The New York Historical Society at 170 Central Park West
I have visited the New York Historical Society several times over the years and I have to say that make quite a statement on the history of New York City and the State of New York City. It has a interesting permanent collection of paintings and statuary. There are a lot of things that First Families of New York City have donated to the museum that tell the story of families born and raised here.
I was honored here years ago when a picture I took for the 9/11 Photo Album Book came out in 2002. All the photographers that contributed to it were in attendance. Another time I was here for a private event on John Adams back in the early 2000’s that was injunction with the American Museum of Natural History. Over the years, the Historical Society has brought in more interesting exhibitions. The current exhibition “Hudson Rising” on the history and ecological changes due to humans along the Hudson River. It was an interesting look of the natural changes to the river from manufacturing times today as the river is being reclaimed for recreational uses.
‘Hudson Rising’ Exhibition
The whole museum is a retrospect on the timeline of the New York City with an array of art out any one time. There are Masters from the Hudson River School, statues from all eras and special exhibitions that tell an interesting story of some part of the City’s past.
Hudson River School Paintings for ‘Hudson Rising’
History of the NY Historical Society:
The Historical Society was founded on November 20, 1804 largely through the efforts of John Pintard. He was for some years secretary of the American Academy of Fine Arts as well as the founder of New York’s First Savings Bank. With a group of prominent group of New Yorkers on the founding board including then Mayor DeWitt Clinton, the organization was established on December 10, 1804 (Wiki).
The Collections of the NY Historical Society
The NY Historical Society had its share of growing pains over the years in that it had been in heavy debt during its first couple of decades. It also moved several times over the years as well. It moved from the Government House, which it had been housed in since 1809 to the New York Institution, the formerly the city almshouse on City Hall Park in 1816. In 1857, it moved into the first building constructed specifically for its collection at Second Avenue and 11th Street. The collection moved to its final home to Central Park West in 1908 (Wiki).
The current Society building was designed by architects York & Sawyer, who were known for bank designs. The second part of the building was designed by architects Walker and Gillette. The building has just finished a $65 million dollar renovation in 2011 and all the galleries have been refreshed. The new director of the Society, Louise Mirrer is leading the establishment into the 21st Century.
On Friday night’s from 6:00pm-8:00pm it is ‘pay as you wish’ to enter the museum.
The front of the American Museum of Arts & Letters at 633 West 155th Street
I was finally able to visit the American Academy of Arts and Letters on the last day it was open for the year to the public. It was for the ‘Ceremonial Exhibition: Work by New Members and Recipients of Awards’, an exhibition on members art that was chosen specifically for the show. Most of the work was very contemporary and some a little political. It was interesting work by new artists that filled the small gallery rooms.
The front of the American Museum of Arts & Letters
One of the buildings was used for the contemporary art while the one across the courtyard was used for the more architectural pieces. The galleries are small but the art was impressive. What I liked when I talked with one of the women who worked there said to me that after the show, the pieces would be donated to galleries and museums all over the country. The galleries are only open four months out of the year and this was the last day of the exhibition so the work being shown will be gone.
I visited the museum in January 2025 and it had just reopened after a three year renovation after it had been closed since Pre-COVID and it is now fully open with a new exhibitions. All the galleries are brightly lit and displaying new exhibitions.
The entrance to the museum from the courtyard
Some of the pieces that really stood out when I visited in 2019 were by Judith Bernstein, a contemporary painter who seems to not like the current administration too much. The themes were on power and money and corruption in the administration. Her work really shows what she personally thinks of our President. Her ‘Trump Genie” was very clever and I can see this in a major museum in the future.
Judith Bernstein’s work
Other work in the main gallery in 2019 were by artists Stephen Westfall with ‘Solid Gone’, Hermine Ford with ‘Paris, France’ and Paul Mogensen with several ‘Untitled’ pieces. The contemporary works I was not sure what the meaning of them were but they were colorful.
The works of the artists of the front gallery
One of the pieces in the front gallery that really stood out was by artist Francesca Dimattio, ‘She-wolf’ which was a classic Greek character made of porcelain, enamel, paint and steel.
‘She-wolf’ by Francesca Dimattio
There were light installations in 2019 that were very interesting by artist James O. Clark. He had one piece, ‘Wunnerful, Wunnerful’, which is a work that just keeps being creating itself by bubbles and ink markers moving along a turntable that stops and starts.
