Is that an actual fire escape? I can't see any sign of ladders or steps, even in Google Streets. Maybe one of the former tenants remembers.

Dave does the digging and we all enjoy.

Yes, but how about the *business* at 268?
"STILL HERE"!

Still there, including the building at the end, advertising Ivanhoe Tobacco.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qiNrfkwR9vFfRzCw5

Something very interesting seems to be happening further up the street - many people are craning their heads in that direction. A traffic accident at the intersection, perhaps?

The oldest picture Google Streetview has of this is from Aug 2007. Looks the same today.

As for 198-200 Elizabeth... I don't see an actual entrance marked with that number, but 198 seems to be alive and well.

I am sure that I am one of many who feels a sense of relief at the return of Dave.

I am looking forward to his selections from the archive -- to review history that he presented before I became a subscriber of this most interesting site.

Great picture. I have been looking for circa 1900 pictures of 198 and 200 Elizabeth St. NYC(just a little bit further up the street). My family had a fruit stand/market and lived at the 198 address in 1897 and the 200 address in 1900. Does anyone know where I might find pictures of that genre and location??

I was actually going to write that the 1912 street scene made me wonder why anyone would want to leave their country and come to America. Surely things in Italy and Sicily couldn't be this bad. And then I read all the comments and realized I'd missed something. Obviously, this tenement holds something dear to those who have lived there & I smacked myself for being so judgmental.

Since I lived here in the 70s, the buildings were painted grey. They were white. Someone here said it would interesting to see this buildings now. I took this photo in 1999 on one of my many trips back home to NYC.

I lived here in the 70s. There were no locks on the downstair doors so late at night, I had to step over people sleeping in the hallways in boxes. THere were 2 apartments per floor. One faced the front on Elizabeth Street and the other faced Bowery. It was an amazing experience living here at 268 Elizabeth as we had artists mixed in with local Italian families. I grew morning glories on the fire escape. On feast days, the parade would come up the block on Elizabeth and I would throw down money for the church. I love this photo.

Great photo! When my Grandfather, Calogero Sacco, first arrived from Sciacca, Sicily on Columbus Day 1899, the ship's manifest said he went to live at 126 Elizabeth St. I'm told that building is also still standing with a statue of Madonna del Socorso in the window at street level. Anyone know if that is true, and/or have a photo of the building or statue?

ElizabethStreet@spenceburton.com

You really can find out about old building through the New York Times!

1883- Listed as a residence in arrest report

1900 - An alleged gambling house

1901 - Raided by police

1902 - 1908 - It was a marionette theater operated by a Senor Parisi

1910 - It was a saloon owned by Francesco La Barbera that was bombed by the "Black Hand".

Query

No sign of Steve Spinella, though!

Anyone have any idea what the Kips Bay building was then? Or who Steve Spinella is?

I had posted a photo update from the same(ish) vantage point several months back:

[Link]

I want to know what the inside is like!

The entire BLOCK at the extreme left is gone-- a casualty of street widening. I believe that is the middle of Houston Street now.

What a fantastic shot. I live in this building that extends from 260 to 268 Elizabeth Street. Aside from new storefronts and loss of light fixtures, it looks very similar today. The small building on the corner still exists, but but the Kips Bay structure and the building housing the Cafe on the northeast corner of Houston Street are long gone.

I've tried to find a good, historic image of this building for years, but didn't think I'd come across something that also reflects the vibrance of the neighborhood.

[Thanks so much for the info ... a current photo taken from the same vantage would be interesting! - Dave]

I live on Mott Street. From my living room window is right across the street from that building. When I first saw this picture I wondered exactly where on Elizabeth it was and then I noticed the distinct fire escape. Amazing. It's like riding a time machine.

I love this building– it's remained very much the same.
The small building at left is Cafe Colonial. I posted an update photo.

Seems like a real fire hazard.