If you want to learn more about New York and its history, join me for one of my upcoming walking tours. These tours are designed to give New Yorkers a better sense of their city, generally speaking 90% attendees live in the five boroughs. These will be my last of the summer since July and August the past few years have been brutally hot. I’m also working on new tours this summer. So come on a tour because my son’s daycare is stupid expensive. If you have a neighborhood you want to learn more about let me know in the comments. #nyctours #nyc #nychistory
If you want to see a glow-up, at least in building terms, look no further than 173 St. James Place in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. This two-story home is most likely the oldest in the entire historic district, dating back to about 1852, and was likely built by John Funk, who would develop a lot of the neighborhood in the second half of the 19th century. For reference, this house would have been pretty much on its own in 1852, surrounded by farmland, with its closest neighbor probably being the Joseph Steele House located on Vanderbilt Avenue, or another small frame house that has since been torn down. The building suffered a fire and was completely derelict until it was restored in 2023. Swipe right to see the Google Street View from 2007 to see just how far the house has come. It appears that for most of its history, the home was used for rentals and was the location of the secretary’s office of something known as the Crystal Brook Park Association in the early 1900s. Crystal Brook Park was a “sanitary resort” that opened in Mount Sinai, Long Island, in 1891. Today, the house is a two apartment rental. 173 St. James Place was landmarked as part of the Clinton Hill Historic District on November 10th, 1981.
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get a backstage tour and attend a performance at the Metropolitan Opera. The Met has been around since 1883 when a feud between rival new money and old money families caused the need for a new opera house. While the Met moved to Lincoln Center in the 1960s, its original opera house could be found at 39th and Broadway and was, as it is now, the largest opera house in the world. The Met Season wraps up this month and restarts in September. Have you ever been to the Opera?
Historic Richmond Town is an open air museum on Staten Island with a large collection of buildings dating from the 17th to 20th centuries. Originally the seat of Richmond County’s government prior to the unification of Staten Island with New York City, the municipal offices moved to St. George to be closer to Manhattan. In the 60s, some buildings began to be moved from around the island to Richmond Town, including this one. This one room store used to be on Amboy Road in Eltingville and was built circa 1860. By the early part of the 20th century, the one room store had been expanded into residential use. It is likely that it was a grocery store; there was the faint outline of the word on the front of the building when the Staten Island Historical Society began to investigate its historical significance. In 1961, it was moved to its current location on Court Place. After 1967, the building has been operating as a printing shop, showing how a printing press in the 19th century would have operated. It was landmarked on August 26th, 1969. This photo was taken on Kodak Gold 200.
I am fascinated when I find seemingly the smallest building of a prolific architect’s career. This is the entryway to the Downing Street Playground. It was built in 1932 as a breezeway of sorts to connect the playground to Carmine Street, near the intersection with Bleecker. If you know what the upper floor is used for, let me know because I couldn’t find that out. Regardless, the architect of this little two-story entryway was Aymar Embury II. Embury was a Princeton graduate who worked under some of the most prolific early 20th architects in New York, such as George Post (The Center for Brooklyn History, the New York Stock Exchange, City College, and the Wisconsin State Capital) and Cass Gilbert (the Woolworth Building, Milan Central Train Station, the US Supreme Court Building, and the Alexander Hamilton Custom House). In the 1930s, he became the chief and consulting architect for some of the most powerful agencies in the city, including the Port Authority, the Triborough Bridge Authority, and the Parks Department, meaning he was never far from Robert Moses. But back to my original point, just look at his list of design accomplishments: the Triborough Bridge, the buildings at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, the Central Park Zoo, The Prospect Park Zoo, Jacob Riis Park, the Whitestone Bridge and the McCarren Park Pool building just to name a few. Basically, Embury designing this little building on Carmine Street is the equivalent of Bruce Springsteen playing at your graduation party. It was landmarked as part of the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension II on June 22nd, 2010.
The Village has a long and storied history with LGBTQ+ rights. Its bohemian openness to different lifestyles made it a hub for the LGBTQ+ community beginning in the early 20th century, and the Stonewall Inn Uprising in the 60s made the area a focal point in the fight for civil rights. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, otherwise known as “The Center,” was founded in 1984 and purchased this former school built in 1869. The Center served as an important home for multiple LGBTQ+ organizations and offered community outreach, including health services, a school for LGBTQ+ teens, and political activism. The Center played a large role in protesting the terrible conditions and lack of funding for Aids patients in the 80s and 90s. A large memorial to the victims of the Aids epidemic can be found a block south in St. Vincent’s Triangle. In more recent history, the Center played host to over 300 weddings on the day that Gay Marriage was legalized in New York State. It is located at 13th and 7th Avenue and was meticulously restored in 2001. It was landmarked on June 18th, 2019, in recognition of the large role it has played in the LGBTQ+ community.
