Vintage Original 35mm Ektachrome Slide: Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church & Midtown Street Scene
Location: Fifth Avenue at West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, photographed from near East 56th Street looking south along Fifth Avenue.
Date: April 1966, based on mechanical date imprint on the slide mount.

Item Description
This Midtown Manhattan streetscape looks south along Fifth Avenue from near East 56th Street. The dark red sandstone facade of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church dominates the right side, with its Gothic arched windows, American flags, church banners, and historic entrance visible above the sidewalk. Pedestrians in mid-1960s clothing move along both sides of the avenue, while classic automobiles, traffic signals, bare early-spring trees, and “ONE WAY” and “NO COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC” signs complete the urban scene. A passing automobile is partially blurred at the lower-right edge, adding movement to the otherwise carefully composed view.

Key Photographic Elements
The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church congregation was founded in 1808, and this building became its fourth Manhattan home. Designed by architect Carl Pfeiffer in the Victorian Gothic style and constructed of New Jersey red sandstone, the church was completed and occupied in 1875. Its 286-foot steeple, completed in 1876, briefly made it the tallest building in Manhattan. The church building predates the completion of nearby landmarks such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Plaza Hotel, preserving a striking 19th-century presence amid the modern office towers of Fifth Avenue. The April 1966 date also places the photograph shortly after Duke Ellington recorded portions of his celebrated “A Concert of Sacred Music” in the church sanctuary in 1965. A ten-foot Celtic cross had been installed atop the steeple in 1964, while a Venetian-glass mosaic by artist Eugene Savage had recently been added above the Fifth Avenue entrance during an early-1960s renovation. The combination of historic church architecture, American flags, pedestrians, classic automobiles, street signs, and modern skyscrapers creates a detailed record of Fifth Avenue during the mid-1960s.

Condition Report
The slide retains readable detail throughout the church facade, flags, banners, street signs, pedestrians, automobiles, and surrounding buildings. The foreground and portions of the church fall into deep shadow, and a mild cool color cast is present. Scattered small dust specks and minor surface marks are visible, while the passing automobile at lower right shows natural motion blur. There is no severe fading, heavy scratching, or significant blur affecting the principal architectural subject. The original Ektachrome cardboard mount shows light age-related wear but remains intact and presentable.

 

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