There were two Meneely bell founderies, based on either side of the Hudson River in New York state.
The first Meneely bell foundry was established in 1826 in West Troy (now Watervliet), New York,by Andrew Meneely, a former apprentice in the foundry of Benjamin Hanks. Two of Andrew’s sons continued to operate the foundry after his death, and it remained a family operation until its closure.
The second Meneely bell foundry was established in 1870 by a third son, Clinton H. Meneely, across the river in Troy, New York. Initially he was in partnership with George H. Kimberly, under the name Meneely & Kimberly; this second foundry was reorganized in 1879 as the Clinton H. Meneely Bell Company, then later as the Meneely Bell Company.
Like its related competitor, it remained a family operation until its closure. Business cards for both of the competing Meneely bell foundries appearing in the Troy Daily Times May 20, 1891 The two foundries competed vigorously (and sometimes bitterly) with each other.
Together, they produced about 65,000 bells before they both closed in 1952.
1891-05-20 dueling Meneely ads. Our bell was made by Meleely & Co., West Troy. Next time you are at the Farmer’s Market, check out the markings on the bell and hanger.
The bell placed awkwardly on a concrete slab with the inappropriate benches around it. Not a pleasant site, since trash blows into the area and the walk is never power washed.
Kids love to look into the bell to discover there is no clapper.
The Meneely name is on the iron saddle holding the bell at an awkward position.
Stains have not been removed from the bronze.
RIHS Calendar…Coming Events this fall
FREE Roosevelt Island Historical Society Lecture Series in conjunction with the New York Public Library. Attend in person at the NYPL Branch, 504 Main St., or on Zoom. Registration links will be posted.
Tuesday, September 20, 6:30–7:30
Pack Horse Librarians Before there were bookmobiles, there were Appalachian women who delivered books, Bibles and magazines on horseback during the Depression. Jeffrey S. Urbin, Education Specialist and Director of the Pare Lorentz Film Center at the Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, talks about this little known activity of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
Tuesday, October 18, 6:30–7:30
A Queer History of the Women’s House of Detention Hugh Ryan, historian and author of The Women’s House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison, sheds light on this Greenwich Village Landmark that, from 1929 to 1974, incarcerated many women simply for the crimes of being poor and insufficiently feminine.
Tuesday, November 15, 6:30–7:30
Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed Before he was a turncoat, he was an American hero. James K. Martin, Professor Emeritus at the University of Houston and author of Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero: An American Warrior Reconsidered, reveals the strategic genius of Arnold, his essential contributions to the Revolutionary War, and his mistreatment at the hands of his superiors.
Tuesday, Dec. 13, 6:30–7:30
Back Number Budd Victorians did not consider old periodicals valuable and did not save them, which severely limited the resources of researchers—unless they knew Robert M. “Back Number” Budd. Prize-winning author Ellen G. Garvey, PhD, tells about this African-American dealer who stockpiled millions of newspapers that he collected from hotels, clubs and libraries.
SARATOGA RACE TRACK ENTRANCE ED LITCHER, TRACY ROBILOTTO AND LAURA HUSSEY GOT IT RIGHT.
MONDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
(A LITTLE LATE) THE ROMAN BATHS, BATH ENGLAND ED LITCHER, LAURA HUSSEY 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:
WIKIMEDIA JUDITH BERDY
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In the more than two hundred years of its existence, the historic village of Ballston Spa in Saratoga County, NY, has possessed one building which achieved national, perhaps even world-wide, renown.
I refer, of course, to the Sans Souci Hotel, which graced the east end of Front Street near Milton Avenue for some 84 years in the 19th century. To more precisely orient the modern reader, while you are enjoying your favorite beverage in a well-known Ballston tea shop, which is exactly opposite the north end of Low Steet, you are sharing the space previously occupied by the main lobby of the Sans Souci Hotel and metaphorically rubbing shoulders with the likes of Joseph Bonaparte, ex-king of Spain and brother of Napoleon.
It is Nicholas Low, owner of the tract which became Ballston Spa, and a man who knew how to think big, to whom must be given the credit for guiding and financing the project which breathed life into the idea of this village becoming a successful resort.
He was advised that the best way to profit from his holdings was to attract visitors to the mineral spring located at the southwestern edge of his property. So Low first built in 1792 a lodging house and a bathing facility hard by the original spring and just opposite the hotel which later became Brookside.
Very soon, more springs were discovered to the east of the original one, in the valley of Gordon’s Creek, an area known as the Flats. From the initial steps to capitalize upon these new resources came the idea of a larger hotel located on high ground slightly to the east of the Flats.
