New York, NY - Urban Archive

South of Union Square

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The Blizzard of 1899

On February 11th, 1899, a blizzard known as the Great Arctic Outbreak moved across the United States, reaching as far as Florida, New Orleans, and even Cuba. In New York City, the average temperature was −6 °F and Central Park saw 16 inches of snow, with other areas measuring a record 2-3 feet.

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Urban Archive

1

1356 Broadway

1356 Broadway

Men ship off to clear the streets surrounding Herald Square, armed with shovels.

2

619 First Avenue

619 First Avenue

The New York Times called the city a "Slushy Venice," claiming that streets "disappear\[ed] under a sea of dirty snow and water."

3

200 Fifth Avenue

200 Fifth Avenue

Street cleaners shoveled snow was loaded into horse-drawn carts and trucked away.

4

Hotel Cadillac

Hotel Cadillac

The Times also wrote that mustached men were "festooned with icicles" while clearing the streets. "The biting west wind sought out every nook and cranny in the city and drove hundreds of half-starved and homeless wanderers to the shelters."

5

1 Union Square West

1 Union Square West

Of the event, an early filmmaker produced "The Grip of the Blizzard," which documented the storm from the corner of Broadway and Fourteenth Street.

6

Battery Park

Battery Park

The blizzard was, at the time, the city's third-largest snowfall.

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