History

April 9, 2015

VIDEO: Meet the ‘Pimps and Hos’ of Seedy ’70s Times Square

Although Times Square has transformed into a commercial beast filled to the brim with advertising, its very sordid and seedy past is certainly not lost on us. One man who found himself in the midst of the area when it was considered the worst block in town was Sheldon Nadelman. From 1972 to 1980, Nadelman worked at Terminal Bar—the city's “roughest bar" by many accounts—directly across from the Port Authority. Between pouring drinks, Nadelman found himself snapping photos of the folks who passed through. Over his decade-long stint, he accumulated a collection of more than 1,500 photos. His subjects were diverse ranging from actors to cooks to business people to tourists to, of course, the pimps and prostitutes that roamed the surrounding streets.
Watch the video here

History

April 7, 2015

Tracing the Colorful History of Madison Square Park from the 1800s

By Lauren Price

Recent reports show that NoMad has taken over the top spot for priciest neighborhood in the city in which to rent, with a one-bedroom unit going for an average of $4,270/month. For most real estate aficionados this isn't shocking, as the neighborhood has been growing into one of the city's hottest spots for the past several years, but few know of the area's fascinating past. Named for our fourth president, James Madison, the 6.2-acre Madison Square Park was first used as a potter’s field, then an army arsenal, then a military parade ground and finally as the New York House of Refuge children’s shelter, until it was destroyed by a fire in 1839. After the fire, the land between 23rd and 26th Streets from Fifth to Madison Avenues was established as a public park enclosed by a cast-iron fence in 1847. The redesign included pedestrian walkways, lush shrubbery, open lawns, fountains, benches and monuments and is actually similar to the park that exists today.
Find out how our beloved madison square park came to be

History

Goodyear Wanted to Create a Giant Conveyor Belt to Carry People Between Grand Central and Times Square

Via NYCVintage

April 3, 2015

Goodyear Wanted to Create a Giant Conveyor Belt to Carry People Between Grand Central and Times Square

By Dana Schulz

Those shuttle trains between Grand Central and Times Square can certainly get crowded during rush hour, so imagine bypassing the underground connection and hopping on a giant conveyor belt in clear, gondola-like cars? We're not exactly sure if this sounds more or less appealing, but it's exactly what the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company proposed in 1951, hoping to transport 60,000 New Yorkers daily a third faster than the subway thanks to a continuous loop.
More on this never-built conveyor belt

April 1, 2015

Mac Conner’s Vintage Illustrations Invite Us into the World of New York’s Real ‘Mad Men’

By Diane Pham

Referred to today as the "real Don Draper," McCauley "Mac'" Conner was one of the most important illustrators working during America's golden age of advertising. Conner, now 101 years old, came to New York in 1950 and flourished in the city's publishing industry, bringing an era of deep red lipstick, unabashed chain smoking and lunch-time martinis to the pages of America's most popular magazines. With crisp lines and carefully chosen colors, Conner's vibrant works not only captured a pivotal point in American history, but he also helped shape the image of a postwar nation. Ahead are some of his most notable—and provocative, for the time—images created for magazines such as Cosmo, Good Housekeeping, Collier's, Woman's Day, and many more.
See some of his incredible illustrations this way

March 31, 2015

Download 422 Free Art Books from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s MetPublications

By Diane Pham

The Met—already well-loved for its generous "pay as you wish" admission—is offering up another public good sure to get art buffs and wannabes clearing space on their hard drives. The Met has added 422 free titles to its MetPublications site, providing global citizens with digitized versions of new and archived books and catalogs that—if you can even get your hands on them in real life—can oftentimes ring up for more than $200 a pop.
More info here

March 30, 2015

10-Foot-Wide ‘Skinny House’ in Mamaroneck Is an Historic Work with a Heart-Warming Story

