This curated scavenger hunt celebrates Pride and tests your LGBT history knowledge. Where did civil rights activist and literary icon James Baldwin reside? At what community church did transgender activist Sylvia Rivera find community on the Far West Side (the congregation renamed the food pantry in her honor)? Know the answers? Take part in the hunt! To get credit for solving a clue, check in at the location (tap the lock button to the left; if you’re in the right place, it will turn green). Each location you check in to is worth a single point. For clues that start with a camera emoji (📸), tap the image to re-create the historical photo for an additional point. After you’ve lined up your re-creation, please remember to tap the “submit to hunt” button.

"The street outside the George Gould house at 67th Street & 5th Avenue. Horse-drawn carriages are lined up outside the house for the wedding of Anna Gould to Count Boni de Castellane, 1895."

My Archive Summer 2019 “A group visit by Landmarks Commissioners and staff sometime between 1990 and 1994 to review proposed restoration work at Bethesda Terrace.“ —Jeremy Woodoff

The Henry T. Sloane House, designed by John Mermen Carrere and Thomas Hastings— both had been educated at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and both worked for McKim, Mead & White— demonstrated the viability of a modern French vocabulary for a New York townhouse. Begun before the Panic of 1893, the house was completed in 1894 on the north side of 72nd Street. Elaborate sculptural ornament enlivened the classically organized tripartite faced. Above a rather simple striated base, five engaged columns divided the second and third floors into four bays, each containing French doors surmounted by elaborately framed windows. Above a strong cornice, a mansard roof with four dormers articulated with scrolls and arched pediments completed the facade. The house stood apart from more restrained expressions of wealth. Architectural historian Wayne Craven has described the house as a "classicist's nightmare, a raging terror to the classical purist." At right is no. 15, once the home to the prominent businessman Benjamin Guggenheim, the brother of Solomon R. Guggenheim and father to Peggy Guggenheim. He and his family lived here until his tragic death on the RMS Titanic in 1912. As one of the most famous victims of the accident, his final moments aboard the ship have been portrayed in multiple films and TV series about the sinking. He famously met his death stoically- after helping women and children on to the lifeboats, he and his valet dressed in their finest clothes, poured themselves a glass of the finest brandy, and sat in the foyer of the grand staircase, smoking cigars as the ship went down. He remarked, "we've dressed in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen."

William W. Cook House, October 23, 1944. Built for lawyer and corporate law expert, William Cook, the house on 71st Street was a French Renaissance mansion deigned by York & Sawyer. Completed in 1913, the two-story entrance with massive bronze gates and the fifth floor open portico (with tile ceiling by Rafael Guastavino) truly set the building apart from the other structures on the block. Upon his death, Cook donated the home to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, who sold it in 1942. During the middle of the 20th century the house was occupied by foundations that worked in scientific, educational and anthropological research and work. The home was converted back into a single family home in 1992 and remains remarkably similar to its original form.

2 East 70th Street ca. Designed by Rosario Candela and the firm Walker & Gillette, 2 East 70th Street stands on the site of the Blair Mansion, a marble home built by Carrere & Hastings that survived for less than a decade before being torn down. Candela styled 2 East 70th street to take after the mansion in order to complement the Frick collection across the street. The simple stone clad design and quoined corners intended to leave a classic yet elegant impression.

By Dianne Durante As one walks around Central Park, statues, monuments, and memorials pop up left and right. Come along for the ride as the Gotham Center for New York City History explores this history of some of these Central Park landmarks. Adapted from "The Earliest Sculptures In Central Park": August 14, 2018, an article that originally appeared on the Gotham Center blog here.

