One of the stops on our Remnants of the World’s Fairs Tour will soon disappear. Since 1997, a series of mosaic medallions commemorating the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World’s Fairs have decorated the ground at David Dinkins Circle. Now, the tiled works of art—severely damaged over time—will soon be another lost relic of Flushing Meadows Corona Park’s past.
The news wasn’t much of a surprise to Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer and creator of our World’s Fairs Tour, Justin Rivers. “I have watched the mosaics decay for years now and as Parks started cementing over certain ones periodically, I knew their days were numbered,” he says.
Photo by Michael Perlman
The Parks Department attributes the significant deterioration of the mosaics to natural weather conditions. Because loose and missing tiles can lead to trips and falls, the works of art have been deemed a safety hazard. Patchwork cement repairs are evident on all the medallions, with graffiti marks, footprints, and tire tracks visible.
The Department says a mosaic art studio determined that the works were “not salvageable” after an analysis, and recommended against recreating them, “as in-ground mosaics cannot sufficiently withstand environmental conditions.” The plan is to remove the mosaics and replace them with pavers similar to those in the surrounding plaza to create a level walking surface.
Photo by Michael Perlman
The Parks Department attributes the significant deterioration of the mosaics to natural weather conditions. Because loose and missing tiles can lead to trips and falls, the works of art have been deemed a safety hazard. Patchwork cement repairs are evident on all the medallions, with graffiti marks, footprints, and tire tracks visible.
The Department says a mosaic art studio determined that the works were “not salvageable” after an analysis, and recommended against recreating them, “as in-ground mosaics cannot sufficiently withstand environmental conditions.” The plan is to remove the mosaics and replace them with pavers similar to those in the surrounding plaza to create a level walking surface.
Photo by Michael Perlman
Installed in 1997, the Passarelle Plaza Mosaics depict various elements of the two World’s Fairs in Queens. It is believed that 10 of the original mosaics have been lost. Two have been covered by cement and five are still visible. Elsie The Cow (1939), a smiling portrait of Robert Moses by Andy Warhol (1964), the New York Hall of Science and Rocket Park (1964), Fountain of Planets (1964), and Venus by Salvador Dali (1939) make up the five that have survived.
“My favorite of the five, honors the work of the legendary Salvador Dalí who designed the ‘Dream of Venus’ pavilion for the 1939 Fair,” says Ray Victor, a Queens native and Untapped tour guide who leads our World’s Fairs tours, “Like many of my guests, I have been amused by the Andy Warhol inspired mosaic of Robert Moses. And a smile was brought to my face by the Elsie the cow mosaic which recalls the children who enjoyed that magnificent fair with their families almost a century ago, children whose innocence would be shattered only two years later as America entered WWII.”
One of the lost mosaics
Known missing medallions include mosaics depicting a work called EAT by Robert Indiana (1964), the Billy Rose Aquacade (1939), the New York State Pavilion (1964), New York City Pavilion (1939) (now the Queens Museum), and two medallions about the Westinghouse time capsules from each fair (1939 & 1964).
The mosaics are the last vestige of many World’s Fair structures that have already been lost. The Aquacade was demolished in 1996, though you can still find a few remnants in the park. Dali’s Dream of Venus theater was taken down in 1940 along with the majority of pavilions built for the 1939 fair. Some elements, like Robert Indiana’s EAT sculpture, which was affixed to the facade of Theaterama during the 1964 fair, found homes outside New York (in this case at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine).
Photo by Michael Perlman
The Passarelle Plaza Mosaics are not the only mosaics at the former fairgrounds. The floor of the New York State Pavilion’s Tent of Tomorrow was once covered by a terrazzo map of New York State that stretched over 9,000 square feet. Made of 567 terrazzo mosaic panels, the map depicted every Texaco gas station in the state. When the Pavilion’s roof was removed in the 1970s, the Texaco map—like the mosaic medallions—was left exposed to the elements and quickly fell into a state of decay. Only a few tiles remain preserved today.
Michael Perlman—a 5th generation Forest Hills resident, author of Legendary Locals of Forest Hills and Rego Park, Chairman of Rego-Forest Preservation Council, and longtime member of the Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance—has been campaigning to save the Passarelle Plaza mosaics since 2022. He recently teamed up with Gloria Nash, author of the forthcoming World’s Fair book, Looking Back At The Future, and Kevin Walsh of Forgotten New York, for his latest push to preserve the art.
