Iris

 Life drawing session from the weekend. Model's name was Iris.

The Obama Center

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois.

The text that wraps around the upper floors is from Obama's 2015 speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights March in Selma. It reads:

"You are America. Unconstrained by habit and convention. Unencumbered by what is, ready to seize what ought to be. For everywhere in this country, there are first steps to be taken, there is new ground to cover, there are more bridges to be crossed.

America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word 'We.' 'We The People.' 'We Shall Overcome.' 'Yes We Can.' That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone.

Oh, what a glorious task we are given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours."

Happy Fourth of July.

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.

Prospect Place

 

This Queen Anne-style house is on Prospect Place in Park Slope. Built in 1887, it was designed by C.P.H. Gilbert. Gilbert was known for designing mansions for the elites of Manhattan, but his first New York projects were residences in Park Slope. I drawn a few of his houses before, here and here.

Jabara

 

This grave in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery is a copy of a neo-classical sculpture known as the Monteverde Angel of the Resurrection Angel. Most of the angel statues you see in cemeteries are copies of other sculptures. There are many copies of this angel in cemeteries around the globe. The original marble version of this statue was carved in 1882 by the Italian artist Giulio Monteverde for the Oneto family tomb at Staglieno Cemetery in Genova, Italy. There's at least one other Monteverde Angel in Green-Wood. Moneverde even made a copy for his own family's tomb in Rome.

The people buried here are Frederick Massound and Katherine Milkie Jabara. They were immigrants from Syria. Frederick founded F.M. Jabara & Sons, a successful linen import business, in 1908. Frederick died in 1949. Katherine lived until 1982, passing away in California at the age of 96.

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.