1.
Villard Houses
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The Villard Houses is a historic landmark located at 455 Madison Avenue between 50th and 51st Street in Manhattan, New York City. The building was constructed in 1884, designed by architect Joseph M. Wells of the architecture firm McKim, Mead and it is considered to be a Roman design with specific Renaissance touch points. Among the artists who worked on the elaborate interior were sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The houses were commissioned by Henry Villard, then president of the Northern Pacific Railway, ownership of the building changed through many hands throughout the century. The houses themselves are now owned by the Sultan of Brunei, in 1968, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the complex an historical landmark. A combined restoration/new hotel complex construction project was proposed by real estate developer Harry B, helmsley who constructed the 51-story New York Palace Hotel tower directly behind the original building. The project was designed by architects Emery Roth & Sons and Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer in 1977, the original building was restored in 2003 and office space was furnished for city preservation group The Municipal Art Society, as part of an agreement to save the building from demolition. As a part of the renovation of the hotel, part of what is now known as the Villard Mansion is available as an event rental. In 2014, the residences were available for public viewing when they hosted the annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House program to raise money for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. Exterior shots of the Villard Houses were used on the TV series Gossip Girl as the hotel where the van der Woodsen family lives, list of New York City Landmarks National Register of Historic Places listings in New York County, New York Notes Further reading Kathrens, Michael C. Great Houses of New York, 1880–1930, media related to Villard Houses at Wikimedia Commons
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Steinway Hall
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Steinway Hall is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened in 1866 in New York City, today, Steinway Halls and Steinway-Häuser are located in cities such as New York City, London, Berlin, and Vienna. A related concept by Steinway is Steinway Piano Galleries, the Steinway Piano Galleries have all the same features as Steinway Halls, but are smaller. In 1864, William Steinway built elegant showrooms housing over 100 Steinway & Sons pianos at 71–73 East 14th Street, during the next two years, demand for Steinway pianos had increased dramatically. Construction of the first Steinway Hall was pushed by the need for expansion, increased promotion, William Steinway carried planning and construction of the first Steinway Hall with the full support and cooperation from the City of New York. The concert hall was designed with 2,000 seats, and had a stage for a full 100-piece symphony orchestra. It was built in 1866 behind the showrooms on 14th Street in Manhattan and was one of the first concert halls for wider audiences in New York City. Four days after the Academy of Music on 14th Street a few blocks away burned down to the ground, on May 22,1866 and its four floors had enough space to fit in a showroom for more than 100 pianos, the concert hall and rooms for piano lessons. The hall and the rooms were illuminated with over 700 gaslights. The ground floor was occupied by the showroom and the office, the first floor there was taken by the concert hall. With 2,500 seats at that time it was one of the biggest halls in the city of New York, the first Steinway Hall was also the home for the New York Philharmonic for 25 years, from 1866 to 1891, until Carnegie Hall was opened in 1891. William Steinway recognized that it would be good for sales, if famous piano artists have a place to play on Steinway pianos. In 1872, Steinway & Sons organised a concert tour of 215 performances in 239 days for the Russian virtuoso pianist Anton Rubinstein. Rubinsteins legendary concert at the Steinway Hall was sold out with 3000 guests, one concert on Saturday night, sells pianos on Monday morning was one of William Steinways sayings. Cultural highlights included performances of artists as Fritz Kreisler, Walter Damrosch, Jenny Lind, readings of Charles Dickens. Steinway Hall, as the center of New Yorks cultural life, other piano companies also invested in renowned stars tours in the United States, such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who was invited on a two-month US tour in 1891, by piano maker Wm. Knabe & Co. Around the same time, concert halls were built in Boston, Chicago, Baltimore. The new Steinway Hall opened on January 11,1925, across the street from the Carnegie Hall at 109–113 West 57th Street, the new Steinway building replaced the old Steinway Hall, which was closed in the same year
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57th Street (Manhattan)
