New York in the 1980s was a far cry from the city it is today. At the time, Manhattan was crime-ridden and full of burned-out buildings and unresolved tensions. For photographer Brian Rose, who lived through that era, the present-day city can be startling.
“New York was at a precarious point in time. The city could easily have gone the way of Detroit. We didn’t know,” Rose told Business Insider. "Lower Manhattan was a post-apocalyptic landscape of crumbling buildings and abandoned streets. You couldn't tell things were going to get better until the late '80s."
Rose recently completed a photographic study of one of Manhattan’s most-changed neighborhoods, the Meatpacking District, which has transformed over the last 20 years from an open-air industrial meat market to a glittering hub of nightlife and restaurants. Rose originally photographed the area in 1985 and returned in 2013 to document the same street corners.
Rose has collected his photos from both 1985 and 2013 in a book, "Metamorphoses," which you can purchase here. He has shared some photos with us, but you can check out the rest in the book or on his website.
The Meatpacking District in the 1980s was a derelict scene. In the early morning hours, trucks rolled in and workers got started on the meat trade. By midday, the streets were "semi-abandoned," according to Rose.
Today, the area is bustling day and night with tourists, diners, shoppers, and nightclub attendees.
The area used to be blue-collar.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
