INFO VINE * 50 Photos of New York's History *

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New York is located in the Northeastern United States. The state has more than 19 million residents and the fourth most populated state. New York was one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the United States. New York has many landmarks that are well known, such as Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, and Niagra Falls. 


The state has been the largest port of entry for legal immigration. Because of Wall Street, New York City has been called the most economically powerful city and the world's leading financial center. New York is also well known for Times Square and Broadway shows.

St. Nicholas Hotel, New York

The St. Nicholas Hotel in New York opened to the public on January 6, 1853. It was a 600-room, mid-nineteenth-century luxury hotel on Broadway, and by the end of the first year, it had expanded to 1,000 rooms. The hotel raised the bar for a new standard of lavish, luxury hotels. The hotel cost was over one million dollars and was the first New York City building to cost that much. 



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The hotel was a six-story hotel of Italian architecture with Corinthian elements. The entrance was between four grooved white marble columns. The hotel had several dining rooms and a salon. The window curtains cost $700 per piece, and the hallway floors were heated. The hotel permanently closed in 1884 due to losing popularity and tourists preferring to stay farther uptown.

Birds eye view of Fort Edward, New York

Fort Edward is a town located in Washington County, New York. It was established in 1818 and was located at the "Great Carrying Place," a portage around the falls on the Hudson. Native Americans used the portage for thousands of years before European colonization. General Phineas Lyman constructed Fort Lyman in 1755, and it was renamed Fort Edward in 1756 by Sir William Johnson, in honor of Prince Edward. 



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In 1849 the community set itself off from the town by incorporating as a village; the population was 2,328. Many of the areas of Fort Edward are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town of Fort Edward is now part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Herald Square, New York, N.Y.

Herald Square started in 1846 when the city acquired it for the extension of Bloomingdale Road. Herald Square was named after a newspaper. James Gordon Bennett Jr. took over The New York Herald in 1835 and moved to Herald Square in the 1890s. It was a bold and surprising move; the new headquarters were designed by Standford White. The New York Times also moved north in 1904 to Times Square. 



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The Herald Square was bought out by The New York Tribune in 1924 and became the New York Herald Tribune. The Herald Building was demolished in 1921, but two of the building's bronze owls were installed on the Herald Square monument along with a figure of Minerva. It appears that Herald Square will always be a busy focal point in New York City.

New York State Historic Marker – Tollgate No 2 

At one time, the rural routes were considered fast highways that created the communities in rural America. They were no more than paths through the great forest, some made by moccasin feet and some made by oxen and wagons as they brought settlers westerly. The Georgetown Plank Road was used to take goods and people from Georgetown to Peck's Port, which was one of the largest ports on the Chenango Canal. 



Photo Courtesy: [George Graves/Wikipedia]


Eaton's Morse family were the main stockholders in the road; they owned 51% in 1810. The road never made a profit, but it did bring people to Eaton and supported the family businesses that stretched from Eaton, West Eaton, and Erieville to Fabius. The sign is a marker on Route 26, where one of the original toll booths stood.

Moriah Plank Road

In 1850, the Moriah Plank Road was formed. It was constructed to run from the iron mines in Moriah, Mineville, and Wetherbee to the port at Lake Champlain. It was used to transport iron ore via horse-drawn wagons to Port Henry over a plank road. 



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The road was used often until the railroad finally arrived in 1868. Moriah, the town, was inhabited for thousands of years by varying indigenous people's cultures and was formed in 1808. The Iron Center Museum in Port Henry recalls and interprets that past era.

26th New York Infantry

The 26th Regiment in New York was a Volunteer Infantry and served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The 26th was organized in Elmira, New York, under the command of Colonel William H. Christian. The regiment suffered the loss of five officers and 101 enlisted men killed in action or mortally wounded. 



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They also suffered the loss of forty-two men who died of disease, for a total of 148 fatalities. The regiment was out of service on May 28, 1863. The men who had signed three-year contracts were transferred to the 97th New York.

Broadway, New-York

Broadway is a New York road that runs from State Street to the north of Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County. It is the oldest north-south street in New York City. It was originally named the Wickquasgeck trail, which was carved into the Manhattan brush by its Native American inhabitants. The trail snaked through swamps and rocks along the length of Manhattan Island. After the Dutch arrived, the trail was widened and became the main road through the island. 