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Between Fifth and Eighth Avenue, it is two blocks south of Central Park. 57th Street is notable for prestigious art galleries, restaurants and up-market shops, the street was designated by the Commissioners Plan of 1811 that established the Manhattan street grid as one of 15 east-west streets that would be 100 feet in width. Over its two-mile length, 57th Street passes through several neighborhoods with differing mixes of commercial, retail. From there to Tenth Avenue are low-rise industrial properties, several automobile dealerships, much of south side of the block between Eleventh and Tenth Avenues is occupied by the CBS Broadcast Center, which is the networks primary East Coast production facility. The streets name was used by CBS to title a newsmagazine program produced by the network in the late 80s, from Tenth Avenue to Eighth Avenue, larger residential buildings appear. The corner of 57th Street and Seventh Avenue is home to the performance venue Carnegie Hall. The mid-block between Seventh and Sixth avenues is a terminus of a pedestrian avenue named Sixth and a Half Avenue. East of Sixth Avenue, the street is home to numerous retail establishments including Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co. The stores located at 57th Streets intersections with Fifth and Madison Avenues occupy some of the most expensive real estate in the world, commercial and retail buildings continue to dominate until Third Avenue, where the street rapidly returns to a preponderance of large residential buildings. 57th Street ends at a city park overlooking the East River just east of Sutton Place. Notable buildings include 300 East 57th Street by architect Emery Roth, due to the often record-breaking prices that have been set for the apartments in these buildings, the press has dubbed this section of 57th Street as Billionaires Row. The 57th Street station on the New York City Subways IND Sixth Avenue Line is located at the intersection of 57th Street and Sixth Avenue and is served by the F train. The 57th Street – Seventh Avenue station on the BMT Broadway Line is located at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, the M57 and M31 crosstown bus routes share a corridor between 11th and 1st Avenues. The M57 extends up the West Side to the 72nd Street subway station, while the M31 extends up the East Side to 92nd Street, several express buses from Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island serve 57th Street as well. Four Seasons Hotel between Madison and Park Avenues Fuller Building at Madison Avenue, housing many art galleries Tourneau TimeMachine at Madison Avenue Tiffany & Co
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Carnegie Hall
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Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1891, it is one of the most prestigious venues in the world for both classical music and popular music. Carnegie Hall has its own programming, development, and marketing departments. It is also rented out to performing groups, the hall has not had a resident company since 1962, when the New York Philharmonic moved to Lincoln Centers Philharmonic Hall. Carnegie Hall has 3,671 seats, divided among its three auditoriums, Carnegie Hall presented about 200 concerts in the 2008–2009 season, up 3 percent from the previous year. Its stages were rented for an additional 600 events in the 2008–2009 season, Carnegie Hall contains three distinct, separate performance spaces. The Isaac Stern Auditorium seats 2,804 on five levels and was named after violinist Isaac Stern in 1997 to recognize his efforts to save the hall from demolition in the 1960s, the hall is enormously high, and visitors to the top balcony must climb 137 steps. All but the top level can be reached by elevator, the main hall was home to the performances of the New York Philharmonic from 1892 until 1962. Known as the most prestigious concert stage in the U. S. almost all of the classical music. After years of wear and tear, the hall was extensively renovated in 1986. The Ronald O. Perelman Stage is 42 feet deep, the First Tier and Second Tier consist of sixty-five boxes, the First Tier has 264 seats at eight seats per box and the Second Tier seats 238, with boxes ranging from six to eight seats each. Second from the top is the Dress Circle, seating 444 in six rows, at the top, the balcony seats 837. Although seats with obstructed views exist throughout the auditorium, only the Dress Circle level has structural columns, Zankel Hall, which seats 599, is named after Judy and Arthur Zankel. Originally called simply Recital Hall, this was the first auditorium to open to the public in April 1891, following renovations made in 1896, it was renamed Carnegie Lyceum. The completely reconstructed Zankel Hall is flexible in design and can be reconfigured in several different arrangements to suit the needs of the performers, the 599 seats in Zankel Hall are arranged in two levels. The Parterre level seats a total of 463 and the Mezzanine level seats 136, each level has a number of seats which are situated along the side walls, perpendicular to the stage. These seats are designated as boxes, there are 54 seats in six boxes on the Parterre level and 48 seats in four boxes on the Mezzanine level, the boxes on the Parterre level are raised above the level of the stage. Zankel Hall is accessible and its stage is 44 feet wide and 25 feet deep — the stage occupies approximately one fifth of the performance space, the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Recital Hall seats 268 and is named after Sanford I. Weill, a chairman of the board, and his wife Joan
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Fifth Avenue
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Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare going through the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It stretches from West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square North at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village and it is considered among the most expensive and best shopping streets in the world. The lower stretch of Fifth Avenue extended the stylish neighborhood of Washington Square northwards, Fifth Avenue is the central scene in Edith Whartons 1920 Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Age of Innocence. The novel describes New Yorks social elite in the 1870s and provides context to Fifth Avenue. Originally a narrower thoroughfare, much of Fifth Avenue south of Central Park was widened in 1908, the midtown blocks, now famously commercial, were largely a residential district