By Diane Pham

This red-shingled home may not look like much, but it's steeped in history dating back to the early 20th century—and of course, there's the fact that it's no wider than most NYC bedrooms. Affectionately–and aptly–called the Skinny House, this tiny structure is the slimmest house in Mamaroneck and measures only 10 feet wide, 39 feet long, and rests on a 12.5 foot wide parcel of land. It's also three (yes, three) stories tall. But in addition to a demure size, it also comes with a heart-warming story of neighborly love and generosity that have allowed it to endure for the better part of a century.
More history and photos here

19th Century ‘Stench Map’ Explains Why Brooklyn Became the Industrial Borough

Map Showing Location of Odor Producing Industries of New York and Brooklyn, circa 1870 (“Charles F. Chandler Papers,” Columbia University Rare Books and Manuscript Library)

March 30, 2015

19th Century ‘Stench Map’ Explains Why Brooklyn Became the Industrial Borough

By Dana Schulz

A stench map today would include things like urine, rotting pizza, cigarettes and flavored vapors, and whatever unidentified odor of the day is pouring out of the subway. And while these are clearly unpleasant, at least they can be neutralized with some soap and water or the passing of time. But in the 19th century, the stenches of the city were far more permanent, stemming from the various industrial sites across Manhattan and Brooklyn (the five boroughs weren't yet consolidated). CityLab has uncovered an historic map from 1870 that shows the locations of New York's odor-producing industries, including oil refineries, slaughter houses, fat renderers, and gas works. In the 19th century, it was believed that foul odors carried diseases, so the New York City Metropolitan Board of Health created the map of stenches (then known as "offensive trades") to pinpoint the areas affected.
What did this mean for Brooklyn?

History

March 26, 2015

The Knickerbocker: Times Square’s First Luxury Hotel Is Reborn as a Modern Landmark

By Dana Schulz

When John Jacob Astor IV built the Knickerbocker Hotel in 1906, he launched a generation of luxury Times Square hotels. The Beaux Arts masterpiece attracted the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, John D. Rockefeller, and Italian tenor Enrico Caruso. It was the birthplace of the martini and the site where the sale of Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees took place. But after just 15 years, the hotel's success declined just as fast as it emerged and it was repurposed as an office space, later becoming the Newsweek Building. Today, though, the landmark is reclaiming its title of ultimate luxury hotel under its original moniker. After a two-year, $240 million modern renovation, the Knickerbocker offers 330 guest rooms, a rooftop bar and lounge with the ultimate view of the Times Square ball drop, and a foodie destination restaurant from chef Charlie Palmer.
Uncover the history and future of the Knickerbocker

VIDEO: The Fascinating History of the Manhattan Municipal Building

The Manhattan Municipal Building toward the end of construction in 1913, via Shorpy

March 24, 2015

VIDEO: The Fascinating History of the Manhattan Municipal Building

By Dana Schulz

When we think of the city's early skyscrapers, landmarks like the Woolworth Building and Flatiron Building usually come to mind. But there's an equally fascinating and beautiful icon that often gets overlooked–the 1914 Manhattan Municipal Building. One of New York's first skyscrapers, the 580-foot Beaux Arts masterpiece influenced civic construction throughout the country and served as the prototype for Chicago's Wrigley Building and Cleveland's Terminal Tower, among others. A new video from Blueprint NYC (produced by the Office of NYCMedia) takes us into this historic structure, discussing everything from the reason for construction (after the 1898 consolidation of the five boroughs, there was a need for increased governmental office space) to interesting factoids (the building was designed from a rejected sketch of Grand Central Terminal Station) to the turn-of-the-century innovations that made this unique structure possible.
Watch the video

History

EVENT: Get an Inside Look at North Brother Island, the City’s ‘Last Unknown Place’

By Dana Schulz

Thanks to the underground world of urban explorers, there aren't many parts of New York City that the public hasn't seen. One such explorer, photographer Christopher Payne, took special interest in North Brother Island, the 20-acre piece of land in the East River between the Bronx and Rikers Island that was once home to a quarantine hospital and the residence of Typhoid Mary. The island of building ruins and birds is not open to the public, but between 2008 and 2013 Payne was granted exclusive visitation access. He'll share his photos and findings in an upcoming event at the Museum of the City of New York called "The Last Unknown Place in New York City: A Conversation About North Brother Island."
More on the event

