JOURNALS 5-9
5. The Eccentric Eastside
Today we met at Penn Station, discussed our plan for the day, and learned that anything west of Fifth Avenue is considered the "West Side" and anything east is the "East Side," where we will be spending our day. We hopped on the train and began our day in East Harlem, which is also referred to as Spanish Harlem or "El Barrio." East Harlem is an uptown neighborhood of New York City, north of central park, and is currently going through (here's that word again) gentrification. It is here where the largest Latino communities in the country reside (ENY, 161). During the 50s, it was the most crime ridden part of the city and had the highest unemployment and poverty rates. In the 1980s, there was a big influx of immigrants from other parts of the world, adding to East Harlem's Puerto Rican culture and traditions. Since the 90s, this area has been going through a wave of gentrification with prices of houses rising and white professionals moving into the area by the bulk (ENY, 162).
For our first stop, we found ourselves at the George Washington Carver houses, which was built with the idea to get people out of the small tenements (that were built by Robert Moses) and into nice high rises. The Carver houses are a 13-building project named after George Washington Carver, an African-American scientist (ENY,162). However, this plan backfired because by crowding all the lower income families in one place, it created high crime rates and unintended consequences for the community.
Next stop was the elegant and beautiful Museum of the City of New York. Outside of the museum, there is a statue of Alexander Hamilton, who lived, worked, and died in NYC, and whose home still exists in Harlem today. As we were waiting to see a 22 minute documentary, we spent our time looking at gorgeous paintings of "old New York." We were even able to see some of the places we had visited in our previous classes and what they looked like in the 18th/19th century. The main staircase was also filled with paintings, quotes, and photos of New York which was very entertaining as we walked up and down the steps (multiple times might I add). When our video was ready for viewing, we gathered in a seated dark room and watched a video called "Timescapes," a multimedia film portrait of New York, that took us back in time from when "the city was not even a city at all." I thought this short video tied a lot of the material we have been learning about these past 3 weeks and turned it into a motion picture, well structured and easy to understand. The thing that struck me the most was Robert Moses and the development of the New York highway system. I wrote my first paper on this topic and it is completely different writing about it and actually seeing the progress he made in action. Another part of the video that I enjoyed was the subway system which built on the information we learned at the transit museum. Public transportation allowed the population concentrated (and congested) in the lower part of manhattan to spread out to all the other areas of the city. I believe that it was truly the biggest success and achievement of the history of New York. I wish we had more time to spend here but unfortunately our last exhibit was a Tiffany showcase that contained gorgeous (an understatement) pieces of jewelry, fans, tea sets, and more.
A short walk and we came to El Museo de Barrio, founded by Puerto Rican activists, seeking to preserve their cultural heritage of East Harlem, in 1969 in a public school classroom in PS 125 (ENY, 163). Although we had not gone inside, we met with a poet, and our tour guide of El Barrio, named Luke. Luke proved to us his passion for poetry and recited an original and very powerful poem he wrote about activism. To begin our tour, we walked the sidewalks of the projects and learned that sidewalks in this neighborhood serve as an intergenerational space for the community to recreate and congregate. Moving right along we passed by a block full of writings and personal belongings hanging on gates. Phrases that filled this block was, "become your dream," "rest your burdens here," and "tell me your story." By doing these little gestures for the whole community to see, it brought a sense of uplift and optimism as they pass.
Another great thing about this community is the source of community gardens. We visited the Modesto "Tin" Flores Garden, which originally was a vacant lot and dumping ground (ENY, 163). It was designed and dedicated to the woman of the community. This gardens, as of the regular sidewalks of the neighborhood, also served as a place of gathering. A very interesting piece was the "Seed of Growth" fountain sculpture which was a fallopian tube shaped water fountain that celebrated women and the miracle of life and not as sexual figures, as society often depicts them. All these community gardens we have visited are all very different but all reflect and represent the type of community they are in.
Something that makes this community so different from others we have been to is the public art scattered all throughout the community. There is art in every block, whether it be on drawn on the walls, hanging on gates, or even as graffiti. We followed Luke to explore the different works of art drawn on buildings such as the biggest mural of all, my personal favorite, the "Spirit of East Harlem" mural. This mural, created in 1978 by Hank Prussing, depicts the Latin influences of the street life in East Harlem in the 70s (ENY, 163). This is an amazing mural, not only because of it's eye catching size but also because all the men, women, and children in this painting are actual people from real photographs. This greatly affects community life especially with gentrification going on in the area. As new residents, it affects the way they view their community and how their professional life has nothing to do with any of the murals surrounding them. As El Barrio inhabitants, it affects them because a great deal of history lies within these murals, and if it were to be taken away from them because of gentrification, I believe it would become a big issue among the residents of the community. Other murals we saw were the Graffiti Wall of Fame, mural dedicated to Rev. Pedro Pietri and the Julia de Burgos Mosaic Mural, which celebrates women's rights and Puerto Rican independence (ENY, 165).
Ending our tour with Luke, we made our last stop at Justo Botanica, a little store dedicated to spiritual health and healing with candles, sprays, religious statuaries, jewelry, and folk health remedies owned by the sweetest man, Jorge Vargas. It was established in 1954, in a different location, which started as a family tradition of old fashion herbal remedies used for healing. They surrounded the store with multicultural Jesus figures which symbolizes their openness to all cultures in need for answers/healing. Jorge was very kind and I was able to purchase a bracelet that would allow me to "stay dedicated to my goals and open my mind." After this, we broke for lunch at an amazing corner store known for their TACOS! This was thee best lunch yet, hands down.
After an awesome and filling lunch, we met back at the Barrio Museum and made our way to the north entrance of Central Park. Although I have visited Central Park with the kids on multiple occasions, we only went here for the "main attractions" such as the Victorian Gardens Amusement Park at Wollman Rink or the Loeb Boathouse to row boat. Definitely not more than three times in my entire life have I actually went all the way there to relax and take a stroll through the park. Outside the north entry gate to the park, the only thing left of Vanderbilt's mansion (super cool to even know this), we learned that in 1850, the city was crowded, dirty, and industrialized with no parks or green space besides cemeteries. It was not until the Greenwards plan submitted by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux were able to create an area of green space that allowed for a naturalistic landscape with separate circulation systems for pedestrians, horseback riders, and vehicles (ENY, 150). This plan called for the building of 36 bridges, each in distinct styles and all designed by Vaux himself. With that said, it was very surprising for me to learn that Central Park is completely man made and every aspect of the park was so carefully designed.
We began our walk in the Conservatory Garden, the only formal garden in the park. It was divided into three different gardens- French, English, and Italian- all different in design, ALL breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL. The next stop was the Central Park Reservoir, also known as the Jackie Oasis Kennedy reservoir, which was the temporary emergency water supply in the 60s. It held over 1 billion gallons of water in a 40 feet deep reservoir. It was decommissioned after 131 years of service when it was deemed obsolete (ENY, 151). As we explored the rest of the park, we passed by the Metropolitan Museum, the largest art museum of the United States and 10th of the world (ENY, 152) and we went in search to find the oldest thing, the most beautiful thing, and the most romantic place of the park. The oldest man made thing in Central Park is a 3,500 year old Egyptian Obelisk, also known as cleopatras needle, built in honor of Pharaoh Thutmose III in 16 B.C. (ENY, 153). It is hard to believe that this work of art is really that old but it is evident by the erosion of hieroglyphics. The "most beautiful" piece of the park is the Belvedere Castle built in 1869 completely out of manhattan shist. It's name actually means "beautiful view" and it has definitely lived up to it's reputation. Finally we get to the most "romantic" place of the park, the Ramble or "wild garden," an area of the park where very "wild" things occur by risky new yorkers (or tourists). However, unless you are a nature fanatic, I honestly saw nothing "romantic" about it. As we make our (very long) way across the park to the subway, we also pass by the boat pond (my favorite place of the park, maybe even the most romantic in my opinion) and the Strawberry Fields, which was dedicated to the memory of John Lennon, former Beatle and peace activist.
Today we met at Penn Station, discussed our plan for the day, and learned that anything west of Fifth Avenue is considered the "West Side" and anything east is the "East Side," where we will be spending our day. We hopped on the train and began our day in East Harlem, which is also referred to as Spanish Harlem or "El Barrio." East Harlem is an uptown neighborhood of New York City, north of central park, and is currently going through (here's that word again) gentrification. It is here where the largest Latino communities in the country reside (ENY, 161). During the 50s, it was the most crime ridden part of the city and had the highest unemployment and poverty rates. In the 1980s, there was a big influx of immigrants from other parts of the world, adding to East Harlem's Puerto Rican culture and traditions. Since the 90s, this area has been going through a wave of gentrification with prices of houses rising and white professionals moving into the area by the bulk (ENY, 162).
