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A History of New York in 27 Buildings

Page 25

by Sam Roberts


  This book, like much of the content of the New York Times, would not have been possible without Jeff Roth, the omniscient, and unheralded, steward of our precious morgue. Jeff was responsible for mining most of the historical photographs. Credit—and my deepest gratitude—for nearly all the contemporary ones goes to George Samoladas, my wise and principled friend and admired nephew-in-law whose keen insight into—and commitment to—the people around him illuminates far more than the two-dimensional field of photography. Thanks, too, to our unsung research staff, including Jack Begg, Alain Delaquérière, Sheelagh McNeill, and Susan Beachy.

  I’m grateful to my colleagues in the obituaries department for indulging my occasional dazed or distracted glares: Bill McDonald, Peter Keepnews, Dan Wakin, Amy Padnani, Richard Sandomir, Bob McFadden, Jack Kadden, Katharine Seelye, Neil Genzlinger, Erica Ackerberg, and Dan Slotnik, and, with special appreciation, the three generations of the Sulzbergers who have so generously and consistently committed their family to the pursuit of the best journalism that my colleagues and I can produce.

  Thanks to all those who suggested the many more than twenty-seven buildings that were squeezed into this book and helped flesh out the details, including Pauline Toole and Ken Cobb at the Municipal Archives; borough historians Michael Miscione of Manhattan, Jack Eichenbaum of Queens, Ron Schweiger of Brooklyn, Lloyd Ultan of the Bronx, and Thomas Matteo of Staten Island; Mary Beth Betts and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Bronx County Historical Society, the Brooklyn Historical Society, Louise Mirrer and the New-York Historical Society; Whitney Donhauser and Sarah Henry of the Museum of the City of New York; Tony Marx and the New York Public Library; and to James Sanders, Brian Merlis, Ken Jackson, Mike Wallace, Andrew Blum, Edward Glaeser, Clifton Hood, John Tauranac, Christopher Gray, Paul Neuthaler, and Karen Salerno.

  Andrew Blauner, my indefatigable agent, has been, as always, my chief cheerleader and literary guide. The folks at Bloomsbury have done themselves proud not only as publishing professionals but also as congenial colleagues. Thanks, especially, to Nancy Miller, Jessica Shohfi, Sara Mercurio, Barbara Darko, Greg Villepique, Maureen Klier, and Kay Banning.

  None of what I do would be possible without my family. I am eternally grateful for the love, guidance, and support I get regularly from Michael, Sophie, Dylan, Isabella, and William Roberts, Jessica Sierra-Roberts, and, especially, from my wife and best friend, Marie Salerno.

  INDEX

  Note: Italic page numbers refer to illustrations.

