OldNewYork

A Free School Open both Day and Night

2009-06-18T17:52:00.008-05:00

Peter Cooper, a native New Yorker, resided in Gramercy Park during the later part of his life. He was of Dutch descent, and was very frugal with his money: except when it came to giving it away! He had earned wealth from a glue factory (!) and was a prominent citizen of New York City. He was also an inventor, having patented the first powdered gelatin dessert in 1845, later known as Jell-O. Wanting to better the life of his fellow citizens, Cooper set up a free school for both men and women.

In 1858, Peter Cooper opened the school he had founded, located on Seventh Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, and facing Astor Place. Known as "The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art and Science," the school was open to men and women on the basis of merit only, and was free of charge. Classes in both art and science were held in the many classrooms during the evening. The top floor of the school was an astronomical observatory, and below it were lecture halls, laboratories, a museum, an art gallery, and a reading room. A large underground hall, situated as to be free of street noises, was located in the basement of the building. Cooper wanted all points of view represented there, and both Democrats and Republicans spoke from its podium. The inaugural speaker was none other than Mark Twain. In February of 1860, Abraham Lincoln gave the speech that launched his national career in this "Great Underground Hall." His very persuasive anti-slavery speech later became known as his "Cooper Union Address."

Source: Klein, Carol. Gramercy Park. An American Bloomsbury. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987.

Photo: From Harper's Weekly, week of March 30, 1861.

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Russell Sage: The Miserly Millionaire

2008-11-23T15:53:00.020-05:00

Russell Sage began the business which consumed his life around 1837, when he was 21 years old. He was part owner of a grocery store in Troy, N.Y. The business expanded to include a slaughterhouse, then took off during the Civil War when Slocum and Sage helped supply the Union soldiers with food. By the 1840's, Sage was investing in railroads and running for local office in Rensselaer County. He was so successful at making money that his railroad deals started cheating his constituents' economy by the 1850's. His greed and his unpopularity in Troy forced him to move to New York City in 1863. He purchased a mansion on Fifth Avenue and 39th Street, where he lived for the rest of his life. None of the furniture or artwork inside it was of much value, however. He was so good at playing the stock market that he may have beat out Jay Gould himself!

After the death of his wife Maria in 1867, Mr. Sage courted and married a poor schoolteacher, Margaret Olivia Slocum, known as Olivia, in 1869. Olivia was not given an allowance to spend, however, and as she began to develop an interest in charitable work, she was only able to give pittances to her favorite institutions, such as the Emma Willard Association or the Women's Hospital. While New York society departed for toney towns such as Newport during the hot summers, the Sages cooled themselves off in a simple home in Lawrence, on the south shore of Long Island. Olivia was unable to keep up with fashion trends or travel abroad. It was embarrassing that the wife of one of New York City's richest men was reduced to borrowing other people's carriages with which to travel about town.

Ironically, when Sage died in 1906, he left the entire $70 million he had accumulated to Olivia, who then proceeded to give it away methodically through the Russell Sage Foundation, which she founded. Olivia finally became well-known as a philanthropist, fielding about 10,000 letters appealing to her for money each year. Among the institutions which benefitted from Olivia Sage's benevolence were universities such as New York University, Yale, Rensselaer Polytechnic, and Syracuse University, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Forest Hills Gardens in New York City.

Source:

Crocker, Ruth. "Mrs. Russell Sage. Women's Activism and Philanthropy in Gilded Age and Progressive Era America." Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006.

Photo: Russell Sage at age 78. Published by Mrs. Sage in New York, 1908.

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A Minister on the Stump Full-Time?

2008-08-23T11:29:00.021-05:00

Although not a native New Yorker, Reverend Henry Ward Beecher became one of the country's best-known preachers even before he accepted the pulpit of Brooklyn Heights' Plymouth Church in 1847. Born and raised in Litchfield, Connecticut, he was the son of Calvinist preacher Lyman Beecher. One of his older sisters was best-selling author Harriet Beecher Stowe. The younger Beecher soon built up Plymouth Church's attendance to number in the thousands on Sundays, with well-known politicians and financiers counted among his audience. Beecher used theatric techniques and tempered Calvinist doctrine with love. He was even accused of preaching a form of Transcendentalism.

As the political climate of the country heated up in the summer of 1856 with abolition becoming a main issue, the newly-formed Republican party gained momentum. And Beecher, ever-magnetized by the limelight, became one of the party's facemen. At an anti-slavery rally at Broadway Tabernacle, politicos clamored to hear Beecher speak. And he did, magnificently. Beecher's Plymouth Church became known as a stop on the Underground Railroad. At a Sunday service at the church, Beecher's inspirational and persuasive rhetoric raised the money to free a slavewoman who was present.

