740 Broadway Eagle

 

Ornament above the entrance to 740 Broadway, corner of Broadway and Astor Place.

Cozy Soup 'n' Burger

 

Cozy Soup 'n' Burger was opened by Greek immigrant brothers in 1972. It's been on Broadway steps away from the NYU campus for 54 years. But as with so many businesses these days, rent and operating costs have been too much, and tomorrow they will close their doors after half a century. I went to grad school at NYU and passed this place every day, but I think I only ate there once and it gave me diarrhea. But it still makes me sad to see such a recognizable local landmark go away.

The Crown Building

 The Crown Building, at Fifth Avenue and 57th St.

It was built between 1920-22 by developer and philanthropist August Heckscher. The architecture firm was Warren & Wetmore, who designed several prominent New York buildings, including Grand Central Station.

Its French Renaissance facade is made of limestone, brick, and terracotta. In the 19802, 1,363 ounces of 23-karat gold leaf were added. It was one of the first buildings to meet the mandates of the 1916 zoning code, which required setbacks in tall buildings to allow light and air to reach the street.

In 1922, it towered over the wealthy mansions of 57th Street. Originally named the Heckscher Building, it was marketed as "The Tower of Trade." The gound floor featured shops and retail showrooms, with offices in the tower. Tenants included the publisher Alfred A. Knopf and Universal Pictures. The Museum of Modern Art held its first exhibition there.

Over the years, ownership changed hands. In 1981, Imelda Marcos, wife of the Phillipine Dictator, purchased the building behind a series of frontmen, including a Saudi Arabian arms dealer. It was renamed the Crown Building in 1983. Its ownership status was murky for many years after the Marcos regime collapsed. Today it continues to house luxury retailers on the ground floor, including Bulgari and Chanel, while the upper floors are the Aman New York hotel and luxury apartments.

The Knabe Building

 

This 11-story Beaux Arts building on the corner of 39th St. and Fifth Ave. was built in 1905-06 by Horace A. Hutchins, a businessman from Cleveland, Ohio. It was designed by the prominent architect C.P.H. Gilbert, who was primarily known for his mansions and townhouses for the wealthy class of Manhattan. I've drawn some of his Brooklyn townhouses, like this one and this one.

The ground floor and basement were leased to Knabe & Co., a piano manufacturer, for their showcase, and the building became known as the Knabe building. Other tenants included a book publisher, a real estate firm, the American Automobile Association, Mrs. Adeline Stanhop-Wheatcroft's "new Dramatic Studio," and the studio of photographer Edward S. Curtis, known for his documentation of the American West and Native Americans.

In 1928, Knabe & Co. moved to a new building further up Fifth Ave. The space was taken over by Ovington's, a retailer of high-end imported China. Ovington's hired architect Frank H. Hutton to modernize the building. Much of the ornament, decoration, and cast iron balcony railings were stripped away. In 2016, it was restored by Scott Henson Architecture.

History source: Daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com

No 35 West 54th St. - Walter Tower Rosen House

 

In the 1880s, the north side of West 54th St. was dominated by the large campus of St. Luke's Hospital. The rest of the area consisted of respectable, but not particularly extravagant, brownstone rowhouses built after the Civil War. That began to change as John D. Rockefeller and other wealthy elites began building mansions along Fifth Ave. In 1896, the hospital was demolished, making many lots available and leading to the rapid development of mansions for the wealthy.

No. 35 was built in the Italianate style, and was originally owned by businessman Edward Scheitlin, an importer of hosiery and gloves. Dr. Allan M. Thomas, who had developed a proto-incubator for infants, purchased it shortly after 1900 and gave it a makeover, replacing the facade with an up-to-date Beaux Arts facade of brick and limestone.

In 1916, it was purchased by Walter Tower Rosen. Rosen was a lawyer and a banker, and also a pianist and art collector. His wife, Lucie Bigelow Dodge, was also a musician and a patron of the arts. Among the artists they supported was the Russian inventor Leon Theremin, inventor of the eponymous instrument. Now known primarily for 1950s retro Sci Fi soundtracks, the theremin was originally intended as a concert instrument for avant-garde music. Lucie performed as a part of a 10-person ensemble of theminists at Carnegie Hall in 1930.