Earlier this month, Perlman sent a proposal to Flushing Meadows Corona Park Administrator Anthony Sama that included an offer from a salvage expert willing to carefully remove the mosaics at no cost to the Parks Department. “Furthermore, they would be restored off-site before finding a future home, and the Parks would not have to pay for that either,” Perlman explains, “Passion and teamwork are inspiring our generous proposal.”
What would happen to the mosaics after they are removed is still unknown. “We envision the mosaics being on display in a public or private space, either outdoors or indoors, where they can be readily accessible for the public’s continued appreciation and education,” Perlman says, “Our first priority is taking them out of needless harm.”
While Perlman waits for a response to his proposal, the Parks Department has committed to partnering with the Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park to ensure that the Alliance’s Art in the Park Grant will prioritize Dinkins Circle as a location for at least one public art installation each year the grant is funded. The grant supports two local artists by awarding $10,000 to display a yearlong installation.
“New York is home to an army of amazing artists who could truly breathe new life into these wonderful reminders of our city’s past,” says Victor, “I say to our city leaders, let them.”
“They feel like windows into the World’s Fairgrounds,” says Perlman of the medallions, “They celebrate our local and international culture, and architecture from the Fairs, and also offer a lesson in art, history, and craftsmanship.”
Victor echoes Perlman’s sentiment, “Not that long ago, Grand Central was almost the victim of architectural homicide when development efforts in the 1960’s and 70s threatened to destroy that magnificent centerpiece of our city. I am sure many might say preserving the mosaics in question is not the same as saving Grand Central, but we should all realize that saving the artistic and cultural history of our city, like every journey, has a first step.”
Weather-Related Delays for Planned SS United States Move
Cruise passengers are used to tropical storms and hurricanes impacting itineraries, and now, potential development in the western Caribbean is delaying the tugboat-driven relocation for the SS United States.Okaloosa County, which is supervising the operations to move the once-iconic ocean liner from Philadelphia to Mobile for refitting as an artificial coral reef, released notice of the delayed departure just days before the ship was scheduled to get underway.“Operations to move the SS United States (SSUS) have been delayed to ensure logistical details and procedures maintain ideal conditions for the move,”the statement read.“Okaloosa County is also monitoring a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico that could impede safe delivery of the vessel to its destination in Mobile, Alabama.”While the tropical disturbance has not yet developed into an official tropical storm and is far from hurricane status, it is projected to get better organized and potentially develop in the coming days.This could mean a tropical storm or late-season hurricane might move across the Gulf of Mexico over the next 2-3 weeks, just when the SS United States would be making her gentle way to the refurbishment yard.The ship was scheduled to begin her final oceangoing voyage on Friday, November 15, but because of this potential poor weather, as well as “logistical details” that departure date has now been delayed.No new date has been set, and undoubtedly it will be necessary to plan around tidal schedules, maritime traffic, tugboat and pilot availability, and other factors to ensure the ship can be moved as smoothly and efficiently as possible.Okaloosa County is aware of the extreme interest in this unique operation, and is dedicated to the vessel’s preservation and safe journey from Pennsylvania to Alabama.“The County understands that there is considerable interest in the SS United States and her move from Pier 82 and that plans have been made by interested parties,”the statement read.“Like most large, multi-faceted operations, this move involves coordination with multiple agencies and dates, times, and other logistics are subject to change to make certain the vessel is moved safely.”Viewing sites have been announced for the ship’s move, and different special events – including a viewing excursion – have been planned to commemorate the ship and her departure. Whether those events are rescheduled or not will be up to the individual organizers.
SS United States Docked in Philadelphia (Photo Credit: Patty Ballay)
At this time, the ship remains docked at Pier 82 in Philadelphia, which has been her home since 1996. Once conditions are right for her move, the SS United States Conservancy will be sure to be on hand to record the historic occasion and permit interested parties and individuals to bear witness to the record-breaking ocean liner’s final journey.
GOOD IDEA
BAD LOCATION RIOC RECENTLY INSTALLED THIS MONITOR WITH ISLAND INFORMATION. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IS IS DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE EXITING CROWDS FROM THE NORTH TRAM IN THE PATH OF THOSE GOING DOWN THE RAMP. A TRAFFIC JAM WILL ENSURE.
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.
Whatever the reason, there’s a line outside this corner meat market, with customers eyeing the goods while others gather outside a dry goods shop, its entrance also illuminated in the night.
“Bleecker Street, Saturday Night” is a 1918 painting by John Sloan. Born in Pennsylvania, Sloan but by this time was a Village denizen who famously depicted the ordinary street life of his new neighborhood—from the flower vendors on Sixth Avenue to the rush of the elevated train and crowds of commuters scurrying under the track.
