In the late 1800s, many Episcopal Churches were becoming increasingly divided over Catholic elements within the church. The Anglo-Catholic movement emerged among Episcopalians who wanted to maintain the church's historic ties to Catholicism. Rev. Dr. Ferdinand C. Ewer, rector of Christ Church, left his church in 1871 after increasingly rancorous debates over his position. Ewer founded a new denomination, named for St. Ignatius of Antioch, in 1871. The new congregation originally met in the former Holy Light Church, a parish for the blind. They later rented and then purchased the former St. Paul's Dutch Reformed Church near what is now Bryant Square.As the congregation grew, it became necessary to have a larger church. A parcel at the church's current location was purchased and noted architect Charles Coolidge Haight was hired to design the new building. Haight was well-known for his work on collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings in New York City and the surrounding area. The first services were held in the crypt of the new church, and in October of 1902, when the building was completed, the congregation began holding services upstairs in the sanctuary. It was built in the English Gothic style and is acclaimed for its stained glass. Another significant feature of the church is its organ, which was built in 1966 by Casavant Freres. The organ was damaged by a leaking water tank and underwent a thorough restoration in 2010-2011. In 1999, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The English Gothic-styled St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church was built in 1903 for a congregation that dates to 1871. The congregation grew out of the antagonisms between Low and High Church Episcopalians and was founded by Rev. Dr. Ferdinand Ewer, a devotee of the Anglo-Catholic movement. Prior to the construction of the new structure, the congregation held services in a couple of other churches, before moving to the new church when it was completed in October of 1902. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church 

Start and end near the 86th Street subway stop & walk to historic buildings & monuments between Columbus Ave. & Riverside Park.

In the late 1800s, many Episcopal Churches were becoming increasingly divided over Catholic elements within the church. The Anglo-Catholic movement emerged among Episcopalians who wanted to maintain the church's historic ties to Catholicism. Rev. Dr. Ferdinand C. Ewer, rector of Christ Church, left his church in 1871 after increasingly rancorous debates over his position. Ewer founded a new denomination, named for St. Ignatius of Antioch, in 1871. The new congregation originally met in the former Holy Light Church, a parish for the blind. They later rented and then purchased the former St. Paul's Dutch Reformed Church near what is now Bryant Square. As the congregation grew, it became necessary to have a larger church. A parcel at the church's current location was purchased and noted architect Charles Coolidge Haight was hired to design the new building. Haight was well-known for his work on collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings in New York City and the surrounding area. The first services were held in the crypt of the new church, and in October of 1902, when the building was completed, the congregation began holding services upstairs in the sanctuary. It was built in the English Gothic style and is acclaimed for its stained glass. Another significant feature of the church is its organ, which was built in 1966 by Casavant Freres. The organ was damaged by a leaking water tank and underwent a thorough restoration in 2010-2011. In 1999, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The apartment building known as the Red House was one of a number of high-end apartments constructed in the early 1900s for families who wanted all of the amenities and luxuries of a private residence but at a more affordable price. Far from being cookie cutter structures, these turn of the century apartments were often designed by the city's most prestigious architectural firms and featured a variety of elegant details. The firm of Harde &amp; Short, which largely designed tenement buildings, designed the Red House. Harde branched out on his own and founded the Eronel Realty Company. In 1903, Harde purchased the lot on West 85th Street and commissioned his firm to build an upscale apartment building there. They designed the six-story building in red brick, which gives the apartment its name. The apartment is also lavishly decorated with white terra cotta, which was just coming into wide usage in architectural designs. Harde and his wife, Lenore (Eronel is Lenore spelled backwards) moved into the building along with a host of other well-heeled New Yorkers. The Hardes lived in the building until the 1910s. The early residents of the Red House included bankers and philanthropists and were among the Upper West Side's most illustrious residents. Little is known about the training of Harde and Short or the inspiration for the building, but Harde studied in England and was likely familiar with the home of William Morris, which was also known as the Red House. The firm built three apartment buildings between 1906 and 1909 that are their most well-known designs, but beyond that point, their designs are regarded largely as having little influence on the city's architecture. The Red House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a New York City Landmark.

