In 1889 the Third Republic celebrated the centennial of the French Revolution with the opening of a grand international exhibition and the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower.
Politically, France remained divided into three political camps. On the left of the political spectrum, Republicans embraced the democratic reforms initiated by the French Revolution. On the right, Monarchists aimed at reinstating the link between Royalty and (Catholic) Church, whilst Bonapartists demanded the imposition of law and order at home and the maintenance of a powerful presence abroad.
Shovel & Trowel
Political conflict over time has affected the face of Paris. During the nineteenth century, Bonapartists transformed the city’s physical structure with the aim of establishing a grand capital that would stand as a testament to the nation’s cultural dominance.
They sought to assert political ambitions by leaving their mark on Paris with shovel and trowel. Architecture was a political statement. Once the Republicans entered the fray, they set out to impose modernist ideas on urban planning.
In January 1886, Édouard Lockroy was elected Minister of Commerce & Industry. His background was intriguing. Having fought as a volunteer in the Third Italian War of Independence, he had participated in anti-Bonapartist battles and his political partisanship earned him several stints in prison. He was first elected to the National Legislature in 1873 as a radical Republican representing Paris.
One of his briefs as Minister was to make arrangements for the 1889 “Exposition Universelle,” including plans for new buildings at the exhibition site along the Champs de Mars. Lockroy used his position to make sure that the Republicans would leave a memorable mark in the capital.
Gustave Eiffel was recognized as a master designer of structures in iron or steel. He had built railroad bridges and train terminals around the world. Parisians had seen his work first hand in the form of the framework for the Statue of Liberty which, in 1885, was assembled outside his workshop before being shipped to New York City. Eiffel was praised as the “Magician of Iron.”
Yet when he was commissioned to execute the construction plan of a wrought iron tower, feelings of outrage were widely expressed. Objectors treated the project as an industrialist “Tower of Babel,” alien to French culture.
The controversy motivated some prominent artists (amongst them Charles Gounod, Alexandre Dumas and Guy de Maupassant) to publish a protest in Le Temps of February 14, 1889, arguing that the “useless and monstrous” edifice would desecrate the city’s dignity.
In spite of the furor, work continued. After completion, “Eiffelomania” swept France and Europe.
Georges Seurat in 1889 and Henri “Le Douanier” Rousseau in 1890 were the first to paint the Tower. It was “adopted” by artists after Robert Delaunay created his iconic “red” image of her in 1909 (“La Tour rouge” – the first of thirty canvases depicting the Tower).
For the younger generation, the iconic “Iron Lady” was there to stay as an emblem of technology and modernity. Opponents stuck to their demand that the “eyesore” be demolished. After all, on completion the Eiffel Towere was expected to stand for twenty years only, before dismantlement would take place.
Swindling & Scamming
Victor Lustig was born January 4, 1890, into an affluent Bohemian family (then in Austria-Hungary). A clever student and fluent in several languages, he was a rebellious young man without social ambition and reluctant to enter a professional or academic career. Instead he used his charm and intelligence for a much more lucrative activity: swindling.
He left Bohemia in 1909 and settled in Paris where he got hooked on gambling. During this time he sustained a distinctive facial scar in an altercation with a jealous husband whose wife could not resist the young man’s charms. The mark would become consequential in his life story.
Living in Paris, he observed the growing number of American visitors and the craze for luxurious transatlantic travel. To a talented multi-lingual conman, ocean liners seemed to offer a potential of riches. He soon embarked on grand ships sailing between the French Atlantic ports and New York City. Once on board, he started deceiving wealthy old ladies and naïve passengers.
A smart dresser and smooth talker with impeccable manners, he was welcomed at the table of the richest passengers on the voyage. His schemes included one in which he posed as a promising musical producer who sought investment in a lavish but non-existent Broadway production.
In the process, Lustig gained a hunter’s eye for the vulnerability of potential preys. At the same time he honed his skills as a counterfeiter and developed his most successful scam at sea, known as the “Romanian Money Box.” Picking out businessmen amongst the travelers, he would engage with his carefully selected marks and share – in utmost confidence – the “secret” of a money box which he carried with him.
Eventually, he would agree to a private demonstration of the device that was fitted with a printing machine. By inserting a hundred-dollar bill, and after a while of “chemical processing,” he extracted two seemingly authentic copies of the bill which he exchanged on board ship without a trace of suspicion.
After intense persuasion, he would agree to sell the box if the price on offer was right (at least $10,000 and sometimes two and three times that amount).
New York City Interlude
When transatlantic sailings were suspended in the wake of the First World War, Victor opted to settle in New York City. Assuming dozens of aliases and introducing himself as “Count” Victor Lustig (a European title works wonders when facing American clients), he became a master of disguise as he engaged in various counterfeiting schemes. The Romanian Box remained a favorite trick in his repertoire of cons.
In 1922, he fooled a group of investors to pool their money for the “unique” opportunity of purchasing the box. Amongst them was a Texan sheriff who, once he realized he had been scammed, pursued Lustig to Chicago where he confronted him. Once again the victim was tricked by his smooth talking opponent who explained to him that he had handled the precious device incorrectly.
In an act of generosity, Victor repaid his victim a sum of cash in compensation. As it later turned out, the money was counterfeit. The lawman was eventually arrested and accused of passing fake bills in New Orleans. Although imprisoned, he supplied the police with an accurate description of the swindler’s face and scar.