  African Americans, 56, 94–95, 116, 122–23, 187–96

  Allee, David, 50–51

  American Bank Note Company, 171–76, 255

  American Bank Note Plant

  design of, 172, 175

  renovation of, 176, 177

  site of, 4, 171–72, 175

  typical workday at, 173–74

  views of, 169, 177

  American Revolution, 17, 19, 34

  Amoros, Sandy, 125–26

  The Apollo

  closing and reopening of, 194

  legacy of, 195–96

  name of, 191–92

  views of, 187, 196

  Wednesday Amateur Night contest, 192–93, 195

  Arthur, Chester A., 94–100

  Arthur, Ellen Lewis Herndon, 95, 96

  Asch, Joseph J., 133, 138

  Asch Building

  plans for, 133–34

  Triangle Waist Company fire and, 136–40

  views of, 131, 139

  Astor, Vincent, 243, 244

  Astor Place riots, 134, 153

  AT&T Building, 262–63, 266, 267

  Atlantic City, New Jersey, 200, 201, 203

  Bank of the Manhattan Company, 86, 224–25

  Bank of United States

  closing of, 215–19

  immigrants and, 210–211, 214, 216–17

  insolvency crisis of, 213–15

  opening of, 208–11

  stockholders of, 211–12

  views of, 207, 218

  Battery Park City Authority, 106

  Bayard, Nicholas, 46–47

  Bayonne Bridge, 108

  Belasco, David, 157, 159

  Belasco Theater, 190

  Belmont, August, Jr., 112, 113

  Bill of Rights, 7, 13, 23

  Black, Harry S., 144, 145, 147

  Blaine, James G., 95, 96, 97, 99

  Blanck, Max, 135–38

  Blizzard of 1888, 99, 112

  Bloomberg, Michael R., 44, 55, 107

  Blum, Andrew, 266, 267, 268

  Bogart, Michael H., 42, 61

  Bossert Hotel

  Brooklyn Dodgers and, 119–20, 122, 125, 126–28, 126

  design of, 121–22

  Jehovah’s Witnesses and, 129–30

  restoration of, 130

  views of, 119, 130

  Bowne, John, 7, 10–13

  Bowne House, Queens

  John Bowne’s banishment, 10–11

  Flushing Remonstrance and, 6–10, 12–13

  preservation of, 270

  views of, 6, 14

  Brecher, Leo, 191–92

  Brighton Beach, 199, 200, 204, 206

  Broadway, 67–72, 152–55

  Broderick, Joseph A., 214, 218

  Bronx

  Bedford Park, 233, 235

  Bruckner Expressway, 176

  Cross Bronx Expressway, 175

  growth of, 208

  James Lyons’s campaign for United Nations meeting in, 231–36, 239

  manufacturing in, 171

  Lewis Morris’s campaign to make nation’s capital, 229–31

  population of, 177, 235

  South Bronx, 170, 175, 176, 177, 207–8

  subway service in, 170, 208, 236, 255

  Bronx River, 85, 86

  Brooklyn

  Coney Island beach access and, 199

  ferry service to, 111

  Manhattan’s relationship to, 124–25, 127, 130

  population of, 130

  public housing projects in, 247

  subway service to, 113, 170

  trolleys of, 129

  Brooklyn Bridge, 99, 112, 124, 149, 200

  Brooklyn Bridge Park, 109

  Brooklyn Dodgers, 119–20, 122, 123–28, 126

  Brooklyn Eagle, 49, 124, 127

  Brooklyn Heights, 120–21

  Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, 121

  Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, 200

  Brooklyn Trust Company, 120, 127

  Bryant Park, 42

  buildings. See also specific buildings

  definition of, 1–2

  inner dynamics of urban forms, 271

  “landmark” buildings, 3, 5, 271–72

  people making connections with, 5, 270

  as reflection of people’s needs and aspirations, 2–3, 4, 270

  repurposing of, 270, 271

  transformative qualities of, 2, 272

  Burr, Aaron, 37, 85–86, 89

  Cadman, S. Parkes, 127–28

  Cadman Plaza, 127

  Cadman Plaza West, 129

  Canyon of Heroes, 41, 106

  Central Park, 87–88

  Chelsea Market, 268

  Chelsea Piers, 109

  Chiang Kai-shek, 173

  Chicago World’s Columbia Exposition (1893), 124, 145, 198

  Chrysler, Walter P., 224, 225

  Chrysler Building, 148, 224, 225, 226, 227, 255, 272

  City Beautiful movement, 114

  City Hall

  architectural competition for, 35–36, 80

  building of, 25, 32–33, 36–38, 39, 44

  criticism of, 39–40

  inauguration of, 38–39

  limited public access, 43–44

  Marble Palace compared to, 70

  as oldest city hall, 4, 41

  preservation of, 42, 61

  remodeling of, 23, 44

  statue of Justice, 43

  Tweed Courthouse and, 54–55

  views of,
32, 44

  City Hall Park, 40–41, 43, 88

  City of New York. See New York City

