Enjoying the Architecture of Manhattan
Ernest Hemingway’s
famous memoir about his time in the French capital contains the line: “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then
wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris
is a moveable feast."
Although I’m not exactly sure what Hemingway was referring to, I imagine
that the city’s stunning vistas and architecture had something to do with
it. Being a Francophile snob, wherever I
go, I tend to make comparisons to Paris, subconsciously or not. It was probably Woody Allen’s film Manhattan which first allowed me to discover
the beauty of New York City. Uncovering
architectural gems in the Big Apple may take a bit of searching, but they are
definitely there and worth the effort.
An interesting website pointed me in the direction of a couple of unforgettable buildings.
On
our latest trip to the city, I dropped in to the St. Regis Hotel, located at 5th
Ave. and 55th Street. Funded
by millionaire businessman (and eventual Titanic victim) John Jacob Astor IV,
the building was designed by Trowbridge and Livingston in the Second Empire
Baroque style developed at the École des Beaux-Arts
so popular in early twentieth century American architecture. Named for a lake in the Adirondacks, the
eighteen-story building was the tallest
hotel in Manhattan when it opened for business in September 1904. Today the St.
Regis is still considered one of the city’s prime hotels; it was designated this year to the Gold List of Condé Nast Traveller’s best places to stay in the state of New York. The very exterior of the building lets you
know that you’re in for something special, but the lobby is a model of luxury. With its marble
floors, crystal chandeliers, murals on the walls and ceiling, and especially
its gold-trimmed reception area, the hotel brings you back to the extravagance of another age. Of
course, the cheapo side of me would never allow me to book a room in such a place, but
it was a delight to wander through admiring the hotel and taking a look at people who did stay there.
Just a
few blocks away from the St. Regis between 50th and 51st
on 5th Avenue stands the Cathedral of St. Patrick. While I’ve visited the well-known church
several times in the past, I was especially interested in seeing a Gothic
Revival building after posting on medieval French cathedrals a few weeks ago on
this blog. The brain-child of Archbishop
John Hughes, the “new St. Patrick’s Cathedral” was to replace the original on
Mulberry Street; controversy surrounded the decision to build in a near-wilderness area of the island. Construction began in 1858, but because of the delay caused by the Civil War, the cathedral wasn’t dedicated until 1879. The first thing you notice is the symmetrical
beauty of the white marble exterior. Walking
in, visitors can’t miss the heavy bronze doors, which celebrate immigrant saints like Isaac Jogues, Frances Cabrini, and the native-born Elizabeth Seton. The brightness of the soaring nave inside is
indeed impressive, as are the stained-glass windows and the dozens of side
altars that ring the interior. Notable
events such as the funerals of Babe Ruth and Robert Kennedy have taken place here. Too bad that tours are not regularly
scheduled in the cathedral; it seems that it would be a good way to help subsidize
its planned multi-million dollar renovation now going on.
So much to see and do in New York; I can't wait for the next visit!
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