Author Archives: Debbie Rabina
The History of the New Yorker Hotel
The New Yorker Hotel is one of the largest hotels in New York; it was conceived at the height of the roaring twenties but opened at the beginning of the Great Depression. Located at 481 Eighth Avenue, between 34th and 35th street, it was directly across the street from the majestic Pennsylvania Station, once the gateway for travelers coming to Manhattan.
The History of the New Yorker Hotel
The New Yorker Hotel is one of the largest hotels in New York; it was conceived at the height of the roaring twenties but opened at the beginning of the Great Depression. Located at 481 Eighth Avenue, between 34th and 35th street, it was directly across the street from the majestic Pennsylvania Station, once the gateway for travelers coming to Manhattan.
The Niagara Falls Hydro-electric Power Plant
Among the various inventions that lived in his three-dimensional imagination, Nikola Tesla, a famous Croatian inventor, had always dreamed of using the falls of Niagara to build a power plant knowing this nature’s energy could power machines.
The Niagara Falls Hydro-electric Power Plant
Among the various inventions that lived in his three-dimensional imagination, Nikola Tesla, a famous Croatian inventor, had always dreamed of using the falls of Niagara to build a power plant knowing this nature’s energy could power machines.
Stanford White and the Crime of the Century
In 1901 Nikola Tesla commissioned his friend, the architect Stanford White, to design him a brick laboratory to accompany the Wardenclyffe Tower. Ten years later the laboratory would be abandoned, and the artist behind it dead, the victim of a salacious, scandalous murder deemed the crime of the century.
Stanford White and the Crime of the Century
In 1901 Nikola Tesla commissioned his friend, the architect Stanford White, to design him a brick laboratory to accompany the Wardenclyffe Tower. Ten years later the laboratory would be abandoned, and the artist behind it dead, the victim of a salacious, scandalous murder deemed the crime of the century.
Tesla’s Electric Dreams
Electricity is all around us: our homes, offices, and streets, it’s easily available, for a price. But what if it was free, and available through the air?
Tesla’s Electric Dreams
Electricity is all around us: our homes, offices, and streets, it’s easily available, for a price. But what if it was free, and available through the air?
Prohibition & 21 Club
In 1920 the US Congress passed the 18th Amendment making production, distribution, and public consumption of alcohol illegal. The introduction of these new laws sparked a thirteen year period of Prohibition Era liquor speakeasies.
Prohibition & 21 Club
In 1920 the US Congress passed the 18th Amendment making production, distribution, and public consumption of alcohol illegal. The introduction of these new laws sparked a thirteen year period of Prohibition Era liquor speakeasies.
Rat or Hero? Pigeons in N.Y. & War
They fly, perch, nest, hobble, peck, and coo. From the tallest towers to the back of your park bench, pigeons are, like subway rats, a natural staple of New York City.
Rat or Hero? Pigeons in N.Y. & War
They fly, perch, nest, hobble, peck, and coo. From the tallest towers to the back of your park bench, pigeons are, like subway rats, a natural staple of New York City.
Worlds of Tomorrow: Westinghouse Manufacturing & Electric Company and the World Expositions of 1893 and 1939
From Chicago to New York City, the World Exposition always offered a prime opportunity for American corporations to promote their services. No firm has shaped the World’s Fair in America quite like the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company.
Worlds of Tomorrow: Westinghouse Manufacturing & Electric Company and the World Expositions of 1893 and 1939
From Chicago to New York City, the World Exposition always offered a prime opportunity for American corporations to promote their services. No firm has shaped the World’s Fair in America quite like the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company.
Meet Me at the Hyphen
How many stories can one block tell? Before there were skyscrapers and yellow taxis, there were a multitude of different New York Cities. Parceled off as plots of land and sold to individuals by the City of New York during the 1700’s, what was once the home of the Lenape people slowly evolved into the New York City of today.
