Skidmore House: Gem of the Bowery







Intersection near Skidmore House (4th and Bowery) - 1907

The landmark Skidmore House at Bowery and 4th Street is one of the last vestiges of the Bowery's vivid past.  The Bowery area was America's most notorious skid row in the early 19th century, frequented by the city's most prominent derelicts - prostitutes, drunkards, vagrants, etc.  The Encyclopedia of New York City notes that early in the twentieth century the Bowery was such an infamous place of squalor, alcoholism, and wretchedness that even prostitutes gravitated to other neighborhoods.  "No other skid row in the United States attracted so many vagrants or so much notoriety."  Also distinct of the area was the above-ground train tracks above the Bowery that have since been taken down.





Skidmore House - 2013

Thankfully, the Bowery area has entered a resurgence in the last decade and is one of the city's most desirable rental areas.  Built in 1845, the Skidmore House is a Greek-revival townhouse that was formerly home to dry goods merchant Samuel Tredwell Skidmore (1801-1881), his wife Angelina, and their eight children.  When the Skidmore's moved into the "Bond-street area" as it was called at that time (now it's called "NoHo"), the area was one of the wealthiest in the city.  For example, when Charles Dickens visited Manhattan in 1842, he was entertained at the townhomes across the street according to the New York Times.

 Samuel's cousin Seabury Tredwell lived four houses down at what has been turned into the Merchant Museum, the only perfectly preserved 19th century townhome in the city according to the museum.  When Samuel climbed the 8 steps from street level to the townhome's entrance back in the nineteenth century, he was greeted by his wife and 8 children.  Like many townhomes of the period, the Skidmore house contains a "jewelbox" area between the outside door and the door into the house.  It was here that guests would announce themselves and wait to see whomever they were calling on.  The ground floor was likely used by the Skidmore's for their day-to-day living.  The fourth floor, the top floor of the building, was likely a servant's quarter and storage attic.  The Tredwell house four doors down employed four female servants that worked for around $3/month, according to the staff at the Merchant House.  The Skidmore family likely used the first floor for welcoming guests to dinner parties or social gatherings.  "Sociables" were common at the time and Samuel Skidmore frequently wrote about them in his diary:


"April 28, 1858.  I hurried home as I had to go to a confounded 'Sociable' at the Tredwells'.  Ben & I went in about 9 1/2 PM.  Not a great many there.  The evening was decidedly stiff but on the whole passably good for a 'sociable.'"

Samuel Skidmore died in the townhome in 1881 and the family subsequently left the townhome in 1883.  At this time, the once-coveted area around the Bowery had fallen into disarray where it remained for most of the twentieth century.


Skidmore House (right) and Merchant Museum (left) - 2004

The Landmark Preservation Committee awarded the Skidmore House landmark status in 1970 describing it as "unusually impressive."  Little is known about what happened to Skidmore House from 1883-1970, but the staff at the Merchant's Museum said it was likely rented to various people.  The ground floor is said to have been rented by the Alpha Mu Sigma fraternity of Cooper Union from 1962-1965 until a fire displaced the fraternity and seriously damaged the building.  Skidmore House fell into extreme disarray in the latter half of the twentieth century with the roof actually imploding around 2004.  During this period, the house is said to have been occupied by vagrant squatters who stole some of the building's unique features, including a charming "Skidmore" bell that once adorned the building's façade, according to the staff at the Merchant House.  The Landmark Preservation Committee sued the building's owner, and in 2004 won a Court order that the building be repaired. 


Skidmore House's neighboring rental building (2 Cooper) and its pool

The building was subsequently leased to a development group that committed to repairing the building in exchange for a favorable zoning ruling that allowed it to build a 134 unit condo building next door.  In 2011, the building's interior was gutted and 10 apartment rental units - all unique to each other - were built.  In 2013, an average one bedroom rented for about $4500/month for roughly 500 square feet.  But the best perk of all was that all residents of Skidmore House are entitled to use the amenities in the neighboring 2 Cooper high rise apartment building.  2 Cooper includes a pool on the top floor with 360 degree views of the city.  It is arguably the best pool in all of Manhattan.

The pool scene at 2 Cooper on a hot summer day in 2013

Origins of Chelsea...and Santa Clause

Moore's poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"

A version of this story was published in the New York Times on December 15, 2013.