There’s a lot going on in this highly detailed image. Sloan introduces us to a cross-section of people, from young children to older adults, all going about their lives amid the Belgian block pavement and wood and brick buildings of a corner I wish I could identify. The rooftops get higher from right to left, shifting the perspective. The open basement doors add more drama.
“When Sloan painted this scene, the city was undergoing rapid change. Residents navigated the streets and shops late into the evening hours thanks to the recent introduction of electric lighting. New construction projects led to buildings, such as the white one pictured here, getting partially or fully demolished. The painting represents both what once was and the inevitable change that comes with industrial development.”
Painting shows interior of Renganeschi’s Restaurant, 139 West Tenth Street, New York City, filled with patrons dressed in the fashion of the time. Couples sit at tables. At right a waiter stands at a table where 3 women are seated.
After the war, Valland worked for many years with the Monuments Men, helping to restore looted items to their original owners. It’s estimated that, thanks to her, more than 60,000 items were recovered for France. She also served as a witness at the Nuremberg Trials.
For her heroic efforts, she received multiple honours in later life, including a Resistance Medal. The French government named her both an Officer of the Legion of Honour and a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom by the United States, too
BAD LOCATION RIOC RECENTLY INSTALLED THIS MONITOR WITH ISLAND INFORMATION. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IS IS DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE EXITING CROWDS FROM THE NORTH TRAM IN THE PATH OF THOSE GOING DOWN THE RAMP. A TRAFFIC JAM WILL ENSURE.
LET’S TRY A BETTER LOCATION!!!
CREDITS
EPHEMERAL NEW YORK WIKIMEDIA COMMONS JUDITH 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.
How Rose Valland helped the Monuments Men to recover Nicolas de Largillierre’s Portrait of a Woman
Monday, Nov. 11, 2024
Veterans Day
Christies
ISSUE #1341
Valland, a museum employee and a member of the French Resistance, recorded the systematic theft of artworks by the Nazis, taking note of their German inventory numbers. Her information led the Monuments Men to Neuschwanstein Castle, former home of a king of Bavaria, where the looted property had been hoarded
US Seventh Army soldiers carry paintings down the steps of Neuschwanstein Castle near Füssen, Germany, in May 1945. Behind them stands Lieutenant James Rorimer, a ‘Monuments Man’ who later became director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. On the right is Portrait d’une femme, à mi-corps by Nicolas de Largillierre, which will be offered at Christie’s in Paris on 21 November 2024. Photo: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Rose Valland was a humble administrative functionary at the Jeu de Paume museum in Paris — or so believed the German forces who occupied the city during the Second World War. In fact, she was a curator at the museum in question, which was being used by the Nazis to warehouse the tens of thousands of artworks they were looting from French collections, particularly those with Jewish owners.
Unbeknownst to them, she was also fluent in German, a meticulous note-taker, and a member of the French Resistance. Risking her life in the process, Valland performed the remarkable feat of keeping track of work after work that came into the Jeu de Paume, and work after work that subsequently left it.
‘Almost everything I saw and heard ended in my notes,’ she said. At the war’s end, these actions would prove crucial when it came to discovering repositories of looted art and returning myriad items to their rightful owners.
One painting tracked down and returned in this way was Portrait d’une femme, à mi-corps (Portrait of a woman, half-length) by Nicolas de Largillierre, which is being offered in the Maîtres Anciens: Peintures — Dessins — Sculptures sale at Christie’s in Paris on 21 November 2024.
With propitious timing, Valland’s wartime memoir, Le front de l’art: Défense des collections françaises 1939-1945, originally published in French in 1961, has just been translated into English for the first time. It is being published on 22 November 2024 under the title of The Art Front: The Defense of French Collections 1939-1945, with a launch event in December at Christie’s in New York.
Born in Paris in 1656, Nicolas de Largillierre was one of Europe’s leading portrait painters in the final decades of the 17th century and the initial decades of the 18th. He spent much of his early career in England, as assistant to Sir Peter Lely, Principal Painter to King Charles II.
He executed Portrait d’une femme, à mi-corps around 1700, after his permanent return to France. It depicts a now unknown woman from the aristocracy or haute bourgeoisie. Boasting porcelain skin and wrapped in a shimmering red and silver cape, she is elegantly integrated into an outdoor setting, with some trees on the left and a rock face on the right. The picture showcases many of the gifts for which Largillierre is renowned, including sumptuous surfaces and gorgeous colours.
Fast-forward to the late 1930s, and the painting was in the collection of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, a successful Jewish winemaker who — through management of the family vineyard, Château Mouton Rothschild — was helping popularise Bordeaux wines worldwide.
