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Jul

22

Weekend, July 22-23, 2023 –  COME SHOP AT THE KIOSK AND SUPPORT THE RIHS

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

WEEKEND  JULY 22-23, 2023


ISSUE#  1041

SHOP THE KIOSK

FOR GREAT GIFTS

COME SHOP AT THE RIHS VISITOR CENTER KIOSK, TRAM PLAZA, OPEN DAILY (EXCEPT TUESDAY)
12 NOON TO 5 P.M.

OUR GARDEN HAS GONE NATURAL THIS YEAR.  ENJOY OUR FREE FLOW VISION FOR THE SUMMER,

WE HAVE A FAMILY OF SLOTH AT THE KIOSK FOR YOUR GIFT GIVING FROM $12 TO $24.

IF SLOTHS ARE NOT YOUR FANCY, A CUTE TEDDY CAN BE YOUR SELECTION.

OUR EVER POPULAR TRAIN MODELS ARE IN STOCK INCLUDING NEW METRO NORTH AND LIRR TRAINS

OUR NEW COLORING BOOKS HAVE ARRIVED WITH JULIA GASH DESIGNS OF ISLAND SITES. CRAYONS INCLUDED. $8-

A BUCKET HAT FOR ALL OCCASIONS. $10-

GREAT BOOKS FOR KIDS AND ADULTS

TIME TO TAKE OFF IN YOUR NEW DRIFTER

NEED A PICKLE BALL?  $3-

JULIA GASH TOTE   $28-

ADULT JULIA GASH TEE SHIRTS $30-

WE ARE NOW ON TIK TOK AND INSTAGRAM!

INSTAGRAM @ roosevelt_island_history

TIK TOK @ rooseveltislandhsociety

CHECK OUT OUR TOUR OF BLACKWELL HOUSE ON TIC TOK

WEEKEND PHOTO

SEND YOUR RESPONSE TO:
ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM

FRIDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

TERRACE OUTSIDE MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB
ALEXIS VILLAFANE GOT IT RIGHT

WEDNESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

THE VIEW OF “DOUBLE TAKE” FROM THE ROOF OF THE SUBWAY STATION.

TO SEE MORE OF DIANA COOPER’S ART AND PHOTOGRAPHS CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE:
dianacooper.net 

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

JUDITH BERDY
MAYA LEVANON-PHOTOS TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM

www.tiktok.com/@rooseveltislandhsociety
Instagram roosevelt_island_history


THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

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Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com

Jul

21

Friday, July 21, 2023 – A restoration to remember when strolling by

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2023


ISSUE#  1040

The Gilsey House

29th and Broadway

DAYTONIAN IN MANHATTAN

Today I was walking up Broadway from 29th Street north to Greeley  Square.  Suddenly the once drab scene is boasting a new Virgin Hotel and some great restorations of the grand old buildings.  The wholesale jewelry scene seems to be thriving with remodeled and updated shops.  The Gilsey stood out with its bright ivory paint and a wonderful clock at the top of the domed corner.

Peter Gilsey was a Danish immigrant who made his fortune in America as a merchant.  Not content with his success, Gilsey bought up properties in Midtown, where the north-bound theatre district was emerging.  He recognized that this area would soon need a first-class hotel.  In 1868 he purchased the last farm in Midtown from Caspar Samlar and with that, his location was set; including the grounds of the Saint George Cricket Club.

Gilsey commissioned architect Steven D. Hatch to design his 300-room structure.  Gilsey envisioned a hotel that would rival the downtown hotels that catered to the carriage trade.  And he understood that in order to entice the wealthy, he would have to spend money.  Gilsey’s new hotel cost him $350,000 in post-Civil War era dollars–more than $6.5 million today.

The Gilsey House opened in 1872.  The rooms were outfitted in costly woods like rosewood and walnut.  The carved fireplace mantles were of the finest marble.  Gilt bronze chandeliers hung from elaborate plastered ceilings.  The exterior was a visual feast — arches, columns, angles; Hatch’s fantasy rose from the sidewalk to the roof in an explosion of cast iron ornamentation.

