adilusa Philadelphia never had clean streets..keep dreaming false memories..yes there was a time when self respecting people would not have been caught dead out in public looking anything less than Sunday best..even blue collar working class folks . it was always Sunday in Philadelphia..when you went out of the House.
clean streets? look at the curb at 0:36 that aint clean bud.. any way, it was simpler back then, they didnt have as much bullshit as we do today so it was a lot cleaner than it is now but those streets definitely aint clean lol
Streets weren't cleaned up until the late 90's- early 2000's.... I worked down there from '91 to '09 and I saw a great transformation. Arch Street was littered with peep shows, Filbert was loaded with trash from the small markets, Sansom was a mess along with some sketchy gay areas that weren't really safe. Downtown Philly has done a total 180 as to what it was just 25 years ago. It's a place where you can actually take your family and feel somewhat safe. That certainly wasn't the case in the 80s.
Born 1950 at HUP, raised in W. Philly then western suburbs. This brought back visual memories--especially Lits on Market St. and Wanamakers. And, oh yes, the Market St.-Frankford trains. I'd cajole my grandfather to take me on a ride for a nickle a few stops from his store on Market near 52nd. The sound of the M-F trains accelerating is something I'd love to hear again. But...after looking at many of the comments below about how nice and clean downtown was? Umm... look at the curbs and litter! I think things are nicer now in some ways. The downtown is certainly more attractive and interesting. Memories and nostalgia are good, but I'm happy to enjoy what there is now.
Beautiful music. Fits perfectly. It's interesting to think that these people had no idea what was going to happen to their world. The trillions put into highways and tech improvements including the jet age would empty the city and things would slowly fall apart. The middle class was told it was okay to have their jobs shipped out of the country because we were moving on to a service economy. What a crock. They left with no penalties for re-importing their garbage.
wow I really appreciate this video. I could actually tell you some of the streets. There was one where it is obvious the trolley turns on to Market street. The store just before the turn is Wannamaker' Department, across from City Hall. There is another were it is the park I believe on Race street, now across from the New Constitutional Center, where the vehicles turn is the Ben Franklin Bridge entrance is. It was really cool watching this video.
This is more like late 40s judging by the style of clothing. I didn't see a car any newer than 1948. I bet if you crossed the river to Camden, NJ you'd find things a lot better over there, too. .
That guy at 2:17, known locally as "The Loiterer" was regularly seen until about 1980 or so. A few others have tried to take his place, but none have succeeded.
Watching this was so serene so peacful. I wish i could live in those times where its not flooded with so much technology where socializing was done with human interaction not through texting on cellphones or spending hours on tablets. Cool video Thanks for posting this.
my dad use to tell me about that ferry from Philly to Camden. It's remarkable how thing change but while you are living in the moment (per say) you never realize it until you see something like this. Not saying i was alive back then, but you know. :-)
This was a very cool footage of my hometown. Although I didn't come around until the early eighties. I always wondered what Philly was like back then. Yes in history you learned about Benjamin franklin and see plenty of paintings but by the 1900s we didn't get much history of philly 20s,30,and 40s. A couple of years ago I was driving my grandmother home we were on the 76. And they had just Completed the Comcast Skyscraper. She moved to Philadelphia in 1946 and met my grandfather in '47. I asked her over the years had she noticed the tall buildings and had things changed she told me "Lord Yes" ..lol she had a cousin who lived in New York back then and she never wanted to live in a very large city with buildings so tall. But now she sees it in philly..lol
It was a simpler time after WW2. Everyone was working (and had a trade) ,quality of life was good, the Churches were relevant , people respected each other, even the poor were well dressed and crime was low. It was European type culture in America at its best. Today look at the mess we're in.
I'm gonna guess this is actually 1946 -- before most folks had had a chance to trade in their well-worn 8- to 10-y.o. 1930s cars for new models. Those '30s cars are represented everywhere here. The number of new cars, and the fancy options (like automatic transmission) they could have, were strictly limited by materiel rationing on the part of the Federal Government -- a practice which continued for at least 18 months after Japan's surrender. The Feds also controlled new car prices, although predictably that only worsened the shortage, and anyway car dealers found ways to sell some cars "out the back door" to favored customers at a nice markup, well in excess of the Federal price limit. The good news was that anybody with a good used car to sell (and who didn't need to replace it right away with a new one) often realized as much or more (in real dollars) than their car had originally sold for, a decade prior! I didn't see a single '50s car in this vid.
