discovering.nyc - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

Finally pulled myself up out of the depths of grading to cobble together a post about the Jefferson Market Courthouse. Come for the old fire tower, stay for an overview of the courthouse, and enjoy the bonus pictures that my grandfather took of the old Women's House of Detention in 1966!

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

A long time ago I did a deep dive into the history behind Gangs of New York & explored how accurate the movie was. It was accurate in some surprising ways! while being completely wrong in others. Anyone want to see this revived for a new blog post? Also ofc Daniel Day Lewis can do no wrong!

submitted 24 days ago • 1 comment

Chicago pope blessing the “L” when

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

Old Penn Station appreciation time, just because. Not that one ever needs an excuse to share this beauty.

submitted 31 days ago • 0 comments

Yankee Stadium postcard, ca. 1930s #cardsky @bballhist.bsky.social @discovering.nyc

submitted 31 days ago • 0 comments

#DidYouKnow that there was once a working trolley terminal underneath Delancey Street? Beginning in 1908, the Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal was the departure point for streetcar service running over the Williamsburg Bridge.

submitted 32 days ago • 2 comments

Fun Fact: Baseball legends Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle both hit their first home run as a member of the New York #Yankees on May 1st! (The Babe in 1920, The Mick in 1951) ⚾️ #May1st #MLB #Trivia #History #RepBX

submitted 37 days ago • 0 comments

It was a lot of fun exploring the Beach Pneumatic Transit and the delightfully named "atmospheric" railways and their "ethereal" science (Victorians, right?!). It must have seemed magical to those who flocked to see Beach's innovative system in the three short years it was open. #history

submitted 40 days ago • 0 comments

Obligatory Five Points post (I can't believe I haven't done one yet!). This view shows the eponymous junction, where Orange Street, Cross Street & Anthony Street met. From Valentine's Manual of Old New York, 1855. It is a reproduction of an oil painting by George Catlin from c. 1827. #NYChistory

submitted 42 days ago • 0 comments

The colorful monorail built by the American Machine and Foundry Company for the 1964-65 World’s Fair. Fully automatic, it featured seven two-car trains running along a 4,000 foot loop. Visitors could "see the fair from the air" in the air-conditioned cars, which must have been a treat! #history

submitted 46 days ago • 0 comments

On April 22nd, 1964, the 1964-65 World's Fair opened in Flushing Meadows. Here's a fantastic aerial view of the expansive fairgrounds in Flushing Meadows park, showing Shea Stadium on the left. From 30 years of progress, 1934-1964 by the Department of Parks. #NYChistory

submitted 46 days ago • 0 comments

The Church of the Transfiguration by Lithuanian architect Jonas Mulokas, at 64-25 Perry Avenue, in Maspeth, Queens, is unlike any other building in the New York City area. #history #queens #historicpreservation

submitted 48 days ago • 0 comments

For anyone celebrating today’s other “holiday” 😜: discovering.nyc/the-short-hi...

submitted 48 days ago • 0 comments

Happy #Easter for those who are celebrating! Here are impeccably dressed crowds promenading up and down 5th Avenue after Easter Services, c. 1900.

submitted 48 days ago • 0 comments

On April 13, 1870, the Metropolitan #Museum of Art was officially incorporated. Originally housed in a brownstone and then a mansion on 14th Street, its first dedicated building, designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould, opened in 1880. Sources and more info in the alt text + more images below!

submitted 55 days ago • 1 comment

High Bridge and the old "High Service Works" reservoir as they would look when completed. This early view also includes a curious rendering of the iconic water tower. Now a familiar feature, the octagonal water tower opened in 1872. From D.T. Valentine’s Manual, 1868. #engineering

submitted 59 days ago • 1 comment

"Wheelman's Rest" in Prospect Park c. 1895. Bicycling up and down nearby Ocean Parkway, which had a dedicated path for doing so, was an immensely popular activity. Clubs such as the Kings County Wheelmen provided a space for people to plan outings and other similar activities. #Brooklyn

submitted 60 days ago • 0 comments

A four car train on the 9th Avenue el near 116th Street, 1880. Although many of the lots are still empty or have shanties, development is quickly encroaching. The buildings behind are part of a growing Harlem. From The Tracks of New York Number 3 by Alan Paul Kahn and Jack May. #history

submitted 64 days ago • 0 comments

The magnificent Dorilton Apartments seen from 70th Street, 1909. This view looks up Broadway, with the Ansonia Apartments across on 73rd. The sketch is by Joseph Pennell, from The New New York: A Commentary on the Place and the People by John Van Dyke.

submitted 64 days ago • 0 comments

For the follow-up to my first post about New Harlem, I explored more of the village's early #history and how residents absolutely refused to allow their village to be renamed Lancaster (understandable). Plus a short history of its role in the American Revolution and subsequent development.

submitted 69 days ago • 2 comments

I’ve been teaching U.S. History at a NYC public high school for 23 years now. I’m one of the only teachers still currently in the classroom teaching AND speaking out right now. I’m asking other educators to join me & to support me by subscribing to my Substack. substack.com/@saribethros...

submitted 71 days ago • 3 comments

A "west side cowboy" riding ahead of an engine which is proceeding down 11th Avenue, c. 1930. These men on horseback warned pedestrians and clear traffic to let the trains pass. The "cowboys" served until 1941, when surface running ended.

submitted 73 days ago • 0 comments

🚨 Tomorrow: Join photographer Bethany Jacobson for a free virtual exploration of @historicgreenwood, with insight from the cemetery's former VP of landscape design! 📸 🌳

submitted 73 days ago • 0 comments

It's always hard to write about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, which claimed the lives of 146 workers, many of them young immigrants on March 25, 1911. Their story should be told - others have done so far better than I, but I hope to do them some justice with this post. #history

submitted 74 days ago • 1 comment

City Hall decked out in bunting and flags, with numerous city officials gathered to celebrate beginning construction on the new #subway, March 24, 1900. Mayor Robert Van Wyck broke ground for the project using a silver spade from Tiffany & Co. The day was lauded as "Tunnel Day" in the press.

submitted 75 days ago • 0 comments

NYC is full of cool libraries, but many are not accessible to the public. For @finebooks.bsky.social, I wrote about the re-opening of the Frick Art Research Library, where anyone can go research Western arts from the 4th to the mid-20th centuries. www.finebooksmagazine.com/issue/librar...

submitted 79 days ago • 1 comment

Exciting news! My article, "Quarantine Scenes in Staten Island History," is now live on the Gotham Center for NYC History Blog! From yellow fever in the 1700s to COVID, S.I. has long been at the center of NYC’s quarantine battles, which sometimes sparked rebellion. Read & share! #publichistory #nyc

submitted 80 days ago • 6 comments

A rendering of a "continuous moving platform" loop to replace the 42nd Street shuttle, 1919. It would have a capacity of 10,000 passengers, with three platforms facilitating boarding and exiting. The innermost of these would have chairs and hand rails for passengers, whisking them along at 9 MPH.

submitted 85 days ago • 2 comments

Folks enjoying a stroll along the Water Terrace (later called Bethesda Terrace) and watching rowboats on the Lake in Central Park, 1868. The Angel of the Waters statue, sculpted by Emma Stebbins, would not be installed until 1873. It gave the terrace its distinctive nickname. #history

submitted 86 days ago • 0 comments