Hank O'Neal's 1980s NYC

Photographer Hank O'Neal has an incredible collection of photos of New York in the 1980s. It includes many vanished and favorite scenes of the East Village and Lower East Side.


All Photos by Hank O'Neal

There's the Open Thursday Only egg store on 7th Street, and a shot of Gem Spa back in the day.



There's the old Gentle Touch ("whale of a wash") car wash that the Adidas Building replaced on E. Houston and Crosby Street.



O'Neal also has a vast collection of street art.



As well as Lower East Side signage.





There's also a section called Social Commentary... "We don't want your 24-story monstrosity" and "We don't want you boring yuppies." Sound familiar?


1986


1986

Finally, a rare 1975 shot of Keller's bar, the vanished gay bar in the abandoned Keller Hotel over on West Street and Christopher--next to the home of "Buck-a-Lunch" and with a Christmas tree decorated in beer cans.