It is said that the name comes from the 18th century royal palace called the Sanssouci (meaning carefree) in Potsdam, Germany. Another common assertion is that the design of the building was copied from either the Potsdam palace or from the more famous Palace of Versailles in France. There is no evidence that either of the latter is true.
However, the source of the building plans seems indeed to have been Europe, acquired somehow by that famous reprobate Gouverneur Morris and possibly conveyed to America by his servant, a native of Germany, Martin Bromeling, who was to play an important part in the project.
Construction of the hotel started in the summer of 1803 with Martin Bromeling being paid $1500 to be the superintendent of the work for the period through 1805. Andre Berger, an immigrant from France, and said to be a protégé of Low, also was involved. Berger would be the hotel manager on startup. Captain James Hawkins, who owned a local carpentry firm, did the bulk of the construction of the all-wood building.
The hotel had a frontage of 160 feet facing east-west along Front Street and was three stories high (see the photograph of the hotel ca 1875). At each end were wings about 150 feet in length also three stories in height facing to the north. This gave the hotel almost an E shaped footprint Initially the hotel’s capacity was said to be 150 guests, but later on 300 was the advertised figure.
Ancillary buildings included a workshop, and woodshed and, across Washington Street, a bathhouse, ice house, wash house, coach house and stables. Other work involved canalizing Gordon’s Creek to reduce flooding of the Flats, and constructing a conduit known as the “Waterworks” to supply water from a reservoir further uphill around the area of the current High Street.
One of the lasting features of the hotel was added early in the construction when 30 young trees were planted. Furniture installed included 526 chairs, 139 beds and 50 tables.
The hotel was ready to receive its first guests in the summer of 1805. Andre Berger was the manager, or boniface, the 19th Century term for his job. Original documents disclose that the total project cost to Low was $43,000 and that James Hawkins’ company took home $26,300 (61%) of this sum. (I asked an expert if Hawkins did good work for that impressive pay. It turns out that at best it might be judged inconsistent. – something to do with the doors not opening correctly at the “Grand Opening”!)
The hotel did very well during Nicholas Low’s ownership, which lasted through the 1822 season. Andre Berger seems to have been manager for that entire period. But in early 1823 Low sold the hotel and all his Ballston Spa property to Harvey Loomis. Loomis held on to the hotel for about ten years but thereafter the ownership changed frequently, because of competition from the rising power of Saratoga Springs and the failure of the original springs at Ballston Spa.
In 1849, for the first time the Sans Souci was out of the hotel business and converted into a Law School. This sabbatical lasted till 1853. In 1863 the hotel was converted into a “ladies seminary” but returned to hotel work in 1868, partly because new mineral springs were being developed again in Ballston Spa by the deep drilling technique. Indeed, the Sans Souci Hotel in 1870 activated its own “spouter” by drilling in the rear of the building, directly behind the main lobby.
Nevertheless, time was running out for the venerable institution. The hotel closed permanently in 1883 and was sold to Eugene F. O’Connor in 1887. He was intent on developing the hotel lot for an opera house and retail space, so he had the hotel demolished in the winter of 1887-88.
But in an important sense it lives on still in the form of its spring. The spring operated as a retail outlet of potable mineral water until 1967. Later, the water was piped to a free drinking fountain at Wiswall Park until a few years ago. The spring water is still available at the Medbury Spa on Front Street.
A LITTLE MORE HISTORY
History
The village was first settled in 1771. In 1787 Benajah Douglas, grandfather of 1860 presidential candidate Stephen A. Douglas, built the first tavern and hotel at Ballston Spa. It was located near the natural spring.[6]
In 1803, Ballston Spa’s Sans Souci Hotel, at the time the largest hotel in the United States, was built by Nicholas Low. Presidents, senators and governors stayed there, as well as many wealthy private citizens.[7] Ballston Spa was incorporated as a village in 1807.
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
Sources NEW YORK ALMANACK
Photo of Sans Souci Hotel, Ballston Spa, ca 1875.
Sam McKenzie received a PhD in Chemistry from St. Andrews in Scotland, then worked in the petrochemical industry for 33 years. Since 2015 he has been a volunteer researcher for Brookside Museum. His research interests have included the history of the Mineral Springs of Ballston Spa, and is now studying the lives of the brothers Isaac and Nicholas Low.
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This pile of masks is history. As a collector of all types of ephemera, face masks will be memory of the Covid Pandemic. Ours is not a political statement, but one of personal and group protection. We care for ourselves, for our family and neighbors and have one on-hand.
The first ones I obtained were homemade. We were happy to have them no matter what protection they offered.
This homemade mask was made by a voter in 2020. He brought me one when we were swamped with votes at Wagner JHS.
Our neighbor located fabric featuring Roosevelt Island, which has been very popular seller in the kiosk.
Who ever thought that a mask would become a collectable from a new hotel?
Our friends at Materials for the Arts provided us with hundreds of wonderful masks made by Kate Spade. Just in time for the holidays, they were most appreciated gifts.
Prepared for a Pandemic Time parade Macy’s had Santa masks for participants.
You cannot lower your mask at any City Hospital. Kids and parents sizes are available!
With the help of a pineapple and mangos these cotton masks are ready to be used, though not reccommended now. Maybe there will be a new use to protect the fruit.
Some tropical decor on the counter with an new floral addtion
Though never worn, these theme masks stack up on the shelf!
Forgot your mask? The tram and red bus staff will provide one of these to you!
MONDAY PHOTO
Send your response to: rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com THERE ARE TWO ILLEGALLY PARKED MOTORCYCLES PARKED OUTSIDE ISLAND HOUSE. NEITHER CYCLE HAD A LICENSE. WHEN CALLED PSD, REFUSED TO RESPOND. SUNDAY 5P.M.
WEEKEND PHOTO
THE WAVERTREE at the South Street Seaport Museum Hara Reiser, Aron Eisenpreis, Ed Litcher, Gloria Herman all know their ships!!
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 Deborah Dorff All image are copyrighted (c)
Sources
Judith Berdy
GRANTS
CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE BEN KALLOS DISCRETIONARY FUNDING THRU DYCD
Tucked away from view as you walk north of the Coler entrance is the resident garden. This oasis provides a wonderful area to enjoy nature and being out-of-doors. The last few years the garden has provided respite from the isolation of quarantine.
Jovemay Santos, Director of Therapeutic Recreation and Mr. Melrose Barnes, a resident and great gardener can be found in the garden early on summer mornings watering and tending the vegetable garden.
Thru work with other island groups, the Roosevelt Island Garden Club, I Dig to Learn, Angelica Program, and the financial support of the Coler Auxiliary the garden has been enhanced and become a popular retreat. Many events are held in the garden including BBQ’s which are most popular.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
WEEKEND, JULY 23-24, 2022
THE 734th EDITION
THE RESIDENT GARDEN
AT COLER
The ceramic carp have been the centerpiece of the garden and the plantings form a lovely meditative spot.
Small rock gardens are spaced under the giant magnolias.
Momo, Coler’s healing hound knows a shady spot to relax while gardening takes place.
Jovemay and Mr. Barnes are usually in the garden early in the morning watering in tending the vegetable plants.
The vegetables include cucumber, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and herbs are in elevated planters which are easy for residents to use.
YOU CAN SUPPORT THE COLER GARDEN TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION CAN BE MADE TO THE COLER HOSPTIAL AUXILIARY. ALL DONATIONS WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND USED TO UPDATE AND IMPROVE FACILITIES FOR THE RESIDENTS. E-MAIL US AT: JOVEMANY.SANTOS@NYCHHC.ORG
Some of the seals at the Central Park Zoo have the best deal in the City this summer!! Andy Sparberg, Nina Lublin, Jay Jacobson, Alexis Villafane, Hara Reiser, and Vicki Feinmel all got it right!
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website Edited by Deborah Dorff All image are copyrighted (c)
SOURCES
Judith Berdy
GRANTS
CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE BEN KALLOS DISCRETIONARY FUNDING THRU DYCD
Good news is that our City temperature is not rising as rapidly as in other parts of the country. Bad news is that we’ve got other things to worry about.
The hottest day in NYC history was July 9, 1936, when the temperatures reached 106 degrees. This was the most severe heat wave in our country’s modern history, with 3,000 people dying and some 30 years before air conditioning became widely accessible..
New York Times, July 19, 1936
According to the Daily News, “heat was humanly bearable only because the humidity, at 44 percent, was low. If it were twice as high … human life would be almost impossible.” And the Times claimed that “In the canyons of the financial district men and women reported the heat waves visible.” It was so hot that Mayor Guardia let out all city employees from work at 1:45 pm and thousands of WPA workers were given a half-day. Fire hydrants were pried open in every neighborhood. In Red Hook, Brooklyn and in many other places, the hydrants lowered the water pressure so much that residents above the second floor were unable to get water in their homes. And on Park Avenue “so many hydrants were in emergency use that the waters mounted above the curb and the cars splashed through six and eight inches of it.” “In the great shopping districts in the Thirties, the pavements became so soft in the late afternoon that the crosswalks were dotted with rubber heals that were caught in the asphalt and tar as women passed by. In some spots the asphalt blistered.”
“Coney Island, the Rockaways and other metropolitan beaches again had their hundreds of thousands of city folks cooling off in salt water, including thousands who had remained all night on the Bach sand.” Tens of thousands of New Yorkers, looking for relief, slept in city parks throughout the night. The mayor authorized most parks to remain open and police were directed not to harass people who slept on benches or on the ground. And even Robert Moses flew in for the rescue, authorizing that all city swimming pools remain open until midnight.
The 10 hottest days in New York City history, according to the National Weather Service: 1. July 9, 1936 — 106 degrees 2. July 22, 2011 — 104 degrees (tied) July 21, 1977 — 104 degrees (tied) Aug. 7, 1918 — 104 degrees 5. July 6, 2010 — 103 degrees (tied) Aug. 9, 2010 — 103 degrees (tied) July 3, 1966 — 103 degrees (tied) Aug. 26, 1948 — 103 degrees 9. July 15, 1995 — 102 degrees (tied) July 10, 1993 — 102 degrees
More? Since 1870, high temperatures of 100° or hotter have occurred in 31 years, about once every five years. The longest span without any 100-degree days was 16 years, between 1882-1897. More recently, there was a 10-year span between 1981-1990, and eight years between 2002-2009. In the ten-year years between 2010-12.
What about hot summers?
New York’s five hottest summers (since 1869) have all occurred since 1960: 2010, 1966, 1993, 1983 and 1999. The summer of 1966, New York’s second hottest on record, recorded the hottest average monthly high temperature. Although July 1999 was the hottest month on record based on mean daily temperature (average of the day’s high and low), the average high in July 1966 was hotter than July 1999 by 0.1-degree, 90.3° vs 90.2°. However, July 1999’s average low was 3.5 degrees warmer (72.6° vs 69.1°) and that’s what easily put it on top. Eight Julys have had a mean temperature of 80.0° or higher (the most recent was in 2020). The first time it happened was in 1952.
Another way of looking at hot summers is at the concentration of the hottest days. Records dating back to 1872 show that the most 90°days in a year has been 39 – and this happened twice – in 1991 and 1993. However, while 1991’s occurred over a lengthy span of 23 weeks, 1993’s were more concentrated, occurring over five fewer weeks. While 1991 experienced 90°temperatures during 24% of the summer season, 1993’s corresponding figure was 31%. Yet, neither of these hot summers come close to 1999. Although that year had ten fewer 90°, they were concentrated in a sixty-day period. And 1988 wasn’t far behind, with 33 90°days over 77 days (43% concentration).
No doubt, it’s getting hotter. Nationally, the average summer temperature in the past five years has been 1.7ºF warmer than it was from 1971 through 2000. But temperature increase here has been less than in other places and may be increasing slower. (Only one of the city’s hottest summers has come in this century.)
But the Western region’s temperature over the past five summers averaged 2.7ºF warmer than in 1971-2000, more than any other region in the contiguous US. And perhaps it’s getting worse. Summer in the West in 2021 was 4.5ºF warmer than the 1971-2000 avg; summer temperatures in Reno have risen 10.9°F on average since 1970, making it the fastest warming city in the nation during the hottest months.
And we’ve not experienced the extreme heat waves that have devastated other areas: An historic heat wave in the Pacific Northwest sent temperatures climbing more than 30° higher than average. Portland broke records three days in a row, peaking at 116 °F, a heat wave that killed nearly 200 people in Oregon and Washington.
So far, we’ve been spared the worst of temperature change, but bigger problems may lie ahead. Flooding.
We know that sea levels along New York’s coast have already risen more than a foot since 1900 and that New York’s coastal counties are home to more than half of New Yorkers.
What’s coming? Some say that by 2100, sea levels will be 18 to 75 inches higher than today along New York’s coastlines. Others: “In a worst-case scenario, much of Manhattan would be submerged by 2300” if current greenhouse gas emission rates are not curbed. A group of researchers found that, although New York City used to only have flooding of 7.4 feet or more every 25 years, that could start happening every five years as early as 2030. It also predicted a 5-to-11-inch sea level rise in New York City between 2000 and 2030.