John C. Fremont was nominated the Republican presidential candidate at the party's first convention in Philadelphia in June of 1856. Soon after this, one of Beecher's benefactors lent Fremont his office on Broadway to be the latter's unofficial campaign headquarters. Beecher's help was sought for the campaign, and in the fall of that year, Beecher was given a leave of absence by his church to campaign full-time in the Northeast for Fremont. Beecher believed that taking up arms was necessary in the abolition movement. He helped raise money for rifles and was viciously attacked by the press for arming young men with "Beecher's Bibles." He was dubbed, among other things, "The Rev. Kill 'em Beecher." Such was the political climate in the fall of 1856 that the South threatened to secede if Fremont were elected President. Fate intervened and James Buchanan was elected, staving off Southern secession by four years.

Source:
Applegate, Debby. "The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher." New York: Three Leaves Press, 2006.

Photo: Henry Ward Beecher. From Library of Congress.

Louis Comfort Tiffany: Scientist or Artist?

2008-05-30T18:37:00.023-05:00

Already born into a family who had established a jewelry business, New Yorker Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) started his career as a rather mediocre oil painter. He fared considerably better in the interior design field, designing homes for well-known businessmen such as Samuel Langhorn Clemens (Mark Twain), and then refurbishing the White House for President Chester Arthur in 1881 when the latter assumed the Presidency.

Tiffany's interest in glass began with experiments with molten glass in 1872, as he became more interested in creating artful glass to beautify the interiors that he was designing. The manufacture of glass at that time remained unchanged from the Middle Ages, and Tiffany found the product lacking in the qualities he needed to create his artistic designs. "I then perceived that the glass used for claret bottles and preserve jars was richer, finer, had a more beautiful quality in color vibrations than any glass I could buy. So I set to puzzling out this curious matter. I took up chemistry and built furnaces," he later wrote.

By 1880, he had developed a method of producing a metallic luster to glass. "The metallic luster is produced by forming a film of a metal or its oxide, or a compound of a metal, on or in the glass, either by exposing it to vapors or gases or by direct application," in Tiffany's own words. He patented this process the following year. By thus modifying glass internally, Tiffany was able to produce a number of 3-D effects, such as drapery folds, waves, and undulations. He also combined layers of glass in order to achieve greater spatial and color depth. The process is known as plating, and it hadn't been previously used for decorative purposes. Integration of the lead between the glass pieces into the design was another new method that Tiffany introduced which enhanced the beauty of his designs.

For a number of years, his studio was located on the top floor of the family's house, designed by Stanford White and built in 1885, on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Madison Avenue (pictured). The studio received its lighting from the massive window underneath the gable at the right. The studios were relocated to Corona, NY in 1893.

Source for text and photo:

Warmus, William. The Essential Louis Comfort Tiffany. New York: The Wonderland Press, 2001.

Enjoying the Countryside...in Riverdale!

2007-09-15T14:28:00.002-05:00

In the late 1860's and early 1870's, many of New York City's prominent citizens had country homes north of the city in the countryside along the North River (the previous name given to the Hudson). The northern border of New York City was then the Harlem River, which forms the northern border of Manhattan Island. Theodore Roosevelt's father, for example, rented a house in Spuyten Duyvil for his family during the summer of 1870. Theodore Roosevelt was then 11 years old. The house was in the countryside not far from the North River. Will Dodge Jr., Theodore Roosevelt Sr.'s good friend, built a home for his family in Riverdale in 1863, pictured above. James Renwick, who designed Grace Church, was commissioned to design Greyston, as the house was named. Will Dodge's father, William Earl Dodge, was a well-known New York City merchant. Will's younger brother, Charley, owned a yacht which he kept nearby. During July of 1870, the Roosevelts enjoyed viewing fireworks with the Dodges aboard this yacht. Not far away, still in Riverdale, Mark Twain rented a house for several years. At about this time, Charles Loring Brace built a summer home for himself at the highest point in Dobbs Ferry, overlooking the river. Brace was the founder of the Children's Aid Society.

Source: Dodge, Phyllis B.. "Tales of the Phelps-Dodge Family." New York: New-York Historical Society, 1987.