Interesting & just before my time. If this is early '50s then it's the beginning of Mayors Clark/Dilworth "Better Phila." reform era bringing modern changes downtown, revived Society Hill, etc. Was still a big manufacturing city then. BTW, LOVE the many trolleys.
I was in school in the Fifties, and it was far from an ideal paradise. Pluses: Blue collar jobs, two parents families, no drugs and shooting. Minuses: Widespread ignorance and bigotry, corruption in law enforcement and government, and sub standard living conditions for those with low wages.
6/21/54-Kensington Hospital/Overbrook was great-6042 W. Columbia Ave. GR3-6899...Overbrook Elementary. Fond memories. Overbrook High, a haircut and then some Italian Water Ice. I wonder what it's like today? OK I hope. Names I remember; Dickey Gillespie, Bobby Sadler, Pamela Wingate, Tim Skelly, and Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain. Oh yeah, Tuscon Playground. It was OK.
Two questions for transport historians. Does anyone know the purpose of the flags on the roof at the front of the pre-PCC (Peter Witt? Brill?) trolley cars? Also, is my distant memory of a small, low-sided booth in the middle of the car where passengers paid when disembarking correct?
Wow a time when Philly wasn't a ghetto dump my great grandfather wasn't lying when he said it used to be a beautiful place. He said it was even nicer before the depression....... Sadly it will never look this nice ever again.
That’s funny that’s what I called my grandparents on my mothers side. My grandmother was born and raised in Kensington in 1918 and I have a picture of them building the street next to the one she lived on most of her life that I grew up in until my teens and it just seemed to change overnight. I remember everyone on my street seemed really old like in their 80’s and when they died their kids just sold the house for whatever they could get because they all moved to Mayfair or parkwood. The first black and Puerto Rican families moved in and within 2 years all my friends had moved away and we were right behind them. What’s funny is Kensington is considered the hottest neighborhood in the country for redevelopment, there is building going on everywhere and is getting the overflow of people who were to late to buy in fishtown and Port Richmond. It was no secret that Fishtown was going to take off , Port Richmond just became a extension because they flow into each other to the point you get into arguments with people where one begins and the other ends. But those two neighborhoods were always well maintained with good people living there so I’m glad some of the older people who still live there are going to do well when they sell their house, but Kensington is a like a former war zone that peace was just declared its going to need a lot of redevelopment to catch up to the other two.
acekelly1000 conservatives, they took out public transportation for cars and still supported building cars and highways over streetcars,light rail,metro lines and a national high speed rail system.
Born & raised in Philly I'm fascinated, in awe & even a little intimidated by the changes in the world but especially Philly & surrounding areas Northern Liberties where I was born and lived till age 8 and then Oxford Circle, Center City, Academy Gardens & Bustleton (twice) It seems like a parallel or alternative universe. People move, die, or just disappear, businesses like Lits, Gimbels. Sterns', Snellenburgs Strawbridge& Clothier the one that I miss dearly (like loss of a friend) John Wanamaker's not to mention about 30 great men's haberdasheries & don't get me started on restaurants H&H, Linton's & some super ethnic dining spots (Italian, Chinese, Jewish Delis, and other places to pig out or blow a diet and again, don't even think about heatburn-agita, hangovers and worse gas attacks analogous to standing behind a PRC-PTC-SEPTA bus exhaust on a hot & humid summers day in 1955 Ah what the hell... the EAGLES won the Super Bowl, the Sixers, Flyers, Phillies have won some and with a little luck (and a fervent prayer or two we'll be rid of that demented racist sexist incompetent moron (you know who mean!! Heres a thought FOR PRESIDENT OR VICE PRESIDENT PICK ANY 2 OF THE FOLLOWING : JOE BIDEN MICHELE OBAMA BERNIE SANDERS MIKE BLOOMBERG AL GORE OR LIZ WARREN.... At this point I'd be happy with almost anybody!!! LBJ,JFK IKE HARRY S. WHERE ARE YOU NOW THAT WE DESPERATELY NEED YOU ? GOT GO TO...THE PIZZAS HERE AND THE EAGLES GAME IS STARTING HERE'S A THOUGHT BIDEN FOR PREXY. MICHELE OR BARACK FOR VICE PREXY. YA' GETTING A "TWOFER" HEY CARSON, YOU AND THE BIRDS KICK SOME BUFFALO BUTT SUNDAY
I love my hometown too. However, most are forgetting it was very segregated, very racist and not so great for people of color in Philly at that time. I’ve been told so many unpleasant stories by parents and grandparents that tells me it was the best of times and the worse, for many. For one, African Americans could not sit on the first floor of any downtown theaters. Not so great.