Sheep Meadow ca 1910 Sheep Meadow is the best example in today’s Park of the pastoral vision that Olmsted and Vaux intended for Central Park’s meadows. Their design called for peaceful expanses of green that inspired calm and refreshing thoughts just by looking at them, not necessarily walking upon them. The fifteen-acre meadow holds true to this intention today as Central Park’s largest lawn without ballfields and as a designated quiet zone. No organized sports or gatherings are allowed on Sheep Meadow to preserve the space for quiet picnicking and relaxation. Originally a rocky and swampy terrain, Sheep Meadow was the most expensive landscape in the Park to construct. Its transformation to a pastoral meadow required the blasting of rock outcrops and the installation of four feet of soil. The landscape was first known as “the Green” or “the Commons,” but became known as “Sheep Meadow” in the early twentieth century due to the ever-present flock of pedigree sheep that grazed the meadow. For nearly fifty years, the sheep spent their days on the meadow and their evenings in the nearby Sheepfold, which is now the landmark Tavern on the Green restaurant. In the 1960s, Sheep Meadow became the iconic gathering spot for New York’s counterculture, including anti-War protests, peace rallies, love-ins, be-ins, draft card burnings, Earth Day celebrations, and popular concerts. These events, and the lack of management and proper maintenance led to severe damage and erosion on the lawn. By the late 1970s, it was a virtual dustbowl. The restoration of Sheep Meadow was one of the first projects undertaken by the Central Park Conservancy in 1980. The newly lush and well-managed lawn was the first green space that many New Yorkers had ever seen in Central Park. Public excitement over the newly opened lawn inspired and an outpouring of support for the nascent Conservancy that empowered its first decade of success. -Central Park Conservancy

By Dianne Durante In Olmsted and Vaux’s Greensward Plan, the only sculpture was one atop the fountain at the center of Bethesda Terrace.

Residence of Judge Elbert H. Gary, 1927 Like many of Candela's buildings, 856 Fifth Avenue was built on the graves of the mansions that came before it, including Judge Gary's mansion and some adjacent buildings were torn down to build Candela's 856 Fifth Avenue. The Gary mansion had stood on the site for only 15 years. Gary's widow moved into the apartment house at 856 Fifth upon its completion in 1928.

W.C. Whitney Drawing Room ca. 1899-1900 William Collins Whitney spent more than $1,000,000 renovating the Fifth Avenue and 68th Street home that he shared with his second wife. Under the mastery of renowned architect Stanford White, this 1896-to-1899 project resulted in one of New York's most sumptuous Gilded Age interiors.

“The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.” 🏙️

856 Fifth Avenue ca. 1929 With its smooth stone facades and flush windows rising above a three-story rusticated base, 856 Fifth Avenue was one of architect Rosario Candela's most elegantly severe designs. The building initially comprised nine single-floor apartments, two two-story maisonettes, and a penthouse duplex of 18 rooms. Interior decorator and style maven Dorothy Draper served as consultant on the building's plans and decorations.

Josiah M. Fiske Residence, ca. 1901-1902. The Gothic-inspired home on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 70th Street was that of stockbroker Josiah Fiske and his wife, Martha. John Sloane, partner in the very successful firm of carpet and furniture retailers, W. & J. Sloane, occupied the residence directly adjacent, at 883 Fifth Avenue.

Designed by famed sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward, the Pilgrim Statue of Central Park depicts one of the men who landed at Plymouth Rock in November 1620. It was created for the 75th anniversary of the New England Society. Dedicated in 1885, the work stands atop a pedestal designed by American architectural master Richard Morris Hunt. The base features four bas-reliefs illustrating significant aspects of the Pilgrims’ landing. Pilgrim Hill, which descends from the monument, is a popular and long-standing locale for winter sledding. In 1979 the Central Park Conservancy began their restoration work on the park's impressive statue collection with this piece.

The Mall is a quarter-mile stretch in Central Park, capped off on the south end by the famous Literary Walk. The only deliberate straight line in the park, it contains a quadruple row of American Elm trees, an important feature as the location is one of the few remaining stands of the trees in North America. As one of the most photographed and visited sections of the park, it has been nicknamed the "Promenade."

Fountain at Bethesda Terrace, ca 1890. The Angel of the Waters statue atop the Bethesda Fountain is the masterpiece of sculptor Emma Stebbins. She created the piece in the 1860s while living in Rome with her lover, the actress Charlotte Cushamn. With this commission she became the first woman to create a piece of public art in New York City. Though designers Olmstead and Vaux wished to limit any "artificial" additions to their natural landscape, this sculpture was the only one sanctioned as part of the early design and construction of Central Park. When the statue was unveiled in 1873 it was met with mixed reviews, though it has become an icon and well-loved feature of the Park.

