Past in Shadows

New York Times Building Under Construction (1903) As the New York Times Building rose on 42nd Street, it symbolized a new era for the city and its media landscape. Designed to house one of the nation’s leading newspapers, the building’s construction marked the transformation of Longacre Square into what would become Times Square. The steel framework was a testament to the city’s architectural ambition, while the building itself soon became a landmark, anchoring a neighborhood destined for global fame.

New York filling station in the 1920s.

A skateboarder zipping through Central Park in the 1960s. 📷 Bill Eppridge for Life magazine.

New York City street life in 1954.

Little Italy in Manhattan in 1943. Right on Mulberry St.

A striking black-and-white photograph taken by Ben McCall circa 1950 shows a fearless New York construction worker walking along a steel girder, high above the bustling city streets. With no safety harness and the vast skyline stretching below, the worker exudes confidence and focus, embodying the daring spirit of the era. The image captures the raw, gritty nature of mid-century skyscraper construction, where skilled laborers, often called "iron workers," defied gravity in the name of progress. The photograph not only reflects the height of industrial achievement but also immortalizes the everyday bravery of these unsung heroes who helped shape the skyline of New York City.

Inside a miner's cabin in Colorado, 1890.

Deadwood, South Dakota from the south, 1876.

A classroom 138 years ago in New York.

Frozen Niagara Falls, 1911.

The Chrysler Building from the roof of the Pan Am Building. (1963)