Iam not even from that time but its sad to see how philly was and how it is now. I dont care what people think when o say this but my mom is white and iam a mixed race and its sadly to say that yes the blacks did destroy Philadelphia that trashed it made it a very sad place to live
This is often a comment made when photos of yesteryear are depicted. Reason there's no trash or very little is because this era is prior to the mass merchandising/fast food/plastic crap so inherent in today's society. Trash back then was usually just dumped anywhere people could get away with it.
well graffiti was always around, hard to see in videos but there would have been carvings in wood etc. usually just names of people and sayings. modern day graffiti that brought in "tagging" began in the late 60s in cities like philly and new york , this is also because spray paint cans werent invented until the 1950s and were still not common until late 60s early 70s. theres a huge rock on the side of the turnpike in new jersey that has old hand painted fraternity graffiti dating back to the early 50s on it still to this day.
I love my hometown, but this the sanitized verison,rampant racial injustice, limited woman's rights, red lining districts, our mom's and dad's did grunt work took take all kinds of shit from ppl.Yes, good ole nostalgia.There's only been one America back then.I'm glad to live in the present day, because i couldn't have taken heartbreaking realities of the past.
Guys, this is what President Trump means when he says he will make America great again. He wants it to go back to simpler and cleaner time like this. I stand with him all the way
Philadelphia had not seen any progress in 20 years when this was filmed. Philadelphia was a badly outdated city post war because the very corrupt Republican political machine didn't take any of the New Deal money to upgrade like New York did. Philadelphia didn't begin it's long road to modernization until the Democrats took control and cleared out Center City. They rebuilt Society Hill...which was a horrible slum under the Republicans. Even Frank Rizzo...one of the worst mayors Philly ever had...did one good thing that has been part of is current rebirth...he got the commuter rail tunnel built and Philly is the only city whose multiple rail lines were unified. Boston and New York still have two rail terminals that are not interconnected. What people see as a bee-you-tee-ful city back then...it looked outdated and sad to me. Give me today's Philly with it's gleaming towers and modern amenities.
And it's still not modern enough today! we need to rip up the rest of those streetcar tracks and build a bigger rapid transit system. It would help if more people moved here.
It was well known that the REpublican Machine that ran Philadelphia from the 1870's until the early 50's was the most corrupt city government in the United States.
Argh, people stop idealizing the past so much! The only better thing about Philly in the early 1950s was a more architecturally interesting city, and that's it. Life was crap back then! To start, every 20th person you met in the streets was impacted by polio, yeah happy times indeed! Cars had absolutely no pollution controls, so you were breathing in all sorts of nastiness just walking the streets; go spend some time in China to get an idea what it was like back then. Ohhh everyone was so well dressed, yeah, have fun wearing those sorts of clothes in summer. Now I know there are probably a fair amount of racists in the comment section, but whatever...Philly was racist AF back then, it still is now of course; but back then, the city was downright apartheid on the Delaware. Philadelphians had pride in their city as so many of you say, ha! I don't think so, thousands of residents were leaving for the suburbs monthly, draining the city of the economic vitality, leading to the current state of the city you seem to love crying about so much. To top it all off, there was no air-conditioning...yeah, to hell with 1950s Philly!
Im 31 so this is amazing to see this philly history during my grandparents generation living in this city
Loved the city and still proud I'm from Philly; many many happy years there growing up!
Clean streets, well-dressed men and women... it was a beautiful time!
