A Sidewalk Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

IN 1919, the car hadn’t yet conquered West 57th Street in Manhattan. Together, the sidewalks for the pedestrians were still significantly wider than the roadway, and the modern detritus of the traffic engineer was nowhere in sight.

West 57th Street in 1919, looking east towards 7th Avenue
West 57th Street in 1919, looking east towards 7th Avenue

MCNY image from “West 57th’s Hodgepodge Block,” by Christopher Gray

West 57th Street today, looking east towards 7th Avenue
West 57th Street today, looking east towards 7th Avenue

Also see Winslow Homer Walk, which would go next to the Vornado Building, the black tower in the After picture. You can download a PDF about Homer Walk here.

About John Massengale

Architect, Urbanist, Author, Educator
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