Hunters Point, Queens; P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center

P.S. 1 is an exciting, cutting edge experimental art center, affiliated with MOMA and located in Long Island City, a burgeoning artistic hub. The center is literally an experimental space, not a museum with a permanent collection, and the setting, itself, is unusual. P.S. 1 was a school building in the 19th century, and the original structure remains intact. It is fun to walk the halls and find exhibits tucked away in a boiler room or a swimming pool you can walk under or a former classroom housing a unicorn. The experience and arrangement of space is very much a focus here. The exhibits change frequently and are too new to categorize. One fascinating production, by the auditory artist Janet Cardiff, had visitors walking through the school corridors wearing headphones and listening to Ms. Cardiff whisper directions: 'Now go behind the stairs. Here it is. This is the place. Sit down and wait...Close your eyes." The stimuli are multi-dimensional, and the interpretations are uniquely individual.

The art center emerged in the 1970's when the abandoned school building was saved from oblivion by Alanna Heiss of The Institute for Art and Urban Resources, whose mission it was to convert abandoned buildings into artistic spaces. The history and evolution of the building is itself, colorful. P.S. 1 was constructed during the tenure of Long Island City mayor Patrick J. Gleason and the building was at the center of a fiscal scandal that led to the mayor's being voted out of office. He refused to leave, requiring the court to intercede, but managed to destroy the contracts and documents relating to the school before he stepped down. Consequently, to this day the architect of P.S. 1 is unknown. But Gleason reappeared, regaining office for a brief, one-term period preceding the incorporation of Long Island City into the City of New York in 1898.

During the area's heyday, when Hunters Point was a transportation hub, the school was overcrowded. The building was then enlarged in anticipation of even higher enrollment, which never came to pass. The closing of the ferry lines and the construction of the Queensboro Bridge isolated the area from Manhattan and the rest of Queens. By the 1960's, the residential population had shrunk and the school, no longer needed, was abandoned and its beautiful clock tower was razed.

Happily, the area is no longer isolated and, changing yet again, has become an artistic hub. Not far are the 5 Pointz Graffiti Mecca, Noguchi museum, and Socrates Sculpture Park. The museum is open noon to 6pm, Thursday to Monday.

DUMBO: Gair Buildings

One of the first things you notice in DUMBO is the prevalence of old factory buildings designated as Gair Buildings. Robert Gair, a Scotsman, was at the commercial forefront as well as the waterfront. His innovations are very much a part of our lives today, in the design of our factory buildings and in our food packaging.

Gair discovered a technique for mass producing printed cardboard boxes when his printing press accidentally cut through the cardboard and he realized that printing and cutting could both be done mechanically. He used this technique to create the showy cartons we see on the shelves of our supermarkets.

When he was building his third factory, on the Brooklyn waterfront in the 1890’s, Gair began to use a new building technique employing reinforced concrete. He was persuaded to do so by Dixon and Turner, the engineers and founders of Turner Construction Company, the pioneers of concrete construction and a corporation which, today, has annual revenues of over $4 billion. They convinced Gair that this new material would permit the installation of expansive windows, allowing more light and ventilation in the buildings.

Gair stated that he owed much of his success in life to what he learned as a soldier in the Civil War. He was a member of the 79th New York Highland Regiment, the first to answer Abraham Lincoln's call to defend the union. Gair admired Lincoln's clear vision and business acuity, particularly praising Lincoln's decision to place power in the hands of generals in the battlefield. Speaking of his war experience and insight, Gair said that he learned to "... never duck, stay with it until you are mustered out or you are knocked over.... You hear people talk about what a mule can endure. A man, with a head upon his shoulders, who can say no when tempted, can outwork and outlast a dozen mules if he takes no chances.” Robert Gair’s choices were imbued with his willingness to work and determination to endure.

By the time Gair died in 1927 he had moved his factories to Piermont, and the 10 factory buildings connected by railroads and tunnels were being leased in the area then known as Gairville. The area became an exclusive hub of factory and other commercial interests, which declined in the 1930’s. The rebirth of the area began in the 1970’s when artists moved in. Subsequent conversions of many factories into condominiums gave both the area and the factory buildings a new life.

