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Arts & Entertainment

21 Photos Of The Lower East Side From Before You Were Born


By

Jen Carlson

Published May 10, 2012

Modified May 10, 2012


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"Lower East Side: Abandoned corner food store, market in background. 1934-1945."

 

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By

Jen Carlson

Published May 10, 2012

Modified May 10, 2012


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We've had some fun with our "before you were born" photo series in the past, giving the treatment to each of the five boroughs—but now that the NYC Municipal Archives has unleashed nearly one million new photos on us, we can do the same with different neighborhoods in each boroughs.

We already looked back at what Williamsburg was like before luxury condos were even things that existed, and now here are some photos of the Lower East Side, dating all the way back to the 1890s. (And, yes, they span through the mid-1940s, so maybe you were born by that time, in which case here's a refresher at what the landscape was like then.) Click through for a look at what Clinton Street looked like before it was congested with brunch lines, and more...

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21 photos

before you were born

flashback

history

LES

Lower East Side

municipal archives


Jen Carlson

Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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