Author Archives: Debbie Rabina
Mechanical Furniture From Marie Antoinette to Micro Apartments
With growing populations, limited space, and rising rents, apartments in global cities are becoming smaller and smaller. And increasingly, an emerging trend in urban-dwelling is the use of multi-function furniture for space and money saving purposes. But the history of this mechanical furniture is one of royal origins.
Mechanical Furniture From Marie Antoinette to Micro Apartments
With growing populations, limited space, and rising rents, apartments in global cities are becoming smaller and smaller. And increasingly, an emerging trend in urban-dwelling is the use of multi-function furniture for space and money saving purposes. But the history of this mechanical furniture is one of royal origins.
Welcome to the Diamond District
West 47th Street between 5th and 6th avenues may appear to be just a street of jewelry stores. However this area, known as the Diamond District, is much more than its humble exterior.
Welcome to the Diamond District
West 47th Street between 5th and 6th avenues may appear to be just a street of jewelry stores. However this area, known as the Diamond District, is much more than its humble exterior.
Analog Virtual Reality: Dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History
Every year, millions of New Yorkers and tourists alike visit the American Museum of Natural History on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Stretching from 77th Street to 81st Street and from Central Park West to Columbus Avenue, the museum houses over 32 billion specimens in 27 buildings.
Analog Virtual Reality: Dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History
Every year, millions of New Yorkers and tourists alike visit the American Museum of Natural History on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Stretching from 77th Street to 81st Street and from Central Park West to Columbus Avenue, the museum houses over 32 billion specimens in 27 buildings.
Missing Monet
Picture it, 1985, the upper east side of Manhattan. On a clear day, a truck pulls up outside the town house of Imelda Marcos, First Lady of the Philippines. As crates are loaded into the truck, a Monet painting goes missing, not to resurface for nearly 3 decades.
Missing Monet
Picture it, 1985, the upper east side of Manhattan. On a clear day, a truck pulls up outside the town house of Imelda Marcos, First Lady of the Philippines. As crates are loaded into the truck, a Monet painting goes missing, not to resurface for nearly 3 decades.
A Brief History of Sir Isaac Pitman & His Legacy
Sir Isaac Pitman was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire on January 4th, 1813. He was the third of eleven children, and was educated with his siblings. He described books and music as being his “two loves,” and was an avid reader.
A Brief History of Sir Isaac Pitman & His Legacy
Sir Isaac Pitman was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire on January 4th, 1813. He was the third of eleven children, and was educated with his siblings. He described books and music as being his “two loves,” and was an avid reader.
The Dark Side of Dewey
Melville Dewey was born in 1851 in Adams Center, New York, into a deeply religious family in a deeply religious area of the state. The area of upstate New York was known as the “Burned-over district” for its many religious reformist movements.
The Dark Side of Dewey
Melville Dewey was born in 1851 in Adams Center, New York, into a deeply religious family in a deeply religious area of the state. The area of upstate New York was known as the “Burned-over district” for its many religious reformist movements.
Grand New York: Beaux-Arts Architecture in NYC
New York City, the City of Marvels. From the stunning stainless steel Chrysler building to the double arched elegant Brooklyn Bridge, the architecture of New York is both beautiful and monumental.
Grand New York: Beaux-Arts Architecture in NYC
New York City, the City of Marvels. From the stunning stainless steel Chrysler building to the double arched elegant Brooklyn Bridge, the architecture of New York is both beautiful and monumental.
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.
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