History

April 23, 2015

Architectural Saviors: NYC Landmarks Saved from Destruction

Yesterday we rounded up some of the most heinous crimes committed against architecture in New York City, but today we're taking a look at the sunnier side of things. Our list of architectural saviors includes sites saved from the wrecking ball, as well as those that have remained intact and been adaptively reused. And with city-wide preservationists celebrating this year's 50th anniversary of the landmarks law, what better time to take a look back?
View our list of architectural saviors

April 22, 2015

Crimes Against Architecture: Treasured NYC Landmarks Purposely Destroyed or Damaged

By Dana Schulz

At Monday's MCNY symposium “Redefining Preservation for the 21st Century,” starchitect Robert A.M. Stern lamented about 2 Columbus Circle and its renovation that rendered it completely unrecognizable. What Stern saw as a modernist architectural wonder, notable for its esthetics, cultural importance (it was built to challenge MoMA and the prevailing architectural style at the time), and history (the building originally served as a museum for the art collection of Huntington Hartford), others saw as a hulking grey slab. Despite the efforts of Stern and others to have the building landmarked, it was ultimately altered completely. This story is not unique; there are plenty of worthy historic buildings in New York City that have been heavily changed, let to fall into disrepair, or altogether demolished. And in many of these cases, the general public realized their significance only after they were destroyed. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the NYC landmarks law, we've rounded up some of the most cringe-worthy crimes committed against architecture.
Check out our list right here

April 20, 2015

VIDEO: Has the ‘Misguided’ Landmarks Law Bulldozed New York City’s Future?

By Diane Pham

Concerted efforts to preserve the city's buildings are a relatively new phenomenon; it wasn't until 50 years ago that the NYC Landmarks Law was enacted, providing protection for the city's most storied structures. While many of us feel that New York wouldn't be half of what it is today if developers were allowed free range of our urbanscape, a video by ReasonTV contends that the Landmarks Act is actually keeping the city from its true potential.
Find out why they detest the landmarks law

Where Did NYC’s Nickname ‘Gotham’ Come From?

Washington Irving (L) and the cover of Salmagundi (R)

April 17, 2015

Where Did NYC’s Nickname ‘Gotham’ Come From?

By Dana Schulz

No, the answer isn't from "Batman." Creators of the comic book series were originally going to name its location Civic City, Capital City, or Coast City, but then flipped through a New York City phonebook and found Gotham Jewelers, lending inspiration to the now-famous Gotham City. But from where did this jewelry store get its name? The answer dates back to an 1807 issue of Washington Irving's satirical periodical Salmagundi which lampooned New York culture and politics.
Find out the rest of the story here

April 16, 2015

See the Last Days of Streit’s Matzo Factory Through Somber Black-and-White Photos

By Dana Schulz

Whether you celebrate Passover or not, you've undoubtedly seen the pink boxes of Streit's Matzo in the grocery store each spring. For 90 years, Streit's has been churning out this iconic product at the rate of almost 900 pounds of matzo an hour on Rivington Street on the Lower East Side. But at the beginning of the year, New Yorkers received the sad news that the last family-owned matzo factory in the U.S. was purchased by a developer and the company would be moving its operations to New Jersey (a move also echoed this week by Junior's Cheesecake). But before they head across the Hudson, photographer Joseph O. Holmes has captured the final days of this fifth-generation working-class landmark, which Fast Co. Design aptly describes as "New York's Jewish Willy Wonka Factory." His black-and-white photos are somber, telling of his personal feelings about the loss of Streit's and the gentrification of the Lower East Side.
See all the photos here

History

April 16, 2015

VIDEO: Watch VICE Trying to ‘Make It’ in ’90s Canada, Well Before They Took Over Williamsburg

By Diane Pham

Long before VICE became a media giant gobbling up much of Williamsburg's north side real estate and displacing some of the neighborhood's beloved institutions, it was just a regular ol' start-up company consisting of three guys putting out an indie mag from a small office in Montreal. A recently uncovered video made for a '90s reality TV show transports us to that far more innocent time, introducing us to the founding fathers of the magazine, Suroosh Alvi, Shane Smith, and Gavin McInnes, and documenting their days as the get ready for a move to New York City with hopes of taking their publication to the next level. Although the then-best buds have long left the realm in which we normal folks dwell, the concerns they expressed in the video back then—"I'm scared of being poor there," McInnes says at one point—bring them back down to earth with us regular folks just trying to make it in the city. Jump ahead for an intimate look at the trio 15 years ago, chatting about the roots of the magazine and the saucy side of Canada—and watch as they stress out over searching for NYC apartments.
Watch the video here

