GARMENT DISTRICT GLOBES

In the mid-1970s a new variety of street lighting, or in this case, sidewalk lighting, was introduced in the Garment District, roughly on side streets between East 35th and 40th Streets and from 6th west to 8th Avenues. We were still esconced firmly in the Mercury Era with greenish-white lighting. The innovation was large, white globular reflectors, attached to existing lamps on cobra masts.

Some of these lamps survived into the 2010s, but before that many had been converted to yellow sodium fixtures and after that, bright white LED fixtures. I’m not sure why the Garment District was selected for them, as I am unsure if work was done late into the night there. Sidewalk lighting also caught on in the Financial District in the 1980s, this time with sodiums. No doubt the local youth, attracted to the large white globes like a bull to a red cape, did their share of smashing them over the years.

Note: at least one remains, in front of the post office on West 38th between 7th and 8th.

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9/30/23