Journal 1
Impressions of New York
When I think of New York City the first thing that comes to mind is that it's, "the city that never sleeps." NYC is a place in our nation where everything and everyone are accepted. There are just so many different things to experience. Depending on what part of the city, you may experience all different cultures, such as Little Italy or China Town. Even though Time Square is the most cliche and touristy part of the city, I am a huge Broadway fan! Musical arts and live theatre, is something people should experience at least once in their life. Its beauty does not stop there. Not only is it a place of night life and excitement, but also a place that marks history. NYC is a strong city that millions are proud to call home.
Quixotic Queens
The first Gotham experience began in front of the LIRR ticket windows at Penn Station. Before making way to the streets of Manhattan, together we observed the architecture of the underground station. It was noted that this subpar station is actually not the original, and was actually rebuilt in the 1960’s. Penn Stations original structure was built in 1910. It was a beautiful, above ground concourse, that was until it was demolished.
From Penn, the group made its way up 5th Avenue to The Main Branch New York City Library. This Neoclassical building was built in 1911, during the City Beautiful Movement (1900-1920) for public buildings. According to Camille Avena of Fordham University, “City Beautiful advocates and progressive reformers called for the creation of municipal art in New York City in the hopes that such a plan would instill an appreciation of history and a sense of morality in all citizens, especially immigrants.” The lions at the steps of the building were named “Patience” and “Fortitude” as the library represents the Peoples Palace of Triumph and Glory. As we entered the city’s public library, for some reason the dramatic scene from Sex in the City just popped in my head, as Sarah Jessica Parker made her way up the stairs. Going through the library to the Rose Reading Room, where many famous authors thought up their amazing literature; you cannot help but take in the beauty that surrounds you. Sitting there, I wrote my first haiku for the class…
New York, the big apple
The city that never sleeps
Always on the go.
Leaving the library, the class went over the four main types of architecture that will be discussed throughout the course, which are Neoclassical, Art Deco, Neogothic, and Internationalist. Neoclassical like the NYC library, is greatly illustrated in the Grand Central Terminal (GCT). Built in 1913, today the terminal stands as the largest commuter station (BG, 229). During the 1950's, when express ways were built, the city commuters started using less of the terminal. As the 1960's approached, the people were looking for fresh, new architecture, GCT was threatened to be demolished. If it was not for Jackie Kennedy's campaign in saving GCT, it would probably no longer be here and restored to its current condition. Jackie Kennedy Onassis states,
"In an age when few people sought to preserve the architectural wonders that are a daily reminder of our rich and glorious past, a brave woman rose in protest to save this terminal from demolition. Because of her tireless and valiant efforts, it stands today as a monument to those who came before us and built the greatest city known to mankind. Preserving this great landmark is one of her many enduring legacies. The people of New York are forever grateful."
By 1978, the Supreme Court maintained the city's right to protect the building by the means of its "architecturally and historically valuable", (BG, 229). Now that GCT is restored from its dirt and black smoke, you may see the beautiful illustration of the astrological painting on the ceiling in the main concourse. Painted by Paul Helleu, many believe he made the mistake while painting, however Helleu was inspired to paint this astronomical figures from the perspective of the heavens. In a small part of the ceiling a darkened square in the blue paint that reminds us of how much work was done to restore the structure. Now this main concourse is used for movies and a great spot for the popular FLASH MOB experience.
Moving onto Park Avenue, the site of sky-scrapers goes on for blocks. in the 1950s the avenue went from residential to the commercial and corporate area it is now (BG, 234). It area was easy to build these tall buildings due to its condition of bedrock. Making way down Park Avenue we approached one of NYCs finest hotel, The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Built in 1931, the Art Deco structure is overwhelmingly luxuriest. The interior comprised of exquisite marble, bronze, and matching woods (BG, 235), you feel like you've stepped into the 1930s era.
Just down the block, is the oldest building on the Park Avenue, St. Bartholomew's Church. Built in 1914, the property was bought by the congregation for $1.5 million from the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Co. (BG, 236). Behind the Neogothic church is the Art Deco General Electric. As you look up you can see its sharp edges of a crown like roof, but as you move further down park you will find the Seagram building. This Internationalist building was built in 1958 and received a great amount insults. This sleek, new building was called simple, dry, and sterile. You can see think when you compare it to the beautiful forms of architecture.
Walking down 60th Street, the class took the tram to Roosevelt Island. While we "fly" our way to the island, the class got a perfect view of the 59th Street Bridge. The 2-mile stretch of land in the East River is populated by approximately 12000 people (BG, 382). The ISland was originally occupied by Native American Indians, then by the dutch, and finally by the English. Originally named Blackwell Island after the Blackwell family who lived on the island. Later it became Roosevelt Island after Franklin D. Roosevelt. It use to be the home of Octagon Insane Asylum and prison, which is now at Rikers. In 1892, the first building for pathological and bacteria research was built in the US, called the Strecker Laboratory. It is now preserved and marked as a land mark. In 1854, the Renwick Small Pox Hospital was built and later became of the first housed Nursing school. Now it is currently being restored so it may stand as a land mark. On the South part of the island the Four freedoms park was built. Named after the Presidents Roosevelts Four freedoms Speech, when he stated the freedom of speech, freedom of workship, freedom from want, and freedom of fear. The park recently opened to the public in the fall of 2012 to celebrate the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt. At the south point of the park, stands a large metal sculpture of President Roosevelt's face. There you can see the city skyline and new Freedom Tower, which is a breathtaking sight, especially knowing what both the park and the Freedom Tower stand for.
