A Photographic Tour of 42nd Street in the 1950s

In the 1950s, 42nd Street was a place of constant motion and sharp contrasts, a loud, beating heart in the center of Manhattan. The glamour of its earlier years as the core of the legitimate theater district was fading, replaced by a new, restless energy. This energy flowed from the west, where the massive Port Authority Bus Terminal opened in 1950, disgorging a steady stream of commuters, soldiers, sailors, and travelers onto the street day and night.

The street’s main attraction was its long row of movie theaters. These were former grand movie palaces that had once premiered Hollywood’s biggest films. By the 1950s, their programming had changed. The marquees of theaters like the Rialto, the Victory, and the Amsterdam now advertised double and triple features. For a low admission price, audiences could sit for hours and watch B-movies, westerns, horror films, and the latest science fiction creature features. The posters outside promised thrilling, sensational stories that played continuously.

Beyond the movie houses, 42nd Street offered a different kind of spectacle. It was a hub for arcades, shooting galleries, and storefront attractions designed to separate a person from their loose change. One of the most famous spots was Hubert’s Museum and Flea Circus, located near the corner of Broadway. For a quarter, visitors could see a collection of human oddities, sword swallowers, and magicians. The main event was Professor Roy Heckler’s Flea Circus, where trained fleas performed feats like pulling tiny chariots.

#1 The Selwyn Theatre, 42nd Street, New York, 1950.

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#2 New Yorkers at W42 street, a major crosstown street in Manhattan, 1950s.

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#3 New Yorkers waiting to cross the road at the intersection of West 42nd Street, Manhattan, 1950s.

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#4 The Harris Theatre, 42nd Street, New York, 1950.

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#5 42nd Street, New York, 1950.

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#6 Elevated view looking down on NY Public Library with Empire State Building on far left, Fifth Avenue, New York, 1950s.

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#7 New York Port Authority Bus Terminal at Eighth Avenue and 42nd Street, Manhattan, 1950s.

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#8 International newspapers and magazines on sale at sidewalk newsstand on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, New York City, 1950s.

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#9 Traffic & pedestrians at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in Midtown, with a large billboard for savings bank ads, New York, 1950s.

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#10 Grand Central Station at E 42nd Street, rolling out the red carpet for The 20th Century Limited express train, New York, 1952.

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#11 Woolworth department store storefront decorated with bunting for special sale, 42nd Street west of 5th Ave, New York City, 1950s.

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#12 Looking SE down West 42nd Street, with the Bryant Theater showing ‘The Bridges of Toko-Ri’, New York City, 1955.

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#13 West 42nd Street, New York City, 1956.

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#14 High Angle View of Grand Central Terminal bordered by 42nd Street with Helmsley Building in Background, New York City.

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#15 Cinemas on 42nd Street, New York, 1958.

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#16 Pedestrians on 42nd Street, New York, 1958.

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#17 New York Street, 1958.

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#18 New York street with Empire State Building, 1958.

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#19 47th Street, New York, 1958.

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#20 People outside cinema showing ‘Young and Wild’ in New York, 1958.

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#21 Crowd of pedestrians and cars at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, Manhattan, New York City, 1950s.

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