Stars Shine at Eldridge Street Synagogue

An early design illustration of the new window stained glass window design. Photo illustration by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates

 On October 10th The Museum at Eldridge Street (aka Eldridge Street Synagogue) will celebrate the installation of a magnificent new stained glass window designed by Kiki Smith and Deborah Gans, created by The Gil Studio. 

The new east window was commissioned to replace a glass-block window installed in the 1940s after the original was damaged and ultimately removed.  The monumental round window will occupy the focal point of the sanctuary. While there was no documentation of the original window's design, the new window design is a sensitive, yet modern, intervention into this National Historic Landmark.

On Monday, Eyewitness News aired this bit about constructing the window:

According to the Museum's website, the project has been substantially supported by the likes of  American Express, The David Berg Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The David Geffen Foundation, and the City of New York.

For those still curious, here's a bit from The New Yorker written by Paul Goldberger about the window project. "She Does Windows"

For those even more curious, The Museum at Eldridge Street will host a conversation with Kiki Smith and Deborah Gans on Wednesday, November 17th at 6:30pm. Tickets are $15, $12 for students and seniors.

Photo Friday: Feast of San Gennaro

The Feast of San Gennaro along Mulberry Street, September 21, 2010 5:29pm. Photo by The Preservator.

This week the 85th Feast of San Gennaro is being celebrated along the length of Mott and Mulberry streets in New York City's Little Italy (Chinatown? Five Points? Two Bridges?).  The feast honors the martyrdom of San Gennaro, the Patron Saint of Naples, and has been held in Little Italy since 1926, centered around the National Shrine to San Gennaro at the Church of Most Precious Blood (just around the corner at 113 Baxter Street). The feast runs through Sunday, September 26th.  

For a full and colorful explanation of the Feast, check out this two part series from The Bowery Boys in 2007.
Part 1: Blood and Sideshows
Part 2: Most Precious Blood

Choose Your Scaffolding Adventure: urbancanvas Design Competition

One of the eight urbancanvas finalists: "My Urban Sky," by Jen Magathan

New York City's urbancanvas Design Competition is aiming to dress up dress up the otherwise bland fixtures of  construction sites - sidewalk sheds, construction fencing, scaffolding and protective netting - in a temporary artsy new skin. The contest is being held by the departments of Buildings and Cultural Affairs in an effort to create a positive, attractive, and interesting additions to New York City's urban environment while buildings are under construction. The hope is to enhance the public realm with artwork that is broadly accessible, created in a flexible system that can be adapted to different scale buildings in different settings.

Of the 700-plus artists who registered for the competition, eight finalists were selected by a jury this summer. Today the finalists were announced and are currently up for public vote until October 1. The four artists that get the most votes will not only see their designs beautifying New York City's construction sites but will receive $7500 from the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation. And, of course, we the people get something to enliven the otherwise unattractive city-owned buildings under construction.

View and vote for the designs here.

Old Fulton Street

 Three historic buildings on Brooklyn's Old Fulton Street are facing the possibility of demolition. Numbers 11, 13 and 15 Old Fulton Street were built in the late 1830s when this was a busy commercial district around the Fulton Ferry landing at the river's edge. They predate the Brooklyn Bridge by nearly 50 years.

The three properties have been under vacate orders for months because their rear wall is in danger of collapse.
One reason the buildings are unstable is because they are built on poor fill, and the ground has settled over time. Another reason appears to be owner neglect. The good news: the owners recently removed tons of debris to lighten the loads within the buildings, and are now in negotiations with the city to avoid demolition.

The Fulton Ferry Historic District was designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1977. It's a small district and with these three buildings lost, it would certainly lose some integrity. With the increased development of DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park this area is seeing much more attention and it would be great to see these buildings restored. The neglect these buildings have suffered is a shame. It would be sadder still to lose them altogether.

 Photo via National Park Service

Above you can see what the north side of Old Fulton Street looked like in 1974 when the Fulton Ferry National Register district was designated. The buildings at 11-15 Old Fulton are to the right of the gap in the buildings.

For more info:
Brooklyn Paper, "Historic Building Could Be Destroyed on Old Fulton Street"
DumboNYC.Com "Update on 11-15 Old Fulton Street Demolition"
Fulton Ferry Landing Association "11-15 Old Fulton Update"

All color photos by The Preservator.

Photo Friday: The Sphere, Battery Park

"The Sphere", Battery Park, NYC. September 10, 2010. Photo by The Preservator.

The plaque at "The Sphere" reads as follows:

For three decades, this sculpture stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center. Entitled "The Sphere", it was conceived by artist Fritz Koenig as a symbol of world peace. It was damaged during the tragic events of September 11, 2001, but endures as an icon of hope and the indestructible spirit of this country. The Sphere was placed here on March 11, 2002 as a temporary memorial to all who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. This eternal flame was ignited on September 11, 2002 in honor of all those that were lost. Their spirit and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

 
This week, "The Sphere" is surrounded  by flags that say "Flag of Honor" or "Flag of Heroes." The Honor flag has the names of first responders who lost their lives and the Heroes flag has the names of everyone who died in the four attacks on September 11th. 

The Tree of Liberty: Federal Hall

Tucked into Lower Manhattan's intimate colonial streets sits a quiet landmark, hidden in plain sight. Federal Hall may be overshadowed by its saucier neighbor, the New York Stock Exchange, but its stately form and its cultural significance make it a site worth visiting.

When New York was the nation's capitol city, Lower Manhattan saw a lot of action. The intersection of Wall, Broad, and Nassau streets is one of the most significant locations in all of the city. Here, outside of the original Federal Hall, George Washington gave his first inaugural address. On this site Congress debated and ratified the Bill of Rights, and the judiciary held the first trial over freedom of the press. After the national capital relocated to Philadelphia in 1790, the Federal Hall became New York's City Hall again. In 1812 the original building was demolished.

The Federal Hall we see today is a handsome classical revival building designed by Ithiel Town and Andrew Jackson Davis, and built in 1842 as a custom house. Town & Davis chose monumental Doric columns outside as a nod to the ideals of Greek democracy. The interior's main domed chamber, designed by John Frazee, borrows from the Roman Pantheon. After the Customs House opened at Bowling Green, the building became the sub-treasury, housing millions of gold and silver in its vaults. In 1939 the building was designated a National Historic Site, more recently it was designated an interior and exterior city landmark.


Federal Hall National Memorial is open to the public, managed by the National Park Service. Admission is free and it's open 9-5. A visit on any given day will reveal tourists snapping pictures, New Yorkers noshing on the steps below George Washington's statue.

The cool classical restraint of the Federal Hall's exterior communicates strength and permanence, the interior conveys power yet approachability. How American. After the attacks on September 11, 2001 Federal Hall's existing structural issues became pressing emergencies. The building was reinforced, restored, and reopened in 2006. Federal Hall is a beautiful expression of democratic ideals, and despite deeply unsettling days, it stands resolute.

All Photos by The Preservator.

Photo Friday: Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Fragrance Garden Gate at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. 
August 29, 2010. Photo by Shrimpcracker.

The Fragrance Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden was created in the 1950s and is a garden designed for the seeing-impared. The signage is also in braille and the plantings are selected to heighten the other senses: they are meant to be touched and smelled.  

Happy Labor Day weekend, all.