1.
Springfield, Illinois
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Springfield is the capital of the U. S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County. The citys population of 116,250 as of the 2010 U. S. Census makes it the sixth most populous city. It is the largest city in central Illinois, present-day Springfield was settled by European Americans in the late 1810s, around the time Illinois became a state. The most famous resident was Abraham Lincoln, who lived in Springfield from 1837 until 1861. The city lies on a flat plain that encompasses much of the surrounding countryside. Hilly terrain lies near the Sangamon River, lake Springfield, a large artificial lake owned by the City Water, Light & Power company, supplies the city with recreation and drinking water. Weather is fairly typical for middle latitude locations, with hot summers, spring and summer weather is like that of most midwestern cities, severe thunderstorms are common. Tornadoes hit the Springfield area in 1957 and 2006, the city is governed by a mayor–council form of government. The city proper is also the Capital Township governmental entity, in addition, the government of the state of Illinois is also based in Springfield. State government entities include the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Supreme Court, there are three public and three private high schools in Springfield. Public schools in Springfield are operated by District No.186, Springfields economy is marked by government jobs, and the medical field, which account for a large percentage of the citys workforce. Springfields original name was Calhoun, after Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, the land that Springfield now occupies was originally settled by trappers and traders who came to the Sangamon River in 1818. The settlements first cabin was built in 1820, by John Kelly and it was located at what is now the northwest corner of Second Street and Jefferson Street. In 1821, Calhoun became the county seat of Sangamon County due to fertile soil, settlers from Kentucky, Virginia, and as far as North Carolina came to the city. By 1832, Senator Calhoun had fallen out of the favor with the public, at that time, Springfield, Massachusetts was comparable to modern-day Silicon Valley—known for industrial innovation, concentrated prosperity, and the celebrated Springfield Armory. Most importantly, it was a city that had built itself up from frontier outpost to national power through ingenuity – an example that the newly named Springfield, Illinois, sought to emulate. Kaskaskia was the first capital of the Illinois Territory from its organization in 1809, continuing through statehood in 1818, vandalia was the second state capital of Illinois from 1819 to 1839. Springfield became the third and current capital of Illinois in 1839, the designation was largely due to the efforts of Abraham Lincoln and his associates, nicknamed the Long Nine for their combined height of 54 feet
2.
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
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Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens is a decorative arts museum in Washington, D. C. Included in the collection are Fabergé eggs and 18th and 19th century French art, as she arranged her divorce from her third husband, Joseph E. Davies, Post initiated a search for a new house. She wanted a home with fifteen-foot ceilings, sited on a large. Arbremont, with its 36 rooms, had built in the 1920s by Mrs. Delos A. Blodgett for her daughter. After Post acquired it from the Erwins, she hired the architect Alexander McIlvaine to gut, the renovations, which included moving the library doors to frame a view of the Washington Monument, were completed in 1956. Showcasing her collections including French, Asian and what Hillwood is most known for - Russian art, Post had her first guests to the house in May 1957 and hosted her first big party there on July 7,1957. Hillwood quickly gained a reputation as one of Washingtons most extraordinary estates, as a tribute to Post after her 70th birthday,181 of her friends built Friendship Walk, a path from Hillwoods rose garden to a crest overlooking Rock Creek Park. Post was residing at Hillwood when she died on September 12,1973, accordingly, Hillwood and the majority of the collection was returned to the Post Foundation by April 1976. Hillwood is now maintained by the Post Foundation as the Hillwood Museum and Gardens, Hillwood features over 17,000 objects from the original collection and selected objects collected after Posts death. Collection highlights include, Portrait of Catherine the Great, a portrait of Catherine II in her Russian elite finery. Two Chests of Drawers designed by Jean-Henri Riesener, official cabinetmaker of Louis XVI, the Duchess of Parma and Her Daughter by Jean-Marc Nattier. The Countess Samoilova and Her Foster Daughter by Karl Briullov,1834, a Boyar Wedding Feast by Konstantin Makovsky,1883. Imperial Easter Eggs, two House of Fabergé that were gifts to Maria Fedorovna from her son Nicholas II of Russia, bleu Celeste Wares, from Manufacture nationale de Sèvres including a tureen from 1754. Mrs. Post Portrait by Douglas Chandor,1952, felonion, Russian Orthodox liturgical vestment worn by a priest during the coronation of Nicholas II in 1896. Hillwood offers appointment-only access to their Art Research Library, which features a selection of Russian and European decorative art books. In 1926, landscape architect Willard Gebhart designed Hillwood, creating a landscape molded around the twenty-five acres owned by Post, when renovating Hillwood, Post incorporated many of the garden designs into her interior design. Creating the garden rooms which feature unique to the Lunar Lawn. Posts breakfast nook even includes a garden of orchids, bringing the outside in
3.
