Antiquity in Gotham

Rockefeller Center is a city within a city. At the heart of this city, which was envisaged and executed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. during the Great Depression, was a program of mythological art. The two most icon sculptures were Atlas and Prometheus. Join us for an interview with Dr. Jared Simard, New York University, about these extraordinary works of art.

Words are all around us in New York City, adorning building, memorials, and works of art. Latin inscriptions or passages from ancient literature have decorated the earliest memorial in the United States, the Montgomery Monument to its latest, the national September 11 Memorial & Museum. Join us for an interview with Dr. Matthew McGowan, Fordham University.

The Gould Memorial Library is probably the most famous building in New York City that you've never heard of. The centerpiece of NYU's uptown campus in the Bronx, the Gould Memorial Library was designed by Stanford White and reinterpreted the Pantheon. Its history is also reflective of the ups and downs of the Bronx.

Along side architecture, art and inscriptions, the aristocratic villas of Rome and their gardens were also reinterpreted during the Gilded Age with the Pompeia in Saratoga, New York, and then later at the Getty Villa in Malibu California. Please joins us for an interview with Dr. Katharine von Stackelberg, Brock University, about Designing Roman Villas and Gardens for the Gilded Age.

Like the Pharaohs of Egypt and the Emperors of Rome, New Yorkers care about where they live; they also cared about where they died. Green-Wood and Woodlawn Cemeteries are two of the US's greatest rural cemeteries and are home to excellent examples of Neo-Antique Tombs. Join us on a tour of Brooklyn's pyramids and the Bronx's tombs.

Dining out is something that New Yorkers love to do. At the start of the 20th century, Lobster Palaces were all the rage with the moneyed fast set. In places like Murray's Roman Gardens or the Cafe L'Opera, one could enjoy a sumptuous dinner of Lobster and champagne, often in the company of an attractive young woman. Get your dancing shoes and come out on the town with us.

Grand mansions were a major part of Gilded Age New York. The newly minted millionaires built themselves lavish residences, many of which had interiors inspired by the ancient world. Pompeii's houses were a particularly popular reference point. Also learn about how Henry G. Marquand and Lawrence Alma Tadema created a remarkable Greco-Pompeian room with a piano that would have made Elton John jealous.

Why were Central Terminal and why did the old Penn Station modeled on ancient Roman baths? Listen to Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis interview Dr. Allyson McDavid about Roman bath design, train stations, museums and modern-day Baths in New York City. We'll discuss why Nero may have been a lousy emperor but his baths were pretty fabulous!

The Column of Columbus is today a controversial monument, but when it was erected in 1892, it was a symbol of America's progress and was a major part of New York's 400th anniversary celebration of Columbus. Erected by Italian-Americans, it demonstrates how many different groups in New York celebrated Columbus and use the architecture of antiquity to do so.

The art, architecture and culture of Egypt and Classical Antiquity were critical to New York City’s built environment, architecture, and culture. Take a look at images of Wall Street, NYPL, and the Murray Hill Distributing Reservoir and links to the publications that I referenced. Many of the archaeological publications from the 19th century have been digitized and can be downloaded or browsed for free.