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| TOUR SCHEDULE (Featured Past Tours)
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35 tours listed »
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| | | | | | | A FORCE FOR CHANGE: AFRICAN AMERICAN ART & THE JULIUS ROSENWALD FUND
Join Justin Ferate when we visit the Montclair Art Museum (New Jersey) for a special guided tour of: “A Force for Change: African American Art and the Julius Rosenwald Fund.”
This is the first exhibition to explore the legacy of the Julius Rosenwald Fund, which from 1928 to 1948, awarded stipends to hundreds of African American artists, writers, teachers, and scholars – as well as white southerners with an interest in race relations. Created in 1917 by Chicago businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932), who made his fortune as CEO of Sears, Roebuck and Company, the Fund was designed to spend itself out of existence after its founder's death. As such, the Rosenwald Fund supported issues that affected the lives of African Americans in the first half of the 20th century.
Among the impressive list of Rosenwald Fellows were some of the leading artists of the decades between the two World Wars, and the work they produced with Rosenwald support was made under conditions of exceptional artistic security and freedom. The work of these artists, such as Elizabeth Catlett, Eldzier Cortor, Aaron Douglas, Jacob Lawrence, Gordon Parks, Marion Perkins, Rose Piper, Augusta Savage, and Charles White, is the focus of A Force for Change.
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| | | | | | | This Christmas Walking Tour of Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center will light up your holiday season!
Explore "Gothamtide" with the "Spirited New Yorker" and noted Christmas Historian, Sibyl McCormac Groff. Discover how 19th century New Yorkers such as Washington Irving, John Pintard, Clement Clark Moore, and Thomas Nast transformed Christmas into its current importance. Indeed, "Gothamtide" decorations and festivities in 2009 continue to build on traditions begun in the 19th century.
The tour clarifies New York's role in the creation of Christmas, as we know it, as the group weaves around the area of Park Avenue to Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center. There will be some special Christmas surprises on this fun and festive walk. Plus, learn about holiday events around Gotham and environs!
Tour Highlights:
+The development of the Christmas tree, lights, cards, gifts, and entertainment
+Holiday markets around the town
+The history of the lighted trees in the midst of Park Avenue
+Holiday displays in and on hotels, department stores, and boutiques
+Christmas music written in New York
+Strolling past Big Apple treasures like St. Patrick's Cathedral, Saks & Cartier's
+The famous restaurant where the Salvation Army sings carols during the holidays
+The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and Radio City Music Hall
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| | | | | | | Come join Justin Ferate and the Wolfe Walkers for an exciting visit to Socrates Sculpture Park and the newly restored Isamu Noguchi Museum and Sculpture Garden just across the river in Astoria, Queens.
Begin the tour at the Broadway Station in Astoria, from which we will walk down to the waterfront to visit Socrates Sculpture Park. In 1985, a coalition of artists led by sculptor Mark di Suvero (whose studio is nearby), came together with a vision to create an outdoor sculpture park dedicated to up-and-coming artists. The park, with its spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, is devoted to large-scale and smaller contemporary works that are ever changing.
For many, the highlight of the day will be our 2:30 PM guided tour of the newly refurbished Isamu Noguchi Museum and Sculpture Garden. This is an exquisite museum with an impressive collection of over 250 works by one of the 20th century's most prolific sculptors. A former student of both Gutzon Borglum and Constantin Brancusi, Noguchi was an amazingly talented artist in diverse media such as stone, paper, water, and natural greenery. Our guided tour will emphasize the multiple talents of this great Japanese- American genius. This is an especially haunting and extremely personal museum: a serene ending for the day.
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| | | | | | | Join Justin Ferate on this motor coach journey to Westchester to discover a number of remarkable treasures right here in our own back yard!