United States dollar
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The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States and its insular territories per the United States Constitution. It is divided into 100 smaller cent units, the circulating paper money consists of Federal Reserve Notes that are denominated in United States dollars. The U. S. dollar was originally commodity money of silver as enacted by the Coinage Act of 1792 which determined the dollar to be 371 4/16 grain pure or 416 grain standard silver, the currency most used in international transactions, it is the worlds primary reserve currency. Several countries use it as their currency, and in many others it is the de facto currency. Besides the United States, it is used as the sole currency in two British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. A few countries use the Federal Reserve Notes for paper money, while the country mints its own coins, or also accepts U. S. coins that can be used as payment in U. S. dollars. After Nixon shock of 1971, USD became fiat currency, Article I, Section 8 of the U. S. Constitution provides that the Congress has the power To coin money, laws implementing this power are currently codified at 31 U. S. C. Section 5112 prescribes the forms in which the United States dollars should be issued and these coins are both designated in Section 5112 as legal tender in payment of debts. The Sacagawea dollar is one example of the copper alloy dollar, the pure silver dollar is known as the American Silver Eagle. Section 5112 also provides for the minting and issuance of other coins and these other coins are more fully described in Coins of the United States dollar. The Constitution provides that a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and that provision of the Constitution is made specific by Section 331 of Title 31 of the United States Code. The sums of money reported in the Statements are currently being expressed in U. S. dollars, the U. S. dollar may therefore be described as the unit of account of the United States. The word dollar is one of the words in the first paragraph of Section 9 of Article I of the Constitution, there, dollars is a reference to the Spanish milled dollar, a coin that had a monetary value of 8 Spanish units of currency, or reales. In 1792 the U. S. Congress passed a Coinage Act, Section 20 of the act provided, That the money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars, or units. And that all accounts in the offices and all proceedings in the courts of the United States shall be kept and had in conformity to this regulation. In other words, this act designated the United States dollar as the unit of currency of the United States, unlike the Spanish milled dollar the U. S. dollar is based upon a decimal system of values. Both one-dollar coins and notes are produced today, although the form is significantly more common
4.
Legion of Honour
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The Legion of Honour, full name National Order of the Legion of Honour, is the highest French order of merit for military and civil merits, established 1802 by Napoléon Bonaparte. The order is divided into five degrees of increasing distinction, Chevalier, Officier, Commandeur, Grand Officier and Grand-Croix. The orders motto is Honneur et Patrie and its seat is the Palais de la Légion dHonneur next to the Musée dOrsay, in the French Revolution, all French orders of chivalry were abolished, and replaced with Weapons of Honour. The Légion however did use the organization of old French orders of chivalry, the badges of the legion also bear a resemblance to the Ordre de Saint-Louis, which also used a red ribbon. Napoleon originally created this to ensure political loyalty, the organization would be used as a facade to give political favours, gifts, and concessions. The Légion was loosely patterned after a Roman legion, with legionaries, officers, commanders, regional cohorts, the highest rank was not a grand cross but a Grand Aigle, a rank that wore all the insignia common to grand crosses. The members were paid, the highest of them extremely generously,5,000 francs to an officier,2,000 francs to a commandeur,1,000 francs to an officier,250 francs to a légionnaire. Napoleon famously declared, You call these baubles, well, it is with baubles that men are led, do you think that you would be able to make men fight by reasoning. That is good only for the scholar in his study, the soldier needs glory, distinctions, rewards. This has been quoted as It is with such baubles that men are led. The order was the first modern order of merit, under the monarchy, such orders were often limited to Roman Catholics, and all knights had to be noblemen. The military decorations were the perks of the officers, the Légion, however, was open to men of all ranks and professions—only merit or bravery counted. The new legionnaire had to be sworn in the Légion and it is noteworthy that all previous orders were crosses or shared a clear Christian background, whereas the Légion is a secular institution. The jewel of the Légion has five arms, in a decree issued on the 10 Pluviôse XIII, a grand decoration was instituted. This decoration, a cross on a sash and a silver star with an eagle, symbol of the Napoleonic Empire, became known as the Grand Aigle. After Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804 and established the Napoleonic nobility in 1808, the title was made hereditary after three generations of grantees. Napoleon had dispensed 15 golden collars of the legion among his family and this collar was abolished in 1815. The Légion dhonneur was prominent and visible in the French Empire, the Emperor always wore it and the fashion of the time allowed for decorations to be worn most of the time
5.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
6.
