Gallivanting Grandma

Sunday – October 7, 2012

It was raining when we emerged from the subway near Astor Place. I wanted to visit several Open House New York sites in Manhattan today. Our first destination was Edward Hopper’s Studio across from Washington Square Park. Hopper is one of my favorite artists because he captures one moment of time in each of his paintings and expresses a particular mood in vibrant colors.

My Favorite Edward Hopper Painting

Edward Hopper lived and worked with his wife, the artist Josephine Nivison, in the bright studio at One Washington Square North. The studio is on the top floor of one of those beautiful 1840s Greek Revival townhouses that surround the park. Hopper moved into the studio in 1913 and he and his wife lived there until their deaths in 1967.

Entering the Studio

We saw two rooms in the four-story walkup which is now owned by NY University and currently used as academic offices. The studio was sparsely furnished with Hopper’s easel and some other furnishings. Several black and white photos of the artist in his studio hung on the walls. When I attended Washington Irving HS from 1960 to 1963 several blocks north of Washington Square, I had no idea that Edward Hopper was living and painting several blocks away from my high school.

Possessions in the Studio

Hopper’s studio had great lighting from a magnificent roof sky-light on the north side. There were also large windows facing south from which the Hoppers had a beautiful view of Washing Square Park. I knew that part of the park had been used as a burial ground for unknown or indigent people in the early 1800s.  Today I learned that 20,ooo people were buried there before the cemetery closed in 1825.

Eastern Side of the NYC Marble Cemetery

We had a quick lunch at a local place and then we walked to the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. I discovered that there are two Marble Cemeteries a block away from each other. They are “the oldest non-sectarian burial grounds in Manhattan.” The NYC Marble Cemetery was built in 1831 and contains 258 underground marble vaults. It is the place were President James Monroe is buried.

Entrance to the NY Marble Cemetery

The other cemetery is the New York Marble Cemetery which is located on the north side of Second Avenue, between 2nd & 3rd Streets. Both cemeteries are called “marble” cemeteries because of the large underground marble vaults where the deceased are laid to rest. The marble was brought to New York City from the marble quarry in the town of Tuckahoe in Westchester County, not far from where I used to teach. The 12 foot vaults were built ten feet underground to prevent the spread of a yellow fever epidemic ravaging the city in the early 1800s. Both cemeteries are closed most of the year but are open to the public only during Open House New York and one weekend in the spring. They were peaceful little parks in the middle of the noisy city.

Inside the NY Marble Cemetery

Our final destination for the day was a studio loft/apartment in Chinatown. The architect/owner renovated his 750 sq. ft. apartment in a 1900s building on Forsyth Street near Delancy. After walking up to the 5th floor, we had to wait in line for 20 minutes for our guided tour. The apartment was located in a corner of the building with huge windows overlooking the park below. The apartment also had a magnificent view of the buildings of lower Manhattan. From the windows we could see the cranes on top of the Freedom Tower rising above Ground Zero.

Chinatown Tenement

The architect had painted the walls opposite the windows in a bright chartreuse, which contrasted well with the stainless steel appliances. In the bedroom, there was just a bed on the floor and a large modern glass-enclosed shower in one corner. It was a bright and light-filled apartment even on such a dark rainy day as today.

Hide-away Storage

Viewing this apartment was much more interesting than I had expected and I was glad I went to see it. The weather was getting cooler and it was still raining lightly when we left. As we walked toward the subway, we decided to stop at Ceci Cela on 55 Spring St. The patisserie was voted as having the best French croissants in New York City. They have a cozy little back room to enjoy wonderful pastries and cafe au lait.

Fresh-Baked Croissant & Cafe au Lait

Well fortified with a taste of Paris, we crossed the street and rode the subway to Grand Central Station. It was an adventurous day filled with several new and different sights. New York City is an amazing place; it’s forever changing and always surprising. What more do we need in life? I’m looking forward to next year’s Open House New York.

Saturday – October 6, 2012

The first weekend in October is the time for Open House New York. During this two-day event, many architecturally interesting buildings in the five boroughs are opened to the public. Architects, designers, and directors are on hand to talk about their designs and programs. This year I decided to tour several sites in Da Bronx on Saturday.

14′ Whitehall Rowing Boat

After reviewing the OHNY directory I decided to see a youth program called Rocking the Boat. We drove under the Bruckner Expressway to the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx and continued to Edgewater Road. Rocking the Boat is a program that works with local high school students. They learn the craft of wooden boatbuilding, environmental science, and maritime skills. The program tries to help students build self-confidence and overcome some of their economic disadvantages. The Rocking the Boat organization is housed in a former commercial warehouse which had been renovated for the students’ use.

Wooden Boat Building Workshop

One of the former students, who achieved apprentice status and is a sophomore in college, gave us a tour of the facilities.  The students study wooden boat drawings, create patterns, lay the frames, steam the planks, and ultimately build 14 foot Whitehall rowing boats.  I later learned that the design came into existence during the 1820’s in New York City. There is a Whitehall Street in lower Manhattan, and it is believed that this was where the Whitehall rowboat was first built.

Whitehall Boats Almost Finished

Rocking the Boat also promotes a community rowing program and teaches environmental science to middle and high school students and their teachers.  The organization also employs apprentices to build boats for clients, teaches small boat handling, and provides counseling and support for the students. The young man who conducted our tour did a great job!

The Bronx River

We left Rocking the Boat and drove around the Hunts Point neighborhood to see the famous market. This is the main produce,  meat, and fish market for all of New York City and the surrounding areas. Trucks arrive from across the United States to the Hunts Point Market to deliver and distribute food to New York City. Some years ago, the Fulton Fish Market in lower Manhattan closed and also moved to Hunts Point.

Hunts Point Riverside Park

Since the market was not busy today, we could only imagine the activity level during the week. We continued to drive west across the south Bronx to the Grand Concourse. We drove north on “The Concourse” which was opened to traffic in 1909 and modeled after the Champs-Elysees in Paris.  We admired the former grand houses and Art Deco apartment buildings which were built along this beautiful boulevard.  We passed the palatial Loew’s Paradise theater, built in 1929, which was at one time the largest movie theater in New York City. I saw movies there during the early 1960s and I remember the impressive interior of the theater.

Edgar Allan Poe’s Cottage

Our final destination was the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in Poe Park along the Grand Concourse. The house, which had been built in 1797, was where Poe, his wife Virginia, and her mother lived in 1846. Among other writings, Poe wrote his famous poems “Annabel Lee” and “Ulalume” during his stay at the cottage in the Bronx. Virginia died of tuberculosis in the cottage’s first floor bedroom, just one year after they moved in. Poe moved to Baltimore shortly after his wife’s death and died there in 1849.

Downstairs Bedroom

It is a small cottage with only three rooms on the first floor. There was a kitchen, a living room in the middle, and a very small bedroom. Poe’s Bronx home was simply decorated with furniture of the period. I read that the cottage had been completely restored and reopened last year. I remember visiting Poe’s Cottage in the mid-1970s with my young sons, to hear a reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry. It is still an interesting and peaceful place to visit.

Poe Park Visitor’s Center

Also in Poe Park is a newly built visitor’s center. It is actually more of a community center for local residents providing a wide variety of activities. The architect was in attendance and she stated that the design of the Visitor’s Center was inspired by Poe’s poem “The Raven”. The building was built in the shape of a flying bird and the black slate exterior symbolizes the raven’s feathers. All in all, it was an interesting day in Da Bronx.