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It was named Broadway after the British took over the city. "This noble street may vie with any I ever saw, for its length and breadth, its handsome shops, neat awnings, excellent trottoir, and well-dressed pedestrians. It is magnificent in its extent, and ornamented by several handsome buildings, some of them surrounded by grass and trees." ------Fanny Trollope

Labor Day Parade, Union Square, New York, 1887

The trade union and labor movements grew, and different groups of trade unionists chose days to celebrate labor. A holiday called Labor Day was first proposed in the early 1880s. The event originated with the General Assembly of the Knights of Labor convening in New York City in September 1882. 



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A public parade of labor organizations was held on September fifth under the Central Labor Union of New York. Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day an official public holiday. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law to make it an official holiday.

Corn Exchange Bank of New York

The Corn Exchange Bank was a retail bank in New York in 1853. It was located in an 11-story building located at 11-15 William Street. The bank held a small stake in the Connecticut-Chartered Bank of Central and South America. 



Photo Courtesy: [Kraus, Albert L./Wikipedia]


It merged with Chemical Bank in 1954 and took the name of Chemical Corn Exchange Bank. In 1959, the word corn was dropped and became the Chemical Exchange Bank. The building was expanded following the bank's merger with Chemical Bank. The exterior appearance is virtually unchanged and now houses a Chase Bank branch.

Pennsylvania Railroad Station, New York City

Pennsylvania Station was a railroad station in New York City. It occupied an 8-acre plot in Midtown Manhattan. It was called New York Pennsylvania Station, or Penn Station for short. A proposal for the terminal, published in June 1901, called for the construction of a bridge across the Hudson River to allow passengers to travel between Long Island and New Jersey without having to switch trains. 



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When the station first opened, it had a capacity of 144 trains per hour; it had 21 tracks and 11 platforms. The station was so heavily used they added 51 trains to its daily schedule. The station was the busiest during World War II, with more than 100 million passengers traveling through.

The Sailors' Snug Harbor, Staten Island, New York, The Home for Disabled Seamen

Sailors' Snug Harbor was a collection of architecturally significant 19th-century buildings on Staten Island, New York. They were on an 83-acre park along the Kill Van Kull in New Brighton. Snug Harbor was founded after the death of Captain Robert Richard Randall. When Snug Harbor opened, it became the first home for retired merchant seamen. 



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At its peak, about 1,000 retired sailors lived at Snug Harbor, one of the wealthiest charities in New York. By the mid-1950s, there were less than 200 residents. In 1972, the buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places and were declared a National Historic Landmark. The Snug Harbor Cultural Center and the Staten Island Botanical Garden were established in 1975.

7th New York State Militia, Camp Cameron, D.C., 1861

The 7th Regiment of the New York Militia, also called "Silk Stocking," was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. They were frequently ordered to be ready for service. In its service in 1861, one enlisted man was lost, accidentally killed. 



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The regiment mustered out for good on July 21, 1863. Their headquarters during the Civil War was at Tompkins Market on Third Avenue. After the Civil War, the 7th Regiment continued as a unit of the New York State National Guard. They responded to the country's largest quarantine, known as "The Quarantine War."

Post Office on Broadway, New York

The City Hall Post Office and Courthouse were on Broadway in New York. It was the second empire-style building and was built between 1869 and 1880. It was commonly called "Mullett's Monstrosity." "The Mullet Post Office has always been an architectural eyesore, and has, from the first, been unsatisfactory to the Postal Service and the Federal Courts beneath its roof." -----The New York Times. 



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It was built in five stories with a basement for sorting mail and machinery. The building housed the post office, courtrooms, and federal offices. The building was demolished in 1939, and the site was used to extend City Hall Park.

Pulling down the statue of George III by the "Sons of Freedom"

After being stirred up upon hearing the Declaration of Independence read publicly on July 9, 1776, the Sons of Freedom tore down the British monarch George III statue in New York City. The Sons of Freedom were a mix of George Washington's soldiers and civilians. 



