Great Historic Photos!

Posted At : July 16, 2007 5:00 PM | Posted By : vaidila
Related Categories: Preservation, Storefront Improvement

When fixing up a historic building, it can be tricky knowing what the thing looked like 50-100 years ago, especially if it's been significantly altered. An historic photograph can help.

In the 1930s, the municipality of NYC took photos of all its buildings as a way to track properties for taxation. These photos were archived and are available for purchase at the Municipal Archives for $30. The building pictured here is 469 Myrtle (Washington/Hall), which is currently undergoing a rehabilitation with our support through the New York Main Street (NYMS) grant program.

We order these photos to help guide our facade improvements. Landlords really like them, too. Some are framed and on display in stores.

If you're thinking about making changes to your building, you may want to see your own building's historic photograph because it can reveal a detail that you previously didn't even know existed. Check it out.

Related Blog Entries

MARP Receives NY Main Street Funding (October 12, 2007)
Society for Clinton Hill Meeting - this Thursday (September 17, 2007)
Restaurant Opening Soon: Tamboril (July 24, 2007)
Requiem for a Tree (July 9, 2007)
Brick Restoration (July 2, 2007)
Facade Improvement at 469 Myrtle Ave (June 27, 2007)
Less is More: Gate Boxes and Storefront Design (April 18, 2007)

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Yes, I agree that looking at these photos are a lot of fun! Reminds me of the saying, 'the more things change, the more they stay the same.' So many of these old buildings look *exactly* the way they used to look back in that time that Finance took those photos.

# Posted By e | 7/23/07 4:47 PM

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