Whatever happened to that?
adilusa Philadelphia never had clean streets..keep dreaming false memories..yes there was a time when self respecting people would not have been caught dead out in public looking anything less than Sunday best..even blue collar working class folks . it was always Sunday in Philadelphia..when you went out of the House.
clean streets? look at the curb at 0:36 that aint clean bud.. any way, it was simpler back then, they didnt have as much bullshit as we do today so it was a lot cleaner than it is now but those streets definitely aint clean lol
Streets weren't cleaned up until the late 90's- early 2000's.... I worked down there from '91 to '09 and I saw a great transformation. Arch Street was littered with peep shows, Filbert was loaded with trash from the small markets, Sansom was a mess along with some sketchy gay areas that weren't really safe. Downtown Philly has done a total 180 as to what it was just 25 years ago. It's a place where you can actually take your family and feel somewhat safe. That certainly wasn't the case in the 80s.
+JSOMERSET994 JSOMERSET994 that's better should have stay the same.
Born 1950 at HUP, raised in W. Philly then western suburbs. This brought back visual memories--especially Lits on Market St. and Wanamakers. And, oh yes, the Market St.-Frankford trains. I'd cajole my grandfather to take me on a ride for a nickle a few stops from his store on Market near 52nd. The sound of the M-F trains accelerating is something I'd love to hear again. But...after looking at many of the comments below about how nice and clean downtown was? Umm... look at the curbs and litter! I think things are nicer now in some ways. The downtown is certainly more attractive and interesting. Memories and nostalgia are good, but I'm happy to enjoy what there is now.
West philly is disgusting now it’s a shame
awesome history Philly has.thanks for the video.I love old historical trains cars and buildings.wish they could refurbish and remain there.
Wow, if you look at 1:41, that is Camden NJ before it went to the hell it currently is. Factories offices and people working then.
Beautiful music. Fits perfectly. It's interesting to think that these people had no idea what was going to happen to their world. The trillions put into highways and tech improvements including the jet age would empty the city and things would slowly fall apart. The middle class was told it was okay to have their jobs shipped out of the country because we were moving on to a service economy. What a crock. They left with no penalties for re-importing their garbage.
wow I really appreciate this video. I could actually tell you some of the streets. There was one where it is obvious the trolley turns on to Market street. The store just before the turn is Wannamaker' Department, across from City Hall. There is another were it is the park I believe on Race street, now across from the New Constitutional Center, where the vehicles turn is the Ben Franklin Bridge entrance is. It was really cool watching this video.
Thank you for your kind words and the additional information. :)
Vintage Footage
LIT BROTHERS PRETZELS AND THE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!!!!
This is more like late 40s judging by the style of clothing. I didn't see a car any newer than 1948. I bet if you crossed the river to Camden, NJ you'd find things a lot better over there, too. .
That guy at 2:17, known locally as "The Loiterer" was regularly seen until about 1980 or so. A few others have tried to take his place, but none have succeeded.
Watching this was so serene so peacful. I wish i could live in those times where its not flooded with so much technology where socializing was done with human interaction not through texting on cellphones or spending hours on tablets. Cool video Thanks for posting this.
Wraith215 EXACTLY!!!!!!
*_*peaceful_* & *_*it's_
my dad use to tell me about that ferry from Philly to Camden. It's remarkable how thing change but while you are living in the moment (per say) you never realize it until you see something like this. Not saying i was alive back then, but you know. :-)
This was a very cool footage of my hometown. Although I didn't come around until the early eighties. I always wondered what Philly was like back then. Yes in history you learned about Benjamin franklin and see plenty of paintings but by the 1900s we didn't get much history of philly 20s,30,and 40s. A couple of years ago I was driving my grandmother home we were on the 76. And they had just Completed the Comcast Skyscraper. She moved to Philadelphia in 1946 and met my grandfather in '47. I asked her over the years had she noticed the tall buildings and had things changed she told me "Lord Yes" ..lol she had a cousin who lived in New York back then and she never wanted to live in a very large city with buildings so tall. But now she sees it in philly..lol
I've always wondered what my home look like before I was born thanks a lot I love the videos
What a beautiful place
It was a simpler time after WW2. Everyone was working (and had a trade) ,quality of life was good, the Churches were relevant , people respected each other, even the poor were well dressed and crime was low. It was European type culture in America at its best. Today look at the mess we're in.
We keep adding third world people into this country so eventually we will end like third world countries
YES....That's why AFD in Germany, SD in Sweden, and RN in France are growing in popularity!
Smh
This video is from the 1940s...NOT the early 1950s, judging from the cars, hair styles, etc. Still a nice nostalgic video though.
