Most family scandals don’t result in hotel construction. However, the famed Waldorf-Astoria owes its existence to the Astor family quarrel. The Astor fortune was divided between two branches of the Astor family headed by the two grandsons of the dynasty founder – John Jacob Astor III and William Backhouse Astor, Jr. Each of them had…
Tag: New York History
The Empire State Building – the Eighth Wonder of the World saved by a Hollywood movie
Tallest in the world for 41 years and saved by King Kong… Location: 350 5th Ave between 33rd and 34th Streets Built: 1931 Architect: William F. Lamb of Shreve, Lamb & Harmon The first in the world to rise over 100 stories, and constructed in mere 14 months, the Empire State Building stood as the…
Audrey Munson – American Venus
There are many rags to riches stories in the American experience, as well as the stories of falling from grace and losing fortunes. But out of all of them – hers was the most bizarre. Her name was Audrey Munson. The name was forgotten, but her likeness, cast in granite, bronze, and marble, is…
Owls in Manhattan
James Gordon Bennett Jr. was obsessed. His obsession was quite unusual – it was owls. Some of them, with flickering eyes, can be seen on Herald Square, guarding James Gordon Bennett Monument. Herald Square takes its name from the New York Herald, a newspaper founded by James Gordon Bennett Sr and inherited by Gordon Bennett…
Evelyn Nesbit and “the Trial of the Century”
The premiere of “Mam’zelle Champagne” did not go well. Despite the lovely songs and beautiful ingenues, the show was simply a bore. The performance took place on the rooftop of Madison Square Garden – a lavish venue designed by Stanford White, an accomplished architect and a socialite about town. That fateful night the famous architect…
Edwin Booth, the Hamlet of New York
In the center of Gramercy Park, there is a statue. It depicts an actor in the role of Hamlet, forever contemplating “To Be or Not To Be”. This actor is Edwin Booth. One of the great American Shakespearean actors of the 19th century, he was particularly famous for his signature role of Hamlet. In 1864…
Margaret Bourke-White and the Chrysler
It’s practically impossible not to photograph the Chrysler Building. Most people achieve it standing on the ground, looking up… However, some striking photos were taken from the dizzying heights of the glistening Chrysler crown. While the Chrysler was being erected to be the tallest in the world – a typical requirement for a skyscraper in…
Jefferson Market Library
The striking High Victorian Gothic building doesn’t just look beautiful… it’s certifiably beautiful. In 1885 Jefferson Market was voted as one of the 10 most beautiful buildings in the United States by a national poll of architects! Location: 425 6th Ave Built: 1873-77 Architects: Frederick Clarke Withers and Calvert Vaux Originally known as the Jefferson Market Courthouse,…
Little Church Around the Corner
A tranquil church with a peaceful courtyard in the heart of Midtown is known by its nickname – the “Little Church around the corner.” Location: 1 East 29th Street Founded: 1848 Architect: Frederick Clarke Withers Tucked away behind a serene courtyard, the Church of the Transfiguration is an unexpected oasis amid the hustle and bustle…
The Players
The Players is a private social club formed to promote communication among artists and patrons of the arts. Modeled after London’s famed Garrick Club, The Players was the first American club of its kind. Location: 16 Gramercy Park South Built: 1844 Architect: Stanford White The Players was founded in 1888 by Edwin Booth, the widely-known…
