The Hispanic Society of America: Broadway and 156th St

Statuary in Audubon Terrace in front of the Society with iconic equestrian statue of El Cid
by American sculptor, Anna Hyatt Huntington

 WHAT A HIDDEN JEWEL!

The Hispanic Society of America has an amazing collection of tin-glazed earthenware, tiles, and ceramics ranging from 3000 year old Bell-Beaker pottery to contemporary works.  Their 150 piece Spanish luster-ware collection is considered the finest in the U.S. (see right--ok, the plate I chose to feature was one that I was personally drawn to because originally I thought the dog pictured was a poodle, like my beloved Biscuit, but I think, given that this is the Hispanic Society (and not the French one), it is probably a Portuguese Waterdog)  Other decorative arts include silver, glasswear, ivory-detailed furniture, silks and embroidery, and jewelry.

If your interests lie in sculpture or archeology, the Society's collection of Spanish antiquities, which is considered the most important outside of Spain is simply amazing.  There are Roman mosaics, statuary, Islamic and Christian works from the Middle Ages.  What sets the Society's display apart from others (like the fantastic one at The Cloisters -- see my prior blog), is that visitors can really get up close and personal with the pieces (see detail in an architectural remnant at left). 

Actually, I think that they receive such few visitors -- I was the only visitor there for over an hour! -- that the guards don't really do much of anything.  Please give these guys something to do and visit this magnificent art collection; it's always FREE!

But really, the crown jewel of the Society's collection are its paintings.  They have original paintings by, among others, Diego Velazquez, Francisco de Goya, Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco -- see right), and Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida.

The Sorolla paintings are my absolute favorite--it reminds me of the Sorolla Museum (which was once the painter's home) where I spent countless afternoons when I lived in Madrid during my junior year in college.  The way Sorolla captures water and sunlight on skin in summer time beach scenes is something that I have never forgotten and believe no one can match (see left and right--yes, I know these pictures are terrible, but hopefully that will encourage you to come see them for yourself).


The Sorolla Room's breathtaking panoramic series of 14 canvases illustrating life in Spain in the early 1900s is a beautiful way for the Society to share with visitors a celebration of Spanish culture, costumes, and pastoral life.  I have included some pictures below, but really they do not do the paintings justice and you should really visit the galleries here (Hispanic Society Info).

I can't emphasize this enough.  After several months of exploring NYC I think this place is really one of the best kept secrets and hidden jewels of the City.  Please visit The Hispanic Society of America.  You'll be abundantly rewarded for the effort of coming all the way up to 156th Street.

City Hall (Broadway and Murray Street in City Hall Park)

I took a really interesting tour of our New York City Hall, which is one of the oldest continuously used city halls in the country, today.  Tours are by appointment only and for individuals, they are available only on Thursdays by calling 311 or 212-NEW YORK (outside NYC). 

The building, which is currently undergoing a $106 million renovation, was originally constructed from 1803 to 1812 in the Federal style with strong French influences.  The architect team that won the building design competition, winning a whopping $350, was French emigre Joseph Francois Mangin and native New Yorker John McComb Jr. (who also designed much of the interior).  The building is really quite elegant and a fantastic example of neo-classical design (see right).  It was interesting to me (as a recovering lawyer) that the statue of Lady Justice at the top of the building is not blindfolded (as she typically is to signify equal justice for all without bias under the law).  As it was a blustery cold day, we moved the tour into the building early and heard about how the original design of the building was altered to lower the projected construction costs (which had come in way over budget).  It is pretty amazing to think of it today, but the architects were asked to eliminate all the marble from the design of the building facade and they compromised by eliminating all the marble from the back of the building since nothing was north of City Hall in the early 1800s except woodlands and farmland!

The interior of the building is quite beautiful (at least the limited parts we were able to see).  The west wing is where the mayor holds meetings (and as our group of 9 were standing in the lobby listening to our guide tell us about the statue of George Washington, Mayor Bloomberg and his staff came into the building and passed right by us) and is off limits for the tour, and the City Council Hall is currently off limits due to the renovations.  What I found really breathtaking was the formal keystone-cantilevered (freestanding) staircase and the "secret" cupola with a central skylight that you can't see from the outside of the building; the top of the cupola is flush with the third floor of the building and does not actually rise above the roof like most cupolas.

We did get a chance to go up the staircase, the top of which was where Abraham Lincoln was brought for viewing after his assassination.  Then we entered the Governor's Room, where there was an amazing collection of portrait paintings by John Trumbull and historical furniture pieces, including the original desk that George Washington used when he led the Continental Congress.  The adjacent room, which was once used as a courtroom, also had beautiful portrait paintings, one of which was of Commodore Stephen Decatur (one of the early, successful pirate fighters--where are they now?) by Thomas Sully (this is the painter who painted the famous portrait of Andrew Jackson which you are all probably aware of since it is on the $20 bill).  This last find was particularly exciting for me, as a dear friend of mine is a relation of this painter and I was able to share this discovery with my friend.  Pretty cool, huh?

All in all, I got much more than I expected from this tour, and as I left, I was faced with City politics in action.  There was a large demonstration against Walmart being allowed to enter NYC on the steps of City Hall (see right).  Folks were chanting "FOR EVERY 2, 3 WERE LOST."  I imagine they were talking about job losses when Walmart enters a market.  I very much felt like City Hall was full of history, but it is alive and active as well.  It is an interesting mix of the past and the present, one worth checking out.