Browsing the posts on 2bangkok.com, there was an interesting collection of old photos of Krungthep, many taken by servicemen who were hear during the Vietnam War era, as well as those taken by others.
One photo that caught my attention was this one, dated 1957. It is taken at the intersection of Rama I and Phaya Thai Roads, looking east. (Google Map here) There used to be a traffic circle – gone now – and the green area on the left is where the Siam Discovery, Sian Center and Siam Paragon malls are.
Between the time of this picture and today, the land that was Siam Paragon was home to the beautiful old Siam Intercontinental Hotel. This landmark, with lush tropical gardens and a unique roof line, opened in 1968 and then was torn down in 2002 to make was for Siam Paragon.
After seeing this photo, I decided to go seek out the same vantage point and see how fifty years have changed the landscape.
Now you see the Skytrain track, an elevated pedestrian walkway and, upper left, the office building that is part of the Siam Discovery complex. MBK mall is off to the right of the picture.
Would be interesting to see more “now and then” photos.
While walking from BTS National Stadium Skytrain station to this photo site, I watched a pick-up football game (Thai pronunciaton: foot-BON) played on a concrete pitch. Thought the colors were interesting.
The Thais love their footbon!
christao408 
yeah I like those now and then pics 🙂
How come all the Asian cities’ cement paved roads all look very old and dirty compared to the US highways?This is really befuddling
Interesting… is that anywhere near MBK? Good timing on the picture of the football game – looks like someone just scored.
I remembered that portion of the elevated walkway, you can see the big MBK shopping signage and a good spot for photograph!
@ElusiveWords – Yes, if you look on the “now” picture, you’ll see the first two letters of an “MBK” sign in the right foreground. The picture of the game did turn out really well. “Score!!!”@Wangium – Because it is? I’ve been told that it is a type of moss that grows on the cement and since the cement is not regularly cleaned or painted, it darkens. I noticed the same thing in HKG and never understood why people didn’t take the time to take care of the concrete better.@curry69curry – It is one of the busiest intersections in the city, making for lots to see. There’s a new art museum in the northwest corner of the intersection that has opened since your last visit.@yang1815 – They are fun.
Art museum! How unusual in such a touristy and commercialised spot! I wonder what type of art?
Does US actually clean the cement on freeways?I somehow doubt that…
you’re making me miss home. haha. i think we have some pictures of the area in the 80s, should look for those and take some after pictures to compare.ฟุตบอล!! gooooooooaaalllllLL!!!! =)
@Wangium – Maybe not clean it, but I think it is sealed or treated differently. Or maybe that type of moss (or whatever it is) doesn’t grow in less humid environments? Dunno.@piyapong – If you have the opportunity to find and scan those pictures, I’d love to see them. I’m really interested in how the city has developed over the years. Tawn showed me an old picture of Siam Center right after it opened but the link is broken now. It was cool to see the mall – minus the car park – just standing there next to a very narrow Rama I road.@curry69curry – Bangkok Art and Culture Centre http://www.bacc.or.th/ A previous governor (Apirak) made a lot of effort to get this project pushed through despite objections. He felt strongly that it there should be a cultural attraction in a prime location like this.
I remember running around my neighborhood before Thanon Naradhiwas Rajanagarinda was paved. My area’s changed a lot, from dirt roads to all concrete nowadays. We kind of got sucked into being really close to downtown rather than being surrounded by banana trees. I’ll look for pictures when I visit home later this month. =) oh the good ole days when noodles were 20 baht a bowl with tons of giant meatballs. hehe.
Chris,I can remember standing at the side where Siam Discovery now his for more than half an hour in l967, trying to cross the street. I was terrified. There was a time in the seventies when the circle was gone and traffic wasn’t nearly what it is today when you could have a pleasant walk there, coming down Phyathai Road. I remember one New Year’s day when it was so cold we were wearing sweaters and strolled down there for a lovely evening in one of the restaurants in Siam Square.Still missing Bangkok, which era, I’m not sure. I suppose all of them!!!Best, Liz
Wow, that’s pretty wild! I love looking at now and then pictures. It would be interesting if you could find some more shots from the time in between the two pictures.
Love love love the colours in that last one! Before and afters are so cool. The building I’m working in now is a historical building which used to be a military training building. I saw a pic of the building and there was literally nothing around it and now its this tiny building being dwarfed by other huge ones!
wow…antique car… and now mostly all cars are toyota =p yeah even japan also doesnt really care of the concrete…
@piyapong – Thanks for looking for those pictures. Hope you have a safe trip back home.
@ricebowlsoupe – I can totally imagine being stuck at that corner for a half hour, even today. I’m glad they eventually put elevated pedestrian bridges in.@brooklyn2028 – The colors on that picture remind me of sidewalk chalk for some reason.@lcfu – Several VW and Mercedes in the picture.
The Siam Intercontinental Hotel is GONE!!! Oh my goodness!!! One “Landmark” that I wonder about is the Sunam Luaong…the Weekend Market….do they still have it or have they gotten too sophisticated for that wonderland of food, clothing, animas, jewelry and everything else imagineable?? We used to LOVE going there to just wander up and down the rows of stalls for hours!! And the kite flying out in the center…what fun to watch!! Aaaaaaah the memories that you bring back!!! Ruth Ann
@Redlegsix – The weekend market was moved up to Jatujak (alternately, Chatuchak) from Sanam Luang in 1982 to clear the field for celebrations of the 200th anniversary of Bangkok. It is still an amazing place to shop – the largest market in Thailand and surely one of the largest in the world. 5,000 vendors and 35 acres.Kite flying still happens on Sanam Luang during the March-April time frame, when the weather is warming, school break starts and the winds are strong.
@Redlegsix – Whoops, forgot the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatuchak_weekend_market