Wall Street 1926

This old New York City photo of Wall Street is a remarkable 'snapshot' of Wall Street in action in the 1920s. The statue of George Washington keeps a watchful eye over the straw hat stock traders in this 1926 photo, but nothing could prepare them for what was to come just a few years later. The stock market crash of 1929 would mean the loss of their jobs, as well as the jobs of millions of Americans.

The vehicle above is heading south on Broad Street. Behind it is historic Federal Hall. Interestingly enough, the street looks much the same today. One exception is the current security infrastructure surrounding 11 Wall Street, which is the New York Stock Exchange, located to our left of the car.

Federal Hall has not changed either and serves its own history, as it was originally the US Customs House. It was the place for the swearing in of our first president on April 30, 1789 and the drafting of the Bill of Rights by the first congress in 1790. The US Customs later moved and the building became the US Sub Treasury.

In 1955 until today, this Greek Revival building serves as a monument to George Washington and opens its doors for different occasions. In 2003, the building served as a display forum for the new concepts of the World Trade Center. People saw maps, floor plans and images of what architects envisioned it to be and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation provided cards for the public to voice their opinion. The concepts, including the wining one by Daniel Libskind are currently on display a few blocks away near the World Financial Center.