History

Ruffle Bar and Robbins Reef: NYC’s Forgotten Oyster Islands

Ruffle Bar via Frogma

April 15, 2015

Ruffle Bar and Robbins Reef: NYC’s Forgotten Oyster Islands

By Dana Schulz

Today, when most New Yorkers think of oysters it has to do with the latest happy hour offering the underwater delicacies for $1, but back in the 19th century oysters were big business in New York City, as residents ate about a million a year. In fact, oyster reefs once covered more than 220,000 acres of the Hudson River estuary and it was estimated that the New York Harbor was home to half of the world's oysters. Not only were they tasty treats, but they filtered water and provided shelter for other marine species. They were sold from street carts as well as restaurants, and even the poorest New Yorkers enjoyed them regularly. Though we know the shores of Manhattan, especially along today's Meatpacking District and in the Financial District near aptly named Pearl Street, were chock full of oysters, there were also a couple of islands that played a part in New York's oyster culture, namely Ruffle Bar, a sandbar in Jamaica Bay, and Robbins Reef, a reef off Staten Island marked with a lighthouse.
Find out about these two forgotten islands

History

April 15, 2015

In the 1700s NYC Had an Official Location for Buying, Selling, and Renting Slaves

By Diane Pham

Behind all the banks, tall towers and tourists filling up FiDi is a dark past most of us know nothing about. Back in the 1700s, a corner of Wall Street at Pearl Street played host to the city's official slave market. Though no real recognition has been given to those that suffered in the construction of Manhattan in its earliest days—rather, the area's sordid past has for the better part been swept under the rug—WNYC reports that the city will finally pay tribute to these forgotten slaves, adding a historical marker to the site where the slave market once operated.
Find out more about the slave market here

History

April 14, 2015

Never-Built Hudson River Bridge Would Have Been Twice the Length of the George Washington Bridge

By Dana Schulz

If you've ever driven into the city from New Jersey and sat in a couple hours of traffic waiting to traverse either the Lincoln or Holland Tunnel, this 19th century idea for a Hudson River Bridge probably sounds pretty amazing. It would have spanned 6,000 feet from Hoboken to 57th Street in Manhattan, almost double the length of the George Washington Bridge, to give you an idea of its massiveness. Furthermore, it would have been 200 feet wide and 200 feet high, providing space for 12 railroads, 24 traffic lanes, and 2 pedestrian walkways. Its two 825-foot support towers would have surpassed the 792-foot Woolworth Building, which was the tallest skyscraper in the world at that time.
Read the full history here

History

April 13, 2015

VIDEO: RuPaul Takes Us Around the 1980s Meatpacking District and the Jane Hotel

By Dana Schulz

We know all about the Meatpacking District's beginnings as the Gansevoort Market and the epicenter of meat marketers, as well as its current status as a burgeoning office tower district, but in the 1980s, this neighborhood was one to which most people didn't pay much mind. It was fairly run down, with its industrial tenants having moved out, and became notorious for prostitution, sex clubs, and drug dealing. But there was much more to the area, including an accepting LGBT community and a downtown music and entertainment scene. In this video we found from 1986, a young RuPaul takes us into his penthouse suite at the Jane Hotel, then known as the Jane West Hotel and far seedier than it is today, as well as walks around the gritty streets of the Meatpacking District and into his friend's 9th Avenue rowhouse, which will undoubtedly look familiar to anyone who's walked these cobblestone streets.
Watch the video here

History

VIDEO: Illegal ’60s Rooftop Concert in Midtown Shows the People and Architecture of Another NYC

By Diane Pham

It was the winter of 1968 when Jefferson Airplane took to the rooftop of the Schuyler Hotel in Manhattan. The band had just released their fourth album and had also just made the cover of LIFE magazine. High on life—and likely some other stuff—they blasted from their PA atop the nine-story hotel Midtown hotel: "Hello New York! New York, wake up you fuckers! Free music! Nice songs! Free love!" The band got a solid crowd going and at least one song in, but it didn't take very long for the NYPD to show up—the concert was causing traffic jams on the surrounding streets as New Yorkers crowded around the hotel to get a better look. Although the concert was quickly broken up, it was also captured on video by none other than Jean Luc Godard and D.A. Pennebaker. (Fun side fact: Many claim that the Beatles ripped off the band's performance with their show atop a London building about two months later.)
Watch the video here

History

April 9, 2015

East Harlem: From Manhattan’s First Little Italy to El Barrio to a Neighborhood on the Cusp of Gentrification

