This past Sunday, May 14 saw another devastating fire destroy a piece of New York’s history. This time it was the shuttered synagogue of the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol congregation on Norfolk Street. Anyone walking on Norfolk Street between Delancey and East Houston Streets would come across the building unexpectedly. It vaguely reminds one of another … More Another One Gone
Old St. Patrick’s, Prince and Mott Streets, 1830s When walking along Mott Street in what is now called Nolita there is the typical crowd: tourists, New Yorkers shopping at new boutiques as well as those who live in the surrounding tenement buildings. Suddenly, you come across a grand church enclosed by walls and trees. Instantly, … More Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Union Square became synomous with the Labor movement in the latter half of the 19th century. Most New Yorkers believe that the reason it is called Union Square is due to the worker demonstrations held there. But, as with much of New York history, the name was created by a developer – Sam Ruggles. … More Labor Day at Union Square
We have just celebrated the 240th anniversary of the decisive, and most important, battle of the American Revolution. There were several events both at Greenwood Cemetery and the Old Stone House commemorating the events of that fateful August 27. At Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park, the Society of Old Brooklynites remembered the Prison Ship Martyr’s that are … More Fort Putnam/August 30, 1776
Hey Ho – Let’s Go! Today August 16 is a big day in music history. It’s the day Elvis left the building, Madonna was born and the Ramones stepped out of Queens onto the stage of CBGB’s. CBGB’s was the legendary hole in the wall dive bar that played music. All through the 1970s … More The Ramones!!!!
New York City has lost one of our grand churches on May 1, the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava. The magnificent church on West 25th Street came upon pedestrians unexpectedly amongst the tall, ever increasing luxury rental buildings going up on the West Side. The cathedral was originally built by the Episcopal church of … More St. Sava
A lovely spring day in 1911 was forever changed by the tragic events at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on Greene Street in Greenwich Village. The combination of smoke, locked doors and uncaring owners led to the death of 146 girls, many of whom to the horror of onlookers jumped to their deaths from the upper … More A Lovely Spring Day Encounters Death
Everyone is digging out from the second biggest snow storm in the recorded weather history of New York. One of the wonderful things about snow is instantly the world resembles either a Victorian lithograph or an Edward Hopper painting. There is no better example of this than the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn. The “Hill” … More Snow Adorned Jewels
Who was the last President of the United States inaugurated in New York City? Theodore Roosevelt? No, Chester A. Arthur. Who? That is how the conversation usually goes when I bring up President Arthur. This weekend marks the anniversary of his inauguration at 123 Lexington Avenue. Arthur, like fellow New Yorker Theodore Roosevelt, became president … More A President Surprises
Bowery & Canal 