Lower Manhattan: Trinity Church Churchyard

The Trinity Churchyard, located at Wall Street and Broadway, was originally the northern boundary of the fortified Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. The land on which the church and cemetery now stand was first used as the Governor's orchard and garden and later a burial ground. When the Church of England purchased the land in 1696, almost seventy five years after the founding of New Amsterdam, they continued using the old Dutch cemetery for their congregants.

Among those buried here are several giants of American history such as Alexander Hamilton (First Secretary of the Treasury), Robert Fulton (inventor of the steamboat), Captain James Lawrence (naval officer who uttered the famous dying words "Don’t give up the ship!"), and Albert Gallatin (founder of the House Committee on Finance and NYU). Amidst the graves of these well-known historical figures is the grave of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, the widow of Alexander Hamilton, who died in the infamous duel with Aaron Burr. Hamilton's death left her destitute. She nevertheless defended his reputation against sexual scandals and financial improprieties and went on to found the New York Orphan Asylum Society in 1806, an agency that still functions today under the name of Graham-Windham.

Another page of American History is represented by the grave of Charlotte Temple, the eponymous heroine of the book, Charlotte: A Tale of Truth, by Susanna Rowson. The book was published in 1794 and became America’s first best seller and is still in print today. Charlotte's life is the stuff of opera librettos. She was seduced by an officer in the British Army, brought to America unbeknownst to her family. She was then abandoned, left pregnant, alone and penniless in the New World. Her heartbroken parents searched for their only child. Her father arrived in America just before she died after giving birth to a daughter named Lucy.

There are many people with interesting stories buried here. Take a walk through the churchyard, choose a name that catches your fancy and google away.

Marble Hill, Mahattan

Tucked away in a corner of The Bronx is an area called Marble Hill, an area that is technically part of Manhattan. The story starts in 1895 when the Harlem River Shipping Canal was dug, separating Marble Hill from the rest of Manhattan, and creating an island. In 1914, the old Harlem River bed was filled, attaching Marble Hill to The Bronx. Landfill has changed many areas of New York but this creation of dual affiliation is unique.

In 1939, during the consolidation negotiations that set the borough boundaries, the Bronx borough president planted the Bronx flag in this area, claiming Marble Hill as part of the Bronx. The fifty residents protested and in 1984, forty years later, the New York State Legislature officially declared Marble Hill as part of Manhattan. Politically, it is part of the Manhattan, voting with Manhattan, but the US Postal Service lists the area as part of the Bronx. The telephone company takes a middle of the road approach, giving the area a Bronx area code but listing the residences in both the Manhattan and Bronx directories.

Marble Hill gets its name from dolomite marble which was quarried here as early as the 1600's and was used in building federal buildings in lower Manhattan such as the Bank of United States, the Merchants Exchange, and the Assay Office, whose marble pediment is on display at the Metropolitan Museum. Unfortunately this marble weathered badly and buildings built with it seemed to melt away. By 1840 quarry operations ceased and the quarry is now hidden under the Harlem River. The name Marble Hill was coined in 1891 as part of the real estate development plan.


In keeping with the inclusive mood generated by the dual location, there are quirky and oddly beautiful homes, a cedar shingled church that was established in 1825, a curving street tracing the foot print of the now gone fort built by General Washington, Target and Marshall's mega stores, a strip mall, and an Applebee. Putting it all together, we might wonder, "Am I really in Manhattan?"

Columbus Circle, Manhattan: The Museum of Art and Design

The Museum of Art and Design has moved into its new home at 2 Columbus Circle.
The best feature of the renovation is the insertion of narrow windows that are strategically placed and offer unparalleled views of Columbus circle that provide a respite from exhibition viewing. There is a view of the Time Warner Center that highlights the linear lines, a view down 59th Street to the river, and a vista of the statue of Christopher Columbus standing guard at the park.

Two Columbus Circle was built in 1964 and has undergone several functional changes:

· For 5 years, 1964 – 1969, the Gallery of Modern Art displayed the Huntington Hartford Art Collection.
· For 6 years, 1969 -1975, the New York Cultural Center, owned by Farleigh Dickinson University, presented art exhibitions.
· For 5 years, 1975 -1980, it was owned by Gulf and Western Industries and didn't have any function. They gave the building to the New York City.
· For 18 years, 1980- 1998, New York City used the building as a Visitors Center.
· For 10 years, 1998 - 2008, the building was again vacant
· In 2008 it became the new home of the Museum of Art and Design.

In its 50 year history the museum that has changed its name 3 times:
· Museum of Contemporary Crafts (1956)
· American Craft Museum (1986)
· Museum of Arts and Design (2002)