By Dana Schulz

A lot of attention is paid to West Harlem, or what many people traditionally consider THE Harlem, thanks to its rich history rooted in places like the Apollo and up-and-coming hot spots like the Studio Museum in Harlem and Marcus Samuelson's renowned restaurant, the Red Rooster. But east of Fifth Avenue, there's a history just as deep, and the neighborhood is at that fragile stage where it could easily be thrust into a wave of gentrification at any time. Defined as the area bound by Fifth Avenue and First Avenue from 96th to 125th Streets, East Harlem is commonly known as Spanish Harlem, or El Barrio by locals. What many people unfamiliar with the neighborhood don't know, though, is that this area got its start as Manhattan's first Little Italy. And if you're the type of New Yorker who doesn't venture above 86th Street, you're likely unaware of the slew of new developments sprouting up in East Harlem thanks to a 2003 57-block rezoning.
Learn about the neighborhood's transformation here

April 9, 2015

VIDEO: Meet the ‘Pimps and Hos’ of Seedy ’70s Times Square

By Diane Pham

Although Times Square has transformed into a commercial beast filled to the brim with advertising, its very sordid and seedy past is certainly not lost on us. One man who found himself in the midst of the area when it was considered the worst block in town was Sheldon Nadelman. From 1972 to 1980, Nadelman worked at Terminal Bar—the city's “roughest bar" by many accounts—directly across from the Port Authority. Between pouring drinks, Nadelman found himself snapping photos of the folks who passed through. Over his decade-long stint, he accumulated a collection of more than 1,500 photos. His subjects were diverse ranging from actors to cooks to business people to tourists to, of course, the pimps and prostitutes that roamed the surrounding streets.
Watch the video here

History

April 7, 2015

Tracing the Colorful History of Madison Square Park from the 1800s

By Lauren Price

Recent reports show that NoMad has taken over the top spot for priciest neighborhood in the city in which to rent, with a one-bedroom unit going for an average of $4,270/month. For most real estate aficionados this isn't shocking, as the neighborhood has been growing into one of the city's hottest spots for the past several years, but few know of the area's fascinating past. Named for our fourth president, James Madison, the 6.2-acre Madison Square Park was first used as a potter’s field, then an army arsenal, then a military parade ground and finally as the New York House of Refuge children’s shelter, until it was destroyed by a fire in 1839. After the fire, the land between 23rd and 26th Streets from Fifth to Madison Avenues was established as a public park enclosed by a cast-iron fence in 1847. The redesign included pedestrian walkways, lush shrubbery, open lawns, fountains, benches and monuments and is actually similar to the park that exists today.
Find out how our beloved madison square park came to be

History

Goodyear Wanted to Create a Giant Conveyor Belt to Carry People Between Grand Central and Times Square

Via NYCVintage

April 3, 2015

Goodyear Wanted to Create a Giant Conveyor Belt to Carry People Between Grand Central and Times Square

By Dana Schulz

Those shuttle trains between Grand Central and Times Square can certainly get crowded during rush hour, so imagine bypassing the underground connection and hopping on a giant conveyor belt in clear, gondola-like cars? We're not exactly sure if this sounds more or less appealing, but it's exactly what the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company proposed in 1951, hoping to transport 60,000 New Yorkers daily a third faster than the subway thanks to a continuous loop.
More on this never-built conveyor belt

April 1, 2015

Mac Conner’s Vintage Illustrations Invite Us into the World of New York’s Real ‘Mad Men’

By Diane Pham

Referred to today as the "real Don Draper," McCauley "Mac'" Conner was one of the most important illustrators working during America's golden age of advertising. Conner, now 101 years old, came to New York in 1950 and flourished in the city's publishing industry, bringing an era of deep red lipstick, unabashed chain smoking and lunch-time martinis to the pages of America's most popular magazines. With crisp lines and carefully chosen colors, Conner's vibrant works not only captured a pivotal point in American history, but he also helped shape the image of a postwar nation. Ahead are some of his most notable—and provocative, for the time—images created for magazines such as Cosmo, Good Housekeeping, Collier's, Woman's Day, and many more.
See some of his incredible illustrations this way

March 31, 2015

Download 422 Free Art Books from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s MetPublications

By Diane Pham

The Met—already well-loved for its generous "pay as you wish" admission—is offering up another public good sure to get art buffs and wannabes clearing space on their hard drives. The Met has added 422 free titles to its MetPublications site, providing global citizens with digitized versions of new and archived books and catalogs that—if you can even get your hands on them in real life—can oftentimes ring up for more than $200 a pop.
More info here

March 30, 2015

10-Foot-Wide ‘Skinny House’ in Mamaroneck Is an Historic Work with a Heart-Warming Story

