Changing New York photo book

[sbug]

Thought some others here might find this interesting. Some things have really changed while others are nearly untouched. I found this fascinating and I'd imagine a local would find it even more so than I. I particularly appreciated the effort to get as near identical shot as possible.

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/photography/changing_new_york/index.html

 

[FrankS]

That was cool. Thank you!

 

[pesphoto]

cool photos, thanks for the link.

 

[ch1]

Thought some others here might find this interesting. Some things have really changed while others are nearly untouched. I found this fascinating and I'd imagine a local would find it even more so than I. I particularly appreciated the effort to get as near identical shot as possible.

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/photography/changing_new_york/index.html

This is great. NYC is always changing which is why I love being here.

Just this past Sunday there was an article in the NY Times about the changes that are about to occur along the High Line. The HL is a now unused elevated railroad that once served factories along the lower West Side. The industries left years ago and the railway was essentially abandoned.

After a lot of drama (hey, this is NYC - nothing is easy!) the City recently took possession and is transforming the HL into an elevated city park. [I believe there is something similar in Paris.]

Now all of those abandoned factory sites have become "hot" properties and developers have already announced plans to build a total of 5,500 condominium and rental apartments along a stretch of about thirty city blocks. A new hotel etc. has been announced too. All of this in an area that has also become a locale for many art galleries and night spots. Essentially an entire community is about to emerge.

After reading this article I thought that documenting this area now before all of the changes would be a great photo project. Ah, if only I could just quit my job for a few months! Alas, not likelyfor me - but the photo project is there for the taking....

 

[JoeFriday]

that reminds me of a project I recently thought up.. to take a photo of the same location one day a week for a full year.. rain or shine.. it would sort of become a flip-book with various lighting and weather conditions

what I find most interesting about the photos on that website are the ones where things don't change that much.. I find that rather comforting

I had to look at the last two several times, and check the years, to see that they weren't switched.. very interesting!

 

[Nick R.]

Thanks for the link!

 

[ch1]

that reminds me of a project I recently thought up.. to take a photo of the same location one day a week for a full year.. rain or shine.. it would sort of become a flip-book with various lighting and weather conditions

what I find most interesting about the photos on that website are the ones where things don't change that much.. I find that rather comforting

I had to look at the last two several times, and check the years, to see that they weren't switched.. very interesting!

Brett,

Actually I do have a lazy man's "Changing NYC" project going on right now. We live on the 10th floor of our building. Over the past several months they have been tearing down and old church and school across the street and will then construct new ones.

Ever couple of days I shoot a few pics out the window of the demolition before leaving for work. Now I'll start shooting the construction.

I'm just using my digital P&S but figure in the end I'll have a nice "progression series".

George

 

[sbug]

George, that overhead park sounds really cool. I love cities. I am fascinated my their history, architecture, people, infrastructure and sheer size. Amazing stuff.

 

[gns]

Thanks for the link.

Same idea as Mark Klett's 2nd view and 3rd view projects which involved rephotographing the 19th century western landscape views of Watkins, Jackson, etc.

If you're not familiar with them...
http://thirdview.org/3v/home/index.html

Gary

 

[ch1]

George, that overhead park sounds really cool. I love cities. I am fascinated my their history, architecture, people, infrastructure and sheer size. Amazing stuff.

Yes, I think it will be really cool - it will be a kind of grand promenade.

When a group of community activists first proposed turning the HL into a park back in 1999 they were laughed at (and threatened with lawsuits by those same developers who at the time considered the HL to be a "blight" and wanted it demolished).

Eventually the activists won over the skeptics (a big conceptual display in the main entrance way of Grand Central Station - itself a "saved" landmark - got the public to notice and demand preservation).

Now those same developers stand to benefit enourmously since they will have "park front" properties. Some folks have all the luck! 😀

I just gotta get over there soon as snap some shots!

 

[kbg32]

If that elevated park ever gets completed, it would be a miracle. I've been living in NYC for 28 years and that's how long I remember the talks about what to do with the old elevated highway. At one time, you could go on it, run, stroll, or ride your bike. Just look what is happening with the WTC site - nothing. It is such an embarassment to the city, to the victims, to the country with all the egotistical quibling going on.

 

[losta]

I wanted to see this show but found out about it too late. Thanks for the link.

It doesn't seem to say anything on that site but the original photographs are by Bernice Abbott who was the "caretaker" of Eugene Atget's images of Paris. Seeing how Paris had changed so much from Atgets time to the early 30's she mounted a project on changing New York as it was becoming the city of tall skyscrapers and going through so many drastic changes at that time, quite interesting. I have her book "Changing New York".

I did a project 10 years ago on the River Thames based on photographs by Henry Taunt of Oxford from the 1890's I photographed many of the same sites along the upper Thames in 1995. I like these types of photographic comparisons.

 

[ch1]

If that elevated park ever gets completed, it would be a miracle. I've been living in NYC for 28 years and that's how long I remember the talks about what to do with the old elevated highway. At one time, you could go on it, run, stroll, or ride your bike. Just look what is happening with the WTC site - nothing. It is such an embarassment to the city, to the victims, to the country with all the egotistical quibling going on.