Built in 1903-1904, the Red House was built during a flurry of construction of apartment buildings in New York. Prior to that time, living in an apartment was seen as unsavory, but in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, apartment living came to be seen as a desirable and more affordable option than the city's rowhouses. The Red House was designed by the firm of Harde & Short and is one of the finest examples of upscale apartment buildings constructed in the early twentieth century. The apartment is a New York City Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Red House 

Commissioned and built around the turn of the twentieth&nbsp;century, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument commemorated the efforts of those who fought for the Union Army in
the Civil War. The monument was commissioned by the New York State legislature
in 1893.&nbsp; A&nbsp;Civil War Monument Association was formed and tasked with
scouting a site and selecting a design proposal that would bring a Civil War
memorial to New York City. The site was selected by1900 and the
memorial was completed by Decoration Day (now known as Memorial Day) 1902. &nbsp;

This, however, was not the first place for Civil War
remembrance in New York. When the commander of the Union Army, General Ulysses S.
Grant, died in 1885, his tomb, a memorial and monument, was put just north of
where the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument would be constructed, in Riverside Park, near 122nd
Street. Grant’s tomb was built between 1891 and 1897,&nbsp;during the time that the New York State legislature commissioned the Soldiers’ and
Sailors’ Monument. New York&nbsp;used both of these monuments to&nbsp;commemorate Union sacrifices&nbsp;during&nbsp;the Civil
War and thus participated in the national effort to promote reunification.

The selection of the design and location of this new Civil
War monument was thorough and prolonged. The Commission held a public design
competition, similar to the process used&nbsp;to design General
Grant’s tomb. This
competition was won by architectural designers, and
brothers, Charles W. and Arthur A. Stoughton. The brothers formed a New York City architecture firm named Stoughton and Stoughton. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument was their most high profile design, but&nbsp;Arthur would later found the Department of Architecture at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.&nbsp;The Stoughton's&nbsp;proposal for the Monument&nbsp;was modeled after
the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, located in Athens, Greece and erected in
334 B.C.&nbsp;Site selection, however, was much more difficult to determine. Several
proposed sites, including the Grand Army Plaza at 59th Street and 5th
Avenue, Union Square, the Battery, and Central Park, were each abandoned
for various reasons. There was heavy support within the committee for the 59th Street and
5th Avenue location, but New York’s Federation of Fine Arts argued
that the development of tall buildings in the area would shrink the monument
and that it would be lost in the shadows of the emerging skyscrapers. By 1899 Riverside Drive
was selected as the site’s location. The original location on
Riverside Drive at 83rd Street was ruled out, however,&nbsp;owing to&nbsp;the construction
of several apartment buildings in the area. The site of the monument was adjusted
one final time, and the monument eventually was erected a few blocks north at 89th
Street.

The dedication and deliberation of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’
Monument site selection was a common occurrence for urban projects like this
during the time of it's construction. This monument, along with Grant’s tomb, was an example&nbsp;of the City Beautiful Movement that grew out of the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893). The movement&nbsp;expanded from the 1890’s
through the 1920’s throughout America as&nbsp;cities were
experiencing rapid industrialization, immigration, and population growth. City Beautiful
Movement advocates believed&nbsp;that there needed to be recreational space so that
urban populations&nbsp;might make use of their cities. City planners worked to create
enjoyable and livable space for their residents. A key belief of City Beautiful
school of thought was that design should encourage civic pride and engagement.&nbsp;The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, positioned between Riverside Drive and
Riverside Park, beautified the area and raised civic, regional, and national
pride. It is a great example of the work&nbsp;accomplished&nbsp;by city planners, designers, and
architects&nbsp;who had&nbsp;been influenced by the&nbsp;City Beautiful Movement.

After seven years of planning, two years of constructing,
and $250,000 invested in its erection, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was
completed in 1902. The monument’s completion was celebrated by a dedication and
a Decoration Day ceremony. Years later, this day of commemoration still
stands, although&nbsp;it has a new name&nbsp;and a wider purpose. Memorial Day honors all
Americans who have lost their lives in service to the United
States, but it began as Decoration Day,&nbsp;specifically to honor and remember the people
who lost their lives in the Civil War. In 1873, New York appropriately became
the first state to officially recognize Decoration Day as a holiday.&nbsp;On
Decoration Day in 1902, the city celebrated and remembered by revealing the
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. Still today the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument hosts an annual Memorial Day celebration.Currently the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument can only be viewed from the outside, but that was not always the case. The inside chamber of the monument may be it's most prized feature. The fifty foot high rotunda has intricately carved marble topped by a magnificent dome (see picture of inside the Monument above). The interior of the Monument has been closed for decades due to structural damage. The Riverside Park Conservancy is currently raising funds to conduct structural tests and assess the damage. Hopefully the interior of the&nbsp;Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument will become open to the public once again.