857 Fifth Avenue, 1929. In 1906, after seeing the new mansions of Fifth Avenue rise around him, particularly the new gleaming white Thomas Fortune Ryan mansion next door, George Gould decided to demolish his home and built something new. He hired Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer, who created an Italianate mansion that matched its neighbor's style, down to a rusticated base that was nearly exactly the same. The home once again became the host to a couple society wedding, this time for the daughters of George. George would die in 1923 and following his death, a major battle ensued over his wealth and real estate between his older children and his second wife (and former mistress with whom he had children while still married to his first wife). The house was eventually purchased by a Vanderbilt relative. Sold by that owner in 1951 for a mere $400,000 (it was built in 1907 for $1.25 million), it was torn down in the early 1960s and replaced with a 19-story building.

Entrance to the Frick Residence, ca. 1915. The female figure depicted lounging in the relief over the door was modeled on famed early 20th century artist model, Audrey Munson.

Richard Morris Hunt Memorial, ca. 1900. Richard Morris Hunt, the dean of American architecture and the first American to study at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, died in 1895. Immediately upon his death, friends and colleagues quickly undertook an effort to erect a monument to the man. Initially begun by the Municipal Arts Society (of which Hunt was the first president), the cause was soon taken up by other arts and architectural institutions as well the wealthy families for whom Hunt designed homes. The planned memorial was to be created by Bruce Price with the bust of Hunt and the flanking statues sculpted by Daniel Chester French. On October 23, 1898, the incomplete monument was unveiled. It was erected on Fifth Avenue between 70th and 71st Streets, across the street from Hunt's 1877 Lenox Library. The memorial would finally be completed in 1900 with the addition of the flanking female statues. Fun Fact! This was not the first likeness of Hunt in New York City. A bust of the well-loved architect already existed by the time of his death. In the early 1880s, as stone cutters were completing work on the William K. Vanderbilt mansion, the architect discovered that the artisans had created his likeness as a tribute. The statue of Hunt, depicted as a stone-cutter, was installed on the roof over the entrance to the house. With the home demolished in 1926, the fate of the statue is unknown (though likely it was destroyed with the house).

The French flag flying from 9 East 72nd Street looks right at home on this exuberant Beaux-Arts French Renaissance facade. But, this building was not built for French patrons. Though it housed the Lycee Francais from 1964-2002, this structure on 72nd was actually designed by Carrere and Hastings (who designed the New York Public Library), and completed in 1896, for Henry T. Sloane, a carpet magnate, and his wife Jessie.

The Daniel Webster Monument was commissioned when Gordon W. Burnham came upon Sculptor Thomas Bell's statuette of Webster. Bell had made a bust of the famed Massachusetts Senator and used that for the basis of a extremely popular and mass produced statuette. Burnham commissioned Bell to make a much larger version for the Central Park Mall to commemorate the Senator's commitment to American unity. Cast at the von Miller Foundry in Munich, the statue ended up being initially much larger than expected and couldn't be placed on the Mall. This resulted in its place on the West Drive where it was dedicated in 1872.

"On December 11, 1858, Central Park welcomed its first official visitors, the ice skaters. Roughly 300 people showed up on that first Sunday. A week later, 10,000 descended on the park. New York, suffering through the latest in a series of unseasonably cold winters, fell quickly into an ice-skating swoon... The Lake, the site of future ice skating, was in reality a low-lying piece of swampy ground. Before park construction began, it existed only on Olmsted and Vaux’s ten-foot blueprint, where the squiggly, naturalistic contours of its shoreline were rendered in india ink. To fill it, clay pipes carried rain runoff from the carriage paths and other spots in the park. To drain it, a series of sluices could be opened. Some of the sluices fed into natural springs running under the parkland, and certain springs, in turn, emptied into New York’s East River... As the winter drew on, sometimes as many as 100,000 people a day visited the park. Skating proved so popular that the park was kept open well into the night. The Lake’s icy surface reflected the glow of newly installed calcium lamps. Vaux went skating. There is no record that Olmsted did." For more on Central Park Lake, check out this excerpt Justin Martin's biography of Frederick Law Olmstead in Gotham: A Blog for Scholars of New York City History.

John Quincy Adams Ward's bronze work titled the "Indian Hunter Monument" was the first statue created by an American artist in Central Park-- and is one of the oldest statues in the park. Lauded for its realism, the original plaster work was so popular that a committee of New Yorkers raised funds in 1869 for a bronze cast.