Even limiting global warming to a best-case scenario of 1.5° C warmer would still cause irreparable harm. Sea levels in the metropolitan area have risen by almost 9 inches since 1950, and the pace is accelerating — increasing by 1 inch every seven to eight years. Currently, 120 square miles of New York City is only 6 feet above high tide, making it prone to storm flooding. These areas are home to nearly a half-million people, 1,500 miles of road, 100 public schools — all estimated at more than $100 billion in value, according to the research organization Climate Central. Hurricane Sandy’s highest flood level was measured at 9 feet above the high tide in 2012. Extreme flooding is estimated to increase by about 20% if sea levels rise roughly 6 inches more than 2020 levels by 2040, according to the IPCC report. This fallout doubles if seas rise to nearly 2.5 feet more.
Finally, on average each year, approximately 370 deaths are heat related. This is made up of an estimated 360 heat-exacerbated deaths, which happen when heat worsens existing chronic conditions such as heart disease, and 10 heat stress deaths, which are caused directly by heat. The average annual number of heat-related deaths represents about 2% of all deaths each warm season from May to September. We are aware that neither summer heat nor its effects are distributed evenly across the city. But perhaps that’s another RIHS article.
Just to end this hot story at a different degree, what about the coldest day in New York City? According to AccuWeather, the 10 coldest days in New York City history are: Jan. 24, 1882, with 6° degrees below zero Feb. 10, 1899, with 6 degrees below zero Dec. 29, 1917, with 6 degrees below zero Feb. 5, 1918, with 6 degrees below zero Dec. 30, 1933, with 6 degrees below zero Dec. 31, 1917, with 7° degrees below zero Feb. 8, 1934, with 7 degrees below zero Feb. 15, 1943, with 8° degrees below zero Dec. 30, 1917, with 13° degrees below zero Feb. 9, 1943, with 15° degrees below zero
The winter of 1934 was one of the coldest on record. It was so cold that the Raritan Bay shipping channel completely froze over, permitting folks to skate from Staten Island to New Jersey.
But upstate (I think that’s the part north of Westchester) wins. According to The Weather Channel, the coldest temperature ever seen in New York State was 52° below zero set at Old Forge, a hamlet in upstate Herkimer County, on February 18, 1979.
The Peace Pagoda was presented to Londoners by the Venerable Nichidatsu Fuji (affectionately nicknamed ‘Guruji’ by his close friend Mahatma Gandhi) in 1984. Founder of the Japanese Buddhist movement, Nipponzan Myohoji, Guruji stated that ‘Civilisation is not to kill human beings, not to destroy things, nor make war; civilisation is to hold mutual affection and to respect one another’. Following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he pledged to build pagodas worldwide as shrines to peace. The Battersea pagoda was constructed by nuns, monks and other followers of the Nipponzan Myohoji sect and was completed in 1985 just weeks after Guruji died at the grand old age of 100.
RIHS (C) FUNDING PROVIDED BY ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE GRANTS CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE BEN KALLOS DISCRETIONARY FUNDING THRU DYCD
Maybe it is myth to sit in a gazebo and catch the cool breezes, or just better than thinking of trying to stay cool in 90+ degree heat. Stay cool and enjoy the images.
Beyond the fountain in the Italianate section of the Conservatory Garden stands the Wisteria Pergola.
Cop Cot is a small wooden shelter built in 1984—one of several Central Park rustic structures created with rough-hewn logs in intricate designs.
Wagner Cove
Ladies Pavilion
Ladies sitting under shaded chairs on the west promenade in back of Good Shepherd
A pavilion outside City Home
It may not have the glamour of a classic gazebo, but the permanent tent outside Coler offers a shelter and great view of the river. It is paved and used for many events.
OYSTER BAR, GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL ED LITCHER, ARON EISENPREISS, ANDY SPARBERG, LAURA HUSSEY, JAY JACOBSON, JANET KING, HARA REISER, GLORIA HERMAN, NINA LUBLIN, ARLEE BESSENOFF, ALEXIS VILLAFANE ALL 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 Deborah Dorff All image are copyrighted (c)
Sources
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY
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On a blistering hot day, we would get in the car and off to Nathan’s either in Oceanside, Long Island or Coney Island for a yummy hot dog!! Probably followed by a Carvel Iced custard. What a fun way to escape the heat. (while sticking to the plastic covered car seats)
On July 20, the country celebrates National Hot Dog Day, the commemoration of a delicacy synonymous with New York City and summer. The origins of the hot dog can be traced to German immigrant Charles Feltman, who sold frankfurter sausages on a long bun as a convenient snack for hungry beachgoers during the late 1860s. More than 150 years later, New Yorkers still love hot dogs as a quick and affordable meal and there is no shortage of great spots throughout the city to grab a frank. From internationally-known Nathan’s Famous to local favorites like Papaya King, here are 10 iconic hot dog joints in NYC.