For our first stop, we found ourselves at the George Washington Carver houses, which was built with the idea to get people out of the small tenements (that were built by Robert Moses) and into nice high rises. The Carver houses are a 13-building project named after George Washington Carver, an African-American scientist (ENY,162). However, this plan backfired because by crowding all the lower income families in one place, it created high crime rates and unintended consequences for the community.
Next stop was the elegant and beautiful Museum of the City of New York. Outside of the museum, there is a statue of Alexander Hamilton, who lived, worked, and died in NYC, and whose home still exists in Harlem today. As we were waiting to see a 22 minute documentary, we spent our time looking at gorgeous paintings of "old New York." We were even able to see some of the places we had visited in our previous classes and what they looked like in the 18th/19th century. The main staircase was also filled with paintings, quotes, and photos of New York which was very entertaining as we walked up and down the steps (multiple times might I add). When our video was ready for viewing, we gathered in a seated dark room and watched a video called "Timescapes," a multimedia film portrait of New York, that took us back in time from when "the city was not even a city at all." I thought this short video tied a lot of the material we have been learning about these past 3 weeks and turned it into a motion picture, well structured and easy to understand. The thing that struck me the most was Robert Moses and the development of the New York highway system. I wrote my first paper on this topic and it is completely different writing about it and actually seeing the progress he made in action. Another part of the video that I enjoyed was the subway system which built on the information we learned at the transit museum. Public transportation allowed the population concentrated (and congested) in the lower part of manhattan to spread out to all the other areas of the city. I believe that it was truly the biggest success and achievement of the history of New York. I wish we had more time to spend here but unfortunately our last exhibit was a Tiffany showcase that contained gorgeous (an understatement) pieces of jewelry, fans, tea sets, and more.
A short walk and we came to El Museo de Barrio, founded by Puerto Rican activists, seeking to preserve their cultural heritage of East Harlem, in 1969 in a public school classroom in PS 125 (ENY, 163). Although we had not gone inside, we met with a poet, and our tour guide of El Barrio, named Luke. Luke proved to us his passion for poetry and recited an original and very powerful poem he wrote about activism. To begin our tour, we walked the sidewalks of the projects and learned that sidewalks in this neighborhood serve as an intergenerational space for the community to recreate and congregate. Moving right along we passed by a block full of writings and personal belongings hanging on gates. Phrases that filled this block was, "become your dream," "rest your burdens here," and "tell me your story." By doing these little gestures for the whole community to see, it brought a sense of uplift and optimism as they pass.
Another great thing about this community is the source of community gardens. We visited the Modesto "Tin" Flores Garden, which originally was a vacant lot and dumping ground (ENY, 163). It was designed and dedicated to the woman of the community. This gardens, as of the regular sidewalks of the neighborhood, also served as a place of gathering. A very interesting piece was the "Seed of Growth" fountain sculpture which was a fallopian tube shaped water fountain that celebrated women and the miracle of life and not as sexual figures, as society often depicts them. All these community gardens we have visited are all very different but all reflect and represent the type of community they are in.
Something that makes this community so different from others we have been to is the public art scattered all throughout the community. There is art in every block, whether it be on drawn on the walls, hanging on gates, or even as graffiti. We followed Luke to explore the different works of art drawn on buildings such as the biggest mural of all, my personal favorite, the "Spirit of East Harlem" mural. This mural, created in 1978 by Hank Prussing, depicts the Latin influences of the street life in East Harlem in the 70s (ENY, 163). This is an amazing mural, not only because of it's eye catching size but also because all the men, women, and children in this painting are actual people from real photographs. This greatly affects community life especially with gentrification going on in the area. As new residents, it affects the way they view their community and how their professional life has nothing to do with any of the murals surrounding them. As El Barrio inhabitants, it affects them because a great deal of history lies within these murals, and if it were to be taken away from them because of gentrification, I believe it would become a big issue among the residents of the community. Other murals we saw were the Graffiti Wall of Fame, mural dedicated to Rev. Pedro Pietri and the Julia de Burgos Mosaic Mural, which celebrates women's rights and Puerto Rican independence (ENY, 165).
Ending our tour with Luke, we made our last stop at Justo Botanica, a little store dedicated to spiritual health and healing with candles, sprays, religious statuaries, jewelry, and folk health remedies owned by the sweetest man, Jorge Vargas. It was established in 1954, in a different location, which started as a family tradition of old fashion herbal remedies used for healing. They surrounded the store with multicultural Jesus figures which symbolizes their openness to all cultures in need for answers/healing. Jorge was very kind and I was able to purchase a bracelet that would allow me to "stay dedicated to my goals and open my mind." After this, we broke for lunch at an amazing corner store known for their TACOS! This was thee best lunch yet, hands down.
After an awesome and filling lunch, we met back at the Barrio Museum and made our way to the north entrance of Central Park. Although I have visited Central Park with the kids on multiple occasions, we only went here for the "main attractions" such as the Victorian Gardens Amusement Park at Wollman Rink or the Loeb Boathouse to row boat. Definitely not more than three times in my entire life have I actually went all the way there to relax and take a stroll through the park. Outside the north entry gate to the park, the only thing left of Vanderbilt's mansion (super cool to even know this), we learned that in 1850, the city was crowded, dirty, and industrialized with no parks or green space besides cemeteries. It was not until the Greenwards plan submitted by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux were able to create an area of green space that allowed for a naturalistic landscape with separate circulation systems for pedestrians, horseback riders, and vehicles (ENY, 150). This plan called for the building of 36 bridges, each in distinct styles and all designed by Vaux himself. With that said, it was very surprising for me to learn that Central Park is completely man made and every aspect of the park was so carefully designed.
We began our walk in the Conservatory Garden, the only formal garden in the park. It was divided into three different gardens- French, English, and Italian- all different in design, ALL breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL. The next stop was the Central Park Reservoir, also known as the Jackie Oasis Kennedy reservoir, which was the temporary emergency water supply in the 60s. It held over 1 billion gallons of water in a 40 feet deep reservoir. It was decommissioned after 131 years of service when it was deemed obsolete (ENY, 151). As we explored the rest of the park, we passed by the Metropolitan Museum, the largest art museum of the United States and 10th of the world (ENY, 152) and we went in search to find the oldest thing, the most beautiful thing, and the most romantic place of the park. The oldest man made thing in Central Park is a 3,500 year old Egyptian Obelisk, also known as cleopatras needle, built in honor of Pharaoh Thutmose III in 16 B.C. (ENY, 153). It is hard to believe that this work of art is really that old but it is evident by the erosion of hieroglyphics. The "most beautiful" piece of the park is the Belvedere Castle built in 1869 completely out of manhattan shist. It's name actually means "beautiful view" and it has definitely lived up to it's reputation. Finally we get to the most "romantic" place of the park, the Ramble or "wild garden," an area of the park where very "wild" things occur by risky new yorkers (or tourists). However, unless you are a nature fanatic, I honestly saw nothing "romantic" about it. As we make our (very long) way across the park to the subway, we also pass by the boat pond (my favorite place of the park, maybe even the most romantic in my opinion) and the Strawberry Fields, which was dedicated to the memory of John Lennon, former Beatle and peace activist.
7. The Wealthy Westside
We began our day with a tour of a Gilded age mansion of the 19 century, now referred to as the Frick Museum. On our way there, we walked down 5th avenue and passed by some of the very few mansions that still exist today. It was very interesting to learn about the history of 5th avenue and how it got it's lavish reputation. The Gilded Age was a period that started at the end of the reconstruction until the beginning of the 20th century (ENY, 129). We met with a very knowledgeable, friendly woman named Olivia who was our tour guide. She spoke about the history and architecture of the home and as well as the Frick family and their art collection. Henry Clay Frick had home built in 1913 by the architectural team of Carrere and Hastings and was preserved and serves as an upscale museum for the viewing of Frick's considerable collection of European art, particularly on portraits of powerful and historical figures. When the house was being built he told his friends he wanted to make Andrew Carnegie's house "look like a miner's shack" (ENY, 130). This home was very grand and over the top compared to the merchants house. What's funny is that Henry told the architects that he wanted his house to be "simple" in design. The New York Times even described the home to be "simple, light, and airy" compared to the other New York mansions of the time (absolutely the opposite!). The garden was actually put in front of the house (which was not typical back then) to create an optical illusion that made the house seem bigger than it actually was.