107th Infantry Memorial, ca. 1935. A bronze figural group depicting seven larger-than-life-sized World War I soldiers in battle, the 107th Infantry Memorial honored the dead of the Seventh Regiment. Created by sculptor Karl Illava (who was a sergeant with the 107th) and placed on a massive base designed by architects Rogers and Haneman, the"doughboys" seems to be advancing out of the woods of Central Park towards the Regimental headquarters a few blocks east. The monument was dedicated on September 27, 1927, the ninth anniversary of a decisive battle at the Hindenburg Line, where the 107th helped secured a victory that turned the tide of the war.

Henry Clay Frick House ARCHITECT: Carrère & Hastings DATE: 1913-14 Set in spacious grounds and surrounded by retaining walls, this great mansion presents a striking picture of imposing grandeur and architectural distinction on Fifth Avenue, where it occupies the entire blockfront between 70th and 71st Streets. Built as the residence of Henry Clay Frick, it has been a museum since 1935. The entrance to The Frick Collection is at No. 1 East 70th Street. Adjoining the mansion to the east and connected to it at basement level, is the newer Frick Art Reference Library Building at No. 10 East 71st Street.

17 East 70th Street ARCHITECT: Arthur C. Jackson DATE: 1909-11 STYLE: French Classical This house at 17 East 70th Street was built in 1909-11 and designed in the French Classical manner, one of the prominent styles during this period. The architect, Arthur C. Jackson was with the prominent New York City architectural firm of Heins and LaFarge when he designed this building. He was later noted for his public and commercial buildings in New York City

855 Fifth Avenue, 1891. From 1885 until the mid-1890s, this home was the residence of one of the most prolific members of Hispanic society in New York. Born Francisca Aparicio y Merida in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, Aparicio had served as the First Lady of Guatemala from 1874 until 1885. Her husband, President Justo Rufino Barrios, trusted her with duties of the state. When Barrios was killed on the battlefield in an attempt to re-form the Central American Union, Aparicio moved to the United States with her seven children. Upon moving to New York City, the former First Lady purchased a building at 855 Fifth Avenue. She soon made her home widely known for lavish entertainment. A column in an Ohio newspaper of the time claimed, "of all New York's young widows and matrons she receives the most attention." The article describes "Mme. de Barrios," wearing a Cleopatra costume, herself in the possession of "a selection of jewels so great that if she wore a new parure each day there would be more than enough for all the days in the year." Aparicio's home became a social destination for Spanish-American society in New York. The residence became a lavishly decorated mansion full of Latin American Art, where Aparcios hosted classical music performances, private operas, costume balls, and dancing (a skill in which she was supposedly very talented). On one of her trips with her family to Europe, she met Jose Martinez de Roda, a member of the Spanish Congress of Deputies. They were wed in her Fifth Avenue home. As was to be expected, this ceremony was full of pomp and circumstance, with the civil service performed by New York City's mayor Hugh J. Grant and the religious ceremony by the archbishop of New York, Michael Corrigan. The couple moved to Europe shortly after they were married. One-time minister to the court of Spain Perry Belmont took over the residence after the newly-weds moved out.

“People ice skating on the Lake in Central Park. The Hotel Majestic and Dakota residence are visible in the background at 72nd Street & Central Park West,” 1894.

Fifth Avenue alongside Central Park is one of New York's most recognizable locales. This walk focuses on the institutions that lend this turf its name: the Museum Mile!

Southeast corner of Fifth Avenue, ca. 1912. The building at no. 856 was constructed in 1881-1882—the corner building in a set of four townhouses (three of which faced Fifth Avenue and one at 2 East 67th Street). Designed by the firm of Lamb & Wheeler, the home was built for H.O. Armour, a meat-packing industrialist, who ran the New York syndicate of the well known Chicago firm. Armour died in 1901 and his wife sold the home in 1910. The 19th century home on this very desirable lot (of considerable size, 30 foot by 120 foot) was quickly demolished. The new construction was a mansion for Judge Elbert Gary.

