2 St. Mark’s Place. Madonna on St. Marks.
Photographer and long-time resident of New York City’s East Village Daniel Root has been documenting the evolution of his neighborhood ever since he moved there in 1984.
30 years on, he has revisted the locations in his photographs for a then-and-now series titled ‘EV NY: 30 yrs and now.’
Like much of New York City, the formerly gritty, artistic enclave has seen an influx of chain stores and soaring real estate prices over the years, thanks to gentrification.
The juxtaposition of the locations circa 1984 and their present-day façades are an eye-opening look at how they have changed.
One particularly nostalgic picture shows a young Madonna strolling down St. Marks Place, while another shows the southwest corner of Tompkins Square Garden looking reassuringly the same after all these years.
View more images at Root’s website and read an interview he did with Bedford + Bowery here.
143 Avenue B. Christodora House
307 East 8th Street. Cinderblock entrance.
360 East 4th Street. Kids posing
162 Avenue B. Bakery.
Ave. B looking north toward East 12th St.
SW corner Tompkins Square Park. Relaxing with the dogs.
[via Laughing Squid and Dennis Crowley, images via EV NY: 30 yrs and now]