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A Photographic Tour of Manhattan in the 1930s, Showcasing Street Scenes Landmarks and Lifestyles

The 1930s began on a somber note with the weight of the Great Depression casting shadows over Manhattan’s streets. Jobs were scarce, breadlines grew long, and families faced hardships. Yet, amidst adversity, Manhattan’s spirit remained indomitable. Manhattan banded together, showcasing resilience and resourcefulness. Community kitchens, spirited parades, and neighbourhood support became symbols of Manhattan’s tenacious spirit during challenging times.

Rising from the Ground: An Icon Emerges

Despite economic constraints, Manhattan saw the rise of an icon – the Empire State Building. Completed in 1931, it stood tall as the world’s tallest building, symbolizing hope and the belief that even in the harshest of times, Manhattan could reach the skies. Its art deco design, observation decks, and towering presence became a beacon of inspiration, drawing visitors from around the world.

Another emblematic image from Manhattan’s 1930s is the ice-skating rink at Rockefeller Center, first opened in 1936. This rink, set against the backdrop of soaring buildings, became a winter haven for residents and tourists alike. It wasn’t just a place to skate; it was where one could twirl under the glimmering golden statue of Prometheus, surrounded by the city’s heartbeats.

Cultural Blossoming and Public Works

With job creation essential, Manhattan initiated numerous public works projects. One of the era’s most significant gifts was the development of the West Side Highway and the East River Drive. Meanwhile, the arts found refuge in New Deal programs, leading to the creation of murals, paintings, and theater productions that reflected the era’s complexities. From the Federal Art Project to the vibrant theater of Broadway, Manhattan pulsed with artistic expression.

The Radiance of Radio City

The 1930s were not without their glimmers of opulence, and the Radio City Music Hall stands testament to that. Opened in 1932 amidst the Great Depression, it was dubbed the “Showplace of the Nation.” This iconic entertainment venue, with its lavish art deco interiors, became synonymous with Manhattan’s entertainment scene. From grand movie premieres to the legendary Rockettes, Radio City was more than a theater—it was an experience, providing New Yorkers a brief escape from the everyday and a glimpse into a world of glamour and artistry.

Sounds of the Big Band Era

If the 1920s were about jazz, the 1930s brought forth the big band sound. Clubs across Manhattan echoed with the lively beats of swing music. Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Glenn Miller became household names, and ballrooms were filled with Lindy Hoppers swaying and twirling. The music provided an escape, a joyous interlude in an otherwise challenging decade.

#1 Wholesale market in lower Manhattan, New York City, 1934

#2 Margaret Bourke-White with her camera atop a stainless steel eagle projecting from the sixty-first floor of the Chrysler Building, overlooking Manhattan and the Hudson River, New York City, 1934

#3 Looking down Pike Street toward the Manhattan Bridge, street half in shadow, rubble in gutters, New York City, 1936

#4 Columbus Circle, Manhattan, New York City, 1936. Looking northwest from above the circle, statue of Columbus, B&O bus station topped with Coca-Cola sign, other signs, Mayflower Hotel, Central Park with snow.

#5 Midtown Manhattan skyline. Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City, 1933

#6 Blossom Restaurant, 103 Bowery, Manhattan, New York City, 1935

#7 El station, Sixth and Ninth Avenue lines, downtown side, 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, 1936

#8 Fulton Market pier, view to Manhattan over East River, 1934

#10 El’ station, Sixth and Ninth Avenue Lines downtown side, 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue

#16 Broadway and Thomas Street, Manhattan, March 06, 1936

#17 Church of God, 25 East 132nd Street, Manhattan, 1936

#18 Fulton Street fish market, Manhattan, June 18, 1936

#19 Grand Opera House, northwest corner, West 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue, Manhattan, September 03, 1937

#21 McSorley’s Ale House, 15 East 7th Street, Manhattan, 1937

#23 Unemployed and huts, Mercer Street, Manhattan, October 25, 1935

#24 Harlem Street: II, 422-424 Lenox Avenue, Manhattan, 1938.

#26 The Hayden Planetarium in Central Park with Workers Putting the Finishing Touches, Manhattan, 1935

#27 Manhattan from St. George Hotel in Brooklyn to financial district, New York City, 1933

#28 Macdougal Alley, between West 8th Street and Washington Square North, Manhattan, New York City, 1936

#29 Broome Street, Nos. 504-506, Manhattan, New York City, 1935

#30 William Goldberg, 771 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, 1937

#32 40th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, from Salmon Tower 11 West 42nd Street

