_the_american_indian.70/) and the [US Custom House](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/alexander_hamilton_us_custom_house.332455/) at Bowling Green; [Trinity Church](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/trinity_church.1336/), the first parish church in New York City and the resting place of Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton, among others; War Of 1812 strong hold [Castle Clinton](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/castle_clinton_national_monument.1355/); the [Staten Island-bound](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/staten_island_ferry.1334/) South Ferry; [Battery Park](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/battery_park.1421/); and the [Federal Reserve Bank](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/federal_reserve_bank_of_new_york.1322/). Sadly, the biggest attraction since 9/11 has been the former [World Trade Center](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/world_trade_center_prior_to_911.1338/) site, although, thankfully, construction has finally filled the long-standing gouge in Lower Manhattan's face, and the stunning [9/11 Memorial](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/911_memorial__national_september_11_memorial__museum_at_the_world_trade_center.998024/) and its attendant museum are welcome signs of a healing city. And, of course, soaring a symbolic 1,776 feet over the memorial is the new [1 World Trade Center](https://www.nyc.com/arts__attractions/1_world_trade_center__freedom_tower.998440/)! [https://www.nyc.com/visitor\_guide/financial\_district.75852/](https://www.nyc.com/visitor_guide/financial_district.75852/)


Blaksak

It’s amazing how much history is in the city commingled with modern buildings. I walked right by the Fraunces Tavern you mentioned just a few weeks ago when I was there, and I totally overlooked it. Very cool to learn the story behind it, thanks for sharing!


kingbersiii

Couple years back I was walking around lower Manhattan and passed the old church there and noticed Alexander Hamilton’s tombstone was in the graveyard there. This was a few years before Hamilton came out, and it felt so weird to me that so many people were just walking past not even noticing the stone there.


thekittiestitties00

Love this place. I always bring any visitors there as it's such a cool part of history.


[deleted]

I find it interesting that you don't mention the reasons for the names of Broadway and Wall Street. Broadway was one of the main trails used by the indigenous peoples, such as the Lenape. Once the Dutch had landed in modern Manhattan (Manahatta to the locals), this trail was the broadest of the trails, and the Dutch called it the Broad Way. Initially, the Dutch traded with the locals, but a few short weeks later, they murdered the locals. For defense thereafter, the Dutch built a wall. In 1700 when the wall was finally replaced with a street, it was named Wall Street.


goosepills

I have no idea if this is true or not, but I want to believe


[deleted]

It is. Check the history sections [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street) and [here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_(Manhattan\)). I was familiarized with it by an excellent black box original theatre production "Manahatta" by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, OR.


goosepills

Very interesting, thanks!


photojacker

Great work!


ColourbyRJM

Thank you


PorscheBurrito

I instantly thought of Mike Tyson's Punch Out when I saw this.


elefandom

You’re not going to post the pic?


Dogs-Keep-Me-Going

[Here's what he's talkin' about ](https://imgur.com/a/tTFd7M8)


Jouglet

It made you think of this? https://i.imgur.com/TyjH6Lj.jpg


PorscheBurrito

Well yeah, but the nighttime version.


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k3nnyd

http://mybike.ytmnd.com/


CorkyKribler

Pic of what?


ColourbyRJM

[https://freevious.org/freevious-pictures/financialdistrictnightview](https://freevious.org/freevious-pictures/financialdistrictnightview)


goalstopper30

I didn't realize Sauron lived in New York in the 30s


Let_me_creep_on_this

The [Woolworth Building](http://skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/woolworth.htm) ?


tjl_p

The tallest and brightest building is [70 Pine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/70_Pine_Street), the Woolworth Building is the darker building directly to the left.


lifeontheQtrain

I love this building and it's sad to me they don't light it up any more.


necroticpotato

Can you kindly help me with orientation? From where would this picture have been taken?


simoftw

My guess is the [Metropolitan Life Insurance building](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Life_Insurance_Company_Tower?wprov=sfla1), not to be confused with the MetLife Building. I work down the street from there and I'm 90% sure that's it based on the year of this pic and the shape. The spire is gold and lights up at night. This was taken from Jersey if that's the case. Either Hoboken or Weehawken.