Photo: Greyston, from the Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation

Edith Wharton, Old New York's Social Tour Guide

2007-07-01T10:32:00.000-05:00

Novelist Edith Wharton was born Edith Newbold Jones in New York City in 1862. It was her family's wealth that generated the old expression, "Keeping up with the Jones's." She later married a friend of her brother's with which she had little in common, Teddy Wharton. Her literary ability may have had something to do with his later instability, which eventually ended their marriage.

As a child, Edith enjoyed making up stories, and she was later able to write her novels almost effortlessly while sitting in her bed with a board in her lap. Having grown up in New York City, she was well-acquainted with the social norms of her times, and her close friend and mentor, novelist Henry James, persuaded her to write about that with which she was most familiar. The result was a series of satirical novels about many of the aspects of life in the New York of her time. One can learn many of the social norms and taboos of nineteenth century New York by reading her writings. Her best-known novel "The Age of Innocence," written in 1920, won her a Pulitzer Prize. Ironically, her autobiography, "A Backward Glance," leaves out many of the intimate details of her life, a custom that was in keeping with the norms of the society she was satirizing. She actually admitted, later in her life, that the society in which she grew up was more appealing than that of the early 20th Century! "I doubt if New York society was ever simpler, gayer, or more pleasantly sophisticated, than it was then," was one of he comments in "A Backward Glance." Other novels include "Ethan Frome," "The House of Mirth," and "Old New York," the latter being a collection of short stories.

Photo: Edith Newbold Jones at about age 22. From The Edith Wharton Restoration, The Manse, in Lenox, MA.

A Touch of Paris in Old New York

2007-05-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

In the mid 1870's, it was described as a pleasure to leisurely explore New York's French Quarter, or the Quartier Francais, which sprawled west of Broadway, south of Washington Square, and north of Grand Street. Bleeker, Houston, Prince, Mercer, and Spring Streets are contained within this ethnic area. The inhabitants, about 24,000 in number, were French emigrants, the majority of whom were transient residents of NY. Hence, more than half spoke no English. An industrious group, they established small shops, cafes, and restaurants. At the latter, a tasty meal could be had at a very low price.

On Bleeker Street once stood the Restaurant du Grand Vatel, named after a famous cook or steward in Louis the Fourteenth's court. His dinners were celebrated for their excellence. Apparently, one order of fish looked like it was failing to arrive in time for the evening's banquet. Feeling his failure deeply and keenly, Vatel ended his life by propping up his sword against the door of his room and falling into it. Ironically, the fish arrived soon therafter. Today, his anxiety and depression would have been treated with medications. But then, there would have been no Grand Vatel at all!

Source: Rideing, William H. "The French Quarter of New York." Scribner's Monthly, 19:1-9, November, 1879.

Illustration from same article, page 4.

Washington Square: A NYC Landmark-No Bones About It?

2007-03-16T18:04:00.000-05:00

Interspersed between the bedrock that is NYC's foundation, there were once marshy areas filled with soil. One of these was located in Greenwich Village, and a small river, called the Minetto in honor of the indigent Indian population, ran through it. In 1797, after the second of the City's yellow fever epidemics, more land was needed in which to bury the casualties, preferably at a distance from the center of business. The Common Council designated the land in the area of what is now Washington Square to be a potter's field. The marshy area was subsequently drained, and thousands of burials ensued. In fact, over time, a number of yellow fever epidemics occurred, and over 20,000 bodies were buried in Washington Square up until 1825, when the cemetery was full. About 100 years ago, residents of the Square saw a blue mist hanging over the park on hot summer mornings, thought to be the "vapors" from the bones below. One of the Square's residents told of seeing an open vault on the south side with a body wrapped in a yellow sheet (used for yellow fever victims). In 1890, workmen digging the foundation of the Arch found headstones with German engravings on them on the north side of the Square. A private German graveyard had been located there at the turn of the nineteenth century. In 1965, Con Edison was digging in the northeast corner of the park and a large underground chamber became exposed. It consisted of a whitewashed brick room with about 25 skeletons present in one corner. The room had a domed roof about five feet below ground level, with a stairway leading to a wooden door opening upon Washington Square. The door and chamber were subsequently sealed off. The next designated potter's field was the land that is now Bryant Park...

Source:
Folpe, Emily Kies. It Happened on Washington Square. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.

Photo: Salted paper print from glass negative, circa 1855. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Was It Always So Difficult Commuting Crosstown?

2007-01-25T18:30:00.000-05:00

Recently at a dinner I attended in Manhattan, one of the most common complaints in the city was pronounced. "It was so difficult travelling all the way across town. There is no direct subway line." So I started to wonder if it was always such a tiresome journey from the West side to the East side and vice-versa.