If you want to see the narrowest home in Manhattan, you can see it on my tour of the West Village tomorrow at 3pm. Here is the history of this tiny home from my book “Hidden Landmarks of New York” available now. We all know space is at a premium in New York, but this house takes that to the next level. This is 75 ½ Bedford Street, which is only nine and a half feet (2.6 meters) wide. It was allegedly built in 1873, although there is some debate over whether it was built earlier. Regardless, it was built on the former site of a driveway for the neighboring Isaacs-Hendricks House for Horatio Gomez, who married into the Hendricks family. Apart from its tiny size, the house is most famous for some of its residents, most notably Edna St. Vincent Millay, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, who lived here with her husband in 1923 to 1924. It was leased by the Cherry Lane Theatre and played host to other notable figures, including Cary Grant. The 999-square-foot home last sold publicly in 2023 for $4.1 million. It was landmarked as part of the Greenwich Village Historic District on April 29, 1969.
As I’ve been doing work on a project about Gilded Age mansions, I have come to realize that there were so many members of the Pratt family. Seriously, if you were wealthy and lived in Brooklyn, you were probably at Pratt. 28 Prospect Park West is one of five homes that I’ve personally tracked down between Manhattan and Brooklyn that was built for that family. If you’re not familiar with the Pratts, they were founders and partners in Standard Oil with the Rockefellers. Charles Pratt would go on to found the Pratt Institute and built him, and his family multiple mansions in Clinton Hill and one on the Upper East Side. No. 28 shown here was built by his brother, Horace Pratt in 1901. It was designed by the Boston-based firm of Sturgis & Brigham, who designed massive mansions in a similar style on Boston’s Commonwealth Avenue. I got a kick reading the Park Slope Designation report when it says that the Pratt home has a “quiet dignity” as it is more modest than some of their other commissions. Pour one out for poor Horace Pratt. He would only live there for another four years before his death in 1905. His funeral was held in the home. His widow, Josephine Pratt, would continue to live here until 1909. Two years later, she sold it for $80,000 to Dr. J. Denton Shea, which would be close to $3,000,000 in 2025 money. After the Sheas, the real estate trail goes cold until 2000 when it was purchased by Henry Luksik, and later it was put into a family trust. It is one of the few remaining mansions on Prospect Park West and is definitely the most run down, even so, I’m still smitten by the place. There were applications for restoration last May with the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which included some interior restoration and the addition of a driveway in the back so stay tuned for any future updates. It was landmarked as part of the Park Slope Historic District on July 17th, 1973.
There has been a lot of drama at the Central Park Boathouse in the past few years. It closed during the pandemic with various rumors saying that it was closing permanently, then it reopened, closed again, switched operators, and now it’s back open. Here’s a little history. This is actually the third boathouse that has existed in the park; the current version was constructed in 1954. Boating became popular in the park in the 1860s. Initially, boats were stored on Bethesda Terrace. However, with so many boats, a better solution was needed. The first boathouse was built in 1874 by Calvert Vaux, the co designer of the park. It was redesigned in 1924 and replaced by the current building in 1954. The boathouse has also had plenty of screen time with various movies and tv shows being filmed here, including When Harry Met Sally, and 27 Dresses. It was landmarked as a part of Central Park on April 16th, 1974.
Last planned tours for the summer are live on my website. This is subject to change if the weather stays on the cooler side this summer, once it gets above 85 none of you are enjoying a 3 hour, 3 mile tour but I digress. The dates are 6/1 for the Village, 6/8 for Lower Manhattan and 6/14 for the Gilded Age Upper East Side. You can sign up either on my page or at my website. See you out there. #toursofnewyork #nychistory
When I lived on the Upper East Side, I was always in awe when I walked along 86th Street and saw this house. Originally built in 1916 for financier and horse breeder William Woodward, No. 9 was one of the last mansions built on an open lot on the Upper East Side. The Woodwoods hired the architectural team of Delano & Aldrich to design their home; the firm was famous for its other townhouses in the neighborhood as well as some of the most exclusive social clubs in the city. When it was constructed, the building was surrounded by other mansions housing the elite families in New York, which is why the design choice of having a recessed bay came into play. This setback entrance allows for increased light and ventilation as well as making the house appear to be free standing rather than wedged between two buildings. This was one of the last open plots of land in the area that had not yet been developed. William Woodward would live here until his death in the 1950s, after which it was converted into a social club. The Town Club of New York would reside here from 1961-2004 when it was converted back into a single family home for hedge fund billionaire John Paulson. It was landmarked as a part of the Expanded Carnegie Hill Historic District on December 21st, 1993.
Out of all the buildings on City College’s Gothic campus, Harris Hall is the oldest. Designed by architect George Post, the same architect as the New York Stock Exchange and Center for Brooklyn History, construction began in 1897 but wasn’t completed for almost a decade. The hall was named after the first president of the college, Townsend Harris, and even has a connection with one of the most prolific American authors, as the featured speaker on its dedication day in 1908 was none other than Mark Twain. Today, Harris Hall is the home to the City College School of Medicine, having completed a large restoration. It was landmarked by the City of New York on May 26th, 1981.