until the start of the 20th century. In 1906 his department store, B. Altman and Company, the result was the creation of a high-end shopping district that attracted fashionable women and the upscale stores that wished to serve them. Lord & Taylors flagship store is located on Fifth Avenue near the Empire State Building. In the 1920s traffic towers controlled important intersections from 14th to 59th Streets, traffic crosses the river on the Madison Avenue Bridge. Fifth Avenue serves as the line for house numbering and west-east streets in Manhattan. It separates, for example, East 59th Street from West 59th Street, the most expensive street in the world moniker changes depending on currency fluctuations and local economic conditions from year to year. For several years starting in the mid-1990s, the district between 49th and 57th Streets was ranked as having the worlds most expensive retail spaces on a cost per square foot basis. In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Fifth Avenue as being the most expensive street in the world, some of the most coveted real estate on Fifth Avenue are the penthouses perched atop the buildings. The American Planning Association compiled a list of 2012 Great Places in America and this historic street has many world-renowned museums, businesses and stores, parks, luxury apartments, and historical landmarks that are reminiscent of its history and vision for the future. Below is a list of sites on Fifth Avenue with their designation dates,500 Fifth Avenue Building – December 14,2010 Aeolian Building – – December 10,2002 George W. It recognizes structures, buildings, sites, and districts associated with important events, people, Fifth Avenue from 142nd Street to 135th Street carries two-way traffic. Fifth Avenue carries one-way traffic southbound from 135th Street to Washington Square North, the changeover to one-way traffic south of 135th Street took place on January 14,1966, at which time Madison Avenue was changed to one way uptown. From 124th Street to 120th Street, Fifth Avenue is cut off by Marcus Garvey Park, Fifth Avenue is one of the few major streets in Manhattan along which streetcars did not operate. Instead, Fifth Avenue Coach offered a more to the taste of fashionable gentlefolk
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Richard Morris Hunt
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Richard Morris Hunt was an American architect of the nineteenth century and a preeminent figure in the history of American architecture. Design critic Paul Goldberger wrote in The New York Times that Hunt was American architectures first, Hunt also founded both the American Institute of Architects and the Municipal Art Society. Born at Brattleboro, Vermont, Hunt was a son of Jane Maria Leavitt, born to a family of Suffield, Connecticut. Jonathan Hunt, a U. S. congressman whose own father was the lieutenant governor of Vermont, Richard Morris Hunt was the brother of the Boston painter William Morris Hunt, and the photographer and lawyer Leavitt Hunt. Following the early death of his father, Hunts mother took the family to Europe, Hunt began his education at the Boston Latin School. Hunt later entered the Paris atelier of Hector Lefuel in 1846, the aspiring architect Hunt became the first American to attend the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Hunt would later regale aspiring young architect Louis Sullivan with stories of his work on the New Louvre in Lefuels atelier libre and his philosophy of architectural work may be summed up in his quote The first thing youve got to remember is that its your clients money youre spending. Your goal is to achieve the best results by following their wishes, if they want you to build a house upside down standing on its chimney, its up to you to do it. Hunts greatest influence was his insistence that architects be treated, and paid, as legitimate and he sued one of his early clients for non-payment of his five percent fee, which established an important legal precedent. Hunt married Catherine Clinton Howland on April 2,1861 and she was the daughter of Samuel S. Howland. His extensive social connections in Newport among the richest Americans of his generation, were informed by his energy, legend has it that while on a final walk-through of one of his Vanderbilt mansions, Hunt discovered a mysterious tent-like object in one of the ballrooms. Investigating, he found it was covering a life-sized statue of himself, dressed in stonecutters clothes. Vanderbilt permitted the statue to be placed on the roof of the mansion, most who came into contact with Hunt came away struck by the man. On their first meeting in 1869 Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke of one remarkable person new to me, Hunt designed New Yorks Tribune Building, one of the earliest with an elevator, in 1873. Other buildings of note that Hunt designed include the Theological Library and Marquand Chapel in Princeton, the Scroll and Key building at Yale, until the Lenox Library, none of Hunts American works were in the Beaux-Arts style with which he is associated. Late in his life he became involved in the Chicagos Worlds Columbian Exposition in 1893, in New York City, Hunts handiwork can be seen on the austere pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and on the elegant 5th Avenue facade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hunt often employed sculptor Karl Bitter to enrich his designs, according to Central Park historian Sarah Cedar Miller, Central Park Commissioner and influential New Yorker Andrew Haswell Green, was a major supporter of Hunt. When the park commissioners adopted Hunts design, Olmsted and his partner Calvert Vaux protested and resigned their positions with the Central Park project, Hunts plan for Scholars Gate was never built and Olmsted and Vaux subsequently rejoined the project
7.
