History in the Making: Arches and Awards Edition

Cleaner days: Far East Village, namely 10th Street and Avenue D, in a 1937 photograph by the always reliable Berenice Abbott [link: NYPL]

Some neighborhoods change slowly but consistently throughout the decades. In the East Village, however, whole areas are entirely revamped while others seem frozen in time. Check some of those changes out here, in some great before-and-after shots. [Flaming Pablum]

Northern Manhattan neighborhood Inwood has its very own Arc de Triomphe, the neglected gateway of a lavish, long-gone mansion, which now appears to be for sale to the highest bidder. [Gothamist] And more on the history of the Seaman-Drake Gate [Washington Heights history]

Forgotten New York goes from one end of 14th Street to the other. There used to be a day where you couldn't do that without getting mugged. Bonus points for featuring dear old favorite The Donut Pub. [Forgotten NY]

Wallabout, Brooklyn: it's more than prison ships! [Ephemeral NY]

A nice peek into a dive classic of ole: Maruffi's Bar, where cops would relax "by means of a large general fistfight" [Knickerbocker Village]

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2009 PODCAST AWARDS

And finally, we're proud to announce that The Bowery Boys have been nominated for Best Travel Podcast of the year, in the 2009 Podcast Awards. Thanks to everybody who nominated us!

We're up against some steep competition in our category, including a Rick Steves show and a couple Disney podcasts. Personally all of my favorite podcasts are up for honors in other categories, so this is a great honor.

Voting for the awards begins tomorrow, November 13th, and runs until November 30th. You can vote once a day. Visit their website podcastawards.com for more information on how to vote.

Lower Manhattan's foreign architecture, 104 years ago

I would love to somehow display all of the fantastic photograph below, but cutting it in two does demonstrate an amazing change in the street scene of lower Manhattan.

Just by looking at this photograph below (from 1905), can you tell which Manhattan corner this is? (Click to get a closer look)



This is the right side of a long panoramic photograph. If you were to look at the left side of the photo, you'll be able to place it:



The building at the far right of the top photo is the City Hall Post Office, a controversial "monstrosity" which sat in the area of City Hall Park from 1878 until 1939. In the center sits the storied Astor House, extremely past its prime when this photo was taken. It would be demolished in the 1920s.

To the far left is of course St Paul's Chapel, one of Manhattan's most enduring, toughest buildings, surviving catastrophic fires, terrorist attacks and over two hundred years of tourists.

For a glimpse of the entire panorama, click here (pic courtesy LOC).

As a bonus, here's an Alice Austen photograph of some scrappy shoeshine boys from 1896, photo taken near the corner of Broadway and Vesey -- the same corner as depicted in the photographs above, ten years earlier (you can recognize the Astor House entrance):

Cocktails with 'Mad Men' at the Hotel Pierre

The following posting is littered with television spoilers, so please avert your eyes if you're a 'Mad Men' fan who hasn't seen last night's season finale.

The show is always a scavenger hunt for New York history buffs, the dialogue sprinkled with famous locations and events, most notably an entire episode to the destruction of Penn Station Last night's episode, however, brought an accumulation of New York hotel namedropping.

-- Withered Don Draper, newly separated from his wife, mentions he's staying at the Roosevelt Hotel not far from the fictional Sterling Cooper offices at 405 Madison Ave. Up until then, the hotel, built in 1924, was best known as the residence of New York governor Thomas Dewey, who actually used a suite here as his administrative office. (Sorry Albany!)

-- The rascally Pete Campbell, perhaps reflecting his ambitious social standing, mentions the luxury Sixth Avenue hotel St. Regis as a meeting place to his wife. Like any good Mad Man alcoholic, he could have enjoyed a bloody mary downstairs at the King Cole lounge, where the drink was allegedly first created.

-- Last week's episode featured a sexual liaison between Peggy Olson and Duck Phillips at the Elysee Hotel at 54th and Madison, against the backdrop of the assassination of JFK. Peggy and Duck might have ran into Marlon Brando or Joe Dimaggio, who both lived at the Elysee. Another famous figure in 1962, Tennessee Williams, resided here for many years and choked to death on an eyedrop bottle cap in one of the rooms here in 1983

-- The culmination of Mad Men's high-class hotel fetish is a doozy: the ad firm actually moves into a hotel. In this case, the Hotel Pierre on Fifth Avenue, overlooking Central Park. This ornate 1930 gem, rescued from bankruptcy by J. Paul Getty, is slightly north of Madison Avenue's ad-agency row. No doubt the characters will want to take a break from their new endeavor by having a few cocktails one block away -- at the Copacabana, still one of New York's most popular nightclubs in the early 60s.