Maybe police officers and Secret Service agents were getting too close for comfort, or maybe Victor was just longing for a change of environment in which to operate, but by 1925 he boarded a liner to France and crossed the Atlantic once again.
Selling the Tower
The builders of the Eiffel Tower used “puddle iron,” a form of purified cast iron that enhances resistance to corrosion. The civil engineer himself had warned from the outset that the spread of rust was the biggest challenge to its longevity. He suggested that the Tower needed a new coat of paint at seven year intervals in an operation that would demand sixty tonnes of paint and take some sixteenth months to complete.
When Victor Lustig arrived in Paris, he was struck by an alarmist newspaper article on the future of the rusting Eiffel Tower as the exorbitant cost of maintenance became an issue of serious concern.
To the French government, it was a financial burden. Parisians themselves were and remained divided in their opinion of a structure that was already a decade past its projected lifespan. Many felt that the “unsightly” erection should be taken down.
Divided opinion creates weakness and Lustig was quick to exploit such fragility. He devised a spectacular plan that would make him a legend amongst con artists. He first studied the nature of iron structures and their exposure to rust.
Having acquainted himself with the names of the city’s major metal scrap dealers, he set himself up as Deputy Director of the “Ministère de Postes et Telegraphes.” Using false City of Paris stationary, he requested a meeting with a number of dealers in which he discretely suggested the possibility of a lucrative contract.
After installing himself at the iconic Hôtel de Crillon on the Place de la Concorde (opened in 1909, but the building dates from 1758), he invited the scrap men to enter into a setting of antique furniture, fine marbles and priceless chandeliers.
There he informed them about a “secret” government decision to demolish the Eiffel Tower as the annual expense of its preservation was no longer sustainable. He was personally assigned to invite bids for the right to demolish the Tower and take possession of 15,000 beams and 2.5 million rivets – in weight: 7,000 tons of metal.
Victor transported his clients in rented limousines to the Tower and showed them its rusty state of decline. He repeated the argument that this “hideous” modern structure was not worthy a place amongst venerable monuments such as the Arc the Triomphe or the great Gothic cathedrals.
Vulgarity had reached a new level that year when car maker Citroën was allowed to advertise its name in massive letters on the Tower to defray its maintenance costs (the sign remained in place until 1934). Its destruction would be a public service.
Victor made it crystal clear that any transaction had to remain confidential to avoid public interference. His calm demeanor and polished presentation were entirely convincing to André Poisson, one of the invited guests who showed an interest in the project. A young provincial entrepreneur, he was fairly new to Paris and seemed somewhat uncomfortable in the presence of experienced urban rivals. The hunter had identified his prey.
When Victor invited Poisson for a private meeting at the Crillon, the businessman was flattered and fell for the bait. Lustig persuaded him to finalize the contract and accept an added provision. The latter requested a bribe in exchange for his effort of guaranteeing the arrangement to his preferred bidder.
Poisson would pay the “Deputy Director” an amount of $20,000 in cash and an additional $50,000 after the contract was signed. Having received the full sum of money, Lustig left for Austria.
The story never broke. Too embarrassed, Poisson did not file a report with the police. Victor returned that same year in an attempt to repeat the scam. This time, however, one of his “targets” became suspicious and informed the police, prompting him to make a quick return to New York City.
Conning Al Capone
In the 1930s, Lustig took the audacious step to travel to Chicago and request a meeting with the mobster Al Capone. He outlined a business proposition, asking for a $50,000 investment in the scheme with the promise to repay double the amount within a period of just two months. Capone was suspicious, but agreed.
Lustig stored the cash in a safe before returning the full amount to the lender, explaining that the deal had fallen through. Impressed by Victor’s honesty, Al Capone rewarded him with $5,000 to help him “get back on his feet.” The scam’s simplicity demonstrated his mastery of manipulation. The Count’s reputation grew.
In 1930, Lustig went into partnership with a Nebraska chemist named Tom Shaw, initiating a sophisticated counterfeiting operation with an elaborate distribution system to push out large amounts of cash. As the number of phony bills in circulation increased, Victor’s name became associated with the operation.
The situation got worse for Victor when his long-term mistress Billie Mae Scheible, a “Madame” who ran a prostitution racket in New York City, suspected Victor of having an affair with another woman and informed the police of his whereabouts in Manhattan.
The Secret Service started chasing the “Count” in a pursuit that resembles a fictional tale by Arthur Conan Doyle. The hunt was led by agent Peter A. Rubano, an ambitious Italian-American who was born and raised in the Bronx and had made the headlines by trapping the gangster Ignazio “The Wolf” Lupo. It was a cat-and-mouse game that lasted many months, but eventually ended on Broadway.
On a Sunday night in May 1935, elegantly dressed in a Chesterfield coat and – as always – well disguised, Victor Lustig strolled down “The Great White Way” when a plain clothes officer spotted his scar.
After many near misses of arrest in the past, Rubano and other agents swooped in and confiscated a key from him that gave access to a locker at Times Square subway station. From there, they retrieved $51,000 in counterfeit bills as well as their printing plates.
