New York: Statue of Liberty

With my dad not keen on boats, getting to visit Liberty Island wasn’t the easy of tasks to do but eventually we got there which was a lovely experience.

The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) is located on Liberty Island in the middle of the New YorkHarbour. The statue was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28^th 1886 as a gift to the United States from the people of France.

Delving into the meaning of the statue is it known that the female robed figure represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom bearing a torch and a tablet evoking the law. Upon further study the tablet is inscribed with the date of the American Declaration of Independence on July 4^th 1776, symbolising the freedom of the United States welcoming immigrants arriving from abroad.

Bartholdi gained inspiration from French law profession and politician Edouard Rene de Laboulaye who mentioned in 1865 a moment raised to American independence would properly be a joint project with both French and American peoples. With a tricky political situation in France the work could not begin until early 1870’s, in 1875 it was decided by Laboulaye that the French would finance the statue and the Americans would provide the pedestal and site. Prior to fully designing the statue the head and torch-bearing arm were created and displayed, in Philadelphia in 1876 and between 1876 and 1882 in Madison Square Park in New York.

(Laboulaye statue on Liberty island)

Despite the countries wealth it was difficult for the Americans to fund the project and in 1885 the pedestal was threatened due to lack of funds, publisher Joseph Pulitzer started a drive for donations which gathered more than 120,000 contributions. The statue was constructed in France and later shipped over to New York with its completion marked by a ticker-tape parade.

The statue was closed for renovation for much of 1938 and in the early 1980’s it required major restoration. Closed between 1984 and 1986 the torch and much of the internal structure was replaced and closure was brought on following the September 11^th 2001 attacks. It reopened in 2004 and the statue in 2009 with limits imposed on visitors, a rare occasion is when Liberty Island is shut at Hurricane Sandy was able to close the island.

But why was the statue created? It’s rumoured it came from a comment made by Laboulaye in mid-1865 who wanted to signify the independence of the United States which could only be done with a monument being risen. Arriving at New York harbour, Bartholdi and Laboulaye decided it was right to discuss the idea with the influential Americans. Sailing past the island it was revealed it was owned by the United States Government used for harbour defence, having visited president Ulysses S. Grant it appeared the site would be easy to obtain.

The design of the statue had to represent American liberty it was decided the statue would have a peaceful appearance and hold a torch to represent progress for the figure to hold. Bartholdi admired the United States Constitution which led him to inscribe “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” on the tablet, this date is known as the date of the country’s Declaration of Independence.

By 1875 it was announced that the project needing public support and in September the formation of the Franco-American Union as its fundraising arm. During the initial stages funds were raised from the French society form school children alongside ordinary citizens. Copper used came from many sources 90,800 kilos were needed with the French copper industrialist Eugene Secretan donating 58,100 kilos.

In Paris the structure continued to be created, with the head and arm being built with assistance from Viollet-le-Duc who fell in 1879 and soon after died there was no indication left of how it was to be transported. Gaining help from Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel they worked together to discuss the structure of the statue which was decided not to be completely rigid or it would lead to cracking. It was decided to include two spiral staircases for visitors and an access platform for the torch area. The symbolic act of US Ambassador to France Levi P.Morton was carried out by the first rivet placed onto the skin being driven by him.

 (Bartholdi statue on Liberty Island)

The completed statue was formally presented to Ambassador Morton at a ceremony in Paris on July 4^th 1884 and it was announced the French government had agreed to pay for its transport to New York.  It was shipped to the country in 3150 pieces held within 214 crates. A ceremony of dedication was held on October 28^th 1886 with President Grover Cleveland presided over the event. A parade was held throughout the city in the morning with up to a million spectators. On the island a French flag was draped across the statues face and was to be lowered to unveil the statue at the close of Evart’s speech yet due to Bartholdi mistaking a pause as the conclusion the flag fell early with a sea of cheers closing the speech. No general public members were granted access on the island during the ceremonies with only de Lesseps granddaughter and Bartholdi’s wife being the only female.

The torch when illuminated only produced a faint gleam yet in 1887 the US Lighthouse Board took over the statue and pledged to install equipment to enhance the torch’s effect. Despite this nothing was done and in 1901 Roosevelt ordered the statues transfer to the War Department deeming it useless as a lighthouse.

The statue soon became a landmark and many immigrants entering via New York saw it as a welcoming sight. Yet in 1916 July during WW1 German saboteurs set off an explosive attack which caused the statue minor damage to the torch bearing arm causing repairs needed to raise to $100,000. During WW2 the statue remained open to visitors although it was not illuminated at night due to wartime blackouts yet was briefly lit on December 31^st 1943 and D-Day June 6^th 1944 when its lights flashed dot-dot-dot-dash signing out V for victory. It was not until 1957 that the statue was illuminated every night, all night.