Not one car newer than a 1948. So yes this is late 1940's footage.
It would have to be from the 1940s. If it was the 1950s, PCCs would be on Route 5.
I'm gonna guess this is actually 1946 -- before most folks had had a chance to trade in their well-worn 8- to 10-y.o. 1930s cars for new models. Those '30s cars are represented everywhere here. The number of new cars, and the fancy options (like automatic transmission) they could have, were strictly limited by materiel rationing on the part of the Federal Government -- a practice which continued for at least 18 months after Japan's surrender. The Feds also controlled new car prices, although predictably that only worsened the shortage, and anyway car dealers found ways to sell some cars "out the back door" to favored customers at a nice markup, well in excess of the Federal price limit. The good news was that anybody with a good used car to sell (and who didn't need to replace it right away with a new one) often realized as much or more (in real dollars) than their car had originally sold for, a decade prior! I didn't see a single '50s car in this vid.
You're right Robert, I don't see a single car from 1949 onward.
Thanks for the info - I wasn't aware of that.
Beautiful. When men were men, and women were classy. God bless those days.
Very, very cool. Thanks for sharing!!
Train goes out, train goes in. Classic 1950's.
Interesting & just before my time. If this is early '50s then it's the beginning of Mayors Clark/Dilworth "Better Phila." reform era bringing modern changes downtown, revived Society Hill, etc. Was still a big manufacturing city then. BTW, LOVE the many trolleys.
Great vid but wish it was longer
Born in OurLady of the Rosary parish @63rd st in the West Philadelphia section in the fifties
I wish everything can be great now as it was back then
They didn't even want you in the city then.
Bring it back. Fairtax.org
I was in school in the Fifties, and it was far from an ideal paradise. Pluses: Blue collar jobs, two parents families, no drugs and shooting. Minuses: Widespread ignorance and bigotry, corruption in law enforcement and government, and sub standard living conditions for those with low wages.
Reginald Bostic Especially The black folk! I heard they had it great!
it can be. vote out the left and restore Philadelphia
Judging from the cars and hair styles, etc., this nostalgic video is from the mid-late 1940s........not the 50s.
This is great ! 😳
💘 ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT 🎈😄THANKYOU SOOOOOOO VERY MUCH😃🎁AWESOME FABULOUS & AMAZING😙😘💘 💘 💘
6/21/54-Kensington Hospital/Overbrook was great-6042 W. Columbia Ave. GR3-6899...Overbrook Elementary. Fond memories. Overbrook High, a haircut and then some Italian Water Ice. I wonder what it's like today? OK I hope. Names I remember; Dickey Gillespie, Bobby Sadler, Pamela Wingate, Tim Skelly, and Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain. Oh yeah, Tuscon Playground. It was OK.
Two questions for transport historians. Does anyone know the
purpose of the flags on the roof at the front of the pre-PCC (Peter Witt?
Brill?) trolley cars? Also, is my distant memory of a small, low-sided booth in
the middle of the car where passengers paid when disembarking correct?
Not many people getting shot in this video
it looks like some of the streets just off Lehigh!
Nah its market st.
Back when you could go "into town" without fear. And take the "el" do you know what el stop that is at 2:28?
Still can, what do you mean?
Memories
Were the black people at
nice times and no pc freaks,got me?
Wow a time when Philly wasn't a ghetto dump my great grandfather wasn't lying when he said it used to be a beautiful place. He said it was even nicer before the depression....... Sadly it will never look this nice ever again.
still a beautiful city ..
only getting better!
Thankyou OOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOO VERY MUCH FOR SHARING UR VIDEOS...😲OMG AWESOME AMAZING FABULOUS💕😁😅😂
dang I'm still surprise Philly was still big and popular
Kid Nyce Back then you mean? Philly was bigger than it is now! 2 million people. 3rd largest city in America back then, now it's 5th.
rip nan & pop
That’s funny that’s what I called my grandparents on my mothers side. My grandmother was born and raised in Kensington in 1918 and I have a picture of them building the street next to the one she lived on most of her life that I grew up in until my teens and it just seemed to change overnight. I remember everyone on my street seemed really old like in their 80’s and when they died their kids just sold the house for whatever they could get because they all moved to Mayfair or parkwood. The first black and Puerto Rican families moved in and within 2 years all my friends had moved away and we were right behind them. What’s funny is Kensington is considered the hottest neighborhood in the country for redevelopment, there is building going on everywhere and is getting the overflow of people who were to late to buy in fishtown and Port Richmond. It was no secret that Fishtown was going to take off , Port Richmond just became a extension because they flow into each other to the point you get into arguments with people where one begins and the other ends. But those two neighborhoods were always well maintained with good people living there so I’m glad some of the older people who still live there are going to do well when they sell their house, but Kensington is a like a former war zone that peace was just declared its going to need a lot of redevelopment to catch up to the other two.