There was a permanent exhibition of Charles Ives home in Connecticut that was transported and recreated here. His studio and works are featured here as well as his family life. There are copies of his works in the display cases and his career.
The museum in 2025 was fully open with the exhibition by artist Christine Kozlov, a contemporary Video artist whose works were being featured in the main gallery.
The main gallery of the Kristine Kozlov exhibition
In more than fifty artworks arrayed across four galleries at Arts and Letters, Christine Kozlov shows the breadth of Conceptual artist Christine Kozlov’s practice with a focus on works from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s. Nearly all of the works Kozlov contributed to public exhibitions during this period will be on view, many of which were created for landmark exhibitions of Conceptual art such as: One Month (1969), organized by Seth Siegelaub; Information (1970), curated by Kynaston McShine at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Arte de Sistemas organized by Jorge Glusberg / CAYC—Centro de Arte y Comunicación at the Museo De Arte Moderno (1971); and the Number Shows, a series of exhibitions curated by Lucy Lippard between 1969 and 1974 (American Museum of Arts & Letters website).
Part of the Kristine Kostov exhibition
Works by artist Christine Kozlov
The next exhibition that I viewed was by artist Wadada Leo Smith, which consisted of an exhibition based on colors and sounds. You could take the headsets around the gallery and tour and admire the work with the sounds of the musical groups.
The gallery with works by artist Wadada Leo Smith
Wadada Leo Smith (b. 1941, Leland, MS) is a composer-performer and Arts and Letters member. Formerly an educator at CalArts, he has influenced decades of musicians and artists, including Raven Chacon. In Kosmic Music, Smith’s first solo exhibition in New York, he shares over fifty years of Ankhrasmation (Museum website).
The “Sphere” works by artist Wadada Leo Smith
Ankhrasmation is a musical language Smith began exploring in 1965. Smith does not consider Ankhrasmation to be his creation but rather something he discovered. The name derives from Ankh,anancient Egyptian symbol of life; Ras,an Ethiopian word for leader or father; and Ma, for mother. The distinctive language uses line, color, and shape to designate musical components such as tonal range and intensity of activity. For Smith, performing Ankhrasmation requires focused practice and “having that space in your heart and mind so that you can play from inspiration.” (Museum website).
The last exhibition I saw was in the gallery across the courtyard from the main museum was by artist Raven Chacon. You would walk in the main gallery to the sounds of birds both living and extinct. Just five minutes in the main gallery by myself and I felt like Tippi Hedren in the movie “The Birds”. There were all sorts of bird sounds with no birds around.
The instruments that the artist uses to achieve the sounds of the birds
When Raven Chacon (b. 1977, Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation) visited Arts and Letters for the first time, he paused in our North Gallery to clap his hands, then counted how long it took for the room to go silent. It took around six seconds—a long rate of decay. Standing in that echoing chamber, Chacon noted the building’s Beaux Arts design by Cass Gilbert, with its imported Spanish tile and cage-like glass ceiling that filters the sky. He became curious to learn the history of the land it sits on, once owned by John James Audubon, who purchased it in 1841 with funds from the sale of his illustrated Birds of America (Museum website).
Chacon is a composer and artist who frequently works with the materials and histories of a given site and who considers, as he puts it, “what has been silenced and what happens when it is not.” For the past year, he has worked on Aviary, his site-specific commission for the North Gallery, creating a soundscape that makes space and time for careful listening (Museum website).
Museum Mission:
(from the museum website)
The American Academy of Arts & Letters was founded in 1898 as an honor society of the country’s leading architects, artists, composers and writers. Charter members include William Merritt Chase, Kenyon Cox, Daniel Chester French, Childe Hassam, Henry James, Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Vedder and Woodrow Wilson. The Academy’;’s 250 members are elected for life and pay no dues.
The main gallery of the museum
In addition to electing new members as vacancies occur, the Academy seeks to foster and sustain an interest in Literature, Music and the Fine Arts by administering over 70 awards and prizes, exhibiting art and manuscripts, funding performances of new works of musical theater and purchasing artwork for donation to museums across the country.
Collections:
(from the museum website)
The Academy’s collection, which are open to scholars by appointment, contain portraits and photographs of members, as well as paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and decorative art objects. The library has more than 25,000 books by or about members. The archives house correspondence with past members, press clippings, institutional records and original manuscripts of musical and literary works.