1916 Zoning Resolution
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The New York City 1916 Zoning Resolution was a measure adopted primarily to stop massive buildings such as the Equitable Building from preventing light and air from reaching the streets below. It established limits in building massing at certain heights, usually interpreted as a series of setbacks and, while not imposing height limits, the chief architects of this resolution were George McAneny and Edward M. Bassett. Architectural delineator Hugh Ferriss popularized these new regulations in 1922 through a series of massing studies, clearly depicting the possible forms, the tiered Art Deco skyscrapers of the 1920s and 1930s are a direct result of this resolution. By mid-century most new International Style buildings had met the requirements by adopting the use of plazas or low-rise buildings surrounding a monolithic tower centered on the site. This approach has been criticized for its hostility and, among other issues, the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act Notes Further reading Ferriss, Hugh. The Metropolis of Tomorrow, with essay by Carol Willis, New York, Princeton Architectural Press,1986. Http, //www. nyc. gov/html/dcp/html/zone/zonehis. shtml NYC Zoning History in-arch. net New York Skyscrapers zoning
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History of the IRT subway before 1918
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The first regularly operated subway in New York City was built by the city and leased to the Interborough Rapid Transit Company for operation under Contracts 1 and 2 of the Dual Contracts. The system had four tracks between Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall and 96th Street, allowing for local and express service on that portion, a line through Lafayette Street to Union Square was considered, but at first a more costly route under lower Broadway was adopted. A legal battle with property owners along the route led to the courts denying permission to build through Broadway in 1896, the Elm Street route was chosen later that year, cutting west to Broadway via 42nd Street. The awkward alignment. along Forty-Second Street, as the commission put it, was necessitated by objections to using Broadway south of 34th Street, legal challenges were finally taken care of near the end of 1899. A contract, later known as Contract 1, was executed on February 21,1900, mcDonald and funded by August Belmont, for the construction of the subway and a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line. Ground was broken at City Hall on March 24, operation of the subway began on October 27,1904, with the opening of all stations from City Hall to 145th Street on the West Side Branch. Service was extended to 157th Street on November 12,1904, the West Side Branch was extended northward to a temporary terminus of 221st Street and Broadway on March 12,1906. This extension was served by trains operating between 157th Street and 221st Street. Once the line was extended to 225th Street, the structure of the 221st Street was dismantled and was moved to 230th Street for a new temporary terminus, service was extended to the temporary terminus at 230th Street on January 27,1907. An extension of Contract 1 north to 242nd Street at Van Cortlandt Park was approved in 1906, when the line was extended to 242nd Street the temporary platforms at 230th Street were dismantled, and were rumored to be brought to 242 Street to serve as the stations side platforms. There were two stations on the line opened later, 191st Street and 207th Street. The 191st Street station did not open until January 14,1911 because the elevators, 207th Street was completed in 1906, but since it was located in a sparsely occupied area, the station was opened in 1907. The initial segment of the IRT White Plains Road Line opened on November 26,1904 between East 180th Street and Jackson Avenue, once the connection to the IRT Lenox Avenue Line opened on July 10,1905, trains from the newly opened IRT subway ran via the line. Elevated service via this connection was resumed on October 1,1907 when Second Avenue locals were extended to Freeman Street during rush hours. The line was extended to Fulton Street on January 16,1905, to Wall Street on June 12,1905. In order to complete Contract 2, the subway had to be extended under the East River to reach Brooklyn, on May 1,1908, the construction of Contract 2 was completed when the line was extended from Borough Hall to Atlantic Avenue near the Flatbush Avenue LIRR station. With the opening of the IRT to Brooklyn, ridership fell off on the BRTs elevated, express trains began at South Ferry in Manhattan or Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, while local trains typically began at South Ferry or City Hall, both in Manhattan. Local trains to the West Side Branch ran from City Hall during rush hours and continued south at other times, all three branches were served by express trains, no local trains used the East Side Branch to West Farms
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Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