Septa is that you?
Nope.
PTC
Philadelphia Transportation Company
What El station was that?
What's the music called?
ruclips.net/video/ccgXcB5Zw8w/видео.html
modman766 Thank you
What do you think that row of float planes was for on the Delaware River in the beginning of the video?
Christopher Smith I'd love to know
Early 50's? I think more like the 40's
Wow, this is pretty dope
My beautiful city!! What happened to it? 😢
liberals.
acekelly1000 conservatives, they took out public transportation for cars and still supported building cars and highways over streetcars,light rail,metro lines and a national high speed rail system.
did democrats take over
The beauty is still there. You just have to look a bit harder
Humans
2019 kids couldn't survive this time
1953
2019 kid: mom there's no wifi during this time
Mom: read a book
2019 kid how do I read a buuuuk
Born & raised in Philly
I'm fascinated, in awe
& even a little intimidated by the changes in the world
but especially Philly &
surrounding areas
Northern Liberties where
I was born and lived till age 8 and then Oxford Circle, Center City, Academy Gardens & Bustleton (twice) It seems like a parallel or alternative universe.
People move, die, or just
disappear, businesses like Lits, Gimbels. Sterns',
Snellenburgs Strawbridge& Clothier
the one that I miss dearly
(like loss of a friend)
John Wanamaker's not to
mention about 30 great
men's haberdasheries
& don't get me started on restaurants H&H, Linton's & some super
ethnic dining spots (Italian, Chinese, Jewish Delis, and other places to
pig out or blow a diet
and again, don't even
think about heatburn-agita, hangovers and worse gas attacks analogous to standing
behind a PRC-PTC-SEPTA bus exhaust on
a hot & humid summers
day in 1955 Ah what the hell... the EAGLES won the Super Bowl, the Sixers, Flyers, Phillies
have won some and with a little luck (and a fervent prayer or two we'll be rid
of that demented racist
sexist incompetent moron (you know who mean!! Heres a thought
FOR PRESIDENT OR VICE PRESIDENT PICK ANY 2 OF THE FOLLOWING : JOE BIDEN
MICHELE OBAMA BERNIE SANDERS MIKE BLOOMBERG AL GORE OR LIZ WARREN....
At this point I'd be happy
with almost anybody!!!
LBJ,JFK IKE HARRY S.
WHERE ARE YOU NOW THAT WE DESPERATELY
NEED YOU ?
GOT GO TO...THE PIZZAS
HERE AND THE EAGLES GAME IS STARTING
HERE'S A THOUGHT
BIDEN FOR PREXY.
MICHELE OR BARACK
FOR VICE PREXY. YA'
GETTING A "TWOFER"
HEY CARSON, YOU AND THE BIRDS KICK SOME
BUFFALO BUTT SUNDAY
Look no spray paint graphics
Mad Mack
cities change, or are you volunteering to walk outside today in a zoop suit and go to the store on a horse carriage?
Looked like 40s.
You hot that right John......key word white...............
Lee Harvey Oswald @1:22
Where's the PPA?
No pot holes
Did this city died? Feel like I just watched a funeral. 😟
yes it did under bill green, wilson goode, ed rendell, john street , nutter & kenney
Once clean & beautiful city that my parents grew up in. Then Democrats started moving in. The end.
Democrats and republicans (mostly democrats) sold out to the new world order ( belip)
dumbass
I am surprised that people as ignorant as these posters can even use a computer let alone post on You Tube! Trump's 'Mercka
What is this music please???
ruclips.net/video/ccgXcB5Zw8w/видео.html
I love my hometown too. However, most are forgetting it was very segregated, very racist and not so great for people of color in Philly at that time. I’ve been told so many unpleasant stories by parents and grandparents that tells me it was the best of times and the worse, for many. For one, African Americans could not sit on the first floor of any downtown theaters. Not so great.
