The Lively Morgue is a daily photo blog from the New York Times in which an original photo from the newspaper's archives is reposted along with tidbits of information gleaned from the historical article it accompanied. Along with a rescan of the original photograph, the backs of each photo are also scanned, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the editorial process of one of the world's best newspapers.
Today's photo features an aerial shot from 1954 of a razed Columbus Circle, preparing for the building of the New York Coliseum.
June 21, 1954: Plans to build on Columbus Circle required demolition of 1819 Broadway, a tower of offices that would be “the tallest building ever to come down anywhere in the world,” according to H. B. Mack, president of Wreckers and Excavators Inc. The demolition, which displaced pigeons and others, was to make space for the New York Coliseum, a convention center that stood there from 1956 till 2000, when the Time Warner Center moved in.
Matt Coneybeare
Editor in Chief
Matt enjoys exploring the City's with his partner and son. He is an avid marathon runner, and spends most of his time eating, running, and working on cool stuff.
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