Text and Photographs by Stephen Harmon

A few weeks ago, a comment about my Throwback Thursday photographs said that the Upper West Side of the 1970s and 80s looked old, rundown, and dirty, and that I, as the photographer, was only interested in people who were down and out.

The UWS of those vanished days — and the UWS today — certainly do look old, as most of the buildings were constructed from the late 1870s up to the Depression, which started in October 1929. Yes, there were alcoholics and other unfortunates who lived on the streets, a chronic problem here and in other large cities. For the most part, though, the UWS was a vibrant, diverse community, populated by people of all ages, colors, and ethnicities. This is an important part of the UWS I was trying to preserve forever on film.

Stephen Harmon is a longtime Upper West Sider, a retired lawyer, and a world-class photographer whose work is displayed in many of the city’s museums, including The Museum of the City of New York, The Brooklyn Museum, The New-York Historical Society, and The New York Public Library.

See all Throwback Thursdays — HERE.

Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.