The statue has faced protests for beginning on December 26^th 1971, 15 anti Vietnam War veterans occupied the statue and flew a US flag upside down from her crown. Only on 28^th December when faced with a Federal Court order did they leave. The statue was also several times taken over briefly by demonstrators publicising cases against abortion, opposition to US intervention alongside anti gay rallies.

With the statue being so iconic there’s many replicas displayed world wide. For instance in Paris there is a one fourth of the height of the original displayed in the Ile aux Cygnes, one in the centre of the New York- New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas alongside one standing now at the Brooklyn Museum which one stood at 9.1m tall on top of the Liberty Warehouse on West 64^th Street in Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty has been depicted on the country’s coinage and stamps whilst between 1986 and 2000 featured on NY state license plates.

For me this was one of my highlights of my holiday, for being able to come and visit the statue which represents freedom and liberty brought a new cultural experiences. The vast size and intricate work which had gone into making the statue what it is made seeing it up close a life long memory.

New York: Union Square

Walking back from the Statue of Liberty seemed like the longest trek I’ve ever endured but for me I was lucky enough to visit Union Square because of it. The square is a popular location for political rallies and public protests, something I have learnt much about.

Once used as a potters field, the square’s history dates back to 1811 when the gridiron plan of Manhattan was approved. In 1831 the square was declared a public place before in 1872 landscape architects Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux redesigned the park, allowing a large open space to be created to accommodate large rallies often held here. Further reorganising was done on the addition of a subway below the square in 1928.

Much like other favourite NYC landmarks after the Second World War the area began to deteriorate gaining a reputation for its drug dealers causing people to avoid the area. In 1976 the creation of Greenmarket selling fresh produce was created by Barry Benepe which sparked the revitalisation of the area it followed in 1985 with a new plaza, subway kiosk and two new playgrounds.

When visiting we were met with a 3.6 acre space accompanied by an array of statues including the most known one of George Washington upon a horse which was erected in 1856 to commemorate the reclamation of New York from the British. Sculptor Henry Kirke Brown also created an Abraham Lincoln statue erected in the park in 1868. A bronze sculpture of Marquis de Lafayette, a Frenchman who fought for the Americans in the revolutionary war against the British was sculpted by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi who is most known for the Statue of Liberty. A more recently added sculpture in the form of a bronze statue of Gandhi was installed in 1986 with many visiting the square to see the impressive works of art.

The park from the start has been a location for many political demonstrations, in April 1861 after the fall of Fort Sumter it was a patriotic rally site of what is believed to be almost ¼ of a million people gathered here. Union Square is the gathering point for many radicals to make their stand, in 1882 September 5^th in the first Labour Day celebration a crowd of at least 10,000 workers gathered in the square having marched from Broadway. Most recently following on from the September 11^th 2001 terrorist attacks Union Square became a place of mourning for the victims, holding vigils and memorials within the park.

I have to admit, upon arrival the park seemed nothing special, yet exploring the area revealed a whole new side to it. With beautiful statues surrounding you I was able to imagine myself being there during a protest many of which have happened in the past and will no doubt happen again.

New York: Flatiron Building

Walking down the street towards the Statue of Liberty a strange shaped building appeared, later I found out this was the Flatiron building, which is located in the aptly named Flatiron district.

Completed in 1902 it was originally named the FullerBuilding after the Chicago based George A. Fuller Company who had built and developed the building. Following on from his death 1900 the building’s construction was financed by the company owned by Fuller’s son-in-law, Harry St.Francis Black. The Fuller Company was an initial occupant of the building and stayed there until 1929. Now the building contains publishing businesses alongside a few shops located on the ground floor.

The building itself was designed by Chicago’s Daniel Burnham, an architect who worked on the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Standing out from the other steel-frame skyscrapers which were around at this time the Flatiron in its shape is more of a vertically stretched Renaissance Palazzo with Italian/French Renaissance motifs including Greek faces. The creation of the building using a steel skeleton allowed the construction to lack setbacks for the building which rose 20 stories into the sky to 285 feet. However in 1905 a 21^st floor was added bringing the height of the building to 307 feet high. Due to the fears of the stability of the building it gained the nickname “Burnham’s Folly”. The 3680 tonne steel building was faced with many fears that the shape and height of the building would lead to an unstable creation likely to fall over in high winds. As it was revealed there fears were proved wrong as the building remained upright during the windy weather.