Walter Rosen died in 1951; Lucie in 1968. In 1977, the mansion was converted to apartments.

No. 35 West 57th St - Schieffelin Bowne House

 

On West 57th St., between 5th and 6th Avcnues, stands this lone Beaux Arts-style mansion. Large vacant lots flank it, awaiting construction, and a graint I-beam structure to its west seems to be holding it up.

In 1891, it was given, fully furnished, as a wedding gift to Maria Louise Vanderbilt, great-granddaughter of "Commodre" Vanderbilt, patriarch of the Vanderbilt dynasty, and William Jay Shieffelin, a descendent of John Jay, the first chief justice, by Maria Louise's mother. At the time, the area was block after block of these brownstone mansions. Several of the Vanderbilts lived in the enclave, including Cornelius Vanderbilt.

They only lived there until 1898. Commercial development began to encroach into the area, and the "hustle and bustle of that area made the residence undesirable," according to Wayne Craven's book, Gilded Mansions. So Maria Louise's mother built and furnished another brownstone for the couple, this one on 66th Street. The 57th Street building was sold to a business man named Samuel Bowne in 1899. By 1910, most of the mansions on the block were demolished, but No. 35 somehow survived and was converted for commercial and business use. 

In recent years, the first two floors were occupied by restaurants, Cafe Classico and The Great American Health Bar. In 2021, demolition permits were filed by the ownder, Solow Reality, who tried to push out the commercial tenants. However, the tenants had leases that ran through 2040, and the owner of Solow died in 2020. The company in now owned by his son, but no new permits have been filed. Cafe Classico is gone, but The Great American Health Bar is still there. But it's unclear if it's actually still in business. I've seen workers going into the space, but it didn't look like an active business. It stands there in this weird, kind of surreal limbo.  I can't imagine this building remains very much longer.

Sources:

Ephemeral New York: 35 West 57th Street

Dayton in Manhattan 1891 Schieffelin Bowne House

New York Yimby: Demo Permits Filed For 35 West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan

Patch New York: Old Vanderbilt Mansion Billionaires Row Be Demolished

Our Lady of Pompeii, 2011 vs 2014

 I don't often revisit a subject, but when I drew this church in the West Village, I remembered that I'd drawn it before. I didn't realize it had been 13 years! Interesting to see the comparison. I think I've improved a little bit?

Prometheus Take 2

I rarely re-visit the same subject twice, but I was never really happy with the drawing I did of Paul Manship's Prometheus at Rockefeller Center I did before, so when I saw over the summer that there were seating risers in the area where the ice skating rink sits in the winter, I took the opportunity for a do-over.

348 West 23rd St.

 West 23rd St., between 8th and 9th Ave.

In the late 19th century, the area of Chelsea had become a fashionable residential neighborhood featuring brick and brownstone buildings. But a new concept was emerging for affluent people - the apartment house, or "French flats," as an alternative to single family homes. Termed "French flats" to distinguish them from the overcrowded, unhealthy tenements of the lower class, these apartments were gaining in popularity. In 1885, the owner of No. 348 West 23rd St. decided to alter the house into an apartment. He hired Charles Pierrepont Henry Gilbert, a 24-year old engineer and architect who had recently returned to New York from adventures in mining towns in the West. C.P.H. Gilbert would later gain fame as the designer of some of the most opulent mansions in the city. I drew one of his Brooklyn homes a while ago. This was one of his first commissions in the city.

The building was transformed into four apartments - one per floor - that were rented to affluent residents, including men prominent in business and politics. Gilbert's eclectic style is on display with the Queen Anne-style ornamental facade and stained glass windows.

In 1929, the stoops of all the brownstones on the streets were removed for a widening of the street, a project which never happened. Other alterations occurred, including dividing the apartments into smaller units, turning the lower floors into commercial space, removing the stained glass and covering the facade in paint.

The Lilac

The USCGC Lilac is a 1933 steamship that served as a lighthouse tender, carrying supplies to lighthouses and buoys for the U.S. Lighthouse Service and subsequently the U.S. Coast Guard. The last steam-engine ship in the Coast Guard fleet, she was decommissioned in 1972. The Lilac is now owned by the non-profit Lilac Preservation Project, and is docked on the West side of Manhattan at Hudson River Park's Pier 25. She was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Village Cigars

 

110 Seventh Ave. This triangular 373-square-foot space housed Village Cigars for over a century, having occupied the space as Union Cigars in 1922. Its unusual shape and distinctive color and signage made it one of the most distinctive storefronts in the West Village.