From Roosevelt Island, the group took the subway to Jackson Heights, where all of us had to the opportunity to try the famous Jackson Diner Indian buffet. It was not exactly for me, but it seemed like the rest of the class enjoyed their Indian experience for the most part. After lunch, we made our way to Astoria, Queens. For the most part Astoria is populated by middle class. Astoria is known for its film history as Men in Black, The Cosby Show, and Sesame Street was film in Kaufman Studios. Kaufman Studios began opened in the 1920s. During the World war II era, the studios were used mostly for war films. The Museum of the Moving Image was originally a processing building for films. It was not till 1980s that it became the museum. The museum goes through the film chronologically from the 3rd floor down, starting will moving pictures. In the early 1820s photography was invented in France and by 1940s the development of paper film by William Fox Talbot in England. Slowly film became as we know it now. In a room, there were objects like hands on a funneling metal object, when they shut the lights and let it spin it creates the illusion of moving objects. It's like taking a stack of pictures and filing through them and its as if they are moving. From there, there were cameras from all eras of film and forms of special effects. They show one the Jurassic Park movies, after you watch the movie they gave a 4 choices of sound of effects for 4 segments in one scene. You were able to choose what sound goes with what segment of the scene. I'm pretty sure I got them right but it was really interesting how they created the sounds. As you make your way down stairs you see all the famous past time actors and actresses. They were were all so beautiful. After, was makeup and special effects likes masks. Following that were costumes and video games. The video games brought me back to my childhood as I played the sega games. I loved every second of it. You can't help but to laugh at how advance technology has come since 15 years ago.
The group ended the first day in LIC Long Island City. Long Island City was considered a very ugly part of the city where men just pick up prostitutes but now its currently going through gentification. Gentification is when a low class property is upgraded by the urban middle-class. Generally before the middle class gets this low socioeconomic areas, you'll find artists and gays. As the west side is currently being occupied by the new apartments buildings and boardwalk the east side is still filled with artists and industry. At the Moma PS 1, the old public school is now one of the edgiest contemporary art galleries since 2001. Unfortunately, it was closed so we could not experience it, but just up the block were the 5 points. The place where all 5 boroughs came together. The owner of the old warehouse gave permission for street art can legally be done. The art is constantly changing. Currently the own is being pressured to sell the building but then the questions is, where will these street artist go? Our class had the opportunity to speak with one of the artist. He was able to tell us a little about his art and the 5 points. They all seem so passionate about what they do. To make their neighbors feel comfortable, if street writers mark up other peoples property, they go out of their ways to paint over it. As a courtesy, a few of us signed wavers for them to keep their large canvas. Following the 5 points, class moved west and watched as the industrial area turned into the high end urban area. There we ended on the beautiful board walk that lines the east river. Interested to see where well end next.
The first Gotham experience began in front of the LIRR ticket windows at Penn Station. Before making way to the streets of Manhattan, together we observed the architecture of the underground station. It was noted that this subpar station is actually not the original, and was actually rebuilt in the 1960’s. Penn Stations original structure was built in 1910. It was a beautiful, above ground concourse, that was until it was demolished.
From Penn, the group made its way up 5th Avenue to The Main Branch New York City Library. This Neoclassical building was built in 1911, during the City Beautiful Movement (1900-1920) for public buildings. According to Camille Avena of Fordham University, “City Beautiful advocates and progressive reformers called for the creation of municipal art in New York City in the hopes that such a plan would instill an appreciation of history and a sense of morality in all citizens, especially immigrants.” The lions at the steps of the building were named “Patience” and “Fortitude” as the library represents the Peoples Palace of Triumph and Glory. As we entered the city’s public library, for some reason the dramatic scene from Sex in the City just popped in my head, as Sarah Jessica Parker made her way up the stairs. Going through the library to the Rose Reading Room, where many famous authors thought up their amazing literature; you cannot help but take in the beauty that surrounds you. Sitting there, I wrote my first haiku for the class…
New York, the big apple
The city that never sleeps
Always on the go.
Leaving the library, the class went over the four main types of architecture that will be discussed throughout the course, which are Neoclassical, Art Deco, Neogothic, and Internationalist. Neoclassical like the NYC library, is greatly illustrated in the Grand Central Terminal (GCT). Built in 1913, today the terminal stands as the largest commuter station (BG, 229). During the 1950's, when express ways were built, the city commuters started using less of the terminal. As the 1960's approached, the people were looking for fresh, new architecture, GCT was threatened to be demolished. If it was not for Jackie Kennedy's campaign in saving GCT, it would probably no longer be here and restored to its current condition. Jackie Kennedy Onassis states,
"In an age when few people sought to preserve the architectural wonders that are a daily reminder of our rich and glorious past, a brave woman rose in protest to save this terminal from demolition. Because of her tireless and valiant efforts, it stands today as a monument to those who came before us and built the greatest city known to mankind. Preserving this great landmark is one of her many enduring legacies. The people of New York are forever grateful."
