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What a few American cities looked like 100 years ago (34 Photos)

September 18, 2012 | In: Interesting, Mind Blowing, Nostalgia

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OK, so the shots aren’t all exactly a hundred years old but they’re all in the ballpark.

: View of Manhattan Bridge from Brooklyn, 1909

: Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, 1917

: Atlantic City, 1910

: The main street of Memphis, north of Avenue Gayoso, 1910

: Station “Louisville-Nashville”, Florida, 1910

: Forsyth Street, Jacksonville, Florida, 1910

: Beach in Atlantic City, 1915

: Grant Avenue after an earthquake in San Francisco, 1906

: Carts for transporting dairy Thompson, Washington, 1927

: Washington, 1914

: Cadillac Square, Detroit, Michigan, 1916

: Ninth Street, Washington, 1915

: The main street of Richmond, Virginia, 1905

: Corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, New York, 1910

: Broad Street north of Spruce Street, Philadelphia, 1905

: Fire at 55th Street, New York, 1915

: Fifth Avenue, New York, 1913

: Wabash Avenue, Chicago, 1907

: The New York Public Library, New York, 1915

: Wall Street, New York, 1911

: Fifth Avenue, New York, 1913

: Manhattan, 1907

: The northern part of Fifth Avenue, New York, 1913

: City Hall – City Hall in New York.

: Dexter Avenue and the Capitol, Montgomery, Alabama, 1906

: Valnut Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1910

: Washington, 1913

: Broadway and the building of “The Times”, New York, 1915

: Size of Government in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1905

: Boston, MA, 1906

: New York, 1905

: Grand Central Station and Hotel, Manhattan, New York, 1903

: Treasury Building, Washington, DC, 1913

: Post Office, Brooklyn, New York, 1906

Category: Interesting, Mind Blowing, Nostalgia

It's Reechmond

#13 Richmond. The street is named "Main Street" and my office is ~250 to the left of where this picture was taken.

Some of these buildings in the shot are still there (notably the bank building); much better than the new buildings.
ajt425

Everybody in every picture is wearing a suit.

10thletter

kinda makes it look fake doesn't it

Exodia

No LA?
Float Assembly

Should just be called "Old Pictures of New York."
Gallus

I am impressed by the presence of so many streetcars. Public transportation must have been fairly good back then. My own little town in central PA had an excellent streetcar system in the early 1900's, but it was gone by the 1950's. With the cost of cars and their upkeep, including insurance, we could use that streetcar system again.

phil

Did you know that GM/Ford kill the public transportation(tramway) in north america, illegaly, but they where so rich they just pay the fine and continue.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_stree…

@lackofabetter

#24 Dont think thats City Hall NYC back in the day. Could be wrong though
Nicholas

Good thing I had new York on my fantasy team
Alex J

#7 love how there's dudes in suits on the beach and no chicks in bikinis… F that
http://twitter.com/PerfectHorizon @PerfectHorizon

Man I sure wish this post had some pictures of shitty NYC in it….oh wait…half the post is…thanks again for a pile of crappy NY pics with a few of other cities scattered in.
2F146

#8 – "AN" earthquake!?
chicago

#18 best place.

chicago

sunday I rented a kayak [kayakchicago off of north ave.] and paddled along goose island to lake & kinzie bridges. incredible sunny day with amazing views of the Chicago bridges and buildings. it's an easy cruise, 1.5 to 2 hrs for full tour. give it a try.

dlux39

One Chicago pic…really guys. How about repping the hometown!
Macro

All built by the Irish. You're welcome.
stebe

Why not just rename this post "New York a 100 years ago" 1 picture of Boston and 1 of Chicago? LAME.
joe shabadoo

so where'd you yank this thread from??
phil

Tramway everywhere, that so cool. Damn Ford who kill it everywhere in north america, and now we figure out its the best city transport…No, big compagnies dont want your good, only your money.
Blake

Detroit looks the same…
Tim

http://feingut.com/2011/01/30/bedeutende-stadte-d…
phil

If you wonder why there no more street car in your city, watch this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob2bYUtxlxs
Josh

i agree that #11 is detroit back in the day, but I'm pretty sure #8 is a modern day picture of detroit…
JohnDoe83

Far too many of New York. The only people that like that town are tossers (Yankees fans) and sheep shaggers (Jets fans), and to be honest, they can't count as people anyway because they don't have self respect by cheering for them.
Pete

Not one city west of Memphis aside from the rubble in San Francisco? Time to do some Google image searches and give us the western version. Denver, Salt Lake, Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, St. Louis? Thanks!
matt

so essentially the places in the photos are newer, bigger and better now — well except the ones in detroit
Mad max

What would have made this really cool would be to show a recent picture of the same place now
Obviously would take some work side some of those buildings are likely gone now but still with no reference it's hard to get too excited about this one
Emily

pretty awesome, but it would have been nice to see more than New York City…

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