It is also well-known for that little triangle seen in front of the front door. In 1910, the city condemned over 300 buildings to be demolished to build the Seventh Ave. subway line. But the city surveyors missed a tiny, triangular piece of the plot at the corner of 7th Ave and Christopher St., a plot holding a five-story building owned by David Hess. The Hess Family refused to relinquish the land, taking the city to court and prevailing. The 27.5" x 27.5" x 25.5" triangle was the smallest piece of private property in New York City history. In 1922, the Hesses installed a mosaic reading "PROPERTY OF THE HESS ESTATE WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN DEDICATED FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES."

Village Cigars was owned by Andy Singh for 26 years, but the business lost its tobacco license and could not settle on a new lease with the building owner. The owner says he plans to retain the look of the storefront, and the building has some protection as it is located within the Greenwich Village historic district, so it cannot be altered without approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Happy Birthday St. Thomas

 

St Thomas Church at the corner of 5th Avenue and 53rd St. celebrates its bicentennial anniversary today. The Episcopalian church was founded on October 12, 1823 in Lower Manhattan. This is the fourth building for the church, with two of the previous three being destroyed by fires. It was designed by Ralph Adams Cram, who also designed the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Amsterdam Ave. and St. Bartholemew's Church on Park Ave., and opened in 1913.

The Benjamin Royal Sonesta

 The Benjamin Royal Sonesta Hotel, on Lexington Ave. at 50th St.

Rockefeller Center: Léon-Victor Solon

While Lee Lawrie receives credit for the most pieces of work at Rockefeller Center, Léon-Victor Solon (1873-1957) created the coloring for more than 87 sculptures. Solon came from a family of distinguished English ceramics artists. He emigrated to the United States in 1909 and began work for tiling companies.

Classically trained in the arts, Solon was particularly fascinated by research into Greek polychromy, the painting schemes originally applied to classical sculpture and architecture. Solon lamented the "dull and lifeless buildings of today" and advocated increased use of color in modern architecture. "A soothing green would be suitable for localities like the Wall Street district where nerves are subject to constant excitement," he wrote. Solon had learned that the German manufacturer Keim had developed a paint that bonded to limestone, which he then used for the Wisdom, Sound and Light sculptures. On the basis of that work, Solon was hired to be the colorist for the entire center, creating color schemes for 87 pieces. So, while Lawrie is credited for 14 pieces in the complex, it could be said that it is Solon's work which is most prevalent throughout the project.

Three more pieces by Lawrie and Solon. Progress is above the 49th St. entrance. It features Columbia, a traditional female symbol of America, holding a flame of divine fire in one hand, and an olive branch, symbol of peace, in the other. She is accompanied by Pegasus, a symbol of inspiration, and an eagle, symbol of power.

Winged Mercury is an intaglio relief above the entrance at 620 Fifth Ave. It represents the wealth and vitality of the British merchant fleets. 

Cornucopia of Plenty, above the entrance at 10 West 51st St., symbolizes "the plentitude that would result from well-organized international trade."

Commerce and Industry With a Caduceus, at 636 Fifth Avenue, is not a Lawrie piece. It's by Attilo Piccirilli, an Italian immigrant whose family is responsible for many of the most famous sculptures in New York City. Attilio was also the sculptor of the statue of Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial. The male figure represents commerce, the female symbolizes industry, and the caduceus is a symbol of Mercury, god of trade.

Rockefeller Center: Atlas and Prometheus

In Greek mythology, Atlas and Prometheus were brothers, both punished by Zeus for transgressions against the pantheon of gods. Prometheus for stealing diving fire from Olympus to give to mortal mankind, and Atlas for siding with the Titans in their revolt against Zeus. Atlas' punishment, forced to bear the weight of the cosmos on his shoulders, is depicted. Prometheus, on the other hand, is shown in the act of his offense. I suppose it is because we mortals would look at his crime as a boon, and also because his punishment is particularly gruesome and not conducive to public art. He was bound to a boulder where an eagle would eat his liver, which would regrow overnight to be eaten again the following day, ad infinitum.

