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IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S SITE OF RECORDING JOAN BAEZ DEBUT ALBUM Within the confines of the former Manhattan Tower’s ballroom in 1960, a relatively unknown folk singer named Joan Baez recorded her debut album. The album was recorded in three days during which 19 songs were recorded, 13 of which were featured on the album including “House of the Rising Sun.” Baez described the recording session by saying, “We could use the room every day except Tuesday, because they played Bingo there on Tuesdays. It was just me on this filthy rug. There were two microphones, one for voice and one for guitar.” That other microphoned guitar on the session actually belonged to Fred Hellerman of the Weavers. Baez got her musical start by playing in coffee shops in Cambridge, MA near Harvard University. Her big break came when she performed at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival—the same show where Bob Dylan “plugged in” for the first time. Baez’s first album recorded within the Manhattan Tower’s ballroom did eventually go gold, however, it was not until the after the release and success of her 2nd album which was cleverly titled, Joan Baez, Vol. 2. Of course, Ms. Baez went on to have a quite successful career and also at one point dated Apple co-founder Steve Jobs for a period from the late 1970s until the early 1980s. To learn more about the Opera Apartments where the album was first recorded, you may visit here. Website: http://2166broadway.com/ Address: 2166 Broadway, New York City, NY Cost: Free. IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S SITE OF RECORDING JOAN BAEZ DEBUT ALBUM

Within the confines of the former Manhattan Tower’s ballroom in 1960, a relatively unknown folk singer named Joan Baez recorded her debut album. The album was recorded in three days during which 19 songs were recorded, 13 of which were featured on the album including “House of the Rising Sun.”

Baez described the recording session by saying, “We could use the room every day except Tuesday, because they played Bingo there on Tuesdays. It was just me on this filthy rug. There were two microphones, one for voice and one for guitar.” That other microphoned guitar on the session actually belonged to Fred Hellerman of the Weavers.

Baez got her musical start by playing in coffee shops in Cambridge, MA near Harvard University. Her big break came when she performed at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival—the same show where Bob Dylan “plugged in” for the first time.

Baez’s first album recorded within the Manhattan Tower’s ballroom did eventually go gold, however, it was not until the after the release and success of her 2nd album which was cleverly titled, Joan Baez, Vol. 2.

Of course, Ms. Baez went on to have a quite successful career and also at one point dated Apple co-founder Steve Jobs for a period from the late 1970s until the early 1980s.

To learn more about the Opera Apartments where the album was first recorded, you may visit here.

Website: http://2166broadway.com/

Address: 2166 Broadway, New York City, NY

Cost: Free.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S CRIMES & HAUNTS – SITE OF JIMMY COONAN (“WESTIES”) MURDER Just four years after its opening, the Opera Hotel was the site of one of the most famous mafia hits when Harold “Whitey” Whitehead was knocked off by James “Jimmy” Coonan. Whitehead was a bartender in nearby Hell’s Kitchen. He and Coonan were both local associates as Coonan operated the most notorious Irish gang in the Hell’s Kitchen area, the Westies. While the two may have been cordial associates, tension amongst the two stemmed from an incident when the abrasive Whitehead got into a pub fight one evening which was broken up by Coonan’s brother. Whitehead left amidst the fight and called the police thereby ratting out Coonan’s brother. While Whitehead was known as a loud abrasive personality, Coonan was far from a saint himself. At the age of eighteen Coonan once fired a machine gun at then leading Irish mobster Mickey Spillane after Spillane had beaten his father. Soon afterwards, Coonan began to build a crew of his own and he eventually usurped Spillane as the Westies leader by 1974. Under Coonan’s direction the Westies became a notorious group who left a trail of some thirty unsolved homicides from a period of 1970-1986. Their trademark homicide became chopping off the hands of victims and later using the victim’s fingerprints to confuse police. It was in 1978 when Coonan, Whitehead and some friends were having drinks at the then Opera Hotel. Whitehead, with a few drinks in him, was already in prime form when he announced to Coonan, “And your brother Jackie, he’s a rat bastard. I got no beef with you, Jimmy, it’s that brother of yours.” Coonan’s ear reportedly turned a crimson red, however, he held it in check for the time being. After a short while Coonan invited Whitehead and two other associates to go smoke some weed in the basement restroom.  As the jovial group was passing the joint amongst themselves, Coonan whipped out a .25-caliber Beretta from his pants, pointed the gun behind Whitehead’s right-ear and shot him. Coonan and his associates dragged Whitehead’s body through the hotel’s kitchen and into the alleyway where they left him for dead. Coonan was charged and tried for the murder of Whitehead in 1979 however; he was acquitted on all charges. Coonan did not escape racketeering charges a few years later though and he is currently serving a 75-year sentence. To learn more about the Opera Apartments where this mafia hit occurred, you may visit here. Website: http://2166broadway.com/ Address: 2166 Broadway, New York City, NY Cost: Free. IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S CRIMES & HAUNTS – SITE OF JIMMY COONAN (“WESTIES”) MURDER

Just four years after its opening, the Opera Hotel was the site of one of the most famous mafia hits when Harold “Whitey” Whitehead was knocked off by James “Jimmy” Coonan. Whitehead was a bartender in nearby Hell’s Kitchen. He and Coonan were both local associates as Coonan operated the most notorious Irish gang in the Hell’s Kitchen area, the Westies.

While the two may have been cordial associates, tension amongst the two stemmed from an incident when the abrasive Whitehead got into a pub fight one evening which was broken up by Coonan’s brother. Whitehead left amidst the fight and called the police thereby ratting out Coonan’s brother.