By Diane Pham

This red-shingled home may not look like much, but it's steeped in history dating back to the early 20th century—and of course, there's the fact that it's no wider than most NYC bedrooms. Affectionately–and aptly–called the Skinny House, this tiny structure is the slimmest house in Mamaroneck and measures only 10 feet wide, 39 feet long, and rests on a 12.5 foot wide parcel of land. It's also three (yes, three) stories tall. But in addition to a demure size, it also comes with a heart-warming story of neighborly love and generosity that have allowed it to endure for the better part of a century.
More history and photos here

19th Century ‘Stench Map’ Explains Why Brooklyn Became the Industrial Borough

Map Showing Location of Odor Producing Industries of New York and Brooklyn, circa 1870 (“Charles F. Chandler Papers,” Columbia University Rare Books and Manuscript Library)

March 30, 2015

19th Century ‘Stench Map’ Explains Why Brooklyn Became the Industrial Borough

By Dana Schulz

A stench map today would include things like urine, rotting pizza, cigarettes and flavored vapors, and whatever unidentified odor of the day is pouring out of the subway. And while these are clearly unpleasant, at least they can be neutralized with some soap and water or the passing of time. But in the 19th century, the stenches of the city were far more permanent, stemming from the various industrial sites across Manhattan and Brooklyn (the five boroughs weren't yet consolidated). CityLab has uncovered an historic map from 1870 that shows the locations of New York's odor-producing industries, including oil refineries, slaughter houses, fat renderers, and gas works. In the 19th century, it was believed that foul odors carried diseases, so the New York City Metropolitan Board of Health created the map of stenches (then known as "offensive trades") to pinpoint the areas affected.
What did this mean for Brooklyn?

History

March 26, 2015

The Knickerbocker: Times Square’s First Luxury Hotel Is Reborn as a Modern Landmark

By Dana Schulz

When John Jacob Astor IV built the Knickerbocker Hotel in 1906, he launched a generation of luxury Times Square hotels. The Beaux Arts masterpiece attracted the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, John D. Rockefeller, and Italian tenor Enrico Caruso. It was the birthplace of the martini and the site where the sale of Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees took place. But after just 15 years, the hotel's success declined just as fast as it emerged and it was repurposed as an office space, later becoming the Newsweek Building. Today, though, the landmark is reclaiming its title of ultimate luxury hotel under its original moniker. After a two-year, $240 million modern renovation, the Knickerbocker offers 330 guest rooms, a rooftop bar and lounge with the ultimate view of the Times Square ball drop, and a foodie destination restaurant from chef Charlie Palmer.
Uncover the history and future of the Knickerbocker

VIDEO: The Fascinating History of the Manhattan Municipal Building

The Manhattan Municipal Building toward the end of construction in 1913, via Shorpy

March 24, 2015

VIDEO: The Fascinating History of the Manhattan Municipal Building

By Dana Schulz

When we think of the city's early skyscrapers, landmarks like the Woolworth Building and Flatiron Building usually come to mind. But there's an equally fascinating and beautiful icon that often gets overlooked–the 1914 Manhattan Municipal Building. One of New York's first skyscrapers, the 580-foot Beaux Arts masterpiece influenced civic construction throughout the country and served as the prototype for Chicago's Wrigley Building and Cleveland's Terminal Tower, among others. A new video from Blueprint NYC (produced by the Office of NYCMedia) takes us into this historic structure, discussing everything from the reason for construction (after the 1898 consolidation of the five boroughs, there was a need for increased governmental office space) to interesting factoids (the building was designed from a rejected sketch of Grand Central Terminal Station) to the turn-of-the-century innovations that made this unique structure possible.
Watch the video

History

EVENT: Get an Inside Look at North Brother Island, the City’s ‘Last Unknown Place’

Remains of Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island, via Wiki Commons

March 20, 2015

EVENT: Get an Inside Look at North Brother Island, the City’s ‘Last Unknown Place’

By Dana Schulz

Thanks to the underground world of urban explorers, there aren't many parts of New York City that the public hasn't seen. One such explorer, photographer Christopher Payne, took special interest in North Brother Island, the 20-acre piece of land in the East River between the Bronx and Rikers Island that was once home to a quarantine hospital and the residence of Typhoid Mary. The island of building ruins and birds is not open to the public, but between 2008 and 2013 Payne was granted exclusive visitation access. He'll share his photos and findings in an upcoming event at the Museum of the City of New York called "The Last Unknown Place in New York City: A Conversation About North Brother Island."
More on the event

