Founded by the Dutch in 1661, Schenectady is one of the oldest cities in the United States. Its rich history includes surviving the 1690 massacre, becoming a major provider of brooms, working hard as a canal town, and inventing many of life’s modern conveniences—from light bulbs to refrigerators to jet engines.
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About the Author
Schenectady County and city historian, archeologist, and author Don Rittner has spent half his life researching the city’s history. He now details in photographs the changes that have occurred during the last century to Schenectady’s downtown.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
About average for such "then and now" photo books,
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This review is from: Schenectady (NY) (Then and Now) (Paperback)
I spent last Friday night in Schenectady, New York, accompanying my son on a trip looking at prospective colleges. I had never been there and I wanted to learn something about the city, relatively effortlessly. SCHENECTADY THEN AND NOW sort of filled the bill, but it could have been a better book.It consists of about 80 pairs of photographs -- one of historical vintage and the other a contemporary photo from the same vantage point -- supplemented with brief commentary. It is about average for such "then and now" photo books. Virtually without exception, the historical photographs are more interesting than the contemporary ones. The focus of the book is on downtown Schenectady, particularly State Street and what once was the Erie Canal and now is Erie Boulevard. My mental image of the Erie Canal was a rather bucolic one (derived from Currier & Ives?), but this book certainly modified that image with its photos of the Canal cutting through the heart of the city and lined with commercial establishments and warehouses, leaving little room for the towpath. How could the book have been better? First, by including a map. The absence of a map is especially conspicuous because the Introduction proclaims the book to be "a walking field guide to Schenectady's main arteries." A simple map would have been that much more useful if enhanced with symbols indicating the vantage point and direction for each pair of photographs. Second, the text could have been better. The following illustrates the problem: "There are few cities in America that are 346 years old, and Schenectady has seen its share of successes and hardships. Its history, however, is genuine and lasting. * * * There is no other city in the world named Schenectady. Likewise no other city has made such a lifetime of contributions that continue to benefit humanity." No doubt residents of the area would be more forgiving of such sappy boosterism. And no doubt the book itself would be appreciated more by long-time residents of Schenectady than a brief visitor like me.
2.0 out of 5 stars
limited in scope,
This review is from: Schenectady (NY) (Then and Now) (Paperback)
This basic "Then and Now" book contains a few dozen vintage photos alongside and equal number of current ones.The biggest problem I had with it is that all of the photos center on State Street and Erie Blvd. While the first few pictures of where the canal used to be are interesting, they get old fast. They are basically just slightly different views of the same street. I realize that much of Schenectady is "new," but there are plenty of other streets besides the two above that existed 100 years ago, including the entire area by the river (around Front Street). Even some of the streets around Erie and State would have been interesting to see. Because there are only three chapters, it's almost as if the book was half completed and sent to the printer by mistake. Moreover, the "current" photos are not at all compelling, and some of the captions are generic and uninformative.
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs):
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State Street, Erie Canal, Liberty Street, General Electric, Erie Boulevard, Washington Avenue, Crescent Park, Crown Hotel, Dock Street, Wall Street, Charles Steinmetz, Ferry Street, Lorraine Block, Proctor's Theater, Wedgeway Building, Carl Company, Elbow Street, Jefferson Street Bridge, Mohawk River, South College Street, State Theater, Union Street Bridge, World War New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
State Street, Erie Canal, Liberty Street, General Electric, Erie Boulevard, Washington Avenue, Crescent Park, Crown Hotel, Dock Street, Wall Street, Charles Steinmetz, Ferry Street, Lorraine Block, Proctor's Theater, Wedgeway Building, Carl Company, Elbow Street, Jefferson Street Bridge, Mohawk River, South College Street, State Theater, Union Street Bridge, World War New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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