Mar-a-Lago
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Mar-a-Lago is an estate and National Historic Landmark in Palm Beach, Florida, built from 1924 to 1927 by heiress and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post. Post envisioned the house as a winter retreat for American presidents and foreign dignitaries. However, successive presidents declined to use the mansion, which was returned to Posts estate in 1980 and in 1985 was purchased by Donald Trump, later 45th President of the United States. The 126-room,110, 000-square-foot house contains the Mar-a-Lago Club, a club with guest rooms, a spa. The Trump family maintains private quarters in a separate, closed-off area of the house, since taking office in 2017, President Trump has referred to Mar-a-Lago as his Southern White House and uses it as a Camp David-style presidential retreat. The company identifies the name Mar-a-Lago as Spanish for Sea-to-Lake, Marjorie Merriweather Post built the house with her then-husband Edward F. Hutton. Post hired Marion Sims Wyeth to design it, and Joseph Urban to create interior design, upon her death in 1973, Post willed the 17-acre estate to the United States government as a Winter White House for presidents and visiting foreign dignitaries. Richard Nixon preferred the Florida White House in Key Biscayne, however, the federal government soon realized the immense cost of maintenance, annual taxes roughly between $1–3 million, and the difficulty of maintaining security for diplomats. The government returned it to the Post Foundation in 1981, which listed it for sale for $20 million. Dina Merrill and Posts two other daughters did not maintain the property, expecting to sell it, but there was so little interest that the city approved its demolition to build smaller homes, Mar-a-Lago was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1980. Donald Trump learned about the estate after unsuccessfully trying to purchase and he decided to offer the Post family $15 million for it, an offer that they rejected. Trump then put in a bid of $3 million to purchase the land between Mar-a-Lago and the ocean stating he intended to build a home that would block Mar-a-Lagos beach view. Trump renovated the estate, adding a 20, 000-square-foot ballroom to the 58 bedrooms,33 bathrooms, a 29-foot-long pietra dura marble top dining table,12 fireplaces, the club also has five clay tennis courts and a waterfront pool. In the early 1990s, Trump faced financial difficulties, while negotiating with his bankers, he promised to divide Mar-a-Lago into smaller properties, alarming Palm Beach residents, the city council rejected his plan to do so. The new club hosted concerts by Céline Dion and Billy Joel, had beauty-pageant contestants as guests, michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley spent their honeymoon at Mar-a-Lago. On April 18,2012, the American Institute of Architects Florida Chapter ranked Mar-a-Lago fifth on its list of Florida Architecture,100 Years, Mar-a-Lago has frequently hosted the International Red Cross Ball, an annual white tie, tails, and tiara ball. Founded by Post, it has a history of attracting wealthy socialites, in 2016, Trump was elected President. During his presidency he has used Mar-a-Lago as a retreat for himself, President Trump has referred to Mar-a-Lago as his Winter White House and alternately the Southern White House
7.