It’s a Hip-Hop Revolution! Photos of a Pop Culture Movement Born in New York

Busta Rhymes (Leaders of the New School). 1990. Photographer: Janette Beckman

March 18, 2015

It’s a Hip-Hop Revolution! Photos of a Pop Culture Movement Born in New York

By Diane Pham

New York has long been a haven for creatives, with some of art and music's most iconic producing their most profound works within the borders of our city. But few movements have proved as significant and lasting an influence on global fashion, politics and culture than hip-hop. In a new photo exhibit coming to the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) next month, three of the most dynamic and renowned photographers of the hip-hop scene, Janette Beckman, Joe Conzo, and Martha Cooper, share their experiences at the height of the movement in the 1980s when it took not only the nation by storm, but the world. The trio of shutterbugs share photos that zoom into hip-hop's pioneering days in the South Bronx, as DJs, MCs, and b-boys and b-girls were inventing new forms of self-expression through sounds and movement. Prominent hip-hop figures such as Afrika Bambaataa, LL Cool J, Run DMC, Salt N Pepa and Flava Flav are just a few of the faces documented, and in the series you'll get a look at the kind of life and vibrancy that permeated the Bronx and Harlem during the 1980s. MCNY recently sent 6sqft a slew of the more than 100 photographs that will be on show starting April 1st. Jump ahead to get a taste of what's sure to be one of your most memorable and nostalgic museum visits.
See all the incredible photos here

March 17, 2015

Interview: McSorley’s Historian Bill Wander Fills Us In on the Secrets of NYC’s Oldest Bar

By Dana Schulz

Undoubtedly, there are hundreds of New Yorkers and out-of-towners planning to stop by McSorley's Old Ale House today for a St. Patrick's Day round of beers. But beyond the brews and bros, there's a deep history rooted in this East Village institution, and we've found the man who knows it all. The official historian of McSorley's, Bill Wander can give you the full timeline that dates McSorley's to 1854, making it the oldest bar in the city. He can also fill you in on all the tchotchkes adorning the walls of this Irish tavern, none of which have been removed since 1910. But more important than the textbook facts related to McSorley's, Bill has an undeniable passion for this watering hole, for both its important cultural history and the unique social atmosphere that keeps the bar a neighborhood mainstay after all these years. We recently chatted with Bill to find out some of the lesser-known details about McSorley's and what the title of "official historian" entails.
Read our full interview with Bill Wander here

March 17, 2015

25 Epic Buildings That Were Never Constructed

By Diane Pham

While we all love to ogle the latest and greatest rendering reveals, it's a shame how quickly we forget about the incredible architecture that could have risen once their plans get scrapped. To give a small consolation to the architects who spent countless hours and sleepless nights scribbling skyscrapers with the hope of transforming the built landscape, Rubberbond has created a nifty infographic showing 25 ambitious projects that today, for better or worse, only live on in drawings. From a pyramid-shaped mausoleum in London designed to hold five million corpses to a Sagrada Familia-like hotel Gaudí fashioned for NYC to a giant Bucky dome that could have covered Manhattan, have a look at all the lost designs ahead and then weigh in—was it a good idea these were dumped or would they have been great architectural additions?
See the whole thing here

March 16, 2015

Looking Back at the Gansevoort Pumping Station, the Building the New Whitney Museum Replaced

By Penelope Bareau

As we all await the opening of the new building of the Whitney Museum for American Art in May, it might be interesting to see what's underneath it—or was. There's an old saying, "To create, you must first destroy," and so long as it doesn't specify how much of one and how good the other, the statement generally slips by without challenge. So it was with the Whitney's new site along the High Line in the Meatpacking District. There wasn't a lot that needed to be destroyed. There was, however, this little building, the Gansevoort Pumping Station, a small, classically inspired edifice with arches separated by pilasters. It was designed by Michael and Mitchell Bernstein, brothers who were widely known for turn of the twentieth-century tenements. Designed in 1906 and completed in 1908, it was built as a pumphouse for high-pressure fire service by the City of New York and later served as one of the area's quintessential meat markets.
Read the entire history of the site here

