seventhavenue

Based on the higher-res version of this image on the LOC website, these windows say something like "National Cloak & Suit." According to the NYT, the National Cloak and Suit Company occupied "the entire west side of the block on Seventh Avenue between Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Street" in New York City. A look at Google Maps' Street View confirms that it's this location, 250 Seventh Avenue, currently a Whole Foods store. There is also an October 10, 1912 story about city-wide fire drill exercises the previous day, one of which took place at the building, so this picture could have been taken on October 9, 1912, unless there other fire drills of this type taken in other years.

Thanks, epicharmus! We will add a note to the source data and reload the description.

Bain News Agency has placed the date on the bottom of the photo: 10/9/12. Here is another view of the fire drill, in the adjacent photo in Bain's photostream:

This is what the site looks like now: www.visitingdc.com/images/madison-square-garden-address.jpg Pity.

I can see what you mean. It sure is a terrible pity indeed. Why did they destroy such a magnificent work of architecture?

Oh, they thought it was progress, I guess. Cf. the relevant speech in "Mad Men." One good thing about it, though, is that the whole movement of historic landmark preservation was apparently much strengthened by the destruction of Penn Station: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Landmarks_Preservatio...

It was a travesty. I'm 22 years old and a New Yorker. It breaks my heart to see the Penn Station that was.

They didn't think it was progress, even at the time everyone realized what a tragedy it was. However, the station was privately owned, by the Pennsylvania Rail Company, which was bleeding red ink thanks the Robert Moses and the Interstate Highway Act. The destroyed the station to get money, specifically a 25% stake in Madison Square Garden. It was a business decision by a company that was failing and desperate to do anything to try to bring in revenue.

maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geo...