Rephotography

On the left are two images of Riverside Ave looking east on the way to Winooski. The top image was taken in the early 1930s as Riverside Ave was under construction and the bottom image was taken in September 2020.

The newer image shows a paved road with sidewalks. There are many deciduous trees visible in the background on the slope. The slope is still there, although it is not clearly visible with the vegetation. Several buildings are seen on the right, including E&E Tire Co. and AllStar Collision Center. A few vehicles are parked in the lot in front of these buildings. Another garage driveway is just visible in the back of the image as the road starts to curve.

In the old image, there are fewer trees but several buildings are present, including Socony Oil which is no longer there. The building in the back is possibly located in the same area as the garage in the back of the new image, but the area looks different today. The historic image was most likely taken in the spring, as there are no leaves on the trees or any traces of snow. It is very important to note the slope on the left side of the road in the historic image. There are no trees there, and the slope appears to go straight down. The trees may have been cleared when the area around Riverside Ave was being filled. Additionally, looking at the 1942 aerial imagery of Riverside Ave shows this area as being deforested. However, there are trees visible on this slope in the new image.

These photographs were taken in Burlington at the intersection of Colchester Ave and Riverside Ave, looking towards Winooski. The top image was taken in ~1927 and the bottom image was taken in September 2020. In the newer image, the street sign for Mill St is visible on the right side. Colchester Ave has a total of three lanes visible, and there is a stoplight at the intersection. Past the intersection is the bridge to Winooski. It has a concrete fence on the outside of the sidewalks. A utility pole and wires can be seen on the right side of the image as well. A few cars are visible in the background, driving towards Burlington from Winooski. Several brick buildings can be seen in the background, although one of them is being partially blocked by a tree. This image was taken in early fall, and the deciduous trees that are visible still have their leaves.

In the old image, only one brick building was visible in the background and another small building was visible on the right, close to the photographer. More buildings have been added since then. The small building on the right side of the new image appears to in the same location as the small building in the old image, but it is unknown whether this is the same building. The bridge has changed since the 1920s as well. It formerly appeared to be a smaller, truss bridge, whereas now it is wider and uncovered. It is interesting to note that there are fewer utility poles in the new image, likely due to advances in technology and the addition of underground wires. Another key difference to note is the high water level of the Winooski River in the old image. The image was taken after the flood of 1927 and the water levels were much higher than they are today.