While Whitehead was known as a loud abrasive personality, Coonan was far from a saint himself. At the age of eighteen Coonan once fired a machine gun at then leading Irish mobster Mickey Spillane after Spillane had beaten his father. Soon afterwards, Coonan began to build a crew of his own and he eventually usurped Spillane as the Westies leader by 1974. Under Coonan’s direction the Westies became a notorious group who left a trail of some thirty unsolved homicides from a period of 1970-1986. Their trademark homicide became chopping off the hands of victims and later using the victim’s fingerprints to confuse police.

It was in 1978 when Coonan, Whitehead and some friends were having drinks at the then Opera Hotel. Whitehead, with a few drinks in him, was already in prime form when he announced to Coonan, “And your brother Jackie, he’s a rat bastard. I got no beef with you, Jimmy, it’s that brother of yours.” Coonan’s ear reportedly turned a crimson red, however, he held it in check for the time being. After a short while Coonan invited Whitehead and two other associates to go smoke some weed in the basement restroom.  As the jovial group was passing the joint amongst themselves, Coonan whipped out a .25-caliber Beretta from his pants, pointed the gun behind Whitehead’s right-ear and shot him. Coonan and his associates dragged Whitehead’s body through the hotel’s kitchen and into the alleyway where they left him for dead.

Coonan was charged and tried for the murder of Whitehead in 1979 however; he was acquitted on all charges. Coonan did not escape racketeering charges a few years later though and he is currently serving a 75-year sentence.

To learn more about the Opera Apartments where this mafia hit occurred, you may visit here.

Website: http://2166broadway.com/

Address: 2166 Broadway, New York City, NY

Cost: Free.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S OPERA APARTMENTS (W/TALES OF FOLK MUSIC & MAFIA) The Opera Apartments at 2166 Broadway began in 1927 as the Manhattan Tower. The tower which consisted of a 600-room hotel atop the Manhattan Congregation Church was erected largely in part due to the efforts of the church’s pastor, Reverend Edward Emmet. Emmet was a controversial character who drew a storm of criticism for comments he made in 1949 when he suggested tearing down the White House and selling off its parts. The Manhattan Tower building began to fall into a bit of a decline in the 1970s and in 1974 it underwent significant alterations before being rechristened the Hotel Opera, which has since become the Opera Apartments. The Opera Apartments is the site of two infamous tales of both folk music and mafia. To learn more, you may read below: Site of Recording of Joan Baez Debut Album Site of Jimmy Coonan (“Westies”) Mafia Murder Website: http://2166broadway.com/ Address: 2166 Broadway, New York City, NY Cost: Free. IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S OPERA APARTMENTS (W/TALES OF FOLK MUSIC & MAFIA)

The Opera Apartments at 2166 Broadway began in 1927 as the Manhattan Tower. The tower which consisted of a 600-room hotel atop the Manhattan Congregation Church was erected largely in part due to the efforts of the church’s pastor, Reverend Edward Emmet. Emmet was a controversial character who drew a storm of criticism for comments he made in 1949 when he suggested tearing down the White House and selling off its parts.

The Manhattan Tower building began to fall into a bit of a decline in the 1970s and in 1974 it underwent significant alterations before being rechristened the Hotel Opera, which has since become the Opera Apartments.

The Opera Apartments is the site of two infamous tales of both folk music and mafia. To learn more, you may read below:

Website: http://2166broadway.com/

Address: 2166 Broadway, New York City, NY

Cost: Free.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

The San Remo is one of four Emery Roth designed apartments located along Central Park West. The other Roth structures include the Beresford, theEldorado and the Ardsley. It is a 27-floor co-operative apartment with two ten-story towers that measure 400-feet in height each. Each of these towers maintains a series of rounded temples with sixteen foot tall Corinthian columns topped with copper finials that measure an additional eight feet tall. The San Remo sports a three-story limestone base with a predominant light brown colored brick façade. If you were to walk around the structure you would notice that the building is actually U-shaped and served by two separate lobbies—one for both the north and south side. In fact both the north and south sides also maintain separate addresses (145 and 146 Central Park West). The building was completed in 1931 but took about two years to build as construction was halted briefly due to the Great Depression. When it first opened the San Remo offered 122 apartment units with the south tower offering two story apartments and only single story apartments in the north tower. The number of apartments constantly varies due to tenant renovations but the last known count was approximately 138 units. Most of the first floor units are shared by onsite staff. To give you an idea of the “average” San Remo apartment I was actually able to find some pretty good descriptions of both the north and tower towered spaces right on Wikipedia. To begin with the typical flat in the main building measures about 3,000 square feet and contains eight rooms. At the 18th floor when the building begins to divide, you will find one apartment per floor on the north side while the south side contains two units per floor. The north tower apartments average about 2,500 square feet per unit with two bedrooms. The somewhat roomier south tower apartments share 6,000 square feet amongst the two units. As the south towers had two floor apartments they typically include a semi-circular staircase leading to an additional four bedrooms and servant quarters. As you no doubt has discerned, apartments do not go for cheap at the San Remo. In researching recent real estate prices I found that units ran from $3 million to $24 million. If you are able to swing the fee then your list of potential neighbors may include the likes Tiger Woods (who acquired a unit for $28 million in April 2008), Dustin Hoffman, Steve Martin, Mary Tyler Moore, Paul Simon, Rita Hayworth (who lived out her final years here), Glenn Close, Barry Manilow, Donald Sutherland, Diane Keaton, Raquel Welch, Steve Jobs, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Steven Spielberg, Billy Squier and Bono (who actually acquired his penthouse from Mr. Jobs). Based upon this extensive list you can likely tell that the San Remo is much more open to celebrity tenants than some of its more conservative neighbors. That doesn’t mean all who apply are accepted though. When Madonna and then husband Sean Penn tried to buy an apartment in 1985 they were almost unanimously declined with only one vote in favor—Diane Keaton. The rejection did not deter Madonna and Sean Penn from achieving Central Park West status, however, as they moved just a few blocks down at 65 Central Park West. Similar to the Beresford, the San Remo has been known as a locale for lengthy celebrity renovations upon acquisition of a new unit. Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, who own the penthouse atop the south tower, spent two years on getting their apartment to their liking. They, however, were beaten by Steven Spielberg who spent three years combining two units on the 13th floor to allow him a comfortable 6,000 square feet of living space. Mr. Spielberg is apparently not a fan of the marble floor though as he reportedly spent two years on its removal alone. The most noted celebrity tale though is the now infamous fireplace dispute amongst two 27th floor tenants in the north tower—Billy Squier and Bono. The dispute arose from Mr. Squier’s continued use of his fireplace after the San Remo banned such practice in 2006. The smoke from Mr. Squier’s fireplace was reportedly drifting into Bono’s duplex and the two actually ended up going to court over the dispute. The full outcome of that decision, however, was never fully released. Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_San_Remo Address: 145-146 Central Park West, New York City, NY Cost: Free. IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

