Tag: Landmark

The High Bridge

As I mentioned in my post about the Brooklyn Bridge, many cities are defined by their bridges.  Structures such as the Tsing Ma Bridge in Hong Kong, the Roebling Bridge in Cincinnati, and the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia, are instantly recognizable symbols of the city.  Like San Francisco or Pittsburgh, New York is a city of bridges—with many stately structures connecting the city together.  While there are many bridges worthy of blog articles on this website, one of the most important bridges to the city is the High Bridge.

Connecting Manhattan to the Bronx across the Harlem River, the High Bridge was completed in 1848.  The bridge is 2000 feet long and was the first permanent bridge connecting Manhattan with the mainland.  It was partially designed by James Renwick, Jr, who is known for designing the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Midtown.  The bridge had a dual purpose—to allow transportation between the two boroughs and to transport water into the city.  The water was held in the stately water tower and reservoir where High Bridge Park in Manhattan is now.  According to some accounts, the tower was needed to increase water pressure so that increasingly common modern toilets could flush.  When initially constructed, the area became a destination for amusement and pleasure seekers as it was near the river, leading to many restaurants and hotels being built.

As industry grew along the river in the 1900s, this area lost its cache as a tourism destination and declined.  This led to part of the High Bridge being demolished and replaced with a metal span to allow larger ships to pass up the Harlem River.  As the Harlem River Drive and the Major Deegan Expressway were completed in the 1950s and 1960s, the neighborhood was cut off from the waterfront.  Faced with increasing crime in the area and vandalization of the bridge, the High Bridge was closed in the 1970s.  It was closed until 2015 after a massive restoration project fixed the bridge and rehabilitated it for pedestrian use.

While not a sweeping suspension bridge like so many of the more photographed bridges, the High Bridge is a historically important bridge that is a true symbol of the city.  If in this part of Manhattan, the High Bridge is worth your time for a walk.  The views from the bridge of Manhattan and the Bronx as well as the high bluffs on both the Manhattan and Bronx sides make this a great place to take photos—especially on a sunny day.  This is the type of information that you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Located in Central Park, with over two million square feet of exhibition space at its Central Park flagship, collections encompassing every period of history, and now spanning three locations, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), is the largest museum in the U.S.  The collection of the museum has artifacts in it such as a medieval hall of armor, baseball cards, Tiffany lamps, a paintings collection that is world class, and an Egyptian temple.  The museum is also the setting for one of my favorite books from the fourth grade, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

The main museum campus opened its doors in 1872 further down Fifth Avenue from its current location.  The current location was built in 1880, and was added onto over several years (the original building is actually encased by its additions—look for the red walls while inside of the museum).  Over the years it has greatly expanded to encompass a large super block between 79th and 86th Streets on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

A trip to the Met can encompass an entire day.  Check out the temporary exhibits (which change every few months), which are done well and always stunning.  The Hall of Armor is always a crowd pleaser as is the reconstructed Ancient Egyptian Temple of Dendur (reconstructed in the northern edge of the museum).  If you are there in the summer, the roof deck offers a stunning view of Central Park and has an installation on it.  As I am a big fan of modern art myself, while not the MoMA or the Whitney, the Met can hold its own with regard to its collection of 19th and 20th century art.

If you somehow have more time after a day of gallery cruising at the Fifth Avenue location, your admission will allow you to enter another Met affiliate (such as the Cloisters in Upper Manhattan or the Met Breuer in the Upper East Side) for free the same day.  There is almost no way that you can see the entire collection in one sitting.  Plan ahead with the art and artifacts you want to see in mind.  If it is raining outside, rest assured that most tourists and locals from the Upper East Side will be in the main location of the Met with you.  This is the type of information you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour.

Manhattan Civic Center

New York has been the largest city in our country since the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.  The city covers over 300 miles and has over eight million people within its borders.  Governing this city is no easy task.

In addition to an elected mayor, comptroller, and public advocate (who acts as a watchdog/ombudsman for the citizens of the city), a 51-member city council governs the city.  The council meets in a stately building located at the heart of the Manhattan Civic Center.  Built in 1811, the building was designed by Joseph-Francois Mangin and John McComb Jr..  City Hall was built at the then Northern edge of the city.  It was originally clad in marble on three sides–the northern side used another type of stone as some in the city government felt the city would never expand far enough north where people would notice (the building was restored in Alabama limestone in the 1950s).  The building is done up in a French Renaissance style on the outside.  The interior has a more English Georgian style.  The building also has a portrait collection worth millions of dollars.  The governor’s room, originally for use when the governor of New York was in the city, now houses a desk used by George Washington and a desk used by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia (if you take my tours, you will know he is my favorite mayor).  The building is the meeting place for the City Council and used to have a second chamber for the Board of Estimate, which was declared unconstitutional in the 1980s.  The Board’s chambers are now used by the Mayor of New York.

