Anatomy of a Photo: 42nd Street, 1929

In this edition of Anatomy of a Photo, the picture under observation is a shot of 42nd Street taken from the rising Chrysler building. Given that both the Chrysler and Daily News buildings are under construction, the photo was made in 1929.

The two faces of the Tudor City signs are on display. Problem was, the one atop No. 25 was now virtually invisible, hidden by The Woodstock. A couple of years later, it would be permanently removed.

A glance over at No. 45's sign reveals that it in fact is bordered by another sign, that of the Bartholomew Offices. Who knew?

 

Moving in on the riverfront, take the rare opportunity to see the 'middle park' from an elevated view, lined by ramps connecting to 42nd Street. It is also a 2nd Avenue Elevated stop.

The meaning of the triangular sign (upper left) is unknown.

Further down 42nd on the south side of the street, there's some early stages of construction of the Daily News' planned headquarters; neighbors were stunned with the size of the resulting building.

Finally, the Corn Exchange Bank and Trust Company (1929-1954) was a conventional bank, with tellers and safety deposit vaults; this ad for the bank hangs from the roof of the 3rd Avenue El station.