Bedford-Stuyvesant: Hancock Street

In the 1890's the New York Times called Hancock Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant one of the most attractive residential spots in Brooklyn and so it was and still is. The street is lined with three and four-story homes built for prominent citizens in an array of styles from Queen Anne brick and terracotta structures to a High Renaissance mansion. The original inhabitants, while people of wealth and achievement, were not immune to personal hardships and tragedy.

One of the simplest homes on the street is a brownstone located at 176 Hancock Street, whose owner, Augustus Van Wyck, was one of the first residents on the block. While not an elaborate house, it did have a extensive judicial library. Van Wyck was the 7th generation descendant of Cornelius Van Wyck, who arrived in New York from Holland in 1650. Augustus Van Wyck ran for governor against Teddy Roosevelt and was narrowly defeated. Like Teddy Roosevelt, he married a southern belle who was a member of the Daughters of the Confederacy.

At 247 Hancock is a 60 foot-wide mansion, the Queen of Hancock Street. It was designed in the High Renaissance style by the architect Montrose W. Morris and is an emblem of this community of prestige and wealth. Today, it is still a one-family home. It was built for John C. Kelly, who was a leader in the powerful Reform Democrats of Brooklyn. Kelly was born in Ireland and made his fortune manufacturing water meters in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In 1895 he was appointed by President Cleveland to be the Collector of Internal Revenue. Kelly also served as President of the Board of Education.

At 258 Hancock Street, tragedy struck when the mother, Mrs. Emily Salmon and her daughter, Mrs. Tooker, were out riding in their horse and buggy along Eastern Parkway. The horse was spooked and bolted into the Plaza at Prospect Park. The carriage overturned, killing Mrs. Salmon, while Mrs. Tooker escaped with only a broken ankle. It is interesting to note that, according to The New York Times, both were excellent drivers.


318 Hancock Street has not fared well. The building and its immediate neighbors are, today, in notable disrepair. Ironically, the original inhabitants of this simple brownstone building did not fare well, either. The building was the scene of violence and scandal when in July of 1901 Mr. Albert C. Latimer was killed and the grand jury debated the details of the crime. According to the New York Times, Mrs. Latimer maintained that a burglar shot her husband. However, Mr. Latimer claimed on his deathbed that he knew the gunman, and a private detective testified before the grand jury to having been hired by Mr. Latimer to do surveillance at the home of one Mr. Tuthill, whom Mr. Latimer suspected of having a liaison with his wife. The decision of the grand jury was that the killer was unknown.

Hancock Street, itself, remains the beautiful place it was originally. The grandeur of the architecture is largely intact and reflects the sense of pride and strength of the original and current inhabitants.

Lower Manhattan: James Watson House & Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Nestled among the skyscrapers near the water's edge is a federal style row house built for James Watson, a wealthy merchant, in 1794. It now serves as the rectory for the church next to it, the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, built in the 1960's in complementary style. The church houses the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who was the first American to be canonized and who once lived in the house that Watson built.

The Watson House is the last remaining example of the typical row house that lined the streets of the area in the early 1800's. The house was designed by John McComb, whose impressive list of buildings includes City Hall and Gracie Mansion. The location was perfect for the merchant to keep an eye on the harbor where the safe arrival of ships was crucial to his livelihood.

By the 1880's the city was expanding at a rapid rate. Large numbers of immigrants were entering the city only a block away at Clinton Castle, the immigrant processing facility for New York. Charlotte Grace O'Brien, an Irish writer and activist, arranged to have the house turned over to Our Lady of the Rosary to serve as a home for Irish immigrant girls. She wrote prodigiously about the terrible conditions that the young women faced when they arrived in America and succeeded in awakening consciousness and creating a safe haven for the women. Although Charlotte O'Brien was born into a wealthy Protestant family, she converted to Catholicism out of sympathy with the Irish peasants.

The first American saint, whose shrine is in the Church, was also a convert to Catholicism. Elizabeth Bailey was born in New York City in 1774 and married William Seton. After his death she converted to Catholicism. She, her children and her sisters-in-law, who also converted, moved to Maryland where they started The Sisters of Charity and founded the American parochial school system.