History:
(from the museum website)
The National Institute of Arts & Letters, the parent body of the Academy, was founded in 1898 for “the advancement of art and literature”. The Institute met for the first time in New York City in February 1899 and began electing members that fall. Architects, artists, writers and composers of notable achievement were eligible and membership was soon capped at 250. In 1913, President Taft signed an act of Congress incorporating the organization in the District of Columbia.
American Academy of Arts & Letters at twilight
In 1904, The Institution created the American Academy of Arts & Letters, a prestigious inner body of its own members that modeled itself on the Academie francaise. The first seven members of the Academy were William Dean Howells, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Edmund Clarence Stedman, John La Farge, Mark Twain, John Hay and Edward MacDowell. Those seven then chose eight more and so on, until the full complement of 30 and later 50 was reached. Only after being elected to the Institute, was a member eligible for elevation to the Academy. This bicameral system of membership continued until 1993, when the Institute dissolved itself and all 250 members were enrolled in the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
The Academy inaugurated its annual awards program in 1909 with the Gold Medal for Sculpture. Since then, over 70 awards and prizes have been endowed through gifts and bequests or established by the Academy’s board of directors in the fields of architecture, art, literature and music. There are conferred each year at the Ceremonial in May when new members are inducted and a distinguished speaker is invited to deliver the Blashfield Address.
In 2005, the Academy purchased the former headquarters of the American Numismatic Society, the neighboring building on Audubon Terrace. A Glass Link now connects the Academy’s existing galleries to newly renovated ones in the former Numismatic building. These new galleries house the permanently installed Charles Ives Studio.
I have been visiting Carl Schurz Park many times while walking the neighborhood for my project, “MywalkinManhattan.com”. You can see the entries from Days One Hundred and Ten, Six, Four and Two. I also visited again when touring Gracie Mansion for this blog, “VisitingaMuseum” (see write up under Gracie Mansion).
The entrance to Carl Schurz Park in the Summer of 2024
The park is such a nice place to relax in the warmer months. Being so close to the river in the winter months when the wind kicks in from the river can be brutal. In the Spring and Summer, it is one of the nicest parks to just sit and relax in. During the day, it is fun to watch the kids play in the large playground in the middle of the park. On the weekends the place is packed with kids, parents, and nannies all vying for space.
The Cherry Blossoms at the entrance of the park.
The same spot on the first day of Summer 2024
The gardens are beautiful and are very nicely maintained between the City and the Carl Schurz Park Association, who I have seen members weeding, landscaping and planting in the park during the times of my visits. It is relaxing to just sit by the river and watch the river go by and the boats sail by in the warmer months.
The entrance to the park.
The flowers return during each part of the season almost on cue and the park is awash with colors of daffodils, tulips, irises and tiger lilies. There are many flowering plants in the summer that add to the rainbow of colors that accent all the trees. It is a nice place to sit and read a book while watching people walk their dogs.
The back of the park in Spring 2024.
At twilight, it is fun to watch the lights go on in Queens across the river and the whole city come to life again in the evening. In the warm summer months, the kids are playing in the park, residents have their dogs running around the Dog Run and you can hear the activity at Gracie Mansion. Trust me, security is tight in that section of the park.
The Tulip Garden at the back of the park.
The same garden in the Summer of 2024
The pathways by the playground in the Summer of 2024
The paths that line East 84th Street to York Avenue
The Polly Gordon Walk sign in the front gardens
The Polly Gordon Walkway in the Summer of 2024
This is a nice residential park to relax in when you visiting the Upper East Side.
The walkways in Carl Schurz Park in the Summer of 2024
The History of Carl Schurz Park:
Carl Schurz Park, named by the Board of Alderman in 1910 for the soldier, statesman and journalist Carl Schurz (1829-1906), overlooks the turbulent waters of Hell Gate. The first known Dutch owner of the land was Sybout Claessen, who was granted the property in 1646 by the Dutch West India Company. Jacob Walton, a subsequent owner, built the first house on the site in 1770. During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army built a fort surrounding the Walton residence to guard the strategic shipping passage of Hell Gate. After the British attack on September 8th, 1776, the house was destroyed and the Americans were forced to retreat from the fort, which the British retained until the end of the war in 1783.
Looking at the park from the East River walkway.