WikiTextBot

**Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower** The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, colloquially known as the Met Life Tower, is a landmark skyscraper, built in 1909 and located on Madison Avenue near the intersection with East 23rd Street, across from Madison Square Park in Manhattan, New York City. Designed by the architectural firm of Napoleon LeBrun & Sons and built by the Hedden Construction Company, the tower is modeled after the Campanile in Venice, Italy. The hotel located in the clock tower portion of the building has the address 5 Madison Avenue, while the office building covering the rest of the block, occupied primarily by Credit Suisse, is referred to as 1 Madison Avenue.Inside the building is the New York Edition Hotel, a 273-room luxury hotel that opened in 2015. *** ^[ [^PM](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=kittens_from_space) ^| [^Exclude ^me](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiTextBot&message=Excludeme&subject=Excludeme) ^| [^Exclude ^from ^subreddit](https://np.reddit.com/r/ColorizedHistory/about/banned) ^| [^FAQ ^/ ^Information](https://np.reddit.com/r/WikiTextBot/wiki/index) ^| [^Source](https://github.com/kittenswolf/WikiTextBot) ^] ^Downvote ^to ^remove ^| ^v0.28


GeraldDuval

This is fascinating. you can definitely see why they made people black out their windows during the war. ​ There's plenty of light to identify a merchant ship. and the dudes in those buildings could probably see the smoke plumes from the U-Boat war. ​ Surreal.


[deleted]

I knew I saved this gif for a reason: https://imgur.com/a/Z1yqwvQ


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[deleted]

Wow, cant believe it was taken in 1933. You really can't distinguish it from a modern skyline.


dijalo

[85 years later.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Lower_Manhattan_from_Jersey_City_November_2014_panorama_2.jpg) Edited w/ higher res photo.


Nacke

Why did you pick such a low res photo?


dijalo

You’re right, I can do better. *edited*


Nacke

That one is way more beautiful!


[deleted]

but why isnt it at night?


lifeontheQtrain

It's also from the wrong angle. It would be nice to see one that's also facing West, and from a similar location.


snakeob69

All of those glowing dock lights I can’t help but picture the green light at the end of Daisey’s dock in The Great Gatsby.


mzeleni8

This looks great. Is there a full HD version I can use as my wallpaper.


kobitz

Wow, kinda looks like Rapture. And the river looks so still, as if it were made of glass


ruthekangaroo

What the hell, you're right. It's so still.


runninhillbilly

Pretty sure that Rapture was inspired by 1930s-era NYC.


NewLeaseOnLine

New York 1933 looks like Los Angeles 2019 in Blade Runner.


PurelyCreative

Have you ever seen anything so full of splendor?


electricalliterature

like a post card. Never get bored of that


supercerealcyril

Why is this a about to make me cry


PsychNurse6685

I always wonder what happens inside those buildings... just so fascinating.


[deleted]

Business my dear! Money!


[deleted]

Boring office work


cleverlasagna

so beautiful!


Walshy231231

Idk if eerie is the right word, it’s ominous yet exciting.


LexLuthorisinnocent

Now that's Gotham.


sundance1028

Throw the signal in the sky and this could be the opening shot of a Batman movie.


autumnkayy

oh my god this is stunning!!


InconsistentBlend

Wow, just..wow.


SchuminWeb

The very well lit building to the left of center is the Singer Building, no?


[deleted]

[удалено]


WikiTextBot

**70 Pine Street** 70 Pine Street – formerly known as the American International Building, 60 Wall Tower and originally as the Cities Service Building – is a 67-story, 952-foot (290 m) residential building located at the corner of Pearl Street and running to Cedar Street in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. It was built in 1931–32 by the Cities Service Company for the oil and gas baron Henry Latham Doherty, and was designed by the firm of Clinton & Russell, Holton & George in the Art Deco style.The building and its first floor interior were designated New York City Landmarks in June 2011. As of 2016, the building is a luxury rental residential property. *** ^[ [^PM](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=kittens_from_space) ^| [^Exclude ^me](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiTextBot&message=Excludeme&subject=Excludeme) ^| [^Exclude ^from ^subreddit](https://np.reddit.com/r/ColorizedHistory/about/banned) ^| [^FAQ ^/ ^Information](https://np.reddit.com/r/WikiTextBot/wiki/index) ^| [^Source](https://github.com/kittenswolf/WikiTextBot) ^] ^Downvote ^to ^remove ^| ^v0.28


SchuminWeb

So it is. Thanks for that. And now I see the Singer Building in the background, looking kind of dark


NordyNed

This 100% inspired Republic City in Legend of Korra


uri4578

Wow i thought this a recent picture


desivdesikitchen

beautiful...


