Tag: History

70 Pine Street

Although never the tallest building in the city, the skyscraper at 70 Pine Street is one of the most striking on the Lower Manhattan skyline. For many years (between 1932 and 1972), it was the third tallest building in Manhattan and the tallest in Lower Manhattan.

Rising to a height of 952 feet tall, 70 Pine was completed in 1932 for the Cities Services Company, an oil company that later merged with Citgo. It was designed by the firms of Clinton & Russell and Holton & George. Perhaps in using two architectural firms, the building gained its unique gothic-art deco hybrid style—said by some to resemble a mountain. It was the last major skyscraper built in Lower Manhattan from the Great Depression until the World Trade Center was constructed in the 1970s. After Cities Services moved their headquarters, the building was the headquarters of AIG until the financial crisis in the mid-2000s.

Today, the building is being converted to high end residences. A hotel is also located within the building. Seventy Pine can be seen on the “Foundation of New York” tour of Lower Manhattan conducted by Sights by Sam. Additionally, this is the type of information you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour of New York.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral

In Midtown opposite Rockefeller Center and near the flagship location of Saks Fifth Avenue sits Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, the main seat of Catholic worship in New York City. The immense cathedral is nearly 397 feet long and is almost 330 feet tall. Although dwarfed by nearby skyscrapers, the cathedral and its neo-gothic exterior and Tiffany-designed altars make it an easily-recognizable landmark.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral began construction in 1858 on land that was once a retreat for members of the Jesuit Order in New York. James Renwick, Jr., was the lead architect, who designed the cathedral in a net-gothic style. Although the Cathedral was dedicated in 1879, it was dedicated again in 1910 and renovated several times in the 1900s and 2000s. The cathedral in Midtown replaces the older Saint Patrick’s Cathedral (now known as “Old Saint Patrick’s”) in SoHo (the subject of another Sights by Sam blog article). The cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of New York, which covers Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

Among some of the superlatives of the cathedral are that it can seat 3,000 worshippers and has a pipe organ containing 7,855 pipes. Many famous funerary masses have taken place in the cathedral. Aside from cardinals and important clergy, Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Ed Sullivan, and Robert F. Kennedy all had funeral masses at this august house of worship. This is the type of information you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour.

Citi Field

In the aftermath of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants leaving New York for sunny California in the 1950s, New York sought to regain a team in both leagues. After an abortive attempt to gain a team through forming a new major league, the National League awarded New York with a new franchise, the Mets, in 1962. The Mets began play at the new Citi Field in 2009, after they had played in Shea Stadium for decades.

After moving into the new park in 2009, some Mets fans did not like the new park as its design harkened back to the old Ebbets Field, the home park of the departed Brooklyn Dodgers—instead of the team that would call the new stadium home. There was also controversy as the park’s naming rights had been sold to a bank during some of the worst years of the recent financial crisis. Although Citi Field holds less people than Shea Stadium (and never hosted the Beatles), it does have larger seats, more restrooms per guest, and restaurant options from famous eateries all over New York in addition to ballpark hotdogs and peanuts. In terms of on the field action, the Mets have been improving in recent years, including appearing in the 2015 World Series. The fans of the Mets remain some of the most knowledgeable and loyal in Major League baseball and are friendly to fans of visiting teams.

In addition to Mets games, the stadium also hosts concerts and rallies throughout the year. Aside from events at the stadium, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the Unisphere, and the Queens Museum are also nearby. This is the type of information you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour.

Yankee Stadium

The New York Yankees, one of the original franchises of the American League, have played in Yankee Stadium since 1923. Since moving into the “House that Ruth Built,” that year, they have won nearly three dozen World Series while at this temple of baseball. Over the years, the original Yankee Stadium was remodeled and renovated. In 2009, the Yankees moved into a new Yankee Stadium.

The new stadium replicated the original 1923 design, along with replicas of the copper arches that grace the top of the stadium near the floodlights. The ultimate shrine to the Yankees, Monument Park, was also relocated to the new grounds as well. Even Red Sox fans will appreciate the monuments to 37 Yankees of yore. There are also many food choices and amenities at the park. On the field, the Yankees have succeeded in living up to their history, winning the World Series at the park in 2009—its inaugural season. In 2015, Major League Soccer team N.Y.C.F.C. began play at Yankee Stadium.

Building the stadium was not without controversy as it cost $1B to complete—making it one the most expensive stadium projects in history. The stadium was also built across from the old Yankee Stadium—on land that was formerly a public park, causing considerable controversy in the Bronx.

Around the stadium are several other notable things to see in the area are the Bronx County Courthouse (an art deco gem) and the stately Grand Concourse. This is the type of information you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour.

Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument of Manhattan

Manhattan contains three of the most important Civil War monuments in the city, as well as the country. Two are famous: the statue of William T. Sherman in Central Park and Grant’s Tomb in Morningside Heights. Another important, but lesser known one is located on the Upper West Side near Riverside Park—the Manhattan Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument.

The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was completed in 1902 by the firm of Stoughton and Stoughton. New York-born President Theodore Roosevelt helped to dedicate the monument, along with a parade of Union Army veterans. The monument has a Corinthian-Greek influenced design. It is covered with the names of New York-based Civil War units. A large statue was considered to top the 95’ memorial, but this was never done. There are also cannons and other architectural motifs throughout the area.