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The statue's lead was melted down to make musket balls or bullets for use in the war for independence. The incident was symbolic because it showed that Americans were ready to be independent and free from tyrannical rule.

Park Theater, New York

The Park Theatre was a playhouse in New York City and was located on Park Row in Manhattan. The doors to the theatre opened in January 1798. It rarely made a profit in its early years and was sold to Stephen Price and Edmund Simpson in 1805. 



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Under the new management, it had its most successful period. They initiated a star system by importing English talent and providing the theatre a veneer of upper-class respectability. It maintained its upscale image until it burned down in 1848. They opted not to rebuild it; they had stores constructed on the site.

St. Patrick Cathedral, New York

The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated neo-gothic Catholic Cathedral in Manhattan and was built in 1879. It was the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The spires were 329 feet and 6 inches; they were the tallest structures in New York City and the second-highest in the United States. 



Photo Courtesy: [Marinelle Coronel Hernandez/IMDb]


In March 1915, Frank Abarno and Carmine Carbone of the Bresci Circle were arrested for attempting to detonate a bomb in the cathedral. There continued to be bomb threats in the Cathedral. There is a crypt located underneath the high altar, where notable Catholic figures are entombed. Some notable people whose funerals were held at the cathedral are Babe Ruth, Vince Lombardi, Celia Cruz, Ed Sullivan, Robert F. Kennedy, and Joe DiMaggio.

Island Hospital, Roosevelt Island, New York

The Island Hospital was originally named the Penitentiary Hospital and was built in 1832. The first hospital was built to serve the prisoners housed at Blackwell's Penitentiary. The hospital was destroyed in a fire in 1858, and the prisoners built a new building called the City Hospital, or Island Hospital. The new hospital served both the inmates and the poorer population. 



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The hospital was renamed Charity Hospital in 1870, and in 1877, Charity Hospital opened a school of nursing. The Island's name was changed to Welfare Island in 1921 to reflect the mission of the institutions there. The Hospital closed in 1957, and the prison closed in 1935, and the hospital was demolished in 1994. The Island's name was changed to Roosevelt Island.

Ellis Island, New York Harbor, New York

Ellis Island was a federally owned island in New York Harbor, and it was the United States' busiest immigrant inspection station. Approximately 12 million immigrants arrived there from 1892 to 1924. Today it is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. After the passing of the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, the number of immigrants being allowed into the U.S. greatly declined. 



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Ellis Island became a detention center, hosting those that were to be detained or deported. The island was also used as a United States Coast Guard base in 1939, with the start of World War II. The Island closed in mid-1954. Eventually, it reopened and now holds the Statue of Liberty.

Lewisohn Stadium, 1942

Lewisohn Stadium was an athletic facility and amphitheater built on the City of College campus in New York. Philanthropist Adolph Lewisohn donated the money for the construction of the stadium. It was opened in 1915 with a seating capacity of 8,000. 



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It was a New York public landmark. The stadium hosted musical, athletic, and theatrical events. The stadium was demolished in 1973, and the $125 million North Academic Center was built. In 1985 a plaza was rededicated as the Lewisohn Plaza.

The Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge was a suspension bridge in New York City. It spans the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The bridge opened in 1883 and was the longest suspension bridge in the world at its opening. The deck is 127 feet above mean high water. The work was dangerous, and by 1876, three workers had died from falling, and nine others were killed in other accidents. 



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The bridge has undergone several reconfigurations, having carried horse-drawn vehicles and elevated railway lines until 1950. The Brooklyn Bridge was renovated in the 1950s, 1980s, and 2010s. The bridge has been used as the location of various stunts and performances and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. 

John Beekman House

Beekman Place was a small street located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood in Manhattan. The Beekman family mansion was located in this neighborhood and was built in 1765 by James Beekman. The British made the mansion their headquarters for a time during the American Revolutionary War. 



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Nathan Hale was tried as a spy in the greenhouse and hanged in a nearby orchard. George Washington visited the house many times while he was president. The Beekman family lived in the mansion until 1854 when the cholera epidemic forced them to move. The mansion was torn down in 1874.

