RIOC Red bus driver Andrew Mencher has a unique view of the island from the drivers seat. His works were on display in the RIVAA windows during the Early Voting days,
Lots of Trick or Treaters visited the RIVAA poll site for candy and stickers.
Missing since Thursday.
THANKS TO RIVAA FOR USE OF THE GALLERY FOR OUR EARLY VOTING SITE. THANKS TO MARGIE SMITH, CAT AND JIM FOR MAKING US WELCOME IN THIS WONDERFUL SPACE!
TO BE CONTINUED.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING THE NYC EARLY VOTING ELECTIONS AND WE WILL BE BACK AT
PS 217 TOMORROW FOR ELECTION DAY, 6 A.M. TO 9 P.M.
The last week had been invigorating, interesting, exhausting and definitely not boring.
Islanders showed up in numbers that surprised us. There were dozens of who were first time voters, all of whom got a round of applause from the poll workers and other voters.
The hours are grueling, 96 open to the public plus opening and closing times. Luckily most of our team live on the island so the commute is minimal. Our team is great, every day every one of our 24 poll workers were at the poll-site.
Mommies, daddies, babies, grannies and grandpas all came to vote in all modes of transport!!!
Thanks to our great community for turning out. The comment I got the most from off islanders is what a small town this is!!!
I will be up at 4 a.m. tomorrow to open the school pollsite at 5 a.m. and welcome voters at 6 a.m.
JUDY BERDY
CREDITS
JUDY BERDY
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
SATURDAY IS “GOLDEN DAY” TO REGISTER AND VOTE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION
This Saturday is the last day to register and and vote in the Presidential Election. If you live on Roosevelt Island, stop in our Early Voting Site. (YOU MUST REGISTER AT YOUR REGULARLY ASSIGNED POLLSITE)
You will be able to register and vote (by affidavit ballot) on Saturday.
Saturday, October 26th is the last day to register and be able to cast a ballot for this election.
See you at Gallery RIVAA, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
Other Early voting hours are 8 a.m. to 5 pm. weekends and 8am. to 8 p.m. weekdays.
Although historians generally disagree, many people think History does repeat itself. Are there any parallels between the Election of 1800 and the contest for the presidency in 2024?
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had been debating different viewpoints about the Constitution since they first worked on the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Adams feared giving the people too much control while Jefferson thought the presidency had too much power.
“You are afraid of the one – I, of the Few,” wrote Adams. “You are Apprehensive of Monarchy; I, of Aristocracy.” Both men were concerned about elections: “Elections, my dear Sir, I look at with terror,” Adams contended, who was facing reelection having won the presidency in 1796.
The two founders squared off against each other in 1800. They both received the same number of votes in the Electoral College; under the Constitution of 1787, a tie sent the contest to the House of Representatives for a final decision.
Both men and their supporters elevated the rhetoric. Jefferson warned that “the enemies of our Constitution are preparing a fearful operation.”
The Federalist Alexander Hamilton, though no friend of Adams, argued that Jefferson and his Democratic Republican supporters would “resort to the employment of physical force” to accomplish their ends. Sixty-four year old Adams believed it was necessary to restrain the will of the majority while the younger Jefferson (57) wished to submit to it. He expressed confidence in “the People.”
But just who were “the People” in 1800? The first census in 1790 identified 3.9 million American residents, of whom 700,000 were enslaved. Native Americans were also excluded.
But earlier, the Constitutional Convention, in order to prevent the dissolution of the Union as threatened by South Carolina, compromised by declaring that each slave would count as three-fifths of a white person for the purpose of representation in Congress.
So even though the two most populous states, Virginia and Pennsylvania, had a roughly equivalent free population, Virginia had three more seats in the House of Representatives and thus six more voters in the Electoral College.
It was not by happenstance that for 32 of the first 36 years of the American Presidency, the White House was occupied by Virginians, all of whom were slaveholders.
The Founders left it to the states to determine how members of the Electoral College were selected. Since George Washington was unopposed in both 1788 and 1792, that was a non-issue.
By 1796, it was the qualified voters (white property owning males primarily) who chose electors in 7 of the 16 states. In remaining ones, state legislators made the decision.
But the emergence of the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans as nascent political parties, introduced a new element. It was expected that the top vote-getter would become president while the next highest became vice president.
So the results of voting in the Electoral College in 1796 saw John Adams garner 71 votes while Thomas Jefferson came in second with 68 votes. There was no such thing as a ticket at that time.
During his administration, Adams turned dramatically to the Right as evidenced by his support of Britain against France and the enactment of four Alien and Sedition laws, one of which remains in place even today.
Jefferson, along with his compadre James Madison, championed the opposite side of both issues, going so far with the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions wherein they argued that the states had the right to declare laws unconstitutional.