Aware of the antisemitic measures being adopted by the Nazis in Germany, and also the threat posed by Hitler’s expansionist foreign policy, Rothschild packed up his artworks (including the Largillierre) in crates and put them into storage.
Upon the Nazi occupation of France in 1940, however, Rothschild was arrested by the Vichy government and stripped of his French citizenship. His assets were seized — vineyard and art collection included. His crates were found in a bank vault outside Bordeaux and removed to the Jeu de Paume in February 1941.
There, the works were processed by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR), a task force specially created by the Nazis to appropriate art from Jewish dealers, gallerists and collectors, alongside other cultural property from across occupied Europe. The ERR decided to transfer Portrait d’une femme and the rest of Rothschild’s collection to Neuschwanstein Castle in south-east Germany.
Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, which was used as a repository for treasures looted by the Nazis. Photo: Scala, Florence / bpk, Bildagentur für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte, Berlin
Located in the foothills of the Alps, this fairytale-like fortress had been the brainchild of King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century. Now it was being used as a depot for thousands of paintings and other items (such as furniture, sculptures and jewellery) that were among the nearly 22,000 objects stolen by the Nazis in France.
The ERR established a number of such repositories in Germany and Austria between 1941 and 1945, the one at Neuschwanstein foremost among them. In the words of Lynn H. Nicholas, in her 1994 book The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War, their plan was ‘the complete rearrangement of Europe’s entire patrimony in accordance with Nazi ideology’. This was to include the building of a super-museum in Hitler’s name in his home town of Linz in Austria.
There was a war to fight first, though. And the Nazis had no idea that Valland, the quiet, bespectacled employee at the Jeu de Paume, was eavesdropping on their conversations and taking secret notes on the destinations of train and truck shipments. The ERR gave each work an inventory number, and Valland also recorded these — in the case of Portrait d’une femme, à mi-corps, ‘R437’, a number still marked on the stretcher of the canvas.
When Paris was liberated in 1944, Valland shared her information with Lieutenant James Rorimer, one of some 350 members of the Allied forces’ Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives programme. Colloquially known as the ‘Monuments Men’, these were museum curators, art historians, architects, artists and librarians tasked with finding and protecting as many looted items as possible. Their story was told in a 2014 movie starring and co-written by George Clooney, The Monuments Men.
Armed with Valland’s information, Rorimer — a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who would later go on to become its director — set out for Neuschwanstein. There, on 4 May 1945, in the war’s final days, he and a small number of troops at his disposal found the vast trove that Valland had told him about. In the nick of time, too, before the Germans had had the chance to move the items on again, or worse, destroy them.
The Monuments Men’s whole operation is immortalised in a now iconic photograph of Rorimer, together with a trio of US Seventh Army soldiers, on the steps of Neuschwanstein. Standing to the rear with a notebook, he looks knowingly at the camera, while the other three men each hold a rescued painting — including, on the far right, Portrait d’une femme, à mi-corps by Largillierre, now being offered at Christie’s.
The back of the portrait by Largillierre. Its ERR inventory number ‘R437’ can be seen on the vertical stretcher bar, matching its catalogue entry in ERR Album 6
The photograph has been reproduced countless times over the years, having featured on the original cover of The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter — the million-selling 2009 book on which Clooney’s film was based.
The Largillierre portrait was returned to Paris in November 1945, before being officially restituted to the Rothschild family six months later. It remained in their collection until 1978, when it was acquired by its current owner.
Edsel recently described the painting as ‘a piece of history that takes us to ground zero of the greatest theft in history’.
The photograph has been reproduced countless times over the years, having featured on the original cover of The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter — the million-selling 2009 book on which Clooney’s film was based.
The Largillierre portrait was returned to Paris in November 1945, before being officially restituted to the Rothschild family six months later. It remained in their collection until 1978, when it was acquired by its current owner.
Edsel recently described the painting as ‘a piece of history that takes us to ground zero of the greatest theft in history’.
After the war, Valland worked for many years with the Monuments Men, helping to restore looted items to their original owners. It’s estimated that, thanks to her, more than 60,000 items were recovered for France. She also served as a witness at the Nuremberg Trials.
For her heroic efforts, she received multiple honours in later life, including a Resistance Medal. The French government named her both an Officer of the Legion of Honour and a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom by the United States, too.
READY FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPING
Our sloths are back, and ready for new homes
CREDITS
CHRISTIES JUDITH 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.