Clement Moore is widely recognized for writing "A Visit from St. Nicholas," the iconic Christmas poem that defined many modern conceptions of Santa Clause and famously begins "'Twas the night before Christmas..."  Moore is less known for his role in developing the Manhattan village of Chelsea, which has its origins in Moore's carving up his mansion and farmland named "Chelsea" that spanned modern day 8th to 10th avenues and between 19th and 24th streets, into lots to sell to wealthy New Yorkers.

As the city of New York grew north, a commission was established to evaluate how best to establish the streets and avenues of the burgeoning city.  That commission laid out a plan for a grid system of streets and avenues in the Commissioner's Plan of 1811.  Not all New Yorkers celebrated the plan, including Clement Moore who was so outraged that he penned a vehement sixty page opposition addressed to fellow land owners impacted by the plan, noting the plan wrongfully deprived land owners of land required to make room for the new streets and avenues, forced land owners' fences to be torn down and put back up, and even caused some (himself included) to tear down their beloved apple trees in the process.

Clement Moore (1779-1863)

Beyond his distaste for the "cutting and carving up of the property of others," Moore slammed the plan as de-beautifying Manhattan by its call to flatten the Manhattan terrain.  These commissioners "would have cut down the seven hills of Rome," according to Moore.  While the commissioners attempted to appease property owners with the gain in financial value to their land that would result from the grid, Moore laughed at this notion as pure speculation rooted not in facts but some "spirit of divination."

As all New Yorkers know, Moore's rhetoric did not stop the grid from being implemented.  Left with no choice but to embrace the grid, Moore began the development of Chelsea around 1830 by dividing up tracts of land for sale.  One of the earliest maps of Chelsea is Moore's 1835 map of property showing the developmental plan of Chelsea from 8th to 10th avenues and 19th to 24th streets.  Moore envisioned Chelsea as an upstanding residential neighborhood, and included in the deed covenants architectural requirements, lot front coverage and setbacks, and provisions maintaining the land for residential use and prohibiting use for stables, trade, or manufacturing.



"Map of Property Belonging to C.C. Moore at Chelsea 1835"

Moore also donated land from his apple orchard to the Episcopal Diocese for construction of the General Theological Seminary.  Moore required that the Episcopal Diocese issue him a mortgage for $7,320, the estimated value of the full square block of Manhattan real estate from 9th to 10th avenues and in between 20th and 21st streets, with instructions that the Diocese pay him principal and interest if the land is ever used for purposed other than a seminary.  Moore became the seminary's first professor of Greek and Hebrew literature.  A stodgy academic, Moore published such works as the two-volume tome "A Compendious Lexicon of the Hebrew language."

It is ironic that Moore, perhaps the father of Chelsea and a rigid academic, also penned the Christmas poem which engendered many of the modern conceptions of Santa Clause, the "jolly old elf" with a reindeer-pulled sleigh who makes his Christmas Eve ride.  Moore wrote the poem when he was just 24 to read to his children as entertainment.  According to legend, Moore penned the poem on Christmas Eve of 1822 after he took a snowy sleigh ride home from market in Greenwich Village driven by a roly-poly Dutchman, who served as his inspiration for St. Nick.  The poem was published anonymously in the New York newspaper the Sentinel in 1823, perhaps so that Moore's academic reputation would not be diminished by a silly Christmas poem he once dismissed as a "mere trifle," but Moore subsequently claimed credit for the work more than a decade later.

House of Death

 

West 10th street in Greenwich Village is perhaps the most beautiful street in all of Manhattan.  Before the Civil War, the townhomes around Washington Square Park were a fashionable place to live.  In 1857, a Greek Revival townhome was built at 14 W. 10th St.  According to New York lore, it is the site of more than 22 deaths and the most haunted location in Manhattan.

26 years ago today, on November 1, 1987, Joel Steinberg, a prominent criminal attorney, bludgeoned his 6 year old daughter Lisa to death on the second floor in one of the most shocking crimes in New York history.  According to Court records, Lisa endured 6 years of physical and psychological abuse from Mr. Steinberg's sadomasochistic fantasies until one night he took it too far.  The trial became a national news sensation with the house being dubbed the House of Death.