Our first stop will be to visit the sculpture gardens at Pepsico, officially known as the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens. This remarkable collection of 45 pieces of outdoor sculpture includes work by world-renowned modern sculptors including Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, and Alberto Giacometti. The collection, which also features works by Henri Laurens, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Richard Erdman, Jean Dubuffet, and Claes Oldenberg, focuses on major 20th century art. The sculpture "gardens" designed by the world-famous garden designer Russell Page mostly consist of park-like landscaping, including lawns, trees, ponds, and fountains, as well as landscaped gardens with a topiary, tended hedges, flower beds and water-lily ponds.
The sculpture collection is meant to "exist in harmony on approximately 168 acres of carefully tended landscape. The gardens themselves were, in turn, designed with regard to the sculpture in the collection, and all were meant according to the former PepsiCo chairman and founder of the gardens, Donald M. Kendall to help create an atmosphere of "stability, creativity and experimentation that would reflect his vision of the company."
We will also tour the remarkable Rosen House the former summer home of Lucie and Walter Rosen the founders of the noted music venue, Caramoor. Resembling a Mediterranean villa, Rosen House was designed by Walter Rosen, with assistance from the architect Christian Rosborg, and was built between 1929 and 1939 to showcase the collection the Rosens had amassed through the years: Renaissance, 18th century, and Eastern art objects and furnishings - tapestries, sculpture, paintings, textiles, furniture, exquisite wall coverings, stained glass, Urbino Maiolica, and a major jade collection. Entire rooms were imported from European palaces and country manors. Today, nineteen rooms are open to the public.
The John Jay Homestead will be our final visit. Here, John Jay lived his last 28 years on a beautiful estate that originally comprised over 900 acres. In 1799, Jay began construction of a comfortable 24-room farmhouse. He moved there in 1801, after his retirement from politics. Tragically, Jay's wife Sarah died only months after moving to their new home. John Jay never remarried and lived as a gentleman farmer until his death in 1829. The house was enhanced by the addition of a large west wing in 1926 by Eleanor Jay (Mrs. Arthur) Iselin. Today, the house is largely furnished with original items used by the Jays at the Homestead. The Jay family is still an almost tangible presence in the house that it occupied for five generations.
Of all the nation's founding fathers, John Jay held more high offices than any other. Interrupting his law practice in 1774 to serve as President of the Continental Congress, Jay then went on to become Minister to Spain during the Revolution, and Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Articles of Confederation. With Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, John Jay was the author and key negotiator of the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolution. He was appointed the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and later became Governor of the State of New York. He also wrote that state's first constitution in 1777 and produced, with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, the Federalist Papers that helped convince the voters of New York to ratify the United States Constitution.
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| | | | | | | Join Justin Ferate as we travel the length of Staten Island to discover vestiges of its noble past. Meet at the Manhattan Terminal of the Staten Island Ferry and travel across New York's Harbor, on an historic ferry journey initiated by a young Staten Islander, one Cornelius Van Der Bilt.
Once on Staten Island, we'll travel overland on SIR (Staten Island Railway) to the end of the line: Tottenville. The SIR train line was once the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and is now operated by the MTA. Tottenville was once the major New York ferry connection for Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The town still has unusual remnants of its maritime past. We'll see 19th Century houses of ship's captains and Victorian country villas. There's even a library by Carrre & Hastings, architects of the New York Public Library! Well make it a special point to see the delightful home of Tina Kassman Dunn a 19th century gentleman's country estate in the style of A. J. Downing that has been enchantingly restored. Well also view the Henry Biddle Mansion, a NYC Landmark Greek Revival mansion built circa 1850. The front and rear facades are identical, each boasting of a magnificent two-story portico one of which overlooks the waterfront.
We will take a special tour of Conference House, the 1680s stone house built by British naval officer, Captain Christopher Billop. At an unsuccessful peace conference here, during the American Revolution, the British government proposed to provide "clemency and full pardon to all repentant rebels." The rebels (represented at the conference by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge) did not agree to the conditions offered and the War for Independence continued. Had this conference gone otherwise, the United States might still be part of Great Britain today.