We began our tour at the Garden Core, which was the heart and center of the home. This garden provides a quiet, peaceful, calm and tranquil area. While Frick was still living, he knew he wanted his house to later become a museum, which was included in his will. However, the garden, as of the other rooms next door to it, was actually built after Henry's life in the house in the 1930s. Next stop was a large picture gallery room that was the size of a ballroom, which was used as a place to display his collection. The only art piece of the room that we spend a good deal on was a mysterious like painting by Jan Vermeer called "the mistress and the maid." The rooms that followed the very large ballroom-like room resembled a "railroad house" that were long and narrow one after the other. What I found interesting was that they made a "library room" which was designed for a display of art than a display of books. The walls even had frames made for more frames of art. My favorite room of the house was the Fragonard room, which was a "ladies drawing room." It had drawings in the frames of the walls and transports you to the 18th century in France especially since everything in the room from was all imported and made from France. There were also mirrors in the room, which was different from the others, and windows that had a view of the garden, which reflected in the mirrors, which was a visual play the architects used. In regards to Frick's profession, he was the head of the of the steal industry with Carnegie and they both did not treat their workers well. It is thought that donating his home and art makes up for his past wrong doings. According to his will, everything he purchased during his life and placed in the museum is not able to leave the home but anything after his death is fair game. We ended our tour with the view of a grand staircase with a beautiful large organ that was the first thing a visitor would have seen if they were entering the front of the house.
After a yummy lunch at Yum Yum. Our next and last stop of the day was Central Harlem, home to some of New York City's best preserved residential streets and gardens most important religious and cultural institutions (ENY, 179). Central Harlem's breakthrough was on 1908 when a minister from a local church bought a series of buildings and populated it with blacks (the area was originally the largest Jewish population in the city). It is now the second largest African American population in AMERICA.
Upon exiting the subway we found ourselves in front of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, which was designed by McKim, Mead, and White and contains the greatest collection of African American history. It was founded by Arthur Schomburg, a leader of the Renaissance, whose goal was to showcase the richness of African American culture as well as its history (ENY, 180). Across the street from the Schomburg Center was Harlem Hospital. This building had the first featured window wall in America. From the inside looking out, it looks acts as a regular window, however, from the outside, it is completely opaque with a large mural dedicated to Central Harlem's African American history and culture.
A few blocks down is the Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion church, the same oldest black church in New York State. It is also the first building (so far that we've actually seen) made out of Manhattan shist from a dug out underground subway station and designed in Greek Revival by George W. Foster Jr, one of the city's first registered African American architect (ENY, 180). Amazing! Our next stop was the late Renaissance ballroom, an important musical venue from the 1920s-50s (ENY, 180). When the ballroom was still active, it was divided into 2 parts- a ballroom, where singers and bands performed, and a gymnasium, where legendary basketball teams played. There are current plans to restore the building into a social hall and space for the community to gather.
Walking along, we find ourselves in what is known as Striver's Row, an area containing 130 of the best preserved row houses in the city (ENY, 181). We were given a heads up about this being the "most beautiful street of NYC" and it did not fail. The neighborhood was peaceful, the row houses were exceptional, and the light posts were the cherry on top. In the efforts of making the rowhouses unique from each other, there were three separate architectural firms that worked on different sections of the area. However, they all contained sophisticated architectural details, elegant woodwork and modern amenities, common for that time for the middle class (ENY, 181). We learned that row houses were a luxury to have especially since they contained service alleyways which was very rare to have in the City. These alleyways used to be home to horses before motor vehicls were built. They also kept reminders of their past with signs that read, "Walk Your Horses." We learned that something that could have easily been mistaken for a sewer was actual coal shoots on the ground where coal was placed to create heat in the buildings. The next block of rowhouses on 139th street had a contrast of two different color bricks on each side of the street. This block could really compete as the most beautiful street of the city. It was said that the darker, chocolate bricks gives the row houses more character than the Brownstones of Brooklyn. The light posts in this area are several of only a few left in the city. These Colonial Revival style rowhouses were by Bruce Price and Clarence S. Luce (ENY, 182). The view of Hamilton heights at that intersection showed City University, the first prominent building that had Manhattan shist actually used INSIDE the building that gives it an incredible, unique quality.
Our last stop of the day was the Harlem Walk of Fame down 135th street. Here laid bronze plaques on the ground commemorating great African Americans with their name, a little information about them, and an icon that symbolizes their achievement(s). This walk of fame, commissioned by the Harlem Chamber of Commerce in 1995, was dedicated to honor those African Americans who have made contributions in art, science, music, and public service (ENY, 183).
We ended our day in the "heart of Harlem" on 125th street where there was loud music playing, dancing, crowds, shops, and traffic-- a whole different feel compared to the quiet, peaceful central Harlem. Overall, I was blown away by how wrong my initial expectations that central and eastern Harlem cannot be so different. Let's just say, Central Harlem's architecture is that of East Harlem's art work.
We began our day with a tour of a Gilded age mansion of the 19 century, now referred to as the Frick Museum. On our way there, we walked down 5th avenue and passed by some of the very few mansions that still exist today. It was very interesting to learn about the history of 5th avenue and how it got it's lavish reputation. The Gilded Age was a period that started at the end of the reconstruction until the beginning of the 20th century (ENY, 129). We met with a very knowledgeable, friendly woman named Olivia who was our tour guide. She spoke about the history and architecture of the home and as well as the Frick family and their art collection. Henry Clay Frick had home built in 1913 by the architectural team of Carrere and Hastings and was preserved and serves as an upscale museum for the viewing of Frick's considerable collection of European art, particularly on portraits of powerful and historical figures. When the house was being built he told his friends he wanted to make Andrew Carnegie's house "look like a miner's shack" (ENY, 130). This home was very grand and over the top compared to the merchants house. What's funny is that Henry told the architects that he wanted his house to be "simple" in design. The New York Times even described the home to be "simple, light, and airy" compared to the other New York mansions of the time (absolutely the opposite!). The garden was actually put in front of the house (which was not typical back then) to create an optical illusion that made the house seem bigger than it actually was.
We began our tour at the Garden Core, which was the heart and center of the home. This garden provides a quiet, peaceful, calm and tranquil area. While Frick was still living, he knew he wanted his house to later become a museum, which was included in his will. However, the garden, as of the other rooms next door to it, was actually built after Henry's life in the house in the 1930s. Next stop was a large picture gallery room that was the size of a ballroom, which was used as a place to display his collection. The only art piece of the room that we spend a good deal on was a mysterious like painting by Jan Vermeer called "the mistress and the maid." The rooms that followed the very large ballroom-like room resembled a "railroad house" that were long and narrow one after the other. What I found interesting was that they made a "library room" which was designed for a display of art than a display of books. The walls even had frames made for more frames of art. My favorite room of the house was the Fragonard room, which was a "ladies drawing room." It had drawings in the frames of the walls and transports you to the 18th century in France especially since everything in the room from was all imported and made from France. There were also mirrors in the room, which was different from the others, and windows that had a view of the garden, which reflected in the mirrors, which was a visual play the architects used. In regards to Frick's profession, he was the head of the of the steal industry with Carnegie and they both did not treat their workers well. It is thought that donating his home and art makes up for his past wrong doings. According to his will, everything he purchased during his life and placed in the museum is not able to leave the home but anything after his death is fair game. We ended our tour with the view of a grand staircase with a beautiful large organ that was the first thing a visitor would have seen if they were entering the front of the house.
After a yummy lunch at Yum Yum. Our next and last stop of the day was Central Harlem, home to some of New York City's best preserved residential streets and gardens most important religious and cultural institutions (ENY, 179). Central Harlem's breakthrough was on 1908 when a minister from a local church bought a series of buildings and populated it with blacks (the area was originally the largest Jewish population in the city). It is now the second largest African American population in AMERICA.
Upon exiting the subway we found ourselves in front of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, which was designed by McKim, Mead, and White and contains the greatest collection of African American history. It was founded by Arthur Schomburg, a leader of the Renaissance, whose goal was to showcase the richness of African American culture as well as its history (ENY, 180). Across the street from the Schomburg Center was Harlem Hospital. This building had the first featured window wall in America. From the inside looking out, it looks acts as a regular window, however, from the outside, it is completely opaque with a large mural dedicated to Central Harlem's African American history and culture.
A few blocks down is the Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion church, the same oldest black church in New York State. It is also the first building (so far that we've actually seen) made out of Manhattan shist from a dug out underground subway station and designed in Greek Revival by George W. Foster Jr, one of the city's first registered African American architect (ENY, 180). Amazing! Our next stop was the late Renaissance ballroom, an important musical venue from the 1920s-50s (ENY, 180). When the ballroom was still active, it was divided into 2 parts- a ballroom, where singers and bands performed, and a gymnasium, where legendary basketball teams played. There are current plans to restore the building into a social hall and space for the community to gather.
Walking along, we find ourselves in what is known as Striver's Row, an area containing 130 of the best preserved row houses in the city (ENY, 181). We were given a heads up about this being the "most beautiful street of NYC" and it did not fail. The neighborhood was peaceful, the row houses were exceptional, and the light posts were the cherry on top. In the efforts of making the rowhouses unique from each other, there were three separate architectural firms that worked on different sections of the area. However, they all contained sophisticated architectural details, elegant woodwork and modern amenities, common for that time for the middle class (ENY, 181). We learned that row houses were a luxury to have especially since they contained service alleyways which was very rare to have in the City. These alleyways used to be home to horses before motor vehicls were built. They also kept reminders of their past with signs that read, "Walk Your Horses." We learned that something that could have easily been mistaken for a sewer was actual coal shoots on the ground where coal was placed to create heat in the buildings. The next block of rowhouses on 139th street had a contrast of two different color bricks on each side of the street. This block could really compete as the most beautiful street of the city. It was said that the darker, chocolate bricks gives the row houses more character than the Brownstones of Brooklyn. The light posts in this area are several of only a few left in the city. These Colonial Revival style rowhouses were by Bruce Price and Clarence S. Luce (ENY, 182). The view of Hamilton heights at that intersection showed City University, the first prominent building that had Manhattan shist actually used INSIDE the building that gives it an incredible, unique quality.
Our last stop of the day was the Harlem Walk of Fame down 135th street. Here laid bronze plaques on the ground commemorating great African Americans with their name, a little information about them, and an icon that symbolizes their achievement(s). This walk of fame, commissioned by the Harlem Chamber of Commerce in 1995, was dedicated to honor those African Americans who have made contributions in art, science, music, and public service (ENY, 183).
We ended our day in the "heart of Harlem" on 125th street where there was loud music playing, dancing, crowds, shops, and traffic-- a whole different feel compared to the quiet, peaceful central Harlem. Overall, I was blown away by how wrong my initial expectations that central and eastern Harlem cannot be so different. Let's just say, Central Harlem's architecture is that of East Harlem's art work.
8. The Lavish Lower Manhattan
To my surprise, upon exiting the subway, there were extremely large and intimidating fancy buildings lined up one after the other. The first building that caught our eye was the neo-gothic, Woolworth building. When it was completed in 1913, it was considered the second tallest building in the world until 1930 when the Chrysler building was completed (ENY, 46). The next major siting is the Municipal building made by McKim, Mead, and White with the third largest statue of New York that symbolized the five boroughs. It is considered to be one of the largest municipal type buildings in the world/country. In 1898 during the consolidation of New York, more room was needed to house the the city's growing number of governmental agencies. In efforts to preserve city hall and all its architectural symmetry, a series of competitions were held in choosing an entirely new structure which is now the municipal building (ENY, 42). Among these other grand buildings was the Tweed Courthouse, "one of the city's grandest and most important civic monuments," as described by New York landmark's preservation commussion (ENY, 45). The courthouse was created by William Tweed, one of the most notoriously corrupt politicians of New York. When Thomas Nast began creating political cartoons honoring Tweed and his nefarious activities, he was tried in his own courthouse and convicted. Upon its completion, the courthouse was used as the New York State Supreme Court and later the City Court until 1961. It is now the headquarters for the New York Department of Education (ENY, 46).
Walking north along centre street is Foley Square, named after Tammany Hall's district leader and saloon owner, Thomas Foley (ENY, 43). At one time this area was once a collecting pond where rivers would drain which was the original water supply for New York up. In 1811, the pond had become so polluted because of the new industrial area surrounded with factories, outbreaks of cholera and typhus occurred (ENY, 43). In the middle of Foley Square is a sculpture that resembles a boat in sail that symbolizes the journey African slaves took across the Atlantic. Consequently, the ground below these courthouses is home to a massive African burial ground (ENY, 43).
We arrive at the City Hall plaza where we get checked through security and meet our tour guide Gail Cornell. She began by explaining that this is a very historical place of the city and one of the oldest buildings in the immediate area that has been preserved since not much of it has changed. City Hall Plaza is a symbolic center of the city where people come with a cause to rally for or protest against. It was also the area George Washington and his troops heard the Declaration of Independence for the first time July 9, 1776.
Architecturally, the city hall building is a neoclassical building that is facing south, an odd direction to be facing. I found it interesting that it is this way because at the time that it was being built, that was the most northern edge of the city. Everything that was considered New York City was in front of it. Consequently, the back of the building was originally not done in marble to match the other three sides of it. It was actually done in brick and it was remade in limestone all the way around in the 1950s since the city then expanded from Wall Street. When it was built, it replaced a jail, gallows where public executions were held, and a homeless shelter, previously referred to as an oms house, with an infirmity and kitchen. It was the 3rd city hall of New York's history.
Upon entrance to the building is a breathtaking view of an all marble interior lobby and an omega shaped staircase (one of the first of its kind), site of numerous civic events and political demonstrations throughout centuries (ENY, 41). Housing this is a beautiful dome that is completely invisible from the outside. The architects used fascinating visual illusion plays of depth and it is thought that they purposely did this to "surprise" guests. The last stop of the hall was the governors room, the official reception room in the hall. It is filled with historic furniture, desks for George Washington and Mayor LaGuardia, and large portraits of prominent 19th century citizens (ENY, 41). This was where Abraham Lincoln shook hands for hours one day and held speeches. In 1865, his body was taken by train and ferry to city hall and was laid in state between the columns outside the governors room for viewing. This is now where important people get greeted and cocktail receptions and meetings are held.
Our next destination was the African Burial Ground National Monument where an estimated 20,000 Africans and slaves were buried in a 6.6 acre burial ground from 1690-1794 (ENY, 44). Here, we looked around and watched a short film about the burial ground, where "Africans showed the most compassion with one another and buried their dead with respect." I had absolutely no knowledge that Africans buried their dead under the ground beneath us along the street of Broadway. It disgusted me when they explained that as soon as a child was able to hold a broom and fetch, they were considered valuable to their owner (kids and dogs are my weakness). The narrator explained that slaves should have been considered "colony builders" since they laid the foundations for everything we know about the Americas during the 17 and 18th century. However, the cemetery later became a landfill, almost forgotten until the early 1990s where architects found the burial ground before a building was built. This cause a lot of controversy between the government and fellow African Americans but they finally made the decision to place the remains back in the same ground and commemorate them with a service that lasted a couple of days long.
After we broke for lunch, we met at the subway entrance, where they had Guastovino tile in a bolted archway supporting everything on the roof, and it was time to finish our exploration of lower Manhattan at the financial district. The first stop was St. Paul's Chapel, a Georgian style building made out of Manhattan shist (ENY, 46). It is the oldest surviving church and the oldest building in continuous use in New York City. With that said, this church has dodged lots of disasters. It survived the fire of 1776 and became George Washington's place of worship. It is amazing how private pew is still there and even on display inside the church (picture below). Also inside is a special memorial to the victims of September 11. At that time, the church was completely unharmed from the debris of the twin towers with the help of one sycamore tree that was in it's cemetery. It honestly triggered many emotions inside as I walked down the memorial seeing all the handmade art projects, letters, photos of the departed, etc. It prepared me for the peacefulness to follow as we walked through the actual 9-11 Memorial and Museum in the World Trade Center complex. The twin towers were the center pieces of the complex and was New York City's tallest buildings for almost 40 years and in the world until the Chicago Sears Tower was completed. They were a symbol of the city's economic might and its role as the center for global capitalism (ENY, 48). After the most devastating terrorist attack of New York City on September 11, to demonstrate the city's resilience, the city built "1 World Trade Center," what most people refer to as the "Freedom Tower." It was completed on May 10, 2013 and is the tallest building in the United States- and the fourth tallest in the world (ENY, 48). The other part of the memorial was a set of 30 foot waterfalls, the largest manmade waterfalls in the US. The architects called these pools the drained in a center void, "Reflecting Absence." Around the pools were the names of the victims of 9/11 engraved in bronze. Since 9/11, nothing in the complex is the same aside for a tree that survived through the fire and debris, which is on display after it was nursed back into health by New York City Parks Department (ENY, 49). Through the busy streets of the city, this area has a sincere tranquility to it and I am very glad to have had the experience to see this magnificent and heartfelt memorial.
Leaving the memorial, we found ourselves in Zuccotti Park, originally called Liberty Plaza when it was created in 1968. This park is significant because it is one of many public-private hybrid park that underwent the process of deals being made in order to create and maintain public space in return for height bonuses on the buildings adjacent to them (ENY, 49). Directly infront of us is a neo-Renaissance style skyscraper built in 1915 with twin towers known as the Equitable building. It's aim was to maximize the amount of useable floor space to ensure profitability. The goal, however, was realized by building straight up without any setbacks. As a result, the city passed the 1916 Zoning Resolution law, the first zoning law requiring that as buildings rose, they would be set back, to reduce the lack of air circulation and light (ENY, 50).