Despite popular opinion, the Constitution does NOT give the Supreme Court the power to address the constitutionality of federal legislation. It was Chief Justice John Marshall that made that determination in 1819. The acrimony of the parties thus made the election of 1800 especially significant.
Jefferson felt that the election would “fix our national character” and “determine whether republicanism or aristocracy would prevail.” Despite his Federalist credentials, Hamilton continued his tirade against Adams writing “Great and intrinsic defects in his character unfit him for the office of chief magistrate,” adding “the unfortunate foibles of a vanity without bounds, and a jealousy capable of discoloring every object,” to complete his attack.
Both sides relied on an expanded print media for their campaigns since it was regarded as demagoguery for candidates to seek office directly. Negative campaigning became the norm.
According to one historian “Republicans attacked Adams for abuses of office, Federalists attacked Jefferson for his slaveholding.” Clergymen also entered the fray, contributing to the argument that voters had the choice between “God – and a religious president” or “Jefferson – and no God.” Others saw the election “between Adams, war and beggary, and Jefferson, peace and competency.”
There was no singular “Election Day’ in 1800. Thus voting occurred between March and November. Nor was there a secret or even a paper ballot. To vote, one had to identify himself as a supporter of one of the parties. Recognizing the potential problem posed by such a practice, 7 of the 16 states enacted new or modified formats even before the election was over.
Finally, the Electoral College, comprised of 138 men, met on December 3rd. John Adams was rebuffed, receiving but 65 votes. But both Jefferson and Aaron Burr, the purported Jeffersonian Republican vice presidential candidate, each received 73 votes, resulting in a tie and throwing the outcome into the hands of the lame duck Congress, dominated by Federalists.
After 36 ballots taken over several days beginning on February 11, Jefferson emerged as the third president of the United States on February 17, 1801 with the electoral votes from 10 of the 16 states and just 3 weeks before Inauguration Day as prescribed in the Constitution.
In 1804, the Twelfth Amendment was adopted whereby electors are required to cast a distinct vote for each office, eliminating the controversy surrounding the election in 1800.
However, it remains possible for an election, with each candidate having the same number of electoral votes, for the final decision to rest with the House of Representatives.
Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated on March 4, 1801, marking the initial peaceful transfer of power by rival political parties and their leaders in our history.
In his Inaugural Address, he declared “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists,” in an attempt to unite the country. He saw the results as a true revolution, breaking ties with England and instituting major changes within America.
Could a similar scenario occur in 2024? Will History repeat itself?
PHOTO OF THE DAY NEW HOLIDAY MERCHANDISE
ARRIVING SOON AT THE RIHS VISITOR KIOSK STAY TUNED AFTER ELECTION DAY FOR DETAILS
CREDITS
NEW YORK ALMANACK JUDITH BERDY
We invite you to become a cherished member of our RIHS community. Simply visit our website, RIHS.us, and select the ‘Membership’ option. It’s super easy to join online via PayPal. Your support plays a pivotal role in keeping the RIHS thriving. We appreciate you!
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
Inside there were multiple rooms and bars and a small simple stage where various acts were performed. The proprietor himself took to the stage every week to recite some of his own poetry. Mark Twain wrote of his visit to Harry’s in 1867, describing the female dancers who “did spin around with such thoughtless vehemence that I was constrained to place my hat before my eyes.”
Harry posted a list of rules for his establishment on the wall including no profanity, no loud talking, and no drunkenness. Thanks largely to the owner’s low tolerance for any truly disruptive behavior, Harry’s was a cut above the worst of the dance halls where robbery and violence were rampant, but still on a lower rung than the more reputable theatres of Broadway further uptown. In his New York Times obituary, Harry Hill was described as “a queer combination of the lawless, reckless, rough, and honest man.”
In April 1862, New York passed the Concert Saloon Bill. The New York Times reported that this ambiguous bill would “purge our places of public amusement of most of their evils” and” to “make respectable and popular those that are properly conducted.” Essentially, the bill required all venues to obtain a license for any spoken or sung performances, though no licenses were granted to places that served alcohol or had waiter girls. Hefty fines were imposed on venues that skirted these rules, though many concert saloon proprietors took their chances, either ignoring the bill entirely or finding crafty ways around the new rule.
At Harry’s, the entertainment offering shifted to boxing matches. Some of the most well-known boxers got their start on Harry’s stage. Hill even put on a fight between two female boxers.
Due to financial struggles from his other business ventures, Harry was forced to close the dance hall in the 1880s. By the turn of the 20th century, most concert saloons had closed but their influence led to other forms of entertainment like burlesque and vaudeville.
