October 12 and 13 were this year’s dates for Open House New York, and I was determined to be less Manhattan-centric. Open House New York is when various architectural gems and historic places are open to the public. Beginning with last year (I think that was the first), some sites required a reservation and a $5.00 fee. I avoided those.
My first site of the weekend was the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in the Bronx. Built about 1812, Poe lived there from 1846 to 1849, and wrote Annabel Lee, Ulalume, and The Bells there. (Keeping time, time, time in a sort of Runic* rhyme that so musically wells from ... the bells ... .) According to the brief video I saw there, a large bell at what is now known as Fordham University was the inspiration for The Bells.
My next stop was the Fort Tryon Cottage in upper Manhattan. It was the gatekeeper’s cottage for the C.K.G. Billings estate. Billings had a very large stable on the estate, and managed to build a winding trail down to the Hudson River. The trail used bricks with beveled edges on all sides, in order to allow the horses to gain traction on the steep ascent. This cottage dated from 1903. Both cottages are quite small compared to housing in this day and age.
After an architectural respite, where I saw the 1925 version of the silent film The Phantom of the Opera, I zipped down to Greenwich Village to take in the Jefferson Market Library and its winding tower staircase. Alas, when I got there, they had just announced that the people who were already on the line would be the last ones to make the climb. Shoot. Well, maybe – next year!
Sunday’s adventure started in Brooklyn, with the City Reliquary—a small, quirky museum with lots of New York-iana, including different types of granite and schist that form the bedrock of NYC, plus lots of Statue of Liberty items, World’s Fair items, subway items (including a door!), etc. It was an OK experience, but I’m glad I got to see it for free.
A short subway ride took me to mid-Manhattan and a tour of Central Synagogue, at Lexington Avenue and 55th Street. It’s absolutely gorgeous inside—after a fire in 1998, the building was restored to its original 1872 glory, based on plans of Henry Fernbach, the original architect.
After a mini-battle trying to cross Fifth Avenue (yet another parade on Fifth, with limited access to crossing), I spent a few minutes strolling through Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. There was conflicting information about when a tour, including the organ, would be occurring, so I just did a cursory walkthrough.
A subway and bus combo (there was no #7 train service on the weekend) got me to the Lewis H. Latimer house in Flushing, Queens. This is an 1880s Queen Anne–style wooden house. Latimer was the son of slaves who fled Virginia (Norfolk, unfortunately) and ended up in the Boston area. Mr. Latimer was a self-taught mechanical draftsman and worked with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. He was involved in the development of the telephone and inventing carbon filaments, to extend the useful life of incandescent bulbs. He was a highly celebrated African American electrical pioneer. He lived in the house, that is now an NYC landmark, from 1903 until his death in 1928.
On the way back to the bus, I caught a glimpse of a very nice looking building that turned out to be Flushing Town Hall, which is now a performing arts venue. And I caught the last day of an art exhibit there and saw a collage installation dealing with the life of Louis Armstrong.
So, no concerts, but definitely lots of culture during OHNY weekend.
ConcertMeister
*Info upon request
I enjoy reading about your adventures.
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