Manhattan has always been a target, first for its harbor and rivers, then as a commercial center. The British sailed in to grab it from the Dutch. The Dutch briefly…
This essay is adapted from Chapter 20 of Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide. I’ve kept cross-references to other chapters in the book, all of which will eventually be updated and…
The Getty Museum opened Pacific Palisades in 1974. In 1982, with a bequest of $1.2 billion from Getty's will, it became the richest museum in the world. The collection of…
This essay is adapted from Chapter 26 of Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide. I’ve kept cross-references to other chapters in the book, all of which will eventually be updated and…
Artist: Constantin-Emile Meunier Dedicated: 1914 (sculpted 1884, first exhibited 1886) Medium and size: Bronze (6.6 feet), on a granite pedestal (3.25 feet) by McKim, Mead and White Location: Columbia University,…
Artist: James Goodwin Batterson Dedicated: 1857 Medium & size: granite obelisk, 51 feet tall, with inscriptions and bronze reliefs Location: north end of the triangle formed by Fifth Avenue, Broadway,…
This essay is adapted from Chapter 25 of Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide. I’ve kept cross-references to other chapters in the book, all of which will eventually be updated and…
The short version If you subscribe before May 1, 2018, I’ll attach a short story by Henry Kitchell Webster to your welcome email. And now the long version … Art…
Almost 20 years ago, I wrote a couple dozen essays on the history of painting for BeyondBooks.com, a subscription service that provided online supplementary materials for high-school students. The site’s…
This essay is adapted from Chapter 6 of Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide. I’ve kept cross-references to other chapters in the book, all of which will eventually be updated and…