Papaya King 179 East 86th Street This Upper East Side hot dog haven has been feeding New Yorkers since the 1930s and is known for its tasteful combination of hot dogs and tropical fruit juices. Unfortunately for many of the storefront’s loyal patrons, the renowned establishment may be facing its end, as the property it sits on was sold to a new developer last year for $21 million whose plans to demolish the site were filed with the city on June 28, 2022, according to the New York Times.
Nathan’s Famous In celebration of national hot dog day, one of the food’s founding fathers is offering their famous dogs for free. On July 21 from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., the Coney Island hot dog institution Nathan’s Famous is setting up a cart in Rockefeller Center. While it established its notoriety on Coney Island’s boardwalk, Nathan’s has grown to be one of the largest hot dog brands, with its products being marketed for sale at approximately 78,000 locations across the country, according to the company.
Image courtesy of Crif DogsCrif Dogs 113 St. Marks Place, Manhattan First opened in 2001, Crif Dogs changed the hot dog game when it introduced its signature deep-fried, bacon-wrapped dogs and other creative combinations into the mix. New Yorkers quickly fell in love with Crif’s unique style of hot dogs and two decades later, it’s still one of NYC’s best. In addition to hot dogs, Crif’s also serves burgers, tater-tots, and drinks. In celebration of National Hot Dog Day, Crifs is offering a special “Franks and Dranks” deal from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. nightly, which includes a build-your-own Crif Dog and a drink for $7.95. Please Don’t Tell (PDT), the speakeasy situated behind Crif Dog through an inconspicuous-looking phone booth, will be offering cocktail specials to celebrate the special occasion.
Image courtesy of Feltman’sFeltman’s of Coney Island Considered the inventor of the hot dog, Feltman’s was established in 1867 on Coney Island by Charles Feltman, a German immigrant who invented the food as a quick, cheap, and easy meal for beachgoers to enjoy. Feltman’s grew to become one of the world’s largest restaurants at the time, growing from a humble pushcart to a block-long pavilion serving more than five million customers a year. Feltman’s offers home delivery and their products can be found in grocery stores throughout the nation.
Image courtesy of David Joyce on FlickrGray’s Papaya 2090 Broadway, Manhattan Since 1973, Gray’s Papaya has loyally served hungry New Yorkers from its location on the corner of Broadway and 72nd Street. The story goes that in the early 1970s, Papaya King started to franchise and opened a non-company store at 2090 Broadway. In 1973, owner Nicholas Gray closed his Papaya King branch and reopened it as Gray’s Papaya and the rest is history. Gray’s Papaya has made a name for itself with its own signature hot dogs and fruit drinks. Gray’s also offer breakfast foods like bagels, donuts, and egg & cheese sandwiches. They offer nationwide shipping on their products through Goldbelly.
Image courtesy of ercwttmn on FlickrKatz’s Deli 205 East Houston Street, Manhattan Perhaps best known for their towering deli sandwiches, Katz’s also offers customers incredibly tasty frankfurters. In fact, their hot dog was voted the best in NYC by Grubstreet in 2018. You can visit the store and get one in person, or order for delivery on Katz’s website.
Image courtesy of Tjeerd Wiersma on FlickrPastrami Queen 138 West 72nd Street A, and 1125 Lexington Avenue #2, Manhattan Pastrami Queen is highly regarded as one of the best delis in NYC, holding up against the likes of Katz’s and other iconic institutions. In addition to being known for their namesake, Pastrami Queen’s hot dogs have received great acclaim. In 2021, Pastrami Queen’s frankfurters were featured on Eater NY’s list of the city’s best hot dogs.
Chelsea’s Papaya 171 West 23rd Street, Manhattan Another establishment influenced by the aforementioned Papaya King, Chelsea Papaya has been serving the Chelsea area the indistinguishable combination of hot dogs and tropical fruit juice for decades. They also offer pizza, hamburgers, fries, and much more. Their loyal customers rave about the chili cheese dog.