Under the exuberant cast iron cresting of the mansard roof cap an enormous clock rests on cast iron mermaids that are far too high from the street to be seen.  Extraordinary garlands of full-blown roses in incredible detail swag under the eaves — again, so far from the street level and they cannot be appreciated.  But the architect and Gilsey knew these details were there.

Rendering of the future venue

The Gilsey House was an instant success.  The bar, the floor of which was inlaid with silver dollars, became a world-wide destination.  Celebrities like Samuel Clemens, Diamond Jim Brady and Oscar Wilde passed through its halls.

Troubles for the Gilsey House began in 1904 when legal battles between the Gilsey family and the hotel’s operator boiled over.  On December 12 of that year the proprietor ordered all guests out of the hotel with essentially no notice.  Although things returned to normal soon, the hotel’s problems continued and it finally closed in 1911.

Shortly thereafter the wonderful cast iron columns that projected over the property line were removed and the building, once host to the wealthiest guests in the world, became a seedy loft building. 

By the 1970’s the future of the Gilsey House was doubtful at best.  Water leaked into the building, rust attacked the structure and floors sagged.

Amazingly, in 1980 Richard Berry and F. Anthony Zunino purchased the Gilsey and converted it to residential co-ops.   Cosmetic restoration using fiberglass reproductions of the columns and other architectural details were installed and, for the time being, brought the Gilsey back to life.

Astonishingly, the ground floor details–normally the first to be lost under pseudo-modern facades–remain.  In 1991 the co-op board backed an actual restoration and today the Gilsey House is proud and stately again.  Unfortunately, picture windows replace arched 19th century designs and the important projecting columns will, no doubt, never be replaced.

WE ARE NOW ON TIK TOK AND INSTAGRAM!

INSTAGRAM @ roosevelt_island_history

TIK TOK @ rooseveltislandhsociety

CHECK OUT OUR TOUR OF BLACKWELL HOUSE ON TIC TOK

FRIDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

SEND YOUR RESPONSE TO:
ROOEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM

THURSDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

Columns from the City Hospital that was on this site
at the Southpoint Park entrance

WEDNESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

THE VIEW OF “DOUBLE TAKE” FROM THE ROOF OF THE SUBWAY STATION.

TO SEE MORE OF DIANA COOPER’S ART AND PHOTOGRAPHS CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE:
dianacooper.net 

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

DAYTONIAN IN MANHATTAN

MAYA LEVANON-PHOTOS TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM

www.tiktok.com/@rooseveltislandhsociety
Instagram roosevelt_island_history


THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is zBGE3B5mfBKC4KCSPUMLAeftlAfWky0DZ4HN9DHkNntrE8ZimRVZWRFI_E1tJMgy_RLG4dMdf7KTAtW8dzPk5TkdEhNUYCrNZDR_FxeBsfPUHsef7dD2NjkzL2LMQkN3qTHQKfOWuSb5HpdJU-LPub6-2yRHjg=s0-d-e1-ft

Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com

Jul

20

Thursday, July 20, 2023 – THE PARAMOUNT RETURNS…WHERE IS FRANK SINATRA?

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2023


ISSUE#  1039

Fort Greene’s historic Paramount Theatre to reopen as live music venue next year

POSTED ON THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2023

BY AARON GINSBURG

6 SQFT

Image used by Permission of Long Island University

The gilded Brooklyn Paramount Theatre is being restored to its original glory and will reopen as a world-class entertainment venue next year. Entertainment giant Live Nation, which will revive and operate the nearly 100-year-old theater, revealed plans and new renderings during a community board meeting last month. According to the company, the LIU Brooklyn Paramount Theatre will be able to accommodate 2,600 people. Located at 385 Flatbush Avenue Extension, the theater is scheduled to open in the first or second quarter of 2024, as first reported by Brownstoner.

Image via WikiCommons

The Paramount first opened its doors in 1928 and served as a movie theater and music venue until it was taken over in 1962 by Long Island University, which converted its opulent music hall into a gym and removed its stage.

The university retained the theater’s iconic gilded latticework ceiling and converted the upstairs office into an academic space. During its heyday, the theater hosted legendary performers, including Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Buddy Holly, and many more.

