As we reported last week, a set of Adolph Hitler's personalized silverware will be part of an upcoming springtime exhibition at The New York Historical Society. The cutlery, which were given to Hitler as part of a three thousand piece dinner service presented to him to honor his 50th birthday in 1939, had a fascinating and roundabout way of ending up in NYC, and the NYHS considers it one of the “most aesthetically and historically compelling pieces” in its collection. Not everyone agrees however: “I find this totally tasteless...The knife and fork trivialize the evil that Hitler and his allies perpetrated,” Deborah Dwork, a professor of Holocaust history at Clark University, told the Times.
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Results tagged “newyorkhistoricalsociety”
People Conflicted About Exhibit On Hitler's Personalized Silverware
How Did Hitler's Personalized Silverware End Up In NYC?
The cutlery above—which include the monogram "AH"—were given to Adolf Hitler as part of a three thousand piece dinner service presented to him to honor his 50th birthday in 1939. The set was split throughout his homes in Munich and Berlin, and these are from his residence at Berchtesgaden—Hitler spent more time at the Berghof than anywhere else during World War II. So how did they end up in the hands of a NY financier, and eventually part of an upcoming exhibit at the New York Historical Society?
Museums Archiving Occupy Wall Street: Historical Preservation Or "Taxpayer-Funded Hoarding"?
Academic institutions and museums have been busy preserving as much Occupy Wall Street detritus as they can get their hands on, including everything from posters to banners to tweets on Twitter. The Associated Press reports that The Smithsonian, the New-York Historical Society, the Museum of Jewish Heritage and others have been archiving a wide range of materials for posterity. Naturally, there's some grumbling about it from people on opposing ends of the political spectrum.
Did You Know That Modern Day Santa Is A New Yorker?
According to the New York Historical Society, and they're a pretty reliable source, Santa Claus is really a New Yorker! They say that the modern day Santa "came into the world on West 23rd Street... born in the imagination of Clement Clarke Moore, a scholar who penned a whimsical poem about St. Nicholas, the patron of old Dutch New York, for the amusement of his six children at Christmastime" (A Visit from St. Nicholas is best known from its opening line: "Twas the night before Christmas"). They note, "Moore's poem permanently connected St. Nicholas to Christmas, and led to our idea of Santa Claus."
Inside Caffè Storico, The New-York Historical Society's New Gem Of A Restaurant
Last month The New-York Historical Society—the oldest museum in New York City—completed a $65 million renovation to its Upper West Side home. And this weekend, the Society flings open the doors to its new restaurant, Caffè Storico (Italian for “historic”), operated by restaurateur Stephen Starr, the guy behind Buddakan and Morimoto. The first thing you'll probably notice are all that pretty Chinese and 19th century European porcelain and Staffordshire china (all from New-York Historical Society’s collection) adorning the walls. Also striking: a giant marble slab formed into a cicchetti bar, where small plates are prepared and served. As you can see, it's a bright, airy room replete with dazzling chandeliers, high ceilings, and cheery yellow banquettes.
Keith Haring's Pop Shop Ceiling Rescued By NY Historical Society
When the New York Historical Society reopens on Friday after a three-year, $70 million renovation, it will be chock-full of new exhibits, galleries, and restaurants. But one of the most striking (and fun!) updates is the installation of Keith Haring's iconic black and white ceiling above the admissions desk.
Unearthed Gentleman's Directory Outs 19th Century Brothels
For those lamenting over the loss of "edgy New York City"—look no further than the New York Historical Society. The establishment is in possession of a book containing all the best (and worst) brothels in 19th century New York (and we all have is the Village Voice classifieds). Held under lock and key it's a time capsule to a grittier time, and recently the Grey Lady dared peek inside (flip through the book yourself here).
Flashback: Penguin Caper On Coney Island
A May 10th, 1965 article in the NY Times began: "A penguin riding a BMT subway train of the West End line was taken into custody yesterday after biting a Transit Authority detective on the thumb." Unsurprisingly, this story really began with a bunch of unruly teenagers.
Empire State Building Gets Psychedelic
In honor of the New York Historical Society's upcoming Grateful Dead exhibition, the Empire State Building is going to be tie dye tomorrow. At press time, we were unable to confirm how in the world this was going to happen, short of dosing the entire city with acid and hoping everyone sees beautiful melting colors shining off the building.
One Changing Harlem Storefront, 1977-2009
The New York Historical Society has some noteworthy photo exhibits coming up in the next month. We'll have a full preview coming up prior to their openings, but after taking a peek at Camilo José Vergara's "Harlem 1970-2009" exhibit, this sequence seemed worth sharing now. The street photographer and MacArthur Foundation genius award winner visited this one spot repeatedly, documenting the ongoing transformation in the neighborhood. Only eight photographs, taken between 1977 and 2007 outside of 65 East 125th Street, are included in the exhibit, but there are 24 on his website, where you can see what starts off as a local nightclub transform into a vacant storefront.
