The stoop is a coveted treasure in all of New York's boroughs. Let's take a look at what residents passionately call "stoop culture" through the years.

View from Highland Avenue, looking toward New York Harbor, ca. 1870.

Monument to Willie R. Pierce, ca. 1880. The large marble angel that once adorned this monument has been lost to time and weather, but the base still remains. (Lot 19954, Sec. E/G)

Monument of Maria Bellows, ca. 1865.

Monument of Maria Bellows, ca. 1865. (Lot 379, Sec. 111)

Monument of the Cary sisters, ca. 1875. Poets Alice Cary (1820-1871) and Phoebe Cary (1824-1871) were important nineteenth century literary figures, leading the cultural circle known as the “Cary Salon” in their Manhattan home. When Alice succumbed to illness is 1871, her funeral, according to Horace Greeley was attended by more distinguished men and woman, and a larger audience, than any other funeral of which he knew. Phoebe was in good health until her sister’s death; her sorrow thereafter was so intense that, within five months, she passed away, joining her sister at Green-Wood. (Lot 13769, Sec. K)

The Civil War Soldiers' Monument on Battle Hill, ca. 1875.

The "Pilot's Monument" of harbor pilot Thomas Freeborn(1808-1846), ca. 1865. Thomas Freeborn was navigating the ship John Minturn into New York Harbor amid a raging storm. Despite his best efforts, the ship ran aground and Freeborn and many others perished. Initially interred at the Rutgers Street Burial Ground in New York City, he was reinterred at Green-Wood by his fellow pilots, who erected the "Pilot's Monument" in his honor. The marble monument features imagery associated with harbor pilots. Atop the base is a ship's capstan, with anchor cable coiled around it, and rising above is a mast whose truncated top symbolizes a life cut short. Atop the mast stands a personification of Hope, holding an anchor at her side. An image of the John Minturn, struggling in the waves, appears on the base. The monument was placed on this hill so that it could be seen by pilot’s working in the harbor waters below. (Lot 1221, Sec. 111)

View near Meadow Water, a glacial pond once located at The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1875.

View of the New York Harbor from Battle Hill in The Green-Wood Cemetery, looking down from Fern Avenue, ca. 1875.

Lot of the Spencer family, ca. 1875. (Lot 15471, Sec. K)

Monument of John W. Schmidt (1777-1853), ca. 1875. (Lot 247, Sec. 123)

The Civil War Soldiers' Monument on Battle Hill, ca. 1870. Green-Wood's Civil War Soldiers' Monument honors the 148,000 New York men who fought "in aid of the war for the preservation of the Union and the Constitution." Construction of the monument began just four years after the end of the Civil War and it was dedicated in 1876. The monument features four life-sized statues of soldiers, representing the four branches of the Army: engineers, infantry, artillery, and cavalry. Originally cast in zinc, the sculptures had deteriorated badly over the years and were replaced in 2002 with reproduction bronzes. The earlier image shows the monument before installation of the statues and bronze plaques, and the second image shows them shortly after installation.

Monument of Otto Fabricotti (d. 1869), ca. 1875. This ornate marble monument no longer stands in Green-Wood; a simpler granite gravestone now stands in its place. (Lot 18912, Sec. F)

Main Entrance Gates of The Green-Wood Cemetery from Bay Side Avenue, ca. 1870.

Detail of the interior of the mausoleum of Thomas Clark Durant (1820-1885), ca. 1875. (Lot 10399, Sec. 65)

Mausoleum of Thomas Clark Durant (1820-1885), financier and promoter of the Union Pacific Railroad, ca. 1875. The Durant Mausoleum stands prominently on the side of Battle Hill, along Battle Avenue. The rarely-seen interior features three sculptures by John Moffitt as well as a plaque put there by Durant's son. It reads, "This Vault was Constructed Anno Domini 1868. For Thomas Clark Durant, M.D. Projector, Builder, Vice President, and General Manager of the Union Pacific Railroad. He died October 5, 1885. And this inscription to his memory was placed here by his son William West Durant, Anno Domini 1891." (Lot 10399, Sec. 65)

Mausoleum of tobacconist John Anderson (1812-1881), ca. 1870. John Anderson’s Greek Revival Tomb, in the form of a Greek Temple, is dated 1864 above its door. Greek Revival architecture, sometimes referred to as “columnar,” was particularly popular in America in the 1830’s and 1840’s. It conjured up America’s role as the successor to ancient Greece as the bastion of democratic Ideals, and was associated with the latest social movements. This architectural style was particularly appropriate for Anderson’s tomb, for he used his great wealth to support a variety of progressive causes. Greek Revival features of this tomb include its fluted columns, ionic capitals, pilasters, pedimented gable, heavy cornices with unadorned friezes, and horizontal transoms. The four statuettes, two in front and two in back, are of the evangelists, Matthew Mark, Luke and John, and are signed by their sculptor, and the designer of the tomb, John M. Moffitt. (Lot 13724, Sec. K/111)

Monument to Elias Howe (1819-1867), inventor of the sewing machine, 1906. The monument to Elias Howe, standing prominently at the intersection of Battle and Hemlock Avenue, features a bronze likeness of Howe, sculpted by famed artist Charles Calverley. (Lot 19967, Sec. H)

Lot of the Spencer family, ca. 1870.

View of John Anderson's monument from the front, with small tree to the right and Green-Wood's main entrance gates in the background, ca. 1875.

Monument of Gordon Webster Burnham (1803-1885), brass and copper manufacturer, by the prolific sculptor John Moffitt, circa 1870. This scene, at Battle, Fern, and Mulberry Avenues, shows the monument of Colonel Abraham Vosburgh (1825-1861), by sculptor Patrizio Piatti, topped by an eagle at the far right, the mausoleum of Thomas Clark Durant (1820-1885) near the center, and New York City’s Civil War Soldiers' Monument at the left. (Lot 17609, Sec. 123)

View north down Battle Avenue, from in front of the mausoleum of John Anderson (1812-1881), ca. 1865. One of the original entrances to Green-Wood, located at 24th Street and Sixth Avenue, predating the Gothic Arches, is still visible in this image, at the far right.

Monument to Abraham S. Vosburgh (1825-1861), ca. 1875. Abraham Vosburgh was one of the earliest casualties of the Civil War, dying of consumption in 1861 soon after arriving in Washington, D.C., as commander of the 71st New York State National Guard. Vosburgh was returned to Brooklyn for interment and the members of the 71st Regiment erected a monument in his honor at Green-Wood, sculpted by Patrizzio Piatti. The large white marble column is topped with an eagle taking flight and inscribed "Pro Patria," meaning "For Country." As seen in this photograph, the monument was once surrounded by a unique cast iron fence - the posts were cast as bayoneted rifles. (Lot 13808, Sec. 123)

Monument to actor Bernard Flaherty, better known by his stage name Barney Williams (1824-1876). (Lot 13464, Sec. 111)

Fire at the Booth Felt Company factory, January 12, 1929. A fire broke out at 5am and spread throughout the felt manufacturer's 19th Street building, causing residents of nearby tenements to evacuate.