PHOTO OF THE DAY NEW HOLIDAY MERCHANDISE
ARRIVING SOON AT THE RIHS VISITOR KIOSK STAY TUNED AFTER ELECTION DAY FOR DETAILS
CREDITS
EPHEMERAL NEW YORK JUDITH BERDY
We invite you to become a cherished member of our RIHS community. Simply visit our website, RIHS.us, and select the ‘Membership’ option. It’s super easy to join online via PayPal. Your support plays a pivotal role in keeping the RIHS thriving. We appreciate you!
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
The 1930s squatters colony that built its shacks beneath the luxury apartments of Riverside Drive
The Great Depression may have been a national financial catastrophe. But it hit New York City especially hard.
In 1932, three years after Wall Street crashed, one third of city workers were unemployed, and half of al factories had shut down production. An estimated 1.6 million residents relied on relief from shaky public funds and dwindling private charities.
Though Mayor Jimmy Walker’s administration launched an initiative to halt the eviction of poor families from their homes, according to New York Almanack, homeless encampments of mostly single men sprang up all over Gotham.
And between the luxury apartment residences high up on Riverside Drive and the Hudson River below was a shanty community of 87 homeless men known as “Camp Thomas Paine.”
Why Thomas Paine? In The American Crisis from 1776, Paine wrote, “These are the times that try men’s souls”—which must have resonated in Depression-era America.
The men who lived in Camp Thomas Paine weren’t from New York City. “The Camp was initially formed in 1932 by seventy-five World War I veterans in Washington D.C.,” stated the neighborhood website I Love the Upper West Side.
After being expelled from Washington, “the group settled on Manhattan’s Upper West Side from 72nd to 79th Streets along the Hudson River,” per the website. A Daily News article from 1933 described the enclave as “in the trash flats bordering the Hudson.” (Below, an aerial view)
Riverside Drive, officially opened in 1880, was no stranger to shacks and shanties. In the Drive’s earliest decades as a budding millionaire colony, a line of palatial mansions and elegant row houses overlooking Riverside Park and the Hudson River were occasionally interrupted by flimsy wood shanties left over from the Upper West Side’s more rural, less monied era.
By the 1930s, however, the shacks as well as many of the mansions were gone. In their place rose handsome apartment houses for well-off city residents who likely didn’t anticipate a homeless commune getting in the way of their park and river views.
The Camp, explained a sympathetic New York Times article from 1933, is located “where the tugboats go puffing lazily up and down in the damp November fogs. On the east, freight trains clank and jar together in the night, and beyond, on a superior eminence, the politely glacial facades of Riverside Drive look down, not always approvingly.”
But Riverside Drive residents—and New York City officials—didn’t evict Camp Thomas Paine, at least not at first. Perhaps because the veterans who built their shacks there made sure the community was orderly and structured, Mayor John P. O’Brien allowed them to stay.
The only stipulation was that no more shacks could be built, per the Daily News.
For the next few years, Riverside Drive embraced Camp Thomas Paine. The men living there occupied about 50 shacks, with the wood coming from auctioned Broadway theater sets. They ate meals at a mess hall, banned alcohol, kept a variety of pets, and accepted regular donations of food, fuel, bedding, and clothing.
“Camp Paine is not a port of missing men,” stated the Daily News. “Women come down looking for their husbands; fathers looking for sons, but no reunions have taken place. Nobody seems to be hiding there and the police never bother the men. It’s just a place where a man can call his soul his own.”
But Camp Thomas Paine’s days were numbered. In March 1934, a Daily News article reported that Robert Moses, at the time the city’s Parks Commissioner, sent eviction notices to the shacks. “They’re pre-empting public property that we are going to develop for public use,” the News quoted Moses.
“They are good neighbors,” Schwab, chairman of Bethlehem Steel, told the New York Times. “Some of the men came to our house to help in removing the snow last winter….When we had surplus produce from our Pennsylvania farm we were glad to share it with them. We will miss them.”
In May, the men torched their shacks. What didn’t burn was soon destroyed by Robert Moses in the name of West Side improvement, despite the Board of Aldermen ordering Moses to rescind the eviction. (Moses also put an end to the Columbia University Yacht Club at the foot of 86th Street.)
A handful of former Camp residents relocated to a farm colony in upstate New York, according to I Love the Upper West Side. The remaining men? Once the Camp was gone, they seem to have slipped anonymously into history—along with all the residents of the city’s Depression-era homeless encampments.
Curious about more stories of Riverside Drive? Join one of the year’s final walking tours led by Ephemeral New York and explore the Drive’s secrets, stories, and rich history. Space is available for the tour on Sunday, October 27, and the tour on Sunday, November 10. Click the links for more info!
“They are good neighbors,” Schwab, chairman of Bethlehem Steel, told the New York Times. “Some of the men came to our house to help in removing the snow last winter….When we had surplus produce from our Pennsylvania farm we were glad to share it with them. We will miss them.”