The San Remo is one of four Emery Roth designed apartments located along Central Park West. The other Roth structures include the Beresford, theEldorado and the Ardsley. It is a 27-floor co-operative apartment with two ten-story towers that measure 400-feet in height each. Each of these towers maintains a series of rounded temples with sixteen foot tall Corinthian columns topped with copper finials that measure an additional eight feet tall.

The San Remo sports a three-story limestone base with a predominant light brown colored brick façade. If you were to walk around the structure you would notice that the building is actually U-shaped and served by two separate lobbies—one for both the north and south side. In fact both the north and south sides also maintain separate addresses (145 and 146 Central Park West).

The building was completed in 1931 but took about two years to build as construction was halted briefly due to the Great Depression. When it first opened the San Remo offered 122 apartment units with the south tower offering two story apartments and only single story apartments in the north tower. The number of apartments constantly varies due to tenant renovations but the last known count was approximately 138 units. Most of the first floor units are shared by onsite staff.

To give you an idea of the “average” San Remo apartment I was actually able to find some pretty good descriptions of both the north and tower towered spaces right on Wikipedia. To begin with the typical flat in the main building measures about 3,000 square feet and contains eight rooms. At the 18th floor when the building begins to divide, you will find one apartment per floor on the north side while the south side contains two units per floor.

The north tower apartments average about 2,500 square feet per unit with two bedrooms. The somewhat roomier south tower apartments share 6,000 square feet amongst the two units. As the south towers had two floor apartments they typically include a semi-circular staircase leading to an additional four bedrooms and servant quarters.

As you no doubt has discerned, apartments do not go for cheap at the San Remo. In researching recent real estate prices I found that units ran from $3 million to $24 million.

If you are able to swing the fee then your list of potential neighbors may include the likes Tiger Woods (who acquired a unit for $28 million in April 2008), Dustin Hoffman, Steve Martin, Mary Tyler Moore, Paul Simon, Rita Hayworth (who lived out her final years here), Glenn Close, Barry Manilow, Donald Sutherland, Diane Keaton, Raquel Welch, Steve Jobs, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Steven Spielberg, Billy Squier and Bono (who actually acquired his penthouse from Mr. Jobs). Based upon this extensive list you can likely tell that the San Remo is much more open to celebrity tenants than some of its more conservative neighbors. That doesn’t mean all who apply are accepted though. When Madonna and then husband Sean Penn tried to buy an apartment in 1985 they were almost unanimously declined with only one vote in favor—Diane Keaton. The rejection did not deter Madonna and Sean Penn from achieving Central Park West status, however, as they moved just a few blocks down at 65 Central Park West.

Similar to the Beresford, the San Remo has been known as a locale for lengthy celebrity renovations upon acquisition of a new unit. Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, who own the penthouse atop the south tower, spent two years on getting their apartment to their liking. They, however, were beaten by Steven Spielberg who spent three years combining two units on the 13th floor to allow him a comfortable 6,000 square feet of living space. Mr. Spielberg is apparently not a fan of the marble floor though as he reportedly spent two years on its removal alone.

The most noted celebrity tale though is the now infamous fireplace dispute amongst two 27th floor tenants in the north tower—Billy Squier and Bono. The dispute arose from Mr. Squier’s continued use of his fireplace after the San Remo banned such practice in 2006. The smoke from Mr. Squier’s fireplace was reportedly drifting into Bono’s duplex and the two actually ended up going to court over the dispute. The full outcome of that decision, however, was never fully released.

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_San_Remo

Address: 145-146 Central Park West, New York City, NY

Cost: Free.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S BEACON THEATRE Located at 2124 Broadway is a theater created as a smaller version of the former Roxy Theater—the Beacon Theatre. Its similarities derive largely from the fact that the designer for both theaters was the same, Chicago architect Walter Ahlschlager. This building was originally slated to open in 1929 as the Roxy Midway Theater, however, it never happened. The theater was sold before it even opened and was unveiled as Warner’s Beacon Theatre to show Warner Brothers films. Today the theater is more commonly used for concerts and also hosted the 2011 Tony Awards. Popular acts which have performed at the 2,600 seat theater have included Michael Jackson, Jerry Garcia, Queen, Aerosmith, Radiohead, the Rolling Stones (who performed for Bill Clinton’s 50th birthday party in 2006) and the Allman Brothers, who have performed here every year since 1989. Every spring the Allman Brothers conduct a series of sold out shows promoted as “The Beacon Run” here. To-date they have performed close to two hundred shows at the Beacon. Website: http://www.beacontheatre.com/ Address: 2124 Broadway, New York City, NY Cost: Free to view. For ticket prices to events, please view the website listed above. IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S BEACON THEATRE

Located at 2124 Broadway is a theater created as a smaller version of the former Roxy Theater—the Beacon Theatre. Its similarities derive largely from the fact that the designer for both theaters was the same, Chicago architect Walter Ahlschlager. This building was originally slated to open in 1929 as the Roxy Midway Theater, however, it never happened. The theater was sold before it even opened and was unveiled as Warner’s Beacon Theatre to show Warner Brothers films.