The monument has been repaired several times due to material defects and due to vandalism. With that said, the monument has a stately presence in the Upper West Side and is a city landmark. This is the type of information you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour.

Triborough Bridge

Connecting Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens, the Triborough Bridge links these three boroughs and forms an important transportation link between Long Island, New England, New Jersey, and the city. The bridge was a marvel of engineering and led to the rise and fall of Robert Moses.

The three bridges come together on Wards and Randalls island. Built between 1929 and 1936, the bridge complex was designed by Othmar Amman connecting the island to Manhattan with a lift bridge, the Bronx with an arch-type bridge, and a suspension bridge connecting Queens. The project actually almost never happened until Robert Moses was placed in charge, getting the complex and politically charged bridge finally completed. You can read more about the Triborough Bridge on the Sights by Sam entry on Robert Moses.

In 2008, the bridge was renamed after assassinated New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy. The bridge typically handles over 160,000 cars every weekday. It is one of the most popular routes for motorists to get to LaGuardia Airport in Queens. This is the type of information you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour.

Basketball Scandal and New York

In addition to the end of winter, March also marks the annual start of college basketball’s “March Madness,” where college basketball teams from every state compete to be the NCAA’s champion. Many rivalries exist among various teams, but New York was the center of one of the most infamous moments in the sport’s history.

In the late 1940s through the very early 1950s, the City College of New York (CCNY) Beavers were among one of the most elite college basketball teams in the country. The program had at one point won the NIT and NCAA tournament in the same year. It eventually came to light that many of the players on the 1949-1950 CCNY squad were implicated in a point-shaving scandal in a game between CCNY and the University of Kentucky. It would be found during the subsequent investigation by the federal government that other NYC-area schools such as New York University, Long Island University, and Manhattan College—in addition to other schools in the Southeast and Midwest, would be implicated in similar scandals under the direction of organized crime families.

As a result of the scandal, CCNY deemphasized its basketball team, moving them to Division III and never regaining its former glory. As another punishment to the region and its involvement in the scandal, the NCAA did not hold tournament play in the New York City region for decades. Because of the passage of time, this scandal has largely been forgotten by most of the public, but still casts a shadow over college athletics. This is the type of information you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour.

Meatpacking District

On the West Side of Manhattan exists a neighborhood between Greenwich Village and 14th Street that has gone through several transitions throughout its history. The Meatpacking District, long the preserve of food processing and less than savory activities, is now one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in Manhattan.

The Meatpacking District was formerly a part of Greenwich, NY, the small town that was eventually incorporated into New York as Greenwich Village. Although originally residential, industry and railroads began to appear in the district after the Civil War, making it an industrial area. The neighborhood became known for processing food, especially meat. From the 1870s to the 1960s, there were slaughterhouses and food processing plants dotting the neighborhood. The High Line was built in the 1930s to relieve congestion in the area.

As food processing in the area declined, the area entered into decay, with the Meatpacking District becoming associated with very unseemly activities such as crime and vice. From the late 1990s through the 2000s, many new stores and boutiques came into the area as the result of a drop in crime during the Giuliani years. Today, the area is famous for hosting high end shops and the new home of the Whitney Museum of American Art. This is the type of information you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour.

Metropolitan Life North Building

At Madison Square Park is the 700 foot Metropolitan Life Tower, that is topped by the “Light that Never Fails” (to symbolize that the company would always protect its customers). To the north of this landmark is the stub of what was to be the world’s tallest tower.

In the late 1920s, Metropolitan Life sought to construct an annex to their headquarters that would have been the tallest building in the world. Harvey Wiley Corbett was the lead architect on this project, which would have built a 100-story Art Deco tower—among the tallest in the world. Construction started in 1928, but the building was far from complete by the time the stock market crashed in 1929. Work was stalled until the early 1950s, when Metropolitan Life decided to halt construction at its current height of 451’ and 28 stories.

For many years, the building was used as archives for Metropolitan Life and was also used as a location for many films due to its eclectic style. It now houses offices. This building can be seen on a Sights by Sam tour.

Astor Place

At the confluence of Eighth Street, Lafayette Street and Fourth Avenue in the East Village is Astor Place.  The plaza forms the divide between Lower Manhattan and Midtown Manhattan (specifically between the East Village, Chelsea, and Union Square).  This plaza is also the site of one of the most recognizable pieces of artwork in the city in addition to the site of one of the bloodiest nights in city history.

Astor Place was named after the Astor Family, specifically John Jacob Astor, fur trapper and real estate magnate.  Astor, being of German descent, was considered “new money” in the 1800s and not allowed to partake in some of the city’s high society circles—dominated by wealthy Dutch and English-descended families.  This did not stop him from developing many areas of the city, which included a high-end residential area at Astor Place.  After Astor’s death, an opera house was built at Astor Place in 1847.  In 1849, there was a riot over the choice of if an American or British actor would play the lead in Macbeth.  This riot led to the opera house being called “Dis-Astor Place” by the newspapers and forcing the venue to close the same year.

One of the most distinctive features of Astor Place today (aside from the Kmart and the very stylish 1904-vintage subway canopy) is the cube-shaped scultpure.  Entitled The Alamo, this cube shaped structure was designed by University of Michigan artist Tony Rosenthal.  The sculpture weighs almost one ton and is made of corrosion-resistant steel.  The cube was previously on a platform which allowed it to turn and pivot, but this feature has since been removed.  It was recently restored in late 2016.  This is the type of information you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour.