Today marks the first installment of "New York, You've Changed,"
a new Scouting NY series in which the New York featured in movies is
compared with the city of today. This is not meant to be the usual list
of shooting locations and addresses to visit next time you tour the
city. Instead, this is a full shot-by-shot dissection to see what New
York once was and what it has become, for better or worse. I've tried
to recreate the angles and framing as best as possible, and have
presented the shots (more or less) in the order they appear in the
film. Please leave feedback!

Though there are many movies I'm excited to cover for "New York,
You've Changed," I had no choice but to start with the movie that first
introduced me to New York City ...



I first saw Ghostbusters when
I was about 8 years old and instantly fell in love with it. I watched
it over and over, to the point where I could recite the entire film.
Watching guys trapping ghosts with backpack nuclear accelerators was
like a child's fantasy come to life, and I defy you to find a kid of
the 1980s who will not confirm the magic Ghostbusters carried in their youth.

I had never
been to New York City at the time, but the film made me desperately
want to go. The public library, the university, the firehouse, Dana's
apartment building ... New York seemed completely different from Boston,
the only city I knew as a kid. Unfortunately, I only set first set foot
in the city in 2000, and by then, New York was a completely different
place.

Ghostbusters was
shot in New York over a four week period beginning in October 1983, then
returned to L.A. for months of soundstage photography. Yet in those
short four weeks, director Ivan Reitman and team managed to capture
enough of the city to make Ghostbusters an iconic "New York"
movie. The New York of 1983 is very different from the post-Giuliani
city of today -- it feels dangerous, gritty, dirty, tough, angry, and
exciting. It seems like a struggle just to cross the street. How much
has New York changed a quarter of a century later? Let's have a look...

The film
opens at the New York Public Library, which has a ghost residing in its
stacks. The first image of the film cranes to one of the NYPL's lions ...


... which
seems to be thankfully unchanged all these years later. One of
Reitman's goals in shooting was to focus on New York statuary, and it
seems appropriate to start off the film with one of the city's most
iconic symbols.


At the time of shooting, the Ghostbusters
crew was disappointed to find that the library was going through
restoration work, and had to shoot tight to avoid showing too much
scaffolding. Nevertheless, this shot reveals the extent of the work ...



Today, the
library is yet again under restoration -- the top portion is covered in
canvas, and the bottom right area is blocked off. While the main
reading room was shot on location, the stacks were actually filmed in
Los Angeles.

Next up is
Columbia University, shown beneath the logo. I'm not sure if it's a
matter of color correction, a bad film transfer to DVD, or that New
York was simply much smoggier back in the day, but I've never seen the
campus look so dingy ...



Today, like the New York Public Library, the campus is essentially the same, although the building on the right in the Ghostbusters picture,
Ferris Booth Hall, was demolished in 1996 to create the much larger
Alfred Lerner Hall, the current student center. Other than there
seeming to be much less smog than in 2009, little has changed, a rarity
in New York.


When we first meet the Ghostbusters, they're working out of "Weaver Hall," the "Department of Psychology."



In reality,
Weaver Hall is actually Havemeyer Hall, a classroom building primarily
dedicated to science and math (in fact, this building has what I
consider to be New York's finest lecture hall -- you can see it
repeatedly in the Spiderman films; nice to know Peter Parker and Peter
Venkman hung out in the same building). In comparing the two pictures,
you can see that we've come so far since the 1980's -- we now recycle,
and we no longer believe in handicap access! (just kidding, I'm sure
there's an alternate entrance somewhere). Here's the full building,
located in the north-western portion of the campus:


After getting booted from the university, Peter and Ray have a life-altering conversation on the east side of the campus.



I was
shocked to see that Columbia has not installed a plaque on this block
announcing that "Bill Murray drank here." If there was one single scene
in a film that made me think "drinking is what the cool kids do" as a
child, it was this. Other than some noticeable differences in foliage,
Columbia continues to look the the same.

