When the Queensboro Bridge first opened in 1909, the Queens neighborhoods of Long Island City and Astoria were relatively undeveloped. There were some industrial sites along the East River, and some small residential blocks to support them, but it was nothing like you find today. Economic development of the area can greatly be attributed to the bridge and the new-found ease of traveling to and through Manhattan. This side-by-side comparison photograph shows the Queens side of the bridge about 100 years apart.
via reddit
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