We'll eat our picnic lunches on the lawn of Conference House or the new Victorian pergola just along the water's edge. The country-like environment, with its trees, grass, and sedges, provides an unusual contrast to the skyline and harbor view of Perth Amboy, just across the water. Beachcombers are welcome to walk along the sandy beaches!
Our stroll will lead us back to the SIR and to the Staten Island Ferry for our homeward return to the "isle of joy."
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| | | | | | | Join Justin Ferate for a special Friday evening tour of the Italian-American Museum, located in the former Banca Stabile in Manhattan's Little Italy. We have arranged to meet with the Museum President, Joseph V. Scelsa, who will provide commentary about the Museum's permanent exhibition. The tour is limited to 30 people, so sign up right away to ensure yourself a space on this very special tour!
Little Italy has long served as the heart and soul of Italian culture in New York. Between 1900 and 1910 over two million Italian immigrants arrived in New York and over half ended up calling this slim sliver of Manhattan home. Remarkably the area still teems with Italian history and pride and the center of it was and still is Mulberry Street, where 19th century buildings stand tall and stately.
Many of you have no doubt peered into the windows of Banca Stabile in the past to view its remarkably intact historical interiors. It was an old family-operated bank that officially closed its doors in 1932, a casualty of the Great Depression. Banca Stabile was one of the cornerstones of the community, providing not only banking, but also postal and other communication services. For many years, the building was used as the home of the Stabile family real estate company and the interiors were meticulously preserved. Today, the building has been transformed into the largest Italian American Museum in the nation.
Join us for this special tour of the museum. Perhaps join your friends afterwards for cappuccino and a cannoli at your favorite Italian bakery!
The tour is limited to 30 people, so sign up right away to ensure yourself a space on this very special tour!
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| | | | | | | The Lower East Side Remembered & Revisited:
History and Guide to a Legendary New York Neighborhood
Join author Joyce Mendelsohn in this lecture about her upcoming book. The Lower East Side has been home to some of the city's most iconic restaurants, shopping venues, and architecture. The neighborhood has also welcomed generations of immigrants, from newly arrived Italians and Jews to today's Latino and Asian newcomers. This history has become somewhat obscured, however, as the Lower East Side can appear more hip than historic, with wealth and gentrification changing the character of the neighborhood.
Chronicling these developments, along with the hidden gems that still speak of a vibrant immigrant identity, Joyce Mendelsohn provides a complete guide to the Lower East Side of then and now. After an extensive history that stretches back to Manhattan's first settlers, Mendelsohn offers 5 self-guided walking tours, including a new passage through the Bowery, that take the reader to more than 150 sites and highlight the dynamics of a community of contrasts: aged tenements nestled among luxury apartment towers abut historic churches and synagogues. With updated and revised maps, historical data, and an entirely new community to explore, Mendelsohn writes a brand-new chapter in an old New York story.
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| | | | | | | Join Justin Ferate and discover another world, just a ferry ride away! Tour Governors Island, newly opened to the public. Governors Island is now a National Park and provides a remarkable refuge from the bustle of Manhattan. Please join us as we trace this island's Native American, Dutch, English, and later American histories. There's a lot to see on this remarkable island!
Take the ferry across the harbor to discover two major fortifications, officers housing, and the remains of a once-vibrant Coast Guard base. View the handsome wooden houses with their gracious front porches, reminiscent more of Kansas than of New York City. Discover wide-ranging artworks on display and delight in the remarkable quietude of this island, just minutes away from Manhattan.
We will also address some of the plans for Governors Island that have already been set in motion.
Should you choose to remain on Governors Island, you may want to bring a picnic luncheon. There are no food services on the island.
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| | | | | | | Join Justin Ferate for a Friday evening guided tour of the impressive Augustus Saint-Gaudens exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This exhibition critically evaluates the artist's groundbreaking role in the history of late 19th century American sculpture and the Aesthetic Movement. The Metropolitan Museum's unparalleled collection of American art includes some 45 sculptures by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. These works form the core of the exhibition, which is enhanced by other important works on loan from other institutions and individuals.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), the greatest American sculptor of his day and arguably the nation's finest sculptor ever, melded classical and modern styles in public statuary of enduring interest and importance. His creative genius and deep sense of humanity contributed to works of timeless and universal appeal.
