CultureNOW | A Celebration of Culture & Community

Architectural historian Gail Cornell talks about the history of the New York State Supreme Courthouse in Foley Square. Originally the New York County Court, which moved from the Tweed Courthouse in 1927, this classical Roman hexagonal courthouse is fronted by a massive Corinthian colonnade supporting an elaborately decorated pediment. 

Architectural historian Gail Cornell talks about the adjoined Court of International Trade and Jacob K. Javits Federal Building. Home to federal agencies such as the NYC branch of the FBI and GSA, this granite and glass checkerboard was once the backdrop to the highly controversial Richard Serra sculpture Tilted Arc and now boasts a new plaza redesign by landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. The original landscape architect was Martha Schwartz. 

Architectural historian Gail Cornell talks about the Manhattan Municipal Building. Home to thirteen of NYC’s municipal agencies, the Municipal Building is one of the city’s most imposing presences, with an influence on civic architecture that reached as far as Stalinist Russia. Its tower is topped by Adolph Weinman’s statue “Civic Fame” and its grandly proportioned arch frames a tunnel once traversed by Chambers Street traffic. 

Michele Cohen describes the NY County Courthouse Pedimental Sculpture. Frederick Warren Allen was the winner of the competition to sculpt the pediment for the New York County Courthouse. Because pediment sculpting was challenging due to the triangular shape of the space, Allen was chosen for his ability to sculpt full-sized figures in the cramped corners. Allen's classical, yet contemporary depiction of the figures mirror the inscription written on the building below: "The true administration of justice is the finest pillar of good government."

Michele Cohen describes the sculpture of Nathan Hale, who was hung by the British in 1776 after being convicted of being a spy. Before he was hung, he uttered the words, "I only regret I have but one life to give for my country." This sculpture was erected in 1890 in City Hall Park, New York; it stands near where the actual Nathan Hale was thought to have been executed.

Michele Cohen describes the statue of Civic Fame. As the largest statue in Manhattan, at 2,800 square feet and set on top of the forty-story Municipal Building, Civic Fame is supported by an interior skeleton of steel and copper branches meant to withstand wind and storm. The figure was assembled, similarly to the Statue of Liberty, in many separate sheets of copper and then fused together to create a smooth, seamless surface.

Michele Cohen describes the statue of Horace Greeley, longtime editor of the Tribune. The pedestal upon which the statue rests was designed by Richard Morris Hunt. Greeley established the New York Tribune in efforts to promote the Whig and Republican parties as well as opposition to slavery. In the 1872 presidential election, he was the candidate for the Liberal Republican party.

Gregg LeFevre discusses his work of bronze panels that commemorate the importance of The Architect's building which once stood at this address on Park Avenue. He also gives an illustrious history of the Chrysler building and the race to create the tallest building in the world.

Renowned German artist Ewerdt Hilgemann incorporates natural powers and physics to obtain an artistic result that refers to contemporary life, to innovations, as well as to the unpredictability of nature. His creative method concentrates on imploding geographical volumes; mass and empty space molded under the influence of forces from outside. To him, implosion represents the inward spiral energy to reach the core and mystery of matter, the ultimate beauty of creation.

Architectural historian Carol Krinsky explains how zoning laws shaped the development of Midtown Manhattan in the mid-twentieth century.