But the history of the House of Death goes back much farther.  Mark Twain lived here from 1900-1901 and allegedly called the house his most beloved residence.  He lived here when he was 65, but threw lavish parties here.  Reports have indicated that he still haunts the parlor floor of the house.  When Broadway actress Jan Bryant Bartell moved in the 1950s, she felt and saw abnormal presences - saw ghosts, heard noises, felt paranormal activity.  She was so convinced by what she saw that she changed her views on the paranormal and even published a book about her experiences in the home called Spindrift: Spray from a Psychic Sea.



In it, Bartell recounts that the paranormal activity she felt caused her so much concern that she spoke with the long time superintendent about whether he had any complaints.  According to the superintendent, a mother and daughter in the 1930s reported visiting the home when night before the lamps were lit and seeing Mark Twain, wild white hair and all, on the parlor floor.  Apparently he told them, "My name is Clemens and I got problems here I gotta settle." 

Turtle Bay Treasures

Which New York neighborhood has the wealthiest property?  The high-rise coops on 5th avenue overlooking Central Park certainly come to mind.  But let's not forget the townhomes surrounding Gramercy Park, including the "finest house in New York" at 19 Gramercy Park South.  But after a stroll through Turtle Bay (the area of midtown Manhattan between 43rd and 53rd street and east of Lexington Ave) certainly has "swank."

Overlooking the Hudson River at 1 Sutton Place (near 57th st) is the home of Teresa Heinz, heiress to the Heinz fortune and wife of Secretary of State John Kerry.  The home was built for the wealthy Mrs. William Vanderbilt, who was induced to move from her 5th avenue brownstone to Sutton Place by developers of the new Sutton Place enclave.  The goal was for Vanderbilt to act as "window dressing" to get people to move further east to Sutton Place.  Next door, at 3 Sutton Place, is the home of the Secretary General of the UN.  According to a 1994 New York times, a 2 bedroom, 2 bath home at 20 Sutton Place was on the market for $335,000, quite a steal in today's market.


Down the street from the Heinz mansion, is the former home of John D. Rockefeller, at 1 Beekman Place (near 50th st overlooking the East River).  Beekman Street is one of the wealthiest and smallest in all of Manhattan.   Irving Berlin, the composer of "White Christmas" fame lived for 40 years at 17 Beekman place until he passed away at the age of 101.  It now houses the Luxemburg government in New York City.

A few feet away is 39 Beekman place, a 5,300 square foot, 5 story townhome that appears to be valued at $7.3 million.  Interestingly, Aristotle Onassis purchased the home in 1968 for his new bride Jackie Kennedy.  The paparazzi set up shop full time next door, and the new couple never moved in.  The image to the rest shows the back side of the mansion.  It has plenty of outdoor space to barbeque and take in the scenic East River views, overlooking Queens and Roosevelt Island.

Finally, just east of 58th and Sutton Place leads to Riverview Terrace, shown to the bottom right.  It is one of the most private cul-de-sacs in all of Manhattan, complete with a private guard gate and cobble stonesstreet not open to the public.  It even

has private garages for each of the six row homes.  Who knew Manhattan had a private street?  The homes are elegant beauties, each in their own way.  A 1921 New York Times article described the homes at Riverview Terrace as "settled in the 1870s by nice people who were erratic enough to prefer a view of the river to a more convenient location."  Looks like they had it right, and the location sure makes for a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Turtle Bay has many lush properties to brag about, but the homes at Riverview Terrace may just be the best.




 

The Ghosts of West Village

On a crisp fall day, I decided to check out some of West Village's charm and past.  It certainly did not disappoint, and by the end of my walk I was surprised how little I knew about the neighborhood and how much I had missed on my many trips through it.  First stop was Marie's Crisis Café at 59 Grove St (off 7th avenue).  It's currently a vibrant piano bar that usually stays open until the wee hours of the morning, but it has an interesting past. 


Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense (1776), died there in 1809.  After the American Revolution, Paine moved to France and became actively involved in the French Revolution.  He returned to New York City in 1802 and lived at 59 Grove Street until his death in 1809.  He became ostracized for his later works denouncing institutionalized religion, and only six people attended his funeral.