By 1978, the Supreme Court maintained the city's right to protect the building by the means of its "architecturally and historically valuable", (BG, 229). Now that GCT is restored from its dirt and black smoke, you may see the beautiful illustration of the astrological painting on the ceiling in the main concourse. Painted by Paul Helleu, many believe he made the mistake while painting, however Helleu was inspired to paint this astronomical figures from the perspective of the heavens. In a small part of the ceiling a darkened square in the blue paint that reminds us of how much work was done to restore the structure. Now this main concourse is used for movies and a great spot for the popular FLASH MOB experience.
Moving onto Park Avenue, the site of sky-scrapers goes on for blocks. in the 1950s the avenue went from residential to the commercial and corporate area it is now (BG, 234). It area was easy to build these tall buildings due to its condition of bedrock. Making way down Park Avenue we approached one of NYCs finest hotel, The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Built in 1931, the Art Deco structure is overwhelmingly luxuriest. The interior comprised of exquisite marble, bronze, and matching woods (BG, 235), you feel like you've stepped into the 1930s era.
Just down the block, is the oldest building on the Park Avenue, St. Bartholomew's Church. Built in 1914, the property was bought by the congregation for $1.5 million from the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Co. (BG, 236). Behind the Neogothic church is the Art Deco General Electric. As you look up you can see its sharp edges of a crown like roof, but as you move further down park you will find the Seagram building. This Internationalist building was built in 1958 and received a great amount insults. This sleek, new building was called simple, dry, and sterile. You can see think when you compare it to the beautiful forms of architecture.
Walking down 60th Street, the class took the tram to Roosevelt Island. While we "fly" our way to the island, the class got a perfect view of the 59th Street Bridge. The 2-mile stretch of land in the East River is populated by approximately 12000 people (BG, 382). The ISland was originally occupied by Native American Indians, then by the dutch, and finally by the English. Originally named Blackwell Island after the Blackwell family who lived on the island. Later it became Roosevelt Island after Franklin D. Roosevelt. It use to be the home of Octagon Insane Asylum and prison, which is now at Rikers. In 1892, the first building for pathological and bacteria research was built in the US, called the Strecker Laboratory. It is now preserved and marked as a land mark. In 1854, the Renwick Small Pox Hospital was built and later became of the first housed Nursing school. Now it is currently being restored so it may stand as a land mark. On the South part of the island the Four freedoms park was built. Named after the Presidents Roosevelts Four freedoms Speech, when he stated the freedom of speech, freedom of workship, freedom from want, and freedom of fear. The park recently opened to the public in the fall of 2012 to celebrate the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt. At the south point of the park, stands a large metal sculpture of President Roosevelt's face. There you can see the city skyline and new Freedom Tower, which is a breathtaking sight, especially knowing what both the park and the Freedom Tower stand for.
From Roosevelt Island, the group took the subway to Jackson Heights, where all of us had to the opportunity to try the famous Jackson Diner Indian buffet. It was not exactly for me, but it seemed like the rest of the class enjoyed their Indian experience for the most part. After lunch, we made our way to Astoria, Queens. For the most part Astoria is populated by middle class. Astoria is known for its film history as Men in Black, The Cosby Show, and Sesame Street was film in Kaufman Studios. Kaufman Studios began opened in the 1920s. During the World war II era, the studios were used mostly for war films. The Museum of the Moving Image was originally a processing building for films. It was not till 1980s that it became the museum. The museum goes through the film chronologically from the 3rd floor down, starting will moving pictures. In the early 1820s photography was invented in France and by 1940s the development of paper film by William Fox Talbot in England. Slowly film became as we know it now. In a room, there were objects like hands on a funneling metal object, when they shut the lights and let it spin it creates the illusion of moving objects. It's like taking a stack of pictures and filing through them and its as if they are moving. From there, there were cameras from all eras of film and forms of special effects. They show one the Jurassic Park movies, after you watch the movie they gave a 4 choices of sound of effects for 4 segments in one scene. You were able to choose what sound goes with what segment of the scene. I'm pretty sure I got them right but it was really interesting how they created the sounds. As you make your way down stairs you see all the famous past time actors and actresses. They were were all so beautiful. After, was makeup and special effects likes masks. Following that were costumes and video games. The video games brought me back to my childhood as I played the sega games. I loved every second of it. You can't help but to laugh at how advance technology has come since 15 years ago.
The group ended the first day in LIC Long Island City. Long Island City was considered a very ugly part of the city where men just pick up prostitutes but now its currently going through gentification. Gentification is when a low class property is upgraded by the urban middle-class. Generally before the middle class gets this low socioeconomic areas, you'll find artists and gays. As the west side is currently being occupied by the new apartments buildings and boardwalk the east side is still filled with artists and industry. At the Moma PS 1, the old public school is now one of the edgiest contemporary art galleries since 2001. Unfortunately, it was closed so we could not experience it, but just up the block were the 5 points. The place where all 5 boroughs came together. The owner of the old warehouse gave permission for street art can legally be done. The art is constantly changing. Currently the own is being pressured to sell the building but then the questions is, where will these street artist go? Our class had the opportunity to speak with one of the artist. He was able to tell us a little about his art and the 5 points. They all seem so passionate about what they do. To make their neighbors feel comfortable, if street writers mark up other peoples property, they go out of their ways to paint over it. As a courtesy, a few of us signed wavers for them to keep their large canvas. Following the 5 points, class moved west and watched as the industrial area turned into the high end urban area. There we ended on the beautiful board walk that lines the east river. Interested to see where well end next.
