We visited the holiday train show, which is something we’ve been invited to by family friends for years. Finally, the timing worked out. The trains — all 25 of them cruising around on a half-mile of of track — were … fine. What they are weaving around — almost 200 scaled down buildings made of bark, leaves, and other materials — is the real attraction. I took a lot of photos of the miniaturized parts of the city. Here are some of them. (Part one is here.)
This is the Terminal Warehouse. See that arch on the bottom? That was the key to the whole operation. You could drive a train into that arch, into the center of the building, for loading and off-loading freight. The Hudson River was nearby, and the area around the warehouse was a bustling center of shipping.
Hundreds of people were killed around the site over the years. In the 80s and 90s it was a popular night club, until the surrounding neighbor started to blight. In the last two decades, the building has been home to food and beverage retailers.
Here’s New York’s City Hall. Built in 1812, Wikipedia tells me this building is the nation’s oldest city hall in the still containing its original governmental functions and is one of the largest government buildings in the world. Even then, 13 agencies answering to the mayor’s office are located elsewhere.
City Hall is listed as a National Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.
The cornerstone was laid in 1803, but the project faced delays over complaints about extravagance. The plans were reduced, and browstone was used in the back to lower costs. In the 1950s, the brownstone and original Massachusetts marble was replaced by Alabama limestone.
You’re welcome.
The Washington Arch is a marble memorial arch in Greenwich Village. It marks the 100th anniversary of George Washington’s 1789 inauguration as president.
The real one exists because, in 1889, a large plaster and wood memorial arch was installed by a local business man. It was a hit, and so a new fundraising effort went to work. Three years later, the permanent stone arch was erected.
This is the Park Avenue Armory, built in 1881.
Another name for the building is the Seventh Regiment Armory. The building is known for detailed interior rooms, which seems like a given considering the exterior. This is a big venue, and is today a non-profit powered alternative arts space. Also inside is a small detachment of the New York Army National Guard, two different veterans groups and a local mental health shelter.
Right about here, in the sprawling tour, I had to catch my wording. These, of course, aren’t the actual buildings. That is a big model, but you could probably only fit a few of those things inside it. Of course.
Here is (a naturalist model of) William K. Vanderbilt’s mansion. This was built between 1878 and 1882 on Fifth Avenue. Across the street was William H. Vanderbilt’s much larger mansion. (William H. was the son of the tycoon. William K. was his grandson.)
The French Renaissance-style was razed in 1927. There’s an office building there today.
Here’s a beautiful representation of Saint Bartholomew’s Church, in Manhattan. They hoisted this third version of the church into the air between 1916 through 1919. The land was sold to them by William H. Vanerbilt. Next spring they’ll mark the 100th anniversary of the church’s consecration.
If you like organs, this page has a great breakdown of what’s inside the church.
Speaking of icons, left to right you can see the General Electric Building (1930), the Met Life Insurance Tower (1909), One World Trade Center (2013) and the Woolworth Building (1912).
It was right here where I said, “Ya know, they should lay all of this out as a full scale model of the city.” Our family friend, who was born in New York City, laughed and launched into a discussion about all of the accidental things that are built, somewhat haphazardly, in the city. It was a colorful lecture.
Here’s the Chrysler Building (1930), a little sliver of the Flatiron Building (1903), the Plaza Hotel (1907) and the beautiful St. Patrick’s Cathedral (1879).
I’ve had the good fortune to see St. Patrick’s from several perspectives.
This is the Hurst-Pierrepont Estate. The real one is up the Hudson River.
The two-story brick Gothic villa was built in 1867 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It went on the market for $5 million in 2019. It was still for sale last year.
An hour-and-a-half up the Hudson, you’ll find the town of Newburgh, which was where Highland Gardens was located. It was built in the 1830s by an untrained, 20-something architect, Andrew Jackson Downing. This, then, is a model of his own home. He was also a landscape designer and a horticulturist, so the botanical gardens is a good place for this miniature.
And this is a good place to stop this installment. (Part one is here.) Two posts and 21 photos down, 20 more photos to go.