And that's not even to mention one of the show's central plots this season -- the relationship with Don and hotel magnate Conrad Hilton.

Re-visiting the secrets of Randall's and Ward's Islands

"Gimme penny, poppy?" The desperate scene at the Randalls Island nurseries, circa 1867, according to Harpers Weekly journal. (image courtesy NYPL)

Tom was hit with the flu this week (not the swine kind as far as I can tell) so we don't have a regular podcast for you. It'll be ready by next week!

In the meantime, I put up a new 'illustrated' version of my Randall's Island podcast in our archive feed. You can get it by clicking the iTunes link below or going directly to our feed page.


The smaller islands of the East River reveal fascinating secrets of the city's past, and Randall's and Ward's Islands are no exceptions. Found out how these former potter's fields are related to the most important Olympics-related event New York City has ever seen. The cast includes a swashbuckling British engineer, Jesse Owens, Tony Bennett, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Fiorello LaGuardia, Robert Moses, and Pearl Jam!

Listen to a regular-audio version here:

Randall's Island and Ward's Island

Randall's Island and Ward's Island -- before the merge



View Larger Map

Yet another page in New York Yankees history

History is always easy to follow with the New York Yankees, because they always repeat it. This is their 27th World Series win -- a streak which began 86 years ago. They will of course receive a tickertape parade down the 'Canyon of Heroes', a tradition which has feted astronauts, foreign dignitaries and concert pianists.

Fears that the team would lose their mojo in a new stadium were unfounded. Thank god they unburied that Red Sox jersey from under the new Yankees Stadium last year. The team also won in 1923, the very first year of the original Yankee Stadium.

If history follows a similar pattern (i.e. the results of the 1924 season), next year's World Series will be won by the Washington Senators, who exist today as the Minnesota Twins franchise. At least they played New York in the series; however it was the New York Giants, and now they're in San Francisco.

The Mets had a new stadium this year too, but instead of luck, it brought an almost record-setting number of injuries to team members. Better luck next year!

Voted down: Six New York City mayoral wannabes

By the end of the day today, one person will be named the mayor of New York City and many other people will be named the losers.

But take heart! Many fine people have lost the race for mayor. Today I focus on six rather interesting ones. Reverend Billy, take stock! If you lose today, you join the good company of the following people:

Samuel F.B. Morse
Sure, we know him as one of the 19th century's most important inventors, creator of the telegraph and the dots and dashes that bear his name. But did you also know Morse was a virulent anti-Catholic and was once a mayoral candidate in 1836 for the Native American Party -- in this case, 'native' American meaning anybody not newly immigrated? He saw Catholic conspiracies everywhere. People were not convinced; he received less than 1,500 votes. (He would run again in 1844 and not even muster 100 votes.)

Why he lost? As he had not achieved name recogniztion yet, his campaign against Tammany-backed Cornelius Lawrence was doomed from the start.

If he won... Morse was also a prolific portraitist and could have done his own to hang in City Hall

Cynthia Leonard
A political thinker, sufferagette and stage mom, Leonard played by her own rules. Nobody was going to tell her that a recently seperated woman couldn't move to New York with her two lovely daughters and run for mayor of New York City in 1888! Why hasn't Meryl Streep made this woman's movie yet?
Why she lost? Being a rich New York woman in 1888 might have granted you social powers, but few political ones
If she won... The newspapers would have ignored her and written all about her daughter -- the glorious Lillian Russell, who the press was already obsessed with. Most likely, her daughter's ambiguous affair with Diamond Jim Brady would have scandalized New York more than it already did.

