Popular cable television channel Turner Classic Movies owns a collection of forgotten film shorts — they’re broadcast during the TCM “From the Vault” segments.
The Daily Gazette’s history department has its own collection of material “from the vault,” forgotten or little-seen photos from Schenectady’s past.
Capital Region Scrapbook opens the vault for today’s page. Two of Schenectady’s famous downtown hotels — the Edison and the Vendome — are back for encores. So are people in restaurants. William J. McGroty and Theresa McGroty Hayes are shown inside their small State Street business in August 1928. Ham and eggs were on the menu for 45 cents; complete dinners sold for 40 cents.
Places on Union Street and State Street are also out of the vault. A 1920s-era shot of downtown Schenectady shows automobiles and trolley cars on the street — a horse and buggy, too. Businesses open at the time included Keeser’s Dancing Academy, Davidson’s clothing store and the Carl Co.
By the 1940s, the Hotel Van Curler was a city landmark. Folks from the city’s Sears Department Store gathered for a party and a photo on Sept. 11, 1946. Their names are not included in The Gazette’s photo “vault,” so anyone who can offer names for the smiling men and women can contact Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124.
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