In May, the men torched their shacks. What didn’t burn was soon destroyed by Robert Moses in the name of West Side improvement, despite the Board of Aldermen ordering Moses to rescind the eviction. (Moses also put an end to the Columbia University Yacht Club at the foot of 86th Street.)
A handful of former Camp residents relocated to a farm colony in upstate New York, according to I Love the Upper West Side. The remaining men? Once the Camp was gone, they seem to have slipped anonymously into history—along with all the residents of the city’s Depression-era homeless encampments.
PHOTO OF THE DAY KIOSK STAFF NIGHT OUT
GLORIA HERMAN, BARBARA SPIEGEL & ELLEN JACOBY WERE GUESTS AT THE TRIBA BENEFIT LAST EVENING! A FUN EVENING CELEBRATING OUR COMMUNITY
CREDITS
EPHEMERAL NEW YORK JUDITH BERDY
We invite you to become a cherished member of our RIHS community. Simply visit our website, RIHS.us, and select the ‘Membership’ option. It’s super easy to join online via PayPal. Your support plays a pivotal role in keeping the RIHS thriving. We appreciate you!
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
The final product of The Casino in Central Park was one of grandiosity. Its sweeping staircase, domed pavilion, grand ballroom, glass ceilings, multiple terraces, opal glass plates, and opulent chandeliers made for a scene straight from TheGreat Gatsby. But the short life of this building sadly serves as an example of a quick-change morphism, one created with good intentions swiftly turned misogynistic turned corrupt turned vengeful, all of which took place without a single table game or slot machine ever played there despite its name.
The Gothic Revival Stone structure was originally a Civil War era restaurant named Ladies’ Refreshment Salon. Conceived as part of Central Park’s superintendent Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Calvert Vaux’s Greensward Plan, it was located inside the park just off 5th Avenue near East 72nd Street and was one of the park’s three original restaurants. It was intended to be a place where “unaccompanied ladies could relax during their excursions around the park and enjoy refreshments at decent prices, free of any threat to their propriety.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the restaurant was soon patronized by men and quickly lost its purpose as both a women’s only haven and later as an eatery accessible to the general public. It was renamed The Casino to reflect the Italian translation of “little house” and not a gambling establishment. By 1882, the restaurant served mainly wealthy city residents and “became so popular with New Yorkers and tourists that it was expanded” two years later, Untapped Cities writes.
Bain News Service via Library of Congress
After a second renovation in 1921, Tammany Hall-like corruption crept in around 1928 when NYC Mayor Jimmie Walker evicted then lessee and theater producer Carl F. Zittel and awarded the lease of the city’s property to his friend and restauranteur Sidney Solomon. It is believed that Walker granted this favor to Solomon as thanks to the latter for introducing Walker to his tailor.
While Zittel fought in court to keep the restaurant accessible to the public, Mayor Walker turned The Casino into his home away from City Hall and even maintained an office there. With Zittel out of the picture and Solomon in charge, a board of governors that included only the city’s richest and most powerful was appointed for the city-owned restaurant.
NYC Parks Photo Archive
The board closed the restaurant for another renovation. Metropolitan Opera architect Joseph Urban was charged with the new design and 1919 World Series fixer Arnold Rothstein was allegedly a financier. The Casino, truly massive in size and splendor, reopened on June 4, 1929 with an exclusive handpicked, invite-only event for 500 of, again, the city’s richest and most powerful with names the likes of Vanderbilt, Lehman, Ziegfeld, Hearst, Nast, and Drexel. “Parties lasted well past midnight, and when the main restaurant closed at 3 a.m., chorus girls from the Ziegfeld Follies arrived with a police motorcycle escort to entertain select clients in private rooms upstairs, as dazzling light spilled from the windows and blazed upon the luxuriant exteriors of Fifth Avenue,” wrote the NY Times in 2012
NYC Parks Photo Archive
Zittel ultimately exhausted all his legal options and The Casino remained under the control of Walker. According to the Museum of the City of New York, “parties regularly lasted until 3 A.M., with Tammany hotshots mingling with Ziegfeld Follies’ showgirls. To get around the pesky Prohibition laws, patrons would leave their Rolls-Royces stocked with bootleg champagne parked outside. The maître d kept an eye on the drinks at the wealthiest tables and when they ran low, he would signal their chauffeur, standing near the doorway, to restock the alcohol from the stash in the car. It was the most exclusive playground for the most exclusive set.”
Walker was forced to resign in disgrace in September 1932 due to a corruption scandal. The city’s 99th mayor, Fiorello LaGuardia, took office in 1934 and teamed up with crony Robert Moses in an act regarded as one of political vengeance.
Moses marked The Casino for demolition, alleging that the restaurant’s decadent ways were out of touch in light of the 1929 Stock Market Crash years earlier. While Moses did have a point, his motive was purely based on a mutual dislike of Walker that he shared with LaGuardia.