Across City Hall Park from the City Hall is the Municipal Building.  This hulking edifice containing 1 million square feet of office space and housing a couple thousand workers was built to consolidate numerous city departments.  The building, opened in 1916 and designed by the firm of McKim, Mead, and White, is 580’ tall, has a subway station built into it, and arches made out of Guastavino tiling on the outside.  The building also has a statue at the top, the gold-covered Civic Fame, sculpted by Adolph Weinman, which symbolizes the union of the five boroughs in 1898.  The five pointed crown is evident of this.

The Municipal Building also contains one of the most unique gift shops in the city–the CityStore, which being run by the city, has gifts such as park signage, taxi medallions, and municipal books that are difficult to obtain elsewhere.

There are numerous court buildings in the area, but that will be the subject of another entry at another time.  You can learn about these on a Sights by Sam tour of Lower Manhattan.

Cherry Lane Theater

Along with London, New York is one of the centers of English-speaking theater in the world.  The most well-known part of this industry in New York are Broadway theaters, which produce original and revival productions of musicals and other shows.  Broadway theaters are  also a significant economic generator for the city.  Often, the incubators for Broadway shows are the so-called “Off-Broadway” theaters that have more experimental productions or those by new and emerging writers or actors.  While there are many Off-Broadway theaters in the city, one of the most famous is the Cherry Lane Theater in Greenwich Village.

Founded in 1924, the Cherry Lane Theater is the longest-running Off Broadway theater in the city.  According to the theater’s history, the building was originally used as a box factory before being converted into its present form.  Noted poet Edna St. Vincent Millay was among the founders of the theater—along with the Provincetown Players.  Over the years, there have been many famous writers who have had plays performed such as Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill, John dos Passos, Gertrude Stein, and T.S. Elliott, among others.  In terms of actors, Cary Grant, John Barrymore, James Earl Jones, and Gene Hackman have all performed in plays at the theater.  In 1996, Angelina Fiordellisi bought the theater and made numerous renovations to the performance areas in addition to starting a mentoring program for new playwrights.  There are two theaters in the complex: a 179 seat main stage and a 60 seat studio theater.

Today, the Cherry Lane Theater still hosts performances by new and emerging playwrights and actors.  This institution helps to carry on the artistic legacy of Greenwich Village and still continues to be a place for new actors and playwrights to gain exposure.  With the location of the theater in the heart of Greenwich Village, it is hard for the setting of the theater itself to be more ideal or idyllic.  You are able to see the Cherry Lane Theater on an “Around the Villages” tour offered by Sights by Sam.

Federal Hall

Ninety miles down the New Jersey Turnpike from New York lies Philadelphia, the former capital of the United States and the site of Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated upon and agreed.  Many visitors to Philadelphia may not realize that the first government of the United States (after the American Revolution) was based out of New York City.  The seat of the government was Federal Hall.

Federal Hall stands at the confluence of Wall Street and Broad Street in Lower Manhattan, within very very easy walking distance of the New York Stock Exchange and the House of Morgan.  The structure that stands here now was built as a Custom House in 1842.  This building was designed by John Frazee in a neoclassical style.  It later became a subtreasury annex before being declared a National Historic Site in the 1930s.  Today, it contains exhibits about the National Park System in New York City and memorabilia associated with George Washington being inaugurated as president, including the Bible he used during the inauguration ceremony.

The original building for Federal Hall, however, was built in 1700 and served as the City Hall for New York.  It housed the council and the courts.  It was here that the Zenger trial of 1735 took place, which helped to establish the precedence of Freedom of the Press.  After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the United States under the Articles of Confederation met here, where they voted to approve the Northwestern Ordinance of 1787—annexing several new territories west of the Appalachian Mountains into the U.S. to become states eventually.  When the Constitution was ratified, Congress met here for only one year in 1789, where they approved the Bill of Rights and the Judiciary Act.  When Congress moved to Philadelphia the next year (in preparation to move to Washington, D.C.), the building became the City Hall of New York again.  The original structure was demolished in 1812 when the current City Hall was completed.

While not as high in the minds of many visitors as Independence Hall, Federal Hall is a place of important historic pilgrimage as many of the rights that all Americans enjoy today were secured in this important building.  You can see the statue of President George Washington and the imposing facade of Federal Hall on a Sights by Sam “Foundation of New York” tour.