It’s a Hip-Hop Revolution! Photos of a Pop Culture Movement Born in New York

Busta Rhymes (Leaders of the New School). 1990. Photographer: Janette Beckman

March 18, 2015

It’s a Hip-Hop Revolution! Photos of a Pop Culture Movement Born in New York

By Diane Pham

New York has long been a haven for creatives, with some of art and music's most iconic producing their most profound works within the borders of our city. But few movements have proved as significant and lasting an influence on global fashion, politics and culture than hip-hop. In a new photo exhibit coming to the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) next month, three of the most dynamic and renowned photographers of the hip-hop scene, Janette Beckman, Joe Conzo, and Martha Cooper, share their experiences at the height of the movement in the 1980s when it took not only the nation by storm, but the world. The trio of shutterbugs share photos that zoom into hip-hop's pioneering days in the South Bronx, as DJs, MCs, and b-boys and b-girls were inventing new forms of self-expression through sounds and movement. Prominent hip-hop figures such as Afrika Bambaataa, LL Cool J, Run DMC, Salt N Pepa and Flava Flav are just a few of the faces documented, and in the series you'll get a look at the kind of life and vibrancy that permeated the Bronx and Harlem during the 1980s. MCNY recently sent 6sqft a slew of the more than 100 photographs that will be on show starting April 1st. Jump ahead to get a taste of what's sure to be one of your most memorable and nostalgic museum visits.
See all the incredible photos here

March 17, 2015

Interview: McSorley’s Historian Bill Wander Fills Us In on the Secrets of NYC’s Oldest Bar

By Dana Schulz

Undoubtedly, there are hundreds of New Yorkers and out-of-towners planning to stop by McSorley's Old Ale House today for a St. Patrick's Day round of beers. But beyond the brews and bros, there's a deep history rooted in this East Village institution, and we've found the man who knows it all. The official historian of McSorley's, Bill Wander can give you the full timeline that dates McSorley's to 1854, making it the oldest bar in the city. He can also fill you in on all the tchotchkes adorning the walls of this Irish tavern, none of which have been removed since 1910. But more important than the textbook facts related to McSorley's, Bill has an undeniable passion for this watering hole, for both its important cultural history and the unique social atmosphere that keeps the bar a neighborhood mainstay after all these years. We recently chatted with Bill to find out some of the lesser-known details about McSorley's and what the title of "official historian" entails.
Read our full interview with Bill Wander here

History

Architectural Saviors: NYC Landmarks Saved from Destruction

Crimes Against Architecture: Treasured NYC Landmarks Purposely Destroyed or Damaged

VIDEO: Has the ‘Misguided’ Landmarks Law Bulldozed New York City’s Future?

Where Did NYC’s Nickname ‘Gotham’ Come From?

See the Last Days of Streit’s Matzo Factory Through Somber Black-and-White Photos

VIDEO: Watch VICE Trying to ‘Make It’ in ’90s Canada, Well Before They Took Over Williamsburg

Ruffle Bar and Robbins Reef: NYC’s Forgotten Oyster Islands

In the 1700s NYC Had an Official Location for Buying, Selling, and Renting Slaves

Never-Built Hudson River Bridge Would Have Been Twice the Length of the George Washington Bridge

VIDEO: RuPaul Takes Us Around the 1980s Meatpacking District and the Jane Hotel

VIDEO: Illegal ’60s Rooftop Concert in Midtown Shows the People and Architecture of Another NYC

East Harlem: From Manhattan’s First Little Italy to El Barrio to a Neighborhood on the Cusp of Gentrification

VIDEO: Meet the ‘Pimps and Hos’ of Seedy ’70s Times Square

Tracing the Colorful History of Madison Square Park from the 1800s

Goodyear Wanted to Create a Giant Conveyor Belt to Carry People Between Grand Central and Times Square

For $5.8M, this Fifth Avenue co-op has 'Mad Men'-era vibes and Central Park views

Mac Conner’s Vintage Illustrations Invite Us into the World of New York’s Real ‘Mad Men’

Download 422 Free Art Books from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s MetPublications

10-Foot-Wide ‘Skinny House’ in Mamaroneck Is an Historic Work with a Heart-Warming Story

19th Century ‘Stench Map’ Explains Why Brooklyn Became the Industrial Borough

The Knickerbocker: Times Square’s First Luxury Hotel Is Reborn as a Modern Landmark

VIDEO: The Fascinating History of the Manhattan Municipal Building

EVENT: Get an Inside Look at North Brother Island, the City’s ‘Last Unknown Place’

It’s a Hip-Hop Revolution! Photos of a Pop Culture Movement Born in New York

Interview: McSorley’s Historian Bill Wander Fills Us In on the Secrets of NYC’s Oldest Bar

9 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn

History

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