Curated by Joseph A. Gornail & Steven D. Garcia of Fine Print New York • 315 Madison Avenue • Email Us • 212.619.5446

History of NYC - 1980 to 1985

The early 1980s marks a drastic transition as the City enjoys another decade of prosperity while the exodus of middle class residents to suburban areas has radically altered the demographic. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum opens, as does the Helmsley Palace Hotel and Limelight nightclub. Much of the City is still in shambles but signs of recovery are everywhere as neighborhoods rebuild and New Yorkers find more opportunities in a growing economy.

Aerial photograph of the Empire State Building and Manhattan's skyline with Queens and Brooklyn visible in the background.

1984: Empire State Building and New York's Skyline

Aerial photograph of the Empire State Building and Manhattan's skyline with Queens and Brooklyn visible in the background.

Aerial photograph of World Trade Center Buildings Number 1 and 2, commonly known as the Twin Towers.

1980: Twin Towers, World Trade Center

Aerial photograph of World Trade Center Buildings Number 1 and 2, commonly known as the Twin Towers.

Aerial Photograph  of Lower Manhattan's skyline, prominently featuring the World Trade Center.

1980: Twin Towers and Lower Manhattan Skyline

Aerial Photograph of Lower Manhattan's skyline, prominently featuring the World Trade Center.

Aerial photograph above the East River Shows the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges with Midtown's skyline visible in the distance.

1980: Downtown Bridges, Looking North

Aerial photograph above the East River Shows the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges with Midtown's skyline visible in the distance.

Photograph of Governor's Island with the World Trade Center visible in the background.

1982: Governors Island

Photograph of Governor's Island with the World Trade Center visible in the background.

Photograph of the Hudson River and West end of Pier A, Battery Place, New York City.

1984: Battery Place at the Hudson River

Photograph of the Hudson River and West end of Pier A, Battery Place, New York City.

Photograph of South Street Seaport Museum, Block bounded by John, South, Fulton, & Front Streets.

1981: South Street Seaport Museum

Photograph of South Street Seaport Museum, Block bounded by John, South, Fulton, & Front Streets.

Photograph of the Wonder Wheel and Carousel ride at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.

1980: The Wonder Wheel at Coney Island

Photograph of the Wonder Wheel and Carousel ride at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.

Photograph of Brooklyn's City Hall, located at209 Joralemon Street, Kings County New York.

1981: Brooklyn City Hall

Photograph of Brooklyn's City Hall, located at209 Joralemon Street, Kings County New York.

Photograph of Surrogates Court, located at 31 Chambers Street in lower Manhattan.

1981: Chambers Street Surrogates Court

Photograph of Surrogates Court, located at 31 Chambers Street in lower Manhattan.

Photograph of New York City Hall and City Hall Park taken from the southeast.

1981: City Hall from the Southeast

Photograph of New York City Hall and City Hall Park taken from the southeast.

Photograph of New York City Hall's North elevation and City Hall Park.

1981: City Hall Park

Photograph of New York City Hall's North elevation and City Hall Park.

Photograph of the Chamber of Commerce Building, located on 65 Liberty Street.

1983: Chamber of Commerce Building

Photograph of the Chamber of Commerce Building, located on 65 Liberty Street.

A Historic American Buildings Survey photograph showing east and north elevations of the William J. Matheson Building at 145-155 John Street.

1981: William J. Matheson Building

A Historic American Buildings Survey photograph showing east and north elevations of the William J. Matheson Building at 145-155 John Street.

Photograph of traffic in South Street Seaport with the Woolworth Building visible in the background.

1981: South Street Seaport

Photograph of traffic in South Street Seaport with the Woolworth Building visible in the background.


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Frequently Asked Questions

What Is History101.nyc?

Welcome to the History of New York City - A Unique Online Gallery of NYC's Origins, Curated and Digitally Restored by Fine Print New York.

We're opening our archives to present this Collection of Vintage Photos, Historical Images and Rare Lithographs. This Exclusive Series of High Quality Art Prints are only Available for Purchase Exclusively on this Site.

What Time Periods, Eras, Decades of NYC History are available?

We cover a great portion of the city's history, ranging from its earliest days as New Amsterdam to the late 1980s. Artists are currently working on photos from the 90s to present day,

Here's a current list of what is covered:

Dutch Era: When New York Was New Amsterdam

NYC in the 1600s

Georgian Era

NYC in the 1700s • NYC from 1800 to 1850

Victorian Era

NYC in the 1850s • NYC in the 1860s • NYC in the 1870s • NYC in the 1880s

Progressive Era

NYC in the 1890s • NYC from 1900 to 1905 • 1905 to 1910 • 1910 to 1915 • 

World War 1

NYC from 1915 to 1920

Art Deco

NYC from 1920 to 1925 • NYC from 1925 to 1930

Depression Era

NYC from 1930 to 1935 • NYC from 1935 to 1940

World War 2

NYC from 1940 to 1945

MidCentury Modern Era

NYC from 1945 to 1950 • 1950 to 1955 • 1955 to 1960 • 1960 to 1965 • 1965 to 1970

Energy Crisis

NYC from 1970 to 1975 • 1975 to 1980

Reagan Era

NYC from 1980 to 1985 • 1985 to 1990
Can I License Any of These Images?

Digital licenses are available for educational institutions (schools, universities, non-profit organizations). Please contact legal@fineprintnyc.com to discuss conditions for licensing.

NOTE: Any form of commercialization or redistribution of these images, either as tangible goods or third party licenses, is expressly forbidden.

Who started History101.nyc?

Joseph Gornail, printer/photographer and founder of Fine Print New York. Joseph grew up in SoHo, Manhattan and is part of a long lineage of NYC printers, learning the family trade from his grandfather. While working for Dolo Records/Stretch Armstrong in 1996, Joseph founded All City Marketing & Printing, and in 1999 Co-Founded the legendary street wear company "Orchard Street " with lifelong friends Benjamin Holloway and Greig Bennett. Fine Print NYC was established in 2004 with a Nike project being the launchpad for a commercial printing company that has not only survived, but thrived in the digital age.

Steven Garcia, designer/illustrator and creative director of Fine Print New York. Born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Steven attended Fashion Industries High School and F.I.T. before building a successful career at Saatchi & Saatchi for as a professional retoucher and storyboard artist in 1995. Steven started ShinyDesign in 1998 and partnered with Fine Print in 2004 as the exclusive design firm for the company. Steven has independently worked on major advertising campaigns for many brands over the years, such as Snapple, The Waldorf Astoria and Sony to name a few.

Together, Joseph & Steven are responsible for the curation and direction of the History101.nyc project, which has been under development since 2006. They have a long history of collaborating together, going back as far as 2001 when Joseph was gallery manager and Steven was a curator at The New York City Urban Experience, an art gallery & museum that was located at 85 South Street and owned by Mike Saes of the Nike Bridge Runners and True Yorkers.

@History101NYC

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History101.NYC is an ad-free learning resource available to the public at no charge.
This project is dedicated to exploring New York’s fascinating heritage through the restoration of vintage photographs and prints.