When I returned home, I pulled out my 1897 Merchants' Association street map of New York City (the last year that Brooklyn and Queens were omitted, by the way!). Subways didn't yet exist, but there were cable cars on Broadway (see first post), surface railroads, elevated railroads, and steam railroads criss-crossing the streets like Christmas lights. The area below 14th Street was completely covered by railroads running in every which direction! At least half the streets had some sort of rail line connecting it in a sort of wiry mesh covering the distance down to the Battery. In fact, a special elevated railroad ran from the Battery along the Bowery, and all the way up to 14th Street via Fourth Avenue (now Park Ave.). Above 14th Street, one of each of the above-mentioned railroads ran South to North along every Avenue except Fifth! One could travel crosstown by surface railroad at 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd Streets and Central Park South. Or, one could take a steam train crosstown at 14th, 26th and 40th Streets, if one had easy access to a bath! There was even a steam train running across 86th Street, from slip to slip, omitting Central Park. The park itself had a surface railroad traversing it at 86th Street, connecting other surface railroads running on Madison Avenue on the East side to Central Park West, then called Eighth Avenue. Granted, there are now buses covering most of this area, but we all know that traffic can be horrific, and that the only way to beat the congestion is to take a train. So the answer is a resounding "It used to be so much better crossing town a century ago!" Eat your hearts out, modern city-dwellers!

Photo: Looking north on the Bowery from Canal to Grand Streets. Note the elevated railroad and Third Avenue cable cars. From King's New York Views, presented by Tefft, Weller & Co., 1897.

First-Hand Tales of Old New York!

2006-12-03T15:55:00.000-05:00

In the days before the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age, there were the Merchant Princes. These men were captains of industry in the first half of the nineteenth century, and a number of them were devout Christians. Unlike the Robber Barons, they abided by Judeo-Christian ethics in their business dealings. William Earl Dodge, 1805-1883, was among them. He joined his father-in-law as a partner in one of New York's most lucrative companies: Phelps, Dodge & Co., which manufactured copper and brass, among other endeavors.

Since Dodge had been involved in business in NYC since the age of 12, in 1880 he was invited by a group of merchant colleagues to describe the many changes that had taken place in NYC over the years. The result was a lecture delivered on April 27th, 1880, which Dodge also pubished as a monograph entitled Old New York. Below are several excerpts.

Around 1819, Dodge remembers: "I carried bundles of goods up Broadway to Greenwich village ... crossing the old stone bridge at Canal Street. This had long square timbers on either side in place of railing, to prevent a fall into the sluggish stream-some fifteen feet below-which came from the low lands where Centre street and the Tombs (the city's prison) now are. It was called the Colic, (though its true name was Collect, as it took the drainage of a large district), and was the great skating place in winter. Turning in at the left of the bridge I took a path through the meadows, often crossing on two timbers laid over the ditches where the tide ebbed and flowed from the East River. At the time there was no system of sewerage (sic), but the water which fell was carried off by the gutters and by surface draining."

Dodge later continues: "There were no police in those days, but there were a few watchmen, who came on soon after dark and patrolled the streets till near daylight. Their rounds were so arranged that they made one each hour, and as the clocks struck they pounded with their clubs three times on the curb, calling out, for example, 'Twelve o'clock, and all is well,' in a very peculiar voice. They wore leathern caps such as the firemen now use."

References:

Martyn, Carlos. William E. Dodge: The Christian Merchant. New York: Fund & Wagnalls Company, 1890. Photo from frontispiece.

Dodge, Phyllis B.. Tales of the Phelps-Dodge Family. New York: New-York Historical Society, 1987.

Dodge, William E.. Old New York. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1880.

Literary Salons in Old New York-A Contradiction of Terms?

2006-10-29T15:53:00.000-05:00

Even though some of America's best writers, artists, and architects were born in, or lived in, New York City, there was an unstated rule of conduct that conversations and gatherings were solely for social purposes. Edith Wharton, who had happily discovered the Literary Salons of Paris, was extremely disappointed with New York society's artistic indifference. She eventually moved to France permanently. August literary gatherings were held for a number of years at the home of Wharton's sister-in-law, Mary Cadwalader Jones, at 21 East 11th Street (pictured). Henry James, F. Marion Crawford, John LaFarge, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John Singer Sargent and Henry Adams spent many pleasant hours in "Mary Cadwal's" parlor. It was not until the closing years of the nineteenth century that artistic gatherings gained widespread recognition.