The sculpture of Atlas on Fifth Avenue, situated across from St. Patrick's Cathedral, is probably Lee Lawrie's most famous work . It was created with Rene Paul Chambellan. Lawrie conceived and designed the figure, while Chambellan modeled the sculpture from Lawrie's sketches. It is the largest sculpture at Rockefeller Center, standing a total of 45 feet (14 m) tall. The 15' figure holds a sphere that is 21' (6.4 m) in diameter. Upon its unveiling in 1937, some viewers were reminded of Benito Mussolini, while James Montgomery said that it looked as Mussolini thought he looked.

Cast in 1934, Prometheus is the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center. It is located at the lower plaza, above the skating rink and directly beneath where a giant Christmas tree is annually installed. The gilded bronze sculpture was created by Paul Manship and cast by the Roman Bronze Works in Queens. Leonardo Nole, an Italian-American lifeguard, was the model. The statue measures 60' X 16' (18.3 m by 4.9 m) and weighs 8 tons, and is covered by nearly a pound of gold leaf. The inscription behind it is from Aeschylus: "Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends."

Rockefeller Center: Wisdom, Sound and Light

Rockefeller Center is one of the most iconic locations in a city full of iconic locations. It's a complex of 19 commercial buildings in Midtown Manhattan. Among its most famous tenants are NBC and Radio City Music Hall, as well as home of the famous skating rink and the site of the annual giant Christmas tree.

It was conceived by John D. Rockefeller Jr. during the latter years of the Roaring Twenties. Originally it was intended to be the new home of the Metropolitan Opera, but the opera pulled out and was replaced by RCA (later NBC). Despite the 1929 Stock Market Crash and subsequent Great Depression, Rockefeller pursued the project. It was the largest private building project ever undertaken by private capital. His ambition was to create the "most inspiring example of urban planning that New York has ever seen," and to "demonstrate faith in the country's future when everything was going dead wrong, and to provide work in a time of lengthening breadlines." When construction begin in 1931, 1/3 of the manufacturing firms New York were out of business, and 64% of construction workers were out of work. Rockefeller's development provided employment for tens of thousands of men over the next decade. 

The initial plans for Rockefeller Center, by architects L. Andrew Reinhard and Henry Hofmeister, were met with scorn from critics such as Lewis Mumford, who said they were "bad with an almost juvenile badness." But by its opening in 1940, it was a popular success, with Ira Gershwin writing, "They all laughed at Rockefeller Center, now they're fighting to get in . . . Ha, ha, ha! Who's got the last laugh now?"

From the start, the complex was designed to be filled with public art, roughly focused on the theme, "The March of Civilization." There's an awful lot of Greek mythology-inspired sculptures and friezes that celebrate European colonialism and capitalist industrialism. Lots of swole Art Deco demi-gods celebrating mineral extraction and tobacco and international commerce.

The giant sculpture Wisdom looms over the entrance to 30 Rockefeller Center. It was designed by Lee Lawrie. Lawrie (1877-1963) was a leading American architectural sculptor, creating over 300 commissions in various styles, including Modern Gothic, Beaux-Arts, Classicism, and Art Deco. His family immigrated from Germany to Chicago when he was a young child, and he began working as an assistant to area sculptors at age 15, later receiving a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Yale University. Lawrie created a dozen pieces for Rockefeller Center, the most of any artist.

These two pieces, Sound and Light, flank Wisdom at the entrance to 30 Rock. This was the headquarters of RCA, now NBC (It's where Liz Lemon works on "30 Rock.") Radio and motion pictures were creating the modern media environment. These two figures represent these two industries that were achieving global significance. 

All three are by the team of Lawrie and Léon-Victor Solon. Lawrie designed the sculptures, and Solon applied color using a polychrome technique.

Alleva Dairy

 

Alleva Dairy is a 130-year-old cheese store in Little Italy, located at the corner of Grand and Mulberry Streets. It's known for its fresh ricotta and mozzarella and lays claim to the title of being the oldest cheese shop in America. It was founded in 1892 by Pina Alleva, an immigrant from Benevento, Italy, and ownership passed through subsequent generations of the Alleva family. Also, apparently actor Tony Danza was a co-owner for a while.

