SkyscraperPage Forum - Old Skylines

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http://www.innsight.com/user_images/...1ce8c544ab.jpg
http://www.innsight.com/user_images/...1ce8c544ab.jpg

Prior to Ritz Carlton, LA Live, Apex, 717 Flower, Hanover Tower, and Staple Center.

http://www.denver-cityscape.com/imag...1%20Aerial.jpg
http://www.denver-cityscape.com/

Heres denver in 1981

I got the pic from this thread its worth a look it only has pics of denver from the early 80s building boom
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...=165308&page=2

Chicago, 1941

http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/coll...ull/P02185.jpg
Charles W. Cushman Collection, Indiana University

1958
While most of these tall buildings remain, an exception is the Morrison Hotel on the far left, which was demolished to make way for the Chase Tower. The Morrison remains the tallest finished building ever demolished outside of New York City.
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/coll...ull/P12884.jpg
(Cushman)

Chicago back in the 1950s and 60s looked so incredibly dirty.

That's because it /was/ incredibly dirty. . .

. . .

Grit is better. It lends character.
Gimme some great lower manhattan skyline shots of the 1920s-1940s. Singularly amazing. Almost better than sex.

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/in...4_0wpa549d.jpg
theatlantic.com

http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs...aa0e59a4_h.jpg
visualizeus

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/...13_964x649.jpg
dailymail

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport (Post 5938085)

The NYC skyline back then was like a work of art. Now it's just a clumpy mess of buildings.

If I could, I would restore the NYC skyline to that look and tear down all the modern buildings. God damn that was so sexy.

Not sure of the date, but I would guess the late 30s or early 40s.

Old Ithaca, NY

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8223/8...5e2db30f_b.jpg
downtown aerial by exithacan, on Flickr

:shrug:

This is a Cool thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by natiboy (Post 5939513)

Cincinnati: 1930's

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...ps68cbab51.png

:worship:

Old Pictures of Minneapolis

These aren't quite as old as some of the photos others have posted, but they do show a very different Austin skyline. Also these were taken by Robert Pence who passed away last week.

He took these photos in May of 1981 during what was the worst flood in Austin in 50 years at the time. 13 people died. It became known as the Memorial Day Flood.

This photo shows the tower crane for the Hyatt Regency Hotel just across the river south of downtown. The red crane is working on an office building.
http://robertpence.com/tx_austin/19810602-0004.jpg
Photo by Robert E Pence - http://www.robertpence.com/tx_austin/tx_austin.html

I love this photo of his because it pretty much shows Austin's skyline as it appeared the year I was born. There were two new buildings in this photo that would have been under construction in 1979 (the year I was born). This photo also shows the Dobie Center (tall concrete tower left) and Chase Bank Tower (gold glass tower right). Those two buildings later had their facades dramatically altered. In the photo link below each of these photos, there's a photo at that link showing the Chase Bank Tower (then American Bank) that shows the gold glass. Today that building has blue glass facade and a translucent dome on the roof.
http://robertpence.com/tx_austin/19810601-0012.jpg
Photo by Robert E Pence - http://www.robertpence.com/tx_austin/tx_austin.html

wow austin has changed alot since then

Those Minneapolis pics are great. The older ones show a nice but fairly modest skyline, then one huge skyscraper shows up and changes the whole dynamic. After that several more follow suit and you end up with the great skyline it has today.

It makes me wonder if OKC might follow the same pattern now.

Great thread. The pics of Minneapolis remind me of Oklahoma City today with the one giant tower that seems out of scale with it's surroundings. edit: @fardeb, just read your post. I think you're right that's the evolution of a great skyline. With the boom and bust cycles in the energy sector I can see that happening.
The New York ones were great, imagining the time and how that would look to people who never saw skyscrapers before. That is Gotham.

^ I'm lovin' those old Michigan cities pics, thanks LMich

Outstanding Michigan oldies. Flint looked wonderful back then.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yackemflaber69 (Post 5939847)

wow austin has changed alot since then

And not entirely for the better, some of us think.

Agree - the best skyline of all time. Will never be matched. Sad in a way that the Lower Manhattan skyline is worse than it was 70 years ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport (Post 5938085)

Found this awesome 1920's aerial of Cincinnati. Follow the link for the full size image.

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...ps70dba7c9.jpg
Source: http://cincinnativiews.net/images-4/...s%20Aerial.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by animatedmartian (Post 5943860)

Chicago -1930s during the World Fair

Is it just me or does Chicago look bigger (more spread out, I should say) then than it does now?

http://imageshack.us/a/img405/4780/3...re1x0y0sws.jpg
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...ND-4%5D38144_4

http://imageshack.us/a/img543/6140/1...e1x0y0swsh.jpg
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...-19701%5D19701

http://imageshack.us/a/img507/8233/3...re1x0y0sws.jpg
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...ND-1%5D38144_1

Modern view.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8208/8...c76af6aa_b.jpg
Chicago Skyline, Museum Campus, Grant Park by YoChicago1, on Flickr

Historical pictures have a way of doing that, the shorter buildings make it looks more spread out. Also the cluster of shorter buildings make those buildings look taller in more close up photos. Take those pictures above of lower Manhattan, those tall skyscrapers look pretty darn tall but if you look at modern pictures even those post-9/11 with no WTC towers lower Manhattan doesn't look as tall because of all the modern tall and bulky towers.

yeah but are there any photos of minneapolis?

Quote:

Originally Posted by trueviking (Post 5947590)

yeah but are there any photos of minneapolis?

I posted a ton on the first page.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYC (Post 5949065)

I posted a ton on the first page.

Haha, I think they are well aware..

The thread is a good 75% Minneapolis photos :D

^Fan-tastic picture of Detroit. Funny how that big train station building was placed way out there. What was that neighbourhood like, light residential?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim (Post 5950001)

^Fan-tastic picture of Detroit. Funny how that big train station building was placed way out there. What was that neighbourhood like, light residential?

That's not the train station. That's the former General Motor's HQ. There's mainly a lot of large mansions and there were mostly low-rise apartment buildings and townhomes. There's also some industrial buildings along the rail line.

The apartments pictured here were replaced with the New Center Building.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/478...2re2finalx.jpg
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dpa1ic/x...82/dpa5182.tif

http://imageshack.us/a/img255/2381/7...e1x0y0swsh.jpg
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...-74294%5D74294

http://imageshack.us/a/img202/574/34...e1x0y0swsh.jpg
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...-34223%5D34223

http://imageshack.us/a/img23/113/342...re1x0y0sws.jpg
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...ND-1%5D34223_1

^Also note the Lodge Freeway is being built in this last picture.

An aerial photograph of Philadelphia from 1935 that has been posted a few times on this forum:

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/849...a193adjxh4.jpg

WHOA!! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

That looks like something from New York City, I had no idea that Philly looked like that back then!! One of the many reasons I hate how LA had a height ordinance =[

^ Philadelphia had a height ordinance as well.