From humble beginnings, Saint-Gaudens used cosmopolitan experience, energetic ambition, and prodigious talent to change the course of American sculpture from a conventional classic aesthetic to a vibrant, naturalistic style based on his French Beaux-Arts training, and from marble to bronze as the preferred material for sculpture.
The most visible and accomplished American sculptor of his day, Saint-Gaudens played a major role in the nation's cultural life, becoming friends with a wide range of movers and shakers, many of whom became clients, and participating in progressive artists' organizations.
Don't miss this remarkable exhibition!
Limited to 30 people.
PLEASE MEET INSIDE THE GROUND LEVEL ENTRANCE AT 81ST STREET, NEAR THE COAT CHECK. THIS IS THE WHEEL CHAIR ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE - NOT THE MAIN ENTRANCE AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS. WE WILL ALL GO IN TOGETHER AS A GROUP.
To reserve a place on this tour, please send an e-mail to: jferatetours@earthlink.net
THIS TOUR IS NOW FILLED.
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| | | | | | | The lush plantings, shimmering lakes, and rolling hills of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery inspired the creation of Central Park. As one of America's first garden cemeteries, Green-Wood, with its contemplative beauties, became New York's most scenic and choice location to spend eternity. Impressive mausoleums, often adorned with stained glass windows, and exquisite sculptures and monuments celebrate the lives of America's rich and famous.
See works by such noted artists and designers as Stanford White, Daniel Chester French, Richard Upjohn, Warren & Wetmore and Augustus St. Gaudens. Among the many stops will be the final resting places of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Horace Greeley, Samuel F. B. Morse, Peter Cooper and Leonard Bernstein.
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| | | | | | | Tiffany Tour with Justin Ferate and Lindsy Parrott, Curator of the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass. Stroll Flushing Meadows Park to the Queens Museum, where we'll view some of the remarkable Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass on a special guided tour with the Neustadt Collection Curator, Lindsy Parrott, who will discuss the history of Louis Comfort Tiffany and his art, the origins and techniques used in Tiffany glass, the methods of glassmaking, and the processes necessary to create stained glass windows and lamps. The exhibition, Tiffany: The Glass, is an installation of two windows, eleven lamp shades and more than two hundred examples of flat glass from the Neustadt Collection, and explores some of the remarkable patterns, textures and colors of opalescent glass used by the Tiffany Studios. Well even look at glass manufactured nearby in Corona, where Tiffany had one of his factories.
We will also make it a point to visit the Panorama of the City of New York -- the jewel in the crown of the collection of the Queens Museum of Art.
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| | | | | | | Due to recent Government cutbacks, Governors Island will be closed in May. This tour is rescheduled on Sunday, September 13.
Join Justin Ferate and discover another world, just a ferry ride away! Tour Governors Island, newly opened to the public. Governors Island is now a National Park and provides a remarkable refuge from the bustle of Manhattan. Please join us as we trace this island's Native American, Dutch, English, and later American histories. There's a lot to see on this remarkable island!
Take the ferry across the harbor to discover two major fortifications, officers housing, and the remains of a once-vibrant Coast Guard base. View the handsome wooden houses with their gracious front porches, reminiscent more of Kansas than of New York City. Discover wide-ranging artworks on display and delight in the remarkable quietude of this island, just minutes away from Manhattan.
We will also address some of the plans for Governors Island that are already been in motion.
Should you choose to remain on Governors Island, you may want to bring a picnic luncheon. There are no food services on the island.
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| | | | | | | TOUR SOLD OUT
PLEASE ARRIVE NO LATER THAN 3:45 PM!