Henry George
The political economist and founder of philosophical land theories appropriately named Georgism desperately wanted to share his vision with New Yorkers, running for mayor in 1886 under the United Labor Party, and actually beat out a young politico named Theodore Roosevelt. Both lost to Abram Hewitt. He ran again in 1897 under the far more ambitious party title The Democracy of Thomas Jefferson.
Why he lost? The first time, he didn't have Tammany's backing or Hewitt's appeal. In 1897, there was another minor snafu; George died four days before the election, of a stroke brought on by campaigning.
If he won... The city would have been ran by his son, Richard F George, who stood in for his dead father.


William Randolph Hearst
Perhaps more ingraciously known as the inspiration for Citizen Kane, newspaperman and millionaire Hearst couldn't buy himself the mayor's seat, believe it or not, running in 1905 and 1909 under the fleeting Municipal Ownership League and Civic Alliance parties, respectively
Why he lost? Tammany Hall was re-ascendant at the turn of the century, and Hearst their biggest enemy.
If he won...One of the richest men in America and owner of a media empire as mayor? Never happen. ALSO: Citizen Kane might have been even more interesting.


Robert K. Christenberry
Thrown to the wolves as a token Republican candidate against a popular incumbent Robert Wagner, Hotel Astor manager Christenberry was crushed by his opponent, receiving slightly more than 25% of the vote.
Why he lost? He wasn't the most politically saavy man who ever lived.
If he won...He would have been the first mayor with no right hand (he lost it in the war)


Kenny Kramer
The man who inspired a character on Seinfeld threw his ballcap into the ring as the Libertarian Party candidate in 2001.
Why he lost? For one, the man who won, Bloomberg, is a billionaire. Also, Kenny may have had a credibility problem. When he tried running in 1997 -- with Seinfeld still on the air -- the Daily News ran an article 'No Joke! Real Life Kramer's Running"
If he won...then who would run the Seinfeld Reality bus tours?

Before you vote! Some cagey advice, circa 1876

Tomorrow New Yorkers go to the polls to vote for mayor. Remember: don't wear false disguises to vote numerous times. Don't beat up poll workers or throw ballot boxes into the river. And don't vote under your dead grandmother's name. Or else, this could happen to you:



"Imprisoning alleged illegal voters on election-day in United States Commissioner Davenport's cage, in the new post-office building" (Courtesy NYPL)

History in the making - Everything's haunted! edition

Artist Charles Jay Budd depicts spectral lambs (?) terrorizing the New York Stock Exchange -- Life Magazine, 1905

Slithering spooks: With ghosts all over the city, are you surprised that the Bronx Zoo may also be haunted, by ghost reptiles? [Virtual Dime Museum]

Rewinding Rosemary: WOW. Scouting NY takes a look at Rosemary's Baby and the Dakota Apartments -- shot by shot, with images of what everything looks like today. Spoiler alert: it mostly looks the same. [Scouting NY via Vanishing Downtown]

Grave discovery: Hopefully you're already following the coverage of the terrifying tombstone found in Washington Square Park! [Gothamist]

Really scary: Eighty years ago today came a little thing called the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929. [PBS]

All grown up: Those looking for fall foliage might want to check out the leaves falling from Brooklyn's two biggest trees -- both at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. [City Room]

Run don't walk: Don't party too hard on Halloween! The next day is the New York City Marathon which starts at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, crossing through Brooklyn, Queens and (briefly) to the Bronx before entering Manhattan and finishing at Central Park. Visit their website and find a great place to stand and cheer on the runners. [ING New York City Marathon]

And give yourself a primer on the marathon's history before you go with our podcast from last year, featuring marathon participant Tanya Bielski-Braham [Pictures here]

New York City Marathon

Ghost walking: Halloween tours in New York City

Above: 782 Eighth Avenue, the caption reads: "House in which Miss Sigel was killed." Who is that person standing right next to the handwriting?

According to Shorpy (where you can find the full-sized picture), Miss Sigel "was found in 1909 bound in a trunk in her lover Leon Ling's fourth-floor apartment at 782 Eighth Avenue in New York, next to the Chinese restaurant where he was a waiter."

Sometimes called the Chinatown Trunk murder (although nowhere near actual Chinatown), the crime remains technically unsolved, although Ling disappeared from New York soon after discovery of the naked, noose-wearing corpse.