National Museum of the American Indian

While I am very biased that New York is the perfect vacation destination for all—as it has buildings from all eras of American history and so many cultures that you can travel around the world without ever leaving the five boroughs, it can sometimes be difficult to find free destinations.  Although there are many museums that have “pay what you wish” policies and others with free days or nights, New York will probably never have as many free museums as the capital of our great country, Washington, DC, has.  With that said, New York does have Smithsonian Institution Museums (two to be precise), including a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).

The NMAI branch in New York dates back to the early 1900s when oil and construction magnate Carl Gustav Heye began to amass a collection of Native American artifacts after supervising several infrastructure projects in the Southwestern U.S.  Heye would found the Museum of the American Indian in 1916, where it would be based in Upper Manhattan and contain artifacts and objects from native peoples across North and South America.  In the 1980s, Congress passed an act that created the NMAI and would amalgamate the Museum of the American Indian’s collection into the Smithsonian Institution.  Several of Heye’s collected artifacts—including many funerary objects and pieces sacred to Native American tribes, were returned.  In the 1990s, the NMAI began to occupy two floors of the recently renovated Alexander Hamilton Custom House in Lower Manhattan—as part of a stipulation in Heye’s will that the collection not leave New York City.  In 2005, some of Heye’s collection was transferred to the new main NMAI location in Washington, D.C.

One of the other remarkable things about the NMAI branch in New York is where it is housed.  The museum is located in the former Alexander Hamilton Custom House, which was built by architect Cass Gilbert in 1907.  The front of the building contains statues representing the continents and the inside contains a vast rotunda that was repainted in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration, containing scenes of the Port of New York and New Jersey in full swing.  In addition to the NMAI and the historic rotunda, the building also contains a branch of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and a branch of the National Archives.

Although not one of the more well-known museums of the city, the NMAI branch is worth a visitors time—not only because it is free, but also since it provides a world class collection of artifacts in a well-preserved and historical setting.  This is not only the kind of information you will learn on a Sights by Sam tour, but also you are able to see the Alexander Hamilton Custom House on my “Foundation of New York” tour.

Coney Island

Synonymous with summer and sun worship, Coney Island in Brooklyn is an integral part of the culture and history of the city.  The area is actually no longer an island (due to public works projects after World War II), but it still feels like a getaway from the bustle of Manhattan.

The etymology of Coney Island is shrouded in historical uncertainty, but it is believed to be a corruption of the Dutch name, which translates into “island of rabbits.”  Resorts started appearing in the mid-1800s.  Efforts to preserve the area as wilderness in the 1800s failed as the area became saturated with hotels, restaurants, and other establishments near the beaches.  In the 1880s, amusement parks were established, with Luna Park, Astroland, and Steeplechase Park among the more recognizable.  Due to changing consumer patterns and people leaving New York City after World War II, the area fell into decline.  Amusement parks closed and there was a protracted battle to redevelop the area.  Other development efforts in the region have included a new baseball stadium (built), casinos, and proposals for new amusement parks.

While the amusement parks of the past have receded into history, there are still many attractions worth making a trip out for.  Coney Island has the closest beach to the city, making it very popular on summer days with nice weather.  If amusement attractions are more your thing, there are rides including bumper cars and merry-go-rounds.  Two of the most famous are Deno’s Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone rollercoaster (in service since the 1920s—and possibly the only landmarked rollercoaster in a major city).  Many bars and restaurants abound as well.  For those who like baseball, the New York Mets’ single-A level affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones play ball at a ballpark facing the Atlantic Ocean.  From the outfield of the park (and through most of Coney Island), the former Parachute Jump ride is visible.  This attraction first premiered at the 1939 World’s Fair.  Although it no longer offers rides, it is periodically lit up at night by thousands of LEDs and often displays psychedelic patterns.

Coney Island may no longer have rabbits, but it is a welcome trip on any hot summer day.  For the area at its best (and a real sight in New York), it may be worth seeing the Mermaid Day Parade in late June, where revelers dress up as sea creatures.  Consider taking a tour of Brooklyn with Sights by Sam.

Woolworth Building

With its green top peaking through the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan, the 792 foot-tall Woolworth Building stands out.  Between 1913 and 1930, it was the tallest building in New York and in the world.  Originally designed to honor the F.W. Woolworth Company, the building is now being converted into apartments.

Completed in 1913, the Woolworth Building was built to house the headquarters of the eponymous F.W. Woolworth Company.  It is rumored that Woolworth paid $13 million in cash for the building.  Woolworth hired noted architect Cass Gilbert (who would later design the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington) to design the edifice.  Gilbert used a neo-gothic style of architecture.  On its opening night, President Woodrow Wilson lit the lights from a specially-configured switch in the White House.  The lobby contains terra-cotta sculptures, including Woolworth and Gilbert.  Because it is an office building, the ornate lobby can only be accessed by workers and those on special tours.  An observation deck at this building has been closed for decades.