Photo: New-York Historical Society

References: Patterson, Jerry E. "The First Four Hundred." New York: Rizzoli, 2000.

Bell, Millicent. "Edith Wharton & Henry James." New York: George Braziller, 1965.

Gramercy Park is Not a Public Park.

2006-09-17T15:56:00.000-05:00

The beautiful historic neighborhood known as Gramercy Park, located between 18th and 22nd Streets to the South and North, and Third and Park Avenues to the East and West, was once a swampland. An astute lawyer-turned real estate investor named Samuel Ruggles, nevertheless understood the value of Manhattan real estate when he bought the land in 1831. Ruggles had previously invested in the Erie Canal, and had bought and cultivated numerous vacant lots to become Union and Madison Squares. In 1831, a small brook named the Crommessje, Dutch for "little crooked knife," traversed the swamp. Ruggles drained the swamp and planted trees and flowers throughout the space, creating an enticing respite from the bustle of city life downtown. He then divided the land around the park into lots specifically designated for the building of private residences. Ironically, Ruggles wanted to develop the area to imitate a London square, modelling it after St. John's Park (see archived posting), and the pronunciation and spelling of Crommessje became what we today know as Gramercy, which sounds English! Ruggles hoped to draw New-York residents north to his quiet park by providing in the land deeds that the park itself remain locked and only those who purchased lots would be provided with keys. Foreseeing the northern development of the City, Ruggles created a new north-south avenue, named Lexington above the park after the Revolutionary Battle, and Irving Place below it in honor of the writer Washington Irving.

Many well-known people have inhabited Gramercy Park, including actor Edwin Booth, a sculpture of whose likeness stands in the middle of the park, NY Governor and Presidential candidate Samuel Tilden, NYC Mayor James Harper, founder of Harper & Brothers publishers, architect Stanford White, and William Sydney Porter, better known as the storyteller, O. Henry.

Photo: Gramercy Park West, facing south, New-York Historical Society.

Reference: Klein, Carole. "Gramercy Park: An American Bloomsbury," Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987.

Lazy Summer Days, 100 Years Ago

2006-08-02T10:49:00.000-05:00

Pictured here is my grandmother, as she appeared in her late teens, around 1914. The photo was taken most likely in Riverside Park, by a friend who apparently was a gifted photographer. She appears a little hesitant about sitting on a tree limb, gently resting her foot on the crude wooden fence.

Her name was Maria del Carmen Gimenez. She was born in a tiny town in the southernmost province of Spain known as Almeria. Her mother, Carmen, along with her two aunts, had also been known for their good looks. Although living beyond high mountain ranges from the nearest large town (and that was probably small by today's standards!), Carmen and her sisters ordered and sewed up the latest Paris gowns. They were all rather covert two-timers, entertaining eligible batchelors in the parlor while their sisters were instructed to eliminate further visitors by telling them that the hostess was not at home. Suitors nonetheless kept returning, so these young women were either very slick or extraordinarily beautiful!

When Maria del Carmen was still a child, her father died, leaving Carmen with three young children. How she was bold enough to take the children and uproot to New York City remains a puzzle to her descendants. She was delayed at the port of Tangiers for several years en route to America, and there she collected a second husband and had another daughter.

The family found an apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Parties were regularly held by Carmen, who wanted to find husbands for her lovely daughters. Maria del Carmen married a handsome,musically-gifted, not very well-to-do man from Spain, Francisco Garrido. Unfortunately, he only lived to see his only child, my mother, reach the age of two. Ironically, I was two years old when my grandmother died, but I still have memories of playing in the snow with her.

The Amazing Potter Family (no relation to Harry)!

2006-06-18T13:17:00.000-05:00

In nineteenth century New York City, Potter was a household name, but not because of the Harry Potter novels! Alonzo Potter, seated towards left, and his 9 sons and sole daughter, were almost all renowned for their talent and public service.

Alonzo graduated from Union College in Schenectady, NY, then married the daughter of Eliphalet Nott, then President of the College. Nott was an extremely intelligent man, known as an inventor and an able educator. Potter himself became a great educator, becoming Vice-President of Union College in 1838, then Episcopal Bishop of Pennsylvania in 1845, serving for 20 years until his death. His brother, Horatio, served as Bishop of New York from 1854 until 1887.