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Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station or Penn Station, is the main intercity railroad station in New York City. Serving more than 600,000 commuter rail and Amtrak passengers a day, Penn Station is in the midtown area of Manhattan, close to Herald Square, the Empire State Building, Koreatown, and the Macys department store. Entirely underground, it sits beneath Madison Square Garden, between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue and between 31st and 34th Streets, Penn Station has 21 tracks fed by seven tunnels. It is at the center of the Northeast Corridor, a rail line that connects New York City with Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D. C. Intercity trains are operated by Amtrak, which owns the station, while rail services are operated by the Long Island Rail Road. Connections are available within the complex to the New York City Subway, additionally, if reopened, the old Hilton Corridor would recreate an indoor connection with Port Authority Trans-Hudson trains. The original Pennsylvania Station was built from 1901-1910 by the Pennsylvania Railroad, after a decline in passenger usage during the 1950s, the original station was demolished and reconstructed from 1963 to 1969, resulting in the current station. Pennsylvania Station is named for the Pennsylvania Railroad, its builder and original tenant, the current facility is the substantially remodeled underground remnant of a significantly more ornate station building designed by McKim, Mead, and White and completed in 1910. The original Pennsylvania Station was considered a masterpiece of the Beaux-Arts style, the station was moved fully underground, beneath the newly constructed Pennsylvania Plaza complex and Madison Square Garden arena completed in 1968. Until the early 20th century, the PRRs rail network terminated on the side of the Hudson River at Exchange Place in Jersey City. Manhattan-bound passengers boarded ferries to cross the Hudson River for the stretch of their journey. The rival New York Central Railroads line ran down Manhattan from the north under Park Avenue, the development of the electric locomotive at the turn of the 20th century made a tunnel feasible. The station would sit in Manhattans Tenderloin district, a historical district known for its corruption and prostitution. Beginning in June 1903, the two single-track North River Tunnels were bored from the west under the Hudson River. Electrification was initially 600 volts DC–third rail, and later changed to 11,000 volts AC–overhead catenary when electrification of PRRs mainline was extended to Washington, D. C. in the early 1930s. The same tube, with an inscription indicating that it had displayed at the Exposition, was later installed under water. Construction was completed on the Hudson River tunnels on October 9,1906, meanwhile, ground was broken for Pennsylvania Station on May 1,1904. Along with Long Island Rail Road trains, Penn Station saw trains of the New Haven and the Lehigh Valley Railroads
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Landmarks Preservation Commission
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The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the citys Landmarks Preservation Law. It is the largest municipal preservation agency in the nation, according to the Landmarks Preservation Law, a building must be at least thirty years old before the Commission can declare it a landmark. City law also allows for the Commissions decision to be overturned if an appeal is filed within 90 days, the goal of New York Citys landmarks law is to preserve the aesthetically and historically important buildings, structures, and other objects that make up the New York City vista. These regulations are designed to allow property owners to continue to use and maintain their properties. The commission preserves not only significant buildings, but the overall historical sense of place of neighborhoods that are designated as historic districts. The Commission helps preserve the Citys landmark properties by regulating changes to their significant features, the role of the Commission has evolved over time, especially with the changing real estate market in New York City. The Landmarks Preservation Commissions first public hearing occurred in September,1965 over the future of the Astor Library on Lafayette Street in Manhattan, the building was designated a New York City Landmark. Subsequently, the building was reused as The Public Theater. Twenty-five years later, the Commission was cited by David Dinkins as having preserved New York Citys municipal identity and this success is believed to be due, in part, to the general acceptance of the commission by the citys developers. The Commission was headquartered in the Mutual Reserve Building from 1967 to 1980, and later the Old New York Evening Post Building from 1980 to 1987. As of April 16,2014, there are more than 31,000 landmark properties in New York City, the total number of protected sites includes 1,332 individual landmarks,115 interior landmarks and 10 scenic landmarks. Some of these are also National Historic Landmarks sites, and many are National Registered Historic Places, one of the most prominent decisions in which the Commission was involved was the preservation of the Grand Central Terminal with the assistance of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. This success is cited as significant due to the Commissions origins following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station. In 1989, the Commission designated the Ladies Mile Historic District, the next year marked the first time in the Commissions history that a proposed landmark, the Guggenheim Museum, received a unanimous vote by the Commission members. One of the most controversial properties was 2 Columbus Circle, which remained at the center of a discussion over its future for a number of years. Cultural landmarks, such as Greenwich Villages Stonewall Inn, are recognized as not for their architecture. A commission-designated historic district for the South Street Seaport has been active since 1977 and was extended on July 11,1989 and this group included the Historic Districts Council, the Save Our Seaport community group, the New Amsterdam Market, and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. They had encouraged others to write letters to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to support formal designation or district protection, however, in 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission declined to hold a hearing to consider this landmark designation or to expand the district
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Trans World Airlines