History

March 13, 2015

Infographic: The Tallest Buildings of the Last 5,000 Years Charted

By Diane Pham

From the pyramids of Teotihuacan to One World Trade, here are the tallest buildings of the last 5,000 years. Slovakian artist and designer Martin Vargic created six infographics that chart the history of buildings across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania. The infographics, which date buildings (and a few notable monuments) as far back as 2,650 B.C., give a pretty complete look, highlighting the construction's name, shape, height (which does account for a tower's spire), the year it was erected, and the years it was its continent's, if not the world's (denoted by a red shading), tallest building. The charts also give a good snapshot of the great skyscraper race that took hold in the early 20th century, as well as shifts in global money as seen in the emergence of Asian skyscrapers like Taipei 101 and the Burj Khalifa in the mid-2000s. You can get a closer look by expanding the image ahead.
This way for the complete picture

Going Up: Uncovering the Art Deco Elevators of Landmarked Building Interiors

Chrysler Building elevators via Wally Gobetz on Flickr

March 12, 2015

Going Up: Uncovering the Art Deco Elevators of Landmarked Building Interiors

By Dana Schulz

Earlier this week, we visited the New York School of Interior Design's latest exhibit, Rescued, Restored, Reimagined: New York's Landmark Interiors, which, on the 50th anniversary of New York’s landmark legislation, features photography and information about more than 20 public spaces, known and little-known, that have been designated as interior landmarks. Looking through images of restored Broadway theaters, perfectly preserved coffered rotundas and period furniture, we couldn't help getting stuck on one often-overlooked element–the elevator. For most of us who live in a high rise or work in a typical office building, the elevator doors are just another blank wall that we stare at, only paying attention when they open and usher us in. But when the city's great Art Deco buildings were rising, the elevators were an extension of the lavish ornamentation and geometric details of the façade and interior lobby. We've rounded up some of our favorite Art Deco elevators in landmarked interiors, which means they're all publicly accessible so you can check them all out first hand.
Go up in style here

March 9, 2015

City Launches Educational Website to Mark the 50th Anniversary of the Landmarks Law

By Dana Schulz

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and thereby the Landmarks Law, the city has launched a new educational website, landmarks.nyc, that will grow its content throughout the year. The site offers digital features, a schedule of free- and low-cost events at landmarked sites throughout the city, slide shows from the agency's historic photo archives, various blog posts, and walking tours.
READ MORE

Loathed and Lauded Robert Moses Gets His Own Anti-Hero Graphic Novel

Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs squaring off

March 6, 2015

Loathed and Lauded Robert Moses Gets His Own Anti-Hero Graphic Novel

By Dana Schulz

Love him or hate him, Robert Moses left an indelible mark on New York City's urban infrastructure. Most of us formed our opinions on the city's master planner after reading Robert Caro's Pulitzer Prize-winning book "The Power Broker." But if you're looking for a lighter (in both senses of the word; Caro's book weighs 3.3 pounds) read on Mr. Moses, you may want to check out the new graphic novel "Robert Moses: The Master Builder of New York City." Created by French writer Pierre Christin and Chilean artist Olivier Balez, the "anti-hero comic" is the perfect dramatic portrayal of Moses, both celebrating and criticizing his contributions to the city.
READ MORE

March 4, 2015

The History of Symphony Space: From the Astor Market to the Leonard Nimoy Thalia

By Dana Schulz

We were saddened here at 6sqft to hear about the passing last week of Leonard Nimoy, an extraordinary actor, director, poet, singer, and photographer, known worldwide for his role as Mr. Spock in "Star Trek." Closer to home, though, Nimoy was also known as a dedicated philanthropist who adored the Upper West Side's Symphony Space. In fact, in 2002 the multi-disciplinary performing arts organization renamed its historic Thalia Theater the Leonard Nimoy Thalia to reflect their patron's generosity. Just like the storied career of Nimoy, Symphony Space has its own eclectic past, from its beginnings as a food market funded by Vincent Astor to the Crystal Palace skating rink and, finally, to a neighborhood institution frequented by the likes of Stephen Colbert and Cynthia Nixon.
Learn about this history of Symphony Space here