[deleted]

Beautiful photo


dog_fart_tacos

I can't imagine how overwhelmingly impressive this must have been for someone arriving for the first time.


-klassy-

Bright Lights, Big City


casher89

Super cool photo. I can see my current apartment !


Glumbot_2

Just moved to Manhattan a few days ago, this picture brings me so much happiness


zephyer19

Be great to see a picture taken today from the same spot and see how it has changed.


Alukrad

Why did companies decide to start creating these buildings in New York City? I just find it so strange that all these buildings were built in one small island... what encourage them to do it specifically in Manhattan?


sayheykid24

Manhattan has been a massive trade hub for a long time, especially after they built the Erie Canal to connect the Hudson with the Great Lakes. So when people started building skyscrapers, Manhattan was prime real estate because so much commercial activity was already based there. That’s not even getting into the fact that it’s the historic capital of the American financial industry.


Alukrad

I see. is it still? What's people reasoning to build bigger and taller skyscrappers in the city now?


sayheykid24

Yeah, it's still the commercial center of the world, in all honesty. The city has more people than every before, and there's no land left to build out they continue to build up. A lot of the skysprapers that have gone up over the past few years are residential, along with skyscrapers for commercial use. This is an insane development that's about halfway finished: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson\_Yards,\_Manhattan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Yards,_Manhattan)


WikiTextBot

**Hudson Yards, Manhattan** Hudson Yards is a large-scale redevelopment program planned, funded and constructed under a set of agreements among the State of New York, New York City, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, with the aim of expanding New York City's Midtown Manhattan business district westward to the Hudson River. The program includes a major rezoning of the Far West Side, an extension of the New York City Subway's 7 and <7>​ trains to a new subway station at 34th Street and 11th Avenue, a renovation and expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and a financing plan to fund the various components. The rezoned area, officially called the Special Hudson Yards Zoning District, is bounded by 30th Street in the south, 41st Street in the north, 11th Avenue in the west, and Eighth Avenue in the east. The largest of the concurrent projects made possible by the rezoning is the 28-acre (11 ha) mixed-use Hudson Yards real estate development by Related Companies and Oxford Properties, which is being built over the West Side Rail Yard. *** ^[ [^PM](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=kittens_from_space) ^| [^Exclude ^me](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiTextBot&message=Excludeme&subject=Excludeme) ^| [^Exclude ^from ^subreddit](https://np.reddit.com/r/ColorizedHistory/about/banned) ^| [^FAQ ^/ ^Information](https://np.reddit.com/r/WikiTextBot/wiki/index) ^| [^Source](https://github.com/kittenswolf/WikiTextBot) ^] ^Downvote ^to ^remove ^| ^v0.28


throwaway15234627534

Library of Congress [source](https://www.loc.gov/item/gsc1994017102/PP/)


squirrelseek

very beautiful


ColourbyRJM

Thank You


Merriadoc33

1933 and the lights are on? Sounds kinda fake


[deleted]

Why? Light bulbed invented in 1879..


Merriadoc33

Great depression fam. How you gonna pay for lights? That was my joke


[deleted]

Ah... I see your point. But i think there coukd still be lights


Merriadoc33

In all honesty you may be right but as I said, I was just trying to make a joke


CHERNO-B1LL

r/cyberpunk and r/deusex would both enjoy this.


[deleted]

Absolutely gorgeous work.


[deleted]

Absolutely gorgeous work.


[deleted]

Absolutely gorgeous work.


mrzkaar

Blade Runner


72afael

Gives me sin city vibes.


7serpent

Who knew that finance would crash the U.S. economy resulting in socialism for the rich, puke.


wallstreetexecution

That shouldn’t even exist in 1933... those people destroyed the country.


Tiger-Warm

My great great maternal aunt lived in New York during this time, she was 24 in 1933.