In this day and age due to its unique appearance the Flatiron is one of the most iconic structures in New York, is worth an estimated $190 million.

New York: Grand Central

I’m a huge music fan so visiting New York needed a trip to Grand Central Station as Lady Gaga sometimes feel as if she lives there if you know what I mean.

From the outside the station looks nothing special yet being the largest train station in the world with 44 platforms and 67 tracks along them the inside says something very different. Located on two levels the terminal covers an area of 48 acres serving commuters across the state. Within the terminal lies the subway station lies the Grand Central Station subway frequently used with 286 week day departures making the station frequently used.

A huge bonus of Grand Central compared to many other stations is the lower level below the main concourse boasting of an array of restaurants alongside an Apple Store which is one of the forty retail stores.

Underneath the terminal lies the M42 holding the AC to DC converters used to supply current to the station yet these have always remained a secret for if during wars in particularly World War II could have been a key target for sabotage.

The design of the terminal is notable for the concourse spans 84m in length with the centre piece being a four face clock which is worth between $10 and $20 million. Clocks are a prominent feature of the terminal with the clock outside containing Tiffany glass alongside an array of features carved by John Donnelly Company of Minerva, Hercules and Mercury. During its unveiling in 1914 it was believed to be considered the largest sculptural group in the world.

An interesting fact about the terminal is that the original ceiling from 1912 was replaced in 1930’s to correct the dirt and damage. Painted peculiarly backwards by artists Paul Helleu and Charles Basing with a backwards sky and displaced stars it’s believed to have been painted like this by accident.

 

Within the terminal now includes the Vanderbilt Hall for the Vanderbilt family, this special room is used for annual Christmas Markets and special exhibitions.

In the past it has been known that three buildings with the same purpose have stood here with the Grand Central Depot bringing trains into one large station. Designed by John B. Snook in October 1871 the original plan was for the Harlem Railroad to start using it on October 9^th 1871 with the staggering of the New Haven Railroad beginning on October 16^th and the Hudson River Railroad on October 23^rd to avoid confusion. Baggage transfer was chaotic in baggage transfer for the trains were originally side by side at different stations.

Between 1899 and 1900 the head house was almost demolished with them wanting to recreate it completely, keeping the train shed the new building was to be known as Grand Central Station. In the period between 1903 and 1913 the entire building was torn down in phases and replaced with the current terminal designed by Reed and Stem and Warren and Wetmore. At the same time three railroads were electrified, which led to the creation of several blocks of prime estate which sold for large sums of money. On February 2^nd 1913 the building opened for the first time.

Grand Central had essentially built a city within a city with buildings such as hotels around it. In 1928 the New York Central built its headquarters in a 34-story building (HelmsleyBuilding) on the North Side of the terminal. Under the station lies a ‘secret’ platform known as number 61 used to convey President Franklin D. Roosevelt directly into the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Between 1939 and 1964 CBS spent lots of time in the terminal building carrying out recording and film production.

The terminal has also between the periods of 1922 to 1958 been used as an art gallery which were established by John Singer Sargent, Edmund Greacen, Walter Leighton Clark and unknown others. With its accessible location the top of the terminal was made available for a 10 year lease and occupied 15,000 square feet of art work. The following year the galleries established the Grand Central School of Art which occupied 7000 square feet on the seventh floor of the east wing of the terminal. The galleries remained until 1958 until they relocated and eventually ceased operation. In 1954 it was proposed by William Zeckendorf to replace Grand Central with an 80 story tower, yet was abandoned  soon after which really isn’t any surprise.

On September 11^th 1976 a group of Croatian nationalists planted a bomb in a coin locker at Grand Central alongside hijacking a plane. The disarming process sadly caused 30 wounded and one NYPD bomb squad specialist death.

Facing near bankruptcy, the interior of Grand Central soon became dominated by huge billboard adverts yet this has begun to diminish as the terminal has become financially stable.

In this day and age NYC residents are likely to pass through Grand Central at least weekly for it’s a key hub in the area with transport links to locations both near and far.

 

New York: Rockefeller Center

If you’ve ever been to New York, I can guarantee you’ve visited or at least seen the RockefellerCenter. With it spanning 8,000,000 square feet between 48^th and 51^st street going into the sky with its 70 floors at the top of the Rock some of the nicest views of New York can be seen.

Named after John D.Rockefeller, Jr who leased the space from ColumbiaUniversity in 1928, it was developed from 1930. It was originally intended to become an Opera House yet the stock market crash of 1929 caused the plan to be rethought. Whilst he lost the help of Metropolitan he was forced to finance the project himself as the sole financier on a 27 year lease. By doing so the initial cost for the space, raising of existing buildings and construction of new buildings came in at $250,000,000. It was without a doubt the largest building project carried out privately in modern times.