As they
continue their conversation, you get a reverse view, and again, you can
see the difference in student centers. Also note that a gate has been
put up, preventing you from going into the area where they have most of
their conversation.



After
deciding to go into business for themselves, the crew takes a trip to
the generically-named "Manhattan City Bank" to take out a mortgage on
Ray's childhood home ("Everyone has a third mortgage nowadays"). I can
tell from the footage that they were filming across the street from the
New York Public Library ...



...but I think the entrance to this building has been completely renovated.


The only
clue that this is the correct location is that wall of stone on the
left hand side, which seems to match in color to the above photograph.
I think the original entrance was more inset.


Finally, the Ghostbusters find their home: Tribeca's iconic Hook & Ladder #8 (also seen in Hitch and Seinfeld).



Note the new
glass-curtain building on the right. The building to the left, which
was probably considered a dump in 1983, is now the Bubbles Lounge
champagne bar. Times have changed. The alley next to the firehouse is
used for firefighter parking.

Shortly
after Ray proclaims "You've gotta try this pole!", we head uptown to
Dana's apartment at 55 Central Park West. Our first shot is of the
building towering over the skyline, as seen from Central Park. Compare
that to the actual view ...





Dana's
building is dead center, but in reality actually seems somewhat squat
compared to the surrounding buildings. Of course, the first image is
actually a matte painting, in which a very realistic painting is
superimposed on actual footage of Central Park. Not only did they give
the building a much more menacing appearance, they also blotted out a
number of the surrounding buildings. I wrongly assumed the field was
Central Park's Great Lawn; it's actually the Sheep Meadow. Stand on the
east side under the trees to get the correct view.



This is an aerial photo of the building in 1983 ...



...and a sketch of the addition:



Originally,
the filmmakers had been planning to use 1 Fifth Avenue, the first
building north of Washington Square Park, for Dana's apartment. Not
only is it much taller ...



...it also features a roof that would lend itself naturally to a temple...



...especially compared to the top of 55 Central Park West:



Also, it was
perfectly located for an iconic shot of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man
passing by (or perhaps destroying) the Washington Square Park Arch.
Unfortunately, the 1 Fifth Ave condo association couldn't come to an
agreement on filming, and shooting was moved uptown.



Back at 55 Central Park West, we first see Dana leaving a cab while struggling with groceries.





Notice a difference? While the buildings are very much the same, New York's cabs have certainly changed ...

Dana walks
across the street to the entrance of the building, nearly getting hit
(if there's any major difference between New York of the 1980's and
today, it's that I could stand in the street for a good 30 seconds
taking pictures with cars swerving around me without a problem).





I believe
that's a new bus stop pole. It also looks like the building might have
had central air installed, as the air-conditioning units have been
removed. But all-in-all, still very much the same. I love the light-up
taxi globe positioned over the entrance:



Egon, Ray, and Peter have been kicked out of Columbia and have since purchased a
Tribeca firehouse to base their fledgling ghostbusting business in.
In this scene, Ray drives up in what will soon become the iconic
"Ectomobile" - not a hearse, as some believe, but actually an old
ambulance (to be specific, a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor
limo-style endloader combination car [ambulance conversion]). If you
look in the background, you get a brief glimpse of the neighborhood
surrounding the firehouse on North Moore Street.





You get a
better view later in the film, when Peter arrives to find EPA officer
Walter Peck attempting to shut down the powergrid. As you can see in
both pictures, a lot has changed, primarily the complete gutting of
what I think was the "Vera Electronics Company," now the Cercle Rouge
Brasserie. Lots of building painting changes to boot. Also, North Moore
Street has lost meter parking but has gained some foliage.





Also, note the squat brick building on the corner, which you can see in this aerial view when the storage facility blows.



This brick
building was purchased by a wealthy family, who recently built a five
story home on top of it (yep, that's a single family house). Because
the brick building is landmarked, they had to integrate it into their
design. Ha, I'd sort of rather live in the firehouse, but then, I'm
nuts.