Are there any in So.Philly?
50's? I didn't see a single 1950's automobile in this video. More like early 40's
Eso es en el año de las guacaras, yo creí que era Philadelphia 2019, en la mañana temprano.
look at Detroit
Chicago, Baltimore, Flint, LA , Nashville, Houston, Camden, Trenton and the list goes on and on
Iam not even from that time but its sad to see how philly was and how it is now. I dont care what people think when o say this but my mom is white and iam a mixed race and its sadly to say that yes the blacks did destroy Philadelphia that trashed it made it a very sad place to live
Why didn't they have graffiti I thought they were more civilized back then and not to mention no trash or garbage all over the streets.
This is often a comment made when photos of yesteryear are depicted. Reason there's no trash or very little is because this era is prior to the mass merchandising/fast food/plastic crap so inherent in today's society. Trash back then was usually just dumped anywhere people could get away with it.
That’s because they were descendents of beautiful Europeans
well graffiti was always around, hard to see in videos but there would have been carvings in wood etc. usually just names of people and sayings. modern day graffiti that brought in "tagging" began in the late 60s in cities like philly and new york , this is also because spray paint cans werent invented until the 1950s and were still not common until late 60s early 70s. theres a huge rock on the side of the turnpike in new jersey that has old hand painted fraternity graffiti dating back to the early 50s on it still to this day.
@@loveeuropehateeu3565 lol
Must be the late 1940's. I see no early 1950's cars.
👌👍
Before it was ruined by liberalism.
Ok, I was born and raised 17th and Mifflin and I have to say...WOW that is Ugly!
I love my hometown, but this the sanitized verison,rampant racial injustice, limited woman's rights, red lining districts, our mom's and dad's did grunt work took take all kinds of shit from ppl.Yes, good ole nostalgia.There's only been one America back then.I'm glad to live in the present day, because i couldn't have taken heartbreaking realities of the past.
Guys, this is what President Trump means when he says he will make America great again. He wants it to go back to simpler and cleaner time like this. I stand with him all the way
And we ruined it
Philadelphia had not seen any progress in 20 years when this was filmed. Philadelphia was a badly outdated city post war because the very corrupt Republican political machine didn't take any of the New Deal money to upgrade like New York did. Philadelphia didn't begin it's long road to modernization until the Democrats took control and cleared out Center City. They rebuilt Society Hill...which was a horrible slum under the Republicans. Even Frank Rizzo...one of the worst mayors Philly ever had...did one good thing that has been part of is current rebirth...he got the commuter rail tunnel built and Philly is the only city whose multiple rail lines were unified. Boston and New York still have two rail terminals that are not interconnected. What people see as a bee-you-tee-ful city back then...it looked outdated and sad to me. Give me today's Philly with it's gleaming towers and modern amenities.
And it's still not modern enough today! we need to rip up the rest of those streetcar tracks and build a bigger rapid transit system. It would help if more people moved here.
It was a better time when the government wasn't corrupt and the rich had to pay a lot of taxes and the rest of us did not
Fairtax.org
The government wasn't corrupt? There was widespread corruption in the fifties but the media ignored it.
It was well known that the REpublican Machine that ran Philadelphia from the 1870's until the early 50's was the most corrupt city government in the United States.
k uhh
Argh, people stop idealizing the past so much! The only better thing about Philly in the early 1950s was a more architecturally interesting city, and that's it. Life was crap back then! To start, every 20th person you met in the streets was impacted by polio, yeah happy times indeed! Cars had absolutely no pollution controls, so you were breathing in all sorts of nastiness just walking the streets; go spend some time in China to get an idea what it was like back then. Ohhh everyone was so well dressed, yeah, have fun wearing those sorts of clothes in summer. Now I know there are probably a fair amount of racists in the comment section, but whatever...Philly was racist AF back then, it still is now of course; but back then, the city was downright apartheid on the Delaware. Philadelphians had pride in their city as so many of you say, ha! I don't think so, thousands of residents were leaving for the suburbs monthly, draining the city of the economic vitality, leading to the current state of the city you seem to love crying about so much. To top it all off, there was no air-conditioning...yeah, to hell with 1950s Philly!