March 1, 2007
The Morgan Library, the
Church of the Incarnation, the New
York Public Library
If you're from out of town and visiting New York City museums, chances are you have strolled
up Fifth Avenue
or Madison heading to MoMa, the Met, and the Guggenheim. All wonderful museums. But off the beaten Fifth Avenue path and all around
New York City, are
wonderful gems for art and literary lovers.
Three favorites of The Three Tomatoes
are right in the heart of Murray Hill - The
Morgan Library and Museum, the Church of
the Incarnation, and the New York City Public Library. So
whether you're from out of town, or like
so many of us who live in New York City and have become a little too nonchalant
about all our wonderful cultural attractions, take a day or two and check these
out. You'll fall in love with NYC all
over again.
The Morgan
For well over a year, we strolled past The Morgan Library
& Museum on Madison
between 36th and 37th streets watching its major
renovation unfolding, but with some chagrin at the steel and glass pavilion
being erected in between the three landmark buildings that housed the old
Library & Museum. But when it
finally reopened last spring and we went in through the new Madison Avenue
entrance, we were enthralled with what the award winning architect, Renzo
Piano, had done to bring the old buildings together with this towering pavilion
that catches glimpses of the New York City skyline, like the Empire State
Building, and houses a wonderful 280 seat performance hall on the lower level.
The library was originally built in 1906 by
J.P. Morgan to house his collection of artistic objects. In 1924, his son, J.P. Morgan, Jr. turned
the library into a public institution and the collections grew.
Today you will find original manuscripts by
Mozart and Beethoven, drawings by Rembrandt and Rubens, and a Guttenberg Bible
among other rarities. One of the
highlights is JP's magnificent study that is adorned with some amazing works of
art.
There is a delightful café in the
pavilion for a quick lunch. but our favorite place is the Morgan Dining room
which is a small intimate room with a wonderful lunch, brunch, and dinner menu (on
Friday nights), highlighted with a very fun retro cocktails menu that includes
drinks like the Knickerbocker Gimlet made with currant vodka and lime (circa
1857), and the Pierpont Champagne Cocktail made with gin, lemon and champagne
(circa 1918.) Drink one of these
cocktails and you'll feel like a robber baron.
(Now who else but The Three
Tomatoes would give you the reviews of the cocktails at a museum?)
The Landmark Church
of Murray Hill
Walk down a block on Madison
to 35th Street,
and you will be at the Church of the Incarnation, also known as
"the Landmark
Church of Murray Hill which laid its cornerstone in 1864. This beautiful neo-gothic gem houses some of
the finest ecclesiastical artwork in America. The
marble altar incorporates many types of marble from around the world, including
Vermont, Georgia,
Belgium, Africa, Italy, and France. The altar cross is bronze
covered with a dull rose gold, and is richly ornamented in Gothic style with
grapevine motifs, studded with garnets and amethysts. The cross and
candlesticks were made by Gorham & Company.
The magnificent stain glass windows include designs by Louis Comfort
Tiffany, William Morris Company of London, and John
La Farge, a noted New York
glassmaker and painter, among others.
In the first half of the century many prominent New York families like the Morgans and
Delanos were members of the church, and the funeral service of FDR's mother was
held there. Other interesting factoids
include the third rector, Arthur Brooks who founded Barnard College
because he believed in higher education for women. His brother, Phillips Brooks
is the author of the hymn "O Little Town of Bethlehem." The church is open to the public and they
welcome visitors.
The Greatest Library
on Earth
Now head West to Fifth Avenue and up to 40th
Street and you will be at the magnificent steps of the New York City Public
Library where you will be greeted by its famous lion statues. But first, how much of a New Yorker are
you? What are the names of the two
lions? (The answers are at the bottom
of the email, but don't cheat!)
Okay,
so technically the Library is not in the heart of Murray Hill, but it's still in the
hood. The idea of a public library in
New York City took root in the mid 1800's. New York's population had by-passed Paris
and was catching up with London,
and yet it did not have a great library.
Several prominent residents at the time realized that if New York City was to
become a great urban culture, it needed a great library. The initial funding for the library came from
one-time governor Samuel J. Tilden, who upon his death in 1886 bequeathed the
bulk of his fortune -- about $2.4 million -- to "establish and maintain a free library and reading room in the
city of New York." Today The New York Public Library is
internationally recognized as one of the greatest institutions of its kind with
world-acclaimed research centers and one of the largest branch systems in the
world. The Library's collections include the Gutenberg Bible and Jefferson's manuscript copy of the Declaration of
Independence.
About those lions
The lions have greeted visitors at the entrance since the
Library's opening in 1911. The sculptor
Edward Clark Potter was reportedly
paid $8,000 for the modelling, and Piccirilli Brothers executed
the carving for $5,000, using pink Tennessee
marble.
The two male lions were originally called Leo Astor and Leo
Lenox, after The New York Public Library founders John Jacob Astor and James
Lenox, and then later were known as Lady Astor and Lord Lenox. (Hey, it's New York.)
But since the 1930's they have been known as Patience and Fortitude,
names given to them by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia because he felt those were
qualities New Yorkers would need to get through the Great Depression. Patience
guards the south side of the Library's steps and Fortitude sits to the north.
Well fortitude is certainly one of those qualities that still distinguishes
New Yorkers today. The patience part is
a different story, although we don't think New Yorkers had a lot of that in the
1930's either.
Here's to the little gems in life, including retro cocktails.
'til next week,
The Three Tomatoes
Copyright© 2007. The Three Tomatoes. All rights reserved.
