Three reels of silent film from the 1920s showing scenes of various parts of the city and activities of city workers have been discovered in a storage area of the city’s Department of Planning and Development at 87 Nepperhan Ave. The city has had the film digitized and posted to its YouTube site.
“Our city is full of amazing, rich history and we now are fortunate to get a glimpse of our past with these new-found artifacts,” said Mayor Mike Spano. “When our team discovered the reels, we couldn’t contain our curiosity. We immediately digitized them to see what was on them and it was like opening a time capsule into the early 20th century of life in Yonkers.”
Workers are shown cutting down a large tree as well as paving a section of Yonkers Avenue. A trolley can be seen working its way along a downtown street and then turning to enter what likely is Getty Square. There are images of City Hall and a groundbreaking ceremony of what is the present day 87 Nepperhan Ave., where the film reels were discovered. Workers are shown building a garbage “destructor” plant. People are seen walking along the storefronts of Getty Square and an early fire truck is seen pulling out of one of the city’s fire houses.
“I encourage our residents to take a peek at these reels, especially our longtime residents,” Spano said. “It’s possible someone’s grandparents or great grandparents who worked for the city may be on these videos.”