14 Art Deco style buildings were beginning to be constructed on 17^th May 1930 and were complete in 1939. Construction employed over 40,000 people, public relations pioneer Ivy Lee who was a prominent advisor to the family suggested the name for the complex in 1931 yet Rockefeller Jr initially did not want the family name associated with the commercial project yet eventually it was agreed it would attract more tenants.

Four European buildings in the complex remained unnamed, with attempts to rent them to German commercial concerns which soon were fought against due to the Hitler Nazi march. The empty office gained the name of International Building North and soon became the primary location of the US operations of British Intelligence during the war.

Now a days the center is a combination of two building complexes, the older and original 14 Art Deco office buildings from the 1930’s and a set of four international-style towers built during the 1960/70’s. In 1985 ColumbiaUniversity sold the land beneath the RockefellerCenter to the Rockefeller Group for 400 million Dollars.

Yearly a Christmas tree is placed in front of the RockefellerCenter, required to be at least 65 feet tall and 35 feet wide before it is decorated with 30,000 lights surrounding it. This tradition was started in 1931 by the construction workers with it first being televised in 1951.

In this day and age an estimated one million people walk through the Center every year which now boast 363 solar panels to help provide some of the large amount of electricity which is used.

New York: The Dakota

Built between the years of 1880 and 1884 the complex was developed by Edward Clark who wanted to introduce a new concept of living for the rich in NYC. The heir to a sewing machine fortune sadly died two years before it opened, yet his legacy lives on for within twenty years the Upper West Side had become a fashionable area for the elite to live in. Designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh it’s become a celebrity attraction, with films based here and books based upon it.

On the outside of the building is an arched entrance with a sentry box flanked by large planters and a low cast iron fence. We couldn’t get passed this but looking through the gate a large courtyard and fountain can be seen. If you step inside The Dakota, which is something few are able to nowadays there is a North German Renaissance theme running throughout the rooms. Each apartment is different with many ceilings 14 feet high and floors covered with the most expensive wood available. In the early days guest would be met with a large dining hall, playroom and gym alongside tennis and croquet courts.

The Dakota to many may just sound like a set of apartment blocks but many including myself know this is the location in which Beatle star John Lennon was shot down in December 1980. Shot by Mark Chapman, Yoko Ono continues to live and own another apartment in the building with many John Lennon artefacts and memorabilia.

New York: Alice In Wonderland Statue

Located near to the Hans Christian Andersen is the just as child friendly Alice in Wonderland statue. Now having read the books and been a fan for as long as I can remember getting to see Alice, Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit and more was a lovely experience for my inner child.

Sculpted in 1959 by Jose de Creeft under the commission of philanthropist George Delacorte, it was created as a gift to NYC children, so they’d be able to visit and experience the wonder of the story and climb, touch and interact with Alice and friends. Delacorte was inspired following on from the death of his wife to find a way to memorialize her, having been a keen Lewis Carroll reader this is how inspiration was gathered. In this case from the Jabberwocky poem, he then set to work on recruiting Creeft.

Illustrations from Sir John Tenniel helped to sculpt the designs of the statue, with architect and designed Hideo Sasaki and Fernando Texidor helping deign the base incorporating Delacorte’s ideas with the inscription of Jabberwocky lines.

On May 29^th 1959 the parks commissioner unveiled the 11 foot high statue which was previously known as The Margarita Delacorte Memorial. It faced an array of criticisms from organisations feeling that the money which Delacorte had spent on the statue could have gone towards hospitals or practical purposes.

Every year over $10,000 is spent on its maintenance which considering the amount of visitors it receives and the beautiful condition it remains in is not a surprise.

New York: Hans Christian Andersen Statue

Being in a hotel so close to Central Park meant it was easy to spend lots of time going on little adventures there. There were a few main places we aimed to visit there and the Hans Christian Andersen statue was one of them.

This bronze statue was erected in 1956 to commemorate the Danish poet, novelist and children’s author’s 150th birthday. In 1930’s a campaign lead by the Danish American Women’s Association helped to encourage children to celebrate his birthday, with it gaining wide spread coverage on April 1^st 1936 Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia instructed April 2^nd to be Hans Christian Andersen Day.

In 1952, the DAWA formed a committee to investigate the chance of creating a statue in Central Park to help have a story telling centre for children. Despite no statues being added to the park for thirty years the statue was designed, and on June 4^th the Park Commissioner gave his seal of approval to the statue. With the costs rising to $75,000 Danish and American school children helped to contribute to this. It now sits in the park just a few steps away from the Alice in Wonderland statue making it a delightful area to visit.

