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Penny
postcard postmarked January 1913; Wm. Jubb, Syracuse;
made in Germany.
The original Alhambra,
built in 1884
as a skating rink at the height of the roller-skating craze, burned on 20 December 1899. This
version of
the “new” Alhambra, built
at 267-279 James Street,
was completed in 1900 as Syracuse’s
answer to New York City’s Madison
Square Garden.
It was the place for political conventions, concerts and music
festivals, grand
social events, and boxing matches (when the Alhambra
was known as “the James Street
hall of swat”). “Kid Dyke” (Tony Rexin), Freddie Sallus, Tiger Perry,
Benny
Odell, and many other local boys fought there in the heyday of
“bootleg”
amateur boxing (late 1920s-early 1930s). This building also suffered a
fire on 13 November 1947,
and then fell into
decay. |
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Unused,
undated postcard (divided back, circa 1917/World War I); Randolph
Bros., Art
Publishers, Syracuse.
Caption
reads: “Bird’s eye view, Camp
Syracuse, U.S.A.” |
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Unmailed,
undated postcard (divided back, circa 1917/World War I); Randolph
Bros., Art
Publishers, Syracuse.
Caption
reads: “Eating chow on wood pile, Camp
Syracuse, U.S.A.”
Handwriting on the back of the card reads:
“These are the kind of dishes we use but we eat in the
mess
kitchen.
Every body washes his own dishes.” |
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--
Two-cent
postcard postmarked September 1918; Randolph Bros., Art Publishers, Syracuse.
Caption reads: “Washing dishes, Camp
Syracuse, U.S.A.”
|
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Image from penny postcard postmarked October 1906, Souvenir Post Card
Co.
Caption: “4451—City Hall, Syracuse,
N.Y.” Shows Syracuse’s
Romanesque City
Hall
building (built 1892-1894? of Onondaga limestone) located on East
Washington Street with its sign visible from
passing trains: “Syracuse Bids You Welcome.” This building is still in
use and was
placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. |
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Postcard, Community General Hospital.
When my sister was born there in 1964, this hospital was called
Community
Hospital in the Town of Onondaga, County of Onondaga, and was a
relatively new
hospital, having opened its birthing center in 1961. The back of this
postcard
is postmarked 1973 and the printed caption reads: “Community-General
Hospital
of Greater Syracuse, Broad Road,
Syracuse, New York 13215.
Modern 300-bed general hospital; completely air-conditioned with
individual
room controls; one and two-bed rooms only; each patient has bedside
radio,
television and telephone; electrically operated beds; nine operating
rooms;
Medical, Surgical, Maternity, Pediatric and Emergency services.” Today
it is
known as Community General Hospital of Greater Syracuse, 4900
Broad Road, Syracuse, NY
13215; telephone
(315)
452-5011. |
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Unused “linen” postcard (c. 1934-1945), Wm. Jubb Co., Syracuse,
with caption: “Onondaga County Court
House and Columbus Monument,
Syracuse, N.Y.”
This is a view of the fourth Onondaga County Courthouse, built on St.
Mary’s
Circle (today known as Columbus Circle
after the bronze statue of Christopher Columbus erected there in 1934).
This
building opened in 1907, replacing the smaller, “old” courthouse on Clinton
Square. |
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Image from unused
penny postcard (undivided back – c. 1901-1907?) showing a
New York Central Railroad train coming eastward along Washington
Street (photographed from near the front of
City
Hall). The S&K Building
(looks like a “Flatiron” building) can be seen after it grew from four
to seven
stories in 1894. A loaded Crouse-Hinds’ factory “horseless carriage”
awaits the
train. |
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Unused postcard, undated (divided back; probably c. 1910); Wm. Jubb, Syracuse;
made in Germany.
Caption reads: “D. L. and W. R. R. [Delaware,
Lackawanna and
Western
Railroad], Syracuse,
N. Y.” |
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Penny postcard postmarked September 1905; National Art Views Co.
Caption
reads: “Philip
Eckel Monument,
Syracuse, N. Y.” At
its 22 August 1900
dedication
this
monument was installed at the intersection of North Salina,
Butternut, and State Streets, in the midst of Syracuse’s
Northside German community. Philip (Philipp) Eckel was one of Syracuse’s
prominent German pioneers. He was a German immigrant, a Civil War
veteran, and Syracuse’s
Fire Chief at the time of his death on 1 June 1886 (he was thrown from a horse-drawn
vehicle while on his
way to fight a blaze). For more information on this monument see http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mstone/eckel-p-mon.html |
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Penny postcard postmarked October 1906 showing Hanover
Square, Syracuse, N.Y.
Hanover Square is
really
a
triangle, and was once the city’s commercial and entertainment center.
For most
of the 1800s this open space was a gathering place where carriages for
hire
congregated. Civil War soldiers were recruited here, and thousands
gathered
here to hear the memorial services for Abraham Lincoln when his funeral
train
stopped here briefly on its way to Springfield,
Illinois. |
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Four-cent postcard postmarked July 1959 of the Niagara Mohawk Power
Corporation, General Offices, Syracuse,
N. Y. Remainder of the caption on the back of the postcard reads: “These offices are part of a service center
occupying approximately 4 acres in the heart of the city. The company
serves a
large part of upstate New York
extending from the Niagara frontier to the New
England states and north to the Canadian border. Its tower
carries
an imposing figure in steel symbolizing Electric Power.” Wm. Jubb Co.,
Inc., Syracuse. |
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Penny postcard postmarked November 1916 by Randolph Bros.
Manufacturers, Syracuse,
showing the “Produce Market, Syracuse,
N.Y.”
This was the gathering spot known as the farmers’ market on the
Northside of
Syracuse in the early 20th century. Farmers from around the area would
bring
their produce and wares here to sell. |
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Rudolph Bros. postcard (divided back, probably c. 1910), unused, No.
335,
captioned “North Salina Street, Syracuse,
New York” (from the horse
and
carriage
era). |
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Rudolph Bros. postcard (divided back, probably c. 1915-1917), unused,
captioned
“North Salina Street, Syracuse,
N. Y.” (from the trolley car and Model T era). |
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Two-cent postcard postmarked August 1931, no. 120, published by Miller
Paper
Co., Syracuse, N.Y. Captioned “North Salina Street, Syracuse, N.Y.” it
shows
the view looking north up North Salina Street from Clinton Square. The
Empire
House can be partially seen at the left; the Syracuse
Savings Bank
Building
is in the foreground, right (with green peaked roof). |
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Unused penny postcard, undated (divided back circa 1915), The Hugh C.
Leighton
Co., Manufacturers, Portland, Maine;
made in Germany
no. 7449; caption reads: “Syracuse,
N.Y. New York Central R.R.
Station”
(photo
from the horse and wagon era?). |
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–
Unused, undated penny postcard (divided back, front border era,
1916-1930),
caption reads: “Train sheds, N. Y. C.
Depot, Syracuse, N. Y.”
(New York
Central Railroad depot photo from horse and buggy era). |
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Unused,
undated penny postcard (divided back circa 1915), with caption: “Swimming Pool, Old Reservoir, Syracuse,
N. Y.” When the Woodland Reservoir opened on South
Geddes Street in 1894, the old Wilkinson
Reservoir
was no longer needed to supply Syracuse’s
drinking needs. In 1898 the 71 acres around the Wilkinson Reservoir was
bought
by the city to form Onondaga
Park.
In 1903 more wooded land (the Olmstead Grove) was acquired and became a
popular
picnic area near the old reservoir that is still in use today. In 1911
Wilkinson Reservoir was renovated and renamed Hiawatha
Lake. Today it is the
central focus
of Onondaga Park
on the southwest side of Syracuse. |
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Penny postcard postmarked August 1930 (Colorchrome/Syracuse News Co.
no.
123392), with caption: “Salina Street,
looking north from Onondaga Street,
Syracuse,
N. Y.” Shows Conley’s Men’s Shop, Empire Theater, Optimates Cigars,
street cars
and Model Ts. |
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“Linen”
postcard (c. 1930-1945) with one-cent stamp, postmarked May 1947 (Wm.
Jubb Co.,
no. E-6771), with front caption: “South Salina
Street
looking north, Syracuse,
N. Y.” Caption
on back of card reads: “This view of Salina
Street intersecting Jefferson
Street shows the center of the shopping and
theatre district.” View shows Loew’s State Theater on the left, Dey
Brothers’
store on the right. |
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“Linen”
postcard (c. 1930-1945) with three-cent stamp postmarked January 1960
(Wm. Jubb
Co., no. 12; 73084). Caption on front of card reads: “South
Salina Street, Looking South, from Fayette
Street, Syracuse, N.
Y.”
Caption on the back of the card reads:
“South Salina
Street – This
is one of the busiest and widest intersections in the city. It shows
the
principal retail shops and the theatre section of the city.” The view
shows F.
W. Woolworth Co. on the left side; Walgreen’s Drugs on the right side;
Loew’s
State Theater down the right-hand side of the block, and the Chimes
Building at the far
end of
the
street. |
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Photographic
card, undated and unused (circa 1945 or 1950, from the automobiles?)