Plans to restore the Paramount to its original grand appearance first surfaced in 2015, when the former operator of Barclay’s Center, Mikhail Prokhorov’s Onexim, announced a $50 million plan to give the theater a facelift and once again use it as an entertainment venue. However, the plans were discarded after Prokhorov sold the Brooklyn Nets and the arena company.

Rendering of the future venue

Renderings courtesy of Live Nation via Brooklyn Community Board 2

During a presentation to Brooklyn Community Board 2’s Health Environment & Social Services Committee in June, representatives from Live Nation released renderings of the new entertainment venue and described their plans in depth. They also gained full approval from the board for the venue’s liquor license, which will serve patrons indoors until 4 a.m.

The renderings show that the theater’s original elaborate detailing in the music hall’s ceiling and walls will be retained, as well as the detailed columns in the lobby. A new box office will be created as well. The theater will predominately host music events, but will also be used for family shows, comedy, sporting events, special events, community events, and private programs for Long Island University.

Renderings courtesy of Live Nation

Live Nation is conducting outreach with local tenant associations at the nearby Whitman and Ingersoll housing projects to provide employment to residents seeking jobs. While largely approved by the committee, Committee Member Jeffrey Ryan took issue with the theater’s lack of minority investors, citing the neighborhood’s large African-American population and the theater’s association with world-renowned Black artists over the years.“It’s important that Live Nation should be thinking about contributing to the community in a large way. In the United States, Brooklyn has one of the largest Afro-American communities, and it’s important that a percentage of those dollars stay in our community and that the people of the community benefit from having a venue such as the reopening of the Paramount Theatre,” Ryan said.All security guards will be Live Nation employees, and the security check for show attendees will take place in the entry lobby with guests lining up outside of the building before the doors open. A second set of doors between the entrance lobby and the main lobby will be closed during performances to prevent sound from leaking out into the surrounding area and disturbing the community.The theater’s famous Wurlitzer organ is being preserved as part of the restoration project. The organ is only of two models in operation, the other being at Radio City Music Hall.

WE ARE NOW ON TIK TOK AND INSTAGRAM!

INSTAGRAM @ roosevelt_island_history

TIK TOK @ rooseveltislandhsociety

CHECK OUT OUR TOUR OF BLACKWELL HOUSE ON TIC TOK

THURSDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

SEND RESPONSE TO 
ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM

WEDNESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

THE VIEW OF “DOUBLE TAKE” FROM THE ROOF OF THE SUBWAY STATION.

TO SEE MORE OF DIANA COOPER’S ART AND PHOTOGRAPHS CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE:
dianacooper.net 

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

6SQFT

POSTED ON THU, JULY 13, 2023
BY AARON GINSBURG

MAYA LEVANON-PHOTOS TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM

www.tiktok.com/@rooseveltislandhsociety
Instagram roosevelt_island_history


THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is zBGE3B5mfBKC4KCSPUMLAeftlAfWky0DZ4HN9DHkNntrE8ZimRVZWRFI_E1tJMgy_RLG4dMdf7KTAtW8dzPk5TkdEhNUYCrNZDR_FxeBsfPUHsef7dD2NjkzL2LMQkN3qTHQKfOWuSb5HpdJU-LPub6-2yRHjg=s0-d-e1-ft

Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com

Jul

19

Wednesday, July 19, 2023 – LOTHS HAVE JOINED OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS IN THE KIOSK

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2023


ISSUE#  1038

NEW FRIENDS AT THE KIOSK

The kiosk has a new group of friends, SLOTHS.  They are available for adoption (for a reasonable fee).

These two sloths have discovered our new Candylab Lone Cactus Motel.

Vicki is teaching Pickle Ball to this sloth!!

Ellen is nurturing on of our junior sloths,
 

Barbara has had the Costa Rica sloth experience so she is our staff pro!

WE ARE NOW ON TIK TOK AND INSTAGRAM!

INSTAGRAM @ roosevelt_island_history

TIK TOK @ rooseveltislandhsociety

CHECK OUT OUR TOUR OF BLACKWELL HOUSE ON TIC TOK

Ellen, Vicki and Judy checked out “Double Take” opposite the subway.

WEDNESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

THE VIEW OF “DOUBLE TAKE” FROM THE ROOF OF THE SUBWAY STATION.

TO SEE MORE OF DIANA COOPER’S ART AND PHOTOGRAPHS CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE:
dianacooper.net 

TUESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

Behind the counter at the R.I. U.S. Post Office

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

PHOTOS OF “DOUBLE TAKE”
BY PAUL TAKEUCHI

JUDITH BERDY

ROOSEVELT ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

MAYA LEVANON-PHOTOS TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM

www.tiktok.com/@rooseveltislandhsociety
Instagram roosevelt_island_history


THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is zBGE3B5mfBKC4KCSPUMLAeftlAfWky0DZ4HN9DHkNntrE8ZimRVZWRFI_E1tJMgy_RLG4dMdf7KTAtW8dzPk5TkdEhNUYCrNZDR_FxeBsfPUHsef7dD2NjkzL2LMQkN3qTHQKfOWuSb5HpdJU-LPub6-2yRHjg=s0-d-e1-ft

Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com

Jul

18

Tuesday, July 18, 2023 – ROMANTIC SCENES BY THE SEA

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

TUESDAY, JULY 18, 2023


ISSUE#  1037

SUMMER AT THE 

SEASIDE


WILLIAM GLACKENS

SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN
ART MUSEUM

****
EPHEMERAL NEW YORK

William Glackens, Beach Umbrellas at Blue Point, ca. 1915, oil on canvas, 26 x 32 in. (66.1 x 81.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ira Glackens, 1968.1

William James Glackens – http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2011/american-paintings-n08751/lot.6.html

  • Public Domain
  • File:BATHERS AT PLAY, STUDY -2.PNG
  • Created: 1 January 1914

William James Glackens – https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6368648

  • Public Domain
  • File:William james glackens bathers111309).jpg
  • Created: circa 1918date QS:P571,+1918-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1480,Q5727902

The color and drama at a beachside Coney Island fruit stand

July 17, 2023

When social realist artist William Glackens visited Coney Island in the late 1890s, he had a bounty of kaleidoscopic scenes he could have immortalized in paint: the double-dip chutes of Steeplechase Park, the aquatic animals at Sea Lion Park, or the mass of humanity crowding the boardwalk and bathing pavilions.

But what captured his interest and imagination? A small wooden fruit stand perched on the sand.

It’s a curious choice out of all the attractions at Sodom by the Sea, as Coney was known in its golden era. But Glackens’ “Fruit Stand, Coney Island” manages to draw out much more emotion and drama than seen at first glance.

The bright yellow bananas and red, white, and blue American flags are blasts of color under the white-gray storm clouds looming over the beach. Individual vignettes of the people at the stand tell their own stories: children dip their toes in the water, older girls adjust their appearance, a mother looks down at the baby she cradles. Each vignette represents a different stage of life, particularly women’s lives.

The American flags tell us it might be the Fourth of July. Coney Island would have been packed with thousands of revelers—mostly working-class day trippers who came on ferries and trains with dimes in their pockets to pursue the pleasures, and vices, of Coney’s seaside attractions.

There’s an Old Masters feel to the painting, which may not be accidental. With Robert Henri in 1895, Glackens “made the pilgrimage to Paris, where he soaked up the improvisational brushwork of the French Impressionists as well as the brooding palate of Old Master paintings he saw on a bike trip through the Dutch countryside,” stated a 2007 New York Newsday article on Glackens, above in a 1908 self-portrait.

The influence of his trip to Europe likely rubbed off on the young artist, who was just 28 at the time he painted the fruit stand. The more you look into the painting, the more you see.

[NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale; Wikipedia]

WE ARE NOW ON TIK TOK AND INSTAGRAM!

INSTAGRAM @ roosevelt_island_history

TIK TOK @ rooseveltislandhsociety

CHECK OUT OUR TOUR OF BLACKWELL HOUSE ON TIC TOK

TO SEE MORE OF DIANA COOPER’S ART AND PHOTOGRAPHS CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE:
dianacooper.net

TUESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

SEND RESPONSE TO:
ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM

MONDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

SEND YOUR SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT TO
DO WITH THIS OUT OF DATE OBJECT

FROM NINA LUBLIN:
Today’s Pix — Maybe Diana Cooper can paint over it? Maybe the artists of the MST&DA or the Girl Scouts or Island Kids can create some art to paint over it.