On October 25th, 1917, New York City celebrated "Liberty Day," a massive attempt to raise funds for the United States entry into World War I. The campaign drew a crowd of thousands to watch a parade of military vehicles fill the streets of Fifth Avenue. Bomber planes flew low over the city, dropping a message in paper pamphlets: "A Liberty Bond in your home will keep German Bombs out of your home." But the real sight to see was the German captured submarine, renamed "U-Buy-A-Bond" in honor of the occasion.

Oliver Gould Jennings Residence (at left), ca. 1975. The Oliver Gould Jennings residence was built in 1898 by Paris-trained architects Ernest Flagg and Walter B. Chambers. Like his father, a founder of the Standard Oil Company, Oliver ranked among New York's wealthiest citizens. He served as the director of several companies, including the National Fuel Gas Company and Bethlehem Steel, and was a former member of the Connecticut House of Representatives. Oliver and his wife Mary lived in the Beaux-Arts townhouse until 1914, when they sold the house and relocated to their new home on Fifth Avenue between 69th and 70th Street. In August of 1960, the Lycée Français, a French high school, leased the mansion as additional space to its main campus on East 95th Street. The school occupied the building for several years before also purchasing the former Sloane mansion next door, combining the two units. In 2010, the school sold the former Oliver Gould Jennings residence and the Sloane mansion for $26 million. The buyer, an Emir of Qatar, has since commissioned architect Thornton Tomasetti to return it to a private residence.

C. C. Auchincloss residence, ca. 1912. Charles C. Auchincloss was a stock broker and book collector, who with his wife, Rosamond, were fixtures of New York society. They lived in this home in the first three decades of the 20th century. In the early 1930s the building, and its neighbor at no. 10 were purchased by the Frick collection and demolished to make way for a new library building. The new Frick Art Reference Library building opened to the public on January 14, 1935. By the time of this demolition and new building, Charles and Rosamond had moved on to 120 East 70th Street, a three-story brownstone house, which they demolished and replaced with a (still standing) five-story neo-Georgian mansion.

How did the stunning Frick Collection come into existence? A passion for art collecting and hard-nosed business practices of course!

My Archive Spring 2019 "Marques and Jayden at the park." —Juana Rodriguez

Bronze statue of Robert Burns, Central Park, ca. 1976. The Central Park monument to Burns, the Bard of Ayrshire, was cast by the poet's countryman, sculptor John Steell and dedicated on October 2, 1880. It is one of four casts, with its siblings located in London; Dundee, Scotland; and Dunedin, New Zealand.

While New York is the setting of an enormous amount of films, some scenes define a space and some spaces define a scene. Either way, they happened in New York. 🎬

Sculptor George Blackall Simonds (1844-1929) created The Falconer, which is located to the south of Cherry Hill at Terrace Drive.

