The Culturist Profile picture
Jul 4, 2024 20 tweets 7 min read Read on X
This is what American cities looked like a century ago (and what happened to them)... 🧵

1. Saratoga Springs, New York (1915) Image
Victorian-era Broadway of Saratoga Springs was immaculate, although it still looks quite similar today — minus some of the elegant facades and verandas.

But other places weren't so lucky... Image
2. San Francisco, California (c.1876)

Most of San Fran's Victorian downtown was lost in the great earthquake (and fires) of 1906. Before then, it was routinely compared to Europe's finest metropolises: the "Paris of the Pacific"... Image
...and this was the old city hall, also destroyed in the earthquake which leveled most of the city. Image
3. Detroit, Michigan (1901)

You'll be surprised to know Detroit was sometimes called the "Paris of the Midwest" — due to its French origins, but also its elegant architecture that sprung up during its prosperous years... Image
...and this is what the Belle Isle ferry dock was like in 1905. Image
4. Los Angeles, California (1928)

Downtown L.A. in the Victorian era was dramatically different. This entire district of 19th century buildings was razed to "renew" the Civic Center neighborhood... Image
...and this was Long Beach in 1910. There was a famous amusement zone called "the Pike" that was demolished in 1970s. Image
5. Kansas City, Missouri (1906)

Then you had inner cities that were lost to the great highways. Entire districts of Kansas City were infamously stripped out for the interstate. Image
6. Cincinnati, Ohio (1910)

Suburbanization and deindustrialization cratered populations of cities like Cincinnati, which were once bustling. Over 500k people lived there in 1950 — and only 300k today... Image
...and the new interstates played no small part in this, in some cases displacing tens of thousands of people. Image
7. New York City, New York (1916)

Most major cities had street cars that carried people to work — even New York. The City Hall Post Office in this image also no longer exists: it was considered a "monstrosity" back then and razed in 1939. Image
This was Broad Street at the turn of the century. The street was designed with carriages in mind, but people and vehicles shared the space without much regulation at this point... Image
...and this was Times Square before the billboards. Image
8. Salem, Massachusetts (c.1910)

The railroads were of course a casualty of motorcar dominance. This grand depot in Salem no longer exists. Image
9. Chicago, Illinois (1893)

Several cities transformed themselves for the World's Fairs. Chicago was the most impressive: erecting the mighty "White City" in Jackson Park in just two years.

These were temporary structures, almost all demolished after the event.
Image
Image
10. Buffalo, New York (1901)

Buffalo is also unrecognizable in photos taken during its Pan-American Exposition. Back then, it was a boom town and powerhouse of industry... Image
...and downtown was dominated by great buildings like the Romanesque Erie County Savings Bank.

It was later demolished in an "urban renewal" project of the 1960s... Image
I explore the beauty of the old world in my free newsletter every week — do NOT miss the next one.

50,000+ readers: art, history and culture 👇
culturecritic.beehiiv.com/subscribe
One more: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1907)

One of the many wonderful theaters that were lost — entirely demolished in 1971. Image

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with The Culturist

The Culturist Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @the_culturist_

Mar 28
Reminder: Tolkien hated Disney.

He called them "hopelessly corrupted" and knew they'd ruin any story they touched.

Why? Tolkien's storytelling philosophy was profoundly different… (thread) 🧵 Image
The Hobbit was published a few months before the Snow White movie came out in 1937.

Tolkien watched it with his friend C.S. Lewis, and later insisted that Disney *never* adapt his own works… Image
Image
Tolkien dedicated his life to the study and creation of myths and what he called "fairy-stories".

For him, age-old tales like Beowulf weren't just entertainment, but vehicles of profound truth, emerged from cultural soil over generations. Image
Image
Read 16 tweets
Mar 21
JRR Tolkien hated Dune because its ethics are fundamentally wrong.

The Lord of the Rings is a profoundly different take on Good and Evil — and how to live a moral life.

Here's why… (thread) 🧵 Image
Tolkien, in an unsent letter, said he disliked Frank Herbert's Dune "with some intensity".

Why? He didn't explain, but Dune's protagonists are directly opposed to the heroes of Middle-earth... Image
Dune, GoT and others adhere to the idea that good and bad actions are defined by their consequences.

Their characters are pragmatists, choosing the lesser of evils to forge a path they deem is good. Image
Image
Read 21 tweets
Mar 14
America built the greatest train stations ever seen — and then demolished them.

Here's what the American railway was like at its peak.

And what destroying it says about us… (thread) 🧵 Image
Right now, the US has more railway tracks than any other country (155,000+ miles).

Most of this, of course, is freight... Image
But Americans also once had the greatest passenger system in the world. Note the decline since the mid-20th century.

1962 vs. 2005: Image
Image
Read 19 tweets
Mar 7
Lent marks Christ's 40 days in the Judaean Desert, where he's confronted by Satan.

Their clash is an epic philosophical showdown, and a masterclass in beating temptation.

Here's how it unfolds — and how to crush temptation yourself... (thread) 🧵 Image
Christ's battle with temptation isn't only that — it's a battle for the soul of all humanity.

Satan tempts Jesus to:
• Make bread from stones to end his hunger
• Jump from a pinnacle to prove his divinity
• Bow to Satan and rule the world in return Image
But Jesus proves himself at each turn by flatly denying Satan.

The story is only brief in the Gospels, but John Milton's "Paradise Regained" expands it, exposing the nature of temptation — and how to destroy it for good. Image
Read 20 tweets
Feb 27
You've seen this series of paintings before, but look closer.

It contains a clue as to why civilizations collapse.

Hint: it isn't external forces — cultures erode from within… (thread) 🧵 Image
Thomas Cole's "Course of Empire" tracks 5 stages of civilization, from birth to eventual collapse.

Painting in 1836, Cole was warning the nascent United States of the dangers awaiting it… Image
We start with the "Savage State," where a storm is brewing in the air.

Men band together in the hunt for food and dance around a fire, the birthplace of culture. Image
Read 20 tweets
Feb 24
The Lord of the Rings does not take place on an imaginary planet — it's Earth.

Middle-earth is our forgotten past, before recorded history, when Eden (Valinor) was a real place.

The truth of Tolkien's world will blow your mind... 🧵 Image
Middle-earth is our Earth long ago, as Tolkien said:

"I have (of course) placed the action in a purely imaginary (though not wholly impossible) period of antiquity, in which the shape of the continental masses was different." Image
He even compared latitudes directly:

Hobbiton and Rivendell are about the latitude of Oxford, Minas Tirith the latitude of Florence, and Pelargir the latitude of ancient Troy. Image
Image
Read 16 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(