Herkimers Historic Four Corners, New York

The Historic Four Corners of Herkimer was comprised of the 184 Herkimer County Historical Society Suiter Building Museum, the 1873 Herkimer County Courthouse, the 1834 Herkimer County Jail, and the 1834 Herkimer Reformed Church. The Suiter Building was a Queen Anne style building and was a legacy to the Herkimer County Historical Society in 1925. One of the rooms depicted Dr. Suiter's library with his record books. 



Photo Courtesy: [Kenneth C. Zirkel/Wikimedia Commons]


The house was never actually lived in; it was used as Dr. Suiter's office, waiting room, and library. The Jail is set up with a museum and could be toured, where you could learn about the famous cases of Chester Gillette and Roxalana Druse. The Courthouse was the site of the famous 1906 Gillette trial. The Reformed Church was the church to many early residents and continues to be used.

The Ghetto, New York

The Lower East Side was a tough place to live and a very crowded one. By the year 1900, the area was packed with more than 700 people per acre. It was the most crowded neighborhood on the planet. "I have found in three rooms, father, mother, twelve children, and six boarders. They sleep in the half-made clothing for beds. I found several people slept in a subcellar four feet by six, on a pile of clothing that was being made." ---- Jacob Riis. 



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The congestion brought many problems; almost half of the city's deaths by fire took place in the ghetto. Diseases were rampant, clean water was hard to come by, and it could be a frightening, dangerous, and noisy place to live. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was mostly Jewish and immigrants living in the ghetto. 

Church of the Ascension, Canal St. New York & Exchange Place

In 1805, construction began on a 40-foot wide canal running east-west. The canal was completed in 1811, but it was causing problems. The slow-moving water was a breeding ground for mosquitos, and the water smelled. In 1827 the canal was covered over and was turned into Canal Street, and the Church of the Ascension was incorporated. The members were well-to-do, and they liberally donated to the construction of the church building. 



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The church was consecrated in 1829. The building was impressive with its six massive Doric columns, which upheld the entablature and classic pediment. "The parish became numerically strong and soon stood among the foremost in the city." ----- The New York Times. The original building was destroyed in a fire in 1839, and the church was relocated, but that too was demolished in 1855.

New York State Institution for the Blind

The school was founded by Samuel Wood, Samuel Akerly, and John Dennison Russ in 1831 as a school for blind children. The name of the school was originally the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind. Samuel Wood had seen eager-to-learn blind children in the city's poorhouses and wanted to help them. Russ served as the first teacher of the first class of three blind orphan boys. He taught without a salary. Three more boys were added to the school in the next two months. 



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By 1833, ten more students had joined, and in 1834, New Jersey began sending children to the school and brought the total children to 26. "Dr. Russ achieved results most remarkable. Besides carrying on the instruction of his pupils and conducting the business of the Institution, he invented apparatus for the use of the blind essayed to discover means of reducing the size of books for the sightless, proposing a phonetic alphabet with forty characters and representation thereof by dots and lines, adapted and improved the methods used in European schools for representing geographical information." ---- New York Institution for the Blind.

How the Dutch Influence Persisted Across the Hudson Valley

In 1609, Explorer Henry Hudson and crew landed at Verplanck Point. Hudson explored the Hudson River and laid claims to the lands he explored. The Dutch colonized the Hudson Valley and parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, and Delaware. The colony surrendered to England in 1664, and New Amsterdam became New York. The Hudson Valley was referred to as The Dutch Belt because many communities continued to speak Dutch for 200 years. 



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"Dutch continued to be spoken in the Hudson Valley because the area remained more ethnically Dutch and had fewer outside influences than New York City." ----- Russell Shorto. When the English took over New Amsterdam, families moved to Albany to preserve their Dutch culture. By the 19th century, English-speakers had settled in the valley, and most families were bilingual. Men were forced to learn English, but the women who lived on farms or in rural communities held onto the Dutch language.

The reconstructed Temple of Virtue

Between 1782 and 1783, 7,000 troops were boarded in 600 log huts. George Washington believed that there was still a chance of the war restarting to it was necessary to keep the army here. He kept them battle-ready with daily military formations and drills. 