Join the Crew of the Mystic Whaler and Justin Ferate on this very special adventure! Staff members from the noted environmental organization Clearwater will conduct our PRIVATE TOUR tour on this sleek sailing vessel. Inspired by the folksinger and activist Pete Seeger, Clearwater using the ships Mystic Whaler and the Clearwater has devised on-the-water classrooms and laboratories to promote the public's understanding of the ecology of the Hudson River.
This very special private cruise is limited to Wolfe Walkers and their Friends. Spaces are limited, so be certain to sign up right away so you don't miss this unusual opportunity!
The Mystic Whaler is a traditionally rigged 110-foot schooner, built in 1967 as a tribute to the coastal trading schooners that plied New England's waters a century ago. Experience an unforgettable adventure aboard a working replica of a 19th century sailing vessel that once traveled up and down the Hudson. Stand beside the crew of an authentic tall ship and learn more about the Hudson, its place in American history, and how a grassroots group of volunteers fought against the pollution of our natural resources. You can even help the crew, if you'd like, as we view the regions beautiful vistas and historic landmarks from a new perspective. At the same time, we will learn more about the environmental concerns of the Hudson River.
Each year, the Mystic Whaler and the Clearwater accommodate nearly 13,000 adults and children for educational sails that teach history, biology, environmental science, and navigation along the Hudson River, New York Harbor, and Long Island Sound.
There will, of course, be time to relax and enjoy the journey. If you'd like to picnic aboard, carry-on food and beverages are permitted.
First, well assemble at the dock for a brief orientation to the boat and crew. Once underway, a trawl net will be set to gather specimens for the fish tank. Then its all hands to the halyards to help hoist the sails (or you can just watch and enjoy). Following sail-raising, different learning stations can include fish, plankton, invertebrates, sediments, water chemistry, steering and sailing the vessel, navigation, and a variety of other topics. Time will be set aside during the sail for the entire group to come together to learn about Clearwater's history and mission.
A highlight of the trip will be a period of silence allowing everyone to reflect on aspects of the boat, river, and life they have seen while under sail. Music by the crew may follow with passengers joining in songs about sailing and environmental concerns all helping to bring a sense of community to the day.
If you'd like to picnic aboard, carry-on food and beverages are permitted.
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| | | | | | | Join us on this tour to celebrate Jean Phifer's new book, "Public Art New York."
What an adventure! Start in the Winter Garden at Battery Park City and discover many of the great artworks, both old and new, that adorn the landscape of Lower Manhattan. Included will be the remarkable Irish Hunger Memorial and works by such varied artists as Isamu Noguchi, Lee Krasner, Jeff Koons, Marisol, Martin Puryear, and Daniel Chester French. Travel to Staten Island to visit a public plaza by Carrere and Hastings, Postcards - the elegant World Trade Center Memorial, a cinematic photo-mural by Michael Falco, several major contemporary constructions, and a neo-classical sculpture by artist Sherry Fry that was restored under the auspices of the MAS program, Adopt-a-Monument.
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| | | | | | | Join Justin Ferate in this new tour as we explore a delightful and diverse array of historic subway stations, while viewing the artworks old and new. View the restoration and re-creation of works by the early 20th century designers, such as Squire Vickers with his lushly colored Arts and Crafts influenced mosaics, Heins and La Farge whose elaborately ornate stations are emblematic of the subway system, among others. Discover contemporary artworks by world famous artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Jacob Lawrence.
Historically, each subway station was artistically designed and detailed with handsome terra cotta ornamentation to beautify and personalize the individual environments. Today, under the aegis of the MTA Arts for Transit program, both well-established and emerging artists have been commissioned to create new murals and sculptures that are incorporated within the historic fabric.
