March 23, 2008 :: A Jewel In the Crown of American History: Schenectady, NY

Those close to me soon grow tired of hearing about stories from two places: Albany and Schenectady. A large part of my family, though, hales from the great city of Schenectady, NY. Nestled in the Mohawk River Valley, it's 1/3 of the triad which makes up the Capital District of the Empire State. What few people nowadays know, however is that at the turn of the 20th century this now struggling city used to be a booming metropolis of industry and culture.

Founded in 1661 by Arendt Van Curler (1619-1667), Schenectady slowly grew from a settlement to a borough (1765) and then incorporated as a city in 1798. It became home to one of the first colleges in the United States, Union College, in 1795 and to what would become one of the largest conglomerates in the world, General Electric, in 1892. This growing industrial capital was attacked and burned three times during its short history. The first and most bloody time, later named the Schenectady Massacre, was done by the French and their native American allies in 1690. All but 10 of the residents were killed and over 60 buildings were destroyed by fire in the middle of the night during a surprise attack.

Schenectady rebuilt and moved on to be the home of many more famous beginnings. With a population in 1900 reaching up to over 90,000 people (according to the US Census Bureau), one of the first commercial radio stations in the US (WGY-AM) and the first regular television broadcast station in the US (WRGB...first known as W2XB, an experimental station started in 1928) originated here. WGY was named after (G)eneral Electric and Schenectad(y) because these were the station's founder and home (respectively). GE also founded the aforementioned TV station, revolutionizing communications in the United States forever. The Proctor's Theatre, a former Vaudeville show house, opened in December of 1926 also making Schenectady a famous stop for many performers on tour from New York City's Broadway. Schenectady is also the owner of the "North Pole Zip Code": 12345. The zip code is assigned to the GE plant, the primary business in the area still to this day. Every year volunteers answer letters from children addressed to Santa Claus in order to bring a merry Christmas to underprivileged families.

Schenectady used to be known to the world as "The City that Lights and Hauls the World" due to its contributions to the electrical (GE) and locomotive (ALCO) industries. Many an immigrant, including my ancestors, came from all corners of the world seeking out this city in order to find hope and make their American dreams come true. Today it has greatly declined to a population of 61,000 (2000 census) due to competition in the manufacturing arena (including the push to outsource operations to off-shore locations). Its prestigious history is masked and shrouded by the glamor of its neighbors which include Saratoga Springs (NY), Boston (MA), New York (NY), and Montreal (Canada). With its easy access to Lake George, the Sacandaga Reservoir, and the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains, though, this now lackluster city still has much to offer its residents and visitors in terms of history, nature and recreation.

Next time you think about Upstate New York, or if you hear for some reason about this particular jewel in the crown of US history, be sure to keep an open mind and embrace the city that embraced so many others during the infancy of this great nation.

Cheers from Upstate NY!

M@

March 16, 2008 :: Jefferson Market Library / Courthouse

While wandering around lower Manhattan enjoying the rare sunny and warm late winter's day, I stumbled upon a building at the intersection of 10th St and 6th Ave that resembled none other in this jungle of structured concrete and stone. With its soaring clock tower, Gothic pointed arches, and beautiful stained glass windows all in a fortress-like configuration, I wondered if this place, too, had once been a castle similar to Bannerman's. Once again I took to the Internet after arriving back at my Chelsea apartment in order to find out what the story is and was for this impressive edifice.

The Jefferson Market Library, currently a part of the extensive New York City Public Library System and formerly part of the New York City judicial system as the Jefferson Market Courthouse, was constructed in 1875-1877. It was the courthouse for the City's 3rd Judicial District and contained rooms for the police court, civil court, and a women's prison which stretched down 10th St. The enormous clock tower was erected as a replacement for a wooden fire lookout which had been dwelling amongst the Jefferson Market sheds since 1833. Inside the courthouse took place several trials of historical significance including that of Harry Thaw who was convicted of the 1906 murder of Stanford White, a famous architect of the time. Broadway musical lovers may recognize these names from the 1998 Terrence McNally production named Ragtime (Harry and Stanford were part of a love triangle with Evelyn Nesbit, a chorus girl, in the middle).