Schaller’s Stube 1652 Second Avenue, Manhattan First opened as a butcher shop in 1937 by German immigrants, the Yorkville storefront is now run by third-generation owner Jeremy Schaller. Schaller’s Stube is known for its creative selection of German classics and extensive variety of sausages. Make sure you’re hungry because Schaller’s sausages are regarded for their enormity. The New York Times in 2015 described Schaller’s kielbasa as “obscene in scale, python-thick and making a mockery of the hot-dog bun suffocated beneath it.” Besides hot dogs, Schaller’s is also known for its fried chicken, mac & cheese, and soft pretzels.Frankel’s Delicatessen 631 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn Frankel’s Deli is a contemporary adaptation of a classic NY Jewish deli, serving up sandwiches, smoked fish, bagels, and more to loyal Greenpoint customers. Frankel’s offers a meal combo for their hot dogs as well. Dubbed the “recession special,” the deal includes two hot dogs with mustard and sauerkraut and a drink for $10. Customers can order Frankel’s for pick up or delivery through DoorDash.
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 AARON GINSBURG
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Though the city past and present certainly has its dark pockets and little-traveled lanes, Gotham never really had many alleys, even in its earliest days. The creators of the 1811 Commissioner’s Plan, which laid out the street grid, wisely knew that real estate would be too valuable to intentionally leave undeveloped.Some 18th and early 19th century alleys became true streets, others got wiped off the map. A few continue to exist. I’m a fan of Theater Alley, beside Park Row near City Hall, was once home to Manhattan’s theater district. Three-block Cortlandt Alley makes for an evocative cut-through from Franklin Street to Canal Street.
Mechanics Alley in 1850Then there’s Mechanics Alley. In the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge approach and flanked by exhausted tenements and squat commercial spaces, this mostly abandoned strip of rough asphalt used to run from Cherry Street to Monroe Street, according to the 1850 street map above.Today, it reaches three full blocks to Henry Street between Market and Pike Streets. Though it tripled its size by subsuming another now-forgotten lane a few blocks up, Mechanics Alley is about as marginalized as a street can get. It’s possible to walk up and down it several times in the middle of the day and not spot another human.
The lack of foot traffic makes sense in this patch of Lower East Side. Stuck between two bridges and steps from the East River, it’s no longer a densely populated part of Manhattan. But how did Mechanics Alley come to be in the busy post-colonial city, when this neighborhood was teeming with people? How did it get its name, which suggests cars and garages?It all has to do with the waterfront. In the late 18th century, shipbuilding yards “covered the waterfront all the way to Corlears Hook, attracting carpenters, smiths, shipwrights, coopers, chandlers, joiners, sail makers and rope makers,” stated reporter Daniel Schneider in a 2000 New York Times column.
According to Schneider, Mechanics Alley began appearing on maps in the early 19th century. At the time, these and other artisans and craftsmen were called mechanics, he wrote. “New York was one of many American cities to have a Mechanics Row, Alley, or Place near the waterfront, usually where ships were built and repaired,” he explained.Sure enough, Manhattan had another Mechanics Alley—actually Mechanics Place—which spanned second and third streets on the east side of Avenue A, per Valentine’s Manual of Old New York in 1922.Avenue A wasn’t exactly on the waterfront. But this main street in today’s East Village was close enough to what used to be called the Dry Dock District, a 19th century center of shipbuilding along the East River where thousands of dockworkers, shipbuilders, and mechanics once lived and worked.
A second Mechanics Place existed off Rivington Street between the now-demapped Lewis and Goerck Streets, states oldstreets.com.Another author advanced a different idea of how this alley got its name. “Though no documentation exists for the name of this short alley, it may be associated with the early history of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen,” wrote Sanna Feirstein in Naming New York: Manhattan Places and How They Got Their Names.“Formerly founded in 1785 and still in existence today, the Society’s original mission was to advance and protect the political and economic interests of American craftsmen,” explained Feirstein. “Though their first meeting hall was at Broadway and Park Place, they owned land in the Chatham Square area, giving rise to the speculation that their organization may be the basis for this alley’s name.”
Theater AlleyThe mechanics may be gone, along with the riverfront industries that relied on their skills. Their organizations have moved away as well; the General Society occupies a beautiful building on 44th Street.But ghostly Mechanics Alley, marked up with graffiti and mostly hidden beside a bridge approach, is a monument to the tradesmen and craftsmen who helped build the modern city.
ANSWER WILL BE REVEALED ON WEDNESDAY Illegally park motorcycles parked outside Island House
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
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Send your response to: rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com THERE ARE TWO ILLEGALLY PARKED MOTORCYCLES PARKED OUTSIDE ISLAND HOUSE. NEITHER CYCLE HAD A LICENSE. WHEN CALLED PSD, REFUSED TO RESPOND. SUNDAY 5P.M.
