Photographs of Staten Island and New York Harbor in 1973

Let's take the bridge and the ferry to Staten Island in 1973

Arthur Tress’s photographs of the general New York Harbor area for the Documerica project include images of Jamaica Bay, Staten Island, Sheepshead Bay and beaches by the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. Sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to “photographically document subjects of environmental concern” in the USA from about 1972 to 1977, Tress’s pictures from 1973 were focused on “decay, neglect and the impact of increasing urbanisation”. But 50 years on, they also show us scenes from everyday life. You can buy prints from the project in the Flashbak Shop.

 

Lifeguard Takes a Sunbath at Great Kills Park on Staten Island 05_1973

Lifeguard Takes a Sunbath at Great Kills Park on Staten Island – May 1973

 

School Excursion on the Staten Island Ferry, Crossing Upper New York Bay 06_1973 Arthur Tress

School Excursion on the Staten Island Ferry, Crossing Upper New York Bay – June, 1973

Abandoned Car in Jamaica Bay 06_1973

Abandoned Car in Jamaica Bay – June 1973 by Arthur Tress

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Crosses New York Bay and Connects Staten Island and Brooklyn 06/1973 by Arthur Tress

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Crosses New York Bay and Connects Staten Island and Brooklyn 06/1973

Municipal Incineration Plant and Landfill Dump at Gravesend Bay Serves as Playground for Neighborhood Boys 05_1973

Municipal Incineration Plant and Landfill Dump at Gravesend Bay Serves is a Playground for Neighborhood Boys May, 1973

South Beach, Staten Island, Is Safe for Swimming

South Beach, Staten Island, ‘Is Safe for Swimming’, 1973

Parking Lot at Ferry Dock on Staten Island 05_1973

Parking Lot at Ferry Dock on Staten Island, May 1973

Sand Covers Abandoned Car on Beach at Breezy Point South of Jamaica Bay 05_1973

Sand Covers Abandoned Car on Beach at Breezy Point South of Jamaica Bay – May, 1973

A Small Park on Sheepshead Bay 05_1973

A Small Park on Sheepshead Bay by Arthur Tress, May 1973

At the John F. Kennedy Airport May 1973

At the John F. Kennedy Airport – May 1973

Broad Channel, Marginal Land in Jamaica Bay near the JFK Airport. 05_1973

Broad Channel, Marginal Land in Jamaica Bay near the JFK Airport – May 1973

Fish Store in Sheepshead Bay 05_1973

Fish Store in Sheepshead Bay – May 1973

New York Skyline from Staten Island Ferry 05_1973

New York Skyline from Staten Island Ferry – May 1973

Young New Yorker Ready to Roar Off on His Honda 06_1973

Young New Yorker Ready to Roar Off on His Honda – 06 1973

Warning of Polluted Water at Staten Island Beach Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Background 06_1973

Warning of Polluted Water at Staten Island Beach Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Background – June 1973

This Land Along Jamaica Bay Is Owned by the JFK Airport 06_1973

This Land Along Jamaica Bay Is Owned by the JFK Airport – June 1973

Sheepshead Bay Fish Store 05_1973

Sheepshead Bay Fish Store – May 1973

New Housing on Staten Island 06/1973

New Housing on Staten Island – June 1973

 Lunch in the Car-Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island 06/1973

Lunch in the Car-Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island – 06/1973

Lunch in the Car-Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island 06/1973

Sustenance for the Inner Man at the Sheepshead Bay Annual Art Show 05/1973

Sustenance for the Inner Man at the Sheepshead Bay Annual Art Show – 05/1973

Plum Beach, Sheepshead Bay 05_1973

Plum Beach, Sheepshead Bay – 05 1973

Plum Beach on Sheepshead Bay 05_1973

Plum Beach on Sheepshead Bay – May 1973

House on Hunter's Point, Bordering the John F. Kennedy Airport 05_1973

House on Hunter’s Point, Bordering the John F. Kennedy Airport – May 1973

Rusty Oil Cans Pile Up near Home in Broad Channel, a Jamaica Bay Community with Numerous Pollution Problems 05/1973

Rusty Oil Cans Pile Up near Home in Broad Channel, a Jamaica Bay Community with Numerous Pollution Problems – 05/1973

Landfill Operation Is Conducted by the City of New York on the Marshlands of Jamaica Bay. Pollution Hazards and Ecological Damage Have Called Out Strong Opposition 05_1973

Landfill Operation Is Conducted by the City of New York on the Marshlands of Jamaica Bay – 05_1973

Performing for the Photographer on Plum Beach 05_1973

Performing for the Photographer on Plum Beach – May 1973

School Children on Their Way Home in Great Kills, on Staten Island 05_1973

School Children on Their Way Home in Great Kills, on Staten Island – May 1973

Abandoned Ice Cream Wagon at Broad Channel in Jamaica Bay 05_1973

Abandoned Ice Cream Wagon at Broad Channel in Jamaica Bay – May 973

Great Kills Park, Staten Island. 05_1973 2

Great Kills Park, Staten Island – 05 1973

 

Abandoned "Giant Slide" at Coney Island Marks Decline of Area's Recreational Use 05/1973

Abandoned “Giant Slide” at Coney Island – 05/1973

 

Buy prints from the project in the Flashbak Shop.

Via: US National archives

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