How to View SS United States as She Leaves Philadelphia
The SS United States has made her home at Pier 82 in Philadelphia for nearly 30 years, ever since she docked in 1996. In a matter of days, however, the aged ocean liner will be on her way to a new home and ultimately a new fate, having lost challenges to remain in place following months of lawsuits and legal challenges.
While the 990-foot liner has been docked for many years, however, ship aficionados and maritime history fans will have the chance to see her underway once again.
The tentative time and dates for the ship’s departure have been released, and the SS United States Conservancy’s Southeast Chapter has kindly provided some insights into the best viewing opportunities for the ship as she begins her journey.
The ship will move from Pier 82 to Pier 80 directly upriver during high tide at approximately 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, November 14. During low tide the next morning, at roughly 7 a.m., the ship will begin her travels down the Delaware River.
Tugs will be moving the vessel, but it will be quite a sight to see the immense ship moving once more.
“Federal officials and Moran Towing pilots will be on board the SS United States, with Delaware Bay pilots assisting from ashore. Vinik Marine of New York will handle the ocean tow,”the Conservancy confirmed.
Both Piers 80 and 82 are closed to the public and not available as viewing sites, as the area is secured by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA – part of the Department of Homeland Security).
The Conservancy recommends several options for travelers who would like to see the ship as she begins her journey, however.
“A good view of the ship at the piers is from the IKEA parking lot at 2206 S Columbus Blvd in Philadelphia, and from the second-floor café at IKEA which opens at 11:00 AM,”the Conservancy said.“On the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, the best view of both piers is from waterfront public parks such as Phoenix Park at 227 Jefferson Street in Camden.”
As the ship moves down the Delaware River en route to the Atlantic Ocean, there will be several places to witness the historic last journey of such an historic ship.
“There are several potential vantage points along the Delaware River south of the Walt Whitman Bridge,”the Conservancy noted.
“Among others, they include Fort Mifflin (6400 Hog Island Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19153), Red Bank Battlefield (100 Hessian Ave, National Park, NJ 08063), Fort Nassau (110 New Jersey Rd, Brooklawn, NJ 08030), Freedom Pier (101 S King St, Gloucester City, NJ 08030), and the RiverWinds Complex (1000 RiverWinds Drive, West Deptford, NJ 08086).”
Interested viewers should be very mindful of appropriate parking at each location as well as other potential restrictions, and respect any closed areas or trespassing possibilities.
It should be noted that all times and dates remain tentative at the moment, as inclement weather or other difficulties could cause temporary delays or schedule changes.
Other Ways to Watch the SS United States
As the ship makes her way to Mobile, Alabama – a trip expected to take approximately two weeks – additional viewing possibilities may be possible. This will depend on how close the ship will be to shore, weather patterns, and other local marine traffic along the way.
An onboard GPS tracking device will also permit interested ship fans to “watch” the ship’s journey online through the Destin-Fort Walton Beach website.
SS United States Ocean Liner (Photo Credit: EbersonImages) The GPS monitoring will only become active once the ship is underway, but will provide an interesting perspective of the ship’s route and approach to different areas.
Once the SS United States reaches Mobile Bay, she will be turned and towed backwards up the Mobile River to the shipyard remediation facility, where she will begin preparations for her ultimate dispensation as the world’s largest coral reef.
Read Also: Iconic Ship Burglarized Before Being Moved for Reef Project
This work is expected to take about a year, and includes removing all non-metal from the ship as well as any traces of fuel or other contaminants that might pose environmental hazards to the marine habitat. The ship will also be braced in such a way that when she is sunk, she will settle upright on the ocean floor.
While this isn’t the most glorious next chapter in the ocean liner’s service, it does ensure she will be long remembered and continue to contribute to maritime history for many years to come.
READY FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPING
THE KIOSK HAS LOTS OF NEW MERCHANDISE SHOP EARLY FOR THE BEST SELECTION
CREDITS
CRUISE HIVE JUDITH BERDY
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The Historic Yorkville Clock: A Century-Old Timekeeper
Left: FRIENDS President Franny Eberhart and Executive Director Nuha Ansari ensuring the neighborhood stays on time. Right: Teri Slater, Erin Gray, Margot Gayle, Galyna Vaintonyak, and Lisa Kersavage in front of the clock, circa 1999
The Historic Yorkville Clock at 1501 Third Avenue is a remarkable timepiece dating back to 1898. A beloved fixture in Yorkville for generations, its oversized pocket watch design, featuring a giant screw and watch fob ring, adds a charming touch. Due to its intricate design and historical significance, the clock was designated a landmark in the 1980s. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation report (August 25, 1981) acknowledged the clock as a “fine example of the kind of street clock that once proliferated in New York and other American cities.” The report also praised its “distinctive design” and its positive impact on the “visual and historical character” of the Upper East Side. Additionally, the commission recognized the clock as an “important and increasingly rare street amenity” that makes a valuable contribution to New York City’s streetscape.
