Old PHOTOGRAPHS of Street Scenes

from

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

Joseph Katzenstein has been kind enough to share his unique collection of photographs showing Washington Heights scenes from the past.

His old photographs are now little visual time capsules of the Heights of the 1940's. the 1950's, and the 1960's. Now in the 21^st Century, these snapshots have found a home in cyberspace and can be viewed as a nostalgic reminder of an era so far away yet so close in many of our memories.

Joseph Katzenstein was born in Jan 1942, a month and a half after the attack on Pearl Harbor. His parents had both fled Nazi Germany in the late '30s. Joe and his younger sister Judy grew up at 155 Audubon Avenue.
He became fascinated by the buses, trolleys, and fire engines he saw every day. His Dad took Joe and Judy on their first train ride from 125th Street to Highbridge Station in the Bronx. He remembers getting off the electric powered NY Central train and seeing a steam powered train on the adjacent track. He was so impressed by the hissing and breathing of the metal monster, that he still has that image embedded in his mind today. His fascination with fire engines led to him becoming a volunteer firefighter. He spent 26 rewarding years in this endeavor until retiring as a fire commissioner in Rockland County. His other fascination with trains, led to a Lionel freight set which he still has! His collection grew over the years. Today he has an 'N' gauge village layout in his NJ home that his grandchildren and others still enjoy.