Vintage Photographs Show What Brooklyn Really Looked Like in the 1950s

May 25, 1950: Cop grins broadly as driver of one of the first cars to enter the Brooklyn end of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel hands him his ticket.
May 25, 1950: Cop grins broadly as driver of one of the first cars to enter the Brooklyn end of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel hands him his ticket.
Photo: Paul Bernius
Passengers leaving ferry in Brooklyn.
Passengers leaving ferry in Brooklyn.
Photo: George Marks
People relaxing on the sea front at Coney Island, New York.
People relaxing on the sea front at Coney Island, New York.
Photo: Ernst Haas
This aerial photo, from high above Brooklyn, shows Ebbets Field in 1950.
This aerial photo, from high above Brooklyn, shows Ebbets Field in 1950.
Photo: Mark Rucker
The beach at Coney Island. The parachute ride is visible in the background, 1952.
The beach at Coney Island. The parachute ride is visible in the background, 1952.
Models from the CBS gameshow, "The Big Payoff," Cindy Robbins and Pat Conway ride The Whip designed and built by W.F. Mangels Company of Coney Island, at Steeplechase Park. Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY.
Models from the CBS gameshow, "The Big Payoff," Cindy Robbins and Pat Conway ride The Whip designed and built by W.F. Mangels Company of Coney Island, at Steeplechase Park. Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY.
A group of workers getting refreshments from a portable snack stand underneath Brooklyn Bridge.
A group of workers getting refreshments from a portable snack stand underneath Brooklyn Bridge.
Photo: Three Lions
Fans celebrating Dodgers' World Series victory, 1955, Brooklyn.
Fans celebrating Dodgers' World Series victory, 1955, Brooklyn.
Photo: Martha Holmes
The Lefferts Homestead in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, 1955.
The Lefferts Homestead in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, 1955.
Photo of Marquees Venues, 1956, New York, Flatbush and DeKalb, Brooklyn Paramount Theatre.
Photo of Marquees Venues, 1956, New York, Flatbush and DeKalb, Brooklyn Paramount Theatre.
Students at Brooklyn School of Automotive Trades and members of the Automotive Custom Crafters Club are pledged to provide honest service to the motoring public without charge. Here they give a driver a push start, 1956.
Students at Brooklyn School of Automotive Trades and members of the Automotive Custom Crafters Club are pledged to provide honest service to the motoring public without charge. Here they give a driver a push start, 1956.
Photo: Three Lions
Three young boys enjoy the animals in the window of Boro Pet Center in Brooklyn Heights in March 1958.
Three young boys enjoy the animals in the window of Boro Pet Center in Brooklyn Heights in March 1958.
Photo: David Attie

via TIME

Matt Coneybeare

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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