New York USA-1938: Tall Metal Observation Tower With Spiral Staircase

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Year1938
Decade1930s
LocationNew York, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

Need 10+ clips? Send your brief and get a curated shortlist →

Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

Tall Metal Observation Tower With Spiral Staircase — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1938, this vintage home movie captures a tall metal observation tower with a spiral staircase winding up its structure. The black-and-white footage shows the tower's intricate lattice framework against a pale sky, with a person briefly visible at the base in the final frame. The grainy texture and film edges are characteristic of Super 8 home movie footage from the era, offering a nostalgic glimpse of mid-20th century American infrastructure and engineering.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Black & white
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 123038941

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Commercial Direct license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Editorial use is the safest path. For commercial use, a clearance review is recommended for the flags below.

People visible: Yes
Minors visible: No
Logos / trademarks: No
Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel: Reel 1921 · 8mm · 3″ reel
Original reel label: vacation,rutledge,marble quary
Reel-level year note: 1938
Reel-level location note: elyria ohio,gordham new york
Date: 1938 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level note shows the same year, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
Location: New York, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level location note is linked, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
Licensing route: Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

View source reel context Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

stairs
tall
structure
height
top
buildings
landmarks
new york USA
1938
1938 home movie footage
vintage 8mm film
observation tower
metal lattice structure
spiral staircase
New York USA 1938
archival footage
historic architecture
black and white film
film grain
old footage
documentary clip
nostalgic clip
vintage infrastructure
old technology
1930s film
editorial footage
classic footage

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: 1930s New York home-movie footage for edits needing an observation tower, metal lattice structure, stairway detail, or elevated landmark cutaway.
Period detail: The 1938 8mm source and visible metal tower construction may show Depression-era public recreation or park infrastructure without confirming the exact site.
Home-movie behavior: The camera looks upward from a visitor's viewpoint, following the tower staircase and framing the structure as a travel or sightseeing memory.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a tall lattice tower, zigzagging stair flights, small platforms, pale sky, film frame edges, and a faint person near the base late in the clip.
Film character: The footage has soft black-and-white 8mm texture, mild exposure variation, gate edges, dust marks, and slight handheld framing consistent with amateur film handling.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a brief insert, transition, or cutaway for height, climbing, observation points, civic structures, or remembered travel in New York.
Historical context: The clip visually places leisure or sightseeing around a tall engineered structure, showing how a home-movie camera recorded public-scale architecture.
Research note: People are briefly visible, so copyright, likeness, site identification, and any property permissions should be reviewed separately before use.
Research search match: Useful searches include 1938 New York 8mm observation tower, vintage metal staircase home movie, tall lattice tower footage, and 1930s travel film.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then other 1938 New York footage, then broader archival material on towers, stairways, parks, or sightseeing.

Still Frames From This Clip

1938 New York 8mm frame showing the upper portion of a metal observation tower with platforms and stair flights. — The camera frames the tower's upper stairway and latticework from below.

1938 New York home-movie frame of a tall metal observation tower, centered on stair flights and landings. — A closer upward view emphasizes the staircase winding through the metal structure.

1938 New York 8mm frame showing the lower observation tower with stairways and a faint person near the base. — The lower part of the tower comes into view, including stairs, platforms, and a small figure below.

1938 New York home-movie frame of the tower's lower stairway and platform, with a faint visitor figure near the base. — The final frame shows the lower stairway, platform, bracing, and a small figure at the base area.

Visually Similar Clips