Take a tour of Harlem, and take a cruise down Fifth Avenue just as it was 90-years ago.
This restored video from 1930s New York City is accessible to anyone. It doesn’t take a car enthusiast to appreciate the round lights and sculptured fenders that were the hallmarks of classic cars. This brief, but stunning slice-of-life view of the Big Apple shows both.
We are not experts on New York City today, or in the past. Although we have done some scouting to find landmarks, we would love to hear more from NYC residents. It’s amazing to see how much has changed. You can search these landmarks on Google Maps and jump into streetview to see the details.
The video opens at Fifth Avenue in Midtown just south of 53rd Street, if our research is correct. The camera is parked in the street and we can see all sorts of well-dressed people, surrounded by a sea o stately sedans. However, the camera moves quickly and the camera leaves the street. We finally see a landmark in Harlem, the Park & Tilford Building. It took approximately 30 seconds. This section shows Lenox Avenue moving south, several blocks north from Central Park.
Next, we’ll be taking you to a spot New Yorkers will recognize almost instantly. Although much has happened on Fifth Avenue over the past 90 years, there is still a Central Park and Sherman Memorial at Grand Army Plaza. The camera will pass by the Sherman Memorial as it passes. We are now driving south along Fifth Avenue through Midtown Manhattan. With its distinctively arched entrances and prominently carved entrances, St. Thomas Church is the most well-known of all the buildings. It’s still standing today.
The camera car finally stops at the exact same spot as the beginning of the journey – Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street. The video ends with a slightly different view of Fifth Avenue, just south of Central Park. We spotted several large, luxurious sedans and coupes, including a V16-powered Chevrolet in Harlem, during the five-minute journey. There may be an Auburn sedan outside St. Thomas Church, as well as a Buick. The roads are filled with old Fords, and Chevys. For epic car spotting, we could freeze frame the video all day.
According to the video description, the colors and sounds may not be as accurate as stated. The restoration process, which includes stabilization and a higher frame rate, gives viewers a remarkable look at the people, the activity and the cars in New York City during the early days of motoring. These things may be more valuable than gold for some.