  City Tavern, 33

  Civil War, 28, 95, 132, 161, 263–64

  Clay, Henry, 98–99

  Clerke, Thomas W., 56–57

  Clinton, DeWitt, 38–39, 179

  Cohen Brothers Realty, 255–57

  Commodore Hotel, 253

  Common Council, 23, 34–36, 39, 41, 43, 80, 152

  Coney Island Boardwalk

  amusement parks of, 198, 202–3, 204, 224

  beachfront as private property, 199, 199

  Sigmund Freud on, 198–99

  Maxim Gorky on, 197–98

  Half Moon Hotel, 197, 203

  Joseph Heller on, 204, 205–6

  plank deck of, 200–201

  reconstruction of, 205

  views of, 197, 205

  Conference House on Staten Island, 272

  Conkling, Roscoe, 95, 96, 97, 99, 100

  Cooper, Ralph, 193, 195

  Cornog, Evan, 34–35, 39

  Crescent Films, 147–48

  Cross Bronx Expressway, 175

  Croton Aqueduct, 86–88, 90, 243

  Croton Dam, 112

  Croton River, 87

  Dakota apartments, 272

  Day, Henry S., 254–55

  de Blasio, Bill, 249

  Democratic Party, 58

  Department of Education, 55, 62–63

  department stores, 4, 64–65, 71, 132. See also Marble Palace

  Depression, 4, 158, 165, 173, 216, 222

  DeWitt Clinton Park, 116

  Dickens, Charles, 41, 67

  Dix, Morgan, 17, 19, 21

  Domino Park, 51

  Domino Sugar Refinery, Brooklyn

  buildings replacing, 51–52

  closing of, 50–51

  employees of, 48–49, 50, 51

  Filter, Pan, and Finishing House as landmark, 51

  refining capacity of, 47–48

  sign of, 45–46, 51, 52

  views of, 45, 52

  working conditions of, 48–51

  Domosh, Mona, 65, 69

  Dowling, Eddie, 220–21

  Draft Riots (1863), 134, 165, 189

  Dreamland Park, 198, 224

  Duchamp, Marcel, 166, 168

  Dutch Reformed Church, 8, 10, 152

  Dutch West India Company, 7–12, 76, 78

  East River, 111, 124

  Ebbets, Charles, 120, 124

  Ebbets Field, 120, 121, 124, 125, 129

  Eichner, Ian Bruce, 260

  Eidlitz, Leopold, 43, 61

  Ellis Island, 107

  Empire City Subway, 268

  Empire State Bank, 224

  Empire State Building

  architects of, 122, 226

  as architectural icon, 3, 148, 221, 224, 226, 227, 228

  construction of, 224–26

  design of, 222, 225

  Grand Central Terminal compared to, 179

  height of, 225–28

  origin of plans for, 220–22, 224

  views of, 220, 228

  Eno, Amos, 143–44

  Erie Canal, 25, 57, 66, 86–87, 103, 107, 179–80, 263

  Famous Players Film Company, 157–58

  Farley, Philip P., 201–2

  Federal Hall

  as Custom House, 23, 25, 26–27

  demolishing of, 25, 34, 35

  enlargement of, 24–25

  Federal reacquisition of site of, 25–26

  Hunter College Gymnasium compared to, 234

  rebuilding of, 25–26

  renovation of steps, 29–30

  role in making of American republic, 22–23, 34

  U.S. Constitution and, 13, 23

  as U.S. Treasury branch, 23, 28–29

  views of, 22, 30

  George Washington inaugurated at, 19, 23, 24, 29, 30–31, 234

  George Washington statue on steps of, 30

  Federal Reserve System, 29, 213, 217

  ferry service, 103, 108, 111

  Fifth Avenue Hotel, 143

  Finn, James Wall, 155–56

  First Houses

  budget for, 244, 248

  as public housing project, 242–46, 248

  tenants of, 246–48, 249

  views of, 241, 250

  Fish, Elizabeth, 79, 81

  Fish, Nicholas, 79–80, 81

  Fitzgerald, F. Scott, 45–46

  Flatiron Building

  criticism of, 142, 148–50

  steel-skeleton construction, 141–42, 144–46

  tenants of, 146–47

  views of, 141, 150

  V-shaped property and, 142–45, 148–49

  wind-tunnel effect created by, 147–48

  Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, 236

  Flushing Remonstrance, 6–13

  Fraunces Tavern, 272

  Fred F. French Company, 223, 247

  Freeman Theater, 208

  Freud, Sigmund, 198–99

  Friedman, Milton, 216–17

  Friedman, Rose, 216–17

  Fritchie, Barbara, 253, 256

  Frohman, Charles, 154, 155, 158, 159–60

  Frohman, Daniel, 154, 155, 156–59

  Frohman, Gustave, 158

  Fuller Building, 148

  Fuller Company, 144–46, 148

  Fulton, Robert, 103, 105

  Furillo, Carl, 126–27

  Garfield, James A., 96–98, 99, 100

  Garvey, Andrew J., 59–60

  Gilbert, Cass, 170, 223

  Gilchrist, John F., 214–15

  Glaeser, Edward, 3, 46, 183

  Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 3