Central Park Casino, during demolition, 1936. It’s 1929 in an Art Deco ballroom. Dancers glide around, dimly reflected in the black glass ceiling while outside on the terrace, the sound of champagne corks popping intersperses with conversations, laughter, and jazz, all floating through the night air. Surrounded by Central Park, the Central Park Casino was the place for rich, fabulous, and socially and politically connected citizens of the late 1920s and early 1930s who wanted to party together and ignore the troublesome 18th Amendment. Yet by 1935, the party was over. How did a political rivalry end the revelry at one of the most exclusive Jazz Age nightclubs? The Central Park Casino began in 1864 as the Ladies’ Refreshment Salon, a quaint Victorian two-room stone cottage designed by Calvert Vaux on East Drive and 72nd Street. Unaccompanied ladies could relax during their excursions around the park and enjoy refreshments at decent prices, free of any threat to their propriety. Twenty years later, the salon had morphed into a far pricier destination, called The Casino, and was open to both sexes. The name was used to invoke the Italian translation of “little house” rather than denoting a gambling joint. Locals and tourists flocked to the restaurant, where one could get a sirloin steak for 75 cents (just under 20 dollars in today’s money) and choose from an extensive wine list. Because it was in the park and had the then rare attraction of outdoor seating, it was the place to see and be seen. Yet after decades of feeding and refreshing wealthy and hungry park-goers, the Casino fell onto hard times and according to an article from the New Yorker from September 20, 1941, by the early 1920’s it was being managed in “a somewhat dumpy nite-club style.” In 1926 New York City was swept up in the Jazz Age. Speakeasies, dancing, and just a general pursuit of good times engulfed the city. To go with this fun-loving era, New York City elected a new mayor, James “Gentleman Jimmy” or “Beau Jim” Walker, who personified this spirit. Walker was a successful songwriter with the 1905 hit “Will You Still Love Me in December as You do in May?” and was generally much more enthusiastic about the excesses of the Roaring Twenties than being the mayor of New York. This worked out well since Tammany Hall was quite content to manage the city while Walker functioned as its dashing figurehead. Walker reportedly never made it to City Hall before noon and when he did and wasn’t feeling up to the task, he had a private “hangover room,” complete with a bed and an exercise bike (the bike was reportedly never used). This is not to say that Walker was a bad mayor. His constituents loved him because he vowed to keep subway ride prices at a nickel, allowed baseball games to be played on Sundays, and promised to improve the parks. Mobsters loved him too since he was such a fan of the nightlife that they ran. On top of that, Walker was a gifted speaker, always ready with a quip, wisecrack or some delightful repartee. He was New York City’s master of ceremonies. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the next incarnation of the Central Park Casino started with a favor. Sidney Solomon, a noted hotelier, had introduced Walker to his personal tailor and that, to the always snazzily dressed mayor, was worth quite a bit. So when Solomon asked to take over the Casino to make it into an “outstanding restaurant instead of the shanty it is now,” Walker (through a series of somewhat sketchy maneuvers) made it happen. After a $500,000 renovation, the Casino added a tulip pavilion, orange terrace, a silver conservatory and, most importantly, a black-glass Art Deco ballroom. There were tables to seat 600 and a parking lot for 300 cars. Solomon said, very humbly, “it is not just a renovation. It’s something that has never before existed so perfectly in the world.” On the night of June 25, 1929, every seat was taken as the Casino opened to select guests, the so-called “fashionable and fastidious” to whom the restaurant now catered to. It was called “Walker’s Versailles,” where the bandleader would immediately start playing “Will You Still Love Me in December as You do in May?” as soon as Walker and his mistress, the actress Betty Compton, walked in the door. For the next few months, parties regularly lasted until 3 A.M., with Tammany hotshots mingling with Ziegfeld Follies’ showgirls. To get around the pesky Prohibition laws, patrons would leave their Rolls-Royces stocked with bootleg champagne parked outside. The maître d kept an eye on the drinks at the wealthiest tables and when they ran low, he would signal their chauffeur, standing near the doorway, to restock the alcohol from the stash in the car. It was the most exclusive playground for the most exclusive set. In the fall of 1929, Walker easily defeated Fiorello La Guardia for a second term as mayor. While the Casino was still dazzling its well-heeled guests, some people saw it as the epitome of...

The Frick Collection, ca. 1979. Like many of New York's richest men who supported the arts, Henry Clay Frick amassed his fortune through sharp—and often ruthless—business tactics. Born in 1849 in a rural Pennsylvania town, Frick sacrificed schooling to work as head bookkeeper in the family business. By 1883, when he was 34, he merged his own company with Andrew Carnegie's to form Carnegie Steel, at a capitalization of $25 million and with a labor force of 30,000. Frick opposed organized labor his entire life. In 1892, his efforts to slash costs and keep profits up resulted in the Homestead Strike, one of the 19th century's bloodiest labor conflicts. There was even an attempt on Frick's life. In 1899, Frick and Carnegie parted ways on bitter terms that lasted the rest of their lives. Following Frick's resignation from Carnegie Steel, he sued Carnegie and walked away with a $15 million settlement. Frick's interest in art began in his early 20s, when he filled his clapboard shack with prints and sketches. Though there's little record of Frick's thoughts about the art he went on to collect, it's clear the collections of other New York industrialists inspired him. After attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art's memorial exhibition for J.P. Morgan in 1914, Frick spent more than $3 million (more than $66 million today) to buy up Limoges enamels, Chinese porcelains, Renaissance bronzes, 18th century French furniture and sculpture, and a variety of other objects. The biggest single purchase was a series of paintings by Jean Honore Fragonard that had been commissioned by one of Louis XV's mistresses. While many of the city's elite built their homes around entertaining, Frick built his to house his art, making the picture gallery the grandest room. And when he executed his will he made explicit that the home should be open to the city "for the purpose of encouraging and the developing the study of the fine arts, and of advancing the general knowledge of kindred subjects." Frick died in 1919, just a few months after Andrew Carnegie, and the collection opened to the public in 1935, upon the death of his wife, Adelaide. Many of the rooms look just as Frick left them: the library bookshelves filled, and living room tables topped with Renaissance bronzes and Chinese porcelains.