Awaiting trial, Lustig was held at the “escape proof” Federal Detention Headquarters in Lower Manhattan. Shortly before legal proceedings were set in motion, he fashioned several bed sheets into a rope and climbed out. Pretending to be a window cleaner, he casually shimmied down the building and disappeared in the crowd.
He was recaptured twenty-seven days later in Pittsburgh and sentenced to twenty years in prison on Alcatraz Island. Having contracted pneumonia, he died in March 1947. His passing went virtually unnoticed, as if the conman had played his last disappearing act. On his death certificate his occupation was listed as apprentice salesman and counterfeiter.
MORE SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES THIS WEEK
SEE YOU SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AT THE POP-UP SALE AT 546 MAIN STREET
More great shopping next weekend!!!
SHOP THE KIOSK THIS WEEK 12 NOON TO 5 PM
JULIA GASH TAPESTRY THROW IS BACK!! $75-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND PORCELAIN ORNAMENT $20-
CREDITS
Illustrations, from above: Mugshots of Victor Lustig; Robert Delaunay “La Tour rouge,” 1909 (Guggenheim Museum, New York); Charles Gilbert-Martin’s “Gustave Eiffel and Tower,” engraved by Forest Fleury; the Eiffel Tower in 1925 with the illuminated Citroen publicity sign; and Lustig (middle) being questioned by the police in 1935.
NEW YORK ALMANACK 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.
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.
Cynthia Brenwall The sport of ice skating in Victorian-era New York was so popular that all submissions to the 1857 design competition for Central Park were required to include a winter skating area. As one of the few socially acceptable activities that could be enjoyed in mixed company (along with tennis and bicycling), the Department of Parks’ Board of Commissioners recognized that a public skating rink would be a great source of healthful recreation for city dwellers. Called the Skating Pond on Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted’s winning Greensward plan, the Lake was one of the first areas of the park to be open to the public for the 1858-59 skating season, well before construction of many other park areas had started.
Detail of Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted’s 1857 Greensward plan submission drawing showing the skating pond. Black ink with colored pencil on paper. Department of Parks Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.In the early days of the park, ice skating on the Lake drew huge crowds—some thirty thousand people daily. Beginning in 1868, a three-story chalet-style “skate tent,” as it was called, was put up and taken down at the south end of the lake during the winter season. The 1870 report of the Board of Commissioners described the tent amenity: on the first floor it had concessions, changing areas, a place to warm up, a refreshment stand, and a cloak room. The second story provided windows for spectators to view the skating while enjoying a beverage, and the third level served as a “ladies look-out exclusively.”
Design for a Skate House. Julius Munckwitz, architect, 1884. Ink and watercolor on paper. Department of Parks Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.To replace the original “skating tent,” actually a wooden structure, after it had fallen into disrepair, architect Julius Munckwitz prepared this drawing for a new Skate House in 1884, which provided a detailed elevation view and a floor plan with restaurants for men and women as well as a parlor and smoking room.In addition to the main skating area, Vaux and Olmsted also provided a more secluded space reserved for women who preferred to skate away from the mixed-gender, social atmosphere on the Lake. Located on a small inlet just beyond Balcony Bridge, the Ladies Skating Pond provided a “ladies only” option for the more modest skaters of the day. As construction in the park continued, other bodies of water such as the Conservatory Water and the Pond also became popular skating venues.In an effort to make the man-made Lake safe throughout the year, it was equipped with waste weirs (to lower water levels) and sluice gates (to raise water levels). During summer, sluice gates kept the water level at seven feet deep to accommodate boaters. In winter, the waste weirs lowered the level to just four feet to lessen the possibility of an accidental drowning if a skater fell through too-thin ice and each night, a series of eighteen hydrants, or valves, spread water to create a fresh sheet of ice.
Design of the sluice gate for the outlet of the Skating Pond, c. 1858. Black and red ink with pencil, blue crayon, and colored washes on paper. Department of Parks Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.With large crowds arriving daily, Olmsted instituted many park rules for wintertime users of the Lake. He stipulated, for example, that visitors should “not drop any tobacco, segar-stumps, paper, nutshells, or other articles on the ice” and that, “a ball will be hoisted to the top of the pole, near the bell tower whenever the ice is in full condition for skating.” However, Olmsted did relax one rule during the ice-skating season—park closing time—extending it from eight o’clock to midnight. Harper’s Monthy Magazine in 1861 described the nighttime spectacle: “The dramatic aspect of the jubilee [of skating] is greatly increased by the sparkle of the moonbeams and the glare of the Drummond lights, which flood the scene with startling brilliance.”
Summer and winter water levels at the site of the Rustic Bridge crossing an arm of the Ladies Skating Pond, c. 1860. Black and colored inks with pencil on paper. Department of Parks Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.The levels of the water of the Lake ranged from seven feet deep in the summer to provide ample room for boaters and swimmers to only four feet in the winter as a safety measure should anyone fall through the ice.While the popularity of ice skating waned in the later part of the century, it never completely fell out of fashion and remained a wintertime draw for the park, albeit one contingent on the fickle nature of New York weather. In 1949, philanthropist Kate Wollman donated $600,000 toward construction of a new kind of “artificial rink” to be built in Central Park. The Parks Department publicity materials stated that the rink guaranteed access to safe skating for New Yorkers “who have been deprived of the pleasure of regular, uninterrupted outdoor ice skating throughout the winter half year because of vagaries of our climate.” Created as a memorial to her parents and four brothers, Wollman Rink opened at the south end of the park in 1950. More than 300,000 visitors arrived in the first year and by 1953 the rink had welcomed its one millionth skater. Noted for its vast size of approximately 31,000 square feet, the rink required over sixteen miles of 1 ¼ inch wrought-iron pipe for construction.