History

March 4, 2015

VIDEO: Walk Through Manhattan in 1968, Across the Brooklyn Bridge up to Central Park

By Diane Pham

It's hard to imagine New York City without its streets overflowing with people, but this "home video" we've uncovered from 1968 gives us an incredible look at the city during one of its most transformative periods. Although the video quality isn't all that great—the guy or gal filming this is using '60s technology, after all—the footage captured is pretty stellar nonetheless. Expect to see a near-desolate Soho, a Strand bookstore that amazingly looks exactly like it does today, and a lot of tucked shirts and knee-length skirts. Though there aren't any protesting hippies or riots in the near-30-minute video, there are signs of the politically contentious times, including a couple of poster boards urging citizens to join the U.S. Marines and Army. Starting at the Brooklyn Bridge, going up Broadway, and ending at the lake in a very crowded Central Park, you won't want to miss a second of this fantastic film.
Watch the video here

History

A Tale of Two Cities: Disco-Era Bushwick Burns While Manhattan Boogies (PHOTOS)

The Village People Stepping Out, The Grand Ballroom, NY, NY, June 1978 (l); Three Amigos, Bushwick (r). By Meryl Meisler.

March 3, 2015

A Tale of Two Cities: Disco-Era Bushwick Burns While Manhattan Boogies (PHOTOS)

By Michelle Cohen

It’s 2015 and Bushwick is on fire. But instead of being lost to the flames of neglect and destruction, buildings are being sold and rented like hotcakes. Photographer Meryl Meisler’s first monograph, “Disco Era Bushwick: A Tale of Two Cities,” published by Bizarre Bushwick gives us an insider’s view of the streets and scenes of New York City during the glam/gritty 1970s and ‘80s when Manhattan’s iconic dance clubs like Studio 54 and Paradise Garage were in their heyday–and there was no brunch to be had in Bushwick.
See more of a bad and bygone Bushwick this way

March 2, 2015

Animated GIF Shows How NYC’s Subway Has Evolved over the Last 100 Years

By Diane Pham

If you’ve ever wondered what subway lines were the first to appear in NYC, this cool animated map has all the answers and then some. Created by Appealing Industries via Paste Magazine (h/t Untapped), the map shows the evolution of the city’s various lines over the 100-plus years that it’s been in operation. Surprisingly, Brooklyn is the first to see action on […]

The Only Two Living Things in NYC to Have Been Landmarked Are Trees

Magnolia Grandiflora via Wiki Commons (L); Weeping Beech Tree via NY State Archives (R)

February 25, 2015

The Only Two Living Things in NYC to Have Been Landmarked Are Trees

By Dana Schulz

Last week we looked at the city's oldest and tallest tree in Alley Pond, Queens, which got us thinking about one of the questions at the Preservation Trivia night we recently attended. What are the only two living things in NYC to have ever been landmarked? We'll admit, we were stumped. We guessed Peter Stuyvesant's pear tree and the World Trade Center Survivor Tree, which were both wrong. But they are trees: the Weeping Beech Tree in Flushing, Queens and the Magnolia Grandiflora in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. And to make it even more exclusive, only the latter still survives; the Beech Tree died and was cut down in 1999.
Find out the history of how these landmarks came to be

NYC Time Machine Lets Users Navigate Overlaid Maps from 1600 to Present Day

A 1776 map that shows Peter Stuyvesant’s farm in the present-day East Village

February 24, 2015

NYC Time Machine Lets Users Navigate Overlaid Maps from 1600 to Present Day

By Dana Schulz

Cartographers and history buffs will have a field day with this online tool known as NYC Time Machine. Using public data from the New York Public Library, the resource allows users to “navigate perfectly-overlaid maps of NYC from 1660 to present day.” The site is part of Vestiges of New York, which overlays historic photos and current images.
More details

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