Long Gone Neon, Part 2

In this second installment of miscellaneous neon signs spotted while browsing the NYPL's amazing collection of "Photographic Views of New York City," we get another time port into the streetscapes of midcentury New York.  Before restrictive zoning ordinances really kicked in, before economic stagnation lent the landscape that air of grit and decay that characterized the city by the 1970s, New York's commercial strips were literally abuzz with commercial activity, much of which expressed itself in one common medium: neon. 

"Pinto's Dining and Dancing" ~ 3rd St., looking west from Thompson, Manhattan.  P.L. Sperr, May 19, 1939.  Then and Now.

These photos are reminders that the small handful of old neon signs that survive today are just the tiniest sliver of the many thousands that once existed.  Today, the signs are preserved only in these old photos, which the NYPL had the foresight to commission back in the 1930s and 40s, specifically to create a visual record of the fast changing city. 

"Monte Carlo Spaghetti Restaurant" ~ 14th Street, south side looking east from 3rd Ave., P.L. Sperr, Aug. 11, 1936.  Then and Now.

In recent years, the Library has done a brilliant job of digitizing this and other collections in its graphic holdings (all of these images are available for purchase at its online digital gallery).  Sadly, the NYPL lacks the resources to commission such photographs today; one wonders whether today's Google StreetView images will be preserved to become tomorrow's backward glance. 

"Thomas Beauty Salon" ~ 14th St., north side, looking east from Third Ave.  P.L. Sperr, Aug. 11, 1936.  Then and Now.

The Old Beekman Bar ~ Beekman Pl. at East 51st St., Beecher Ogden Roosevelt, Dec. 27, 1944. Then and Now.

"Ming Studio Neon Signs" ~ Southwest corner of Canal and Mott Sts., P.L. Sperr, Sept. 25, 1936.  Then and Now.

"Conovitz Optician" ~ Main St., Flushing, Queens, west side looking south from 37th Ave.  P.L. Sperr, July 10, 1936.  Then and Now.

"Flushing Dept. Store."  Main Street, West Side, looking South from 37th Ave, Flushing, Queens.  P.L. Sperr, July 10, 1936.  Then and Now.

"Jacobs Electric Gifts" ~ Main St., Flushing, Queens, east side looking north from 39th Ave.  P.L. Sperr, Aug. 21, 1935.  Then and Now.

"Drake Secretarial Courses" (and "Weeks Bakery") ~ Main Street, east side looking north from 39th Ave., Flushing, Queens.  P.L. Sperr, Aug. 21, 1935.  Then and Now.

"Hirsh's Delicatessen" ~ SE Corner of 13th Ave. and 39th St., Brooklyn; P.L. Sperr, Oct. 10, 1933.  Then and Now.

"Manny's Bar" ~ N.E. Corner of Delancey and Suffolk Sts, Manhattan; P.L. Sperr, Sept. 25, 1936.  Then and Now.

SEE ALSO: 
• Long Gone Neon, Part 1.

IN OTHER NEON NEWS:
• From CNN, a short video piece on the decline of neon in Hong Kong. Thanks to Christina Zdanowicz for this link.
• And: a very nicely curated homage to Hong Kong neon.
• "35 of America's Most Majestic Vintage Neon Signs," from Flavorwire.