His eldest son, Clarkson Nott, seated to the right, helped raise his brothers and sister when their mother died. He trained as a lawyer, serving as US Representative (D) from New Rochelle, NY, where he owned a house overlooking Long Island Sound on Davenport's Neck. Known for his fairness and honesty, he was appointed by Congress to head the investigation into the presidential election of 1876, when fellow Democrat Hayes defeated NY's Samuel Tilden by dishonest means. Clarkson's home in NYC later became the Player's Club in Gramercy Park. (Coincidentally, Tilden's mansion was located right next door at 15 Gramercy Park and is now the home of the National Arts Club.)

Howard, standing, 2nd from right, was a NYC banker and was known for his philanthropy. "There were 3 men in New York who were concerned in the establishment of pretty much every important charity or intstitution for public improvement, like the Metropolitan Museum (of Art), which was organized..., namely, my brother Howard, Mr. William E. Dodge, and Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, Sr." said the youngest of the nine brothers. Howard also helped found the Museum of Natural History, the Children's Aid Society, and the N Y Orthopaedic Hospital.

Henry Codman, standing, 5th from left, followed in his father's footsteps and became a clergyman. He served as rector of Grace Church (see previous), beginning its history of outreach to NYC's needs. He then succeeded his uncle Horatio as Bishop of New York in 1887.

William Appleton, standing 3rd from right, became a well-known architect. His works include the Chancellor Green Library and Alexander Hall, both at Princeton University, as well as Christ Church in Oyster Bay, NY, where President Theodore Roosevelt served as a Vestryman. Edward Tuckerman, standing, far right, also became a renowned architect and was responsible for several buildings on the campus of Union College in Schenectady, the Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled in New York City (which later became the Hospital for Special Surgery), and St. John's Episcopal Church in Yonkers.

Robert Brown, standing at far left, and James Neilson, standing to his right, served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Robert rose to the rank of Major General, and had helped saved the Union troops from complete rout at second Bull Run. He also served with distinction at Spotsylvania, the Wilderness, and Fredericksburg. His brother, James, achieved the rank of Colonel, and was also cited for his bravery.

Eliphalet Nott, standing, 4th from left, was an educator who served as President of Union College from 1871 until 1884, when he accepted the presidency of Hobart College. He helped revitalize Union College after the Civil War. Frank Hunter, the youngest, standing to the left of his father, wrote for the New York Herald, then later headed the choir at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Maria Louisa Thompson had the misfortune of losing her mother at birth, which had a lifelong effect on her. She married sculptor Launt Thompson, after which they moved to Florence, Italy. She wrote a number of magazine articles and hosted her brothers at her home when they visited Europe.

Information primarily from The Alonzo Potter Family, by Frank Hunter Potter, privately published in 1923.
See also: Selden, William K.. Alexander Hall, Home of Richardson Auditorium, Princeton University, 2004.

Photo from biography of Henry Codman Potter by George Hodges, New York, 1915.

A Most Cleverly Designed Park

2006-04-21T18:56:00.000-05:00

In contrast to major European cities in the early nineteenth century, New York City had no large open-air recreational grounds. City-dwellers of the time regularly drove to nearby large cemeteries to escape the noise and bustle of the City. Greenwood Cemetery in the adjacent city of Brooklyn was New Yorkers' such escape, until the amount of gravesites increased sufficiently enough to interfere with recreational activities. In fact, large cemeteries were regular "tourist attractions" for visitors to any city!

By 1851, the Mayor of New York, Ambrose C. Kingsland, called the Common Council's attention of the need to "ventilate" the city. The idea rapidly gained popularity among the city-dwellers, and numerous plans for a "Central Park" were submitted by landscape architects. The park was to be situated between fifty-seventh and one hundred tenth streets, between Fifth and Eighth Avenues. By far the best plan was submitted by Frederick Law Olmsted, who owned a farm on Staten Island, and Calvert Vaux, an Englishman by birth. Their plan, submitted in 1858, which was eventually carried out, outshone the other plans in several ways. First, the carriage drives and footpaths were situated well within the borders of the park, so that the adjacent city could not be seen by those attempting to escape it. Second, carriage drives, footpaths, and bridle paths were all made to be separate, so as to avoid accidents. There was even a "speed limit" to the carriage drives! Third, a number of East-West streets were cleverly inserted into the Park, well below the eye-level and earshot of park visitors, enabling the city's business to continue unabated. The park's ground was originally rocky and barren, necessitating filling in soil, planting trees, and digging out artificial ponds. Elegant bridges, made of stone, brick and iron, were designed to connect all the park's paths.

Unfortunately, the city's streets had to be "cleared of its scattered population of squatters," in order for the park to be built. The new park took 20 years to complete, due to the nature of the terrain and numerous political squabbles originating from Tammany Hall's control.

