Text and photographs by Stephen Harmon
In the 1970s, I was influenced by the photographs of Walker Evans, the great American photographer and photojournalist, of Main Street, USA.
I realized that the world didn’t look like it did in the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, and, in 50 years, it wouldn’t look like it did in the 1970s and 80s. I wanted to capture those vanishing decades for exactly the reasons my photographs are being used today: to share them with those who lived through those times and those who did not, and to document who we were and how we’ve changed. (Don’t miss the pair of pay phones in the second photo from the last!)
Enjoy.
Stephen Harmon is a longtime Upper West Sider, a retired lawyer, and a world-class photographer whose work is on display in many of the city’s museums, including The Museum of the City of New York, The Brooklyn Museum, New York Historical, and The New York Public Library.
Check out our audio interview with Stephen Harmon on Rag Radio — HERE.
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Wonderful! I love these so much! The shot of the ballet school over the bagel shop represents NYC so well. Thank you!
The first 2 pictures. Interesting ooking people and pets. That cat.
The cat is interesting looking because it’s a dog. 🙂
Love these! Thanks so much for sharing
Get rid of the e-bikes and bring back the ones in that picture! Thank you for another Throwback Thursday.
As usual, I love them all. I particularly like the feeling from the one of the street where the bus and a car is coming at dusk…..very special. All are very special.
Much thanks.
Thx
thanks – I remember the vibe – in part thanks to these photos
These are so wonderful!
Thank you!
Utopia Diner…. picture with fur coat guy. Amsterdam just north of 72
Still there!!!
Had the camera been pointed up Amsterdam a bit, one might have seen Star Magic at the corner of 73rd. Maybe next time.
I worked there!
What an honor (I presume)!
Would you happen to recall the year they closed? I know only that they opened in 1985 and would love to know what to put on the right side of the en dash in my UWS chronology.
What a great honor (I presume)!
Would you happen to recall the year they closed? I know only that they opened in 1985 and would love to know what to put on the right side of the en dash in my UWS chronology.
Paddy McGlade’s. 67th and Columbus. Dale DeGroff has a great article about its history and its passing: https://www.liquor.com/articles/behind-the-bar-closing-time/
Noted with pleasure on the right side of the first photo, past Zabar’s: Teachers restaurant (1969–c. 1981/82) at 2249 Broadway.
H&H proved you didn’t have to be Jewish to make the best bagels in New York (and thus the world). Helmer Toro, a Puerto Rican guy bought Midtown Bagels in 1972. with his brother-in-law Hector Hernandez. Helmer and Hector changed the name to H&H for obvious reasons. The fact that it was a block away from the best lox in the city certainly helped. A few bankruptcies and indictments followed in later years, but nothing beat going in and pointing to one of the lucite crates of warm bagels next to the counter to pick out Egg, Poppy, Salt, Pumpernickel, Raisin, or Plain. In the 1970s we didn’t know from Blueberry and Everything bagels.
H&H and Zabar’s were pretty much the only things we had back then that people in nicer neighborhoods were jealous of. When you lived on the dirty, old Upper West Side, you took your wins where you could get them.
Also a Teacher’s sighting in the top right corner of the throwback Zabar’s picture! Or was that Teacher’s Too? Either way, it made me happy. It was the first place where I ever saw a blackboard used as a menu being moved around a restaurant. They would prop it up on a chair by your table before you ordered. As a kid, I thought it was so clever. It probably wasn’t, but I was 10, so a lot of mundane things impressed me.
Other things to envy during the 1970s:
Silver Palette–opened 1977, La Fortuna–opened 1976, Barney Greengrass, obviously Lincoln Center + the Natural History museum,
In the 1980s,
Soutine Bakery–opened 1984, Fairway, Shun Lee.
The jury is out on Citarella. But you can count Dublin House for a 100 years. And despite all its pretensions, Acker Merrill for 200 years.
I realize I’ve missed things too, like Gryphon Books, a far more interesting bookstore than the Strand, and it still exists as Westsider Books.
At least 27 bookstores between 70th and 96th Streets have left us since the 1970s. Two of the dearly departed were the Gryphon Books Annex at 246 West 80th Street and New Yorker Bookshop at 250 West 89th Street, both on the 2nd floor of their respective locations.
But both Gryphon Books and Gryphon Records still exist, under the name Westsider.
Agreed! But I don’t think I included either in my count; the Gryphon Books Annex was something else, around roughly in the 1984–93 period. Jonathan Lethem worked there for a while. I did, however, include both Barqu, the proto-Gryphon on 71st St., and the original Gryphon on 89th.
Fairway!
I covered Fairway, and its glory days, which ended with the sale in 2007, only began when Jenkins started as the cheese guy circa 1977.
A book I aspire to own someday is “The Rise and Fall of H&H Bagels” by Marc Zirogiannis. Hey, what about the Onion and Garlic varieties?
I don’t suppose people in the “nicer” neighborhoods were jealous of our bookstores, though perhaps they should have been.
“Or was that Teacher’s Too?” No, definitely just plain Teachers: Teachers Too (c. 1981–Jan. 1996) was up at 2271 Broadway, between 81st & 82nd. I delighted in their chicken satay with peanut sauce and their heavenly French onion soup back in my prevegan days.
Another great collection. Thanks –
Another fantastic set! Agree that the ballet class over occurring over the bagel shop is particularly evocative.
Back when people had brains instead of emotional hot buttons.
Oh, the ballet school above H&H!! I remember it well,
Do you have Marvin Gardens?
Awesome!
Fantastic! I worked at ABC News on 66th St for many years and that was our go-to place (along with it’s neighbor, Chipp’s Pub). You could find Bill Beutel and Roger Grimsby there between shows on many nights…
I was just going to say almost the identical thing. I worked at 1926 B’way for ABC Radio and the first place we’d head at the end of a long day was Chips (that was my personal preference) where Grimsby or Harry Reasnor would throw back one last one before going on air for the evening news. I usually found that the engineers hung at McGlades and the editors & “talent” went to Chips. I was really upset when they sold all the businesses in that block to build a tall condo building. My dry clear was there and the hardware store I used to frequent. I live nearby at 10 W. 66th. I’ve never had better fried zucchini than Chips.
What street was McGlades on
Either between 66th and 67th OR 67 and 68th on Columbus.
I totally remember the hot dog lady. I want to say she was on the corner of 79th and Broadway.
I lived on West 80th Street, steps away from Riverside Drive, from 1976 to 2005. These photos are of my life during that time and are treasured. Thank you.
( FYI: Rent for a one bedroom, fifth floor walk-up was $235 a month in 1976.)
The hot dog cart! Reminds me of Pete the hot dog guy I grew up with on 96th. Good times.
The photo of Lincoln Center at the end is post-2009. It shows the new fountain and the animated messages in the steps – both of which were installed around 2009.
You are right!! I am sorry. I don’t know how that digital file snuck into my Old Negs vault.
Thank you for continuing this collation of your appreciated images. This is a very handsome set. Your colors are so satisfyingly saturated.