As a community group dedicated to preserving the neighborhood’s history and architecture, FRIENDS has unofficially maintained the clock for years, adjusting it for Daylight Saving Time in the fall and spring. In 1999, Friends facilitated a complete restoration of the timepiece, ensuring that it would continue to grace the neighborhood for years to come. Thanks to the Friends’ ongoing dedication, the generous support of the Davenport family, and the invaluable contribution of Margot Gayle, the Historic Yorkville Clock remains a cherished symbol of the neighborhood’s rich history and architectural heritage.
QUESTION
Wasn’t there a time when the Tram was on the NYC Subway maps?
CREDITS
Friends of the Upper East Side Historic District Judith 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.
I had the opportunity to see a theatre production this afternoon. Unfortunately the results of the lack of sleep made the production too complicated for me to comprehend.
After, I stopped in the Pret A Manger at 1200 6th Avenue (47 Street) for a snack. I was in cheerful shop with a great manager and cheerful team serving the customers!
What a break from the usual grunts I get when placing a food order these days.
Also, great to be back in Manhattan after two weeks on the island!!
JUDY BERDY
Angie and her staff busy at work!!
CREDITS
JUDITH 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.
City of New York-born Frederick Swartwout Cozzens (father of the marine artist Fred Cozzens) was a wine merchant who between 1854 and 1861 edited Cozzens’ Wine Press, a professional magazine on the culture of wine and the promotion of American wines. Cozzens was also a humorist (sometimes using the pseudonym Richard Haywarde).
In 1867, he published The Sayings of Dr Bushwacker and Other Learned Men which contains this intriguing passage: “My old friend, Dominick Lynch, sir, the wine-merchant, the only great wine merchant we ever had, sir, imported the finest oil, sir, from Lucca, known even to this day as ‘Lynch’s Oil’. He it was who made Château Margaux and the Italian opera popular, sir, in this great metropolis.”
Who was this refined spirit who brought the delights of Bordeaux wine, Tuscan olive oil and Italian opera to Manhattan?
Faith & Wine
Dominick Lynch was born in Galway in 1754 into a prominent Catholic family. Well-educated, he married at a young age and moved to Bruges, Flanders, where he opened a branch of his father’s firm.
Commercial success enabled him and his family to live in style. They traveled extensively throughout Europe and lived in London, before moving to the city of New York in late summer 1785. He took up residence on Broadway near the Battery where he became acquainted with George Washington who resided nearby.
Soon after his arrival, Lynch took an active interest in advancing the Catholic faith in the metropolis. He joined a small group of mainly French and Spanish worshipers in Warren Street and was a driving force behind the foundation of the original St Peter’s Church at Barclay and Church Streets, then outside the city limits. The first Mass was celebrated there in 1786.
Lynch became a prominent New Yorker. In 1790, he was one of five citizens who, on behalf of the Catholics of America, signed the “Address of Congratulation” to George Washington on his inauguration as the nation’s first President. In the meantime, he continued to increase his wealth by investing in the China trade and through dealing in real estate.
In 1796 he acquired the abandoned Fort Stanwix and its surrounding swamps in Oneida County, NY, which he eventually turned into the thriving town of Lynchville. In 1819, residents voted to rename the town Rome, NY. Converted to a city by the New York State Legislature in February 1870, Rome was built by an Irishman.
Dominick Lynch Jr. attended Georgetown College (later Georgetown University), America’s oldest Catholic academic institution, in the late 1790s. By 1809 he had returned to his native Manhattan and started a successful career as a fine wine merchant.
In November 1824 Dominick II disembarked at Le Havre on his first-ever European sojourn. The thirty-seven-year-old widower and father of five, bon vivant and socialite, aimed at combining pleasure with business. He had traveled to France to connect with his suppliers of quality Bordeaux wines sold at his classy establishment at 40 William Street, eight blocks south of Park Theatre.
A special reason to visit Paris was to meet up again with his author friend Washington Irving who since 1815 had been living abroad. As a music lover, Lynch planned to seek out the delights of Parisian entertainment. Irving introduced him to Italian opera at the small but elegant Salle Louvois (Gioachino Rossini was appointed Director of Music there on December 1, 1824).
For Lynch the operatic experience was a revelation. Irving coached him on the art of “bel canto” singing and its repertory. The expressive artistry and natural elegance of the Italian soprano Giuditta Pasta, the star of the Parisian stage at the time, enchanted him. He decided there and then to transplant Italian opera to Manhattan – whatever the cost.
