At the Landay Hall in 1946, Newark, New Jersey

As I was looking through the wonderful collection of old photos on the Duke University website, this image caught my eye. Not because I know anything about Newark, New Jersey (which I don't!) but because it's a beautiful image, and what I like to call a "slice of life".

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Landay Hall building, you're looking at the southeast corner of Broad and Park, in Newark, New Jersey, at 3:37 pm on November the 4th, 1946. I can be this precise because the building is still there, at 726 Broad Street, the date of the photo is at the lower left, and there's a clock there at Berger's Jewelers.

But what really caught my eye about this image is that there is a candy store and a reducing salon in the same building. A "reducing salon" is an old-fashioned term for a place that women used to go to lose weight. The candy store, Fanny Farmer, was very popular also (my grandma loved Fanny Farmer candies!) and just kinda faded away. Presumably you can still get the same candy, but other companies have long since gobbled Fanny Farmer up. Sounds good!

Zooming in on the building closer, you can see that the Moose Lodge 237 met on the top floor. I don't know anything about the Mooses (Meese?) but I do know that men who considered themselves the "movers and the shakers" in the town would meet there to discuss business, and have a drink or two - or three. Below them the women would be in steam baths, getting a massage, and working on "spot reducing" (really no such thing, but people still believe in it - it means losing fat in a certain area of your body). And yes, in 1946, this would NOT be co-ed! Not at all. I wonder who Helen Hill was? I guess I'll go Google her after I finish this post.

Down on street level is what interests me the most - the slice of life. It looks like you could enter Berger's Jeweler on either side of the candy store - how convenient! And most of the men are wearing fedoras, except for "Mr. Energy" there in the sweater striding across the street. I'd like to think that he was looking forward to the 1950s, and ready to put the war years behind him. The future was bright, and the '50s were awesome! Since it's November of '46, it's only been a month since VJ Day. And America was going to come back to life in a very big way, with a lot of chrome, and tail fins! Many people will argue that the 1950s as we know it started in 1946, and I'm inclined to agree.


And just a friendly reminder from the Newark Safety Council that drinking and driving don't mix! Thank you for visiting Landay Hall in 1946 with me!



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