NYPL's Bldg. at 5th Ave. & 42nd St. on Postcards

I thought I would do one more post on the New York Public Library's building located at 5th Ave. & 42nd St. since this is the actual day of the centennial celebration for the building. I don't know how many different postcard views of this iconic building exist but there are dozens, maybe hundreds. I deliberately only have a few postcards showing the 5th Avenue building (I have to be selective).  The one shown here is my favorite. It was mailed to the American Barracks in Tientsin, China on May 2, 1933, probably to a postcard collector since it doesn't have a message, only the name of the sender. As a bibliophilatelist, I like the fact that the postage stamps are on the front of the postcard, something you probably couldn't get away with today. The postcard shows the hustle and bustle of 5th Ave., and the back of the card notes that "Fifth Avenue and 42nd St., is the busiest crossing in the city where traffic is heavy at all hours of the day and night."  The ideal corner for where a public library should be located. Also prominently displayed on the postcard is the 300 Fifth Ave. Building.  The back of the card notes that this 38 story office building has 1,000 windows overlooking the public library and Bryant Park. For more postcard views of the NYPL at 5th Ave. & 42nd St. click HERE (Judy Aulik) and HERE (Sharon McQueen). I've also written a previous post about NYPL postcards. Most of my collection of artifacts related to the New York Public Library are postal items other than postcards, but a wide variety of souvenir items related to the New York Public Library exist and offer a great collecting opportunity.