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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 Deborah Dorff All image are copyrighted (c)
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
WEEKEND, JULY 16-17, 2022
THE 729th EDITION
Going Up: Uncovering the Art Deco Elevators of
Landmarked Building Interiors
6 SQ FT
DANA SCHULZ
Chrysler Building elevators via Wally Gobetz on Flickr Earlier this week, we visited the New York School of Interior Design‘s latest exhibit, Rescued, Restored, Reimagined: New York’s Landmark Interiors, which, on the 50th anniversary of New York’s landmark legislation, features photography and information about more than 20 public spaces, known and little-known, that have been designated as interior landmarks. Looking through images of restored Broadway theaters, perfectly preserved coffered rotundas and period furniture, we couldn’t help getting stuck on one often-overlooked element–the elevator.
For most of us who live in a high rise or work in a typical office building, the elevator doors are just another blank wall that we stare at, only paying attention when they open and usher us in. But when the city’s great Art Deco buildings were rising, the elevators were an extension of the lavish ornamentation and geometric details of the façade and interior lobby. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite Art Deco elevators in landmarked interiors, which means they’re all publicly accessible so you can check them all out first hand.
The Film Center Building lobby, looking toward the elevator bay, via Wiki Commons
The Film Center Building (630 Ninth Avenue) has become the unofficial poster child for NYSID’s exhibit, and it’s for a good reason. Built in 1928, at the height of the Art Deco movement, the 13-story Hells Kitchen building boasts a “highly individualistic version of the Art Deco style,” thanks to architect Ely Jacques Kahn. Its interior lobby was designated a landmark in 1982, at which time the Landmarks Preservation Commission lauded the elevator bay and its modernist, striped design. This motif carries over to the elevator doors themselves, though some were painted prior to the designation. At the far wall of the elevator lobby is one of the interior’s most striking features, a polychromatic, geometric mosaic.
Chrysler Building elevator door, via 6sqft (L) and elevator interior, via Wiki Commons (R)
This one goes without saying. William Van Alen‘s design of the Chrysler Building is one of the most recognizable in the world. When it was completed in 1930, it briefly held the title of the tallest building in the world until the Empire State Building surpassed it 11 months later. Knowing it would grab this sky-high title, it’s no wonder Van Alen paid such close attention to the four banks of eight elevators. Their elegant Art Deco design features not only on the doors, but on the interior as well.
Grand lobby at Radio City, via Wiki Commons (L); bronze elevator doors, via 6sqft (C); elevator interiors, via 6 sqft (R)
Radio City was almost lost to the wrecking ball in the late ’70s, but thanks in part to a “Saturday Night Live” commentary by John Belushi it was preserved. The work of architect Edward Durell Stone and interior designer Donald Deskey, Radio City’s lobby is one of the most iconic in the performing arts world. Its elevator doors are nothing too fancy on the outside, but inside they feature gilded ancient Roman persons, an element of the Art Deco style. Further, the system of elevators servicing the Great Stage is so advanced that that the U.S. Navy used identical hydraulics for World War II aircraft carriers.
Fred French Building lobby, via MacResource (L) and elevator doors, via Lynn Redmile for Flickr Commons (R)The 38-story Fred French Building is a favorite for Art Deco lovers, thanks to its colorful terra cotta façade ornamentation. Built in 1927 to the designs of H. Douglas Ives and Sloan & Robertson, the building has a rather small lobby, but its Babylonian motifs are artfully painted in bright blue and gold, and it boasts Roman travertine floors, St. Genevieve marble walls and patterned glass chandeliers. It also features heavily detailed cast bronze elevator doors, which give the terra cotta a run for its money.
Elevators in the Empire State Building lobby, via Wiki CommonsWhile surprisingly the least decorated of all the elevators we’ve mentioned, those in the Empire State Building are still some of the most iconic for their geometric, Art Deco design that mimics the famous setbacks of the tower. The marble interiors of the elevators feature full stencils of the building. In 2011, the Empire State Building worked with Otis Elevator Co. to upgrade all 68 elevators, the largest elevator modernization of its kind in the world.Know of any other Art Deco elevators? Let us know in the comments!
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
FUNDING PROVIDED BY ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE GRANTS CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE BEN KALLOS DISCRETIONARY FUNDING THRU DYCD
Ladies Pavilion
Fred French Building lobby, via 