Located on Riverside Drive at 89th Street, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument stands in memory of the soldiers and sailors of the Union Army who served in the Civil War. The monument is 96 feet tall and is comprised of marble and granite. It was designed by brothers Charles W. and Arthur A. Stoughton, after they won a design competition hosted by a Commission Board of the New York State Legislature. The Stoughton brothers modeled their proposal after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, located in Athens, Greece. The  Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument exemplifies the City Beautiful Movement of the early 20th century, when city planners were beautifying cities with monuments and parks to make them more attractive for their residents. New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt laid the first stone of the monument in January 1900, and it was completed by Memorial Day (celebrated as Decoration Day at the time) in 1902. The unveiling was celebrated with a Decoration Day ceremony, as a remembrance and dedication to those who served the Union Army. Since that opening ceremony a Decoration Day or Memorial Day ceremony is held at the monument each year. The Riverside Park Conservancy currently administers the annual ceremonies.

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument

As difficult as it is to imagine now, Manhattan was once--in the not-so-distant past--home to numerous stables and riding schools. The oldest continuously operating riding school in the city--and perhaps the United States--was the Claremont Stables, which closed in 2007. The stables opened in 1892 in a five-story building that looks like an unassuming apartment building, with only an overly wide entrance to indicate otherwise. Initially it served as a private boarding stable, with people renting stables in the building for as much as New Yorkers might expect to pay for an apartment. The building was designed with a clever system of ramps and pulleys to move horses and carriages between floors. In 1927, the Claremont was reinvented as a riding school. Generations of students took riding lessons at the Claremont, riding a block or two along the street or on the trail in nearby Central Park. Occasionally, one of the Claremont's horses appearted in cultural or educational events, including a performance in "Aida" at the Metropolitan Opera. The increased popularity of Central Park and its paths increasingly meant that riding horses in the park was unsafe, and Paul Novograd, the stables' long-time owner, closed the riding school in 2007, citing the expense of keeping the building as his primary reason. The building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now home to the private Stephen Gaynor School.

When it closed in 2007, the Claremont Stables was the last riding academy and public livery in Manhattan. The stable opened in 1892 and was the oldest continuously operating stable in the city when it closed.  Over the course of its long life, the Claremont taught generations of riders and supplied horses for various cultural events and productions. The building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now home to the Stephen Gaynor School. 

Claremont Stables (Claremont Riding Academy)

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, wealthy New Yorkers were changing their ideas of apartment living. Previously the domain of single men and questionable characters, apartments were gradually coming to be seen as more respectable. Part of the reason for this change was the construction of several modern, luxury apartments, many of which, like the Dakota, offered views of Central Park. The Belnord was one of the grandest of Manhattan's turn-of-the-century luxury apartments. Built in 1908, the structure was billed as the largest apartment building in the world and one of the city's finest. The thirteen-story building was designed in the manner of an Italian palazzo. Constructed around an interior courtyard, the building also boasted "the largest private open-air garden in the world." That may have been hyperbole, but at 22,000 square feet, the courtyard provided more than enough room for carriages to enter through the building's arched entrances, drop off passengers, and make the loop back out to the street. The Belnord was designed to be a highly modern residence. It offered six elevators which were entered through the courtyard, and a central vacuuming system. Additionally, some apartments featured parlors, libraries, and a long, fifty-foot dining room. Underneath the courtyard, an area was designed for delivery trucks to make their stops. In the late twentieth century, the Belnord became the center of an epic dispute between landlord and tenants. For thirty years, some of the Belnord's tenants were involved in a rent strike, one of the longest in the city's history. Tenants alleged that then-owner, Lillian Seril, refused to make needed repairs, allowing the building to slide into a state of discrepitude. The strike ended in 1994, after years of evictions and a suit by Seril against the leaders of the strike, with her selling the building. The new owners agreed to hire enough workers to adequately maintain the property and that tenants would have hot and cold water throughout the day, one of the major problems residents had with the building under Seril. More recently, a number of empty apartments in the building were converted into condominiums under architect Robert A.M. Stern. The Belnord was part of the inspiration behind Stern's 15 Central Park West. In 2017, the newly refurbished apartments sold for between $3 to 7 million. At the time of the building's construction in 1908, rents ranged from $175 to $500 a month, princely sums for the time.

Built in 1908, the Belnord Apartments were one of a number of luxury apartments constructed at the turn of the century. The apartments occupy an entire city block and surround a large, tree-lined courtyard. The building has a complicated history which includes a years-long rent strike. The Belnord is a New York City Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Upper West Side Manhattan 86th St. Subway Stop Historical Walking Tour Loop

St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources