The Algonquin Hotel at 59 West 44th Street in Manhattan opened its doors in 1902, designed by architect Goldwin Starrett. Its first manager, Frank Case (who bought the hotel in 1927), established many of the hotel’s traditions as well convinced the original owner of the hotel to name it after the Algonquin tribe who had first occupied the area. Read More »
Founded in 1873 on its original location at the corner of Broadway and Houston in downtown New York, the story of what is now St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue is plagued by fire; with its first Gothic revival building burning to the ground in 1851 and after its move uptown to Fifth Avenue near Central Park, that structure also ... Read More »
Yesterday, the Eldridge Street Synagogue unveiled the final and last piece in its renovation that has taken over 20 years, since it was rediscovered and saved from decimation in the 1980s, a stained glass window by contemporary artist Kiki Smith, in collaboration with architect Deborah Gans. The window is made-up of swirling blues and an array of stars, which mimic ... Read More »
The Barbizon Hotel for Women, built in 1927 and became the in symbol in New York of cultural change, as women began to come to the city for professional opportunities, but still wanted a “safe retreat” that felt like the family home. Located at 140 East 63rd Street, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in 1981 it was renovated ... Read More »
Fishing haven for Native Americans, Dutch family farm, military garrison and idyllic parkland are all terms that have described Governor’s Island, which sits in between Brooklyn and Manhattan, right below the Financial District. What was once land occupied and used mainly as a fishing port by the local Native American tribes, it was in the 1600s that the ... Read More »
Opening its doors in 1887, The Eldridge Street Synagogue is one of the earliest synagogues in the U.S. Built by brother Peter and Francis William Herter, the brothers also constructed many other Lower East Side commission, into which they incorporated elements from the synagogue such as stars of David. The synagogue’s grandious features were lauded in locals papers at ... Read More »
In the early 1800s, tensions were high with the newly ousted British and to protect itself, America had started building forts along its capital, New York City. Castle Clinton, or the West Battery as it was then known, was one of those forts. The fort was built on a man made island right off the west coast of Manhattan ... Read More »
In 1799, a prosperous New York merchant named Archibald Gracie built a country house overlooking a bend in the East River, five miles north of the City. Financial failure forced Gracie to sell his house, which then went through a series of owners until landing in the hands of the City of New York in 1896, which made its ... Read More »
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