Tag Archives: Magic

Russ Delmar’s Magic Center

Posted on by The Old Wolf

I have written about my Journey Into Magic, in which I mentioned my love of hanging around the Magic Center on 8th Avenue. I was delighted to find an old New York City tax photo from the 1940s which clearly shows the Magic Center at 741 8th Avenue (I believe Russ later moved his shop next door to 739).

Click the image to enlarge it; the Magic Center is clearly visible on the right.

Edit: Now, thanks to commenter DS below, we have a lovely photo from a Magic Cafe catalog:

This is pretty much how I remember the store.

Edit 2: Some lovely memories of Russ and his magic center were provided by reader Gary; you can read them at Judge Brown • Magic.

Russ used to advertise various tricks in magazines of the day, including Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, and the New Yorker:

The next thing I need is for someone out there in the wide world of the Internet to come up with a good photo of Russ himself.

Edit: A few additional pictures for history’s sake:

The 739 building awaiting demolition
The 741 building to the north is gone, and the 739 building is being torn down
Google Street View of what replaced the old buildings. Time marches on, but memories remain.

The Old Wolf has spoken.