Bodacious Brooklyn
The class began its second adventure in Coney Island, birthplace of the hotdog. Coney Island was originally settled by the Dutch and name Konijn Eisland, which translates to Rabbit Island (BG, 492). By the 20th century, the Amusement area became the place to be during the 20s and 30s. Crowds filled the boardwalk until the 1940s when the crowds lessened. As Robert Moses built Parkways going across Long Island that led to the beaches, luring people out the island. By 1964, the park was closed (BG, 492). Recently in 2007, gentrification struck as a plan to rebuild the boardwalk began. Currently Coney Island is still being revamped but it has come a long way. Today, during our hour of fun I took on the famous Nathon's hotdogs, established 1916. Stuffing till my stomach could not handle anymore, time was up and we made our the subway.
Confused as we made our way into a unused subway station, it was actually the New York Transit Museum. The Museum was once a function subway station but then turned into the museum in 1976. The station ran from 1936-1946 and remained quiet until the museum was made. The museum was only supposed to remain open for a few months but its popularity has kept it open over the years. New York City is great and is known for its transit system. For the first time there have been a decline in the want of cars for people in their 20s. This is due to NY transit system and the want to live in the city. There is no need for cars.
In 1827, the first form of transit was created, known as the omni bus. The omni bus started off as a horse and carriage. At this time the lower part of Manhattan was over populated with people. By 1900, over 2000 horses were used for transit, leaving the crowded city with large tons of horse manure. By 1880s, the city began using elevated, above ground trains. It was not till 1888 that city decided to put the train underground. In 1888, the worst blizzard in U.S. history came, placing 50 inches of snow over the course of 3 days in March. This left many New Yorkers stuck in trains, under snow for more than 24 hours. It was not till this storm that it was decided to move the subway system underground, as well as NYC power lines and electricity. The original subway was made also with the intent to move people uptown, to allow expansion. It was originally made by the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) Company and their motto was about speed and efficiency. The bedrock of NYC is unleveled, so when they started building, they had to build deeper as they made their way uptown. In fact, by 191st st. on the 1 train, the subways is 200 ft underground. Beginning at the shallow, lower Manhattan, they workers did whats called "cut and cover". As the workers got deeper, they hacking and blowing out the rocks.
As for the workers... Most of them consisted of immigrants (Italian and Irish) and blacks. Working one of the most dangerous jobs, they all received low wages of $1-2 a day. There were no unions at that time, so if the workers got injured while working they would get fired and replaced. When building the subway that connected Manhattan to the island, the workers started at both ends and met at the middle. Those workers were referred to as sandhogs. Sandhog workers, work in the most dangerous conditions. They work under ground, below large masses of water. Before working, the sandhogs must stay in airlock chambers for 20 minutes so their bodies may adjust to the pressure. After the 20 minutes, they are only allowed to work for a few hours. If the workers work for too long or do not follow protocol, they put themselves at risk for the Bends. The bends is an illness caused by decompression. However, that is not only form of danger for these sandhogs, but there is also the possibility of tunnel blowouts. This is when a burst of blows through the tunnel taking everything in its path with it. It's nearly impossible to survive. One man Name Marshall Mabey is one of few who survived a tunnel blowout. Due to this jobs high risks, sandhogs now in the 21st century are one of the highest paid construction workers there is in the U.S.
Walking through the New York Transit Museum, they featured everything from ticketing to old train cars from over the years. When viewing the old train cars, my favorite was the Brooklyn Union Elevated Car from (1907). I loved the vintage wood car, that was carried by a steel frame. What was most fascinating was what were inside these train cars. In them, were old advertisements from that time period. The train cars from the 1940s, featured old war propaganda posters and advertisements. It was very intriguing to see how these things changed overtime.
As we exited the museum and made our way through Brooklyn, the class came across the oldest building in Brooklyn. Built in 1849 is the Neoclassical, original Brooklyn City Hall. It remained as City Hall till Brooklyn became apart of NYC in 1898. From there we made our way through Brooklyn heights. Brooklyn was the first suburban community in NY and now is a very exclusive neighborhood. Brooklyn heights known for its famous writers, such as Walt Whitman and beautiful architecture, we found ourselves at one of the most beautiful buildings in Brooklyn; the Brooklyn Trust Building. Now occupied by Chase bank, the beautiful main concourse, remains the same, with its intricate high ceilings. After walking through, the class made its way past the Brooklyn Historical Society. The society has a museum, educational center, and a library. In there, it features photographs, paintings, newpapers, and other archival materials of people and places of Brooklyn (BG, 472). Once past the Brooklyn Historical Society, the class walked through the streets of Brooklyn Heights admiring the architecture. Brought to our attention were the beautiful old brownstone style houses, that have held up over the years. Now it is found that the upper middle class are buying and revamping these brownstones. What New York is really known for are the unique fire escapes and stoops. The architecture of stoops were actually brought over with the dutch, when they settled in NY.
We then came across the tablet that stands to mark where the "Four Chimneys" once stood. There was where President George Washington decided to retreat troops out of Brooklyn Heights during the Revolutionary War. Prior to the retreat, Washington lost 1,200 Americans and 1,500 of the colonial army were captured or injured during the Battle of Brooklyn. General Howe of Great Britain saw this as a great opportunity to take down Washington's forces. In the middle of the night on August 29, 1776, Washington Quietly brought his troops down to the ferry landing. There is where fishermen from Massachusetts were waiting to row the troops out of Brooklyn. By Morning, Washington and all 9,500 men, fled safely out of Brooklyn (BG, 467). From the tablet, we walked along the side of the Brooklyn-Queens Express Way (BQE). Along there you cannot help but to appreciate the gorgeous site of Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, and the city skyline with the new Freedom Tower in our sights. Currently, along the BQE the city is revamping the what was industrial area to new recreational place. This is being done because the Mayor Bloomberg's plan to clean up the city.