Irving introduced Lynch to the diva. His attempt to induce Giuditta to move to New York flattered her, but she was not willing to sacrifice a glittering career in Europe for the uncertain prospect of a city without a dedicated opera house. Pasta suggested that he should try to recruit the Spanish García family of opera singers instead.
On April 16, 1825, Lynch penned a letter from Paris to John Jacob Astor, co-proprietor of Manhattan’s Park Theatre, and proposed to replace the routine of dramatic performances on Tuesdays and Saturday nights by introducing the sensational novel experience of Italian opera.
Park Theatre
French-born engineer Marc-Isambard Brunel was a naval cadet serving abroad when the French Revolution broke out. On his return, he lived with relatives in Rouen. A Royalist sympathiser, he got in trouble for his opinions. Fearing for his safety, he fled to Le Havre and boarded the American ship Liberty, bound for New York.
Having arrived on September 6, 1793, he was involved in various projects showing his design skills. In 1796, after taking American citizenship, Brunel was appointed chief engineer of the city of New York. He designed various houses, docks, commercial buildings, an arsenal and a cannon factory. In 1799 he was lured to London where he established a lasting reputation with the construction of the Thames Tunnel.
In the late eighteenth century, New York’s only playhouse was the decaying John Street Theatre (“Birthplace of American Theatre”) which had opened in December 1767. Although George Washington attended a few performances there, its repertoire was mainly lowbrow, its facilities poor and its attendees rough and rowdy.
Tired of such poor quality, in 1795 a group of wealthy New Yorkers in cooperation with the actor-managers Thomas Hallam and John Hodgkinson proposed the construction of a new playhouse at Manhattan’s Park Row. They commissioned Brunel to come up with a suitable design.
Collaborating with fellow émigré Joseph-François Mangin, he designed a three-story stone structure that seated an audience of 2,000. Originally called the New Theatre, it was renamed the Park Theatre as it faced the open area later named City Hall Park. The house opened its doors to the public on January 29, 1798, with a performance of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
After a few difficult first years, the owners sold the establishment to John Jacob Astor and John Beekman in 1805. English-born architect John Joseph Holland remodeled the theatre’s interior and added gas lighting.
In 1808, Stephen Price was appointed the new manager. Under his leadership the theatre enjoyed its best years in the 1810s and 1820s. Price was able to attract high-class actors and entertainers. The theatre introduced Italian opera to its Manhattan audience.
Manuel García
At Giuditta Pasta’s urging, Lynch crossed to London in mid-July 1825 to call upon Seville-born Manuel García. The latter was a charismatic tenor who excelled in Rossini’s operas. At age fifty he was past his prime, but still capable of delivering thrilling performances.
All members of his family were accomplished singers. Manuel’s second wife Joaquina Sitchez possessed a warm mezzo-soprano voice and was a member of the chorus. His twenty-year-old son Manuel Patricio (“Manolito”) also appeared in the family concerts.
From the moment of Lynch’s arrival in London, he was struck to hear on everyone’s lips the name of Mademoiselle García. Born María Felicia García Sitchez in Paris in 1808, the seventeen-year-old mezzo-soprano had just débuted at the capital’s Italian opera house.
On June 11, a sudden cancellation had her rushed on stage and perform (without rehearsals) the role of Rosina to her father’s Count Almaviva in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia. It was a teenage triumph.
Her name soon became the talk of London’s social season (running from May to August, the “Season” was an annual series of social, artistic and sporting events during which aristocratic families exchanged their country estates for London residencies).
Lynch was completely taken in by María’s stage presence. A lucrative offer was made to Manuel’s Troupe to perform in Manhattan. On October 1, 1825, Dominick II and thirteen members of the opera company boarded the packet ship New-York.
Except for the youngest daughter who was only four years old (she would later make a splendid singing career under the name Pauline “La Viardot”), all the family members were to play leading roles. They began rehearsing on board immediately after departure.
At one moment, Manuel was reprimanded by the ship’s captain for violently striking his son during a rehearsal. Manuel García may have a spectacular singer and a demanding teacher, but he was also a brutal character. A strict authoritarian, he ruled his household with an iron fist. He made his children suffer for their talent.
After enduring a five-and-a-half-week voyage they stepped ashore in New York. Manuel managed to prepare a local chorus and orchestra in only ten days for their first performance. Italian opera was about to conquer the United States. Dominick Lynch lived at 1 Greenwich Street and it was in this fashionable residential neighborhood that María García, the “prima donna” of the opera company, first sang on American soil.