The statue which was sculpted by Georg John Lober, sadly in 1973 had its bronze cygnet was stolen. Dorothy Strelsin whose apartment looked down on the statue offered the money to replace the bronze ugly ducking but yet thankfully the piece was recovered and secured.

With it meant to be climbed on its no wonder the statue is such a lovely place for children both old and young to visit.

New York: Times Square

Times Square is one of those must see places in New York, diverse, spontaneous and bright you’ll never forget your visit.

It was not until the first half of the 19^th century that development began when it was bought by businessman John Jacob Astor who made a fortune selling off lots to hotels and other real estates. In 1925, publisher Adolph S. Ochs moves the newspapers operations to a skyscraper within the area, before persuading Mayor George B. McClellan Jr to construct a subway station here for all the workers.

On April 8^th 1904 the area officially became Times Square with just three weeks later the first electrified advert appearing. As the growth of the city continued it became a hub for music halls, hotels and theatres. By 1928 around 264 shows were performed in 76 theatres in Times Square, these featured jazz, musicals and new popular culture. Fast forward to today it holds the likes of MTV, ABC, Hard Rock Café and Best Buy Theater. Now it’s become a home place for advertising galore, left right and centre.

Following on from the Great Depression in 1930’s the area change drastically acquiring a reputation as a dangerous neighbour hood with sex shop, seedy bars and adult theatres representing the city’s decline.  In the mid 1990’s however Mayor Rudolph Giuliani led an effort to clean up the area, increasing security, ridding pornographic theatres and pressuring drug dealers to relocate.

In 1990 the state of New York took possession of six of the nine historic theatres on 42^nd street and the New 42^nd Street non-profit organisation was created to oversee their restoration and maintenance. In 2002 NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani gave the oath of office to the next mayor Michael Bloomberg after midnight on January 1^st.  On March 6^th 2008 a small bomb caused minor damage with no injuries reported. February 2011 a smoke free attitude was put in place causing fines for any person who smokes within the area a fee of $50.

In this day and age the area is thriving with tourists with over 39 million visitors visiting annually.

New York: Empire State Building

The Empire State building was one of the must visit places I hadn’t visited when I previously went to New York so finally getting to go up it was a nice experience but I was left wanting to find out more about it.

The art deco building was opened on May 1^st 1931 becoming the tallest building in the world, coming it at 1250 feet tall. In the race to the sky it was built in an attempt to beat Paris and their EiffelTower coming in at 984 unveiled in 1889. By the early twentieth century, a skyscraper race was on. By 1909 the Metropolitan Life Tower rose 700 feet (50 stories), quickly followed by the Woolworth Building in 1913 at 792 feet (57 stories), and soon surpassed by the Bank of Manhattan Building in 1929 at 927 feet (71 stories). John Jakob Raskob decided to be involved in the action, whilst Walter Chrysler was building his impressive structure which had a currently unknown height.

Raskob then decided he wanted to create the tallest building, making it higher with the addition of the mooring mast with this addition it reaches 1454 feet tall. Builders Starrett Bros & Eken informed him the job would be done within 18 months which for this feat was a rather impressive timescale. With the tight schedule it meant over sixty different trades would be needed to be hired and a large amount of supplies brought in order to make the quality work flow within the allotted time. The position was where the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel had once remained (An unknown fact to me since I stayed there in 2011) many people bided on items from the hotel.

Whilst demolition occurred the foundations were laid for the new building, with the steel skeleton being built from the 17^th March 1930 onwards. Two hundred and ten steel columns built up the vertical frame with twelve of these spanning the entire building height. Of course it was a dangerous job with men working from the bottom floor all the way up to the 102^nd floor. To continue building a railway cart was built to move materials quickly with chutes created by Starrett to get rid of the bricks and waste quickly and efficiently. With the outside being constructed the electricians and plumbers began installing the inside of the building. Within ten working days 14 and a half floors had been created, with a perfect assembly line. Inside the building a bank of elevators was created, which I was lucky enough to experience, serving a portion of the floors it made the trip to the top a lot smoother and free flowing.

Finally just one year and 45 days later the Empire State Building was finished. Coming in on time and under budget it costed just $40,948,900 (below the $50 million expected price tag). Officially opened on May 1^st 1931 it became the tallest building in the world and held this record until the completion of the World Trade Centre in 1972. Now it’s visited by thousands daily, attracting lovely long queues yet providing some of the best views of the whole of NYC and the surrounding area.

 

(Taken from the Top of the Rock observatory deck)