Donald Trump
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Donald John Trump is the 45th and current President of the United States. Prior to entering politics he was a businessman and television personality, Trump was born and raised in Queens, New York City, and earned an economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He then took charge of The Trump Organization, the estate and construction firm founded by his paternal grandmother, which he ran for four. During his real career, Trump has built, renovated, and managed numerous office towers, hotels, casinos. Besides real estate, he started several ventures and has lent the use of his name for the branding of various products. He owned the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants from 1996 to 2015, and he hosted The Apprentice, as of 2017, Forbes listed him as the 544th wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $3.5 billion. Trump first publicly expressed interest in running for office in 1987. He won two Reform Party presidential primaries in 2000, but withdrew his candidacy early on, in June 2015, he launched his campaign for the 2016 presidential election and quickly emerged as the front-runner among 17 candidates in the Republican primaries. His final opponents suspended their campaigns in May 2016, and in July he was nominated at the Republican National Convention along with Indiana governor Mike Pence as his running mate. His campaign received unprecedented media coverage and international attention, many of the statements he made at rallies, in interviews, or on social media were controversial or false. Trump won the election on November 8,2016, in a surprise victory against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. His political positions have been described by scholars and commentators as populist, protectionist, Trump was born on June 14,1946 at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York City. He was the fourth of five born to Frederick Christ Fred Trump. His siblings are Maryanne, Fred Jr. Elizabeth, and Robert, Trumps ancestors originated from the village of Kallstadt, Palatinate, Germany on his fathers side, and from the Outer Hebrides isles of Scotland on his mothers side. All his grandparents, and his mother, were born in Europe and his mothers grandfather was also christened Donald. On a visit to his village, he met Elisabeth Christ. He died from the flu pandemic of 1918 and Elizabeth incorporated the family real estate business, Elizabeth Trump and Son, which would later become The Trump Organization. Trumps father Fred was born in the Bronx, and worked with his mother since he was 15 as a real estate developer, primarily in the New York boroughs of Queens and he eventually built and sold thousands of houses, barracks and apartments
8.
George Washington University
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The George Washington University is a private research university in Washington, D. C. GW is the largest institution of education in Washington, D. C. In his will, Washington left his 50 shares in the Potomac Company to help endow the university, however, due to the companys financial difficulties, the funding did not materialize. The university was chartered by an act of Congress on February 9,1821 and its name was changed to Columbian University in 1873 and to the George Washington University in 1904, in honor of Washington. GWs Graduate School of Political Management is the school of applied politics in the nations capital. GWs professional schools and the Elliott School of International Affairs are consistently ranked highly in national and international college rankings lists, the Princeton Review consistently ranks GW as one of the Most Politically Active schools. Some of the graduates have gone on to high positions within both the U. S. government and foreign governments. Notable alumni include former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and he presented numerous letters to Congress and included the subject in his last will and testament. Baptist missionary and leading minister Luther Rice raised funds to purchase a site in Washington, the first commencement in 1824 was considered an important event for the young city of Washington, D. C. In attendance were President Monroe, John C, Calhoun, Henry Clay, Marquis de Lafayette and other dignitaries. During the Civil War, most students left to join the Confederacy, walt Whitman was among many of the volunteers to work on the campus. Following the war, in 1873, Columbian College became the Columbian University and moved to a downtown location centered on 15th and H streets. The university moved its operations to the D. C. neighborhood of Foggy Bottom in 1912. The George Washington University, like much of Washington, D. C. traces many of its origins back to the Freemasons, the Bible that the presidents of the university use to swear an oath on upon inauguration is the Bible of Freemason George Washington. Freemasonry symbols are displayed throughout the campus including the foundation stones of many of the university buildings. Many of the Colleges of the George Washington University stand out for their age, the Law School is the oldest law school in the District of Columbia. The School of Medicine and Health Sciences is the 11th oldest medical school in the nation, the Columbian College was founded in 1821, and is the oldest unit of the university. The Elliott School of International Affairs was formalized in 1898, the majority of the present infrastructure and financial stability at GW is due to the tenures of Presidents Cloyd Heck Marvin, Lloyd Hartman Elliott and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
9.