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The Temple itself served various functions: chapel, commissary, court marshall hearings, and meeting hall, among them. During the Newburgh Conspiracy, Washington made his famous speech, revealing his vision problems for the first time at the Temple of Virtue. After the war, the huts were sold.

The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty was a sculpture standing tall on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The statue was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. It was a figure of Libertas, a Roman liberty goddess. She holds the torch in her right hand above her head, and in her left hand, she holds a tabula ansata with the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. 



Photo Courtesy: [Paul Hermans/Wikimedia Commons]


She also had a broken shackle and chain at her feet. The statue became an icon for freedom and a symbol of welcome to immigrants arriving by sea. It was built in France and shipped overseas in crates. The statue is maintained by the National Park Service and is now a major tourist attraction.

Fanny Forester

Emily Chubbuck, Fanny Forester, was an American poet. She was born and raised in New York. After losing her newborn son and husband, she collected materials for Judson's biography written by Francis Wayland, then resumed writing herself. 



Photo Courtesy: [George Graves/Wikipedia]


Chubbuck had three names that she used to sign her books, Emily Chubbuck for her children's books in her early career, Fanny Forester in her period contributing to popular magazines, and Emily Judson during her missionary period and her later years. Some of her books were The Great Secret, Allan Lucas, Kathayan Slave, and My Two Sisters. 

Low Memorial Library

George II chartered Columbia College in 1754 as King's College. The Low Memorial Library was the first major building of Columbia's new campus. Seth Low donated the funds for the library in honor of his father, Abial Abbot Low. Low Library was modeled after the Pantheon in Rome and was the visual and academic focal point of the campus plan. 



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The library had a central, octagonal hall with upper galleries, ambulatory, four corner staircases, and the cross's four projecting arms. At full capacity, the library could accommodate 1.9 million volumes. Since 1934 the library has been used for exhibitions, convocations, and a reception area. The Low Memorial Library was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

City Hall subway station, New York

City Hall was the original southern terminal station of the New York City Subway line, named the "Manhattan Main Line." It opened on October 27, 1904, and was located underneath the public area in front of City Hall. It was designed to be the showpiece of the subway. 



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The station was built on a curve and could only accommodate five-car trains. Because of the infrastructural shortfalls, passenger service was discontinued in 1945. The station is still used as a turning loop for trains.

William Shakespeare monument, Central Park

The William Shakespeare monument was located in Central Park, Manhattan. It was created in 1870 and unveiled in Central Park in 1872. The statue cost four thousand dollars and was the first sculpture to be placed at the southern end of The Mall in Central Park, known as Literary Walk. 



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William Shakespeare was born in England in 1564. In 1866 a competition was held to design a statue of Shakespeare, and John Quincy Adams Ward won the Contest. Ward also contributed three other sculptures to Central Park: "The Pilgram," the "Seventh Regiment Memorial," and "The Indian Hunter."

Worth Monument 

The General William Jenkins Worth Monument was a granite monument installed in Manhattan's Worth Square. The memorial was cast and dedicated in 1857. Part of the inscription reads: Major General/William Jenkins Worth/ 1794-1849/ William J. Worth, Born in Hudson, N.Y./ Began his Military career in the war of 1812/ and from 1820-1828 was commandant of Cadets at West Point/



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 In the Mexican-American War, he distinguished himself/ In battles inscribed on this monument/ Brevetted a major general in 1846, we were awarded a/ Congressional Sword of Honor in 1847/ Worth was army commander of the Department of Texas/ When Cholera took his life in 1849/ Named in his honor are Fort Worth, Texas/ Lake Worth, Florida; and Worth Street in Lower Manhattan.

Mayor Ed Koch

Ed Koch was the mayor of New York City from 1978-1989. He was a lifelong democrat and described himself as a "liberal with sanity." Koch was a popular figure, and he would often ride the subway and stand on the street corners greeting Americans. He won the 1981 reelection with 75% of the vote. 



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He was the first mayor of New York City to win endorsement on both the Democratic and Republican party tickets. He was then reelected for a third term with 78% of the vote, but he lost the 1989 election. Koch also published a memoir in 1984, which became a best-seller and was later turned into a Broadway musical. Koch died of heart failure in 2013.

