Gramercy Neighborhood Associates records
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Organizational records, subject files, photographs, stereoviews, postcards, books, pamphlets, periodicals, and maps documenting the activities of the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, Inc., a group formed in 1912 (as the Gramercy Park Association) to stop the extension of Lexington Avenue through Gramercy Park, a private greenspace laid out in 1831. That battle won, the association subsequently engaged in a variety of community service and preservation projects, such as sponsoring the annual Gramercy Park Flower Show (1947–1994), and replacing the neighborhood's modern street lampposts with historic reproductions.
Historical note
Gramercy Park, an approximately two-acre green space and surrounding neighborhood of the same name in Manhattan, was developed beginning in 1831 by attorney and politician Samuel B. Ruggles (1799–1881). Ruggles bought the land from a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, drained the marsh formed by the "Krom Moerasje" brook (its name, in Dutch, which meant "crooked little swamp," was anglicized to "Gramercy"), and offered 66 building lots for sale. Lot holders enjoyed exclusive access to the park, which today remains one of only two private parks in New York City. Early residents included Valentine Mott (1785–1865), chief medical officer of the Union army during the Civil War and the founder of Bellevue Hospital; lawyer and diarist George Templeton Strong (1820–1875); and James Harper (1795–1869), publisher and 65th mayor of the City of New York (1844–1845).
Gramercy Park proper occupies a site between East 20th and East 21st Streets (a.k.a. Gramercy Park South and Gramercy Park North, respectively), midway between Third Avenue and Park Avenue South. A proposed bill to extend Lexington Avenue south through the park to join Irving Place prompted the formation in 1912 of the Gramercy Park Association (not to be confused with the older "Trustees of Gramercy Park," which first met in 1844 to oversee access to and maintenance of the park, or the "Gramercy Neighborhood Association," an anti-vice organization active circa 1913). The Gramercy Park Association successfully stopped the Lexington Avenue extension bill, thus maintaining the park's rectangular layout. That battle won, the association subsequently engaged in a variety of community service projects, such as the annual Gramercy Park Flower Show (1947–1994), and the replacement of the neighborhood's modern lampposts with historic reproductions of the bishop's crook design. In 1966, to qualify for tax exemption as a charitable organization under New York State law, the Gramercy Park Association incorporated as the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, Inc. (GNA). The GNA remains "dedicated to enhancing the aesthetic qualities and historic character of the Gramercy neighborhood and to developing a sense of community" through partnerships with area schools and local businesses. For information on current initiatives, visit gnaonline.org.
Arrangement
The collection organized in seven series:
- Series I.
- Organizational records, 1911–2009
- Series II.
- Subject files, 1831–2004
- Series III.
- Gramercy Park Flower Show, 1947–1994
- Series IV.
- Images, 1828–2000
- Series V.
- Print matter, 1894–2009
- Series VI.
- Maps, 1831–1953, undated
- Series VII.
- Material from the Trustees of Gramercy Park and Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, 1831–1956
Scope and Contents
The collection includes material generated and assembled by Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, Inc. (known before 1966 as the Gramercy Park Association), such as organizational records (1911–2009), subject files (1831–2004), documentation of the annual Gramercy Park Flower Show (1947–1994), images (1828–2000), books, pamphlets, and periodicals (1894–2009), and maps (1831–1953).
The organizational records include scattered meeting minutes, annual reports, committee, secretary, and treasurer reports, correspondence, by-laws, notices, invitations, fliers, and blank stationery. The subject files cover Gramercy Park proper, the surrounding neighborhood, its architecture, notable residents, and businesses. The Gramercy Park Flower Show, first held in 1947 and running annually as late as 1994, is represented by advertisements, brochures, internal memos and correspondence, invitations, newspaper clippings, and posters. The collection's images—consisting of photographs (many are copy prints), stereoviews, and postcards—capture Gramercy Park and other areas of Manhattan, mainly south of 23rd Street. Of particular note is a set of color photographs documenting cleanup efforts by Consolidated Edison after a steam pipe explosion released a cloud of asbestos over the neighborhood on August 19, 1989. Books and pamphlets about the park and neighborhood—most factual, but some fictional, like Victoria Thompson's Murder on Gramercy Park: A Gaslight Mystery (2001)—are supplemented by runs of local periodicals, namely the Gramercy Graphic (1954–1967), Gramercy Herald (1970–1985), Gramercy Neighborhood News (1988–1990), Gramercy: The Newsletter for the Gramercy Neighborhood (1991–1993), Gramercy Neighborhood Associates (1997), Gramercy Gazette (1997–2009), and the New York Chronicle (1987–1999), which carried contributions by longtime Gramercy Neighborhood Associates archivist Stephen Garmey in its pages. A series of original and reproduction maps of the neighborhood completes the collection.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
Topics
Places
Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers by appointment only.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions.
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates Records, PR 370, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Credit Line (for exhibitions): Gift of the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, 2017, 2019.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Gramercy Neighborhood Associates in two parts: accession PPAC-2017-064 (received September 2017) and accession PPAC-2019-016 (received March 2019). Some of the items in Series VII were received on loan or deposit from the Trustees of Gramercy Park and/or the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates (then called the Gramercy Park Association) in 1949. For details, see the notes inside Box 11.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Archival intern Zora Arum processed this collection's initial accession of eight books and nine folders of photographs (PPAC-2017-064) in September 2018. Archivist Joseph Ditta revised her finding aid to incorporate the subsequent, larger accession (PPAC-2019-016) in December 2020-January 2021, and added the material in Series VII in December 2021.
