On October 21, 1941, 46 days before Pearl Harbor, The National Academy of Sciences Uranium Committee met in the office of Dr. William C. Coolidge, director of the General Electric Research Laboratory in Schenectady. This top-secret meeting was historic for two reasons. First, the Schenectady deliberations became the basis of the first U.S. governmental report unequivocally affirming the feasibility and urgency of producing an atomic bomb. At that time, U.S. and British scientists feared that Nazi Germany was working on the bomb.
Second, the meeting marked the beginning of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s high-level involvement in government efforts to develop an atomic bomb. Oppenheimer, of course, would later go on to lead the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico that designed, constructed, and detonated the first atomic bomb.
The National Academy of Sciences Committee Members
The Committee chair was Nobel Laureate Dr. Arthur Compton from the University of Chicago. Compton was appointed by Vannevar Bush, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s science advisor. There was question whether it was feasible to produce a nuclear fission bomb in time to make a difference in the Second World War.
The National Academy of Sciences, a most prestigious body, was ideally suited to be the final arbiter of such scientific questions and to appraise the military value of nuclear energy. The Committee, formed in April 1941, had met several times and had issued two previous reports. This was to be the last meeting and the final report of the Committee.
The vice-chair of the Committee was Dr. Coolidge, a physical chemist. Under Coolidge’s leadership, General Electric had gained considerable experience in nuclear research. In fact, GE had expressed to Compton willingness to make a nuclear reactor for producing plutonium on an experimental basis. Prominent GE scientists included Dr. Kenneth H. Kingdon and Dr. Herbert C. Pollock, who both would go on to work for the Manhattan Project at the Berkeley Radiation Lab.
Arguably the most famous member of the Committee was University of California physicist Ernest Lawrence, recipient of the Nobel Prize for the invention and application of the cyclotron at his Berkeley Radiation Lab. On September 21, 1941, he was visited in Berkeley by British physicist Marc Oliphant who described promising research related to the feasibility of making an atom bomb. (After his Berkeley meeting, Oliphant also visited Dr. Coolidge in Schenectady where he briefed him on the British research program).
Britain, locked in a life and death struggle with Germany, desperately needed the U.S. to join the scientific race. Lawrence, convinced of the urgency of the task, brought his Berkeley colleague, theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer, into the Oliphant meeting with its secret revelations.
Lawrence was apparently indiscreet in involving Oppenheimer because Oppenheimer did not have security clearance. Furthermore, Lawrence felt that the National Academy of Sciences Committee needed the expertise of somebody of Oppenheimer’s caliber and prevailed upon chairman Compton to bring him to the Schenectady meeting as an “invited consultant.”
Other members of the Committee included: G. B. Kistiakowsky, Harvard chemist and explosives expert; W. K. Lewis, MIT chemical engineer; R.G. Mulliken, University of Chicago chemist; J.C. Slater, MIT physicist; J.H. Van Vleck, Harvard physicist and future Nobel Laureate. Also added to the Committee were engineering experts O. E. Buckley, Bell Telephone Labs and L. W. Chubb, Westinghouse Electrical and Manufacturing.
Dr. Coolidge offered to accommodate everyone at the Mohawk Club on lower Union Street.
The Committee Meeting and the Report
In light of the British progress in their atomic bomb program and other related developments in the U.S., the meeting of the National Academy Committee was called to determine the cost, development time, and potential destructiveness of an atomic bomb. The minutes of the meeting were taken by Lawrence and are archived at the U.C. Berkeley Bancroft Library.
The meeting exposed Oppenheimer for the first time to the latest research from U.S. and British scientists. His major contribution at the meeting was to estimate how much uranium -235 would be required to make the bomb. For the final report, he helped estimate the destructiveness of an atomic bomb explosion.
Much to the frustration of Compton and Lawrence, the engineers and chemists on the Committee refused to give an estimate of the cost and time necessary to process uranium and turn it into a bomb, the very purpose for which the meeting was called. There simply was not enough data. Therefore, Compton relied on his own rough estimate: 3 to 5 years and a total cost of several hundred million dollars.
As it turned out, it took three years and eight months to detonate the first bomb (in August, 1945). The final cost was $1.5 billion, but this involved using multiple methods of making fissionable material.
The final report, written over the next few weeks by Compton with input from Committee members and Oppenheimer, recommended that full effort toward making atomic bombs is essential to the safety of the nation and of the free world – a fission bomb of superlatively destructive power will result from bringing together a sufficient mass of element U-235.
The report was presented to Vannevar Bush on November 6, 1941 and to President Roosevelt on November 27. On December 7, 1941, Japan declared war on the United States. Germany followed suit on December 11.
Oppenheimer and his Legacy
The following year Robert Oppenheimer was chosen by director of the Manhattan Project General Leslie Groves (who was born in Albany) to lead the scientists and engineers of the Los Alamos Laboratory in the complex task of making the first atomic bomb. The stakes and time pressures were incredibly high. In many ways, Oppenheimer was an unusual choice. He had no management experience at all and he had been connected to persons in various left-wing groups deemed to be subversive.
Nevertheless, Oppenheimer proved to be an excellent choice and deserved the accolade, “Father of the Atomic Bomb.” The meeting in Schenectady, mentioned prominently in many histories of the atomic bomb, was an important milestone in his personal story as well as the nation’s quest for the atomic bomb.
Illustrations, from above: portrait of J. Robert Oppenheimer; portrait of William C. Coolidge; telegram from Lawrence to Compton; GE nuclear scientists H.C. Pollock and K.H. Kingdon in lab, 1940; and GE Buildings 5 and 37, home to the R & D Center.
Martin A. Strosberg wrote this essay for the Schenectady County Historical Society Newsletter, Volume 61. Become a member of the Society online at schenectadyhistorical.org.
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
INTERIOR OF STEAM PLANT BELONGING TO NYC HEALTH+HOSPITALS, NOW CLOSED
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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.”
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
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
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:
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
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
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
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
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