Court of Tenement house

The 1901 New York State Tenement House Act was one of the first laws to ban the construction of dark, poorly ventilated buildings in the state of New york. The law also required that new buildings must be built with outward-facing windows in every room, an open courtyard, proper ventilation systems, indoor bathrooms, and fire safeguards. 



Photo Courtesy: [US National Archives/Wikimedia Commons]


With the law requiring courtyards, New Law tenements tended to be built on multiple lots or on corner lots to conserve space for dwelling units. Under Feudalism, the land was never privately owned but rather held by a tenant.

Empire State Building

The 102-story skyscraper in Manhattan in New York City was the Empire State Building. It was built in 1930 and 1931, with a roof height of 1,250 feet, and stood a total of 1,454 feet tall. The Empire State Building was once the tallest in New York City. Four million people from around the world visit the building every year. It has been featured in many shows and movies and has been named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. 



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The old Waldorf-Astoria once stood where the Empire State Building was built. The project of building the Empire State Building involved more than 3,500 workers, many of which were Irish and Italian immigrants. During the construction, five workers died. The building became a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

Richard Morris Hunt Memorial

The Richard Morris Hunt Memorial was a memorial to Richard Morris Hunt, who was an architect. The memorial was designed by Bruce Price and sculpted by Daniel Chester French. It was located in Central Park in Manhattan and was built in 1898. 



Photo Courtesy: [Ad Meskens/Wikimedia Commons]


Hunt was an American architect of the nineteenth century, and he helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance facade and Great hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He also designed the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and many Fifth Avenue mansions. He is also known for his Biltmore Estate, the largest private house, and his elaborate summer cottages in Newport, Rhode Island.

Bowling Green, New York, 1845

Bowling Green was a small public park in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It was designated as a park in 1733 and was the oldest public park in New York City. The park included an actual bowling green and an equestrian statue of King George III. 



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The local Sons of Liberty tore down King George III's statue in 1776 after the Declaration of Independence was announced to Washington's soldiers. In 1972, the Bowling Green was restored to its 17th-century character. The park was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Schermerhorn Row

Peter Schermerhorn built counting houses in 1811-1812 to serve the growing New York seaport. He built 12 handsome Flemish bond brick and slate-roof warehouses near the East River. Two of the houses were occupied from 1847-1990 by Sweet's Seafood House, New York City's oldest fish restaurant. 



Photo Courtesy: [Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images]


There was once a hotel on the corner of Fulton, and South Street named the Sweet's Hotel. The hotel offered Single Room Occupancy, which was rare in those days. The State of New York purchased the buildings in 1974.

Hamilton Grange Branch, March 1939

The Hamilton Grange Branch was part of the New York Public Library in Hamilton Heights, New York City. The branch was built in 1905-1906 and was a three-story, five-bay-wide building with gray limestone and an Italian Renaissance style. 



Photo Courtesy: [National Park Service/Wikimedia Commons]


In 1970, it was designated a New York City Landmark and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The branch was designed by McKim, Mead & White, and the funds were provided by Andrew Carnegie.

New York Bowery Theatre

The Bowery Theatre was a playhouse in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. The theatre was founded by rich families and saw its most successful period under the management of Thomas Hamblin in the 1930s and 1940s. The theatre burned down four times in 17 years, and a fire in 1929 destroyed it for good. 



Photo Courtesy: [Robert N. Dennis/Wikipedia]


Unknown American actors and playwrights were hired and were allowed to play for long runs of up to a month. The theatre had spectacular productions with advanced visual effects, including water and fire. He also used gas lighting instead of candles and kerosene lamps.

Hayden Planetarium

The Hayden Planetarium was opened in 1935 and today is directed by Neil deGrasse Tyson. It was funded by philanthropist Charles Hayden and cost $800,000. Their mission was to provide the public with a more lively and sincere appreciation of the universe's magnitude. 



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In 1997, the original Hayden Planetarium was closed and demolished. The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space, containing the new Hayden Planetarium, opened to the public in 2000.

Boardwalk Midland Beach, Staten Island, N.Y.