When first built, the building elicited a number of responses.  A well-known reverend dubbed the building “a cathedral of commerce” as an insult to what he felt was its ostentatiousness.  As it was his company’s headquarters, Woolworth took it as a compliment.  This building today never fails to elicit reactions from native and visitor alike.  It also helped to ensure Cass Gilbert as one of the first “starchitects” in American history.  This building can be seen on a Sights by Sam tour of Lower Manhattan.

The Apollo Theater—A Harlem Legend

Sitting near the intersection of 125th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard is the world-famous Apollo Theater.  Known for its Amateur Nights every Wednesday and being the destination of emerging acts and some of the most famous of all time alike, the Apollo Theater is one of the cornerstones of Harlem and of African American culture in the city and the country.  Through its Amateur Night and former show Showtime at the Apollo, which was beamed nationwide from 1987 to 2004, most Americans should have at least a familiarity with this famed venue.

The 1500+ seat venue was designed by George Keister in a neoclassical architectural style.  The theater began life in 1913 as a burlesque theater open to whites only that was called Hurtig and Seamon’s New Burlesque Theater (named after its owners).  When Fiorello LaGuardia became mayor in 1933, he sought to end vice and burlesque in the city, including Hurtig and Seamon’s theater.  Theater owner Sidney Cohen bought the theater and integrated it, making it one of the most popular venues in the city—and giving it the current name.  Between the 1930s and the 1990s, the theater would change hands several times, including being owned by former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton.  In 1991, the nonprofit Apollo Theater Foundation began to manage the theater.  The theater and famous marquee were restored in the 2000s, helping the Apollo Theater to go confidently into the next 80 years.

In terms of performers at the Apollo, the list of people who have premiered there or played sold out shows is a veritable who’s who of some of the greatest talents in America.  Artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Pearl Bailey made their debuts at the Apollo.  Other great singers and performers such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and Billie Holliday were all performing when the theater first opened.  Others such as Tito Puente, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and Aretha Franklin would be major performers in the 1960s and 1970s.  In the 2000s, the theater has become a place of pilgrimage after famous performers such as Michael Jackson, James Brown, and Prince passed away.  A walk of fame under the Apollo Theater shows some of the greatest performers to ever take the stage of the theater.

The Apollo Theater forms an important place in African American culture in New York and in the musical history of our country.  You can see the Apollo Theater and the Walk of Fame on a Sights by Sam tour of Upper Manhattan.

Brooklyn Bridge

Bridges are a part of every city.  Even inland cities such as Atlanta, GA, or Phoenix, AZ, have highway bridges, train trestles, or flyovers.  With only the Bronx on the mainland of the U.S., New York is defined by its bridges.  Thousands of viaducts, trestles, and bridges exist all over the city.  Because New York enjoys making a statement, no bridge quite symbolizes the city like the Brooklyn Bridge, which connects the commercial center of Manhattan to Brooklyn, the most populous of the boroughs.

A bridge across the East River between the city of New York and the formerly independent city of Brooklyn had been postulated for decades.  Transportation between the two cities, since the colonial era, was dependent on ferries.  Although they got the job done, they were subject to Mother Nature in the form of storms and the river freezing.  It was on one of these frozen ferries one day, according to legend, that John Roebling, an engineer, felt that a more permanent solution was needed.  Roebling specialized in designing suspension bridges—where high strength metal wires suspended the roadway between two anchorages.  Roebling designed and built demonstration bridges throughout the U.S.  A dry run for a New York bridge was shown to be feasible when Roebling completed a suspension bridge over the Ohio River between Cincinnati, OH, and Covington, KY in 1867.

Construction on the Brooklyn Bridge began in 1869.  Roebling died of tetanus in 1869, leaving his son, Washington Roebling, in charge of the project.  Washington would sustain a massive injury due to “the bends”, caused by ascending too quickly from massive submerged caissons constructed to anchor the bridge into the bedrock.  Due to Washington’s injury, his wife Emily finished construction.  Although she was trained as an engineer, Emily forged Washington’s instructions as they were unsure if work crews would follow directions from a woman.  The bridge opened to much fanfare in 1883.  After a scare in which there was a stampede on the bridge, circus elephants were marched over the bridge to show it was built to last.  Over the years, it has been “sold” to gullible tourists and is argued to have helped to unify the boroughs.  The bridge is currently undergoing restoration to ensure it lasts into another century.

Today, the bridge form an important part of the city and any tourist’s itinerary.  When walking between the boroughs, please be sure not to stray into the bicycle lanes.  While you are in town, consider seeing more of New York with a Sights by Sam tour when you leave the bridge.