(Carhart
Photo Service/ Plastichrome); caption reads: “Salina
Street looking north from the Chimes Bldg., Syracuse,
N. Y.” View shows the Astor Theater,
O’Shea’s, Fleischman’s, Howard, and Loew’s State theater on the left;
W.V.
Haggerty, Fanny Farmer candy store, Brannock parking on the right. |
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Unused
postcard, undated (divided back; probably c. 1911-1917); Wm. Jubb, Syracuse.
Caption reads: “Geothe [sic; Goethe] and
Schiller Monument,
Syracuse, N. Y.” This
monument
commemorates two famous German writers and was erected in Schiller
Park by the Syracuse’s
German/German-American community in 1911. It was dedicated to
Syracusans of
German ancestry on 5 October of that year. It is a copy of a monument
created
in 1857 by sculptor Ernst Reitschel (1804-1861) of Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe (1749-1832)
and Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805), regarded as Germany’s greatest
poets/playwrights.
The original monument was erected in 1857 in Weimar,
Saxony, and has since become a national
landmark
in Germany.
Schiller and Goethe were greatly admired in the United
States as well. There are similar
copies of
this monument in San Francisco, California’s
Golden Gate Park
(erected in 1901), in the German
Cultural Gardens
in Cleveland, Ohio
(erected 1907), and in Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s
Washington Park
(dedicated in 1908). Schiller
was very popular in the U.S.
as a literary figure in 1905, the 100th anniversary of his death.
Schiller Park
(previously known as Round Top Park and encompassing what was
previously St.
Cecelia’s Catholic Cemetery) received its name officially on 3 July
1905. For
more information see http://www.takeahike.org/Schiller.shtml |
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Unused penny postcard, undated (divided back c. 1911-1917), Randolph
Bros., Art
Publishers, Syracuse.
Caption
reads: “413 Soldiers
and Sailors Monument,
Syracuse,
N. Y.” This monument commemorating Civil War soldiers and sailors was
dedicated
in June 1910 in Clinton Square
at the edge of the Erie Canal. In this view the
“old”
courthouse (with flag) and the Empire House (and Electric Railway
Terminal) on
the far right can be seen on the north side of Clinton
Square (today this block is entirely filled
by the
Syracuse Post-Standard
offices and plant, completed in 1971). In 1925 this
section of the Erie Canal was filled in and
today is
known as Erie Boulevard.
The sign on top of the building at left (next to West
Genesee Street) reads “Peck’s Clean Coal /
Office
Under the Bank Clock.” |
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Image from penny postcard postmarked September 1906, H. L. Woehler, Buffalo,
N.Y. & Dresden Germany. Caption:
“712 – State Fair, Syracuse,
N.Y.”
The New York State Fair is the
nation’s
oldest, and was first held in Syracuse
in 1841. It has been held there annually since 1890. |
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Penny
postcard postmarked September 1910, Published by Ralph Finney, Times
Square
Station, N. Y.
City. Caption:
“General View of Midway, Syracuse Fair, Syracuse,
N. Y. (32198)” This view shows Syracuse’s
solar salt flats in the distance behind the Wild West show on the right. |
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Unused
penny postcard, undated (divided back c. 1911-1917), no. 44844
published by
Vanbenshoten & Countryman Inc., Syracuse, N.Y. Caption on the front
of the
card reads: “Change-Making: The silver half-dollar is the only
‘passport’ to
the State Fair. This picture shows where the exact change is made. The
State
Fair represents business life. The change booth is typified by the
Central City
Business School where young people are trained and prepared for
entrance into
business life. The Central City Business School issues a very
interesting
catalog which will gladly be sent [to] prospective students. Address 438
S. Salina St., Syracuse,
N
Y.” |
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Unused
“linen” penny postcard from 1939 (A “Colourpicture” Publication, Cambridge,
Mass., no. 10895). Caption on
the
front of
the card reads: “Entrance Gate to the State Fair” and caption on the
back
reads: “The Agricultural and Industrial Exposition, showcase of the Empire
State, attracts nearly
500,000
people from Central and Upstate New York annually. New
York State
Fair, Syracuse,
Aug. 26-Sept. 9, 1939.” |
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Unused, undated “Plastichrome” postcard from before July 1963 (when
Postal
Zip Codes began to be used); probably from late 1950s (from autos in
photo) (“Colourpicture”
Publishers / Charter Photo Service, P12667). Caption reads: “The State
Tower Building,
Syracuse, N. Y.