As Peter
listens to Ray's endless list of car repairs, we get a glimpse across
Hudson Street, which has completely changed (the restaurant on the
corner is now Walkers). Also note that the "ENTRANCE AROUND CORNER"
sign on the firehouse still exists:





After
meeting Dana Barrett, the Ghostbusters complete their first successful
bust at the Sedgewick Hotel. Where is its New York counterpart? You'll
have to go to California for that one - they filmed at LA's Millennium
Biltmore Hotel.



We next get
a montage taking us through their rapid successes at busting ghosts,
and I'm going to need a little help identifying this first location.
Anyone recognize it? It feels very familiar to me, but I just can't
place it. I think that sign says "Mens Wear" on the right, though I
doubt that helps. Also, the bearded guy looking into the camera is
actually an actor.



The next
part of the montage appears to have been shot around the Little
Italy/Chinatown neighborhood. I was excited to go searching for some of
the more obscure shots, but was ultimately thwarted by the San Gennaro
festival (for non-New Yorkers, thousands of people descend on Little
Italy for an enormous street fair, making photography, walking, even
breathing nearly impossible). I'm planning on returning to the area
after the festival is over sometime this November. We get a shot of the
Ectomobile passing by the infamous Umberto's...



Next, we see
Peter and Ray in Chinatown. I really feel there's enough clues in this
picture to locate this (the metal railing, the yellow sign, etc.) and
for shooting purposes, I bet it's very close to Umberto's.



This next
shot of Egon with a smoking trap had me wondering, until I noticed both
a "Luna Restaurant" and a "PIZZA" sign in the background. Granted, this
could be ANYWHERE in New York (there are several "Luna" establishments
in the city), but if they were doing montage shots in Little Italy, it
seems to be a safe bet that this was there.



It would
also make perfect sense to find an apartment building with a lower
level like this in the neighborhood. If anyone knows differently,
please let me know!



Here, we see
the Ectomobile cruise past St. Patrick's and Saks Fifth Ave. In many of
these shots, it's actually Dan Aykroyd driving the car, even though you
can't see him. Looks like the awnings are gone. Also, for reasons
unknown, we now need to put up with that incredibly frustrating
sidewalk barrier:





Finally, we
see the Ghostbusters running up Rockefeller Center. Apparently, they
had no permission to shoot there, and you can actually see a security
guy (maybe the man in white on the left?) running after them in the
shot.





After the montage, Peter chats with Dana about Zuul and Gozer in Lincoln Center. The fountain was recently replaced, to the dismay of preservationists, with a modern version that will entertain tourists with computer-controlled water displays.





Bad things
quickly begin happening in Dana's apartment building. For the life of
me, I can't find this location in Central Park. It's obviously faked -
Dana's apartment is superimposed where it simply doesn't exist. But I
can't seem to find this curve. Any guesses? The best I could come up
with is the entrance at 72nd Street, which doesn't feel totally right.





With a
terror dog right behind him, Louis Tully flees to Central Park and
desperately tries to get into Tavern on the Green via the patio (I
believe the statue was a prop).



Inside, a
birthday party is in full swing (trivia - the birthday girl is Debbie
Gibson). I located the correct side of the patio by that tree, which is
hidden behind the hanging flowers in the below picture.





Louis runs
to the left and desperately tries the door, which is locked (FYI for
anyone running from terror dogs, the door is still locked):





Finally, in
what has to be one of the more sympathy-inducing scenes in modern
cinema, Louis backs against a window - it's the second one to the right
of the tree trunk.





Shortly
after, Walter Peck shuts down the protection grid and the containment
unit blows. As you watch the enormous explosion blow out of the
Ghostbusters roof, you could be forgiven for not noticing the MATERA
CANVAS ad on the building to the left, which is still there today:





The ad advertises a store at 5 Lispenard Street, which was in business as recently as 1990, having been around since 1907 (more info in this NY Times article).



During the commotion, Louis manages to escape - anyone know what street this?



