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Lundin's Brooklyn

In the middle of the 20th century, Wigorot Lundin began making prints of the New York Transit Authority's survey negative. Taken in the 1910s and 20s, the photos show a city in transition, expanding with the advent of new technology. Lundin's Brooklyn sheds light on disparate parts of a borough, some bustling with modernity, while others border on the agrarian.

ByNew York Transit Museum logoNew York Transit Museum
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3901 New Utrecht Avenue
3901 New Utrecht Avenue icon

3901 New Utrecht Avenue

Camera at 299+30 looking north in centerline of New Utrecht Avenue between 39 & 40th Streets. Image prior to construction of the elevated BMT West End Line. This line was built under the Dual Contracts of 1913. The original surface railroad tracks of the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad can be seen in the photograph. At the time of the photo, the BRT operated elevated trains over these tracks using trolley wired electricity. These tracks were retained for use by trolley lines after the elevated was built over them.
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Penny Bridge
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Penny Bridge

View showing east face of arch spanning Montague Street. Camera located 50 ft. away in the center of the street, looking west. Photograph displays the corner of the cable car infrastructure along Montague Street, in a section with a brick arch spanning over it. Before the BQE, Brooklynites could walk directly from Brooklyn Heights to the waterfront underneath what was called "the Penny Bridge."
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Boerum Place (Court Square) and Fulton Street
Boerum Place (Court Square) and Fulton Street icon

Boerum Place (Court Square) and Fulton Street

Court Square and Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY. Showing trolley #2523 on the Broadway trolley line, as well as other trolleys. Also showing pedestrians, shops, a horse-drawn cart and an elevated train line.
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1730 81st Street
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1730 81st Street

Image prior to construction of the elevated BMT West End Line. This line was built under the Dual Contracts of 1913. The original surface railroad tracks of the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad can be seen in the photograph.
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4 Myrtle Avenue
4 Myrtle Avenue icon

4 Myrtle Avenue

Survey photograph during construction of the BMT Broadway line. Southward view of a hat store, a produce stand, and a shoe shine at the corner beside the Court Street-Myrtle Avenue Station on the BMT Fulton Street Elevated line.
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6901 New Utrecht Avenue
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6901 New Utrecht Avenue

Camera on center line New Utrecht Avenue, south of Bay Ridge Avenue, looking north, showing Bay Ridge Avenue crossing, after lowering tracks. Image prior to construction of the elevated BMT West End Line. This line was built under the Dual Contracts of 1913
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490 Fulton Street
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490 Fulton Street

Dekalb Avenue and Albee Square, Brooklyn, NY. Southeastward veiw showing trolley #8164 on the Dekalb Avenue trolley line
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Willoughby Street and Jay Street
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Willoughby Street and Jay Street

Willoughby Street at Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY. Survey photograph during construction of the BMT Broadway line. Eastward view of stores, pedestrians, automobiles, and an approaching trolley. The Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park is visible in the distance.
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New Utrecht Avenue and 45th Street
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New Utrecht Avenue and 45th Street

Camera 20 feet north of north curb of 45th Street, looking north, showing west sidewalk, between Fort Hamilton Parkway and 45th Street. Image prior to construction of the elevated BMT West End Line.
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976 Third Avenue
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976 Third Avenue

39th Street Garage, 3rd Avenue between 37th and 39th streets, Brooklyn, NY. View of mechanics in a large work area, building bus frames and shells
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Atlantic Avenue Station, BMT Canarsie Line
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Atlantic Avenue Station, BMT Canarsie Line

Long Island Railroad East New York Station with the BMT Canarsie line Atlantic Avenue Station above in Brooklyn, NY.
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Acme Hall
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Acme Hall

Survey negative documenting the planning and construction of the IND Crosstown Line in Brooklyn. Image shows Acme Hall building at the northwest corner of Ninth Street and Seventh Avenue.
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8133 New Utrecht Avenue
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8133 New Utrecht Avenue

Showing No. 8133 New Utrecht Avenue. Image prior to construction of the elevated BMT West End Line.
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Hegeman Avenue and Rockaway Avenue
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Hegeman Avenue and Rockaway Avenue

Hegeman and Rockaway Avenues, Brooklyn, NY. Westward view of cars, pedestrians and trolley #2530 on the New Lots trolley line.
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E.F. Albee Theater
E.F. Albee Theater icon

E.F. Albee Theater

Intersection of Dekalb Avenue and Albee Square (Gold Street) in Brooklyn, NY. Camera is positioned atop trolley tracks on Dekalb Avenue. To the right is a sign for a trolley station and the marquee of the RKO Albee movie theatre. A\&S Department Store towers above other buildings at Hoyt and Livingston Streets.in the center of photo.
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39th Street Ferry Loop
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39th Street Ferry Loop

39th Street Ferry Loop on Second Avenue. Image of 39th Street shops and Surface Car House. This was the location where several routes ended, including the Eighth Avenue, Sixty-Fifth-Fort Hamilton, and Church Avenue trolley lines. View of looped tracks and catenary.
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77th Street Station, BMT Fourth Avenue Line
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77th Street Station, BMT Fourth Avenue Line

Photograph of the entrance to 77th Street Station in Bay Ridge on the BMT 4th Avenue Line.
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