How a bird saw the York Mall/York County Shopping Center in 1970
This J. David Allen photograph appearing in a 1970 Gazette and Daily calendar looks west to the point where Market Street (Old Lincoln Highway, Route 462), intersects with Interstate 83. That’s the new Route 30 running past the Caterpillar plant, top right, to an intersection with Interstate 83 at the extreme top of the photograph, creating a major interchange. McCrory’s distribution center, the York Mall and the York County Shopping Center are in the center of the photograph. (Click on image to enlarge; more aerial links below.) Also of interest: Landmark Modernaire Motel built in Lincoln Highway’s heyday.
Frequent viewers of York Town Square have seen a J. David Allen west-to-east bird’s eye view of the commercial district of Springettsbury Township: Just try to resist studying this memory-tugging photograph and Just try to resist studying this memory-tugging Sears photograph, Part II.
The calendar above reverses the bird’s flight looking east to west down on that locale.
The calendar assessed this view: “The peaceful York valley of 175 years ago, when the York Gazette was founded, has grown by 1970 to this airscape of highways, multi-million (dollar) business enterprises and housing developments.”
Airscape? I heard of landscape and even streetscape.
Well, smack in the center of this airscape is the old Valley Canvas building, built as a hangar for Valley Air Park that operated there in the mid-20th century. For a better view, see Building No. 11 in Springettsbury Township. What was it then and what is it now?.
Interesting that an airport was the early developer of this land. Thirty years later in 1970, its lone remaining building is dwarfed by development. Forty years later, the scene is the same, even more so.
Background posts:
York County … ‘A smorgasbord of architectural styles’ and Coca-Cola out in Springetts… self-storage space is real thing and Change flattens Stony Brook’s drive-in, humpback bridge.
York County views from on the air:
– Just try to resist studying this memory-tugging photograph
– Just try to resist this memory-tugging photo of North York’s White Oak Park
– Just try to resist this memory-tugging aerial photograph of York Whitehull Airport and York Valley Inn and Playland and …
– So, can you find long-gone Springwood Park in this aerial photograph?
– Camp Security area of Springettsbury Township from the air
– Just try to resist this memory-tugging photograph of northwest York, Pa.
– Building No. 11 in Springettsbury Township. What was it then and what is it now?
Other views
Check out additional aerial views of York County.
