The Way Tribeca Was

In my last roundup of photos of old Tribeca, as I usually do, I asked/begged people to send over any they might have stashed away. “I have a metal door filled with old signage of store fronts now gone,” commented Jean Grillo,  Democratic District Leader for the 66th Assembly District. “My family and I have been here since 1972. I’d love somebody to come by and photograph the signs. There are just too many to send one by one. I love the old Morgan’s Market, the original tanning (real hides, not glamour) companies that did animal skins located on Warren. Even newer ones like Ralph’s and Ruby’s books on Chambers.” Not only did she take photos of buildings when very few other people did, she collected business cards, too.

I popped by, and the door delivered as promised. I didn’t take the photos down to shoot them, although I probably should’ve (and Jean said I could), because I didn’t want to ruin it. So my photos-of-photos aren’t as good as they might be, and there’s glare here and there. Still, I think you can get a worthwhile sense of each of the locations. I just wish I hadn’t forgotten the photo Jean took during the construction of Tribeca Tower on Duane—she walked right into the construction pit, then turned around and shot both the pit and the buildings across the street.

They get bigger if you click on them. And if you drift over, some have location info. Feel free to add your own in the comments.

Thanks again, Jean!

•••••••••••••

Other historical posts:
••• More Photos of Old Tribeca
••• El Internacional, the First Postmodern Art Restaurant
••• Two Tribeca artifacts
••• A Scrapbook of Old Tribeca
••• Tribeca in the 1980s (the motherlode of old Tribeca photos)
••• Tribeca Then and Now
••• A Ride Through the Past (and Part 2)
••• A Dusty Glimpse of the Commercial Past

 

4 Comments

  1. Jean, thanks for the memories of “the good old days.” SIGH …

  2. I wish my parents took me to TriBeCa more when I was kid growing up in NYC in the ’80s so I could experience these awesome photos in real life. I love that you post these Erik!

  3. When I moved to NYC in 1979 my first meal was at Delphi. Miss it and really miss Ruby’s. Thanks for posting these photos.

  4. What a great collection of old signs, love the ghost signs they’re my favourites. Also love the Morgan’s Market sign, my fave breakfast place when I visit.
    How fab they are on display on Jean’s door.

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