Today the theater is more commonly used for concerts and also hosted the 2011 Tony Awards. Popular acts which have performed at the 2,600 seat theater have included Michael Jackson, Jerry Garcia, Queen, Aerosmith, Radiohead, the Rolling Stones (who performed for Bill Clinton’s 50th birthday party in 2006) and the Allman Brothers, who have performed here every year since 1989. Every spring the Allman Brothers conduct a series of sold out shows promoted as “The Beacon Run” here. To-date they have performed close to two hundred shows at the Beacon.

Website: http://www.beacontheatre.com/

Address: 2124 Broadway, New York City, NY

Cost: Free to view. For ticket prices to events, please view the website listed above.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S DAVID H. KOCH THEATER The David H. Koch Theater is the current home to the New York City Ballet. Up until recently it had also been home to the New York City Opera, a group which former NY Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia called “the people’s opera,” however, in May 2011 the board decided to move from its home since 1966 due to an ever increasing $5 million deficit. In reference to its current tenant, the New York City Ballet was founded in 1948. The Ballet season is broken into two discrete periods each year and consists of approximately sixty shows. The shows usually run from mid-November to February and mid-April until the end of June. In the past this meant that the New York City Opera group performed during these “off-periods,” so it will be interesting to see how the facility now decides to fill these gaps. The Ballet Company consists of approximately ninety dancers and is said to have a repertoire over 150 works. Noted works include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and, it’s most famous, The Nutcracker. On the New York City Ballet website you can find a lot of interesting facts regarding The Nutcracker and I’ll just share a few of those with you. For instance, The Nutcracker first premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia on December 17, 1892 and was considered a dismal failure. Its composer, Pyotr Tschaikovsky passed away 11 months after its debut, never aware of how successful the ballet would later become. As to the New York City Ballet’s performance it entails the efforts of 62 orchestral musicians, 150 costumes, and 50 pounds of confetti each show. The theater in which each of these shows is performed has a capacity of 2,700-2,800 persons. The auditorium consists of five balconies or “rings” as they are often referred to as. One notable feature inside the theater is actually the beaded curtain covering the glass windows in front. This curtain is covered with eight million colored balls. The eight million decorations was not purely an aesthetic choice as it was said to be purposely selected so as to represent the eight million people who lived in New York City when the theater opened in 1964. The beads unfortunately have not aged well and what once shimmered in a gold brilliance now portrays a more silvery appearance. One of the building’s architects Philip Johnson had a similar curtain installed in another of his local creations, The Four Seasons Restaurant situated within the Seagram Building on Park Avenue in Midtown. And speaking of the building itself, it officially opened on April 23, 1964. It was designed by Philip Johnson in collaboration with his partner John Burgee. The structure is thirteen stories tall and actually maintains a number of stories underground. The theater receives its current name from billionaire philanthropist David Hamilton Koch (pronounced ‘Coke’). Koch, who is also an executive Vice President for Koch Industries, donated a sum of $100 million payable over a ten year period which began in July 2008. This $100 million equated to about one-half of one percent of Mr. Koch’s total estimated wealth at the time (which is said to exceed $17 billion). In exchange the facility shall maintain his name for the next fifty years. Koch is actually the richest resident in all of New York City (which surprised me to know it was not Donald Trump). His company, Koch Industries, is the largest privately held company in the U.S., and is considered an energy conglomerate involved in manufacturing, trading, and investments. Koch Industries is based in Wichita, Kansas. For more information on the history of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, you may read here. Website: http://davidhkochtheater.com/ Address: 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City, NY Cost: See website above for ticket information. IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S DAVID H. KOCH THEATER

The David H. Koch Theater is the current home to the New York City Ballet. Up until recently it had also been home to the New York City Opera, a group which former NY Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia called “the people’s opera,” however, in May 2011 the board decided to move from its home since 1966 due to an ever increasing $5 million deficit.

In reference to its current tenant, the New York City Ballet was founded in 1948. The Ballet season is broken into two discrete periods each year and consists of approximately sixty shows. The shows usually run from mid-November to February and mid-April until the end of June. In the past this meant that the New York City Opera group performed during these “off-periods,” so it will be interesting to see how the facility now decides to fill these gaps.

The Ballet Company consists of approximately ninety dancers and is said to have a repertoire over 150 works. Noted works include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and, it’s most famous, The Nutcracker.

On the New York City Ballet website you can find a lot of interesting facts regarding The Nutcracker and I’ll just share a few of those with you. For instance, The Nutcracker first premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia on December 17, 1892 and was considered a dismal failure. Its composer, Pyotr Tschaikovsky passed away 11 months after its debut, never aware of how successful the ballet would later become. As to the New York City Ballet’s performance it entails the efforts of 62 orchestral musicians, 150 costumes, and 50 pounds of confetti each show.

The theater in which each of these shows is performed has a capacity of 2,700-2,800 persons. The auditorium consists of five balconies or “rings” as they are often referred to as. One notable feature inside the theater is actually the beaded curtain covering the glass windows in front. This curtain is covered with eight million colored balls. The eight million decorations was not purely an aesthetic choice as it was said to be purposely selected so as to represent the eight million people who lived in New York City when the theater opened in 1964. The beads unfortunately have not aged well and what once shimmered in a gold brilliance now portrays a more silvery appearance. One of the building’s architects Philip Johnson had a similar curtain installed in another of his local creations, The Four Seasons Restaurant situated within the Seagram Building on Park Avenue in Midtown.