The land was purchased from Walton’s heirs in 1798 by Archibald Gracie, a Scottish shipping magnate. He built a mansion there in 1799, where his illustrious guests included future United States President, John Quincy Adams and future French King Louis Phillippe. The estate, sold by Gracie in 1819 was acquired by the City from the Wheaton family in 1891. The first home of the Museum of the City of New York from 1924-32, the mansion served as the official residence of New York’s mayor’s since Fiorello LaGuardia moved there in 1942.
Gracie Mansion during my tour of the mansion in 2025
The southern portion of the park was set aside by the City as East River Park in 1876. The former Gracie estate was added in 1891 and a new landscape design by Calvert Vaux and Samuel Parsons was completed in 1902. Maud Sargent re-landscaped the park in 1939 when the East River Drive underpass was under construction. Charles Haffen’s sculpture of Peter Pan, created in 1928 for a fountain in the lobby of the old Paramount Theater was installed in the park in 1975.
Carl Schurz Park in the Summer
The park name honors Schurz, a native of Cologne, Germany. It was strongly supported by the large German community of adjacent Yorkville. After emigrating to the United States in 1852, Schurz quickly made his reputation as a skilled orator and proved to be instrumental to Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 election campaign. His most significant political offices were that of United States Senator from Missouri (1869-1875) and Secretary of the Interior (1877-81) during the Hayes administration. In later years, Schurz was editor of the New York Tribune and an editorial writer for Harper’s Weekly. Schurz is also honored by Karl Bitter’s statue of 1913, located in Morningside Drive and 116th Street.
Recent improvements include rebuilding of the stairs, the complete restoration of the playground and the opening of Carl’s Dog Run. These and other projects, including the planting of flowers, have been accomplished through a partnership between the Parks and the Carl Schurz Park Association, which has demonstrated the community’s commitment to restoring, maintaining and preserving this park since it formed in 1974.
I visited The Frick Collection for the first time when I was walking the Upper East Side for my project, “MywalkinManhattan” Day One Hundred and Twelve-Walking the Upper East Side”. In all the years I had been coming into Manhattan I had never been inside. So I stopped for the afternoon to see what it was like inside the old Frick Mansion.
When you first walk into the museum, in the inside of the main foyer of the house there is fountain with a large indoor pool with benches, the perfect place to relax after the long walk outside. All around the pool are various doors and windows that lead to the rooms that house the collection.
The Fountain area
All around the house you will see famous Old Master’s paintings, statuary and porcelain figurines. While I was visiting there, I stopped in to see the new exhibition “George Washington Statuary Collection”.
The “George Washington” exhibition showed the creation of the statue for the Virginia State Capital that was destroyed by fire in the last century. All of the models and drawings were accompanying the display to see how the work was created.
After that, I just walked through the galleries to see all the paintings and sit by the fountain in the middle of the old house. Each of the rooms houses each part of the Mr. Frick’s Collection plus new pieces that continue to be added.
The inside galleries
Before you leave, remember to check out their gift shop which has interesting items for sale and copies of the art in various forms to take home. Also on a nice day take time to walk around the gardens. For a mansion on Fifth Avenue, it is cared for beautifully and is well cared for just as the Frick’s would have done.
History of The Frick Collection:
The Frick Collection is house in the former residence of Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), which was designed by Thomas Hastings and constructed in 1913-14. After Mrs. Frick’s death in 1931, changes and additions to the building were by the architect John Russell Pope and in 1935 the Collection was opened to the public.
The Collection preserves the ambiance of Mr. Frick’s private house and visitors are therefore asked to observe regulations necessary for protecting the works of art and their domestic setting:
*Because few ropes or cases are used to guard fragile objects, children under ten are not admitted to the Collection.
Inside the Frick Collection
*Group visits are by appointment only and large groups must be divided into parties of no more than ten. Lecturing in the galleries is prohibited.
*Free checking is provided in the coat room. Coats (if not worn), packages, umbrellas and large handbags must be checked.
The Collection includes some of the best known paintings by the greatest European artists, major works of sculpture (among them one of the finest groups of small bronzes in the world), superb eighteenth-century French furniture and porcelains, Limoges enamels, Oriental rugs and other works of remarkable quality.
Inside the Frick Collection
Disclaimer: This information was taken directly from The Frick Collection Museum pamphlet and I give the museum full credit for this information. Please check out times and dates before you visit.
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 