See also: www.centralparknyc.org

Photo: Central Park: Bow Bridge and the Lake. Note the conspicuous absence of a skyline! From: "King's New York Views," 1897. Photo by Loeffler, 1895.

References: "Central Park." Unknown author. Munsey's Magazine, 1873, p 523-539.

Theodore Roosevelt's Father: Patriotic Citizen or "Draft Dodger"?

2006-02-20T19:27:00.000-05:00

President Theodore Roosevelt's father, Theodore Roosevelt, Senior (1831-1878), was described by his son as being "the best man I ever knew." Unfortunately, present-day historians tend to best remember the elder Theodore Roosevelt as a man who bought a substitute to fight for him in the Union Army during the Civil War. Yet his son, who posthumously won a Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Spanish-American War, idolized his father. Other than having a son who was one of the best-loved American Presidents, what was Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.'s actual legacy?

He was married to a staunch Confederate supporter, Martha Bulloch, who smuggled supplies to the Confederate Army from their home in Manhattan. Two of her brothers were Confederate Naval heroes. Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. reluctantly avoided fighting his wife's family, partly due to tensions produced at home. He regretted not fighting for the North until his dying day, but he participated actively in the Union Cause in other ways. He set up and actively participated in an Allotment Commission, whereby Union soldiers sent portions of their paychecks home to their families before squandering it on alcohol and other things. He was a founding member of the Union League Club of New York, serving on the Executive Committee, and was one of a handful of Club members who organized the distribution of Thanksgiving dinners to the entire Union Army in 1864.

Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. was also known as one of nineteenth century New York City's most charitable and upright citizens. He helped found the NY Orthopaedic Dispensary (today the Orthopaedic Department of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center), the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Children's Aid Society. He was known personally to three contemporary US Presidents, namely, Lincoln, Grant, and Hayes. He was also active in a several mid-nineteenth century civic reform movements. Yet, he is only mentioned in indices of biographies of well-known statesmen and citizens. If you have any particular information on Theodore Roosevelt, Sr, or any questions or salient points to discuss, please E-mail me, as I am compiling as much information on him as possible in our information era.

For more information on President Theodore Roosevelt, please visit
www.TheodoreRoosevelt.org

Photo: "Theodore Roosevelt Senior. A Tribute. " Union League Club publication, 1902, depicting Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. at about age 45.
Information: Various sources, especially recommend McCullough, David, "Mornings on Horseback." NY: Simon & Schuster, 1981.

How Did the "Other Half" Live?

2006-01-15T19:13:00.000-05:00

In 1880, about half the residents of New York City lived in tenements; by 1890, with further immigration occurring, that percentage rose to about three-quarters. Tenement dwellers were dirt-poor, and, for the most part, illiterate. They lived in dark, crowded, poorly-ventilated buildings along both rivers, from the Battery to the Bronx. This photo, taken by New York Tribune reporter Jacob Riis, himself an immigrant, depicts a family of trouser-makers in their cramped living quarters on Ludlow Street, which is in the lower East Side below Delancey St. Up to 10 people, consisting of a family plus several boarders, lived in only 2 or 3 small rooms, with daylight, for the most part, evading at least half the windows. Everyone worked, even children below the age of 15. Their workdays were 17 hours long, from 6 am until bedtime at 11 pm, 7 days a week. Wages, only a little over one dollar per hour in today's dollars, barely covered the price of rent and food.

Few were shrewd and lucky enough to buy their way out of the tenements. Some of the rest despaired. One woman, the mother of 6 children, threw herself out a window to her death, because "she was discouraged," according to a neighbor. Upon hearing of her death, her husband and children stoically continued working, not having the luxury to mourn. The only way to survive under these conditions was to adopt such an outlook of philosophical optimism.

(Information from Riis, Jacob A., "How the Other Half Lives," 1900.)

Extra! Extra! Rare Photo of Mrs. Astor!

2005-12-17T19:01:00.000-05:00

In the nineteenth century, it was not considered proper for women to speak to reporters or appear in news articles (except for their wedding and in their obituary), let alone be pictured in a newspaper. Mrs. Astor was no exception. In 1875, however, Mrs. Astor allowed this rare photograph to be taken, for unknown reasons.

