Photo Location - NYC - Lower East Side

January 26, 2005 8:40 AM

WeeGeeFilter/NYCFilter: Does anyone know where exactly the photo "Lower East Side" (also here) by Weegee (Arthur Fellig) was taken? I am interested in finding the exact street address. [MI]

My friend is coming to visit me in Manhattan and they love this photo. I thought it would be a good idea if I could take them to that exact spot. I have no clue if the buildings still exist since the photo was taken in 1937 but I thought I'd bounce this one off the collective mind of MeFi. Anyone have a clue or possibly recognize the background? I know its a stretch.

posted by toftflin to Media & Arts (13 answers total)

I think I recognize the liquor store (hush, you) in the background, and certainly those stairs look like they'd still be around. (Something tells me it's on First Avenue north of Houston, but I could easily be wrong.)

Regardless, I'll be wandering around down there tonight. I can report back if this hasn't been solved by then.
posted by chicobangs at 9:01 AM on January 26, 2005

I haven't lived in NYC for a few years, but it looks like in the far background you can see a horizontal sign labeled "Astor", there's also a vertical sign above labeled "Liquor".

Asto would lead me to believe it was near Astor place which is a stretch for the Lower East Side, but still possible with broad labeling. There actually is still a liquor store there. But if my memory is correct that stretch of buildings was not similar. You could also try calling the New York Historical Society. They're used to those sort of calls.
posted by jeremias at 9:07 AM on January 26, 2005

Looks to me like it might be a stretch of East Broadway near Rutgers or Clinton, but I can't be sure.

Try checking with the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Someone there might know.
posted by mds35 at 10:19 AM on January 26, 2005

It also looks like there's a barbers pole. I doubt it's Astor place, unfortunately.

The International Center for Photography also might be fruitful. According to the ICP bio, he lived at 5 Center Market Place from 1934-1947, which would cover when this photo was taken. I'd start there.

That's a good call on the Tenement Museum, I've heard that shot described as "children playing outside their LES tenement."
posted by Jack Karaoke at 10:33 AM on January 26, 2005

I am on Astor Place right now and that is just about definitely not. It looks like the sign says "Store" to me.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:39 AM on January 26, 2005

Just got off the phone with a researcher at the Tenement Museum. He's gonna take a look at it and get back to me.
posted by Vidiot at 12:38 PM on January 26, 2005

You guys are awesome. I am taking all of your info and planning a recon mission to the LES.
posted by toftflin at 1:21 PM on January 26, 2005

MY guess is that it wasn't take very far into the "lower east side." The architecture looks too good, fancy.
posted by ParisParamus at 2:36 PM on January 26, 2005

I heard back from Dave Favaloro, the research assistant at the Tenement Museum. Here's what his e-mail says:

I'm sorry, but I can't say where on the LES the photo was taken. I will, however, ask around the Museum to see if anyone else here might know. Incidentally, Centre Market, where you mentioned Weegee lived at the time, is a one block street located south of Broome St and turns into Baxter heading south. What's depicted in the photo looks similar to the architecture in that part of town, but I can't say exactly where.

posted by Vidiot at 3:29 PM on January 26, 2005

I've also sent an e-mail to the New York Public Library's Ask-A-Librarian service...they may be able to at least give me a list of LES intersections that had liquor stores on them in 1937.
posted by Vidiot at 3:49 PM on January 26, 2005

Well... ?
posted by languagehat at 5:11 PM on January 28, 2005

No response yet.
posted by Vidiot at 8:51 PM on January 29, 2005

Well...?
posted by mds35 at 9:01 AM on February 19, 2005