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Trans World Airlines was a major American airline from 1924 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with Ford Trimotors. With American, United, and Eastern, it was one of the Big Four domestic airlines in the United States formed by the Spoils Conference of 1930. Hughes gave up control in the 1960s, and the new management of TWA acquired Hilton International and Century 21 in an attempt to diversify the companys business. As the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 led to a wave of airline failures, start-ups, Carl Icahn acquired control of TWA and took the company private in a leveraged buyout in 1988. TWA became saddled with debt, sold its London routes, underwent Chapter 11 restructuring in 1992 and 1995, in 2001, TWA filed for a third and final bankruptcy and was acquired by American Airlines. American laid off many former TWA employees in the wake of the September 11,2001 attacks and closed its St. Louis hub in 2003. TWA was headquartered at one time in Kansas City, Missouri, and planned to make Kansas City International Airport its main domestic and international hub, the airline later developed its largest hub at Lambert-St. Its main trans-Atlantic hub was the TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, TWAs corporate history dates from the July 16,1930, forced merger of Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express to form Transcontinental & Western Air. The companies merged at the urging of Postmaster General Walter Folger Brown, both airlines brought high-profile aviation pioneers who would give the airline the panache of being called The Airline Run by Flyers. The airlines were known for years as being on the cutting edge of aviation. Transcontinental, the bigger of the two, had the expertise of Charles Lindbergh and was already offering a 48-hour combination of plane. Western, which was older, having been founded in 1925, had the expertise of Jack Frye. On October 25,1930, the airline offered one of the first all-plane scheduled service from coast to coast, the route took 36 hours and initially called for overnights in Kansas City. In summer 1931, TWA moved its headquarters from New York to Kansas City, investigation revealed that the wings wooden structure had deteriorated. In the wake of the crash, the Fokker F.10 was temporarily grounded, the F. 10s public image, and that of all wooden-structured aircraft, suffered badly from the crash. The dominant manufacturer of the day was Bill Boeing, but his contract with United Air Lines did not allow him to sell his 247 to competing lines, Frye and other members of TWA approached several other manufacturers, including Donald Douglas, with specifications for a larger plane. On September 20,1932, the contract was signed with Douglas and the DC-1 was delivered to TWA in December 1933 and this was followed by the delivery of 32 Douglas DC-2s that started operations in May 1934
12.
TWA Flight Center
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The TWA Flight Center or Trans World Flight Center, opened in 1962 as the original terminal designed by Eero Saarinen for Trans World Airlines at New York Citys John F. Kennedy International Airport. Together, the old and new buildings make up JetBlue Airways JFK operations and have been known collectively since 2008 as Terminal 5 or simply T5, the construction on the new hotel began in August,2016. Both the interior and the exterior were declared a New York City Landmark in 1994, in 2005, the terminal was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Noted architect Robert A. M. Stern called the TWA Flight Center the Grand Central of the jet age, the pragmatic new encircling terminal has been called hyper-efficient and a monument to human throughput. The concrete shell, which inspired Saarinen to develop curved-edge ceramic tiles conforming to the curvilinear shapes, the design straddles Futurism, Googie and Fantastic architecture. Food and beverage services included the Constellation Club, Lisbon Lounge, JFK was unusual in having company-owned and designed terminals. The original terminal opened in 1962 as the terminal designed by Eero Saarinen for Trans World Airlines at Idlewild Airport. Saarinen and his Detroit-based firm were commissioned in 1955 to design the TWA Flight Center, Saarinen, who projected a high patronage for the terminal, conceived the terminal to speed up processes. At the same time, the bird-shaped, emblematic construction featured a harmoniously coordinated interior and references to TWA’s corporate identity, Saarinen planned the appearance of the building from a purely formal perspective mainly to exploit market opportunities. Thus, the TWA Terminal represents a different approach than the thin concrete shells constructed at the same time. The terminal was built to span a space with a minimum of material, Saarinen, who was known as an indefatigable architect, indicated to his client that he needed more time, then took another year to resolve the design. The completed terminal was dedicated May 28,1962, the year that Saarinen won the AIA Gold Medal posthumously. In 1969, the received a new departure-arrival concourse and lounge. Known as Flight Wing Two, the expansion was designed by Roche-Dinkeloo to accommodate then-new wide-body aircraft, the City of New York designated both the interiors and the exteriors of the Eero Saarinen-designed terminal a historic landmark in 1994. Following TWAs continued financial deterioration during the 1990s and the sale of its assets to American Airlines. The concept received opposition from the Municipal Art Society of New York, as well the architects Philip Johnson and Robert A. M. That same year, the Municipal Art Society of New York succeeded in nominating the facility to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of the 11 Most Endangered Places in America. In 2005, the National Park Service listed the TWA Flight Center on the National Register of Historic Places
13.