Wollman Memorial Skating Rink, Central Park, 1960. Mayor Wagner Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.In addition to Wollman Rink, Central Park is also home to the Lasker Rink and Pool located at the northern end of the park near the Harlem Meer. Named for its major benefactor Loula Davis Lasker, a philanthropist and social worker, who donated $600,000 to help build the rink in 1961, the skating rink opened in 1966 and is converted into a public swimming pool during the summer months.
MORE SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES THIS WEEK
Find some artistic bargains this and next weekend at Gallery RIVAA
More great shopping next weekend!!!
Annual RiHS Rivercross Display Window Revealed
Our three bears are all snuggled up under a Roosevelt Island tapestry throw.
All our critters are gathering uder the dramatic forest
Time to think of Chanukah gifts
Chanukah starts on the evening of Dec. 25th.
Our cuddle critters are swinging from the swag
You never know where a sloth will pop up
Our tree is ready for gifts beneath
SHOP THE KIOSK THIS WEEKEND 12 NOON TO 5 PM
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND PORCELAIN ORNAMENT $20-
JULIA GASH EXCLUSIVE DESIGN NOTE CARDS 10 PACK $18-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND TOTE $22-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND BABY BIB $20-
KIDS BOOKS LONELY PLANET TRAINS, LONELY PLANET AIRPORTS $ 10- 100 FIRST WORDS LITTLE NEW YORKERS, LITTLE GENIUSES $10- ZOOM! BEEP! VROOM! $11-
ADULT BOOKS IMAGES AMERICA ROOSEVELT ISLAND, QUEENSBORO BRIDGE, LONG ISLAND CITY $25- DAMNATION ISLAND $18- ZINES MANDY CHOI, SHEEP IN THE CITY $ 6-
NELLIE BLY’S TEN DAYS IN A MAD-HOUSE $12-
OUR COLORING BOOK IS BACK $10-
CREDITS
This blog is adapted from the Municipal Archives’ forthcoming publication, The Central Park, Original Designs for New York’s Greatest Treasure.
The book is now available for pre-order from the publisher, Abrams Books:
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.
As a young student in 1975, Richard Marc Sakols ventured to the Manhattan‘s Lower East Side to explore the neighborhood where his grandmother was born.
His photos of the Eldridge Street Synagogue showcase the precarious state of the building, then in disrepair after years of neglect, and provide a glimpse into the earliest efforts to preserve its legacy.
By the 1970s, much of the Lower East Side’s Jewish population had moved away and more recent arrivals, notably from Latin America and China, along with a bevy of young artists drawn by low rents, ushered in a new chapter of the neighborhood’s story.
The photographs of Lower East Side, 1975 shed light on this cultural moment.
The Museum at Eldridge Street, which is housed in the historic 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue, is presenting “Lower East Side, 1975: Portrait of a Changing Jewish Neighborhood,” an exhibition featuring never-before-seen photographs of the Lower East Side by Richard Marc Sakols.
On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, from 6 until 8 pm, the Museum will host an exhibition opening featuring an informal talk by the photographer.
The ticket price which includes Museum admission, is “Pay-What-You-Wish.” You can get tickets here.
Find some artistic bargains this and next weekend at Gallery RIVAA
More great shopping next weekend!!!
Annual RIHS Rivercross Display Window Revealed
Our three bears are all snuggled up under a Roosevelt Island tapestry throw.
All our critters are gathering uder the dramatic forest
Time to think of Chanukah gifts
Chanukah starts on the evening of Dec. 25th.
Our cuddle critters are swinging from the swag
You never know where a sloth will pop up
Our tree is ready for gifts beneath
SHOP THE KIOSK THIS WEEKEND 12 NOON TO 5 PM
JULIA GASH TAPESTRY THROW IS BACK!! $75-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND PORCELAIN ORNAMENT $20-
CREDITS
NEW YORK ALMANACK 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.
Annual tree lighting this evening at the Blackwell Lawn (Photo Rooseveltislander blogspot)
Stop into the warm and comfy
Find some artistic bargains this and next weekend at Gallery RIVAA
Annual RIHS Rivercross Display Window Revealed
Our three bears are all snuggled up under a Roosevelt Island tapestry throw.
All our critters are gathering under the dramatic forest
Time to think of Chanukah gifts
Chanukah starts on the evening of Dec. 25th.