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM
EPHEMERAL NEW YORK
NSU ART MUSEUM, FORT LAUDERDALE
IMAGES COURTESY NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
JUDITH BERDY
ROOSEVELT ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

MAYA LEVANON-PHOTOS TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM

www.tiktok.com/@rooseveltislandhsociety
Instagram roosevelt_island_history


THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

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Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com

Jul

17

Monday, July 17, 2023 – THE GRANDEST OF ALL FAIRS THAT CAPTURED NEW YORK

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

MONDAY, JULY 17, 2023


ISSUE#  1036

THE LOST

CRYSTAL PALACE

OF

NYC’S FIRST WORLD’S FAIR

UNTAPPED NEW YORK
IMAGES NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Before Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was transformed to accommodate the World’s Fairs of 1939 and 1964, America’s first World’s Fair took over Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan. The centerpiece of that fair in 1853 was the Crystal Palace, an impressive dome-topped glass structure that took up nearly an entire square block. At the time, it was the largest building in the western hemisphere. Deemed “The Finest Building in America,” the Crystal Palace made New York City a must-visit travel destination, but it was sadly short-lived. To celebrate the 170th anniversary of the Palace’s opening, we’re sharing a talk from our Untapped New York Insiders On-Demand archive where Justin Rivers, our Chief Experience Officer, talks about the history of this lost building!

The Crystal Palace was designed by architects Georg J. B. Carstensen and Charles Gildermeister. It was built to house the Exhibition of Industry of All Nations, a global exhibition that is largely considered America’s first World’s Fair. The design was inspired by the Crytal Palace built in Hyde Park, London, for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Carstensen and Gildermeister’s Palace took the shape of a Greek cross that stretched from the Croton Reservoir Distributing Center that once stood where the New York Public Library is now to Sixth Avenue. One of the best views of the Crystal Palace itself was seen from the top of the reservoir walls. The Palace’s frame was made of steel and cast iron, and it was topped off with a large glass dome at the center.

The massive scale, expansive walls of glass, and beautifully ornate wrought iron details of the building made it an impressive sight to behold. Inside, there were even more wonders to explore. Visitors to the fair were wowed by the most technologically advanced inventions of the era at the Exhibition of Industry of All Nations. One notable invention that made its debut at the fair was Elisha Otis’s elevator. Visitors could also admire fine art from all around the world. Another attraction that drew visitors to the Exhibition was the Crystal Palace’s neighbor, the Latting Observatory. At more than 300 feet tall, it was the tallest manmade perch on the continent at the time. It quite literally brought New Yorkers to new heights (without the use of Otis’ elevator!).

Both the Crystal Palace and Latting Observatory made New York City a tourist destination. The structures were modern marvels that visitors flocked to New York City to see in person. The attention on New York’s Reservoir Square, as the area was known before the park, helped advance midtown development. Before the Exhibition of Industry of All Nations, the land where Bryant Park is now was a potter’s field, and the surrounding area was drastically less populated than Lower Manhattan.

Sadly, the Crystal Palace would not survive much longer than the run of the Exhibition. After the fair closed in November 1854, the building was leased as a special events space. It became the new home of the Fair of the American Institute, an event similar to the World’s Fair but smaller in scale. Just four years later, in October 1858, the gleaming structure was destroyed in a raging fire. In his book, The Finest Building in America: The New York Crystal Palace 1883-1885, author Edwin G. Burrows describes how “flames enveloped the dome throwing ‘great waves of lurid light’ over a throng of spectators” before it collapsed “‘with a tremendous crash,’ taking down the remainder of the roof and causing the outer walls to cave in.”