The City took possession of the HL from CSX (railroad) last week. You cannot build until you own.

I am a WTC survivor and very interested in what happens downtown.

1) The PATH station designed by Salvatore Calvatarra (sp?) is already under construction. T

2) he State just announced the sale of nearly $2 Billion of "Liberty Bonds" to begin construction of Freedom Tower.

3) 7 WTC has already been almost completed and just signed its first tenants.

4) The 2 block site just south of original WTC has now been conveyed over to the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. which is overseeing the re-development and the architect for the 67-story tower on that site was announced last week.

Also, the old elevated West Side Highway was torn down and replaced by a "linear park" that runs from lower Manhattan to the upper 50's. So now it is possible to run, bike, skate or whatever for several miles without having to worry about falling into a hole on a decayed elevated highway.

What part of NYC do you live in? 😕

 

[enochRoot]

thanks for the link...that was great! my wife is gonna love this. she really misses new york (she used to live there).

on another note...did anyone else notice that they weren't all photographic though? a lot of them had some of the stationary landmarks photoshop'd into the "other" picture in a given pair. like they line up TO THE PIXEL, and there's no way the did that shooting new pics. i think it just assured better continuity, and had nothing to do w/ the project being bunk. anyhoo...just thought i'd point that out.

 

[ch1]

thanks for the link...that was great! my wife is gonna love this. she really misses new york (she used to live there).

on another note...did anyone else notice that they weren't all photographic though? a lot of them had some of the stationary landmarks photoshop'd into the "other" picture in a given pair. like they line up TO THE PIXEL, and there's no way the did that shooting new pics. i think it just assured better continuity, and had nothing to do w/ the project being bunk. anyhoo...just thought i'd point that out.

I didn't check all the photo pairs closely - but the first pair is definitely not PS'd as regards "cloning in" the landmark.

The statue is one of four in front of the old US Customshouse (now a museum and locale for the US Second Circuit Bankruptcy Court!). These four statues were designed by Augustus St. Gaudens and the one shown here represents Europe (depicted as noble and wise - but also, old). The other three include The Americas (young and forward looking), Asia (decadent) and Africa (asleep). Clearly these are "politically incorrect" etc. and reflect early 20th C. sterotypes. But they are beautiful anyway.

The building in the rear of the modern photo is 2 Broadway (and the old photo would be the building that was torn down to build it).

A quick look at the other photos didn't seem to suggest any "cloning in" of landmarks - but I could be wrong.

 

[ch1]

Oops - I stand corrected: The statues are by Cass Gilbert.

See: http://www.preserve.org/wtc/us_customs_house.htm

Sorry if I got any Gilbert fans upset! He's great too - also designed the Woolworth Building!

 

[kbg32]

"What part of NYC do you live in?" - Copake Ham

I lived downtown, moving into the Lower East Side as it was called back in the late 70's. Now called the East Village. I can remember walking the area around the towers when it was just landfill, filled with beach sand. "Art on the Beach" used to stage outdoor performances and exhibitions there before the Financial Center was built. I was just 4 blocks away when I witnessed the Towers fall. A friend of mine perished that day. Another friend could have if he had not stopped into a post office before going into work. I recently got married and opting for more needed space, we moved up to Hamilton Heights 6 months ago.

I have been following the building of the Freedom Towers quite closely, as I went to graduate school at Cranbrook Academy of Art, where Liebeskind was head of the architecture department. This was before Liebeskind had actually built anything. Then, late 70's early 80's, he was known as theorist and actually against commercial building. Quite a contrast to what he is now.

 

[ch1]

What part of NYC do you live in?

I lived downtown, moving into the Lower East Side as it was called back in the late 70's. Now called the East Village. I was just 4 blocks away when I witnessed the Towers fall. A friend of mine perished that day. Another friend could have if he had not stopped into a post office before going into work. I recently got married and opting for more needed space, we moved up to Hamilton Heights 6 months ago.

I live in Kips Bay. on 9/11/01 I on my way to work in 6 WTC. I was standing at Fulton & Church Sts. waiting for the light to change when the first plane hit. If I had "made" the light I would probably not be here. When I was walking down the block just before the hit a well-dressed fellow asked me the time and when told - raced across the street (probably late for a job interview or something). I imagine he was on the Plaza when plane #1 hit. Doubt he survived and I can never forget the image of someone racing to their death!

It's true that getting things done in NYC can often seem to be impossible - but there is actually tremendous work being done at GZ. Much of it is substructure (e.g. shoring up the "bathtub") and it will still be a while before Freedom Tower begins to go up. But keep in mind the scale of the project. It took almost 10 years to fully complete the original twin towers. Add to that the "issues" of the memorial etc. and you have to be patient.

BTW: do you know that nearly 20,000 housing units are under construction downtown? In a few years it is going to be a very different kind of place (i.e. a real 24-hour community).

"Changing New York" is a on-going thing!