Our cuddle critters are swinging from the swag
You never know where a sloth will pop up
Our tree is ready for gifts beneath
SHOP THE KIOSK THIS WEEKEND 12 NOON TO 5 PM
JULIA GASH TAPESTRY THROW IS BACK!! $75-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND PORCELAIN ORNAMENT $20-
JULIA GASH EXCLUSIVE DESIGN NOTE CARDS 10 PACK $18-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND TOTE $22-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND BABY BIB $10-
KIDS BOOKS LONELY PLANET TRAINS, LONELY PLANET AIRPORTS $ 10- 100 FIRST WORDS LITTLE NEW YORKERS, LITTLE GENIUSES $10- ZOOM! BEEP! VROOM! $11-
ADULT BOOKS IMAGES AMERICA ROOSEVELT ISLAND, QUEENSBORO BRIDGE, LONG ISLAND CITY $25- DAMNATION ISLAND $18- ZINES MANDY CHOI, SHEEP IN THE CITY $ 6-
NELLIE BLY’S TEN DAYS IN A MAD-HOUSE $12-
OUR COLORING BOOK IS BACK $10-
SQUEEZE TAXI $5- SMALL, $8- SMALL
NOTHING IS BETTER
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL ALL DRESSED UP FOR THE HOLIDAYS
CREDITS FOR WINDOW DECOR
JUDITH BERDY GLORIA HERMAN SHEILA WALSH
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.
Annual tree lighting this evening at the Blackwell Lawn (Phot Rooseveltislander blogspot)
Stop into the warm and comfy
Find some artistic bargains this and next weekend at Gallery RIVAA
Annual RIHS Rivercross Display Window Revealed
Our three bears are all snuggled up under a Roosevelt Island tapestry throw.
All our critters are gathering uder the dramatic forest
Time to think of Chanukah gifts
Chanukah starts on the evening of Dec. 25th.
Our cuddle critters are swinging from the swag
You never know where a sloth will pop up
Our tree is ready for gifts beneath
SHOP THE KIOSK THIS WEEKEND 12 NOON TO 5 PM
JULIA GASH TAPESTRY THROW IS BACK!! $75-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND PORCELAIN ORNAMENT $20-
JULIA GASH EXCLUSIVE DESIGN NOTE CARDS 10 PACK $18-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND TOTE $22-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND BABY BIB $10-
KIDS BOOKS LONELY PLANET TRAINS, LONELY PLANET AIRPORTS $ 10- 100 FIRST WORDS LITTLE NEW YORKERS, LITTLE GENIUSES $10- ZOOM! BEEP! VROOM! $11-
ADULT BOOKS IMAGES AMERICA ROOSEVELT ISLAND, QUEENSBORO BRIDGE, LONG ISLAND CITY $25- DAMNATION ISLAND $18- ZINES MANDY CHOI, SHEEP IN THE CITY $ 6-
NELLIE BLY’S TEN DAYS IN A MAD-HOUSE $12-
OUR COLORING BOOK IS BACK $10-
SQUEEZE TAXI $5- SMALL, $8- SMALL
NOTHING IS BETTER
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL ALL DRESSED UP FOR THE HOLIDAYS
CREDITS
JUDITH BERDY GLORIA HERMAN SHEILA WALSH
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.
From stopping for a pint at the local pub or ordering crispy fish n chips to munch on, there’s no better place to experience English culture in NYC than its very own Little Britain.
Is there anything more British than a cup of tea? Tea & Sympathy owners, Nicky Perry and Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett, have set out to bring a true taste of England to NYC with afternoon tea fit for a Queen. Beyond tea time, the adorable shop sells an assortment of British groceries and comfort food. We recommend stopping by for a Full English Breakfast.
108 Greenwich Avenue
Fancy some fish n chips? This British classic is best served at A Salt and Battery. Sink your teeth into crispy, lightly-battered, deep fried fish like only England knows how to do. And don’t forget to splash some malt vinegar on your chips (aka fries)!
112 Greenwich Avenue
Myers of Keswick is an integral part of NYC’s Little Britain as the city’s oldest British grocery store. Selling homemade pies, sausages and scones since 1985, no visit to Little Britain is complete without picking up a few British goods from here. Whether you’re a British expat in NYC or simply an Anglophile, find all the best treats of England, from Jaffa Cakes to Smarties (iykyk).
634 Hudson Street
It’s not a trip to Little Britain without grabbing a pint at the pub. White Horse Tavern is NYC’s second oldest tavern, and a perfect place to enjoy a nice cold beer. Famous patrons such as Bob Dylan, James Baldwin, and Dylan Thomas are rumored to have frequented the spot.
567 Hudson St., at 11th Street
STOP BY THE KIOSK 12 NOON TO 5 P.M. DAILY EXCEPT TUESDAYS ALL CHARGES ACCEPTED
ROOSEVELT ISLAND COLORING BOOK $10- TRAM HOLIDAY STOCKING $ 35- “IMAGES OF AMERICA- ROOSEVELT ISLAND” $25- HELL GATE BRIDGE MODEL $40- CROCHET TRAM ORNAMENT $20-
CUDDLY-STUFFED SLOTHS IN 3 SIZES $12, $18, $24
CUDDLE PUPS AND KITTENS $12-
IMPORTED HANDMADE DOG SWEATERS $ 35- (LIMITED STOCK)
IMPORTED HANDMADE GONDOLA PILLOWS $55-
HANDMADE IMPORTED CROCHET ORNAMENTS $20-
EXCLUSIVE HOLIDAY GREETING CARDS $3.50 EACH
JULIA GASH TAPESTRY THROW IS BACK!! $75-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND PORCELAIN ORNAMENT $20-
JULIA GASH EXCLUSIVE DESIGN NOTE CARDS 10 PACK $18-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND TOTE $22-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND BABY BIB $10-
KIDS BOOKS LONELY PLANET TRAINS, LONELY PLANET AIRPORTS $ 10- 100 FIRST WORDS LITTLE NEW YORKERS, LITTLE GENIUSES $10- ZOOM! BEEP! VROOM! $11-
ADULT BOOKS IMAGES AMERICA ROOSEVELT ISLAND, QUEENSBORO BRIDGE, LONG ISLAND CITY $25- DAMNATION ISLAND $18- ZINES MANDY CHOI, SHEEP IN THE CITY $ 6-
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.