Brooklyn History Revealed
The New York Historical Society and Council Member David Yassky launched Brooklyn Revealed this morning, which will give you an online tour of historic Brooklyn neighborhoods and streets (including explanations of the origins of more than 100 street names). History nerds unite! Yassky noted that the interactive site "will provide a venue through which we can engage our children in how Brooklyn has evolved, and allow for the dynamic exchange of knowledge and ideas that helps define our great borough," and it includes glimpses at important people who are a part of the borough's history (you know, the ones that were here before you all moved in to your Karl Fischer condos). Did you know that Atlantic Avenue was originally a private avenue leading to Ralph Patchen’s farm on the East River?
Teens Take on Barneys Windows, Honor Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln is so totally "in" these days, so some teenagers attending Abraham Lincoln High School teamed up with the with New York Historical Society to pay homage to the 16th President inside of Barneys Madison Avenue windows. A full set of the display can be seen here, where it's noted the kid's "original portraits may be purchased for $100 each," and are going fast (though none of them seem to include the famous stovepipe hat!).
Honoring Brooklyn's 19th Century Abolitionist Movement
Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg announced a project to commemorate abolitionist activity that occurred in Brooklyn in the 1800s. He named a panel made up of community leaders, academics, and historians to aid the city and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership in asking for and reviewing commemoration proposals.
New York State Readies Apology for Slavery
The state legislature in Albany is prepared to issue a formal apology for the historic practice of slavery and will be the first northern state in the Union to do so. Several states on the Confederate side of the Civil War have already issued similar apologies. Albany lawmakers are pushing to pass the resolution in time for "Juneteenth", which is an unofficial holiday celebrating the June 19th arrival of federal troops in Texas to announce the final eradication of slavery from the United States and its territories in 1865.
Video of the Day: New York Divided
Today, the Sun reports that the State Legislature is considering a formal apology as well as to study the "feasibility" of reparations for New York's role in slavery. The apologies are "technically amendments to Chapter 137 of the laws of 1817 relating to slaves and servants — laws that imposed penalties on those who harbored runaway slaves." While many expect Legislature support for the apology bill (both Maryland and Virginia have formally apologized), some believe reparations will be more difficult to pass.
Pencil This In
DISCUSSION: Noam Chomsky will be taking questions on US foreign policy tonight, following a screening of Harold Pinter's 2005 Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech. Get your questions ready, smartypants. You can watch the video of Pinter's speech here, too.
Design Roundup, Roof Sex Edition
+ Expect another uptown expansion battle, this time involving the New York Historical Society. First neighborhood resident to intimate Paris? Journalist Bill Moyers.
Birds to Do It...
The not-so-private life of everyone's favorite avian poster children for friendly coops, red-tailed hawks Pale Male and Lola, after they - okay, their human advocates helped them - moved back to their 927 Fifth Avenue digs is revealed. And it's been a barren nest. The NY Times gets nosy about the birds' year without a chick. It seems that even with a super fancy nest, baby bird making isn't a sure thing: Lola's eggs went unhatched last spring. Pale Male and Lola fans are hoping this year will prove more successful, as Lola most likely laid eggs, and experts are actually blaming it on the new nest. Will the hawks' hawks charge that 927 Fifth Avenue was negligent in removing the nest, robbing the city of some new red tailed hawks? Or will bygones be bygones and the appearance of some adorable baby hawks eating regurgitated worms make everyone feel okay?
NY Historical Society's Slavery in New York
One of the things on Gothamist's must-see list this week is the New York Historical Society's new exhibit, Slavery in New York. The show reveals New York relationship with slavery, from the days of the Dutch settlers until 1827. The exhibit is open until March, and the online site is pretty extensive, but a reason to go this week is for the pencil-written copy of the Emancipataion Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation is on display until October 16, a short period because "It is, in 2005, a fragile document, sensitive to light, air, and changes in temperature. It can be shown only 10 days or 80 hours each year (of which one has been used)."
Walk (and Nosh) It Off!
What can you do to recover from a day of stuffing yourself silly on Grandma's maple-glazed turkey, Dad's cornbread and oyster stuffing and Aunt Sally's pumpkin pie? Go on a noshing tour of the Lower East Side, of course! Big Onion Tours and the New York Historical Society present their Annual Post-Thanksgiving, Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour on Friday, November 26 at 1:00pm. This tour will make pit stops to sample traditional foods from the Dominican Republic, Eastern Europe, China, Italy, and more. The cost is $12 for adults and $10 for students, seniors, and members of the New-York Historical Society, plus an additional charge of $4 per person for the noshing stops. The tour lasts approximately two hours and covers 1.5 - 2 miles, so it shouldn't be too strenuous for those who may still be in a tryptophan-induced haze. Call (212)439-1090 for reservations or visit the Big Onion website for more details.
Paul Goldberger's Up From Zero
, about the reconstruction of lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center.
GEL 2004
Check out transcripts from heath row, and more GEL posts and pictures from Bluejake: Good Experience Live, Satan's Laundromat, and Ten Years of My Life.
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