Staten Island's East Shore was once the premier go-to destination for the summer months. Along the shoreline, hotels were built, and amusement attractions, restaurants, dance pavilions, and shooting galleries along the boardwalk. In the 1920s, there was also a trolley service to Midland Beach. In 1918 they started charging ten cents for admission.



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The boardwalk was the main feature that stretched from Fort Wadsworth to Miller Field. The boardwalk was completed in the 1900s and ran along the shoreline. There was also a pier jetting out into the Atlantic Ocean. The pier was so long that a miniature railroad took fishers and other visitors to the pier's end.

Great "Wake Up America" Parade in New York City

On April 6, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson declared America's entrance into the Great War and a nationwide recruitment effort. The Recruiting Committee of the Mayor's Committee on National Defense announced a plan to call their Patriot's Day recruitment efforts "Wake Up, America Day." 



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It was a day for patriotism, which they would begin with a reenactment of the famed ride of Paul Revere. The chimes at the Trinity Church would ring out. There were patriotic meetings and parades, and the parade floats and posters would depict scenes from American History.

Genin's new and novel bridge

In the 1860s, crossing the road where there were no marked lanes and no lights was dangerous. To make the stretch safer for pedestrians, John Genin pressured the city to build a crossing bridge. The bridge was built in 1866, and New Yorkers used the elegant bridge to get across town and take in the view. 



Photo Courtesy: [Eno, Amos F./Getty Images]


Some shop owners weren't happy because it blocked sunlight from some buildings. They sued the city officials, forcing them to tear it down. The bridge only lasted one year.

Martel's New York Central Park

In 1853, New York approved Central Park to cover 778 acres. The park's first areas were opened to the public in late 1858. In 1859, additional land at the northern end of Central Park was purchased, and the park was completed in 1876. Robert Moses started a cleanup program for Central Park in the 1930s.



Photo Courtesy: [New York Public Library/IMDb]


 The park was difficult to construct because of the generally rocky and swampy landscape. More than 18,500 cubic yards of topsoil were transported from New Jersey. Central Park has been renovated multiple times. The park is a popular place for tourists to visit.

Madison Square and the Dewey Arch

Madison Square is a public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in New York City. The square was named for President James Madison, the fourth President of the United States. The park is 6.2 acres and is probably best known around the world for providing the name of Madison Square Garden. 



Photo Courtesy: [Detroit Publishing Co./Wikipedia]


The Dewey Arch was built in 1899 to celebrate the centennial of George Washington's first inauguration. It was built over Fifth Avenue and 24th Street at Madison Square. The arch was meant to be temporary but remained in place until 1901 when it was demolished. 

Old Leake & Watts Orphanage

John Leake left money in his will to create a home for orphaned children and assigned his friend, John Watts, to administer the home. The orphanage was originally located at Trinity Church but was moved to Morningside Heights in Manhattan. 



Photo Courtesy: [ National Park Service/Wikipedia]


In 1850, Leake & Watts Orphan House opened its doors to girls, and in 1921, the "cottage system' was implemented; it featured six cottages, housing 10-30 girls each on the Yonkers campus. Then a Social Services Department with trained social work staff is established.

New York Crystal Palace

New York Crystal Palace was a New York exhibition building constructed for the Exhibition of All Nations' Industry in 1853. This was under the Presidency of Jacob Aaron Westervelt. The palace had the shape of a Greek cross and crowned by a dome 100 feet in diameter and was constructed from iron and glass. 



Photo Courtesy: [Philip Henry Delamotte/Wikipedia]


The palace was destroyed by fire in 1858 during the American Institute Fair held there. Within fifteen minutes, the dome fell, and in twenty-five minutes, the entire structure had burned to the ground.

State Lunatic Asylum

Utica Psychiatric Center, or Utica State Hospital, opened on January 16, 1843. It was New York's first state facility designed to care for the mentally ill. It was originally called the New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica. After opening, the hospital filled quickly, so the building was enlarged. 



Photo Courtesy: [Macaulay Cuny/Twitter]


Patients were highly encouraged to participate in outdoor tasks, such as gardening. In 1852 the first floor caught fire, a firefighter and doctor were killed, and the entire center portion of the building was destroyed. A former patient was later arrested and admitted to the fires.