Image via the New York Public Library

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Some blamed arson, though the authorities were never able to name a suspect. Others blamed alleged flaws in the building’s design. One eyewitness believed the building came down after a rupture in the gas line because the gas pipes were made of latex rather than wrought iron. However, a representative of the company who installed the pipes swore they were all wrought iron, and there was no evidence to suggest otherwise. To this day, the true cause of the fire remains unknown. Though the Crystal Palace no longer stands, we have the recollections of those who visited, artistic sketches, a few rare photographs, and the lingering mystery of its demise to remember it by.

WE ARE NOW ON TIK TOK AND INSTAGRAM!

INSTAGRAM @ roosevelt_island_history

TIK TOK @ rooseveltislandhsociety

CHECK OUT OUR TOUR OF BLACKWELL HOUSE ON TIC TOK

Correction of web address
TO SEE MORE OF DIANA COOPER’S ART AND PHOTOGRAPHS CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE:
dianacooper.net

MONDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

SEND YOUR SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT TO
DO WITH THIS OUT OF DATE OBJECT
ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@MAIL.COM

WEEKEND PHOTO

ROOSEVELT ISLAND YOUTH SOCCER
1980’S TEAM MEMBERS

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

UNTAPPED NEW YORK
IMAGES COURTESY NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
JUDITH BERDY
ROOSEVELT ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

MAYA LEVANON-PHOTOS TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM

www.tiktok.com/@rooseveltislandhsociety
Instagram roosevelt_island_history


THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is zBGE3B5mfBKC4KCSPUMLAeftlAfWky0DZ4HN9DHkNntrE8ZimRVZWRFI_E1tJMgy_RLG4dMdf7KTAtW8dzPk5TkdEhNUYCrNZDR_FxeBsfPUHsef7dD2NjkzL2LMQkN3qTHQKfOWuSb5HpdJU-LPub6-2yRHjg=s0-d-e1-ft

Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com

Jul

15

Weekend, July 15-16, 2023 –  DO A DOUBLE TAKE WHEN PASSING THE SUBWAY STATION

By admin

THIS IS CORRECT LINK TO INTERVIEWS:

https://rooseveltislander.blogspot.com/2023/07/double-take-mosaic-by-artist-diane.html

FROM THE ARCHIVES

WEEKEND, JULY 15-16, 2023


ISSUE#  1037

STORY OF THE 

“DOUBLE TAKE” 

ARTWORK

WITH DIANA COOPER

ROOSEVELTISLANDER.BLOGSPOT.COM

Rick O’Conor is the founder, publisher and editor.

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2023

“Double Take” Mosaic By Artist Diane Cooper Unveiled At MTA’s Roosevelt Island East River Ventilation Shaft Last Week – Was Worth The 10 Year Wait Says RIHS President Judy Berdy Who Advocated For The Pubic Art Project Instead Of A Brick Wall

On Wednesday July 6, the plywood wall was removed from the front of the MTA’s East River Ventilation shaft across from the Roosevelt Island F Train subway station to unveil the Double Take mosaic by artist Diane Cooper.

CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE FULL PRESENTATION AND INTERVIEW:

https://rooseveltislander.blogspot.com/2023/07/double-take-mosaic-by-artist-diane.html

WE ARE NOW ON TIK TOK AND INSTAGRAM!

INSTAGRAM @ roosevelt_island_history

TIK TOK @ rooseveltislandhsociety

CHECK OUT OUR TOUR OF BLACKWELL HOUSE ON TIC TOK

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

https://rooseveltislander.blogspot.com/
Rick O’Conor is the founder, publisher and editor.


MAYA LEVANON-PHOTOS TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM

www.tiktok.com/@rooseveltislandhsociety
Instagram roosevelt_island_history


THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

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Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com

Jul

14

Friday, July 14, 2023 – THE WALKWAY PROGRESSES IN MANHATTAN

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2023


ISSUE#  1036

A NEW WATERFRONT PARK

ALONG THE FDR

FROM 54 ST. TO 96 ST.

THE ONLY THING MISSING

ARE BATHROOMS

NYC EDC
COMMUNITY BOARD 8 PARKS COMMITTEE

JUDITH BERDY

As revealed tonight at a Community Board 8 meeting the Andrew Haswell Green Park just across from the island
is scheduled to be open this December.

A set of steps and a ramp will head down to the waterfront, to view Roosevelt Island.