The plaque on the wall that the two people are looking at in the picture contains his epitaph: "The world is my country, to do good is my religion, and all mankind are my brethren."  The spot was turned into a brothel from 1850-1890, and later a speakeasy during prohibition.  The bar was renamed in honor of Paine's "Crisis" pamphlets during the American Revolutionary War.


Just down the street from Marie's Crisis Café is the narrowest house in New York.  At just 9.5 feet wide and 30 feet deep, 75 1/2 Bedford Street is a house on a diet.  Despite its small size, it was purchased in 2010 for the hefty price of $2 million dollars.  One year later, it was put on the market for $4.3 million.  The home's unique size is due to the fact the lot originally served as a carriage entrance to the adjacent homes' stables.  The house also served as the home of actor Cary Grant, who apparently didn't suffer claustrophobia.

A short walk west led to the White Horse Tavern, yet another gem in the neighborhood at 567 Hudson St.  The bar opened in 1880, but gained its fame during the 1950s and 60s when Bohemian authors frequented the watering hole.  According to legend n November 8, 1953, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, whose works include "Do not got gentle into that good night," drank 18 whiskies there before dying the next morning at the nearby Chelsea Hotel.  Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, and Hunter Thompson also frequented the Tavern.  The next time you are in West Village, take a look around.  The ghosts of West Village are everywhere! 

 

1939 World's Fair

It's not very common that I find eye-witness testimony about the material I write about.  Writing about events that took place decades or centuries a good offers an interesting glimpse into the past, but few are still around to tell about it.

This past weekend at my brother's wedding, I met an 88-year-old woman who told me she visited New York City once, 74 years ago.  The year was 1939 and she took a Greyhound bus from South Carolina to New York City to visit the 1939 World's Fair.  What was this event that was apparently compelling enough for her to endure a 3 day bus ride?

Souvenir Booklet of 1939 World's Fair

Stamp showing the "Perisphere"

People Entering the Perisphere

 The 1939 World's Fair took place on the current site of the Met's Stadium in Queens.  Over 44 million people attended the event.  At the center of the grounds was the "Perisphere" a dome-shaped construction which become symbolic of the 1939 World's Fair.  The 180 foot diameter dome featured "Democracity," a model city of the future, which was viewed from a moving escalator.

The 1200+ acre grounds for the event were divided into zones, including a Transportation zone, Communications and Business Zone, Food Zone, and Government Zone, with a focus on the future. 
The Transportation zone, for example, featured new automobiles from GM and Chrysler which could be viewed in a room cooled by air-conditioning, a novelty at the time.  The purpose of the event was to uplift the human spirit following the Great Depression of the 1930s and to strive to bring global harmonization to a world on the brink of warfare.

Grounds of the 1939 World's Fair

Plane Crash Into the Empire State Building

Long before the tragedy of 9/11, New York was shook by another plane crash.  On the foggy morning of Saturday July 28, 1945, just two weeks before the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II, the pilot of a US B-25 bomber became disorientated on his was to a routine personnel drop at Newark airport and crashed into the Empire State Building. 

The death toll was only 14 but could have been much higher had it occurred on a weekday when more people were at work.  The crash occurred at 9:40 am and carved a 18 x 20 foot opening in the Empire State Building, engulfing the building in flames.







One of the plane's engines landed in the elevator car, sending the elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver plummeting 75 stories (1000 feet).  Miraculously, she survived the fall, and her fall is recorded in the Guiness Book of World Records as the longest survived elevator fall.

Hugh O'Neill Store

Not long ago I did a post called "Meet me at the Fountain" about Ladies Mile, a stretch of emporiums that ran down 6th avenue between 14th and 23rd street in the late nineteenth century.  The Hugh O'Neill Store between 20th and 21st on 6th avenue was one of the great dry goods stores of its day on Ladies Mile.  Opened in 1887, the Hugh O'Neill store had a staggering 2500 employees.  Unique among other emporiums, the façade of the four-story Hugh O'Neill store was originally painted yellow and black and had two large beehive columns.  The Hugh O'Neill store was accessible by the above-ground 6th avenue El train which ran all the way to Central park.

While other emporiums, like Macy's, moved north to 34th street in the early twentieth century, the Hugh O'Neill store stayed put and eventually went under in 1907.  Today, the Hugh O'Neill store is an upscale condominium building.