A quick
tidbit you might have missed - in this shot, you can see a "STAY PUFT
MARSHMALLOWS" wall ad on the building to the left (wouldn't that be a
great addition to the now otherwise ugly wall?).





As ghosts
escape, we see one fly out of a subway station, which can be found at
the City Hall RW train entrance on Broadway west of City Hall (the
newsstand seems to have shifted south a block):





Next, a commuter gets in a cab with a corpse. Any idea what avenue this is?



I've had this cab driver before:



The cab takes off, sending traffic swerving out of its path. This might give a second clue to the location of the scene:



For a brief
moment, we get a shot of Louis crossing the street as he makes his way
to Dana's apartment. What I find interesting about this shot is an
awning that reads "WIENERWALD - Austrian Restaurant." I had never heard
of a WienerWald before - apparently, it was the largest fast food
restaurant in Europe during the 1970's, and had attempted to expand to
America. Now, there are only 63 locations left in Germany and Austria.



Slimer makes another appearance, this time in a hot dog vendor's cart outside of the McGraw-Hill building at Rockefeller Center:







Dana sends a
signal to Louis, who hears it in Times Square. This is the weirdest
shot - it's like the went out of their way to hide the fact that it's
Times Square. I only recognized it for the TCKT booth (boy has that
changed) and the George Cohan statue. Odd that they would shoot in the
heart of Manhattan and not show the surrounding area (methinks they got
this shot on the fly).





After a meeting with the mayor at city hall...





...the boys in gray peel out and head uptown...





...vowing to "run some red lights."





Much of the
destruction that occurs to the street in front of Dana's building was
actually shot on a soundstage in California with a full two-story
replica of the apartment's facade (if you pay close attention, it's
very clear when they're on the set):



Finally, the
one and only Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man makes an appearance in Columbus
Circle. Aw, I miss the old Museum of Arts & Design building, even
if it was one of the ugliest buildings in the city (for years, I
thought it was some sort of parking garage). Note the sliver of an old
Marlboro Cigarettes ad on the right:





As terrified New Yorkers flee, they have no idea that the store on the corner will one day be a FedEx-Kinkos:





As Stay-Puft approaches the building, you can see just how drastic the building addition is:





I had to post this great shot - I never noticed that two great villains, Walter Peck and Stay-Puft, appear in one brief shot.



Finally, years later, the marshmallow has been cleaned up and New York is basically back to normal.





As it turns out, most of the changes between the New York in Ghostbusters and
the New York of 2009 are pretty small, due to the fact that the movie
was mostly shot in locations where change is not allowed (the New York
Public Library, Columbia, Rockefeller Center, etc.). In my mind, it's a
very good thing that these New York's treasures are still standing
strong more than 25 years later.

With the recent success of 80's nostalgia reboots (G.I. Joe, Transformers, etc.), there's been renewed talk about a Ghostbusters 3. A script was commissioned by Sony Pictures, with writing duties handed to Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, the writers of Year One.

The writers of Year One. Are you fucking kidding me?

Look, I'd
kill to see the Ghostbusters hit the streets of New York for one last
fight against the paranormal, but when I say the Ghostbusters, I don't
mean a new crop of comedic actors. Nothing makes me fear for the worst
more than thinking of Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Seth Rogan, or Paul
Rudd hefting on a proton pack (in his defense, Seth Rogan is on record
as saying he will not be the guy to ruin Ghostbusters). I've
heard industry-types say that there's no way Murray, Aykroyd, or Ramis
could support a tentpole movie like Ghostbusters 3.

Bullshit. If Harrison Ford can pack 'em in at 67 for a subpar Indy IV, there is no question that audiences will turn out in droves to see Ray, Peter, Egon, and Winston save New York one more time.

Anyway, hope
you enjoyed! I'm going to try to make this a regular site feature. Next
time, we'll move a bit further back in film history.

-SCOUT
More articles at ScoutingNY.com





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Damn that was pretty cool to see

Yea. Thats pretty damn good. Its nice to see how the places its filmed have changed.