Under the pavilion with the Alyce Ancock sculpture will be a walkway leading to the new in water esplanade to 54th Street.

When asked if there were public bathrooms on the over 2 mile long walkway, the answer was no, maybe in the future!  How can any city approve a public park without bathrooms?

WE ARE NOW ON TIK TOK AND INSTAGRAM!

INSTAGRAM @ roosevelt_island_history

TIK TOK @ rooseveltislandhsociety

CHECK OUT OUR TOUR OF BLACKWELL HOUSE ON TIC TOK

TO SEE MORE OF DIANA COOPER’S ART, CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE:
dianacoooper.net

FRIDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

SEND YOUR RESPONSE TO:
ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM

THURSDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

NEW YORK CENTRAL EMBLEM AT THE 
POUGHKEEPSIE METRO NORTH STATION

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

MAYA LEVANON-PHOTOS TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM

NYC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
COMMUNITY BOARD 8
JUDITH BERDY

www.tiktok.com/@rooseveltislandhsociety
Instagram roosevelt_island_history


THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

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Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com

Jul

13

Thursday, July 13, 2023 – TIME TO CLEAN UP VENDORS BY SUBWAY

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2023


ISSUE#  1035

TIME FOR A

DESIGN COMMITTEE

AND 

GUIDELINES FOR VENDORS

IN OUR OUTDOOR 

AREAS

TONIGHT I WAS AT THE SUBWAY STATION ADMIRING THE NEW WALL ART “DOUBLE TAKE” BY DIANA COOPER.  UNFORTUNATELY, THE SUBWAY PLAZA IS A MESS. 

THE FRUIT VENDOR HAS HAD A MAKESHIFT STRUCTURE FOR YEARS. WHICH TO SAY THE LEAST IS A MESS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS CLOSED AND COVERED WTIH OLD TARPS AND FOUR POLES OF BLUE TAPE AND CEMENT BUCKETS.

THE LATEST HOT DOG VENDOR HAS APPEARED AT THE SUBWAY STATION. JUST AS MESSY AND UGLY AS THE ONE THAT WAS FINALLY REMOVED FROM THE TRAM PLAZA.

WHAT IS HAPPENING AT RIOC?  ARE WE SO DESPERATE FOR VENDORS THAT WE DO NOT SET STANDARD FOR THEIR APPEARANCE, SANITATION, HOURS AND LICENSING?

THESE TWO EXAMPLES AT THE SUBWAY ARE JUST TOO MUCH. IT IS TIME FOR RIOC TO CLEAN UP OUR SUBWAY AREA AND HAVE VENDORS WHO CARE ABOUT THE AREA.

MOST COMMUNITIES HAVE STANDARDS FOR STREET VENDORS. IT IS APPARENT THAT ANYTHING GOES HERE,  

MAYBE WE CAN CALL ON OUR LOCAL ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS TO COME UP IWTH A BETTER STRUCTURE.

WE ARE NOW ON TIK TOK AND INSTAGRAM!

INSTAGRAM @ roosevelt_island_history

TIK TOK @ rooseveltislandhsociety

CHECK OUT OUR TOUR OF BLACKWELL HOUSE ON TIC TOK

TO SEE MORE OF DIANA COOPER’S ART, CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE:
dianacoooper.net

THURSDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

SEND YOUR RESPONSE TO:
ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM

WEDNESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

ANOTHER 10 YEAR PROJECT.
THE PLANS FOR RESTORATION OF THE LIGHTHOUSE STARTED IN 2011 AND THE WORK WAS COMPLETED LAST YEAR. IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT, BUT NO EXCUSE FOR PROJECTS TO GO ON AN ON FOR A DECADE.

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

MAYA LEVANON-PHOTOS TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM
JUDITH BERDY

www.tiktok.com/@rooseveltislandhsociety
Instagram roosevelt_island_history


THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

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Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com

Jul

12

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 – THE WALL IS REVEALED! TAKE A LOOK AS YOU EXIT THE SUBWAY

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2023


ISSUE#  1034

MTA ARTS & DESIGN

UNVEILS NEW MOSAIC

BY

DIANA COOPER

ON

ROOSEVELT ISLAND

WE ARE NOW ON TIK TOK AND INSTAGRAM!