HAUNTED WALKING TOURS
You won't find any ghosts of Miss Sigel there today; there's a distinctly unfrightening fire station at that address today. However if you're looking for a creepy way to celebrate New York City history this Halloween, here's a few suggestions:

New York Society for Ethical Culture candlelight tour
A landmark by flickering light, actors in costume and lots of candy! The New York Society for Ethical Culture hosts a weekend of family-oriented Halloween offerings this weekend, including a ghost tour of its famous Upper West Side building

Friday, October 30, 2009, 7pm – 10pm; Saturday, October 31, 2009, 6pm – 11pm
Visit their website for more info

Halloween at Green-Wood Cemetery
Brooklyn's most lavish home of the dead offers up its annual tour this weekend. Although it's a day tour -- helpfully lessening the creep factor -- it promises "tales of murder, mayhem, spirits, and ghosts .... with Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman."
Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1, 1pm
Meeting Point: Inside the main entrance at 25th Street at 5th Avenue
Go to Green-wood's website for tickets

If you're a braver soul, however, you might try:

Woodlawn Cemetery's nighttime tour
From their website: "Spend an evening in the cemetery learning the legends of Woodlawn. This perennial favorite takes you to the sculpture of “the Bride,” the graves of notorious figures and the monuments that share the tales of tragic events. Flashlights required!" Try both Woodlawn and Green-wood and spook yourself out -- and all your friends, when you tell them you've been to two cemeteries in one weekend.

Oct 29, 30, 31st; Nov 1 6 pm
Meet at Jerome Avenue Gate
Find more details here

The Bronck’s River & Oostdorp
Go back to the early days of early Bronx history with this Municipal Art Society tour of Bronx River and historic Westchester Square. Oostdorp was an old Dutch settlement that became the town of Westchester, which kindly gave its name to the entire county. A great walk on a fall day, although the only scares may be some of the redevelopment.

Saturday, October 31, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Meet at Whitlock and Westchester avenues (overlooking the Bronx River). $10 MAS members. Pay at tour. Or visit Municipal Art Society tour page

Spooks at Belvedere Castle
More for kids I think, but I'm sure they would kill you for just catching a glimpse of Central Park's most fairy-tale feature, now decorated for the season.

Friday, October 30, 4-8 p.m.
More info at the Central Park Conservancy

Prospect Park: Halloween Haunted Walk
Ghosts of Revolutionary War soldiers, suicide victims and more may greet you at this free daytime stroll around Lookout Hill. BONUS: there's a carnival afterwards. Braver souls can gallop over to Lefferts House for some ghost stories.

Saturday, October 31, 2009, Noon to 3pm
Begin at Prospect Park Southwest and 16th Street

Mayhem at the Merchant's House
They've been doing up Halloween all month. On the day itself, they have daytime tours with refreshments. At night -- this ghost stories with Anthony Bellov who will read from 19th-century horror classics in a parlor all done up as an creepy funeral decor.

Saturday, October 31
Tours: Noon to 5 p.m.
Ghost Stories: 7pm and 9pm
Visit their website for more info

We mentioned the Merchant's House as the topic of one of our ghost stories from our show Haunted Tales of New York. If you'd like to take a listen, the link is below, as well as links to our two prior ghost-story podcasts. Happy Halloween!

Haunted Tales of New York




Spooky Stories of New York




Ghost Stories of New York

Wandering through Wave Hill and Hudson River history

Showtime in the Hudson River Valley has begun in earnest, with the change in season transforming New York in splatters of colorful chaos. You could simply wonder a city park of course, but I again recommend New York City's two best options -- the New York Botanical Garden and Wave Hill, both in the Bronx.

With Wave Hill, New York history buffs get an added bonus. Through November 29, the Lenape themed art show "The Muhheakantuck in Focus" presents abstract views of the Hudson as used by the original valley inhabitant. Muhheakantuck, "the river that flows both ways," is the original name of the Hudson River.

The show is displayed in Glyndor Gallery within one of Wave Hill's old mansion homes, although one installation by an artist named Edgar Heap of Birds presents startling glimpses of information via scattered highway signs over the campus:



John Coleman, incidentally, was the unfortunate member of Henry Hudson's Half-Moone party. (Learn more about it in our Henry Hudson podcast.)

Speaking of fall changes, we're change up our look around here over the next couple days including some new art for the blog and podcast. We apologize now in case things get a little odd as I test out various changes.