Caroline Astor was born into the old and wealthy Dutch Schermerhorn family. Her father, Abraham, owned a pew in Grace Church (see below). She married into the equally wealthy but not as old Astor family in 1853. Her husband, William Backhouse Astor, Jr. was fond of yachting and womanizing. Caroline, on the other hand, had a taste for ornate entertaining of the most lavish kind. From the early 1870's until after the turn of the twentieth century, Mrs. Astor reigned as Society's acknowledged queen. New York City then, as now, was a very diverse city, constantly on the move and by nature, socially fractionated. Mrs. Astor, with the help of Ward McAllister, was able to distill Society into a small number, about 400, according to an estimate of McAllister. Mrs. Astor's "Society" consisted of persons from families long-inhabiting US soil and with long-held wealth. Everyone else was excluded, usually with wailing and gnashing of teeth on the part of the outcasts. Although there were many Astor women, Caroline Astor insisted that only she be known as "Mrs. Astor." Society, having been originally defined by her, graciously deferred to this request.

(Photo from the Astor family album at the New York Public Library.)

St. John's Park: NY's First Ice Skating "Rink"

2005-12-11T23:47:00.000-05:00

In the 1830's, a very upscale series of houses surrounded St. John's Park, with St. John's Chapel facing the park. The park was bordered by Varick, Beach, Hudson, and Laight Streets. Some of New York's oldest and most prosperous families owned houses viewing the park.

In the 1860's, ice skating was fashionable and popular in New York. The winters at the time were unusually cold, and the trustees of St. John's Park agreed to flood the park on multiple occasions. This created a large skating "rink." Skaters from the general public could purchase admission for $0.10 a person. Onlookers came by sleigh to watch the fun.

Illustration from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 3, 1866: St. John's Park, presumably from the Hudson Street side.

Reference: Homberger, Eric, "Mrs. Astor's New York." Yale University Press, 2002.

Did you know that Stuyvesant Town was once a plantation? Peter Stuyvesant, Part 1.

2005-12-04T21:07:00.000-05:00

Peter Stuyvesant bought a farm, or bouwerie in Dutch, in 1651, which extended from what is now the East River to Lexington Ave., starting at 5th St. going up to 23rd St. The house itself, as pictured, was of yellow brick, located at Second Ave. and 10th St. The farm and orchard were worked by about 50 black slaves. Apparently, slavery was not an unusual institution in NYC at that time. The street known as "The Bowery" was originally a road leading to Stuyvesant's farm.

For some mind-bending information about the history of slavery in NYC, visit the Slavery in New York exhibit at the NY Historical Society, October 7, 2005 to March 5, 2006:
www.nyhistory.org

(Illustration from "The Wilderness to the Sea," by Benson J. Lossing. NY: Virtue and Yorston, 1866.)

The Oldest NYC Landmark. Peter Stuyvesant, Part 2.

2005-12-03T19:42:00.000-05:00

When Peter Stuyvesant first came to New Amsterdam in 1647, he brought with him a sapling pear tree from Holland. He planted it at what is now the northeast corner of 13th Street and Third Ave., not far from his farmhouse. It grew tall, and yielded much spicy fruit. In the nineteenth century, the pear tree was considered the oldest thing in NYC and was a revered landmark. Unfortunately, in February 1867, the tree was hit and felled in a carriage accident. In 2003, a replacement pear tree was planted. A bronze plaque on the corner building commemorates the original tree's location at what is also known as "Pear Tree Corner."

(Illustration looking north up Third Ave. From "The Wilderness to the Sea," by Benson J. Lossing. NY: Virtue and Yorston, 1866.)

Why was attendance so high at Grace Episcopal Church?

2005-11-24T18:21:00.000-05:00

Let's check out the auction that took place before the consecration of Grace Church in 1846.
As New York City's population migrated north from the southern tip of Manhattan Island, so did its churches. In 1843, Grace Church commissioned young architect James Renwick, whose later crowning achievement was St. Patrick's Cathedral, to design a new church at Broadway and East 10th St. The Gothic building still stands.
Both to help the church financially, as well as to broadcast the parishioners' social status, pews were auctioned off. Pews at Grace Church sold for for a median price of $500 (in today's dollars) apiece, according to the size and location in the sanctuary. Some pews were sold for up to $1,400! In addition to selling the pews, the church received an annual rental fee, per pew, of 6 to 8 percent of the purchase price.
New Yorkers, ever the bargain hunters, "got their money's worth" each Sunday by warming the pews. Other churches in New York City were following the same practice. The price of a pew purchase or rental directly reflected the socioeconomic standing of each church.

(Photo: looking North on Broadway, Museum of the City of New York)

References:
Homberger, Eric. "Mrs. Astor's New York." New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002.
Patterson, Jerry E. "The First Four Hundred." NY: Rizzoli, 2000.