#36 West Side of Gramercy Park West, nos. 3-4, Manhattan

#41 Murray Hill Hotel, from Park Avenue and 40th Street

#42 Oldest apartment house in New York City, 142 East 18th Street

#45 Firehouse, Park Avenue, East 135th Street, Manhattan

#46 Manhattan Bridge Looking up from Bowery and Canal Street

#51 28th Street looking east from Second Avenue, Mnhattan, April 1931

#53 Blossom Restaurant, 103 Bowery, Manhattan, October 03, 1935

#54 Broad Street looking toward Wall Street, Manhattan, July 16, 1936

#55 Broadway near Broome Street, Manhattan, October 07, 1935

#57 City Vista, West Street, looking east, Manhattan, August 12, 1938

#58 Department of Docks and police station, Pier A, North River, Manhattan, May 05, 1936

#59 Downtown Skyport, Pier 11, East River, Manhattan, August 12, 1936

#60 Ferry, Chambers Street, Manhattan, April 09, 1936

#64 Herald Square, 34th and Broadway, Manhattan, July 16, 1936

#65 Hot dog stand, West St. and North Moore, Manhattan, April 08, 1936

#66 Huts and unemployed, West Houston and Mercer Street, October 25, 1935

#67 Lyric Theatre, Third Avenue between 12th and 13th street, April 24, 1936

#68 Madison Square, looking northeast, Manhattan, March 20, 1936

#69 Midtown Manhattan view from McGraw-Hill building, October 9, 1931

#73 Newsstand, 32nd Street and Third Avenue, November 19, 1935

#74 Oak and New Chambers Streets, Manhattan, October 28, 1935

#76 Pier 11 or 12, East River, Manhattan, April 09, 1936

#78 Pike and Henry Streets, Manhattan, March 06, 1936

#79 Radio Row, Cortlandt Street, Manhattan, April 08, 1936

#80 Seventh Avenue looking south from 35th Street, Manhattan, December 05, 1935

#82 South Street and Jones Lane, Manhattan, March 26, 1936

#84 The New York Central Building at center, 230 Park Avenue – East 45th Street

#86 Tri-boro Barber School, 264 Bowery, Manhattan, October 24, 1935

#87 Union Square, 14th Street and Broadway, Manhattan, 1936

#89 Waterfront, South Street, Manhattan, October 15, 1935

#91 Whitney Museum at 8th Street and Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, 1930

#92 Night Street Scene on Broadway Looking South to Times Square, Manhattan, 1934

#93 Elevated View of the Grand Central District in Midtown Manhattan, Manhattan, Circa 1930

#94 Communist Demonstration in Harlem at Funeral of Allad Luro, Manhattan, 1930s

#95 Contrast of Rundown Tenement Blocks and Knickerbocker Village on Lower East Side, Manhattan, 1939

#96 Blizzard Blankets Sixth Avenue Celebrating 51st Anniversary of 1888 Blizzard, Manhattan, 1939

#97 Street-Level View of Third Avenue Elevated Railway, Coenties Slip Curve, Manhattan, 1930s

#98 View of Skyline Looking South from the Empire State Building, Manhattan, 1930s

#100 Unemployed Queue Outside Employment Agency at 60 Lafayette Street, Manhattan, 1930

#101 Fifth Avenue at 57th Street Looking West, Manhattan, 1938

#102 Traffic Jam on Fifth Avenue Looking North from 37th Street, Manhattan, Circa 1936

#103 Gathering Outside Hip Sing Association Headquarters in Chinatown, Manhattan, 1931

#104 View Down Doyers Street in Chinatown, Manhattan, Circa 1935

#105 Courtyard Garden Between Milligan Place and Patchin Place in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, Circa 1935

#107 View of George Washington Bridge Looking South from Manhattan, Manhattan, Circa 1935

#108 St Nicholas Gymnasium and Rink Near Broadway, Manhattan, 1931

#109 West 34th Street Between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, Manhattan, 1931

#110 Times Square on a Rainy Night, Manhattan, Circa 1930

#111 Empire State Building, North Side of West 33rd Street, Manhattan, Between 1931 and 1938

#112 New Signal Light at 41st Street and Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, Circa 1931

#113 A Busy Intersection in Manhattan During the Holiday Season, Manhattan, 1937

#114 Traffic Along 5th Avenue, Manhattan, Early to Mid 20th Century

#115 Excellent View of the Exterior of General Post Office on Eighth Avenue, Manhattan, 1930s

#116 High-Angle View of ‘Carnival of Swing’ at Randall’s Island Stadium, Manhattan, 1938

#117 Union Parade on Fifth Avenue, Members of the American Federation of Labor Unions Participate in a Parade on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, 1939.

#118 Empire State Building, View Looking South as the Sun Sets Over Midtown Manhattan, Manhattan, 1935.

#119 General Post Office Building, Cars Passing and an Inscription Above the Colonnade Bears the U.S. Postal Service Creed on Eighth Avenue, Manhattan, 1935.