Happy Memorial Day, everyone. I hope you get a chance to relax and spare a thought for those who died in service of this city and country. This is the 7th Infantry Regiment Memorial on 5th Avenue. The 7th Infantry Regiment, later the 107th, was formed in 1806 and would eventually be known as the “Silk Stocking Regiment” due to its ranks being filled with wealthy Upper East Siders. The memorial was designed by Karl Illava and was dedicated in 1927. Illava drew on his experience fighting in the Great War and the Battle of St. Quentin Canal to sculpt the nine figures in this monument. 5,000 people attended the dedication ceremony two short blocks from the Regimental Armory on Park Avenue. Now, this monument is on 5th Avenue but on the border of Central Park. The second photo is of the actual armory, which is still there and was built in 1878.
Before we get to today’s post, I want to say definitively that the sky in this picture is not photoshopped. This is the old customs house in Sag Harbor, New York. Immediately after the adoption of the Constitution and the creation of the US Customs Service, Sag Harbor was one of the first ports in the United States open to international merchants, making it second only to New York City in importance. This customs house was built in the 1770s to house the local customs officer, Henry Packer Derring, and his family. The house was expanded upon multiple times and served as a post office in addition to its other duties. It was initially built right by the harbor but was relocated to its current location in 1948, sparing it from demolition. It is currently part of the Sag Harbor Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 20th, 1973.
For Memorial Day weekend I’m sticking with some posts outside of NYC. Today we’re talking about why Fishers Island is part of New York and not Connecticut.
Memorial Day weekend usually means trying to get away for a weekend trip or a vacation. I’m willing to bet a few of you reading this will be heading to Sag Harbor, NY. It was colonized by English settlers in the early 1700s on Shinnecock lands and became a huge whaling port. After the American Revolution, Sag Harbor was made the first US port of entry for foreign ships. Whaling played a large role in the town’s economy; it was mentioned in the novel Moby Dick and led to the construction of this church. This is the Old Whaler’s Church, which was built in 1844. At the time of construction, it had a 138 foot steeple on it, making it the tallest building on Long Island. The steeple was destroyed during the Great 1938 Hurricane. But perhaps the most interesting part about this church is that it was built in the Egyptian Revival style, in order to resemble something akin to the Temple of Solomon. There are very few Egyptian-inspired buildings in the United States that aren’t obelisks, and the Old Whalers Church is considered one of the best remaining examples in the entire country. As a result, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
If I told you that this building was mostly abandoned for twenty years, I wouldn’t blame you for calling me crazy. With a prime location at Bowling Green and a facade like that, who could turn it down? This is the Alexander Hamilton Customs House, which now holds the National Museum of the American Indian. It was built in 1907 and was designed by Cass Gilbert, the architect of the Woolworth Building. This was a time when New York truly was a port city, collecting so much revenue at its customs houses that they were running out of space at their previous location of Federal Hall on Wall Street. The United States Custom Service remained in the building until 1973, after which it was mostly vacant. It would take until 1994 when the current museum opened for the general public to be allowed to go inside. The interior of the building is also its own landmark with an incredible main hall. The Customs House shows that even if a building is a landmark, it doesn’t guarantee it will be maintained or truly protected. It was landmarked on December 14th, 1965, almost 10 years before the Customs Service left, and it still remained abandoned for two decades. Luckily for all of us, it has been restored to its original glory. The Alexander Hamilton Customs House was landmarked on October 14th, 1965.
This building feels like something out of Harry Potter. Commuters and midtown office workers quickly walk past, not noticing this little English-style home between modern glass buildings. This is the former Martin Erdmann House located at 57 East 55th Street. It was built for, you guessed it, Martin Erdmann in 1909. Erdmann was a successful banker, working as a partner at the firm of Speyer and Company. In 1903, at the ripe old age of 38, he retired. He had apparently done so well that this became his retirement home, complete with a full staff and a massive art collection. In addition to sitting on the board of Montifiore and the New York Stock Exchange, Erdmann was a patron of the opera and a philanthropist. When he passed away at his home in 1937, he left the bulk of his fortune to his sisters and his brother’s widow. His art was auctioned off, and some of it is now at the British Museum. After his death, the home was converted into the headquarters of the American Institute of Physics. In 1957, it was acquired by the Friar’s Club as their headquarters and has remained that way ever since. It has undergone only minor alterations and was landmarked on November 22nd, 2016.
You’ve probably wondered why West 4th Street crosses West 10th Street in the Village. Here’s the reason why.
Calvert Vaux, one of the co-designers of Central Park, once said of his creation, “Nature first, second, and third…architecture after a while.” That mantra is what makes the Bethesda Terrace so special. The magnificent and now iconic staircase, connecting the upper and lower terrace, was one of the first parts of the park that was built when it was completed in 1863. Vaux and his co-designer, Frederick Law Olmsted, desired that the terrace be the heart of the park, with nature, obviously, being its focus. Everywhere you look from these steps, there is a vista, either the tree lined mall to the south or the Central Park Lake to the north. Bethesda Terrace, true to its original purpose, is one of the most popular meeting spots in the entire park. It was landmarked as a part of Central Park on April 16th, 1964.