University of Michigan
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The University of Michigan, frequently referred to simply as Michigan, is a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817 in Detroit as the Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania,20 years before the Michigan Territory became a state, in 1821, the university was officially renamed the University of Michigan. It moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 onto 40 acres of what is now known as Central Campus, the University was a founding member of the Association of American Universities. Considered one of the foremost research universities in the United States, Michigans body of living alumni comprises more than 540,000 people, one of the largest alumni bases of any university in the world. Besides academic life, Michigans athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are known as the Wolverines. They are members of the Big Ten Conference, the University of Michigan was established in Detroit on August 26,1817 as the Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania, by the governor and judges of Michigan Territory. Judge Augustus B. Woodward specifically invited The Rev. John Monteith and Father Gabriel Richard, Monteith became its first President and held seven of the professorships, and Richard was Vice President and held the other six professorships. Concurrently, Ann Arbor had set aside 40 acres in the hopes of being selected as the state capital, but when Lansing was chosen as the state capital, the city offered the land for a university. What would become the university moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 thanks to Governor Stevens T. Mason, the original 40 acres was the basis of the present Central Campus. The first classes in Ann Arbor were held in 1841, with six freshmen, eleven students graduated in the first commencement in 1845. By 1866, enrollment increased to 1,205 students, many of whom were Civil War veterans, Women were first admitted in 1870. U-M also became the first American university to use the method of study. Among the early students in the School of Medicine was Jose Celso Barbosa, who in 1880 graduated as valedictorian and he returned to Puerto Rico to practice medicine and also served in high-ranking posts in the government. In 1920 the university reorganized the College of Engineering and formed a committee of 100 industrialists to guide academic research initiatives. The university became a choice for bright Jewish students from New York in the 1920s and 1930s. Because of its standards, U-M gained the nickname Harvard of the West. During World War II, U-Ms research supported military efforts, such as U. S. Navy projects in proximity fuzes, PT boats, and radar jamming. After the war, enrollment expanded rapidly and by 1950, it reached 21,000, as the Cold War and the Space Race took hold, U-M received numerous government grants for strategic research and helped to develop peacetime uses for nuclear energy
10.
Camp Topridge
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Camp Topridge is an Adirondack Great Camp bought in 1920 and substantially expanded and renovated in 1923 by Marjorie Merriweather Post, founder of General Foods and the daughter of C. W. Post. It was one of the largest of the Adirondack great camps, the camp had 207 acres and was situated on an esker between the Spectacle Ponds and Upper St. Regis Lake, about 12 miles northwest of Saranac Lake, New York. As originally built, the property could only be reached by water, guests arrived by float-plane or Posts yacht at a private dock, and thence via funicular to the main building at the top of the ridge. Three times a week, guests would gather in the 65-by-50-foot living room where full-length movies could be screened, many of the original furnishings of the room, which included an extensive collection of American Indian artifacts, are now in the Smithsonian Institution. Among the many structures on the property is a Russian dacha built for Posts third husband. From the parking lot, staff would walk a hilly, unpaved path into the side of the camp. In the early 1970s, this path was widened and became suitable for one-way car traffic. Prior to the paving, vehicles could only be driven over the ice in the winter, Mrs Posts guests would arrive at Saranac Airport, often in her private Vickers Viscount, the Merriweather. They would be driven to a launch which would take them to one of the boat houses. From there, they could take the stairs or ride a covered, six-person electronic lift or funicular, installed for Mrs. Posts aunt Molly Post. When Mrs. Post was in camp, it provided employment to carpenters, painters, maids and general labor. For years, the caretaker of the camp and his wife would feed lunch to staff in a room in the caretakers home. The estate was designed by local builder Ben Muncil in collaboration with New York architect Theodore Blake, Post left the property to the State of New York. The main lodge, most of the buildings and 105 acres were offered for sale, roger Jakubowski purchased the Camp from the State of New York in 1985 for $911,000. It is now owned by Texas real estate magnate Harlan Crow, the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. New York Times, Out-Twigging the Neighbors, In the Adirondacks, Great Camps Are Sprouting Again
11.
