Takht-e Jamshid Ave. was becoming the new center of modern commerce in Tehran. On the right (northern) side of the picture is the Petroleum Ministry's then-new building. The US embassy was a few blocks away. Cinema-goers were the main street occupants on Friday afternoons hovering around a handful of movie theatres on the street.

Today: The street still hosts several government agencies, plus a few modern hotels and banks, including a glass-walled branch of the Bank of Commerce.