R. Livingston and Eleanor T. Beeckman House ARCHITECT: Warren & Wetmore DATE: 1903-05 STYLE: French Classic Although this small townhouse is sandwiched between two large apartment buildings, their overpowering size cannot overshadow the palatial scale nor the elegant grandeur of its architecture. Designed by an architect educated in the finest tradition of the French Beaux-Arts School, this house, in its character, reflects the influence of the Eighteenth Century classic period of Louis XV. Two windows wide, the three-story masonry facade, with steep mansard roof containing two floors with dormers has an impressive dignity and restraint.

My Archive Spring 2019 "I took this in the late 1960s on a day trip to Central Park. At that time I lived in the suburbs. I was taken by the three of them dressed in the same uniform. I wondered what their organization was because they were not in Boy Scout or Cub Scout uniforms. I wondered what they were thinking of the fabulous fountain and all of the people below." —Stephen Harmon

Sidewalk Excavation for Tree Planting at the Henry Clay Frick House, 1913. Henry Clay Frick commissioned the Beaux Arts masters Carrère & Hastings to design a residence for both his family and his art collection at the site of the former Lenox Library. Looking to create shade along 70th and 71st Streets, Frick had the sidewalk excavated to six feet in depth to install European horse-chestnut trees, which have dense canopies and shallow roots. Each of the trees was carefully selected and brought over on a special train from Germantown, PA, and fertile soil was trucked in from Long Island. Despite the care and attention of Frick’s gardeners, all the trees died less than a year later. The culprit? Illuminating gas was found seeping into the soil from faulty pipe connections from the mansion.

Situated at the edge of the area known as The Concert Ground, the Naumburg Bandshell is the only Neo-Classical building in the park. It replaced a previous (and acoustically poor) cast-iron bandstand in 1923. It has been the site of many musical performances across genres, with concerts by greats like Irving Berlin, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and The Grateful Dead. The Central Park SummerStage concerts originated at this venue.

Mineral Springs Pavilion ca. 1880 The Mineral Springs Pavilion was constructed due to the popularity of a health craze that was sweeping 19th-century New York. It was thought at the time that mineral water was essential to a healthy constitution (which at a time before the Croton Aqueduct supplied fresh water to most New York households it may have been.) Drinking mineral water was thought to be the cure for a number of ailments. Thus, Carl Schultz, the owner of a mineral water company successfully petitioned the Board of Health to have a pavilion, designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wray Mould, that would sell mineral water in the park. It was for a time quite popular, serving as a spot for socialization, however, the supply of readily available clean water meant that the Mineral Springs Pavilion lost its uniqueness and by the 1960s the pavilion was torn down.

George Gould Residence, ca. 1900. George Gould was the son of millionaire railroad man Jay Gould. In 1892 George had built a new mansion for his growing family. The mansion, built in a French Neo-Gothic style, was made of dark brownstone and was ornamented with turrets, balconies, and peaked gables. It was the location of the 1895 wedding of George's sister Anna to a French count, where the social elite of New York and European royalty arrived by carriage, and New Yorkers lined the street to try and glimpse the guests. In 1906 the dark, Gothic style mansion was terribly out of fashion with the new mansions of the Upper East Side. So George had his home razed and constructed a new building on the site.

William Shakespeare monument, Central Park, ca. 1975. John Quincy Adams Ward (1830-1910) created the sculpture of William Shakespeare located at the south end of the Mall. This was the first sculpture of a writer to be placed on the Mall, which is also known as Literary Walk.

W.C. Whitney ca. 1901-1902 William Collins Whitney and his second wife were the third owners of this mansard-roofed brownstone mansion. Mrs. Whitney died just prior to the 1899 completion of its three-year interior renovation, and her husband died in 1904 of appendicitis. Built by architect William Schickel in the early 1880s, the house passed through several hands over the years, until its 1942, just nine months after the death of its final occupant, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.