In 1945 the NYC Police Academy moved into the Courthouse, but in 1958 its doors closed and the building was officially no longer in use. The Jefferson Market Courthouse was saved from demolition by the residents of Greenwich Village who petitioned the City not to destroy this beautiful and unique building. The residents, led mostly by Margot Gayle, restored, repaired, and cleansed the inside and outside of the building so that it could be used by the City as a branch of its public library system. The "new" Jefferson Market Library was opened in 1967 and today primarily features a collection of books and publications centered on the history of Greenwich Village.

After seeing this amazing building for myself and then learning about its history, it's no wonder to me why the Village's residents took such pride in this place which was once called one of the most beautiful buildings in the country. The sheer design of this building makes it look like a cross between a medieval keep and a roman catholic church. The round, spiral base tower that explodes into a gigantic square-shaped clock with a classic conical roofing makes it a marvel to see, especially after walking for several identical, square and quite plan looking blocks. When my eyes first met this unique, historic piece of living art, my mind's first reaction was "WOW! Look at that!" If you're ever in New York, I encourage you to visit this wing of the public library to see it for yourself.

Cheers from The City!

M@

(Sources: Image 1, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Jefferson_market_edit.jpg/200px-Jefferson_market_edit.jpg, Image 2, http://www.nancyhuntting.net/Jefferson-Mkt-Library.jpg. Jefferson Market Library, as seen on 16-Mar-2008, http://www.aviewoncities.com/nyc/jeffersonmarket.htm. New York Architecture Images-Jefferson Market Library, as seen on 16-Mar-2008, http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GV/GV028JeffersonMarketLibrary.htm)

March 9, 2008 :: Bannerman Castle

I've traveled along the Hudson River many a time on an Amtrak train while passing from Albany, NY to New York, NY, however it wasn't until today that by chance I poked my head up out of the magazine I was reading and caught a glimpse of the ruins of a fantastic structure standing out on a small island just off the river's east coast. In awe of this castle-like structure which might as well have been ripped out of a page of a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, I gaped out the window as it speedily passed away, out of site in the setting sun which now barely illuminated the valley. My love of New York State, its vast and important history, and of medieval adventures and stories inspired me to do a little research to find out what this building was, how it came to be, and why now it was largely in a state of mystery and decay.

The structure's name is Bannerman Castle named after its architect and creator, Francis Bannerman VI (1851-1918) and is situated on Pollepel Island, ~50 mi north of New York City near Cold Spring, NY. Francis was an army surplus provider and began construction of this fortress in 1901 in order to house the stores of surpluses he purchased after the Spanish-American war. Before finishing the site, he passed away in 1918 and construction was halted. By 1969, after years of tourists coming to the island to see the castle, a series of fires and explosions had rocked the island and its main attraction to the point of closure by New York State due to safety purposes. It's owned today by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreations, and Historic Preservations and is officially closed to the public (although with a handy kayak or motor boat one can give oneself an impromptu self-guided tour as long as one stays out of plain site of any law enforcement personnel who may be passing near by).

Bannerman Castle is the last remaining building in New York State that can officially be called a "castle" and is easily seen from the Metro North and Amtrak train lines running between New York, NY and Poughkeepsie, NY. It has a spooky, broken appearance now due to its years of neglect, natural wear and tear, and the fires et al that wreaked havoc on the edifice in the mid 20th century. When I saw it crawl around the corner of the river bend as the train was advancing along its steely course towards the Big Apple, my jaw dropped in disbelief because I've only ever seen a site like this one while traveling throughout Europe. Memories of my trip to the Loire river valley in southern France sprang to mind and I wondered what fantastic things must have happened there when it was functioning. I was saddened to find out that the building was only ever a storage facility for the armaments of war and that in fact it was never truly finished at all. I was partially consoled, however, when I discovered that at the very least the structure as it stands (barely) today has inspired several stories by fellow writers and if not in reality, at least in another world of fantasy and illusion this castle lives a much different life than it has here and a much different life than its creator originally intended.

Cheers from New York City!

M@

(Sources: Pollepel Island - Wikipedia, as seen on 10-Mar-08, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bannerman's_Castle and Eyebeam's reBlog, post dated 13-Nov-07, http://www.eyebeam.org/.../rebloggers/mandiberg.html. Images source from Bannerman Castle Trust, as seen on 10-Mar-08, http://www.bannermancastle.org/photogallery.htm)