STOP BY THE KIOSK 12 NOON TO 5 P.M. DAILY EXCEPT TUESDAYS ALL CHARGES ACCEPTED
ROOSEVELT ISLAND COLORING BOOK $10- TRAM HOLIDAY STOCKING $ 35- “IMAGES OF AMERICA- ROOSEVELT ISLAND” $25- HELL GATE BRIDGE MODEL $40- CROCHET TRAM ORNAMENT $20-
CUDDLY-STUFFED SLOTHS IN 3 SIZES $12, $18, $24
CUDDLE PUPS AND KITTENS $12-
IMPORTED HANDMADE DOG SWEATERS $ 35- (LIMITED STOCK)
IMPORTED HANDMADE GONDOLA PILLOWS $55-
HANDMADE IMPORTED CROCHET ORNAMENTS $20-
EXCLUSIVE HOLIDAY GREETING CARDS $3.50 EACH
JULIA GASH TAPESTRY THROW IS BACK!! $75-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND PORCELAIN ORNAMENT $20-
JULIA GASH EXCLUSIVE DESIGN NOTE CARDS 10 PACK $18-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND TOTE $22-
JULIA GASH ROOSEVELT ISLAND BABY BIB $10-
KIDS BOOKS LONELY PLANET TRAINS, LONELY PLANET AIRPORTS $ 10- 100 FIRST WORDS LITTLE NEW YORKERS, LITTLE GENIUSES $10- ZOOM! BEEP! VROOM! $11-
ADULT BOOKS IMAGES AMERICA ROOSEVELT ISLAND, QUEENSBORO BRIDGE, LONG ISLAND CITY $25- DAMNATION ISLAND $18- ZINES MANDY CHOI, SHEEP IN THE CITY $ 6-
NELLIE BLY’S TEN DAYS IN A MAD-HOUSE $12-
OUR COLORING BOOK IS BACK $10-
SQUEEZE TAXIS LARGE $ 8- SMALL $5-
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TO ADVOCATE FOR PRESERVATION OF OUR STRUCTURES
TO WORK WITH ARTISTS, WRITERS AND PROFESSIONALS TO TELL THE STORY OF THE ISLAND AND ITS HISTORY. EDUCATE ALL ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MULTIPLE LAYERS OF ISLAND HISTORY, SUCH AS OUR PROGRAMS WITH THE NYPL.
TO TEACH OF CHILDREN OF THE FAMILIES THAT LIVED HERE BEFORE US
TO WELCOME VISITORS TO THE ISLAND AND GUIDE THEM IMPROVE SIGNAGE TO GUIDE VISITORS TO OUR COMMUNITY, TO SUPPORT OUR BUSINESSES.
TO ESCORT GROUPS TOURING THE ISLAND
TO SUPPORT RESIDENTS BECOMING INVOLVED IN GUIDING VISITORS
SPONSOR OFF ISLAND PROGRAMS TO LEARN OF OTHER COMMUNITIES
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TOP WORK WITH RIOC TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTENANCE OF OUR COMMUNITY FABRIC.
TO EDUCATE PERSONS WORKING ON THE ISLAND OF THE HISTORY AND MAKE THEM AMBASSADORS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
TO WORK WITH SCHOLARS RESEARCHING ISLAND HISTORY
WITHOUT MEMBERSHIPS AND DONATION THE VISITOR CENTER AND SOCIETY CANNOT SERVE THE COMMUNITY.
ROSIE STROLLS ON MAIN STREET TODAY!!! JUST SUNDAY IN THE PARK TODAY TV FAME HAS NOT SPOILED HER
OUR FAVORITE ISLAND COLORING BOOK IS BACK
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JUDITH BERDY ROOSEVELTISLANDER LINK TO ABC NEWS
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.
TO WELCOME ALL TO THE ISLAND AND THE RIHS VISITOR CENTER AND INTRODUCE THEM TO OUR ISLAND
TO PRESERVE HISTORIC LANDMARKS ON THE ISLAND
TO ADVOCATE FOR PRESERVATION OF OUR STRUCTURES
TO WORK WITH ARTISTS, WRITERS, AND PROFESSIONALS TO TELL THE STORY OF THE ISLAND AND ITS HISTORY. EDUCATE ALL ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MULTIPLE LAYERS OF ISLAND HISTORY, SUCH AS OUR PROGRAMS WITH THE NYPL.
TO TEACH THE CHILDREN OF THE FAMILIES THAT LIVED HERE BEFORE US
TO WELCOME VISITORS TO THE ISLAND AND GUIDE THEM IMPROVE SIGNAGE TO GUIDE VISTORS TO OUR COMMUNITY, TO SUPPORT OUR BUSINESSES.