Eero Saarinen
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Eero Saarinen was a 20th-century Finnish American architect and industrial designer noted for his neofuturistic style. Eero Saarinen was born on August 20,1910 to Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen and his wife, Louise. They immigrated to the United States in 1923, when Eero was thirteen and he grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where his father taught and was dean of the Cranbrook Academy of Art, and he took courses in sculpture and furniture design there. He had a relationship with fellow students Charles and Ray Eames. Saarinen began studies in sculpture at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, France and he then went on to study at the Yale School of Architecture, completing his studies in 1934. Subsequently, he toured Europe and North Africa for a year, after his tour of Europe and North Africa, Saarinen returned to Cranbrook to work for his father and teach at the academy. The firm was Saarinen, Swansen and Associates, headed by Eliel Saarinen, the firm was located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, until 1961 when the practice was moved to Hamden, Connecticut. The Tulip Chair, like all other Saarinen chairs, was taken into production by the Knoll furniture company, founded by Hans Knoll, the competition award was mistakenly sent to his father. All of these designs were successful except for the Grasshopper lounge chair. One of Saarinens earliest works to international acclaim is the Crow Island School in Winnetka. The GM Technical Center was constructed in 1956, with Saarinen using models, which allowed him to share his ideas with others, and gather input from other professionals. With the success of the scheme, Saarinen was then invited by other major American corporations such as John Deere, IBM, despite their rationality, however, the interiors usually contained more dramatic sweeping staircases, as well as furniture designed by Saarinen, such as the Pedestal Series. Saarinen served on the jury for the Sydney Opera House commission in 1957 and was crucial in the selection of the now internationally known design by Jørn Utzon, after his fathers death in July 1950, Saarinen founded his own architects office, Eero Saarinen and Associates. He was the partner from 1950 until his death in 1961. Many of these projects use catenary curves in their structural designs, one of the best-known thin-shell concrete structures in America is the Kresge Auditorium, which was designed by Saarinen. Another thin-shell structure that he created is Yales Ingalls Rink, which has suspension cables connected to a single backbone and is nicknamed the whale. The younger Saarinens leaded glass designs are a prominent feature of buildings throughout the campus. Saarinen was recruited by Donal McLaughlin, a school friend from his Yale days
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National Trust for Historic Preservation
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The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D. C. that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The organization is governed by a board of trustees and led by current president, the National Trust presently has around 750,000 members and supporters. The National Trust issues the quarterly Preservation magazine and produces the PreservationNation blog, towards the end of the 19th century, as the United States was rebuilding after the Civil War, the country was beginning to form its sense of national identity and history. The government began to enact legislation for the preservation of sites, in 1872, an Act of Congress established the first National Park, Yellowstone. In 1906, the Antiquities Act enabled the President to declare landmarks or objects as a national monument, then in 1935, Congress passed the Historic Sites Act which outlined programs for research and inventory of historic sites. Meanwhile, historic preservation initiatives existed on local and state levels, in 1931, the first historic district was created in Charleston, South Carolina. However, efforts to save and maintain historic sites were largely limited to private citizens or local groups. In the late 1940s, leaders in American historic preservation saw the need for an organization to support local preservation efforts. In 1946, David E. Finley, Jr. George McAneny, Christopher Crittenden, the meeting’s attendants became the first charter members of the Council. The organization’s first headquarters was in the offices of Ford’s Theatre in downtown Washington, the creation of the National Trust was proposed as a bill to Congress, H. R.5170, introduced by Congressman J. Hardin Peterson of Florida and passed. The National Trust for Historic Preservation was formally established through the Act of Congress when President Harry S. Truman signed the legislation on October 26,1949. The charter provided that the Trust should acquire and preserve historic sites and objects of national significance, Finley served as the National Trusts first chairman of the board, remaining in the position for 12 years. The National Trust and the