And speaking of the building itself, it officially opened on April 23, 1964. It was designed by Philip Johnson in collaboration with his partner John Burgee. The structure is thirteen stories tall and actually maintains a number of stories underground.

The theater receives its current name from billionaire philanthropist David Hamilton Koch (pronounced ‘Coke’). Koch, who is also an executive Vice President for Koch Industries, donated a sum of $100 million payable over a ten year period which began in July 2008. This $100 million equated to about one-half of one percent of Mr. Koch’s total estimated wealth at the time (which is said to exceed $17 billion). In exchange the facility shall maintain his name for the next fifty years. Koch is actually the richest resident in all of New York City (which surprised me to know it was not Donald Trump). His company, Koch Industries, is the largest privately held company in the U.S., and is considered an energy conglomerate involved in manufacturing, trading, and investments. Koch Industries is based in Wichita, Kansas.

For more information on the history of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, you may read here.

Website: http://davidhkochtheater.com/

Address: 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City, NY

Cost: See website above for ticket information.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S AVERY FISHER HALL Avery Fisher Hall opened as Philharmonic Hall on September 23, 1962. It was designed by the firm of Harrsion & Abramovitz with the consulting of audio specialists Bolt, Beranek and Newman. Per the advice of Bolt, Beranek and Newman the original designs consisted of a narrow rectangular design similar to Boston’s Symphony Hall with a maximum capacity of 2,400 seats. Caving to pressures to expand this capacity to just over 2,700, these designs were altered which ended up materially altering the acoustics. Critics immediately panned the new hall and musicians meanwhile complained that they couldn’t hear themselves play. Alterations began almost immediately to attempt to tweak the existing structure. After multiple failures, a complete overhaul was finally conceded. Through a $10.5 million donation via Avery Fisher, the hall reopened in October 1976. Avery Robert Fisher is described as an audio specialist. He is perhaps best known for his stereo designs which led to significant improvements in existing AM-FM tuners. Despite the significant alterations in 1976, critics still did not embrace the new Avery Fisher Hall. Finally in 1992 and then again in 2005, further renovations were undertaken. Alas a formula seems to have finally been found as Fisher Hall is now recognized for having excellent acoustics once more. The primary beneficiary of the enhanced acoustics is the hall’s primary tenant—America’s oldest orchestra by nearly forty years, the New York Philharmonic. The Philharmonic traces its earliest roots back to 1842 when it provided its first concert on Broadway to an audience of 600 individuals. The first work performed that evening? Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. Since that initial performance the Philharmonic has gone on to perform over 15,000 concerts as of May 2010. They currently perform about 180 concerts per year. Similar to the Met’s PBS specials and in trying to keep with the times, the Philharmonic began releasing a subscription-based download series via iTunes in 2009. From this subscription, listeners were able for the first time to get numerous works previously unavailable. Overall, the Philharmonic has recorded over 2,000 works since their first recording in 1917. Of these recordings, approximately one-fourth of them are commercially available. If you’re interested in attending a performance and cost is a concern, you may attend rehearsals here every Thursday morning on the evenings of performance at 9:45a.m. Rehearsals cost about $18 to attend versus the evening performance which currently goes for about double that at $40. Rehearsal tickets may be purchased online at www.nyphil.org or at the door. The New York Philharmonic is not the only body however which utilizes this facility. A number of local high school and colleges host their graduation ceremonies here. And on January 22, 1967, Avery Fisher Hall was where Simon & Garfunkel recorded Live From New York City, 1967. For more information on the history of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, you may read here. Website: http://www.lincolncenter.org/load_screen.asp?screen=visitorinfo_hallinfo_afh Address: 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City, NY Cost: Performances for the New York Philharmonic go for approximately $40. Rehearsals may be attended for $18 every Thursday on the days of performances at 9:45 a.m. Tickets for each may be purchased at www.nyphil.org. IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S AVERY FISHER HALL

Avery Fisher Hall opened as Philharmonic Hall on September 23, 1962. It was designed by the firm of Harrsion & Abramovitz with the consulting of audio specialists Bolt, Beranek and Newman. Per the advice of Bolt, Beranek and Newman the original designs consisted of a narrow rectangular design similar to Boston’s Symphony Hall with a maximum capacity of 2,400 seats. Caving to pressures to expand this capacity to just over 2,700, these designs were altered which ended up materially altering the acoustics. Critics immediately panned the new hall and musicians meanwhile complained that they couldn’t hear themselves play. Alterations began almost immediately to attempt to tweak the existing structure. After multiple failures, a complete overhaul was finally conceded. Through a $10.5 million donation via Avery Fisher, the hall reopened in October 1976.

Avery Robert Fisher is described as an audio specialist. He is perhaps best known for his stereo designs which led to significant improvements in existing AM-FM tuners.

Despite the significant alterations in 1976, critics still did not embrace the new Avery Fisher Hall. Finally in 1992 and then again in 2005, further renovations were undertaken. Alas a formula seems to have finally been found as Fisher Hall is now recognized for having excellent acoustics once more.

The primary beneficiary of the enhanced acoustics is the hall’s primary tenant—America’s oldest orchestra by nearly forty years, the New York Philharmonic. The Philharmonic traces its earliest roots back to 1842 when it provided its first concert on Broadway to an audience of 600 individuals. The first work performed that evening? Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. Since that initial performance the Philharmonic has gone on to perform over 15,000 concerts as of May 2010. They currently perform about 180 concerts per year.

Similar to the Met’s PBS specials and in trying to keep with the times, the Philharmonic began releasing a subscription-based download series via iTunes in 2009. From this subscription, listeners were able for the first time to get numerous works previously unavailable. Overall, the Philharmonic has recorded over 2,000 works since their first recording in 1917. Of these recordings, approximately one-fourth of them are commercially available.

If you’re interested in attending a performance and cost is a concern, you may attend rehearsals here every Thursday morning on the evenings of performance at 9:45a.m. Rehearsals cost about $18 to attend versus the evening performance which currently goes for about double that at $40. Rehearsal tickets may be purchased online at www.nyphil.org or at the door.

The New York Philharmonic is not the only body however which utilizes this facility. A number of local high school and colleges host their graduation ceremonies here. And on January 22, 1967, Avery Fisher Hall was where Simon & Garfunkel recorded Live From New York City, 1967.

For more information on the history of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, you may read here.

Website: http://www.lincolncenter.org/load_screen.asp?screen=visitorinfo_hallinfo_afh

Address: 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City, NY

Cost: Performances for the New York Philharmonic go for approximately $40. Rehearsals may be attended for $18 every Thursday on the days of performances at 9:45 a.m. Tickets for each may be purchased at www.nyphil.org.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS (HISTORY) Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 15-acre complex of buildings home to New York’s Opera, Ballet, Philharmonic Orchestra and much more. In the 1950s and 1960s this area was a seventeen block neighborhood of brick tenements home to many Puerto Rican immigrants and known as San Juan Hill. Their tale became largely famous through the 1957 Broadway hit, West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein. Just four years later when filming began for the Hollywood interpretation of the musical, directors would have to find new locales to replicate San Juan Hill as it had been completely razed for redevelopment. Efforts had already begun in the 1950s to replace the dreary tenements with a new center for culture. The first significant barrier however was in obtaining rights to the proposed site. This was accomplished via eminent domain when the city seized the properties as part its urban renewal plans. These plans called for relocation of the existing 7,000 residents within the neighborhood, a large portion of which never saw these promises come to fruition. Lincoln Center was officially approved for construction in 1956 and President Eisenhower broke ground for the facility in May 1959. To help fund the $184.5 million project, John D. Rockefeller III actually contributed one-half of the funds from his own pocket. As to the derivation of the name Lincoln Center, no one is really certain as to where it came from. It is largely believed to be a tribute to Abraham Lincoln but no validation of this exists within city records. The name for the area can actually be traced back to 1906 via records from the New York City Board of Alderman (equivalent to the city council). It is believed by some that this apparent omission may be partly driven by the fact that then New York mayor, George B. McClellan Jr., refused acknowledgement of the former President. McClellan Jr’s father had been a major general for the Union Army during the Civil War who had had numerous disputes with Lincoln. McClellan’s disdain for Lincoln even went so far as to run versus him for the Presidency in 1864. In regards to the current complex, the Avery Fisher Hall was completed in 1962 and followed by the David H. Koch Theatre in 1964 and then the Metropolitan Opera House. The center-piece of the plaza consists of a fountain by Philip Johnson and a sculpture titled The Reclining Figure by Henry Moore. To learn more about some of the buildings of interest within Lincoln Center you may select from one of the links below: Metropolitan Opera House Avery Fisher Hall David H. Koch Theater Vivian Beaumont Theater & Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater Website: http://new.lincolncenter.org/live/ Address: 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City, NY Cost: Free to enjoy the plaza. For ticket information please see website above. IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS (HISTORY)

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 15-acre complex of buildings home to New York’s Opera, Ballet, Philharmonic Orchestra and much more. In the 1950s and 1960s this area was a seventeen block neighborhood of brick tenements home to many Puerto Rican immigrants and known as San Juan Hill. Their tale became largely famous through the 1957 Broadway hit, West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein. Just four years later when filming began for the Hollywood interpretation of the musical, directors would have to find new locales to replicate San Juan Hill as it had been completely razed for redevelopment.

Efforts had already begun in the 1950s to replace the dreary tenements with a new center for culture. The first significant barrier however was in obtaining rights to the proposed site. This was accomplished via eminent domain when the city seized the properties as part its urban renewal plans. These plans called for relocation of the existing 7,000 residents within the neighborhood, a large portion of which never saw these promises come to fruition.

Lincoln Center was officially approved for construction in 1956 and President Eisenhower broke ground for the facility in May 1959. To help fund the $184.5 million project, John D. Rockefeller III actually contributed one-half of the funds from his own pocket.

As to the derivation of the name Lincoln Center, no one is really certain as to where it came from. It is largely believed to be a tribute to Abraham Lincoln but no validation of this exists within city records. The name for the area can actually be traced back to 1906 via records from the New York City Board of Alderman (equivalent to the city council). It is believed by some that this apparent omission may be partly driven by the fact that then New York mayor, George B. McClellan Jr., refused acknowledgement of the former President. McClellan Jr’s father had been a major general for the Union Army during the Civil War who had had numerous disputes with Lincoln. McClellan’s disdain for Lincoln even went so far as to run versus him for the Presidency in 1864.

In regards to the current complex, the Avery Fisher Hall was completed in 1962 and followed by the David H. Koch Theatre in 1964 and then the Metropolitan Opera House. The center-piece of the plaza consists of a fountain by Philip Johnson and a sculpture titled The Reclining Figure by Henry Moore.