TO ESCORT GROUPS TOURING THE ISLAND
TO SUPPORT RESIDENTS BECOMING INVOLVED IN GUIDING VISITORS
SPONSOR OFF ISLAND PROGRAMS TO LEARN ABOUT OTHER COMMUNITIES
TO WORK WITH ARTS GROUPS SUCH AS RIVAA ON PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITS.
TO WORK WITH RIOC TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTENANCE OF OUR COMMUNITY FABRIC.
TO EDUCATE PERSONS WORKING THE ISLAND OF THE HISTORY AND MAKE THEM AMBASSADORS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
TO WORK WITH SCHOLARS RESEARCHING ISLAND HISTORY
WITHOUT MEMBERSHIPS AND DONATION THE VISITOR CENTER AND SOCIETY CANNOT SERVE THE COMMUNITY.
SHOP THE KIOSK ON BLACK FRIDAY FROM 12 NOON TO 5 P.M.
OUR FAVORITE ISLAND COLORING BOOK IS BACK
OUR TAPESTRY THROW IS BACK
GREAT GIFT FAVORITES AND LOTS OF NEW GREAT STUFF
GREAT GIFTS AND BOOKS
CREDITS
JUDITH BERDY ROOSEVELTISLANDER LINK TO ABC NEWS
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.
Years ago, when visiting Goldwater Hospital I met Dr. Alba. She was a petite woman who with her talents saved many from years in Iron Lungs and struggling with Polio. Even after she retired, she was in contact with her former patients. Unsure of their medical needs, they turned to her for advise.
Goldwater was a leading hospital treating Polio patients and those with respiratory illnesses. Through her work thousands world-wide were saved from suffering.
She is well remembered by those in the obituaries below.
Judith Below
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of a beloved colleague and friend, Dr. Augusta Alba. She passed away on November 5, 2024 (having celebrated her 100th birthday in October 2024).
As the former Chief of Rehabilitation Services at Coler-Goldwater for multiple decades, Dr. Alba’s medical career centered on polio survivors who required breathing assistance. Her dedication to solving the respiratory insufficiency problems of polio patients led her to master every piece of ventilator equipment and technique—the rocking bed, chest cuirass, frog breathing and noninvasive ventilation. Dr. Alba always sought to educate both her colleagues and polio survivors about the importance of appropriate equipment and personal assistance. In addition to co-authoring many seminal medical articles on the respiratory topic, her lectures and publications reflect a life-long body of work focused on assisting the respiratory-disabled patient to live the most independent life possible.
Dr. Alba was a champion of person-centered care to her patients, residents, colleagues, and team members. She was an extraordinary, larger-than-life individual who has had a profound impact on the lives of many.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Alba’s family and loved ones.
I wanted to share with you all, a copy of Dr. Alba’s recent obituary in the NY Daily News. She was truly a giant among us, who inspired us all. What she was able to accomplish was simply remarkable and deserves to be honored by us, in a meaningful way, as we all had the privilege of working closely with her for all those years. In retrospect, her humility belied her tremendous accomplishments. Her dedication and determination literally helped make the “iron lung” obsolete, a relic from an age when it, sadly, was all too commonplace among the victims of polio. As a child, I remember this child, who was around my age, attending a basketball game in an iron lung, which was so cumbersome and bulky, such that he could only watch the game using special mirrors. Let’s pursue this further. Perhaps, an article about her in “Caring for the Ages,” the newsletter of PALTmed (The Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association) would be a good starting point.
Dr. Augusta S. Alba Obituary Dr. Augusta (Strongman) Alba, or “Gussie” as her friends and family called her, transitioned from this life to the next on November 5th, 2024. Hers was a life well-lived. She was a woman of deep Roman Catholic faith, and in the course of her 100 years she answered the call of many vocations, not the least of which were daughter, sister, friend, aunt, wife, physician, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and even great-great grandmother. Gussie was born on October 7, 1924, the middle child of Howard and Augusta Ruth Demsky Strongman, who raised 4 daughters and one son on their farm in upstate Highland, New York. Even at a young age, she was intelligent and determined. She graduated as valedictorian of her class at Highland High School at 15 years old, and won a scholarship to college. In 1940, just shy of her 16th birthday, she began studying chemistry at Wagner College in Staten Island, NY.
At Wagner, she excelled academically, but she also expanded her horizons in other ways. It was there that she decided to convert from Lutheran to Roman Catholic, noting that she was inspired by the Catholic devotion to Mary as the Mother of God. On a blind date in 1940, she met Luigi (Louis) Filippo Alba, a fellow Wagner student. According to family records, on that first night, he told her he was going to marry her, and she promptly told him he was crazy. Luigi went on to coach her in fencing, and she won an inter collegiate championship for form in 1944. Apparently, he was not crazy – they were married not once, but twice: a November 25, 1944 secret civil ceremony, followed by a family-filled wedding at St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church in Amityville, NY, on July 5, 1947.
Gussie graduated summa cum laude from Wagner College and pursued a dual biochemistry PhD and medical degree at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. However, she returned to New York City after a year, declaring that she would rather work with people than test tubes. She graduated from Cornell University Medical School in 1951, one of only eight women in a class of 100. She then interned at Brooklyn Hospital, followed by two years serving residencies in both Neurology and Psychiatry at the Veterans’ Administration Hospital, also in Brooklyn. In 1957, she completed her fellowship in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at New York University Medical School, then took a position at Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility on Roosevelt Island, in New York City.
