Steamer Asbury Park (1903-1905)

Steamer Asbury Park, photographed in New York in 1903 - 1905. The 91 m long steamer, built by William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia, entered service in 1903. My colorization of a picture in the Library of Congress archive (Detroit Publishing Co. collection).

"Asbury Park was a high-speed coastal steamer built in Philadelphia, and intended to transport well-to-do persons from New York to summer homes on the New Jersey shore. This vessel was sold to West Coast interests in 1918, and later converted to an automobile ferry, serving on various routes San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound and British Columbia. This vessel was known by a number of other names, including City of Sacramento, Kahloke, Langdale Queen, and Lady Grace." --

"The Jersey Central had a fleet of steamships which it operated from New York to points along the coast of New Jersey. Asbury Park was considered a prestige vessel and was the flagship of the Jersey Central fleet. The vessel was intended to attract wealthy patrons from New York's financial district, who would use the ship to reach their summer homes on the New Jersey shore.""With a speed of over 20 knots, she operated during the summer season between the north Jersey Shore and New York City. However, her size and speed made her ill-suited to the route, and she lacked manoeuvrability in the congested waters of New York harbour. With the decline in traffic during the First World War she was laid up during the 1917 and 1918 summer seasons." (Wikipedia)

New York Tugboat Watuppa in 1936

Mc. Carren Towing Line tugboat Watuppa with the Manhattan skyline in the background. Photographed by Berenice Abbott in 1936. The original image - here shown with my colorization - is in the New York Public Library digital collection.

New York´s Trinity Church by night (1920s)

This picture of New York´s Trinity church by night was published in the book 

"Maapallo - Pohjois-Ameriikka" in 1925. (My colouring.) 

A 1908 New York street musician

A 1908 New York street musician, playing the cello and the violin at the same time:

One could speculate about what he was playing. Perhaps e.g. Beethoven's Rondeau Concertant No.2, Op.51
 for violin and cello ? Probably not, as the cello part would have been rather difficult to play with the technique
used by the musician in the picture.

Manhattan skyscrapers in the early 1920s

In the early 1920 skyscrapers dominated the Manhattan skyline. Below is a selection of the early skyscrapers and a couple of other photos from New York from that time:

The Bank Trust building, with the Singer tower in the background.

The Equitable Building at 120 Broadway. 15.000 people were working in the 37 floor building in the 1920s. 

The 34 floor Municipal building.

Hotel Pennsylvania. It had 2200 rooms in the early 1920s.

The New York Times building.

Metropolitan Life Tower.

Pennsylvania station.

Broadway.

Manhattan just before the skyscrapers

This is how Manhattan looked just before the arrival of the skyscrapers. (1880s drawing by Bertault, based on a lithograph by Currier and Yves).