National Council existed side by side for years until the need to merge resources compelled the Executive Committee to integrate the two entities. In 1952, the boards of organizations approved a merger of the Council into the National Trust. The merger was effective the following year and was completed by 1956, the National Trust became a membership organization and assumed all other functions of the National Council. In 1957, the National Trust officially acquired its first property, over the next decade, the National Trust grew to become the leading national organization in historic preservation. They began working with citizens and city planning officials on matters, including federal, state. National Trust staff also traveled to parts of the country to advise local communities on preservation projects, in 1966, Congress passed the National Historic Preservation Act, a significant legislation for the preservation movement
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City of Water
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City of Water is a documentary about the future of the New York City waterfront by the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance and the Municipal Art Society. The film was two years in the making, the documentary contains interviews with the following people, NYC Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Our generation has been presented with an opportunity to change the waterfront. The decisions that are facing us right now will affect our grandchildren, the film was also screened at the Center for Architecture, New York County Lawyers Association and other venues in 2007, and at the Downtown Alliance and Gotham Center in 2008. The film was broadcast on Channel Thirteen WNET in April and will be screened at the Brooklyn Arts Council International Film Festival in May. City of Water was directed by Jasper Goldman and Loren Talbot, cinematography by Igor Martinovic, edited by Cameron Clendaniel, with music by Scott Starrett
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Rockefeller Foundation
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The Rockefeller Foundation is a private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. It was established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, the Foundation was started by Standard Oil owner John D. Rockefeller, along with his son John D. Rockefeller Jr. Its stated mission is promoting the well-being of humanity throughout the world, as of 2015, the Foundation was ranked as the 39th largest U. S. foundation by total giving. By year-end 2008 assets were tallied at $3.1 billion from $4.6 billion in 2007, on January 5,2017, the Board of Trustees announced the unanimous selection of Dr. Rajiv Shah to serve as the 13th president of the foundation. Shah became the youngest person, at 43, and first-ever Indian-American to serve as president of the foundation. He assumed the position March 1, succeeding Dr. Judith Rodin who served as president for twelve years and announced her retirement, at age 71. Rodin in turn had succeeded Gordon Conway in 2005, a former president of the University of Pennsylvania, Rodin was the first woman to head the foundation. It was in that year he gave the first $100,000 to fund the University of Chicago, over the next two decades, $35 million dollars were gifted to the institution by Rockefeller. It was also in 1906 that the Russell Sage Foundation was established, though its program was limited to working women, Rockefellers would thus not be the first foundation in America, but it brought to it unprecedented international scale and scope. On May 14,1913, New York Governor William Sulzer approved a charter for the foundation - two years after the Carnegie Corporation - with Junior becoming the first president. With its large-scale endowment, a part of Seniors fortune was insulated from inheritance taxes. On December 5, the Board made its first grant of $100,000 to the American Red Cross to purchase property for its headquarters in Washington, D. C. At the beginning the foundation was global in its approach and concentrated in its first decade entirely on the sciences, public health and medical education. In 1913 the foundation set up the International Health Commission, the first appropriation of funds for work outside the US and its early field research on hookworm, malaria, and yellow fever provided the basic techniques to control these diseases and established the pattern of modern public health services. In 1913 it also began a 20-year support program of the Bureau of Social Hygiene, whose mission was research and education on birth control, maternal health and sex education. Also in 1914, the set up a new Department of Industrial Relations. The foundation henceforth confined itself to funding responsible organizations involved in this and other controversial fields, during its first few years of work, the LSRM awarded funds primarily to social workers, with its funding decisions guided primarily by John D. Rockefeller Jr. In January 1929, LSRM funds were folded into the Rockefeller Foundation, John D. Rockefeller Jr. became the foundation chairman in 1917
