Another photo of the Southeast corner of Broad and Spruce Streets shot from the building on the Northwest corner of that same intersection. The last one I posted here was in color and shot about a year after this one.
I probably shot this just to kill off a roll of Pan-X prior to processing in the Philadelphia College of Art’s photo department which I think was on the eighth floor of what was known as Anderson Hall and is now called The Atlantic Building.
I didn’t notice this until I started to clean up the scan of this negative.
A phonebooth! It’s been ages since I’ve seen one, and I didn’t really remember one being on that corner, but the proof is in the picture! They were soon to be replaced by the far less fun but easier to maintain kiosks.
It’s funny that at one time there was an expectation of privacy while making a phone call.
The Photo Elective
Back in the 1980s, I went to art school, and I along with all of the other illustration majors were required to take a minor course in photography. We had to shoot the photos as well as process the negatives and make prints. I don’t recall what the particulars of the class assignments were although I can tell from looking at the negatives which were the assignments and which ones were shot just to finish off a roll. The shots to finish a roll are a lot more interesting. I lived just across the Delaware River from school and did most of my photo elective shots around South Jersey. This is one of the rare instances where I shot in Philly, and I’m glad I did. Much of the corner pictured above is currently a hole in the ground.