These two enduring buildings stand at the harbor as a shining beacon dedicated to the humanitarianism that was the hallmark of these two extraordinary women. Through their personal changes they brought about social changes.

The church and the shrine are open to the public, but it is not possible to tour the Watson House.

Lower Manhattan: Trinity Church Churchyard

The Trinity Churchyard, located at Wall Street and Broadway, was originally the northern boundary of the fortified Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. The land on which the church and cemetery now stand was first used as the Governor's orchard and garden and later a burial ground. When the Church of England purchased the land in 1696, almost seventy five years after the founding of New Amsterdam, they continued using the old Dutch cemetery for their congregants.

Among those buried here are several giants of American history such as Alexander Hamilton (First Secretary of the Treasury), Robert Fulton (inventor of the steamboat), Captain James Lawrence (naval officer who uttered the famous dying words "Don’t give up the ship!"), and Albert Gallatin (founder of the House Committee on Finance and NYU). Amidst the graves of these well-known historical figures is the grave of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, the widow of Alexander Hamilton, who died in the infamous duel with Aaron Burr. Hamilton's death left her destitute. She nevertheless defended his reputation against sexual scandals and financial improprieties and went on to found the New York Orphan Asylum Society in 1806, an agency that still functions today under the name of Graham-Windham.

Another page of American History is represented by the grave of Charlotte Temple, the eponymous heroine of the book, Charlotte: A Tale of Truth, by Susanna Rowson. The book was published in 1794 and became America’s first best seller and is still in print today. Charlotte's life is the stuff of opera librettos. She was seduced by an officer in the British Army, brought to America unbeknownst to her family. She was then abandoned, left pregnant, alone and penniless in the New World. Her heartbroken parents searched for their only child. Her father arrived in America just before she died after giving birth to a daughter named Lucy.

There are many people with interesting stories buried here. Take a walk through the churchyard, choose a name that catches your fancy and google away.

Staten Island: Fresh Kills Park

The world largest garbage dump or landfill is in the process of being transformed into New York City’s newest park. It will be three times the size of Central Park and completely man made. The name Fresh Kill originated with the Dutch. A kille is a water channel and Fresh Kills is the name of the spring that flows through the area. The park will restore freshness to this area of Staten Island where wildlife was once abundant.

The process of converting the landfill into a gorgeous park is complex but extremely effective. The waste is first covered with soil which is covered with a plastic liner, to which a drain for the sludge (leachate) is added. Then all is covered with another barrier of soil and a layer of planting soil...Gas vents are inserted to collect the methane gas that is generated by the fermenting garbage. Voila, a park is created that is not only incredibly beautiful but also environmentally safe, with a sophisticated monitoring system.

There is much work to be done and the process will take thirty years to complete. Some sections may be opened in 5 to 10 bureaucratic years. In the meantime, Urban Rangers team up with other environmental agencies to provide tours of the developing park. They drive you in their minibus to the top of the mountain on a winding dirt road where the views are incredible.

Also incredible is the growing wildlife population. The first deer arrived this spring, joining the growing population of animals at the Fresh Kills Park. Who knows what next spring will bring.

Lower Manhattan: Federal Reserve Building

The security here is tighter than at the airport. The vault itself is five flights down and the view inside the vault is dazzling, with billions of dollars of gold bullion displayed. The present for taking the tour provided is a bag of shredded money.

The Federal Reserve building is a modeled after a Florentine palace that was designed by York and Sawyer. Its hallways are austere stone walls with no place to hide. In order to hold the weight of the gold, the vault rests on bedrock 80 feet down, 50 feet below sea level.

Thirty percent of the world's gold is located in this vault. While most of the US gold is kept in other reserve banks, the NY Federal Reserve Bank is the keeper of gold that belongs to other countries, the names of which remain secret.

Free tours of the vault are available Monday to Friday. Advance sign-up on their website or by phone is required. No personal belongings are allowed on the tour and there are lockers provided for them. In addition to the gold vaults, there are exhibitions. Be rest assured there are always security persons nearby to answer any questions you might have.