“Signorina”
By eight o’clock on the historic evening of November 29, 1825, Manhattan’s cultural elite gathered at the Park Theatre to witness the first production in America of an opera sung entirely in Italian. Amongst the opening night audience were novelist James Fenimore Cooper, poet Fitz-Greene Halleck and the exiled Joseph Bonaparte.
The performance of Il barbiere di Siviglia was an overwhelming success. Rossini was an instant hero for those present and Dominick Lynch celebrated as a trend-setter. But it was María who stole the show for a ‘bewitching’ impersonation of the opera’s heroine Rosina. Fondly dubbed the “Signorina,” she became the darling of New York.
Over the next ten months, the García Troupe would present seventy-nine performances of nine operas (Rossini, Mozart and two of Manuel Garcia’s own works). New York audiences venerated María. She was a huge draw. The taste of fame offered her a chance to get away from an egocentric and oppressive father once and for all.
In March 1826 the “Signorina” dropped a bombshell when announcing the news that she was to marry wealthy French-born banker Eugene Malibran and retire from the stage within six months. He was twenty-eight years her senior and a New York resident (there were suggestions that Manuel pressured his daughter to accept the 100,000 francs offered by her suitor). María García and Eugene Malibran married at St Peter’s Church on March 25, 1826. Dominick Lynch acted as one of the witnesses in his “father’s church.”
The other musicians of the García Troupe traveled to Mexico to continue their tour, leaving Manhattan in shock. María’s retirement might have been the end of her career, but when Eugene’s business affairs were about to collapse, she returned to the stage and concert room.
Unable and not prepared to cover her husband’s spiraling debts, she decided to go back to Europe. Her “farewell benefit and last appearance” took place at the new Bowery Theatre on October 29, 1827, three days before her ship to Le Havre would set sail.
La Malibran
Billing herself simply as La Malibran and engaged at the Théâtre Italien in Paris, she became Europe’s first diva (the “diva of all divas”) who was adored by the leading lights of the early Romantic Movement.
Stendhal, George Sand, Alexandre Dumas and Lamartine all worshiped her, as did composers such as Rossini and Franz Liszt. Chopin hailed her the “Queen of Europe.” Her triumphs in Britain and Italy were the stuff of legend.
In 1828/9, she began a relationship with the acclaimed Belgian violinist Charles de Bériot that was to last the rest of her life. The couple occupied a villa at Ixelles, a suburb of Brussels once visited frequently by the Brontë sisters (and later the birthplace of Audrey Hepburn), although they were unable to marry legally until she obtained an annulment of her marriage to Eugene in 1836.
That same year she returned to London for another highly successful season, but a riding accident in Regent’s Park on July 5 left her with a head injury. Though severely shaken and in pain, she continued her punishing schedule.
Having performed at the Music Festival at Manchester’s Collegiate Church, she collapsed and died on September 23 in the city’s Mosley Arms Hotel. She was twenty-eight.
Fifty-thousand people followed her cortege as it made its way to her funeral in what is now Manchester Cathedral. Shortly afterwards the body was exhumed and reinterred at Laeken Cemetery, near Brussels, where she rests under the shielding branches of a centuries-old weeping beech.
Although it would take over half a century before the first Metropolitan Opera House opened its doors on October 22, 1883, at 1411 Broadway with a performance of Charles Gounod’s Faust, there can be no doubt that the efforts of an Irish wine merchant and the extraordinary talent of a Spanish diva inspired Manhattan’s lasting passion for (Italian) opera.
VOTING IS OVER AND NOW A BREAK
YESTERDAY WAS A BREEZE AT OUR POLL SITE. WITH A STEADY FLOW OF VOTERS, GREAT STAFF AND SUPPORT WE EASILY HANDLED 1,000 VOTERS.
I WOULD HAVE SENT YOU A PHOTO OF THE GROUP, BUT BY 10 P.M. WE WERE A RATHER BEATEN GROUP.
FOR TODAY’S ISSUE I CHOSE OPERAS, MORE DRAMA THAN AN AMERICAN ELECTION!!!
CREDITS
NEW YORK ALMANACK
Illustrations, from above: Luciano Pavarotti (far left) performing in Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, 2001; Dominick Lynch II, wine merchant, bon vivant and opera lover; Anonymous, Giuditta Pasta as Desdemone in Rossini’s Othello; Interior of Manhattan’s Park Theatre in 1822 (Performing Arts Archive); Henri Decaisne, Portrait of Maria Malibran, 1831 (Musée Carnavalet, Paris).
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.
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.