  Goldberger, Paul, 63, 186

  Google, 267, 268

  Gorky, Maxim, 197–98

  Gould, Jay, 170, 264

  Government House, 25, 34

  Grand Central Station, 180, 184

  Grand Central Terminal

  blueprints for, 179

  cultural influence of, 181–82, 270

  design of, 181, 184–86

  as indoor town square, 185

  opening of, 183–84, 186

  proposal for, 180–81

  as transportation hub, 153, 162, 178–79, 181–82

  views of, 178, 186

  Grant, Ulysses S., 95, 96

  Greater New York

  consolidation of five boroughs into, 42, 112, 124–25, 127, 170

  growth of, 76

  rapid transit for, 118

  Great Fire of 1837, 86

  Great Mistake of 1898, 127

  Greeley, Horace, 41, 158

  Greenwich Building, 138

  Greenwich Village, 36, 47, 77, 86

  Gromyko, Andrei, 232, 238

  Guastavino, Rafael, 185, 263

  Guiteau, Charles, 97–98

  Hamilton, Alexander, 24, 37, 80, 85–86

  Hamilton Grange, 272

  Hammerstein, Oscar, 154–55, 190

  Hanover Square, 16

  Harlem, 187–91, 193, 247

  Harlem Railroad, 90

  Harlem River House Project, 247

  Harper’s magazine, 42, 70, 80, 217

  Harper’s Weekly, 58, 99

  Harris, Isaac, 135, 137–38

  Havemeyer, Frederick Christian, 47–48

  Havemeyer, William, 47–48

  Havemeyer, William, Jr., 47–48

  Hayes, Rutherford B., 93–96

  Heller, Joseph, 204, 205–6

  Hell’s Kitchen, 116, 188

  Henry Hudson Hotel, 235

  Herman, Harold, 260

  Herman, Jean, 251, 252–54, 256–57, 260, 270

  High Bridge

  construction of, 89–90

  design of, 89, 91, 104

  Manhattan’s water supply and, 83–91

  views of, 83, 91

  Hoe, Richard, 171–72

  Holiday, Billie, 192, 193

  Homberger, Eric, 22–23

  Hone, Philip, 23, 67, 71, 88

  Hood, Clifton,
115–16

  Hotel Theresa, Harlem, 122

  Howe, Richard, Lord, 18–19

  Hudson, Henry, 105

  Hudson-Fulton Celebration, 105

  Hudson Realty Company, 189

  Hudson River, 104, 107, 114, 180

  Hughes, Langston, 194–95

  Hugh O’Kane Electric Company, 268

  Hunter College, 233–34, 238

  Hunter College Gymnasium

  design of, 234

  United Nations Security Council meeting at, 4, 234, 235–40

  views of, 229, 239

  Hunts Point peninsula, 170, 171, 176, 255

  Hurricane Sandy, 205

  Hurtig, Jules, 190–91

  immigrants

  Bank of United States and, 210–11, 214, 216–17

  Bronx and, 208

  Coney Island Boardwalk and, 200

  Ellis Island and, 107

  as employees of Domino Sugar Refinery, 48

  First Houses and, 248

  in garment industry, 133, 135–36

  New York as gateway for, 25

  population of, 111, 130, 210

  Alexander Turney Stewart as, 65

  tenements and, 250

  Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) system, 111–16, 118, 127, 170, 208

  International Plaza, 257

  internet, 4, 266–67, 268

  IRT Powerhouse

  design of, 114–15, 116

  neighborhood surrounding, 116–17

  subway service and, 111–15, 117–18

  views of, 110, 117

  Irving, Washington, 33, 80

  Jackson, Kenneth T., 13–14, 22

  Jahn, Helmut, 255–56

  James, Henry, Jr., 43, 78, 131–32, 134, 135

  James, Henry, Sr., 132, 133

  Jennings, Elizabeth, 94–95

  Jervis, John B., 87, 88, 89

  Jewish immigrants, 210–11

  Johnson, Philip, 2

  John Street Theater, 152

  Journal of Urban History, 42, 61

  Kanin, Garson, 158–59

  King’s College, 19

  Knickerbocker Houses, 247–48

  Koch, Edward I., 106, 176

  Koolhaas, Rem, 78, 149

  Ladies’ Mile shopping district, 72, 143, 153, 257

  Lafayette, Marquis de, 19, 41, 81

  La Guardia, Fiorello H., 192, 204, 242, 243, 245–46

  Landmarks Preservation Commission, 3, 56, 70, 90, 115, 145, 155, 263

  Landon, Alf, 228

  Latrobe, Benjamin, 35, 36

  Launy, David E., 32–33

  Lehman, Herbert H., 214, 218, 238, 245

  Lehman College of the City University of New York, 238

  L’Enfant, Peter, 17, 24–25

  Lever House, 70

  Liberty Theater, 155

  Lie, Trygve, 234, 237

  Lincoln, Abraham, 41, 95

  Lincoln Center, 116

  Lindbergh, Charles A., 106, 202

  Little Apollo Theater, 191, 195

  Longacre Square, 154–55, 179

  Los Angeles, California, 119–20, 128

  Lumsden, May, 246–47, 249

 

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