Delight in the animal menageries depicted at the Central Park Zoo station. Discover the marvelous display of the hats (Yes! Hats!) of Jim Brady, Oscar Wilde, Sara Bernhardt, Mark Twain, and Lillian Russell at 23rd Street. Travel backwards in time at the amazing Whitehall Station through the age of steamships, a montage of New Amsterdam, the arrival of the first settlers, and finally the era before European settlement, with Native American canoes and a marshland of flora and fauna. Be impressed by the stunningly beautiful maritime terra cotta murals by artist Fred Dana Marsh, rescued from the former Marine Grill and incorporated as subway ornament. Using brilliant, highly glazed colors, the murals range from Robert Fultons steamboat the Clermont to large ocean liners such as the Mauretania and the Commonwealth.
In Brooklyn, we will take a self-guided tour of the New York Transit Museum, housed in an old subway station in downtown Brooklyn and featuring19 restored subway cars and other exhibits. Among the exhibits will be Steel, Stone & Backbone: Building New York's Subways 1900-1925.
Throughout the tour, well view the restoration and re-creation of works by the early 20th century designers and works by contemporary artists. Tour will begin at 59th Street at Lexington Avenue and will end at Grand Central Terminal.
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| | | | | | | Washington Square! Greenwich Village!
The very names evoke a sense of magic and marvel.
Here were the childhood homes of the Henry James and Edith Wharton. Yet, the neighborhood has long been a world associated with idealists and renegades. It was here, standing with cap guns, balloons, and wine bottles - atop Stanford White's elegant Washington Arch, that John Sloan and Marcel Duchamp drunkenly declared Greenwich Village to be The Free and Independent Republic of Bohemia.
Travel on and off of Washington Square to discover different artistic, architectural, and literary worlds: from the elegant enclave of Henry James and Edith Wharton to the artistic worlds of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and Edward Hopper.
Discover remarkable architectural treasures, from great Gothic Revival churches to secretive stone-cobbled mews. Delight in works by such noted designers as Taliesen-trained Edgar Tafel; the beloved Stanford White; and the Tiffany Associate, Lockwood de Forest, whose house displays a remarkable panoply of exotic East Indian motifs.
During the course of the tour, we'll view the homes of noted Greenwich Village residents such as Edith Wharton, Mark Twain, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sarah Teasdale, and Mabel Dodge.
This walking tour begins at Washington Square and concludes with an interior tour of James Renwick Jr.'s remarkable Grace Church on Broadway at 10th Street - the church that once defined the social elite of New York City - if not the United States. This is the bicentennial year of Grace Church's founding.
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| | | | | | | Join Justin Ferate as we visit the startlingly beautiful restorations of two remarkable synagogues.
Along New York's storied Fifth Avenue, Temple Emanu-El stands as an architectural, cultural, and religious landmark. Discover the impressive restoration and preservation of Temple Emanu-El, as executed by the firm of Beyer Blinder Belle noted for their restorations of such edifices as Grand Central Terminal and Ellis Island. Temple Emanu-El's expanse and superb craftsmanship combine to create an imposing structure that evokes great historical synagogues of earlier eras. The carefully chosen design elements resonate with echoes of Jewish history across the ages and seamlessly blend biblical motifs with styles found in the medieval synagogues of Islamic and Christian Spain, the great 12th and 13th century Ashkenazic synagogues in Eastern Europe, and the mid-19th century design of the Reform Oranienburgerstrasse Temple in Berlin. Romanesque, Byzantine, Moorish, Gothic, Nouveau, and Art Deco architectural styles all merge artistically and delightfully through the use of vibrant colors, captivating mosaics, warm stone and tiles, and dazzling stained glass. The restoration is absolutely stunning!
We will also allow time to visit Temple Emanu-El's Herbert and Eileen Bernard Museum of Judaica. The museum features three galleries of Jewish art, religious ornaments, and Temple memorabilia in a collection that is noted for its striking beauty and rarity. Included among many other items are historic religious objects created over the years for the two congregations: Emanu-El (God is with us) and Beth-El (House of God), which merged in 1927 to create todays Temple Emanu-El. Also, there are treasures from the two earlier congregations Anshe Chesed (Men of Mercy) formed in 1828 and Adas Jeshurun (Congregation of Israel) formed in 1866 whose amalgamation in 1874 formed the original Temple Beth-El.
