Old city photos

[KevinFromTexas]

Feel free to post your own if you have them. Make sure to credit any photos that aren't your's with a link to the page where you found the photo.

Austin in 1969. In this picture, the tallest building in the city was the State Capitol. I count only 22 high rises in downtown and on the UT Campus (not including the Capitol). Today Austin has 100 high rises (not counting 9 more that are under construction). Austin's city population back then was around 250,000 versus 750,000 today. The metro population was just under 398,000 back then while today it is just shy of 1.6 million.
Credit: Portal to Texas History
http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-33281

[KevinFromTexas]

Downtown from I-35 in 1957.

Credit: Portal to Texas History
http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-33447

[Trantor]

Porto Alegre, 1955


50s








Graff Zeppelin over Porto Alegre (region of Brazil with very strong german immigration since 1824), in 1934


all pictures from www.portoimagem.com

[Dan Denson]

In the first Austin photo, from 1969, I see that Jester Dorm was already constructed (must have been brand new around that time). Looks like beyond 183 N., there was mostly farm land and no suburbs toward Round Rock. I can see that at the edge of the hills on the west side, the old quarry is visible between the present Hart Lane and Mopac. There wasn't much to downtown!

[Trantor]

I think its quite interesting how most (not all) american downtowns are differentiated from the rest of the city by the fact its streets are devoid of trees.

[Dan Denson]

Originally Posted by Trantor

I think its quite interesting how most (not all) american downtowns are differentiated from the rest of the city by the fact its streets are devoid of trees.

Of course, the Austin downtown pic was taken over 40 years ago, and the current downtown is not devoid of trees. But it's still not at all what it should be in that respect. The trees along Congress are just now finally getting big enough to look nice.

Outside of the U.S., I've visited downtowns in England and Italy, and found the same problem. What are some good examples of where city planners did it right regarding trees in downtown areas?

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by iamthewalrus

1963



1976

Montreal in the 50's and 60's, back when this city was still the biggest and most ambitious in Canada!

[Rico Rommheim]

More...

Originally Posted by marco

Dorchester boulevard in the year of '61 with the CIBC tower U/C.


The old CP HQ and the city in the background, 1961.


1961, the city was building tall shit all over the place.



The Hydro-Québec Building, 1961



CIBC Tower, 1961



The rising skyline, 1963.






Metro inauguration day, 1966.

[WilliamTheArtist]

Not a pic, but possibly the earliest depiction of Tulsa.

Tulsa Main Street 1882


Tulsa Main Street 1893


Tulsa 1920s

[Raining Inside]

Tulsa came a long ways in just 30 years.

[KevinFromTexas]

^ No kidding.

[Austin55]

Wow, Austin looks like a slum warehouse district, now it looks awesome. Most cities that suck for awhile usually turn out great.

Fort Worth will be Beast in 30 years!

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by Dan Denson

Outside of the U.S., I've visited downtowns in England and Italy, and found the same problem. What are some good examples of where city planners did it right regarding trees in downtown areas?

um, portland, oregon. Our streets everywhere are lined with trees. One has a hard time taking a shot of a building or a street without a tree being in the shot. Every downtown should be full of trees, seeing that they like to produce oxygen....though the down side is that the trees can sometimes be hell on the allergies.

[Dan Denson]

Originally Posted by Austin55

Wow, Austin looks like a slum warehouse district, now it looks awesome. Most cities that suck for awhile usually turn out great.

Fort Worth will be Beast in 30 years!

I agree.

In the 50s and 60s, Austin outside of downtown was already a beautiful place, but to me the downtown area sucked until not very long ago. It had some nice highrises in the 80s and 90s but far fewer than you would expect for a city of its size. Back then, much of downtown was a sight for sore eyes. But now we're finally getting the downtown we've been waiting for!

[Dan Denson]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

um, portland, oregon. Our streets everywhere are lined with trees. One has a hard time taking a shot of a building or a street without a tree being in the shot. Every downtown should be full of trees, seeing that they like to produce oxygen....though the down side is that the trees can sometimes be hell on the allergies.

Portland does it right on so many levels.

[SuburbanNation]

elephants being led through the streets of "old smoky." (st. louis)


http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/count...d/circus2a.jpg


http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/count...-1zeppelin.jpg

a zeppelin over the leading edge of north st. louis in the 1920s.

[Trantor]

Originally Posted by Dan Denson

What are some good examples of where city planners did it right regarding trees in downtown areas?

[Trantor]

São Paulo, 1947

photos from LIFE magazine

photographer: Dmitri Kessel































1957, 10 years later



1930, 17 years before

credit: http://www.agperformance.com.br/paulista/historico.asp

[Trantor]

Avenida Paulista evolution

credits: http://www.agperformance.com.br/paulista/historico.asp

1891 - inauguration of the avenue - painting by Jules Martin


1895 - Von Büllow Estate


1902


1907


1924


1930


1940


1950


1960


1971


1972


1978



1980


2008


http://www.projetosurbanos.com.br/ca...tugues/page/3/

[Keep-SA-Lame]

http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-41356:1

Neat map of San Antonio in 1891 from the Light.