Syracuse’s
tallest
office building and a downtown ‘landmark.’ Many Syracusans can remember
visiting their doctors, dentists, lawyers, and insurance brokers in
this
building. Located at 109 South Warren Street,
it was built in historical Hanover Square
in 1927-1928 of concrete and steel with a facade of limestone and
terracotta.
It cost $1,500,000 to erect, and at 21 floors, it is still Syracuse’s
tallest office building. |
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Penny
postcard postmarked March 1908, published by Raphael Tuck & Sons;
Series
No. 2025, “Syracuse, N. Y.”
Caption: “Syracuse,
N. Y. Bird’s-Eye View.” The church pictured on the left, built in 1884,
was then
known as St. Paul’s Church
(and is
today called St. Paul’s
Episcopal
Cathedral, and is still located at 310
Montgomery Street at the corner of East
Fayette Street). The home of the Syracuse
Herald newspaper can be seen at left. |
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Unused, undated penny postcard (divided back c. 1911-1917), no.
456/5394
published by Rudolph Bros. Art Publishers, Syracuse.
Caption on the front of the card reads: “Empire State Express passing
through Syracuse,
N. Y.” The famous Empire State Express of the New York Central Railroad
is
passing west on Washington Street
past Syracuse’s City Hall,
with its
sign: “Syracuse Bids You Welcome.” The S&K
Building on the far
left is
only
four stories high in this view (before the other three stories were
added in
1894?). On the right is seen the Edward Joy Company. |
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Unused, undated penny postcard (c. 1905?), published by The H.
Hagemeister Co.,
New York; made in Germany.
Caption on the front of the card reads: “N. Y. C. Train, passing
through center
of city, Syracuse, N. Y.” Syracuse
was famous as the city where trains ran down the center of the downtown
city
streets. The view shows an old-fashioned trolley car (far left) and
various
signs reading “Syracuse Engraving Co./Photo-Engraving,” “W. R.
Brennan;” “L.
Vinney Co.;” “Bower & Perry;” “C.L. Amos
Coal
Company;” and “Baseball To-day.” |
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Unused, undated postcard (no. 12777, no publisher data, divided
back/front
border era, 1916-1930, probably c. 1920s, dating from autos in the
photo).
Caption reads: “Vanderbilt
Square, Syracuse, N.Y.”
Vanderbilt Square,
along East Washington Street
between Salina
and Warren Streets, was named after Cornelius Vanderbilt, the railroad
magnate
and millionaire whose New York Central Railroad “dominated Washington
Street for 100 years.” Everything in Vanderbilt
Square became coated with soot from the
locomotives running down tracks in the middle of the street. The red
and white
building on the corner, front right, is the White
Memorial Building,
built after 1895 (it is still standing and refurbished today). |
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Two-cent
postcard postmarked February 1954, Ektachrome/Dextone E-67040 published
by
Marks & Fuller, Inc., Rochester, N.Y.
Caption reads: “Memorial Hall Entrance, Onondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse,
New York.” Built in (1951?),
this
hall is
located on Montgomery Street
near Madison and today is
known as
the War Memorial at OnCenter. It serves variously as a sports arena,
concert
hall, theater, and ice rink, with seating for up to 8,500 people (Jimmi
Hendrix
played there in 1969). |
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Two-cent postcard postmarked February 1954,
Ektachrome/Dextone 66530 published by Marks & Fuller, Inc., Rochester,
N.Y. Caption reads: “Memorial
Hall,
Onondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse,
N. Y. Through its doors, grateful Americans pass to pay homage to the
dead—soldiers, sailors, marines, coast guardsmen, airmen, nurses, whose
names
are inscribed on bronze tablets in memory of their heroic and selfless
sacrifice. The theme of the World War I mural symbolically depicts the
victorious conclusion of the conflict in reference to the command
voiced in the
final lines of the poem, ‘In Flanders Fields.’ The mural is the work of
G. Lee
Trimm, distinguished Syracuse
artist.” (The final lines of “In Flanders Fields” are these: “Take up our quarrel with the foe: / To you
from failing hands we throw / The torch; be yours to hold it high. / If
ye
break faith with us who die / We shall not sleep, though poppies grow /
In Flanders
fields.”) |
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Photographic images |
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Image from a stereoscopic card, no date (c. 1900?). American Scenery,
1644,
“Court House, Syracuse, N.Y.”
This building was the “Old”
(third) Onondaga County Courthouse on Clinton Square, Syracuse, New York,
in use (for naturalizations and other legal processes) from 1857 to
1907. It
was replaced by the current (fourth) courthouse on Columbus Circle. This building was torn
down in 1967. |