We will then travel by subway to visit the equally remarkable re-creation and restoration of Central Synagogue the oldest synagogue in continual usage in New York City. Designed by German-born architect Henry Fernbach, the synagogues design is loosely "Moorish Revival." Suffering from a tragic fire, phoenix-like, the synagogue was resurrected by the firm of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates. Congregation Ahawath Chesed, a German Reform congregation meeting under that name on Ludlow Street from 1846, originally built the synagogue in 1872.
Delight in the exterior, dominated by two octagonal towers rising 122 feet, suggestive of Solomon's Temple. The towers are topped onion-shaped, green copper domes enlivened with gold leaf. Inside, there is one large magnificent rose window accompanied by numerous smaller round-arched lancet windows.
The restored interior returns to the original exuberance of the historic scheme, with elaborate floral and latticework patterns proclaimed in 69 colors including shades of green, terra cotta, slate, cream, peach, and red. The interior is a virtual kaleidoscope of color! What a treasure!
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| | | | | | | Clinton Hill is unusual among Brooklyn neighborhoods in that it has undergone many periods of development and redevelopment. Join Joe Svehlak and discover this remarkable neighborhood. In addition to streets lined with fine rowhouses, Clinton Hill boasts of a remarkable number of 19th century freestanding dwellings, including some of New York's oldest wood-frame Greek Revival houses that once belonged to the Remson and Lefferts families. View these marvelous survivors, as well as the great mansions of the Pratt (oil and kerosene), Pfizer (pharmaceuticals), Liebmann (Rheingold Beer), and other noted old Brooklyn families. See Italianate and Gothic Villas, Romanesque, Neo-Classic, Queen Anne, Neo-Federal, and other mixed styles that represented the great wealth of this once suburban area.
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| | | | | | | Although Steeplechase, Luna Park, and Dreamland - Coney Island's iconic amusement parks have long since disappeared, Coney Island's appeal remains ever enduring. The summer of 2008 has been the busiest season at Coney Island since the 1940s! Join architectural historian Jane Cowan and delve into the reasons why the romance of Coney Island still remains ever resilient.
On this very special walk created just for the Wolfe Walkers we will explore what made this unique stretch of ocean sand world-famous tracing the histories of the amusement parks and many of the legendary sites. We will also address how preservation efforts to save Coney Island's existing landmarks can ensure that its beloved honky-tonk characteristics will last into the 21st century.
We'll view the official NYC Landmarks of Coney Island to learn their histories. Importantly, we will also view some overlooked, under-appreciated, and under-recognized sites of significance.what might be called "NYC Landmarks in waiting." Discover (among other sites) Henderson's Music Hall, Child's Restaurant on Surf Avenue, the former Loew's Coney Island, Nathan's, and the B & B Carousell. (Yes, that's how William F. Mangels spelled it!) Jane will also discuss the legendary carousel-building industry that was based in Coney Island.
We'll examine recent developments from the new Stillwell Avenue Subway Station evocative of Dreamland's exotic buildings to the new baseball stadium for the Brooklyn Cyclones - the very popular Minor League team for the New York Mets.
Most critically, we will discuss the City's current redevelopment plans for Coney Island and what they may mean for the future of this beloved community.
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| | | | | | | The lush plantings, shimmering lakes, and rolling hills of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery inspired the creation of Central Park. As one of America's first garden cemeteries, Green-Wood, with its contemplative beauties, became New York's most scenic and choice location to spend eternity. Impressive mausoleums, often adorned with stained glass windows, and exquisite sculptures and monuments celebrate the lives of America's rich and famous.
See works by such noted artists and designers as Stanford White, Daniel Chester French, Richard Upjohn, Warren & Wetmore and Augustus St. Gaudens. Among the many stops will be the final resting places of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Horace Greeley, Samuel F. B. Morse, Peter Cooper and Leonard Bernstein.
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