BICYCLISTS IN CENTRAL PARK. ON SUNDAYS THE DRIVES THROUGH THE PARK ARE CLOSED TO MOTOR TRAFFIC, AND CYCLISTS BECOME LORDS OF THE ROAD, 05/1973
From the Records of the Environmental Protection Agency. (12/02/1970-)
The DOCUMERICA program captured images of a changing America; here, cyclists take over Central Park for the day. During the 1970s, New York and other American cities experimented with ways to make transportation cleaner and more efficient.
Nowadays, cyclists have more time to enjoy being “lords of the road”; Central Park is closed to motor traffic except during the weekday rush hour.
Source: http://go.usa.gov/2ZNG
VOLUNTEER GARDENER TENDS TINY FLOWER PLOT ON 62ND STREET BETWEEN PARK AND LEXINGTON AVENUES IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN. THIS STREET IS ALWAYS GRACES BY ATTRACTIVE, WELL-CARED-FOR PLANTINGS, 04/1973
From the Records of the Environmental Protection Agency (12/02/1970-)
April showers bring May flowers, but it looks like this volunteer gardener is getting a jump on May! Some streets in New York City are adorned with flowers in Spring.
Source: http://go.usa.gov/2vJm
(Suzanne Szasz, photographer)
Also reblogging because I can’t resist the vintage Volvo P1800… -D
The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center officially opened 40 years ago on April 4, 1973. At the time of their completion they were the tallest buildings in the world.
These photos, taken shortly after the World Trade Center was completed in the early 1970s, are part of the DOCUMERICA series, a program sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency to photographically document subjects of environmental concern in America during the 1970s.
Find more images from DOCUMERICA at “Searching for the Seventies: The DOCUMERICA Photography Project,” now open at the National Archives in Washington, DC.
The National Archives at New York just reopened at a new location earlier this month:
Congratulations to the National Archives at New York!
Our colleagues in New York City officially opened their new location to the public today. They are now at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House at One Bowling Green.Researchers and visitors are welcome from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as the first Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Please go visit them in this new beautiful space!To learn more about the records available for research, exhibits, and educational programs, visit http://www.archives.gov/nyc/
In honor of the 100th anniversary of New York City’s Grand Central Terminal (February 2, 1913), a few scenes as it looked nearly 40 years ago, circa 1974, courtesy of the EPA’s DOCUMERICA project.
Shadowy Towers of the World Trade Center rise behind St. Paul’s Chapel in this Documerica photograph.
Historic Trinity Church on lower Broadway at the foot of Wall Street. Behind loom the towers of one of Manhattan’s newest giants, The World Trade Center. 05/1973.
Just 13 days until the online release of the 1940 Census!
The original caption reads:”New York City’s Sixth Avenue elevated railway and the crowded street below, ca. 1940.”
According the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of New York City was 7.5 million in 1940, making NYC the most populous city at that time. It remains at the top even today, with the 2010 census showing over 8 million inhabitants.
On Saturday March 24 in New York City, you can get ready for the 1940 Census with expert guest speakers, including our own Connie Potter and Dr. Groves of the U.S. Census Bureau. The program is free but requires registration.
After shattering the traditional bottle of champagne across the bow of the USS Nautilus, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower and others gathered at the Electric Boat Yard of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on January 21, 1954, watched as the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine slipped into the Thames River. The submarine became the first commissioned nuclear-power ship in the U.S. Navy on September 30, 1954.
Shown here is stock US Navy footage from the Nautilus’ visit to New York City.
The Manhattan Bridge opens to the public for the first time on December 31, 1909, we’re pretty sure the traffic didn’t look like this view from 1973.
MANHATTAN BRIDGE AND ROAD SYSTEM ON THE EAST RIVER, 04/1973
