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Washington Square South at Thompson Street
Washington Square South at Thompson Street
Washington Square South at Thompson Street

Changing New York; Fifth Avenue Bus, Washington Square

The Washington Square Arch and One Fifth Avenue apartment building are in the background to the left.

IMAGE DATE1936
FromMuseum of the City of New York logoMuseum of the City of New York

Fifth Avenue Bus at Washington Square South and Thompson Street, October 21, 1936.

Founded in 1885 as the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company, the horse-drawn omnibus line was established to hinder the installation of trolley tracks on fashionable Fifth Avenue. It was incorporated as The Fifth Avenue Coach Company in 1896. The Fifth Avenue vehicles went from horse-powered to gas-powered in 1907, and the company soon began manufacturing their own coaches, including those of the double-decker variety.

In 1930, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company purchased 100 Yellow Coach “Z-type” double-decker buses. The bus in this image looks to be one of these coaches. The New York Transit Museum also has a 1930 coach in its historic fleet (its oldest bus rolling stock). The coach, affectionately nicknamed "Betsy," is featured during the Museum's annual Bus Fest.

ByUrban Archive logoUrban Archive