Despite the restaurant’s assurances by Solomon that prices would be lowered to make the restaurant more accessible to all, Moses simply did not care. He was on the winning side of a number of legal battles where even the presiding judge noted that the court’s holdings in favor of Moses granted him “a very dangerous power.
NYC Parks Photo Archive
The Casino was torn down in 1935 and a playground named for New York Junior League founder Mary Harriman Rumsey was opened in 1937. “In 1986, Rumsey Playground became Rumsey Playfield, and [after moving from the Naumberg Bandshell] in 1990 the site of Summerstage, returning the site to the original musical intention of Olmsted and Vaux.”
Despite its intriguing history, The Casino is largely forgotten in the city’s folklore. Given that its initial purposes – to offer women a place of their own and later to be an uptown locale for the general public – were so grossly distorted by avarice, corruption, vindictiveness and doubled-dealing, some may argue that forgetting is not a bad thing, that the mistakes of the past have been corrected and its lessons learned. But others may be more cautious and recall a quote from the Roaring 20s of the Great Gatsby, the era where both the book’s characters and The Casino’s infamy reside. “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!”
PHOTO OF THE DAY
The canine fashion show is on view at Canine Styles on Lexington Avenue next to the subway station and bus stop. These are the classiest trick or treaters on the Upper East Side!!
CREDITS
East Side Feed E.L. DANVERS JUDITH BERDY
We invite you to become a cherished member of our RIHS community. Simply visit our website, RIHS.us, and select the ‘Membership’ option. It’s super easy to join online via PayPal. Your support plays a pivotal role in keeping the RIHS thriving. We appreciate you!
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
Over the last month the MTA has spruced up our subway station with: New Lights. Cleaned and polished windows Replace broken tiles Scrubbed all areas of the station Repaired leaks and broke pipes on platforms Cleaned escalators New benches on platform and all sorts of improvements.
The exterior roof was painted after looking at years of raw steel The wall is clean and free of years of grime.
MTA marks 100th station ‘Re-New-Vation’ at Roosevelt Island The revamp program, launched in 2022, focuses on using planned weekend outages to make upgrades like painting, tile replacements, and improved lighting. Edric Robinson
The Roosevelt Island subway station received a fresh revamp as part of the MTA’s “Re-New-Vation” program, marking the 100th station to get upgrades aimed at improving safety and cleanliness for New York commuters. “When riders come back from the weekend, the station looks clean, fresh, and it smells fresh,” said Demetrius Crichlow, Interim NYC Transit president, during a celebration at the station. The revamp program, launched in 2022, focuses on using planned weekend outages to make upgrades like painting, tile replacements and improved lighting. “Our crews have replaced over 106,000 square feet of tiles, just for perspective, that’s like tiling the entire Empire State Building. We’ve also painted 4.8 million square feet of station surfaces,” said Crichlow. In addition to these improvements, the MTA has added new decals for ADA accessibility and upgraded lighting, which Crichlow says is crucial for commuters’ sense of safety. “When customers come in and see lighting that’s brighter, they feel safer,” he noted. Roosevelt Island residents, like commuter Maggie, have noticed the changes but feel there is more work to be done. “Watching them clean the glass, polish it, and close the station—everything is great, but they always forget spots,” she said. “The gunk is out from downstairs and behind the seats, so that’s good, and the urine smell is gone.” MTA officials say they are listening to commuter feedback. “Month after month, year after year, cleanliness is the top priority,” said Shanifah Rieara, senior advisor for communication at NYC Transit. “We just want our customers to know we hear you, and we want you to continue to give feedback.” The MTA say it’s launched its fall customer account survey to gather input from riders across the network. The survey is available online through Oct. 31 and can be accessed here. One of our Island commentators demeaned the efforts by the MTA. I commend the agency for cleaning our station and making it shine like it did in 1989 when it opened.
I am thrilled the work improves our commute and am glad to enter an “odor free” station.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Gloria Herman has a slew of sloths that need new homes. Stop by the kiosk and “adopt” one or more for your home.
CREDITS
MTA CHANNEL 12 BRONX JUDITH BERDY
We invite you to become a cherished member of our RIHS community. Simply visit our website, RIHS.us, and select the ‘Membership’ option. It’s super easy to join online via PayPal. Your support plays a pivotal role in keeping the RIHS thriving. We appreciate you!
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
The Atrium Business and Conference Center at LaGuardia Airport offers areas for collaboration, leisure and celebration. Located pre-security in LaGuardia’s newly renovated Terminal B, the 55,000-square-foot space was designed by New York-based LUBRANO CIAVARRA Architects. The lobby, which includes the critically acclaimed Orpheus and Apollo sculpture by Richard Lippold, is open to the public from 6-12am every day. The Orpheus and Apollo Lounge on the mezzanine level offers cocktails and light bites with views of the Manhattan skyline and airport runways.
