Historic Skywalks in NYC (Again)

[crane763]

Hello all,

Several weeks ago I posted the following inquiry. 2 people were kind enough to write back asking to see the photo. I posted it and then no further response. Just in case that you all did not see my 2nd post, here goes again:

I am trying to locate info on skywalks (building to building pedestrian bridges) in New York City. I have an old family photograph taken in NYC. In the background is a skywalk. I was hoping to use this feature to determine exactly where this photo was taken. The photo is probably from the mid to late 1940's, so this particular skywalk may or may not still exist, hence the historic reference. (I would also like to accurately date the photo. Perhaps someone who know cars and trucks can do so by the vehicles in the lower center of the photo.) Any leads would be of help.

To view photo:

Thanks Again, Larry

[HVS]

Can't help, but I'm going to cross-post this to alt.fan.cecil-adams, 'cause there are some people over there who are the sort who might be able to help with this kind of thing.

(OK, afcans - can ya' help? This was posted in alt.architecture)

-------------------------------

------------------------------

TinyUrl for photo:

[HVS]

On 06 Oct 2008, HVS wrote

Scrap that; doesn't work as a tinyurl. Sorry.

[huey.callison]

Your tinyurl is broken. Try

I can't see the cars too well, but I'm going to guess '40s', based on the general shapes. I'll try to do some image-doctoring and see if I can't get a better look.

Sadly, I dunno shit about New York, so somebody else can help with that.

[Don K]

It looks like the 20's to me, based on the boxy car, its skinny engine and wide fenders. (using microsoft magnifier in accessories)

Don

[huey.callison]

A friend asks "any chance a higher-rez scan available?", and that's a good point. Rather than introducing more noise into the image by trying to blow it up, if there's a pre-blown-up one already available, that'll make things easier...

[Lee Ayrton]

By squinting, I see circa 1930 trucks with long edge-shaped hoods. Of course, I could be wrong. I can't find anything to back my hunch up but I want to say that it is 43rd St, west of Madison, looking east. Note the short block on the left. By squinting really really hard I think I can just make out the Chrysler building above the window washer's left shoulder. Too, there's not that many Manhattan streets that dead-end like that.

Fun.

[Greg Goss]

The skinny engines are on the trucks, which presumably last longer than urban-dweller cars (beaters head out of town to low-rent districts)

The car right "above" the near walkway is a smooth torpedo back. Were those done before the war at all? It looks something like the following, but with perhaps a longer hood.

Does the third car above the walkway look like I know very little about old cars, but I don't see these as Don does. The two examples above were found by a google search for 1948 chev.

But I'm astonished at the number of walkways compared to what you see in modern cities. You see a lot of second storey walkways but very seldom anything higher. The skyway between the Petronas Towers is an oddity in today's world. But in this view, we have an 18th storey walkway in the middle background, a five-storey walkway atop a two or three storey building, and a two storey walk in the foreground. All of this in a two-walk view.

Is the disappearance of walkways related to an increased "flex" in steel-framed buildings? Due to faster elevators that make it more practical to walk across at ground (or sub-ground walkways) than "at altitude"? Increased security issues that led to reduced access points? To the sheer acreage of modern towers -- if you have an acre on each floor, then you're not renting anything across the street to link to? To faxes and networking so that you don't need to walk a note over as often?

[Greg Goss]

two block view. Many more than two walks.

[Mark Brader]

If you live in Calgary, you do, or some other city where they've made it common practice to connect unrelated buildings above ground. Other cities mostly do it underground (as here) and still others not at all.

Wikipedia has articles on "skyway" and "underground city", which looked rather cobbled-together the last time I looked at them.

Certainly true.

Objection, assumes facts not in evidence. I think these walkways were unusual at the time and this is why the photo was taken. I certainly don't remember seeing that sort of thing in old photos of New York that I've seen.

If there is a real phenomenon to explain, I suggest the fourth of these five suggestions makes sense. The presence of a large number of walkways suggests that one corporate owner needed more space and found it easiest to expand into a series of buildings, including some across the street. (Of course, this theory may be shot down if someone can identify the buildings.) If the company continued to exist, likely they would eventually move to a single new larger building.

[Nick Spalding]

Mark Brader wrote, in on Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:41:21 -0500:

Really? I think the reason is the window-cleaner.

[Boron Elgar]

I agree. Look at the window closer to the front of the photos. You can see the wet footprints.

Boron

I don't think walkways were that uncommon. My high school building (8 stories) was connected to another high school building that way. The walkway was put in after WW1 as a memorial.

I also remember several other building walkways in downtown Detroit in the 50s and 60s. The was also one connecting an old to new hospital building not far from my parents' house.

Boron

[Boron Elgar]

Just in case anyone wants to look at them, both old and new...

[Hactar]

Probably the developement and/or popularization of elevators made walkways to a large part unneded. Other than that, my WAGs agree with you (possibly not so WA)Gs.

[Lee Ayrton]

Not NYC, but elevated walkways between buildings were certainly not uncommon in circa 1900 industral buildings in New England.

[Lee Ayrton]

[snip]

My guess would be the move of manufacturing out of the city. Those walkways could have been connecting the shirt-sewing room to the button sewing room.

[RicodJour]

Try the New York Historical Society. They might be able to point you in the right direction.

R

[Lee Ayrton]

[...]

It turns out that there were a surprising number of elevators in New York by the time period of the photo above. See:

1922 "the Edison Company change the current in New York City from two-phase DC to three-phase AC, generating thousands of elevator changeovers."

In 1870 the 9-storey Equitable Life Assurance Society building was then the tallest in New York and the "first to have passenger elevators specifically designed by the architect for office building use", so elevators in NYC go back a bit further than I'd imagined.

It is my understanding that buildings in NYC that do not have elevators are limited to 5 stories. I couldn't easily find a cite to show when this rule was adopted.

[Rich T]

The real question should be: with all his money, why is Anthony Hopkins washing windows?

[Hactar]

Yabbut what fraction of buildings did that represent?

When did Mr. Otis do his work? Ah, Wicked Foot to the rescue: "In 1853, Elisha Otis introduced the safety elevator". I still can't see when elevators became commonplace enough that architects didn't consider people climbing stairs to be a limiting factor in building design.

My meatware says that's generally true everywhere (even without some law making it so), as people aren't -in general- willing to go up more than 4 floors above ground level on foot.