#120 View of a Covered Horse Cart on South Street, Manhattan, 1930s

#121 View from South Street Along an Unspecified Street in Manhattan, Manhattan, 1930s

#122 View of Horse Carts at an Intersection Near South Street, Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, 1930s

#123 View Looking North Along South Street, Lower Manhattan, Including the Seamen’s Church Institute and the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan, 1930s

#124 Billboards on Times Square, Including an Advertisement for Camels Cigarettes, Manhattan, 1939.

#125 Traffic and a Tour Bus on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, 1935.

#126 Bowling Green at the Beginning of Broadway, Manhattan, 1935.

#127 Shopping Crowds at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street During the Emergency Banking Act Four-Day Bank Holiday, Manhattan, 1933.

#128 Pedestrians Outside the Port Arthur Restaurant on Mott Street, Chinatown, Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, 1935.

#129 High Angle View Looking West in Greenwich Village, Intersection of Grove Street and Seventh Avenue South, Manhattan, 1936.

#130 Elevated View of Traffic on Fifth Avenue on Easter Sunday, Manhattan, 1935.

#131 Exterior View of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan, 1937.

#132 The Marquee at the Entrance to Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, 1935.

#133 Longshoremen Being Picked Out by a Boss, Along West Street on the Hudson River, Manhattan, 1930s

#134 The Chrysler Building, Completed in 1930, Manhattan, 1930.

#135 Passengers on Board the Cunard White Star Liner Queen Mary View the New York Skyline, Manhattan, 1939.

#136 Street View of Traffic and Stores on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, 1930s

#137 Boarded Residential Building on the Corner of Madison Avenue and East 133rd Street, Harlem, Manhattan, 1938.

#138 Crowd Outside the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem at the Opening of “Macbeth”, Manhattan, 1936.

#139 Lyric Theatre, Third Avenue Between 12th and 13th Street, Manhattan, 1936.

#140 Traffic on Fifth Avenue Approaching 57th Street on a Summer Afternoon, Manhattan, 1930s

#141 New York Clothing Workers Making Garments for Spain, Manhattan, 1937.

#144 Times Square 46th Street Night Bus Coming Down Broadway Bright Lights, Manhattan, 1936.

#145 Tenants Stranded Outside 1385 Broadway During Elevator Operator Strike, Manhattan, 1935.

#146 New York Construction Workers Lunching on a Crossbeam, RCA Building, Manhattan, 1932.

#147 African-American Children Playing Swings at a Playground in Harlem, Manhattan, 1935.

#148 Pedestrians on the Sidewalk in Front of Reliable Cleaners and Dyers on Lenox Avenue, Harlem, Manhattan, 1935.

#149 Signs Outside the Cotton Club at Night, Manhattan, 1930

#150 Duffy Square Part of Times Square, Gaudy Signs for Beverages Movies Confront Pedestrians Cars Taxis, Manhattan, 1930s

#151 Pedestrians in Front of Hotel Edison Marquee, Theater District West 47th Street, Manhattan, 1930s

#152 Rainy Day Traffic Jam Around Grand Central Station at Pershing Square and 42nd Street, Midtown Manhattan Eastside, 1930s

#153 Magnificent View of Manhattan by Night, Characteristic City of Lights, 1930

#154 African-American Women Walking in the District of Harlem, Manhattan, 1933

#155 Cityscape at Night, View Looking North from University Place, New York City, 1939

#156 A View from 34th Street Looking North up Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, 1937

#157 Photo of Location at the Southeast Corner of East 59th Street and Park Avenue, Manhattan, 1936

#158 Exterior of the Manhattan Theatre at 1697 Broadway at West 53rd Street, Manhattan, 1936

#159 Street Hawker Selling Consumer’s Bureau Guide, 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, Manhattan, 1939

#160 Crowd Gathers Outside Federal Hall in New York City, Now a National Memorial, Manhattan, 1930

#161 Location at the Southeast Corner of East 59th Street and Park Avenue, Manhattan, 1936

#163 Entrance to Central Park at 5th Avenue and 59th Street, Manhattan, 1936

#164 General View of Welfare Island in the Foreground and Manhattan in the Background, 1932

#165 Union Square in New York, Where the Communists and Socialists Met, Manhattan, 1934

#166 Times Square in New York City in the 1930s, Manhattan

#167 Street Scene, First Avenue and East 61st Street, New York City, Manhattan, 1938

#168 1930s Night Scene 5th Avenue Tree-Lined Sidewalk, Cars and Anonymous Silhouetted Men Reflecting Water in Pulitzer Fountain, Manhattan, 1930

#169 Crowd Gathers Around the Body of John Masseria as Police Arrive at the Murder Scene on 19th St. in New York City, Manhattan, 1930

#170 View at Dusk Looking South from 47th St. Down Broadway, Times Square, Manhattan, 1930

Written by Adriana Palmer

Blogger, Editor and Environmentalist. A writer by day and an enthusiastic reader by night. Following the Jim Roh's prophecy “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.”

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