Patterson Park is located in Baltimore MD. It began as six acres of land donated in 1827 and now comprises 137. The Park’s high ground was the site of a major battle in the War of 1812. An observatory in the form of a pagoda was built in 1891 and remains a major attraction. The Boat Lake was created when a military installation was removed  in 1864, towards the end of the Civil War. The first photo shows Boat Lake in 1890. The third photo shows visitors on the Pagoda steps in 1893.

The Chicago Theater is located on north State St. in Chicago. It was built in 1921 at a cost of four million dollars (fifty-six million today). It has 3,880 seats and was the first movie palace, a prototype for all the ones to follow. It was also one of the first  to use air conditioning. The first photo is dated 1921. The third photo showing the interior is credited to Dave DiCello. (Click to enlarge.)

The Rialto Square Theater opened in 1926 at a cost of two million dollars (twenty-six million today). It is located in Joliet IL, near Chicago, and very near in appearance to the Chicago Theater. Vaudeville was originally the main attraction, followed by movies until the 1970s. Saved from demolition in 1980, it was renovated and continues now as a performing arts center.The first photo is undated.

Grauman’s is located on the famous Walk of Fame in Hollywood. It opened in 1927. In 2013 it partnered with IMAX and underwent extensive renovation. It now has 932 seats and one of the largest movie screens in North America. The first photo is undated.

Located in Jersey City, NJ, Lowes Jersey Theater opened in 1929 (ninety years ago this month) at a cost of two million dollars (twenty-five million today). It has 3,021 seats and not only hosted movie goers but presented live performances as well. It closed in 1986 and was threatened with demolition. After 10 years the building was  acquired by the City of Jersey City. Current shows include classic movie weekends, operas, live bands, corporate events, and weddings. The first photo is dated 1030.

The Palace Albany Theater is located in Albany, NY . It opened in 1931 with 2,844 seats and closed in 1969. It was purchased by the City of Albany and underwent a three-million-dollar renovation in 2002. The theater now hosts about 150 events per year, much like the Lowes Jersey Theater. The first photo is dated 1951.

Often overlooked is the amount of supplies (chemicals, pans, tables, paper, etc) Jackson had to pack into remote, road-less terrain in order to develop his pictures. Add to that the 18 x 22 inch mammoth camera he used. There was no aperture, so he had to guess the exposure, which ranged from five seconds to 20 minutes! The first photo is of Pueblo Laguna in New Mexico and is dated 1883 .  It is one of the few pictures of Jackson with  his giant camera. (Click to enlarge.)

Split Mountain, Wyoming 1870

Pikes Peak Ave., Colorado Springs, CO. 1885

Washington-Hariver Bridge Hudson River, N.Y. 1890

Washington Monument, Baltimore, MA. 1902

William Henry Jackson was one of America’s premier photographers and painters in the 19th century. He was born in 1843 in Keeseville NY. In 1869 he was assigned by the Union Pacific RR to photograph scenery in the West to help the railroad with its expansion program. In 1870 he joined the famed Hayden Expedition to bring back photos which, along with Thomas Moran’s paintings, would be used to help Congress establish Yellowstone as the first national park in 1871. He went on to photograph iconic landscapes of the West (see May 2014) as well as cityscapes both domestically and internationally. Examples of his U.S. sites are:

Catalina Island CA. 1905

Colorado Midland RR Tunnel 1888

Eureka CO. ca.1900

Jamestown Island church 1902

Library of Congress, Washington DC, late 1800s

Key West is both an island and a city in the Florida Keys at the southern tip of the longest north/south road in the U.S. The city’s main street is Duval St., 1.1 miles long. Located on it is the famous  Sloppy Joe’s Bar. Sloppy Joe’s opened the day after Prohibition was repealed, December 5, 1933. The owner was a good friend of Ernest Hemingway who gave the bar its name . In 1937, it moved across the street to its present location, which was built in 1917. The first photo is dated 1938.

Also on Duval St. is the old armory building, which was built in 1901 and is seen here in a 1902 photo. The building is now an artists’ community.

There are many other attractions too numerous to mention here, but some of the most popular are:

The old Island City National Bank building, which was built in 1901. The Bank opened in 1914 and was the main developer of Duval St. The building is now a restaurant and bar that opened in March 2019. The first photo is undated.

The Custom House. This building opened in 1891 as a custom house, post office, and court house. It sat abandoned for 20 years and then was purchased by the State of Florida in 1991. The state then leased the building to the Key West Art and Historical Society. The first photo is dated 1900.

The southernmost house in the U.S. It was built in 1897 and was the first to have electricity in Key West, thanks to a friend–Thomas Edison. It was a speakeasy in the 30s, a night club in the 40s, and now is a B&B. The first photo is undated.

The Hemingway House. This residence was built in 1851 and was occupied by Ernest Hemingway from 1931-39. It is a landmark and major tourist attraction with six- and seven-toed descendants of Hemingway’s original cats. Oddly, it sits just 16 feet above sea level yet is the second highest point on the island! The first photo is dated 1934 and the last one shows the current owner.

Mary’s Rock Tunnel is located on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, VA. Six hundred feet of solid granite had to be drilled, blasted, and cleared. The work was completed in 1932. The first photo is dated 1932.