Views from the Digital Collections: New York in 1950
The 1950 U.S. Census records are being released on April 1 in accordance with the "72-Year Rule" which allows the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to share the data with the public after this passage of time. From genealogists piecing together family trees to historians studying social change, census data is an invaluable resource for understanding our past.
To celebrate the release of the Census, which captures a glimpse into the lives of millions of Americans in the year 1950, let's take a look at some images from that year in New York City that are part of NYPL's Digital Collections.
The Third Avenue Elevated railway, which operated in Manhattan and later in the Bronx, opened in 1878. Service was phased out in sections between 1950 and 1973 and the demolition of the line was completed in 1977.
Photo: Max Hubacher, 1950. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 5652548
United Nations, N.Y.C., Secretariat Window Cleaner, 38th Floor. Although 450 UN employees started working at the building in August 1950, the UN's official move took place the following January as it relocated from its former headquarters in Lake Success, New York on Long Island.
Photo: Bedrich Grunzweig, 1950. © Bedrich Grunzweig - grunzwiegphoto.com. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 57620645
Researchers in the Library's Main Reading Room, as seen from the east balcony in 1950. The room, now called the Rose Main Reading Room, is roughly two city blocks long with 52-foot-tall ceilings displaying murals of vibrant skies and billowing clouds.
NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 5848133
The Member of the Wedding, adapted by Carson McCullers from her novel, opened on January 5, 1950 at the Empire Theatre starring Ethel Waters, Julie Harris, and Brandon De Wilde. The theatre, which opened in 1893 on Broadway and 41st Street, was a major factor in the northward shift of New York's theater district from Union Square to Times Square. It was demolished in 1953.
NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: TH-35059
Dinner menu from Tavern on the Green, Wednesday April 19, 1950. Offerings include Chopped Chicken Livers (¢.75), Jumbo Frogs Legs Saute ($2.95), Lemon Sole Grenobloise ($2.45), Boiled Beef with Horseradish Sauce ($3.15), and Ice Cream Roll with Nesselrode Sauce (¢.30). "Dancing nightly from 6:45 to closing."
NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 3975249
View of the Savoy Ballroom at night, on Lenox Avenue between 140th and 141st Streets, in Harlem. The Savoy operated between 1926 and 1958 and was the country's first integrated dance hall attracting the best Lindy Hoppers, jazz musicians, and iconic singers such as Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Sara Vaughan, and Frank Sinatra.
Photo: Austin Hansen, 1950. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 1694961
A woman walking near Wanamaker's Department Store located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and East 9th Street. Built in the 1860s, Wanamaker's was demolished after a massive fire in 1956 and replaced with a large apartment building.
Photo: Max Hubacher, 1950. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 5652580
Six girls on a brownstone stoop. Brownstones and stoops are about as New York as it gets.
Photo: Walter Silver, 1950. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 5232951
Luncheonette, New York City. Like their predecessor, the automat, luncheonettes—typically with counter seating and simple menus—offered quick, affordable meals on the go for low-wage workers.
Photo: Walter Silver, circa 1950. © Bedrich Grunzweig - grunzwiegphoto.com. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 5194697
Penn Station, New York City. When it opened in 1910, the station was considered an architectural gem and a masterpiece of the Beaux-Arts style. The exterior featured columns inspired by Classical Greek structures such as the Acropolis in Athens. The above-ground portions of Penn Station were demolished and rebuilt beginning in 1963.
Photo: Bedrich Grunzweig, 1950. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 57620649