INSTAGRAM @ roosevelt_island_history

TIK TOK @ rooseveltislandhsociety

CHECK OUT OUR TOUR OF BLACKWELL HOUSE ON TIC TOK

MTA Arts & Design today announce the installation of a new permanent artwork on Roosevelt Island by Diana Cooper, Double Take.  It is located across from the F train subway stops and is part of the East Side Access project that brought Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Cenrtal Madison.

Cooper was initially inspired by the visual experience of traveling through the Hugh L Carey Tunnel and moving from and artificial underground environment into a world of steel, glass and stone in Manhattan, with buildings set at different angles and punctuated by blue skies and waterways and the greens and browns of New Jersey.

When she visited the MTA site, Cooper was struck by how similar  her experience was to the one subway riders have when they arrive on Roosevelt Island.  Riders leave the reflected light of the subway tunnel  to scale long metallic escalators and emerge into a building with large glass window and views of the island greenery an the blue of the East River.

Cooper’s designs consider the geometric forms found in the ventilation building, the Queensboro Bridge, the MTA subway station, Louis Kahn’s FDR Memorial ad Roosevelt Island Tram set against the grand backdrop of the East RIver.   The wall designs marry abstract geometric thapes with organic forms, based on photographs she took of the river, as well a hand drawn imagery of fluid forms with colors that evoke the island’s grass and trees.  The gate design refers directly to the building’s louvers but it is more colorful, playful and permeable.  Her hope is that people will be transported smoothly and delightfully from the canyons of the MTA to an island surrounded by a river, with mountains of skyscrapers and backdrop.

“Upon arriving or departing, the Roosevelt Islanders and visitors are greeted by Diana Cooper’s colorful mosaic and metal artwork” said Sandra Bloodworth, Director, MTA Arts & Design.  It is quite exciting to see the realization of Double Take- and it will do just that, you stop in your tracks for the double take! One that will make you say, “wow/’

Diana Cooper explained “On first visiting the site I was struck by its visual potential. One emerges from the subway to see sky, a bridge, water,  a ventilation structure, and Manhattan behind it all. That’s quite a mix.  I wanted to pull all these elements together and somehow capture in a single work the dynamic energy latent in the experience. My aim was to blend the rigid geometric elements with fluid color to capture the play of light  on the water especially.  It was an exciting project opened up  new avenues in my artistic practice.”
About Diana Cooper
Diana Cooper is a New York-based mixed-media artist whose abstract works area inspired by patterns found in nature and the artificial human environment which she transforms and translates into her own visual language.  A former Rome Prize fellow (2004). Cooper has exhibited at numerous galleries and institutions , including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, PS 1 MOMA, the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, and the New Museum of Contemporary Art.  She has completed several public commissions, including at the Jerome Parker Campus , Staten Island, commissioned by NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Public Art for Schools and the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech.  She holds a BA from Harvard and an MFA from Hunter College.

TO SEE MORE OF DIANA COOPER’S ART, CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE:
dianacoooper.net

WEDNESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

SEND YOUR RESPONSE TO:
ROOSEVELT ISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM

TUESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

CITY HOME RESIDENTS RECEIVING COMMUNION AT
CHAPEL OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
ALEXIS VILLAFANE & NINA LUBLIN GOT IT RIGHT

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

MAYA LEVANON-PHOTOS TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM\
JUDITH BERDY

MTA Arts & Design encourages the use of pubic transportation by providing visual and performing arts in the metropolitan New York area. The Percent for Art program is one of the largest and most diverse collections of site-specific public art in the world, with more than 350 commissions by world-famous, mid-career and emerging artists. Art & Design produces Graphic Arts, Digital Art, photographic Lightbox exhibitions, as well live musical performances  in stations through its Music Under New York (MUSIC) program, and the Poetry in Motion program in collaboration with Poetry Society of America.  It serves the miiions of people who rely upon MTA subways and 
commuter trains and strives to create meaningful connections between sites, neighborhoods an people.

www.tiktok.com/@rooseveltislandhsociety
Instagram roosevelt_island_history


THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

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Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com