These fascinating photos offer a glimpse into the street life of New York City from the 1970s. Chilean photographer Camilo José Vergara captured these photographs. Jose Vergara moved to New York in 1968, after completing his education. He began photographing the street life of different cities including Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Newark. He also received a 2012 National Humanities Medal for his work.
These photographs show the parts of New York City that looked like bombed-out war zones, deprived areas suffering the worst of both city and state indifference.
NYC was down then, but not that far down!
Amazing how businesses have come and gone, but the basic architecture remains recognizable. Very cool.
The labels seem to be totally off. The subway pic shows Avenue C? People sitting on a brownstone stoop is 42nd and 5th Ave?
Also what’s “Delancey Ave”?
some very unique and cool street shots. love the one of the kids gathered around a pair of copulating canines on the stoop.
67 pics and no Queens
There was nothing gritty about queens in the 1970s …
Queensbridge and Jamaica was dealing with the crack epidemic, LIC was still industrial and its factories were being emptied out. Queens had its grit
in the 80s sure
in the 70s … not so much
there is nothing in the 1970s going on in Queens that was remotely comparable to places in in Brooklyn like Bushwick or East NY or the South Bronx which were actual wastelands of destroyed buildings and burned out shells …..
The crack epidemic was in the 1980s and early ’90s.