Before approaching the Brooklyn Bridge, the class came across the statue of Henry Ward Beecher. Henry, was a famous minister and preacher. During the Civil War, Beecher would raise money to purchase real slaves freedom. He believed slavery was a sin. The most famous of the slaves whom he had saved, was a girl by the name of Pinky. In February 1860, the auction in the Plymouth church, raised up to $900 to buy Pinky. Pinky was presented a ring by Beecher, as he payed tribute to her liberation. On the church's 80th anniversary, Pinky returned to Plymouth in 1927 to return the ring as a thank you. Now, both that ring and the bill sale of Pinky can be viewed in Plymouth.
Finally, we found ourselves at the beginning of the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge completed on May 25, 1883, it took nearly 4,000 workers, 14 years, and ultimately $15 million dollars to finish (BG, 464). Before the bridge was built, if you wished to cross the East River, you would have to the Fulton Ferry. The bridge was engineered by the "crazy", German John Roebling. By the time it came to constructing the bridge John died of gangrene, after his foot was crushed by a boat. So then his son Washington took over. That was until her became a victim of caisson disease, which then left him with a nervous disorder. It was Washington's wife Emily, who sought out the remainder bridges completion. Ultimately, Emily was responsible for the bridge being built. When completed in 1883, Emily was the first person to go across the Brooklyn Bridge. Now, Brooklyn Bridge is the oldest suspension bridge and is responsible for a large amount of the city's transportation and evacuation, especially on september 11, 2001 (BG, 465). As we the 1.1 mile bridge, you take in its beauty and the views that it gives you.
The class began its second adventure in Coney Island, birthplace of the hotdog. Coney Island was originally settled by the Dutch and name Konijn Eisland, which translates to Rabbit Island (BG, 492). By the 20th century, the Amusement area became the place to be during the 20s and 30s. Crowds filled the boardwalk until the 1940s when the crowds lessened. As Robert Moses built Parkways going across Long Island that led to the beaches, luring people out the island. By 1964, the park was closed (BG, 492). Recently in 2007, gentrification struck as a plan to rebuild the boardwalk began. Currently Coney Island is still being revamped but it has come a long way. Today, during our hour of fun I took on the famous Nathon's hotdogs, established 1916. Stuffing till my stomach could not handle anymore, time was up and we made our the subway.
Confused as we made our way into a unused subway station, it was actually the New York Transit Museum. The Museum was once a function subway station but then turned into the museum in 1976. The station ran from 1936-1946 and remained quiet until the museum was made. The museum was only supposed to remain open for a few months but its popularity has kept it open over the years. New York City is great and is known for its transit system. For the first time there have been a decline in the want of cars for people in their 20s. This is due to NY transit system and the want to live in the city. There is no need for cars.
In 1827, the first form of transit was created, known as the omni bus. The omni bus started off as a horse and carriage. At this time the lower part of Manhattan was over populated with people. By 1900, over 2000 horses were used for transit, leaving the crowded city with large tons of horse manure. By 1880s, the city began using elevated, above ground trains. It was not till 1888 that city decided to put the train underground. In 1888, the worst blizzard in U.S. history came, placing 50 inches of snow over the course of 3 days in March. This left many New Yorkers stuck in trains, under snow for more than 24 hours. It was not till this storm that it was decided to move the subway system underground, as well as NYC power lines and electricity. The original subway was made also with the intent to move people uptown, to allow expansion. It was originally made by the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) Company and their motto was about speed and efficiency. The bedrock of NYC is unleveled, so when they started building, they had to build deeper as they made their way uptown. In fact, by 191st st. on the 1 train, the subways is 200 ft underground. Beginning at the shallow, lower Manhattan, they workers did whats called "cut and cover". As the workers got deeper, they hacking and blowing out the rocks.
As for the workers... Most of them consisted of immigrants (Italian and Irish) and blacks. Working one of the most dangerous jobs, they all received low wages of $1-2 a day. There were no unions at that time, so if the workers got injured while working they would get fired and replaced. When building the subway that connected Manhattan to the island, the workers started at both ends and met at the middle. Those workers were referred to as sandhogs. Sandhog workers, work in the most dangerous conditions. They work under ground, below large masses of water. Before working, the sandhogs must stay in airlock chambers for 20 minutes so their bodies may adjust to the pressure. After the 20 minutes, they are only allowed to work for a few hours. If the workers work for too long or do not follow protocol, they put themselves at risk for the Bends. The bends is an illness caused by decompression. However, that is not only form of danger for these sandhogs, but there is also the possibility of tunnel blowouts. This is when a burst of blows through the tunnel taking everything in its path with it. It's nearly impossible to survive. One man Name Marshall Mabey is one of few who survived a tunnel blowout. Due to this jobs high risks, sandhogs now in the 21st century are one of the highest paid construction workers there is in the U.S.