As a trail-blazing physician driven by a compassionate heart, a curious mind, and a tireless work ethic, Dr. Alba’s professional accomplishments were numerous. She focused her career on helping polio survivors and other significantly debilitated individuals with breathing problems. Over the course of her 53 year career at Goldwater, she became a world-renowned leader in this field. At the peak of her career, she was Goldwater’s Director of Respiratory Rehabilitation, while also maintaining relationships with several other New York City hospitals, like New York University Medical Center.
She was an expert in breathing techniques and technologies, and an inventor of new solutions. She was committed to developing ways to allow patients to use less invasive mechanical support, which also improved patient survival rates, since highly intrusive methods came with negative, often fatal, side effects.
Her findings and recommendations were published in 72 peer-reviewed publications, and her work improved the quality and duration of life for innumerable patients. For example, in 1957, she removed over 200 people from continuous dependence on iron lungs and other body ventilators. In 1969, she was the first person to successfully remove a tracheostomy tube from a fully paralyzed patient, transitioning him to a less invasive mouth-based breathing device and enabling the man to have nearly 30 more years of life.
She travelled nationally and globally to lecture on these topics and expand the body of knowledge in this field. Her contributions were recognized by dozens of awards, but more importantly, in the heartfelt appreciation of her patients and colleagues. Her work and dedication provided patients around the world with the ability to breathe easier and enjoy healthier, more independent lives.
At the same time that Dr. Alba was forging her career, she was equally busy creating her family. From 1948 through 1961, she bore 8 children, five sons and 3 daughters. Balancing such an active and distinguished career with motherhood was no easy feat. She was grateful for the assistance of her husband, Lou, her in-laws Enrico and Giovanna Mazzone Alba, and of family friends, Al and Stella Repucci and their daughter, Barbara Repucci, amongst other helpers. As a mother, she was most focused on making sure her children had education, faith, health, and family. She always brought them to church on Sundays and sent them all to Catholic schools. She often brought her children to visit family, mostly in upstate NY and Long Island, enabling them to develop strong bonds and innumerable memories with their Strongman, Alba, and Sipala cousins, and cementing her place as a beloved aunt to her many nieces and nephews.
As grandchildren emerged, Gussie flourished as the family’s magnetic matriarch. Despite her busy schedule, she always made Sundays a special family day. Like her children before them, she fostered her grandchildren’s faith by bringing those who lived near her to Mass every Sunday. She fostered their family bonds by staying for bagels after Mass, bringing them swimming, hosting Christmas, and otherwise bringing them to visit each other. Despite her family spreading out of NY, to Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, she endeavored to stay engaged, participating in family vacations, sending birthday cards, and being present for every graduation or other major event.
Dr. Alba retired from Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital in 2010, at the age of 86. Despite her extraordinary life, she always remained somewhat of a farm girl at heart. She was always naturally an optimist who didn’t need much more than good company to be happy, and she spent her remaining years relishing life’s simple joys. She visited with family up and down the east coast many times. She took a memorable trip to New Mexico to spend quality time with her nieces and nephews in celebration of her 91st birthday, and spent a few beach vacations in the Carolinas with several of her children and grandchildren.
Time outdoors was always a favorite respite. Upon moving to Georgia in 2016 to live with her daughter, Norma, she relished trips to local gardens and museums, and enjoyed many an afternoon basking in the fresh air, reading and taking naps with the cat on the front porch.
With her talents and tenacity, Gussie was an inspiration and role model to many, yet is perhaps best remembered for living the Gospel in all she did, exemplifying what it meant to “Love thy Neighbor.” Her curiosity and compassion were ever-employed: whether you were her patient, her friend, her family, or someone she had just met, she was always concerned, caring, and helpful. She would go out of her way to learn about you, your life, and to make you feel special, no matter who you were. She truly knew what it meant to love everyone, unconditionally – to judge not, lest you be judged. Her life was spent caring for the spiritual and physical health of nearly all that she met, applying her gifts to the best of her ability.
Dr. Alba was predeceased by her husband, Louis, in 2015, and by her brother, Cal Strongman (2013), and sisters Frieda Strongman Trainor (2004), Norma Strongman Metelski Mize (2011), and Elaine Strongman Kesner (2018). She is survived by her 8 children, Joan Lemons, Henry (& Janice) Alba, Robert (& Gael) Alba, Elaine (& Michael) Merenda-Metelski, Norma (& George) McGuigan, Louis (& Maureen) Alba, John (& Rebecca) Alba, and Paul (& Greta) Alba, her “foster” son, Joseph (& Katie) Merenda, as well as 19 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, and 3 great-great grandchildren.
ROSIE STROLLS ON MAIN STREET TODAY!!!
OUR FAVORITE ISLAND COLORING BOOK IS BACK
OUR TAPESTRY THROW IS BACK
GREAT GIFT FAVORITES AND LOTS OF NEW GREAT STUFF
GREAT GIFTS AND BOOKS
CREDITS
STEPHEN CATULLO HOWARD FINGER, MD NY DAILYNEWS
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.
As a young student in 1975, Richard Marc Sakols ventured to the 