Palm Beach, Florida
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The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the cities of West Palm Beach. In 2000, Palm Beach had a population of 10,468. Prior to Flagler, Palm Beach was sparsely populated, and was a part of Lake Worth, Palm Beach was established as a resort by Henry Morrison Flagler, who made the Atlantic coast barrier island accessible via his Florida East Coast Railway. The nucleus of the community was established by Flaglers two luxury hotels, the Royal Poinciana Hotel and The Breakers Hotel. West Palm Beach was built across Lake Worth as a town and has become a major city in its own right. The town was incorporated on 17 April 1911, an area known as the Styx housed many of the servants, most of whom were black. The workers rented their houses from the landowners. In the early 1900s the landowners agreed to all of the residents of the Styx. The houses were razed, according to the Palm Beach Daily News, the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is not native to Florida. Its presence in Palm Beach is due to the shipwreck of the Spanish ship Providencia in 1878 and it was traveling from Havana to Cádiz, Spain with a cargo of coconuts. Since the shipwreck was near the shore, the coconuts were salvaged, a lush grove of palm trees soon grew on what was later named Palm Beach. Palm Beach is the easternmost town in Florida, located on a 16-mile long barrier island, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.4 square miles. 3.9 square miles of it is land and 6.5 square miles of it is water, the total area is 62. 45% water. Palm Beach has a tropical rainforest climate and this is a Köppen climate classification of Af where it is tropical and there is no dry season. It is wetter in the summer, from May to October, when convective thunderstorms and tropical downpours are common, average high temperatures in Palm Beach are 86 to 90 °F with lows of 70 to 75 °F. During this period, more than half of the days bring occasional afternoon thunderstorms. The winter brings drier, sunnier, and much less humid weather, average high temperatures of 75 to 82 °F and lows of 57 to 66 °F
12.
Joseph Urban
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Joseph Urban was an Austrian-American architect, illustrator and scenic designer. Joseph Urban was born on May 26,1872 in Vienna, Urban received his first architectural commission at age 19 when he was selected to design the new wing of the Abdin Palace in Cairo. He became known around the world for his use of color, his pointillist technique. He designed buildings throughout the world from Esterhazy Castle in Hungary to the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York, Urban studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna under Karl von Hasenauer. In 1890, he and his brother-in-law, Heinrich Lefler, were among the founders of the Hagenbund, Urbans early work with illustrated books was inspired by Lefler and, together, they created what are considered seminal examples of childrens book illustration. Urban immigrated to the United States in 1911 to become the art director of the Boston Opera Company and he was already an accomplished international architect, illustrator and theatre set designer with over 50 productions from his home Vienna Royal Opera, the Champs Elysée Opera, and Covent Garden. By applying points of primary side by side on the canvas backdrops he was able to create. In 1914 he moved to New York City, where he designed productions for the Metropolitan Opera, william Randolph Hearst was an important client and supporter. He also co-produced with Richard Ordynski Percy MacKayes Community Masque Caliban by the Yellow Sands, beginning in1917, he was frequently engaged as stage designer by the Metropolitan Opera of New York City. In all he created set designs for 47 new productions at the house through 1933 and his many designs provided the opera company with a cohesive production style throughout the tenure of General Manager Giulio Gatti-Casazza. Many of Urbans settings remained in the companys repertoire into the 1950s, soon his sets and innovative lighting caught the eye of Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. who hired him to design the Follies in the 1920s. Urban went to work creating a stunning night-club with glass balconies, a moving stage and this Danse de Follies soon became a blend of ideas and talent before serving in the Follies theatre. Hearst came to an understanding with his friend Ziegfeld that Urban’s work for him would not interfere with any of the Follies production, Urban worked on 25 films over the years. He also co-produced with Richard Ordynski Percy MacKayes Community Masque Caliban by the Yellow Sands, Urban died July 10,1933, of a heart attack at his apartment at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan, where he had been convalescing following surgery in May. Urban was one of the originators of the American Art Deco style, most of his architectural work in the United States has been demolished. Extant buildings include the Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, The New School building in New York City, the stage lighting gel Roscolux Urban Blue #81, still used today, is named for him. This partial list omits unrealized projects, lightbown House,4839 Colorado Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, Permit #7278, March 10,1925, cost $25,000. Joseph Urban, Architecture, Theater, Opera, Film, aronson, Arnold, Ostergard, Derek E. Smith, Matthew Wilson
