"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

Where & When Game #3

Today’s gem is a little a little difficult to date, so I’ll be lenient with the exact date unless you can figure out the hint.
Hint: This picture was taken two years after one of the buildings in this picture was built.
When & Where 03

A root beer to you if you get the location depicted and the date. Bonus if you know the nickname of a certain feature within this picture. Feel free to discuss as much as you want on the thread about it without directly revealing the answer (which will be published at or after 6pm tonight). Hey, I’m still trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t, so bear with me >;)

Answers, challenge submissions and suggestions can be sent to cixposse@gmail.com. As usual, do not use the photo credit link in researching your answer. Have fun!

{photo credit: Shorpy Historical Photo Archive}

29 comments

1 Alex Belth   ~  Sep 23, 2013 1:03 pm

Is that the police precinct down in Soho?

2 RIYank   ~  Sep 23, 2013 1:34 pm

Hmmmmmmmm...
Interesting.

I see a couple of things that should be clues but I'm not ready to interpret them. The architecture makes me think of City Hall. And we're in the trolley/horse era.

This will take some time!

3 rbj   ~  Sep 23, 2013 1:39 pm

I was going to guess City Hall, but the roof line is different.

4 rbj   ~  Sep 23, 2013 1:40 pm

And just like that, I think I have it.

5 BobbyB   ~  Sep 23, 2013 1:55 pm

I've seen this picture, or one like it before, in the courthouse downtown. Have no other clue.

6 RIYank   ~  Sep 23, 2013 2:11 pm

[4] Curse you.
Yeah, I didn't think it *was* City Hall.

But now I see a very significant difference in the architecture. A whole collection of features, and I think they add up to a pretty good clue. But so far that clue hasn't led me to a good answer.

7 Alex Belth   ~  Sep 23, 2013 2:13 pm

You guys are way better at this than me.

8 rbj   ~  Sep 23, 2013 2:34 pm

[7] I really just lucked into it.

9 RIYank   ~  Sep 23, 2013 2:43 pm

Not really making any further progress.
The features I noticed are Egyptian Revival. Look at the gargoyles, the frieze, and the birds (an eagle and a phoenix or something). But the picture is obviously too early for the Art Deco stuff like in the Chrysler Building, so I guess there was another Egyptian boom earlier than that. So.... I don't know. Anybody connect this with anything?

Chyll Will must expect us to get some clue from the bridge between the buildings, but it's not ringing any bells for me.

10 Chyll Will   ~  Sep 23, 2013 2:57 pm

Lucking into it is okay as long as you didn't take the forbidden route >;) I knew this one would be tough so I threw in the bonus question. I'll explain how to get the date at the update, sorry for the potential face palms...

11 Bronx Boy in NC   ~  Sep 23, 2013 3:05 pm

*exhales wistfully*

12 RIYank   ~  Sep 23, 2013 3:18 pm

I've also just kind of lucked into it. Trying to get a lead on the building on the right, I stumbled on a picture of the building on the left.
So, I know the bonus question answer, and I can tell the date from the hint but not otherwise (and indeed I would have guessed it was a bit later).

13 TheGreenMan   ~  Sep 23, 2013 3:45 pm

Got it, but I'm sure I'm not the first one (as evidenced by the comments above).

14 TheGreenMan   ~  Sep 23, 2013 3:47 pm

Actually found it by looking for the thing you were looking for the nickname of...ur, you know what I mean.

15 Chyll Will   ~  Sep 23, 2013 3:59 pm

There's still time. Send me your answers and how you got them (also how you want to be credited in the update) I'll spill the beans at or after six...

16 Chyll Will   ~  Sep 23, 2013 4:16 pm

RI and GreenMan, I didn't get emails if you sent them earlier.

17 RIYank   ~  Sep 23, 2013 4:19 pm

No, I hadn't bothered, just musing here in the comments. But I have now, just.

18 RIYank   ~  Sep 23, 2013 4:23 pm

[11] Ohhhhh... cute.

Funny, you'd expect to find that about a mile uptown and a few blocks east.

19 rbj   ~  Sep 23, 2013 4:57 pm

Apparently I did use the forbidden route to get the date, so no root beer for me.

20 RIYank   ~  Sep 23, 2013 5:06 pm

Oh, crap, I had no idea I had done that. Sorry.

21 RIYank   ~  Sep 23, 2013 5:06 pm

22 MSM35   ~  Sep 23, 2013 5:09 pm

I know nothing of this picture but keep doing this because it is fun to guess.

23 TheGreenMan   ~  Sep 23, 2013 5:54 pm

Just emailed you my guess.

24 RIYank   ~  Sep 23, 2013 6:11 pm

Okay, so, since Will can't tell time, is it okay to start talking about the actual answer? Or should we wait for him to chyll?

25 Chyll Will   ~  Sep 23, 2013 7:29 pm

Go ahead, it's cool.

26 kenboyer made me cry   ~  Sep 23, 2013 9:23 pm

My guess, The Tombs around 1905 when it was kinda new.

27 Ben   ~  Sep 24, 2013 7:23 am

I found the answer too, searching for the skywalk connector thingy. Found it right away then. Is that cheating?

That Tombs was built in 1902. So this is 1904. The B&W makes this hard because I thought the Criminal Courts building was terra cotta, so I was looking for a white building. Guess it's brick. I thought it was that building across from the Tweed's courthouse. Wrong.

28 Chyll Will   ~  Sep 24, 2013 8:52 am

UPDATE: I had given the wrong number of years in the hint by mistake, Here's the answer.

29 TheGreenMan   ~  Sep 24, 2013 9:19 am

And that bridge was nicknamed the Bridge of Sighs. Similar to the more famous connecting bridge in Venice. Last sight of freedom for prisoners entering the Tombs. I guessed 1904 as well from the hint.

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