Walking through the New York Transit Museum, they featured everything from ticketing to old train cars from over the years. When viewing the old train cars, my favorite was the Brooklyn Union Elevated Car from (1907). I loved the vintage wood car, that was carried by a steel frame. What was most fascinating was what were inside these train cars. In them, were old advertisements from that time period. The train cars from the 1940s, featured old war propaganda posters and advertisements. It was very intriguing to see how these things changed overtime.
As we exited the museum and made our way through Brooklyn, the class came across the oldest building in Brooklyn. Built in 1849 is the Neoclassical, original Brooklyn City Hall. It remained as City Hall till Brooklyn became apart of NYC in 1898. From there we made our way through Brooklyn heights. Brooklyn was the first suburban community in NY and now is a very exclusive neighborhood. Brooklyn heights known for its famous writers, such as Walt Whitman and beautiful architecture, we found ourselves at one of the most beautiful buildings in Brooklyn; the Brooklyn Trust Building. Now occupied by Chase bank, the beautiful main concourse, remains the same, with its intricate high ceilings. After walking through, the class made its way past the Brooklyn Historical Society. The society has a museum, educational center, and a library. In there, it features photographs, paintings, newpapers, and other archival materials of people and places of Brooklyn (BG, 472). Once past the Brooklyn Historical Society, the class walked through the streets of Brooklyn Heights admiring the architecture. Brought to our attention were the beautiful old brownstone style houses, that have held up over the years. Now it is found that the upper middle class are buying and revamping these brownstones. What New York is really known for are the unique fire escapes and stoops. The architecture of stoops were actually brought over with the dutch, when they settled in NY.
We then came across the tablet that stands to mark where the "Four Chimneys" once stood. There was where President George Washington decided to retreat troops out of Brooklyn Heights during the Revolutionary War. Prior to the retreat, Washington lost 1,200 Americans and 1,500 of the colonial army were captured or injured during the Battle of Brooklyn. General Howe of Great Britain saw this as a great opportunity to take down Washington's forces. In the middle of the night on August 29, 1776, Washington Quietly brought his troops down to the ferry landing. There is where fishermen from Massachusetts were waiting to row the troops out of Brooklyn. By Morning, Washington and all 9,500 men, fled safely out of Brooklyn (BG, 467). From the tablet, we walked along the side of the Brooklyn-Queens Express Way (BQE). Along there you cannot help but to appreciate the gorgeous site of Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, and the city skyline with the new Freedom Tower in our sights. Currently, along the BQE the city is revamping the what was industrial area to new recreational place. This is being done because the Mayor Bloomberg's plan to clean up the city.
Before approaching the Brooklyn Bridge, the class came across the statue of Henry Ward Beecher. Henry, was a famous minister and preacher. During the Civil War, Beecher would raise money to purchase real slaves freedom. He believed slavery was a sin. The most famous of the slaves whom he had saved, was a girl by the name of Pinky. In February 1860, the auction in the Plymouth church, raised up to $900 to buy Pinky. Pinky was presented a ring by Beecher, as he payed tribute to her liberation. On the church's 80th anniversary, Pinky returned to Plymouth in 1927 to return the ring as a thank you. Now, both that ring and the bill sale of Pinky can be viewed in Plymouth.
Finally, we found ourselves at the beginning of the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge completed on May 25, 1883, it took nearly 4,000 workers, 14 years, and ultimately $15 million dollars to finish (BG, 464). Before the bridge was built, if you wished to cross the East River, you would have to the Fulton Ferry. The bridge was engineered by the "crazy", German John Roebling. By the time it came to constructing the bridge John died of gangrene, after his foot was crushed by a boat. So then his son Washington took over. That was until her became a victim of caisson disease, which then left him with a nervous disorder. It was Washington's wife Emily, who sought out the remainder bridges completion. Ultimately, Emily was responsible for the bridge being built. When completed in 1883, Emily was the first person to go across the Brooklyn Bridge. Now, Brooklyn Bridge is the oldest suspension bridge and is responsible for a large amount of the city's transportation and evacuation, especially on september 11, 2001 (BG, 465). As we the 1.1 mile bridge, you take in its beauty and the views that it gives you.
A Tale of Three Villages
Todays class went through the three villages, East, Greenwich, and West. Beginning on Bedford Street, we found ourselves facing the Narrowest House in the city. Building 75 1/2 Bedford St., measured at 9 1/2 feet wide on the outside and 8 ft 7 in. in the inside. It was built in 1873 and was originally a carriage alley (BG, 141). Many residents have lived in this thin building but one of the most notable was Edna St. Vincent Millay from 1923-1924. She once wrote, "My candle’s burning at both ends/It will not last the night./But Oh my foes, and Ah my friends/It sheds a lovely light.”
The class made its way down Christopher Street. Christopher St. was the heart of the Gay rights movement. Even during the Dutch and British times, it was where gays were found. If men were caught in the act back then, they were commonly burned alive or murdered. The village is considered the place for the largest gay community in N.Y. In Christopher Park, it features the George Segal's Gay Liberation (1992), which are sculptures of two same-sex couples (BG, 130). Across from the park is the Stonewall Inn. The Stonewall Inn was one of a few bars thats main cliental were Gays. Majority of these gay bars were owned and run the mob. On June 28, 1969, police raided the bar but a huge crowd formed that night. A riot broke out and lasted for days. Now in the month of June, gay pride parades in city's across the U.S. pay tribute to the uprising (BG, 130). Across the way from the Inn is the Northern Dispensary. The triangular building was built in 1831. It offered poor free medical care for over 150 years. In 1837, the Northern Dispensary building treated Edger Allan Poe for a cold (BG, 130.) On Gay Street you may a several small Federal houses. On and through the 19th century until around the year 1920, Scottish weavers lived in the houses (BG, 130).
The class moved on through Washington Square Park. Originally the park was marshland, occupied by the Native Americans. Then, in 1644 became for land for the black slaves who were freed from the Dutch. In 1826, the field became a parade ground and by 1827 it became a park. In the 1950s, the famous Journalist Jane Jacobs fought Robert Moses, as he pushed for an express way to be made through the park. She won and today the park is used by families, students, and the general public (BG, 131). At the north entrance of the park is the Washington Arch, commemorates our first President George Washington. On one side of the arch is Washington at war and the other side is Washington post war, at peace. Across the street from the north entrance of Washington Square is The Row. The Row were built in 1831-1833 and was one of the city's first form of the Urban design. Today the buildings are occupied by New York University. Around the block is Washington Mews. A private alley built in the 19th century, by the wealthy for their horse stables (BG, 134).
Walking down MacDougal Street, it was noted that in the 1920s where all the artists were. At 115 MacDougal Street, The Cafe Wha? had famous performing artists from the 1960s perform like Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and even Jimi Hendrix (BG, 137). From there we moved to Bleecker Street and on to the Merchants House. The house was built in 1832 as an investment and sold to Seabury Tredwell in 1835. He moved in with his wife and seven children. As the years went on, the wealthy got pushed up north but the Tredwells remained. While living in the house the Tredwells welcomed their eighth child, Gertrude. Never married, Gertrude stayed in the house till 1933, making it almost 100 years since the Tredwells moved in. Some say that Gertrude "never left". Gertrude never worked a day in her life and lived off her father's inheritance. By the time she past away, Gertrude was in deep debt. So by 1936, the house was turned into a museum and still is today.
On the second floor, we were shown 2 bedrooms. One was Eliza's and the other was Seabury's. Back then, husband and wives had separate rooms. They were used as dressing rooms, and for the wives as a place to give birth. Women were not allowed to walk out of the room unless fully dressed. Another reason the men and women stayed in separate rooms is for when they become deathly ill. It allows to give the husband or wife their space and also provided room for company. It was noted that the bedding from both rooms are the original bedding from the 1930s.
The Tredwells had about 4 female servants. They would rotate to new servants approximately every 10 years. The servants were generally Irish immigrants between the ages 18-40 years old. They would get paid about $1 a week and would receive one afternoon off a week. It would seem like a low income but the servants would get shelter, food, and clothing. In the entire house theres about 90 steps, it was one of the servants duties to provide coal in all the rooms. She would have to independently bring the bucket filled with coal up all flights of stairs.
On the first floor, the Tredwells had two polars. Both polars were symmetrically designed to mirror each other and were divided by a sliding door. The front polar is the place where guests were entertained. When the women become of age they would receive a calling card, which is like a business card. When a visitor comes to the house, they must give the calling card to the servant. If the woman would choose to meet with that person, she would entertain them in the front polar. The back polar was for dining and dinner parties.
The basement had the kitchen and the family room. The family room was the least decorative of all the rooms in the house. It was a place of comfort for the family to spend time in. The kitchen was where the servants spent most of their time. The kitchen contained most of the original appliances from that time.
After leaving the house, the class made its way past Cooper Union. Cooper Union was were Abraham Lincoln made his first speech before the Civil War. That is where we braked for lunch. After lunch the class took a quick glass at St. Marks. St. Marks Church contains the remittance of Petrus Stuyvesant in the vault under the chapel.
In the 1980s the East Village was a place to be raped, mugged, or even killed. Due to the Gentrification that has changed. In the East Village is the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. The museum was created to present about squatters and their fight to maintain the properties they took over. Squatters are people who would take over and live in run down buildings that the owners gave up on during the 70s and 80s. The museum is one of the original buildings called Squat C. For the areas where the buildings collapsed were later turned into gardens by these squatters. The first one was completed in 1977. These gardens are now run by the Green Thumb Program which is protected by the city. In the 80s the city wanted to take back these rundown tenement buildings, but the Squatters refused to leave. In the late 80s and early 90s police started to evict the squatters. Now there only 11 squatter buildings that survived today. Today Squatters save buildings like St. Bridget's Church of 1848, which was built for the Irish Catholics. The church finally reopened this year as a fully functioning church. In closing, I mean no disrespect to the museum guide that we had, but I felt that he was very rude and over opinionated. He may be a anarchist but he does not need to spread his negativity. On another note, I am very interested to see what we visit next...
Todays class went through the three villages, East, Greenwich, and West. Beginning on Bedford Street, we found ourselves facing the Narrowest House in the city. Building 75 1/2 Bedford St., measured at 9 1/2 feet wide on the outside and 8 ft 7 in. in the inside. It was built in 1873 and was originally a carriage alley (BG, 141). Many residents have lived in this thin building but one of the most notable was Edna St. Vincent Millay from 1923-1924. She once wrote, "My candle’s burning at both ends/It will not last the night./But Oh my foes, and Ah my friends/It sheds a lovely light.”
The class made its way down Christopher Street. Christopher St. was the heart of the Gay rights movement. Even during the Dutch and British times, it was where gays were found. If men were caught in the act back then, they were commonly burned alive or murdered. The village is considered the place for the largest gay community in N.Y. In Christopher Park, it features the George Segal's Gay Liberation (1992), which are sculptures of two same-sex couples (BG, 130). Across from the park is the Stonewall Inn. The Stonewall Inn was one of a few bars thats main cliental were Gays. Majority of these gay bars were owned and run the mob. On June 28, 1969, police raided the bar but a huge crowd formed that night. A riot broke out and lasted for days. Now in the month of June, gay pride parades in city's across the U.S. pay tribute to the uprising (BG, 130). Across the way from the Inn is the Northern Dispensary. The triangular building was built in 1831. It offered poor free medical care for over 150 years. In 1837, the Northern Dispensary building treated Edger Allan Poe for a cold (BG, 130.) On Gay Street you may a several small Federal houses. On and through the 19th century until around the year 1920, Scottish weavers lived in the houses (BG, 130).
The class moved on through Washington Square Park. Originally the park was marshland, occupied by the Native Americans. Then, in 1644 became for land for the black slaves who were freed from the Dutch. In 1826, the field became a parade ground and by 1827 it became a park. In the 1950s, the famous Journalist Jane Jacobs fought Robert Moses, as he pushed for an express way to be made through the park. She won and today the park is used by families, students, and the general public (BG, 131). At the north entrance of the park is the Washington Arch, commemorates our first President George Washington. On one side of the arch is Washington at war and the other side is Washington post war, at peace. Across the street from the north entrance of Washington Square is The Row. The Row were built in 1831-1833 and was one of the city's first form of the Urban design. Today the buildings are occupied by New York University. Around the block is Washington Mews. A private alley built in the 19th century, by the wealthy for their horse stables (BG, 134).
Walking down MacDougal Street, it was noted that in the 1920s where all the artists were. At 115 MacDougal Street, The Cafe Wha? had famous performing artists from the 1960s perform like Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and even Jimi Hendrix (BG, 137). From there we moved to Bleecker Street and on to the Merchants House. The house was built in 1832 as an investment and sold to Seabury Tredwell in 1835. He moved in with his wife and seven children. As the years went on, the wealthy got pushed up north but the Tredwells remained. While living in the house the Tredwells welcomed their eighth child, Gertrude. Never married, Gertrude stayed in the house till 1933, making it almost 100 years since the Tredwells moved in. Some say that Gertrude "never left". Gertrude never worked a day in her life and lived off her father's inheritance. By the time she past away, Gertrude was in deep debt. So by 1936, the house was turned into a museum and still is today.
On the second floor, we were shown 2 bedrooms. One was Eliza's and the other was Seabury's. Back then, husband and wives had separate rooms. They were used as dressing rooms, and for the wives as a place to give birth. Women were not allowed to walk out of the room unless fully dressed. Another reason the men and women stayed in separate rooms is for when they become deathly ill. It allows to give the husband or wife their space and also provided room for company. It was noted that the bedding from both rooms are the original bedding from the 1930s.
The Tredwells had about 4 female servants. They would rotate to new servants approximately every 10 years. The servants were generally Irish immigrants between the ages 18-40 years old. They would get paid about $1 a week and would receive one afternoon off a week. It would seem like a low income but the servants would get shelter, food, and clothing. In the entire house theres about 90 steps, it was one of the servants duties to provide coal in all the rooms. She would have to independently bring the bucket filled with coal up all flights of stairs.
On the first floor, the Tredwells had two polars. Both polars were symmetrically designed to mirror each other and were divided by a sliding door. The front polar is the place where guests were entertained. When the women become of age they would receive a calling card, which is like a business card. When a visitor comes to the house, they must give the calling card to the servant. If the woman would choose to meet with that person, she would entertain them in the front polar. The back polar was for dining and dinner parties.
The basement had the kitchen and the family room. The family room was the least decorative of all the rooms in the house. It was a place of comfort for the family to spend time in. The kitchen was where the servants spent most of their time. The kitchen contained most of the original appliances from that time.
After leaving the house, the class made its way past Cooper Union. Cooper Union was were Abraham Lincoln made his first speech before the Civil War. That is where we braked for lunch. After lunch the class took a quick glass at St. Marks. St. Marks Church contains the remittance of Petrus Stuyvesant in the vault under the chapel.
In the 1980s the East Village was a place to be raped, mugged, or even killed. Due to the Gentrification that has changed. In the East Village is the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. The museum was created to present about squatters and their fight to maintain the properties they took over. Squatters are people who would take over and live in run down buildings that the owners gave up on during the 70s and 80s. The museum is one of the original buildings called Squat C. For the areas where the buildings collapsed were later turned into gardens by these squatters. The first one was completed in 1977. These gardens are now run by the Green Thumb Program which is protected by the city. In the 80s the city wanted to take back these rundown tenement buildings, but the Squatters refused to leave. In the late 80s and early 90s police started to evict the squatters. Now there only 11 squatter buildings that survived today. Today Squatters save buildings like St. Bridget's Church of 1848, which was built for the Irish Catholics. The church finally reopened this year as a fully functioning church. In closing, I mean no disrespect to the museum guide that we had, but I felt that he was very rude and over opinionated. He may be a anarchist but he does not need to spread his negativity. On another note, I am very interested to see what we visit next...