This is a picture of the now demolished California Academy of Sciences building that housed the Steinhart Aquarium and other science exhbits for many decades until the turn of the millennium. The part of Golden Gate park where this and other museums were located was completely demolished and reconstructed, with the DeYoung Art Museum being constructed on the same ground, as was this building, in 2003. The other main museum located here, the Asian Art Museum, was moved to a large building facing on Civic Center Plaza and the City Hall.
The description states:
GOLDEN GATE PARK – SAN FRANCISCO
Located in San Francisco’s world renowned Golden Gate Park is the California Academy of Sciences, the Steinhart Aquarium an the Morrison Planetarium. Over a million persons visit the Academy of Sciences annually.
–There is noticeable damage to the card at the bottom, probably during mailing. The vehicle and the fashions shown in this picture date the card to the 1960s.
Tag: used
Maumee River Bridge, Ohio
This image is of a portion of the Ohio Turnpike, a toll road built between 1949 and 1955. It specifically features the Maumee River Bridge crossing, showing the separation of traffic.
The description states:
OTP-9 — THE MAUMEE RIVER BRIDGE ON OHIO’S 326,000,000 TURNPIKE
This mammoth bridge is 1,394 feet long. Twin bridges carry the roadways wherever the Turnpike crosses over other highways, rivers or railroads, to preserve the minimum separation between the east and west bound lanes.
–This postcard was used and is dated April 27, 1956. The black streaks on the sky are cancellation marks.
Terrace Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio
This is an image of the building known at the time as the Terrace Plaza Hotel, named for the large terrace adjoining the restaurant and bar several stories above street level.
The description states:
TERRACE PLAZA HOTEL
Cincinnati, Ohio
400 outside rooms, each with tub, shower, circulating ice water, 6-station radio. Four restaurants. Entire hotel completely air conditioned. Television in all public rooms. R. C. Kroger, Resident Manager, Max Schulman, General Manager.
–The hotel has changed hands during it existence, and is considered a monument to Modernist design and construction. It is operated under the name Hilton Hotel Netherland today. This image is from the 1940s. The card was used and is dated February 15th, 1950.
Federal Building, Cincinnati, Ohio
This image features the Federal Building in Cincinnati, Ohio as it looked in the 1940s. This building also housed the main Post Office for Cincinnati at the time.
There is no description on the back of this card.
As best can be determined, this building no longer exists, and the post office has moved to a different location as a result. The cars present in the image clearly point to the image being from the 1940s. The card itself was used, and is dated February 14, 1950.
Central Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio
This image begins a series of images of Cincinnati, Ohio, beginning with an important thoroughfare called Central Parkway. It is built directly over the route of the canal that once flowed through Cincinnati, and now marks the unofficial northern boundary of the downtown.
There is no description on the back of this card. The cars shown in the photo are typical of the 1920’s and early 1930s. However, the original black and white photo, colorized in this example, was used for several decades, as this card was used and is dated February 15, 1950.
City of Munising Auto Ferry, Mackinaw City, Mich.
This clearly marked ship is the City of Munising, once owned and operated by the Pere Marquette Railroad and converted by the state of Michigan to ferry autos across the Straits of Mackinac.
While there are passengers clearly visible on the decks of the ship, the amount of distance the hull is above the normal waterline indicates this ship is probably near empty.
This card was used, and is dated June 21, 1939.
Ann Arbor Railroad Ferry, Frankfort, Michigan
This ship though similar to the previous images, was owned and operated by the Ann Arbor Railroad, used them to transport railroad cars across Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair into Canada.
The signboard next to the bridge indicates it is the Ann Arbor, but the number of the ship is too faint to make out.
This card was used and is dated August 3, 1949.
Ambassador Bridge, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
The Ambassador Bridge is unusual in that it is privately owned and controls the most important international crossing from Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan.
The description states:
THE AMBASSADOR BRIDGE
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Motor traffic on the largest international bridge in the world (approximately two miles long and five lanes wide), joining Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and spanning the busiest waterway in the world, the Detroit River.
–This near monopoly on traffic between Michigan and Ontario has led to significant legal battles between the bridge owner and various Michigan governmental agencies. Because of the intransigence of the owner, a new bridge is planned and will be in operation a short distance away, called the New International Trade Crossing.
This card has significant markings from the cancellation machine when it was originally mailed. It even appears that the card was run through the machine backwards before being cancelled correctly. While the postmark is for May 21, 1961, the age of the cars shown indicates this photo is from the 1950s.
Admin Building, U of Western Ontario, London, Canada
This image is of the Romanesque revival University of Western Ontario Administration Building. The campus is located in London, Ontario, Canada.
The description states:
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO
LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA
— This is probably a colorized version of a black and white original. The marks in the upper left are from the cancellation machine. This card was used, and postmarked July 30, 1952.
Festival Theatre Hall, Stratford, Canada
This image shows the proscenium stage of the Festival Theatre in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. The venue hosts the world famous and long running Stratford Festival. It features Shakespeare plays and other popular subjects from the late Spring through early Fall.
The description on the card states:
Auditorium and Stage of
THE FESTIVAL THEATRE
Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Seating 2258, the auditorium of this unique theatre is semicircular, built in arena style. Constructed at a cost of more than $2,000,000, its productions are annually seen by more than 250,000 people.
–The venue still exists and looks almost the same today. This card was used, and dates from the 1960s.