For many years OHNY has opened doors to many “off-limit” sites in the City for a weekend in October. (Years age the RIHS hosted many weekends on the island with OHNY.)
When I saw the Atrium Business Center at La Guardia would be open yesterday, it was time to take the F train to Roosevelt Avenue and the free MTA bus to La Guardia.
The Business Center is located a the far end of the “B:” terminal. There did not seem to be any signs so the staff pointed me to the end of the terminal.
Two volunteers from OHNY greeted me and I was free to check out the Center. (There had been a tour before, but it was sold out.). Few visitors were present since many consider La Guardia a distance to great to travel to.
On the main level were there were groupings of comfortable chairs and some passengers were enjoy the calm oasis.
Looking up to a stage, there was a uniquely shaped screen showing black and white videos of New York past and present.
The entire Center reminds you that you are in NEW YORK CITY.
ORPHEUS AND APOLLO suspending sculptures hang in free flow from 444 wires above the Center. For decades Orpheus and Apollo hung at Philharmonic Hall in Lincoln Center. They were removed and placed in storage for the renovation of the building. Paul Goldbeger, famed architecture critic suggested that they could be relocated to La Guardia. (That was a brilliant idea!).
The Chrysler Building plays a major role on the upper level with its face wrapping around one of the walls.
I sat down to chat with other visitors, and in front of me was the tram! (Part of it was hidden by an air vent) but the bottom of the cabin was visible>
The upper level is carpeted in delightfully soft carpet and soft comfortable furniture.. There is liquor bar along one window wall. You can have a Martini overlooking Southwest Airlines planes parked below and the Long Island Sound in the distance.
Desginer Sarah Tsang of the Architecture firm Lubrano Ciavarra Architects was on site and we had a great time discussing the project. She is open and glad to discuss the design concepts, hiding infrastructure, and working with the Port Authority. When originally conceived the was to be an air-train to La Guardia, (This Cuomo project was later canceled). There is also a conference center on the lower level. At the moment it is only open to airport related businesses. Tsang hopes that it will be open soon to outside groups. This lounge is at the check-in level or (level 3) when you arrive by bus. For the grand total of $2.90 (senior fare) airports can be very enjoyable!!!
PHOTO OF THE DAY
SHORTEN THAN THE DAY, 2020 SARAH SZE FLOATS ABOVE THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO TERMINAL B
CREDITS
PORT AUTHORITY OF NY & NJ OPEN HOUSE NEW YORK JUDITH BERDY
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Auctioneer Phillip A. Smyth refused to sell the rowhouse at No. 170 East 77th Street at his foreclosure auction on January 18, 1896. He considered the highest bid, $7,450, too low. Before long a better offer was presented by developers Hall & Hall, who purchased the house next door as well.
Thomas and William W. Hall were well known in real estate circles for erecting high-end speculative homes, many of them near Central Park. They had something much different in mind for these properties. The wealthy families who moved into mansions like those the Hall brothers were erecting needed nearby carriage houses. And so Hall & Hall commissioned architect Alexander Welch, of Welch, Smith & Provot to design two handsome private stables on the lots.
Completed in 1898, the two two-story buildings were architecturally harmonious; yet each flexed its own personality. The overall-plan was identical. The ground floor included a large arched carriage bay flanked by a window and entrance on the ground floor. The second stories were treated identically–two sets of paired openings separated by a blind recessed panel. Welch clad No. 75 in red brick, No. 77 in gray iron spot brick.
Millionaires’ carriage houses were often lavish affairs, reflecting their wealth and social status. Welch, therefore, embellished No. 77 with oeil de boeuf, or ox-eye, windows within molded frames decorated with palm fronds and cartouches. Brick panels were deftly inlaid into the limestone within the carriage bay arch.
The ground floor interiors were finished in oak. There were six horse stalls toward the back and a “wash deck.” The second floor, accessed by a staircase and elevator, held the hayloft and two coachmen’s quarters (which faced the front, helping to avoid the odors of the manure pit to the rear).
On December 6, 1899 The Sun reported that “W. W. and T. M. Hall [have sold] the new private stables” at No. 77 East 77th Street. The buyer was George Theodore Bliss, who lived in an imposing mansion at No. 860 Fifth Avenue, between 67th and 68th Street.
The 48-year old was the son of George Bliss, an original partner in the banking house of Morgan, Bliss & Co. George T. Bliss* remained a member of the firm when it was reorganized as the Morgan Trust Company. He had inherited a substantial fortune from his father, augmented by his own major stock holdings in mining and banking firms. Bliss and his wife, the former Jeanette Atwater Dwight, had one daughter, Susan Dwight Bliss. ***
Moving into the 77th Street carriage house with the Bliss horses and vehicles were the family’s 30-year-old British-born coachman, John Radford, his wife and her three children by a former marriage. The other quarters were occupied by Edward Foley, a groom. The 26-year-old was born in Ireland.
In 1901, less than two years after purchasing the carriage house, Bliss experienced a perfect storm of medical problems. Already weakened by an attack of influenza, he was struck with appendicitis. He underwent an operation, but was unable to recover from the procedure. He died on March 24, 1901.
Jeanette retained possession of the carriage house. Interestingly, later that year John Radford was looking for a new job. His position wanted advertisement in the New-York Tribune read:
Coachman–By young married Englishman; thoroughly understands care of fine horses and carriages; willing to be generally useful; country preferred; good references.
Jeanette constructed a new mansion in 1907 at No. 9 East 68th Street. In the meantime, she seems to have had trouble retaining stable employees. On June 25, 1907 an advertisement read:
Coachman: married, aged 34; thoroughly competent in every respect, first class city references; city or country. Address Coachman, 77 East 77th st.
That coachman’s replacement, named Webster, did not last long. He too was looking for a new position in March 1909.
But his removal was most likely due to the replacement of horses and carriages with automobiles. The following year’s census showed Charles Cavanagh, “auto mechanic,” living upstairs with his family of five. There was no longer need for a second employee in the building, so the former groom’s quarters were now being leased. That year it was occupied by Mary Kennedy, a “typewriter” at Vogue Magazine. (The term “typewriter” at the time meant “secretary” or “typist.”)
Phillips Phoenix sold his similar two-story stable directly across the street at No. 78 in April 1913. Developer A. L. Mordecai & Son had been accumulating surrounding property and on March 1 the Real Estate Record & Guide explained “The stable threatened to be an obstacle to the re-improvement of the rest of the plot.”
Phoenix moved his vehicles across the street to No. 77. His home was at No. 3 East 66th Street and he maintained a summer home in Tuxedo, New York. Wealthy and a touch flamboyant, the attorney and his wife, the former Lillian G. Lewis, were well-known in society. His business interests sometimes ran far afield of those of his neighbors. He had, for instance, built the Madison Square Theatre at a time with polite society may have attended the theater, but avoided involvement in its operations.
The son of J. Phillips and Mary Whitney Phoenix, he had graduated from Harvard Law School in 1854. An avid sportsman in his younger years, he now focused more on automobiles and was a member of the Automobile Club of America. His more traditional memberships included those in the Union, Knickerbocker, Metropolitan, Union League, Turf and Field, and New York Yacht Clubs, as well as the St. Nicholas Society.
In addition to Tuxedo, Phillips and Lillie (as she was familiarly known) routinely spent time in the warm months at the Aspinwall Hotel in Lenox, Massachusetts. Lillie, like many socialites, did not allow her husband’s business to interfere with her own leisure. She regularly appeared in society columns as she arrived alone at the Aspinwall and other fashionable resorts like the Briarcliff Lodge.
The 87-year-old millionaire died in his 66th Street mansion on April 11, 1921. Oddly enough, Lillie did not follow the expected mourning protocol, which would have restricted her appearances within society for a year. Three months later, on July 17, 1921 the New-York Tribune reported that “Mrs. Phillips Phoenix…was a late arrival at the Aspinwall.”
Phoenix left an estate of nearly $2.6 million. The accounting listed the value of No. 77 East 77th Street at $65,000–about $890,000 today.
Two years later the building was converted to a garage on the first floor and a “dwelling” on the second. It was home to Emma A. Hamilton, widow of William H. Hamilton, by 1926.
In 1969 the building was converted to a private residence, home to Jules Goldstein and his wife, the former Jeanette Rosenberg. A lawyer, Goldstein was a graduate of City College and New York University Law School. His career, however, was wide-flung. He was also executive secretary of the Trouser Institute of America, a member of the Management Labor Textile Advisory Committee of the Federal Trade Commission, and executive secretary of the National Outerwear and Sportswear Association.
Jules Goldstein died at University Hospital in December 1971 at the age of 80. The house became home to Delbert W. Coleman, former CEO of jukebox firm J. P. Seeburg Corporation, and his wife.
The house was the center of an embarrassing snafu in 1976. On January 26, the Colemans sent out about 100 formal invitations for a fund-raiser for Senator Frank Church to be held on February 10. But after poking around into Coleman’s background, Church’s campaign staff “suddenly discovered that it had scheduled another fund-raising affair the same evening,” reported Dan Dorfman in New York Magazine.
It seems that after Coleman sold his interests in Seeburg, he used the money to buy control of Parvin-Dorhmann Company, an operator of Las Vegas casinos and hotels. Within a year Coleman had made a paper profit of over $34.5 million; a meteoric rise in value which prompted an SEC investigation and a charge of stock manipulation.