Walking along Broadway, we entered Trinity Church. The original Trinity church was built in 1697 which later burned down, got rebuilt, and was torn down after it was heavily damaged after a snow storm (ENY, 50). The current church was remade in Gothic Revival style and completed in 1846, making this the tallest building in New York until the Brooklyn Bridge towers were built in 1876 (ENY, 50). This church is home to a sculpture of the sycamore tree inspired by the one that protected St. Paul's from falling debris on 9/11. It is in this churchyard is where Alexander Hamilton, Robert Fulton, and other notable people are buried.
Walking right along is the Federal Hall National Monument, a Greek Revival building, where a number of significant events occurred, central to the story of American Independence. It was here the New York Weekly Journal publisher John Zenger was acquitted of libel changes, the Stamp Act Congress met to protest against British taxation without representation, George Washington was sworn into his presidency, and the Bill of rights were proposed (ENY, 52). Today, it is a national monument run by National Park Service that offer free exhibits connected to Washington's inauguration, freedom of press, and customs and treasury. On the steps in front of the building is a very large statue of Washington being sworn in as President.
During the late 19th century, Wall Street evolved into a center of New York's financial district when Charles Dow began trading stock in 1884. Dow set up his benchmark for analyzing the stock market and coining the terms "bull market" when averages rose and "bear market" when averages dropped (ENY, 51). By the 20th century, it became the financial center of the world (and still is). While walking down Wall Street, we were very easily able to spot the New York Stock Exchange. The NY Stock Exchange was originally made as a way to pay back $80 million in bonds that had been issued by Congress to pay the debts of the Revolutionary War (ENY, 51). In 1792, according to legend, 24 brokers met on Wall Street beneath a sycamore tree and formalized the "buttonwood agreement," which ultimately created the stock exchange. The tree is still on display at the entrance of the Stock Exchange in memorial for that agreement. The building itself is neo-classical in style and contains a sculpture above the columns in a triangular pediment that says "Integrity Protecting the Works of Man." This quote, however, was not the original pediment. In the 1930s the original figures deteriorated so badly that it was secretly replaced with a metal sheet so that the public would not think that the Stock exchange was so vulnerable (ENY, 51).
On our way to the Alexander Hamilton Custom House was a large bronze statue of a Charging Bull, which became a hit with tourists and quickly became one of New York's most photographed works of art (ENY, 53). We experienced it's popularity first hand since we could not even get in to take a picture with it because of the big crowds. It is also a famous symbol of Wall Street optimism. At the Alexander Hamilton Custom House, we stood on steps alongside the four sculptures made by Daniel Chester French which represent the four continents- Asia, America, Europe, and Africa. This building was the original site of Fort Amsterdam built by the Dutch to protect their commercial interests on the Hudson (ENY, 54). In 1907, it's main function was collection duties from shipping imports since New York was the nation's busiest port. It is now currently the National Museum of the American Indians, completely free of charge. It was on these steps, we wrapped up the day and headed home.
To my surprise, upon exiting the subway, there were extremely large and intimidating fancy buildings lined up one after the other. The first building that caught our eye was the neo-gothic, Woolworth building. When it was completed in 1913, it was considered the second tallest building in the world until 1930 when the Chrysler building was completed (ENY, 46). The next major siting is the Municipal building made by McKim, Mead, and White with the third largest statue of New York that symbolized the five boroughs. It is considered to be one of the largest municipal type buildings in the world/country. In 1898 during the consolidation of New York, more room was needed to house the the city's growing number of governmental agencies. In efforts to preserve city hall and all its architectural symmetry, a series of competitions were held in choosing an entirely new structure which is now the municipal building (ENY, 42). Among these other grand buildings was the Tweed Courthouse, "one of the city's grandest and most important civic monuments," as described by New York landmark's preservation commussion (ENY, 45). The courthouse was created by William Tweed, one of the most notoriously corrupt politicians of New York. When Thomas Nast began creating political cartoons honoring Tweed and his nefarious activities, he was tried in his own courthouse and convicted. Upon its completion, the courthouse was used as the New York State Supreme Court and later the City Court until 1961. It is now the headquarters for the New York Department of Education (ENY, 46).
Walking north along centre street is Foley Square, named after Tammany Hall's district leader and saloon owner, Thomas Foley (ENY, 43). At one time this area was once a collecting pond where rivers would drain which was the original water supply for New York up. In 1811, the pond had become so polluted because of the new industrial area surrounded with factories, outbreaks of cholera and typhus occurred (ENY, 43). In the middle of Foley Square is a sculpture that resembles a boat in sail that symbolizes the journey African slaves took across the Atlantic. Consequently, the ground below these courthouses is home to a massive African burial ground (ENY, 43).
We arrive at the City Hall plaza where we get checked through security and meet our tour guide Gail Cornell. She began by explaining that this is a very historical place of the city and one of the oldest buildings in the immediate area that has been preserved since not much of it has changed. City Hall Plaza is a symbolic center of the city where people come with a cause to rally for or protest against. It was also the area George Washington and his troops heard the Declaration of Independence for the first time July 9, 1776.
Architecturally, the city hall building is a neoclassical building that is facing south, an odd direction to be facing. I found it interesting that it is this way because at the time that it was being built, that was the most northern edge of the city. Everything that was considered New York City was in front of it. Consequently, the back of the building was originally not done in marble to match the other three sides of it. It was actually done in brick and it was remade in limestone all the way around in the 1950s since the city then expanded from Wall Street. When it was built, it replaced a jail, gallows where public executions were held, and a homeless shelter, previously referred to as an oms house, with an infirmity and kitchen. It was the 3rd city hall of New York's history.
Upon entrance to the building is a breathtaking view of an all marble interior lobby and an omega shaped staircase (one of the first of its kind), site of numerous civic events and political demonstrations throughout centuries (ENY, 41). Housing this is a beautiful dome that is completely invisible from the outside. The architects used fascinating visual illusion plays of depth and it is thought that they purposely did this to "surprise" guests. The last stop of the hall was the governors room, the official reception room in the hall. It is filled with historic furniture, desks for George Washington and Mayor LaGuardia, and large portraits of prominent 19th century citizens (ENY, 41). This was where Abraham Lincoln shook hands for hours one day and held speeches. In 1865, his body was taken by train and ferry to city hall and was laid in state between the columns outside the governors room for viewing. This is now where important people get greeted and cocktail receptions and meetings are held.
Our next destination was the African Burial Ground National Monument where an estimated 20,000 Africans and slaves were buried in a 6.6 acre burial ground from 1690-1794 (ENY, 44). Here, we looked around and watched a short film about the burial ground, where "Africans showed the most compassion with one another and buried their dead with respect." I had absolutely no knowledge that Africans buried their dead under the ground beneath us along the street of Broadway. It disgusted me when they explained that as soon as a child was able to hold a broom and fetch, they were considered valuable to their owner (kids and dogs are my weakness). The narrator explained that slaves should have been considered "colony builders" since they laid the foundations for everything we know about the Americas during the 17 and 18th century. However, the cemetery later became a landfill, almost forgotten until the early 1990s where architects found the burial ground before a building was built. This cause a lot of controversy between the government and fellow African Americans but they finally made the decision to place the remains back in the same ground and commemorate them with a service that lasted a couple of days long.
After we broke for lunch, we met at the subway entrance, where they had Guastovino tile in a bolted archway supporting everything on the roof, and it was time to finish our exploration of lower Manhattan at the financial district. The first stop was St. Paul's Chapel, a Georgian style building made out of Manhattan shist (ENY, 46). It is the oldest surviving church and the oldest building in continuous use in New York City. With that said, this church has dodged lots of disasters. It survived the fire of 1776 and became George Washington's place of worship. It is amazing how private pew is still there and even on display inside the church (picture below). Also inside is a special memorial to the victims of September 11. At that time, the church was completely unharmed from the debris of the twin towers with the help of one sycamore tree that was in it's cemetery. It honestly triggered many emotions inside as I walked down the memorial seeing all the handmade art projects, letters, photos of the departed, etc. It prepared me for the peacefulness to follow as we walked through the actual 9-11 Memorial and Museum in the World Trade Center complex. The twin towers were the center pieces of the complex and was New York City's tallest buildings for almost 40 years and in the world until the Chicago Sears Tower was completed. They were a symbol of the city's economic might and its role as the center for global capitalism (ENY, 48). After the most devastating terrorist attack of New York City on September 11, to demonstrate the city's resilience, the city built "1 World Trade Center," what most people refer to as the "Freedom Tower." It was completed on May 10, 2013 and is the tallest building in the United States- and the fourth tallest in the world (ENY, 48). The other part of the memorial was a set of 30 foot waterfalls, the largest manmade waterfalls in the US. The architects called these pools the drained in a center void, "Reflecting Absence." Around the pools were the names of the victims of 9/11 engraved in bronze. Since 9/11, nothing in the complex is the same aside for a tree that survived through the fire and debris, which is on display after it was nursed back into health by New York City Parks Department (ENY, 49). Through the busy streets of the city, this area has a sincere tranquility to it and I am very glad to have had the experience to see this magnificent and heartfelt memorial.
Leaving the memorial, we found ourselves in Zuccotti Park, originally called Liberty Plaza when it was created in 1968. This park is significant because it is one of many public-private hybrid park that underwent the process of deals being made in order to create and maintain public space in return for height bonuses on the buildings adjacent to them (ENY, 49). Directly infront of us is a neo-Renaissance style skyscraper built in 1915 with twin towers known as the Equitable building. It's aim was to maximize the amount of useable floor space to ensure profitability. The goal, however, was realized by building straight up without any setbacks. As a result, the city passed the 1916 Zoning Resolution law, the first zoning law requiring that as buildings rose, they would be set back, to reduce the lack of air circulation and light (ENY, 50).
Walking along Broadway, we entered Trinity Church. The original Trinity church was built in 1697 which later burned down, got rebuilt, and was torn down after it was heavily damaged after a snow storm (ENY, 50). The current church was remade in Gothic Revival style and completed in 1846, making this the tallest building in New York until the Brooklyn Bridge towers were built in 1876 (ENY, 50). This church is home to a sculpture of the sycamore tree inspired by the one that protected St. Paul's from falling debris on 9/11. It is in this churchyard is where Alexander Hamilton, Robert Fulton, and other notable people are buried.
Walking right along is the Federal Hall National Monument, a Greek Revival building, where a number of significant events occurred, central to the story of American Independence. It was here the New York Weekly Journal publisher John Zenger was acquitted of libel changes, the Stamp Act Congress met to protest against British taxation without representation, George Washington was sworn into his presidency, and the Bill of rights were proposed (ENY, 52). Today, it is a national monument run by National Park Service that offer free exhibits connected to Washington's inauguration, freedom of press, and customs and treasury. On the steps in front of the building is a very large statue of Washington being sworn in as President.
During the late 19th century, Wall Street evolved into a center of New York's financial district when Charles Dow began trading stock in 1884. Dow set up his benchmark for analyzing the stock market and coining the terms "bull market" when averages rose and "bear market" when averages dropped (ENY, 51). By the 20th century, it became the financial center of the world (and still is). While walking down Wall Street, we were very easily able to spot the New York Stock Exchange. The NY Stock Exchange was originally made as a way to pay back $80 million in bonds that had been issued by Congress to pay the debts of the Revolutionary War (ENY, 51). In 1792, according to legend, 24 brokers met on Wall Street beneath a sycamore tree and formalized the "buttonwood agreement," which ultimately created the stock exchange. The tree is still on display at the entrance of the Stock Exchange in memorial for that agreement. The building itself is neo-classical in style and contains a sculpture above the columns in a triangular pediment that says "Integrity Protecting the Works of Man." This quote, however, was not the original pediment. In the 1930s the original figures deteriorated so badly that it was secretly replaced with a metal sheet so that the public would not think that the Stock exchange was so vulnerable (ENY, 51).
On our way to the Alexander Hamilton Custom House was a large bronze statue of a Charging Bull, which became a hit with tourists and quickly became one of New York's most photographed works of art (ENY, 53). We experienced it's popularity first hand since we could not even get in to take a picture with it because of the big crowds. It is also a famous symbol of Wall Street optimism. At the Alexander Hamilton Custom House, we stood on steps alongside the four sculptures made by Daniel Chester French which represent the four continents- Asia, America, Europe, and Africa. This building was the original site of Fort Amsterdam built by the Dutch to protect their commercial interests on the Hudson (ENY, 54). In 1907, it's main function was collection duties from shipping imports since New York was the nation's busiest port. It is now currently the National Museum of the American Indians, completely free of charge. It was on these steps, we wrapped up the day and headed home.
9. Immigrant New York
This last week of Gotham, I have officially ran out of my $50 metro card and figured since I always take the E to Penn Station and end up using another fair to get back on the subway to our first destination, I figured it'd be easier to just take the F train straight to our first stop and meet them there. Today we will be exploring the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Little Italy- the most evident parts of the immigrant population of New York.
Exiting the the Delancy subway station, a short walk ahead and I found myself in the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. This tenement at 97 orchard street was built in 1863 and has been modified over the years to satisfy New York's tenement laws (ENY, 67). This was home to an estimate of an astonishing 7,000 people over 20 centuries so a great deal of history lies in these walls. The museum itself was founded in 1988 and was a designated national historic landmark in 1994 (ENY, 67). This museum allows us to time travel back to the mid-19th century and into the life of these immigrant families, mostly from Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Eastern Europe. During this time, the lower east side was the poorest and most crowded/densely populated place in the world with horrible conditions. A tenement, by definition, is any building that houses 3 or more families each having their own kitchens (basically the older word for apartments). Each tenement had 5 residential floors with 4 apartments that were really small in size, approx 325 square feet each, and it is known through government census' that 8-10 people lived in a one bedroom apartment.
Upon entering the museum,we meet with our tour guide, which is the ONLY way to see the tenement apartments that have been very carefully restored (ENY, 67). We made our way all the way to the top floor only to see an example of what the tenements looked like before they have been restored. It was not a pretty sight. What was interesting to see though was the different linoleums of the kitchen floor and 40+ different paints on the wall which proves evident that many different families lived here and wanted to make this home beautiful and their own. In the living room, there was a table full of artifacts found in the building before restoring it. This included Yiddish advertisements for English language classes and churches (immigrant families wanted to learn English and make a life for themselves in New York), jacks (kids were a part of the household), thread, scissors, and a tracer (they made their own garments), buckwheat in a jar (a breakfast grain of the 1930s), and an overdue notice for the New York public library.
We then went into the next apartment which was fully furnished and designed just how apartments would have looked. Here, the families used the bedroom kitchen and parlor as a workplace for a much as 60+ hours a week (60 a week for minors). The way that this process of making garments would work, it involved a little boy who served as a fabric runner, a girl in her teens that would put the fabric together, Levine (the father) would sew the dress together, the finisher would put details on the dress, Levine would review the final product of the dress, and when the little boy comes back to drop off more fabric, he would also come to pick up dresses. All this work took place for only 6-8 dresses a day which was sold for 75 cents each. Keeping in mind that a months rent is 15 dollars, there is not much else they can use the rest of the money on.
Although the Tenement House Act of 1868 was established, it did not do much for the conditions and safety of the tenements. It was not until Jacob Riss, a writer and photographer, wrote a book called "how the other half lives" and visually displayed the wealthy families and their lifestyle verses the poor and the work conditions in their sweatshops, their home. He had an agenda to demonstrate how the poor have been working in unsafe conditions and wanted change. In 1901, the third Tenement House Act was passed which "outlawed dumbbell tenements, set minimum size requirements for "courtyards" onto which windows opened and mandated that a minimum of one bathroom be installed inside buildings for every two families (ENY, 34)." After this law was passed, the Levine's eventually moved to Brooklyn after 13 years of working in these horrid conditions, found their own, and building for where Mr. Levine worked alone in a tailor shop.
After a great experience warping into a time capsule to the 1900s, we separated into 4 groups and went on our own quests of Chinatown. This was actually a lot of fun! And being that we were 20 minutes late coming back for lunch, we obviously didn't have enough time to explore! Following our guided instructions from Mike, we made our first stop at Vivi Bubble Tea where I sampled Taro Milk Tea. I actually have bubble tea DAILY and this one was good but still doesn't beat my favorite bubble tea spot, Kung Fu Tea. After, some students made bought some Pork Buns (I am not a big fan nor is it foreign to me so I opted out) at Mei Li Wah Bakery. Across the street was our last option to sample, Chinatown ice cream factory, but we wanted to have space for our lunch and since we were too occupied with our bubble tea, we passed. After a long walk we finally end up at our second destination, the Eastern States Buddhist Temple of America. The title of this alone threw me off as I entered the room and saw lots of bracelets and necklaces (most made of jade) being sold. You would think "temple" would be a place of worship, not a store where they sold accessories and offered your fortune, however, we did find ourselves among hundreds of statues of Buddha (I guess that's why they call it a temple?).
Continuing on our journey of Chinatown, it would be incomplete if we didn't go down to the little shops of canal street. A very interesting, fun fact about canal street is that in the 19th century, canal street was actually a 40 foot wide canal to drain the contaminated fresh water pond that stood at Foley Square into the Hudson River (ENY, 77). So hard to believe! Along this street, we visited a lot of stores that practically sold all the same things- necklaces, rings, bracelets, watches, (fake, knockoff) handbags, I love New York accessories, infant/adult New York clothing, mugs, magnets, key chains, hats, etc. Aside from the boutiques were plenty of food and grocery stores and stands. It is amazing to think that this street, once a canal, was covered in 1809 and became a commercial street it is today since 1820 (ENY, 77). Making our way back to towards the Tenement Museum, we passed through the "heart of Chinatown," which had many smells, kind of like an unpleasant combination of garbage and fish. There were plenty of markets and groceries selling everything from fruits, vegetables, peanuts, and lots and LOTS of seafood.
After missing 20 minutes of lunch we finally made it back to have a meal at Congee Village where I had Singapore noodles, garlic fried chicken, Sesame chicken and broccoli, Chinese broccoli, seafood in a Pineapple bowl, and some kind of pork and lotus cake. The food was good, the chicken (the parts not soaked in major salty soy sauce) were my favorite. Kind of disappointed we didn't have the congee! I don't eat rice but I do love me some congee!
After lunch we met back with our precious tour guide of central Harlem, Jim, who also gave us a tour of the lower east side. We made our first stop at Eldridge street and Rivington where we saw an old public school that is currently apartments, one of the three Carnige libraries by McKim Mead and White in 1905, and the very first settlement house in the United States, now known as the University Settlement where Elenor Roosevelt took dancing classes and other famous people went. To satisfy our sweet tooth, and boy do I have a big one, we made a stop at Economy Candy. This candy shop is LOADED with sweets that were originally made as far back as the Great Depression which was really cool. There were many candies I remember as a child like cry babies, fruit stripe gum, pop rocks, chicklets, cigarette candy, candy necklaces, etc. Definitely nostalgic being in there. We then continued our walk and settled under the Williamsburg bridge, which was built in 1903 to relieve the density of the lower east side. The overpopulated Jewish community commuted and left the Lower East Side and went to Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Today, as opposed to Jews, you are more likely to see Williamsburg hipsters riding their bikes across the bridge (ENY, 68). We told that underneath the entrance of the bridge is a huge empty underground terminal and there is speculation that they city will be turning it into a music venue or shops like a "Highline" type of transformation.
Our next stop was the Bialystoker Synagogue which was originally the Willet Street Methodist Episcopal church before it was a synagogue. Before Jim even said it, I knew just by looking at it, it was made out of Manhattan shist (I might just be a professional shist-er now). Walking down Willet Street into Grand Street, we see the building at 313 East Broadway which has a very distinct style compared to its neighbor buildings. This 1904 Beaux Arts building originally houses the Jewish Young Men's Association, then the Arnold Toynbee House of the Grand Street Settlement, and finally a micvah where Jewish women came to to purify themselves with rain water after menstruation (ENY, 68). Finally, we arrived at the Henry Street Settlement, founded by Lilian Wald (a fellow nurse) who was appalled by the conditions that she encountered on the LES while volunteering to teach about home health care to immigrant women (ENY, 69). Lilian Wald is the founder of Colombia university's school of nurses as well as the founder of the Visiting Nurses Service which allowed nurses to care for the sick in their own homes.
A few blocks down and we found ourselves in Seward park, the first urban park in New York City named after William Seward, governor of New York from 1839-1842 and later Sectetary of State during the Lincoln administration (ENY, 69). At the time of the early 20th century, New York City was scarce in green space. The park was created after the small parks act of 1887 mainly for children to have public space to play as opposed to them joining gangs and turning to crime (ENY, 69). However, to make this park, three blocks of tenements were torn down, displacing approximately 3,000 people. It opened in 1903 and became the first municipal playground in the United States (ENY, 70). Right across from the park was the Seward Park Library, a Carnegie based library that is the most actively used library in the NY system. It is also the first established branches of the New York public library system (ENY, 70).
Walking along East Broadway was the Jewish Forward, the former headquarters of the social newspaper. On the exterior of the building, you are able to see famous socialists like Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx. The Forward was the most widely circulated Jewish magazine in the world. At its peak in 1924, it had a daily readership of more than 200,000 people (ENY, 70). It was known for supporting progressive causes such as sweatshops and political corruption of the Lower East Side. It is currently used as coop apartments. Our last stop of the day (and the semester, *tears*) was the Museum at Eldridge, an historic preservation, rescued from complete obscurity. It was constructed in 1887 as the first synagogue in New York built by Eastern European Jews and it is one of the architectural masterpieces of the Lower East Side (ENY, 71). Although the symbolism of the rose exterior window may seem like it has a Christian influence, the twelve stars lining the circumference of it represents the twelve tribes of Israel, which is distinctly Jewish, as is the Star of David used throughout the facade (ENY, 71). This synagogue was left to despair and remained empty until 1986 when a non-profit group launched a campaign to restore it. This non-profit group was the Eldridge Street Project and after 20 years of restoration, the synagogue reopened with a new museum showcasing its rich history (ENY, 72). There was no better way to end the last class than with a beautiful sight!
This last week of Gotham, I have officially ran out of my $50 metro card and figured since I always take the E to Penn Station and end up using another fair to get back on the subway to our first destination, I figured it'd be easier to just take the F train straight to our first stop and meet them there. Today we will be exploring the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Little Italy- the most evident parts of the immigrant population of New York.
Exiting the the Delancy subway station, a short walk ahead and I found myself in the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. This tenement at 97 orchard street was built in 1863 and has been modified over the years to satisfy New York's tenement laws (ENY, 67). This was home to an estimate of an astonishing 7,000 people over 20 centuries so a great deal of history lies in these walls. The museum itself was founded in 1988 and was a designated national historic landmark in 1994 (ENY, 67). This museum allows us to time travel back to the mid-19th century and into the life of these immigrant families, mostly from Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Eastern Europe. During this time, the lower east side was the poorest and most crowded/densely populated place in the world with horrible conditions. A tenement, by definition, is any building that houses 3 or more families each having their own kitchens (basically the older word for apartments). Each tenement had 5 residential floors with 4 apartments that were really small in size, approx 325 square feet each, and it is known through government census' that 8-10 people lived in a one bedroom apartment.
Upon entering the museum,we meet with our tour guide, which is the ONLY way to see the tenement apartments that have been very carefully restored (ENY, 67). We made our way all the way to the top floor only to see an example of what the tenements looked like before they have been restored. It was not a pretty sight. What was interesting to see though was the different linoleums of the kitchen floor and 40+ different paints on the wall which proves evident that many different families lived here and wanted to make this home beautiful and their own. In the living room, there was a table full of artifacts found in the building before restoring it. This included Yiddish advertisements for English language classes and churches (immigrant families wanted to learn English and make a life for themselves in New York), jacks (kids were a part of the household), thread, scissors, and a tracer (they made their own garments), buckwheat in a jar (a breakfast grain of the 1930s), and an overdue notice for the New York public library.
We then went into the next apartment which was fully furnished and designed just how apartments would have looked. Here, the families used the bedroom kitchen and parlor as a workplace for a much as 60+ hours a week (60 a week for minors). The way that this process of making garments would work, it involved a little boy who served as a fabric runner, a girl in her teens that would put the fabric together, Levine (the father) would sew the dress together, the finisher would put details on the dress, Levine would review the final product of the dress, and when the little boy comes back to drop off more fabric, he would also come to pick up dresses. All this work took place for only 6-8 dresses a day which was sold for 75 cents each. Keeping in mind that a months rent is 15 dollars, there is not much else they can use the rest of the money on.
Although the Tenement House Act of 1868 was established, it did not do much for the conditions and safety of the tenements. It was not until Jacob Riss, a writer and photographer, wrote a book called "how the other half lives" and visually displayed the wealthy families and their lifestyle verses the poor and the work conditions in their sweatshops, their home. He had an agenda to demonstrate how the poor have been working in unsafe conditions and wanted change. In 1901, the third Tenement House Act was passed which "outlawed dumbbell tenements, set minimum size requirements for "courtyards" onto which windows opened and mandated that a minimum of one bathroom be installed inside buildings for every two families (ENY, 34)." After this law was passed, the Levine's eventually moved to Brooklyn after 13 years of working in these horrid conditions, found their own, and building for where Mr. Levine worked alone in a tailor shop.
After a great experience warping into a time capsule to the 1900s, we separated into 4 groups and went on our own quests of Chinatown. This was actually a lot of fun! And being that we were 20 minutes late coming back for lunch, we obviously didn't have enough time to explore! Following our guided instructions from Mike, we made our first stop at Vivi Bubble Tea where I sampled Taro Milk Tea. I actually have bubble tea DAILY and this one was good but still doesn't beat my favorite bubble tea spot, Kung Fu Tea. After, some students made bought some Pork Buns (I am not a big fan nor is it foreign to me so I opted out) at Mei Li Wah Bakery. Across the street was our last option to sample, Chinatown ice cream factory, but we wanted to have space for our lunch and since we were too occupied with our bubble tea, we passed. After a long walk we finally end up at our second destination, the Eastern States Buddhist Temple of America. The title of this alone threw me off as I entered the room and saw lots of bracelets and necklaces (most made of jade) being sold. You would think "temple" would be a place of worship, not a store where they sold accessories and offered your fortune, however, we did find ourselves among hundreds of statues of Buddha (I guess that's why they call it a temple?).
Continuing on our journey of Chinatown, it would be incomplete if we didn't go down to the little shops of canal street. A very interesting, fun fact about canal street is that in the 19th century, canal street was actually a 40 foot wide canal to drain the contaminated fresh water pond that stood at Foley Square into the Hudson River (ENY, 77). So hard to believe! Along this street, we visited a lot of stores that practically sold all the same things- necklaces, rings, bracelets, watches, (fake, knockoff) handbags, I love New York accessories, infant/adult New York clothing, mugs, magnets, key chains, hats, etc. Aside from the boutiques were plenty of food and grocery stores and stands. It is amazing to think that this street, once a canal, was covered in 1809 and became a commercial street it is today since 1820 (ENY, 77). Making our way back to towards the Tenement Museum, we passed through the "heart of Chinatown," which had many smells, kind of like an unpleasant combination of garbage and fish. There were plenty of markets and groceries selling everything from fruits, vegetables, peanuts, and lots and LOTS of seafood.
After missing 20 minutes of lunch we finally made it back to have a meal at Congee Village where I had Singapore noodles, garlic fried chicken, Sesame chicken and broccoli, Chinese broccoli, seafood in a Pineapple bowl, and some kind of pork and lotus cake. The food was good, the chicken (the parts not soaked in major salty soy sauce) were my favorite. Kind of disappointed we didn't have the congee! I don't eat rice but I do love me some congee!
After lunch we met back with our precious tour guide of central Harlem, Jim, who also gave us a tour of the lower east side. We made our first stop at Eldridge street and Rivington where we saw an old public school that is currently apartments, one of the three Carnige libraries by McKim Mead and White in 1905, and the very first settlement house in the United States, now known as the University Settlement where Elenor Roosevelt took dancing classes and other famous people went. To satisfy our sweet tooth, and boy do I have a big one, we made a stop at Economy Candy. This candy shop is LOADED with sweets that were originally made as far back as the Great Depression which was really cool. There were many candies I remember as a child like cry babies, fruit stripe gum, pop rocks, chicklets, cigarette candy, candy necklaces, etc. Definitely nostalgic being in there. We then continued our walk and settled under the Williamsburg bridge, which was built in 1903 to relieve the density of the lower east side. The overpopulated Jewish community commuted and left the Lower East Side and went to Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Today, as opposed to Jews, you are more likely to see Williamsburg hipsters riding their bikes across the bridge (ENY, 68). We told that underneath the entrance of the bridge is a huge empty underground terminal and there is speculation that they city will be turning it into a music venue or shops like a "Highline" type of transformation.
Our next stop was the Bialystoker Synagogue which was originally the Willet Street Methodist Episcopal church before it was a synagogue. Before Jim even said it, I knew just by looking at it, it was made out of Manhattan shist (I might just be a professional shist-er now). Walking down Willet Street into Grand Street, we see the building at 313 East Broadway which has a very distinct style compared to its neighbor buildings. This 1904 Beaux Arts building originally houses the Jewish Young Men's Association, then the Arnold Toynbee House of the Grand Street Settlement, and finally a micvah where Jewish women came to to purify themselves with rain water after menstruation (ENY, 68). Finally, we arrived at the Henry Street Settlement, founded by Lilian Wald (a fellow nurse) who was appalled by the conditions that she encountered on the LES while volunteering to teach about home health care to immigrant women (ENY, 69). Lilian Wald is the founder of Colombia university's school of nurses as well as the founder of the Visiting Nurses Service which allowed nurses to care for the sick in their own homes.
A few blocks down and we found ourselves in Seward park, the first urban park in New York City named after William Seward, governor of New York from 1839-1842 and later Sectetary of State during the Lincoln administration (ENY, 69). At the time of the early 20th century, New York City was scarce in green space. The park was created after the small parks act of 1887 mainly for children to have public space to play as opposed to them joining gangs and turning to crime (ENY, 69). However, to make this park, three blocks of tenements were torn down, displacing approximately 3,000 people. It opened in 1903 and became the first municipal playground in the United States (ENY, 70). Right across from the park was the Seward Park Library, a Carnegie based library that is the most actively used library in the NY system. It is also the first established branches of the New York public library system (ENY, 70).
Walking along East Broadway was the Jewish Forward, the former headquarters of the social newspaper. On the exterior of the building, you are able to see famous socialists like Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx. The Forward was the most widely circulated Jewish magazine in the world. At its peak in 1924, it had a daily readership of more than 200,000 people (ENY, 70). It was known for supporting progressive causes such as sweatshops and political corruption of the Lower East Side. It is currently used as coop apartments. Our last stop of the day (and the semester, *tears*) was the Museum at Eldridge, an historic preservation, rescued from complete obscurity. It was constructed in 1887 as the first synagogue in New York built by Eastern European Jews and it is one of the architectural masterpieces of the Lower East Side (ENY, 71). Although the symbolism of the rose exterior window may seem like it has a Christian influence, the twelve stars lining the circumference of it represents the twelve tribes of Israel, which is distinctly Jewish, as is the Star of David used throughout the facade (ENY, 71). This synagogue was left to despair and remained empty until 1986 when a non-profit group launched a campaign to restore it. This non-profit group was the Eldridge Street Project and after 20 years of restoration, the synagogue reopened with a new museum showcasing its rich history (ENY, 72). There was no better way to end the last class than with a beautiful sight!
Life After Gotham
After experiencing New York City in a different light, I now no longer only associate it with traffic, nightlife, and tourist destinations. I have learned that there is so much history in these streets and the transformations that have occurred are unbelievable. I felt that this class allowed me to go step by step through the process of transformation in the eyes of different classes of people. This interested me the most because when I used to see photos of the old New York (and Marilyn Monroe), it always looked very upscale, classy, and orderly. Now when I see a picture, I see it from different perspectives. It is almost as though the different classes lived in different worlds. There's also fun facts that I've learned throughout this course about Robert Moses, the subway system, the highway system, gentrification, etc. And I actually do share these with friends and they ALWAYS tell me "they wish they offered this class in their school." I now understand when they say, knowledge is power because what I know now about my city's history can help me understand more about the world today. A big aspect that this class has left me with (which I never thought possible) is a greater appreciation for the subway system, something I wouldn't even consider taking before this class. (My boyfriend still thinks I'm being sarcastic when I say "it's ok, I'll take the subway" because he knew how much I was Ms. Anti-public transportation.) In regards to New York City attractions, there are so many I had never even known existed, especially all the museums. There was something special about each one we visited and my favorites were the tenement, merchants house, and frick museum because it gave us direct insight to how we, as a people, used to live. Overall, I enjoyed this class and all its immense speed walking. I've truly learned a lot.
After experiencing New York City in a different light, I now no longer only associate it with traffic, nightlife, and tourist destinations. I have learned that there is so much history in these streets and the transformations that have occurred are unbelievable. I felt that this class allowed me to go step by step through the process of transformation in the eyes of different classes of people. This interested me the most because when I used to see photos of the old New York (and Marilyn Monroe), it always looked very upscale, classy, and orderly. Now when I see a picture, I see it from different perspectives. It is almost as though the different classes lived in different worlds. There's also fun facts that I've learned throughout this course about Robert Moses, the subway system, the highway system, gentrification, etc. And I actually do share these with friends and they ALWAYS tell me "they wish they offered this class in their school." I now understand when they say, knowledge is power because what I know now about my city's history can help me understand more about the world today. A big aspect that this class has left me with (which I never thought possible) is a greater appreciation for the subway system, something I wouldn't even consider taking before this class. (My boyfriend still thinks I'm being sarcastic when I say "it's ok, I'll take the subway" because he knew how much I was Ms. Anti-public transportation.) In regards to New York City attractions, there are so many I had never even known existed, especially all the museums. There was something special about each one we visited and my favorites were the tenement, merchants house, and frick museum because it gave us direct insight to how we, as a people, used to live. Overall, I enjoyed this class and all its immense speed walking. I've truly learned a lot.