Meet Me at the Hyphen
How many stories can one block tell? Before there were skyscrapers and yellow taxis, there were a multitude of different New York Cities. Parceled off as plots of land and sold to individuals by the City of New York during the 1700’s, what was once the home of the Lenape people slowly evolved into the New York City of today.
Nikola Tesla: A Legacy in Performance Art
If you have ever watched an electrical storm from your porch, or seen a fork of lightning descend in the distance while driving on the highway, you understand the simple power that electricity has to entertain and amaze. During the late 1800s, the famed Serbian Scientist, Nikola Tesla, used showmanship and theatrics to amaze his lecture audiences.
Nikola Tesla: A Legacy in Performance Art
If you have ever watched an electrical storm from your porch, or seen a fork of lightning descend in the distance while driving on the highway, you understand the simple power that electricity has to entertain and amaze. During the late 1800s, the famed Serbian Scientist, Nikola Tesla, used showmanship and theatrics to amaze his lecture audiences.
Electric High Society
The gilded age in New York City: a time of tremendous growth in the American economy. This was the era of the Robber Barons, and captains of American industry created vast fortunes from the booming steel, railroad and finance industries.
Electric High Society
The gilded age in New York City: a time of tremendous growth in the American economy. This was the era of the Robber Barons, and captains of American industry created vast fortunes from the booming steel, railroad and finance industries.
From Life to Art: Thomas Edison and the Development of Cinema
Thomas Alva Edison is credited as one of the greatest inventors of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One of his most well known inventions is the moving picture we take for granted.
From Life to Art: Thomas Edison and the Development of Cinema
Thomas Alva Edison is credited as one of the greatest inventors of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One of his most well known inventions is the moving picture we take for granted.
Misguided Mercy: The War of Currents and the Electric Chair
At the turn of the 19th century, Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and their associates raced to electrify the world. Out of their patent wars, company rivalries, and competing currents, the electric chair was born.
Misguided Mercy: The War of Currents and the Electric Chair
At the turn of the 19th century, Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and their associates raced to electrify the world. Out of their patent wars, company rivalries, and competing currents, the electric chair was born.
Hotel Living: Majesty or Mayhem?
A “caldron of social and cultural evil.” “The most dangerous enemy American domesticity has yet to encounter.” What a Brooklyn pastor calls: “One of the great evils of this day!” A scourge is spreading through New York that will “encourage sexual immorality” and destroy the family unit. What is this destructive force?
Hotel Living: Majesty or Mayhem?
A “caldron of social and cultural evil.” “The most dangerous enemy American domesticity has yet to encounter.” What a Brooklyn pastor calls: “One of the great evils of this day!” A scourge is spreading through New York that will “encourage sexual immorality” and destroy the family unit. What is this destructive force?
“The Maxim’s of the Disenfranchised”: Automats in the Cultural Imagination of New York
Around six o’clock on the evening of Tuesday, April 9, 1991, the last automat restaurant in New York City locked its doors for its final day of business.
“The Maxim’s of the Disenfranchised”: Automats in the Cultural Imagination of New York
Around six o’clock on the evening of Tuesday, April 9, 1991, the last automat restaurant in New York City locked its doors for its final day of business.
Olivetti Typewriters: Italian Design, New York City Intrigue
From 1954 until 1970, the Olivetti Typewriter showcase drew in passers-by with a Lettera-22 typewriter bolted to the sidewalk outside of their sleek, modern showroom.
Olivetti Typewriters: Italian Design, New York City Intrigue
From 1954 until 1970, the Olivetti Typewriter showcase drew in passers-by with a Lettera-22 typewriter bolted to the sidewalk outside of their sleek, modern showroom.
Wondrous Fountains of NYC
New York City is home to some of the most impressive fountains in the world. The city can boast of fifty five public fountains within its boundaries.
Wondrous Fountains of NYC
New York City is home to some of the most impressive fountains in the world. The city can boast of fifty five public fountains within its boundaries.
