Longacre Square, originally the home of many carriage makers, was named after London's Long Acre Street, which was the center of the carriage-making trade in London. In April of 1904, the name was changed to Times Square in honor of the Times Building which was being built there. Building began on the Times Building in 1903 and was completed in 1905. The picture for this card was taken from the Times Building, so it would have been published in 1903 to early 1904, since at that time it was still called Longacre Square.
Here's the same view circa 1950:
The message written to George Olney in 1954 says:
Hi George -
Hope you had a good time, + maybe you can tell the other kids about it.
Loving Uncle TomAnd here's a view of the famous building that precipitated the name change:
'X' marked the spot in 1903, forward to 1950 and see how far we have come... not. What exactly did "Loving" Uncle Tom want George to tell the other kids about- should we be worried? The Times building is so skinny it looks like it would blow over in a good wind, surprised it is still standing (there is a new Times tower designed by Renzo Piano, built in 2007, but the old one remains). And McCook, Nebraska rang a bell for me- I hope Hazel Hare had the chance to see the only Frank Lloyd Wright building in that state, the Sutton Residence which was constructed in McCook in 1905.
ReplyDeleteNo, we shouldn't be worried. I think Uncle Tom just showed young George, from Binghamton, around the big city. It was probably a great adventure for George.
ReplyDeleteExcellent sequence showing the changing scene in Longacre/Times Square. There were printing presses underneath that narrow building, before the Times moved to 43rd St. (where my dad worked) and now the 8th Ave. building (where my husband works today). The Renzo Piano is beautiful, but I still favor the old 43rd St. bldg.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it strange, there is something about an American postcard that makes it immediately identifiable in terms of its country of origin - compared to, for example a British or European card. Not sure if it is the layout, the printing, the colouring or the subject matter. Perhaps a combination of them all.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see them return the name to Longacre Square ;)
ReplyDelete