This is a cool shot of a parking lot that no longer exists, located right next to New Haven’s Union Station in 1955.
But to see something even COOLER, check out a zoomed-in view of that sign showing the parking rates.
For commuters, a monthly pass is a measly $5.50 if you’re only going in on weekdays. Otherwise, rates are around 50 cents for a few hours at a time, give or take. According to the handy-dandy inflation calculator I found, $5.50 in 1955 dollars translates to $45.56 in 2011 dollars. And 50 cents from 1955 is about $4.14 in today’s money.
So…parking was definitely cheaper back in the old days. Today, a monthly parking pass for lots and garages around New Haven’s station ranges from $70-$95. Although, if you’re only parking during off-peak hours, it goes down to $47.50.
Daily rates were also a lot cheaper. If you’ve got to park all day and you don’t have a monthly pass in 1955, you’d pay 35 cents plus 50 cents, or about $7.04. The daily “in by 6am, out by 10pm” parking fee in for the parking garage next to Union Station is $13.00.
I’ll post more cool photos of train station parking throughout the week.
All photos were provided by the Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center University of Connecticut Libraries