Aerial View of Raleigh, N.C.
Flashback Friday redux — A few weeks ago we published Beautiful Raleigh, N.C., an aerial postcard view of downtown Raleigh. Though undated, readers narrowed down the date of that card to 1982-83. Care to give it another try with this one?
Aerial view of Raleigh, N.C., looking north down Fayetteville Street. State Capitol building in background, Memorial Auditorium in foreground.
We invite you to test your familiarity with downtown Raleigh — past and present. Several clues revealed in buildings not yet built, those still standing, and those which have been demolished should help you peg the exact year this photo was taken. Good luck!
This is an example of a ‘photochrome postcard,’ 1940s-present.
The term Photochrome is derived from Kodachrome, the name of this new Kodak film. A number of early photochromes originally referred to themselves as kodachromes. Others were more subtle, stating they were taken from natural color photographs. They are now usually just called chromes for short. Almost all postcards have been printed as photochromes since the mid 1950’s.
About the publisher.
The photographer Mike Roberts became the first printer of photochrome postcards based on the new Kodachrome color film. These postcards were issued by Color Card, of which he became a partner. The studio went on to become Mike Roberts Color Products Inc., producing cards well into the 1990’s. Roberts moved his operations to San Diego in 1996 under the name Scenic Art Inc.
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07/01/2011
to Steve J. — I think you meant to comment on this post — ‘Aerial View.’ Your guess is in the ballpark, but the date can be narrowed down to the exact year!
07/01/2011
1965 or 1966 maybe if I’m looking at the right block. Something appears to be missing and another doesn’t appear to have replaced it yet.
07/01/2011
I’m going to say 1967, because I believe that was the year Salisbury Street was extended past the Memorial Auditorium.
If you look closely, you can find the Park Central and Carolina Hotels, both of which are now gone. There’s no round Holiday Inn/Clarion. I think I see Estey Hall at Shaw. Halifax was still a street, not a mall. I don’t think Hugh Morrison has been torn down yet either.
07/01/2011
Al — Hugh Morson High School (NE block diagonal from Moore Sq) is missing (demo complete mid-summer 1966). The old Meredith building with its enormous slate roof and turrets (one block NW of the Morson site) was still standing — demo early summer 1967. Are these the landmarks you pegged?
NCSU — yes, those hotels were demo’d in the early 1970s. Your observations are correct. Not only was Estey Hall still standing then, but so was Shaw Hall, which was demo’d in 1968.
So, my date for this photo is late Summer 1966, as the Morson site looks freshly cleared, and all the vegetation is lush and green.
Steve J — nice stab man — you know your downtown Raleigh history!
07/01/2011
Raleigh Boy….Yep….I was looking at the Morson lot only, and I should have known it couldn’t have been 1965 with an emtpy lot. I simply got my year mixed up on that one.
07/01/2011
No prob, Al — We at Goodnight Raleigh will yet test your ken!
07/07/2011
I’m afraid that could get ugly Raleigh Boy…for me!