The Colemans were followed in No. 77 by Edward S. Finkelstein, chairman of R. H. Macy & Company. Living here by 1988, he was widely credited with resuscitating the once-dowdy department store, restoring the ground floor to its original splendor–including the handsome polished wood cars of the Edwardian elevators. It was Finkelstein who re-instituted the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks as a part of the national celebrations.
When the house was sold for $2.58 million in December 1993, it was described as having three bedrooms, five baths, a “library overlooking dining area,” and “double-height living room.” There were also two fireplaces and a roof deck.
In 2005 plans were filed for a “vertical enlargement of one family dwelling.” That barely described the project. Radio entrepreneur Adam Lindemann would not only expand his home upward, but down. His architect, London-based David Adjaye, would do a gut renovation that added three floors atop the original two, and two more below ground.
***GEORGE BLISS WAS THE PERSON WHO PAID FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF CHAPEL OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
The renovations took years to be completed. On May 22, 2011 New York magazine’s Justin Davidson wrote “With the flamboyant orneriness that limitless wealth allows, the art collector Adam Lindemann and his wife, Amalia Dayan, have staged an act of architectural dissidence on the Upper East Side. Lurking behind the limestone scrolls and wrought-iron gate of the carriage house at 77 East 77th Street is an eccentric concrete chateau.”
photographs from “David Adjaye: A House for an Art Collector” via New York magazine May 22, 2011
Strikingly, the massive re-do is not noticeable from the street. Davidson described it saying that Adjaye had confounded “the Upper East Side’s aversion to novelty by combativeness and stealth.”
We invite you to become a cherished member of our RIHS community. Simply visit our website, RIHS.us, and select the ‘Membership’ option. It’s super easy to join online via PayPal. Your support plays a pivotal role in keeping the RIHS thriving. We appreciate you!
CREDITS
DAYTONIAN IN NEW YORK
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
Remembering Diana Brill, a cherished islander and our friend, who unfortunately passed away last week in Los Angeles.
A former choreographer, Diana beautifully transitioned her career into massage therapy and even brought her unique touch to our RIHS Visitor Center. She loved interacting with visitors. Each year she worked as an Inspector at our poll site checking in voters.
Diana was a beacon of positivity, her lively personality and ever-present cheerfulness were infectious. Even amidst health challenges, she remained optimistic, always looking forward to embracing her Californian lifestyle.
We carry her spirit with us, remembering her warmth and resilience.
Fascinating Art, Memory & Community Panel Discussion About the Value of the FDR Four Freedoms Park and Girl Puzzle Memorials hosted by Gallery RIVAA.
Video host Chris Vail and panelists Gina Pollara, Susan Rosenthal and Amanda Matthews.
Cantor Sarah Meyerson of the Roosevelt Island Jewish Congregation celebrated the festival of Sukkot on Wednesday evening in the succah.
The RIJC succah is located on the Senior Terrace down the hill from the 540 passageway. The festival is celebrated for 8 days. The succah is open daily for meals and prayers.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
CREDITS
JUDITH BERDY
ROOSEVELTISLANDER
We invite you to become a cherished member of our RIHS community. Simply visit our website, RIHS.us, and select the ‘Membership’ option. It’s super easy to join online via PayPal. Your support plays a pivotal role in keeping the RIHS thriving. We appreciate you!
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
The RIHS VIsitor Center Kiosk opened in 2007. In 2010 the kiosk was restored and a formal garden was planted. For years the landscaping company that worked for RIOC kept our garden looking great, at RIHS expense. In the last few years we have struggled to find a landscaping company that would maintain our small garden. Unfortunately, after bad and expensive results we were very frustrated.
One day a few months ago I met Michael Stewart. an island resident, on the Q102 bus. We chatted and I invited him to visit the kiosk.
It turns out Michael is a natural gardener and knows landscaping.
Our path along the street is now clear and weed free.
Cutting back and shaping the Maiden Grass has made a vast difference in the approach to the kiosk.
Michael Stewart has been nurturing our rose bushes all summer. Our garden has no water supply so we depend only on Mother Nature.
Our historic Queensboro Bridge Lamp post base has been revealed from overgrown plants.
The back of the kiosk is steep and hard to reach. Michael is conquering it bush by bush. The back will have a clearing for many new daffodils next spring.
Our ground around our Kwasan cherry tree is going to have many daffodils and tulips in the spring. Michael is our early morning ambassador guiding visitors, answering questions and enjoying the atmosphere before rush hour. Stop by on your way to the tram for a chat!!
CREDITS
JUDITH BERDY
We invite you to become a cherished member of our RIHS community. Simply visit our website, RIHS.us, and select the ‘Membership’ option. It’s super easy to join online via PayPal. Your support plays a pivotal role in keeping the RIHS thriving. We appreciate you!
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