To learn more about some of the buildings of interest within Lincoln Center you may select from one of the links below:

  1. Metropolitan Opera House
  2. Avery Fisher Hall
  3. David H. Koch Theater
  4. Vivian Beaumont Theater & Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater

Website: http://new.lincolncenter.org/live/

Address: 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City, NY

Cost: Free to enjoy the plaza. For ticket information please see website above.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S HOTEL DES ARTISTES The building here at the intersection of West 67th and Central Park West is known as the Hotel des Artistes. From its name you can likely discern that it is a co-op which caters to artists, however, the building has never actually been a hotel. The name was likely just chosen for its own artistic sounding nature. The 10-story Gothic-style building was designed by architect George Mort Pollard and was the largest studio apartment in the world at the time of its construction in 1917. This building was actually the fifth artist studio constructed on West 67th Street at the time with the first having been erected in 1903 at 27 West 67th Street. Prior to this period the street largely consisted of stables. When the Hotel des Artistes was completed in 1917 it was unique for a number of reasons outside of being the largest studio apartment. For an artist studio it also contained a ballroom and a swimming pool. This ballroom was later rented for a period by ABC in 1952 as a studio. One mysterious omission from each apartment, however, was that none of the apartments contained a kitchen. A portion of each tenant’s rent was actually dedicated to the hiring of a full-time chef who catered to individual’s needs. In 1922, the movie star Rudolph Valentino actually moved in here with his mistress for a brief period of time. Other famous tenants over the years have included Norman Rockwell and Gary Oldman. In addition to being a popular artist cooperative, the Hotel des Artistes is also well known for the restaurant which it houses, currently known as Leopard des Artistes. The southern Italian restaurant of Leopard des Artistes just opened in April of 2011 after replacing the former Café des Artistes which resided here for 92 years. The restaurant is best known for its dirty minded portraits which grace the walls via six panels throughout the restaurant. Pictured on these murals are portraits of thirty-five nude women and one outnumbered (but likely very happy) male in various garden or nature settings. The paintings were done by artist Howard Chandler Christy in 1934 who was well renowned for his more formal portraits which included the likes of Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, General Douglas McArthur and Benito Mussolini. If you wish to take the time to visit Leopard des Artistes, take notice of how the murals are interspaced with mirrors at various points throughout the restaurant. The mural used to be one continuous work throughout however a landlord-tenant dispute in the 1960s broke out over whether the murals were a fixture of the building or a removable component. After much dispute a settlement of dividing the works was agreed upon the two parties and the landlord was left with open gaps in this once continuous work which was filled in with mirrors. Website: http://nyc-architecture.com/UWS/UWS010.htm Address: 1 West 67th Street, New York City, NY Cost: Free to view, restaurant costs may be extra. IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S HOTEL DES ARTISTES

The building here at the intersection of West 67th and Central Park West is known as the Hotel des Artistes. From its name you can likely discern that it is a co-op which caters to artists, however, the building has never actually been a hotel. The name was likely just chosen for its own artistic sounding nature.

The 10-story Gothic-style building was designed by architect George Mort Pollard and was the largest studio apartment in the world at the time of its construction in 1917. This building was actually the fifth artist studio constructed on West 67th Street at the time with the first having been erected in 1903 at 27 West 67th Street. Prior to this period the street largely consisted of stables.

When the Hotel des Artistes was completed in 1917 it was unique for a number of reasons outside of being the largest studio apartment. For an artist studio it also contained a ballroom and a swimming pool. This ballroom was later rented for a period by ABC in 1952 as a studio. One mysterious omission from each apartment, however, was that none of the apartments contained a kitchen. A portion of each tenant’s rent was actually dedicated to the hiring of a full-time chef who catered to individual’s needs.

In 1922, the movie star Rudolph Valentino actually moved in here with his mistress for a brief period of time. Other famous tenants over the years have included Norman Rockwell and Gary Oldman.

In addition to being a popular artist cooperative, the Hotel des Artistes is also well known for the restaurant which it houses, currently known as Leopard des Artistes. The southern Italian restaurant of Leopard des Artistes just opened in April of 2011 after replacing the former Café des Artistes which resided here for 92 years.

The restaurant is best known for its dirty minded portraits which grace the walls via six panels throughout the restaurant. Pictured on these murals are portraits of thirty-five nude women and one outnumbered (but likely very happy) male in various garden or nature settings. The paintings were done by artist Howard Chandler Christy in 1934 who was well renowned for his more formal portraits which included the likes of Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, General Douglas McArthur and Benito Mussolini.

If you wish to take the time to visit Leopard des Artistes, take notice of how the murals are interspaced with mirrors at various points throughout the restaurant. The mural used to be one continuous work throughout however a landlord-tenant dispute in the 1960s broke out over whether the murals were a fixture of the building or a removable component. After much dispute a settlement of dividing the works was agreed upon the two parties and the landlord was left with open gaps in this once continuous work which was filled in with mirrors.