Unfortunately, it will close in March after a long dispute with its landlord over back rent. Like so many other businesses, Alleva was a victim of the pandemic. Not only did the tourist trade disappear during the pandemic, but many businesses in the area sourced products from Alleva, and they themselves went under, further reducing Alleva's income. Their last day is March 5.

High Line Water Tower

A water tower near the High Line, an elevated park waterway on the West Side of Manhattan. Water towers like these are an iconic, ubiquitous feature of New York City, but it's not common to find a vantage point close enough to draw one like this.

Canal Rubber

I've been wanting to draw Canal Rubber for, like, years and years, and I finally carved out some time to do it. It's hard to believe it's still there. It's been at this location since 1954, and is one of the most distinctive storefronts on Canal St. It's one of the few of this type of business still left on that stretch, which once had dozens of industrial supply stores. A few others, like Canal Plastics and Canal Lighting, still remain, but the rest of the street has become a weird conglomeration of upscale development, low-end souvenir and knock-off merchandise stores, and vacant buildings, with tons of street vendors lining the sidewalks with counterfeit goods. The building, at the corner of Canal and Greene St., was sold in 2015, but as of now, the business remains. It's not hard to predict that it will be out out sooner or later, though. 

Process shots:

Moribund Churches

 New York is a city of constant change, and every week brings news of another historic building being torn down. But there's one category of building that's in particular danger: churches. There are lots of these old, very big buildings sitting on prime real estate all over the five boroughs, and the fact of the matter is that many have shrinking congregations, and/or are not wealthy enough to maintain those buildings.

One such church is West Park Presbyterian on West 86th St. and Amsterdam Ave. The church has a long history of socially-progressive activism as far back as the 1880s, when it invited in Chinese immigrants at the peak of anti-Asian hysteria, and later was active in the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War protests, the anti-nuclear arms movement, homeless services, and relief during the AIDS epidemic.

The initial building was built in 1854, which was then incorporated into a larger structure in 1890. Built in the Romanesque Revival style and faced in deep red sandstone, it was landmarked in 2010. You might think that its landmark status would protect this building from demolition, and usually it would. But in a twist, it is the church itself that is asking for its landmark status to be revoked so it can be sold to a developer.

Some members of the congregation, including the pastor at the time, had opposed the building being landmarked in the first place. Landmark status doesn't just prevent a structure from being demolished, it also places responsibility on the owner to preserve and maintain it, which can become a significant burden. The West Park congregation has dwindled to about a dozen, and it simply can't afford to maintain the large building, which has significant deterioration. Of course, there's a lot of local opposition to having the church torn down to be replaced by what's sure to be an ugly and soulless (and unaffordable) glass tower, but those persons don't have to come up with the money to restore it. A non-profit arts organization which currently rents space in the church is trying to raise money to purchase it, but that seems like a stretch.

Another church whose demise seems imminent is this one in Park Slope, Brooklyn. It was originally founded as St. Matthews Lutheran by German immigrants. Built in 1895, it was designed by Laurence B. Valk and son Arthur, who were responsible for several other Brooklyn churches. Over the years, the building changed bands several times, becoming St Matthew-Emmanuel Lutheran, then the non-denominational Marantha Temple, and then sold in 1985 to the Mission for Today Holy Tabernacle Church.

Originally the steeple was topped by a pitched roof with a metal cornice featuring gargoyles, with shutters on the steeple windows, and natural buff-color bricks. At some point, the metal cornice, gargoyles, and steeple roof were removed, and the building was painted deep red. I'd guess those changes would have prevented it from ever being landmarked, and now it is pretty run down. It's unclear to me if it houses any congregation now. It looks like there's a pre-school in operation there, and some other community-based organizations. While it's not know what is being planned for the site, demolition plans are already on file.

The Church in 1944, with original cornice and roof. (Source: Brooklyn Public Library)

More info:

Landmarks Commission History of West Park Presbyterian

Gothamist: West Park Presbyterian Church on Manhattan's Upper West Side Faces a Mortal Threat: The Wrecking Ball

Brownstoner.com: Building of the day: 306 Sixth Avenue

Patch: Demolition Permits Filed For 126-Year-Old Park Slope Church