New York, Then and Now (1981 and 2024 ish)

Looking south down on 6th Avenue from the top of the Rockerfeller Centre (Scan from June 1981) The 1981 picture shows the tall building, 1185 6th Avenue, with gaps on its southern end. The Google Earth view of 2024 shows at least two buildings have filled the space. The closest being 1177 Americas Tower, a mixture of Art Deco and post modern styles, completed in 1991.

Looking north towards Central Park from the Rockerfeller Centre (Scan from June 1981) The building under construction in the 1981 picture may be 15 W53 St completed in 1983 and 52 storeys. The 2024 view shows a further building close by.

Chrysler Building just seen behind the Panam Building seen from roof of Rockefeller Building (Scan from June 1981) The Panam building, 200 Park Avenue and 45th St, is now the Met Life building, and was completed in 1962. The very tall building seen in the 2024 Google Earth view is One Vanderbilt a 73 storey skyscraper at the corner of 42nd St. and Vanderbilt Avenue, opened in 2020.

Looking eastward from Rockefeller Building (Scan from June 1981) The white building with the wedge-shaped top is 601 Lexington Ave and common to both pictures. It is a skyscraper built in 1977 for Citibank. The 2024 Google viewmshows that two skyscrapers have been squeezed in close by. The blue building is 599 Lexington Ave, 50 storeys and complete in 1986. The tall white building on the opposite side of Lexington Ave is 601 and The Selene a 64 storey sky scrapper completed in 2019.

Looking west along 50th Street from the Rockefeller Building. (Scan from June 1981) The dark skyscraper in the centre is the Paramount Plaza bounded by 50th, 51st streets and Broadway. A 48 storey building opened in 1971. To the left is 1251 Avenue of The Américas, a 54 storey completed 1971 and originally called the Exxon Building. To The right is 1271 Ave of Américas formerly known as the Time and Life Building: A 48 storey opened in 1960. The 2024 view shows little change.

Looking south towards the Empire State Building from the top of the Rockerfeller Centre (Scan from June 1981) Google Earth view 2024.

Looking North from near Times Square, Broadway to the left and 7th Avenue to the right. (Scan from July 1981) The Statue in the centre of the picture is of George M Cohan (1878-1942) "Give my regards to Broadway" at Duffy Square, part of Times square, dedicated in 1959 In the 1981 picture and Along 7th Avenue is Hotel Taft on RHS. This is a 22 storey pre-war Spanish Renaissance structure opened in 1926. It has now been renamed The Michelangelo.

Looking south from Times Square, Broadway to the left and 7th Avenue to the right (Scan from June 1981) In the 1981 picture, on the left, are the columns of the 16 storey Loew’s State Theatre at 1540 Broadway. Designed in Adam style and opened 1921 it was sold to developers in 1986 and replaced by Bertelsmann Building a 44 storey skyscraper.

18th Precinct, 306 W 54th Street (Scan from June 1981) Google Earth view 2024.