Website: http://nyc-architecture.com/UWS/UWS010.htm

Address: 1 West 67th Street, New York City, NY

Cost: Free to view, restaurant costs may be extra.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase/download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S JOAN OF ARC MONUMENT As you sneak into the traffic island park at the intersection of Riverside Drive and West 93rd Street you can begin to get your first glimpses at Anna Vaughn Hyatts’ tributary equestrian statue to Joan of Arc. The statue features Joan in full armor while astride her horse. In one hand she clutches the reins of her horse while in the other she holds a sword up high into the air, preparing to enter her first battle. The sculpture faces to the west and sits atop a large gothic granite pedestal which was designed by architect john Van Pelt. Unfortunately the monument is located within a small clearing in the park with a lot of overhanging trees and if you’re trying to capture a photo of the sculpture it is sometimes a bit difficult. Joan was born in France in 1412. Beginning around the age of 13 she claimed to have dreams or visions of Christian martyrs. The dreams reportedly continued to get stronger and more frequent and by the age of 16 she was convinced these dreams were a divine intervention. This message reportedly was that she should participate and lead an army for the French forces in their Hundred Years’ War versus England. Joan claims that at one point her dreams turned to reality when after an especially graphic dream she found a sword lying next to her—the same sacred sword she is shown holding here in Ms. Hyatt’s statue. Amazingly through her persistence, Joan was able to capture an audience with the future king of France, Charles VII, whom she convinced to provide her with an army of her own. Joan then went on to actually lead her army to a number of victories however, as peace time began to settle in Joan continued on her own personal crusade. Whilst on a failed attack of British forces in Paris Joan was captured and charged with wearing a man’s armor and for witchcraft due to her continued insistence on being a spiritual quest. She was held within the Tower of Rouen in Normandy, France while she awaited her trial before an ecclesiastical court. Ecclesiastical courts in ancient times specialized in cases involving religious charges. It was said that these courts held more sway than any other at the time. During her trial, Joan was found unanimously guilty on all accounts and sentenced to death. On May 30, 1431, at the tender young age of 19, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Because she had become a martyr in her own time Joan’s case was revisited in 1456 and Pope Callixtus III actually exonerated her on all charges. Almost 500 years later she was made a saint by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. Now that you have a more comprehensive background on Joan of Arc let’s take a moment to go back and appreciate what Ms. Hyatt and, really Mr. Van Pelt as well, have constructed here. To prepare for this statue, Hyatt did a significant amount of research. She reportedly actually went to visit a number of significant sites as related to Joan’s life. And if you direct your attention to the armor that Joan is wearing, this is sculpted to historically accurate 15th century armor. Anna did much of her research on the armor actually here in New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Even the horse on which Joan is astride was the subject of study as it was based upon a horse provided by the fire department of Anna’s home town of Gloucester, Massachusetts. This memorial was actually based upon a plaster statue which Hyatt had produced for the Paris Salon in 1910. Just four years later, while seeking an artist to commemorate the 500th birthday of Joan of Arc, a New York parks committee discovered Ms. Hyatt’s work in Paris and awarded her the commission. Mr. Van Pelt did a bit of research in creation of his granite pedestal as well. In a unique tribute to Joan he actually integrated some limestone blocks from Tower of Rouen into his work. The completed monument was formally dedicated on December 6, 1915. Assigned with the honor of pulling the cord to unveil the work was none other than the wife of Thomas Edison. The sculpture’s popularity has led it to be replicated now four times across the world including Gloucester, MA and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Website: http://newyorkcitystatues.com/joan-of-arc Address: Intersection of Riverside Drive & West 93rd Street, New York City Cost: Free. IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side (Free Bonus Edition). (Download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWALKED NEW YORK CITY’S JOAN OF ARC MONUMENT

As you sneak into the traffic island park at the intersection of Riverside Drive and West 93rd Street you can begin to get your first glimpses at Anna Vaughn Hyatts’ tributary equestrian statue to Joan of Arc. The statue features Joan in full armor while astride her horse. In one hand she clutches the reins of her horse while in the other she holds a sword up high into the air, preparing to enter her first battle. The sculpture faces to the west and sits atop a large gothic granite pedestal which was designed by architect john Van Pelt. Unfortunately the monument is located within a small clearing in the park with a lot of overhanging trees and if you’re trying to capture a photo of the sculpture it is sometimes a bit difficult.

Joan was born in France in 1412. Beginning around the age of 13 she claimed to have dreams or visions of Christian martyrs. The dreams reportedly continued to get stronger and more frequent and by the age of 16 she was convinced these dreams were a divine intervention. This message reportedly was that she should participate and lead an army for the French forces in their Hundred Years’ War versus England. Joan claims that at one point her dreams turned to reality when after an especially graphic dream she found a sword lying next to her—the same sacred sword she is shown holding here in Ms. Hyatt’s statue.

Amazingly through her persistence, Joan was able to capture an audience with the future king of France, Charles VII, whom she convinced to provide her with an army of her own. Joan then went on to actually lead her army to a number of victories however, as peace time began to settle in Joan continued on her own personal crusade. Whilst on a failed attack of British forces in Paris Joan was captured and charged with wearing a man’s armor and for witchcraft due to her continued insistence on being a spiritual quest.

She was held within the Tower of Rouen in Normandy, France while she awaited her trial before an ecclesiastical court. Ecclesiastical courts in ancient times specialized in cases involving religious charges. It was said that these courts held more sway than any other at the time. During her trial, Joan was found unanimously guilty on all accounts and sentenced to death. On May 30, 1431, at the tender young age of 19, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Because she had become a martyr in her own time Joan’s case was revisited in 1456 and Pope Callixtus III actually exonerated her on all charges. Almost 500 years later she was made a saint by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.

Now that you have a more comprehensive background on Joan of Arc let’s take a moment to go back and appreciate what Ms. Hyatt and, really Mr. Van Pelt as well, have constructed here. To prepare for this statue, Hyatt did a significant amount of research. She reportedly actually went to visit a number of significant sites as related to Joan’s life. And if you direct your attention to the armor that Joan is wearing, this is sculpted to historically accurate 15th century armor. Anna did much of her research on the armor actually here in New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Even the horse on which Joan is astride was the subject of study as it was based upon a horse provided by the fire department of Anna’s home town of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

This memorial was actually based upon a plaster statue which Hyatt had produced for the Paris Salon in 1910. Just four years later, while seeking an artist to commemorate the 500th birthday of Joan of Arc, a New York parks committee discovered Ms. Hyatt’s work in Paris and awarded her the commission.

Mr. Van Pelt did a bit of research in creation of his granite pedestal as well. In a unique tribute to Joan he actually integrated some limestone blocks from Tower of Rouen into his work.

The completed monument was formally dedicated on December 6, 1915. Assigned with the honor of pulling the cord to unveil the work was none other than the wife of Thomas Edison. The sculpture’s popularity has led it to be replicated now four times across the world including Gloucester, MA and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Website: http://newyorkcitystatues.com/joan-of-arc

Address: Intersection of Riverside Drive & West 93rd Street, New York City

Cost: Free.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side (Free Bonus Edition). (Download the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)