Repository
Series I. Organizational records, 1911–2009, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Scattered meeting minutes, annual reports, committee, secretary, and treasurer reports, correspondence, by-laws, notices, invitations, fliers, and other organizational records of Gramercy Neighborhood Associates. Note that materials dated before 1966 refer to the organization's original name: Gramercy Park Association.
Arrangement
Filed chronologically.
Record book, 1911–1926, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes constitution, meeting minutes, committee reports, secretary's reports, treasurer's reports, correspondence, meeting notices, etc.
Constitution (published) [10 folders], 1912–1962, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• 1912 [2 copies]
• 1917 [4 copies]
• 1928
• 1930
• 1935
• 1946 [2 copies]
• 1949–50
• 1953 [3 copies]
• 1954
• 1962 [4 copies]
Meeting notices, invitations, fliers, 1918–2009, inclusive
Christmas and Spring Messages, 1940–1946, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• Christmas: 1940, circa 1940–1946 [3 copies], undated
• Spring: undated
By-laws, corporate resolution, certificate of incorporation, tax exempt organization certificate, etc., 1966–2008, inclusive
Annual reports [8 folders], 1972–1979, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• 1972
• 1973 [3 copies]
• 1974 [3 copies]
• 1975 [3 copies]
• 1976 [4 copies]
• 1977 [2 copies]
• 1978
• 1979 [3 copies]
Archives, 1973–1974, 2007, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Information on the formation of the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates archives.
Publicity, circa 1970s–2005, inclusive
Stationery, undated, inclusive
Series II. Subject files, 1831–2004, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Material on Gramercy Park proper, the surrounding neighborhood, its architecture, notable residents, and businesses.
Arrangement
Filed chronologically.
Ruggles documents, 1831, 1974, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Early deeds and correspondence of lawyer and politician Samuel B. Ruggles (1799–1881), the landholder who created Gramercy Park.
Trustees of Gramercy Park [2 folders], circa 1870–1966, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Bills, receipts, and correspondence concerning the maintenance of and access to Gramercy Park.
Newspaper clippings [2 folders], 1881–1937, undated, inclusive
Leopold Eidlitz (1823–1908), [1881–1976], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Architect Leopold Eidlitz, with his partner Charles Otto Blesch, designed St. George's Episcopal Church (1846–1849) on Stuyvesant Square.
Cyrus W. Field (1819–1892), [1885], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Photocopy of invitation from Cyrus W. Field to Henry L. Grant (1820–1894) to attend the eightieth birthday of Field's brother, David Dudley Field (1805–1894). The Field brothers lived on the site of No. 1 Lexington Avenue at the corner of Gramercy Park North.
John B. Pine's The Story of Gramercy Park, 1831–1921, 1919–1921, inclusive
Scope and Contents
An advertisement and promotional material for John B. Pine's book, The Story of Gramercy Park, 1831–1921 (for a copy, see Box 8, Folder 24). Includes a 1919 letter from Alexander Duane to Pine informing him that he lacks a print or description of his great-great-grandfather's county seat on Gramercy Park.
Window gardens / flower boxes, 1919–1925, inclusive
Gramercy Park Hotel (52 Gramercy Park North), 1925–1958, inclusive
Gramercy Park reminiscences, etc., circa 1929–1996, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Contains photocopies of
• Recollections of Mrs. John B. Pine (Caroline Pryor), 24–25 Gramercy Park, New York City" (circa 1929)
• Gramercy Park Centenary Celebration (1931)
• Edith Wharton, "A Little Girl's New York," Harper's (March 1938)
• Henry Hope Reed Jr., "Notes on Gramercy Park and its Periphery Prepared on the Occasion of the 74th Annual Meeting of the Municipal Art Society" (circa 1967)
• Stephen Garmey, "Little-known Treasures on Irving Place" (November 1992)
• Stephen Garmey, Foreword to Gramercy: Its Architectural Surroundings (Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, Inc., 1996)
• Typescript "List of Illustrations" (undated)
• "The Organ of Calvary Episcopal Church" (undated)
Calendars [3 folders], 1947, 2000–2001, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• The Gramercy Park Calendar (1947)
• Gramercy Park: A New York Neighborhood (2000) [3 copies]
• Gramercy Gardens (2001) [2 copies]
MOVIETIME U.S.A., 1951 August 23
Scope and Contents
Letter to Raymond Walburn of Beverly Hills, California, from Ronald Regan, as president of the Screen Actors Guild, discussing MOVIETIME U.S.A., a nationwide promotional tour campaign of Hollywood personalities. It is unclear why this letter is in the present collection, unless Gramercy Park was one of the locations of a celebrity visit.
Gramercy Graphic information, circa 1953–1988, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Promotional material and some correspondence regarding the Gramercy Graphic. (For a run of this periodical, 1954–1967, see Box 10, Folders 1–14.)
Vintage pamphlets & invitations of neighborhood locations, etc., 1953–2004, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• Prince George Hotel (1953)
• New York City Police Academy (circa 1954–1965)
• Twenty-Third Street Association Membership Roster (1958)
• National Arts Club [3 items] (1964, 1974, undated)
• Church of the Epiphany, 375 Second Avenue [2 items] (1968, undated)
• Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace [2 items] (1982, undated)
• Peace Fountain (circa 1983)
• Augustus Saint-Gaudens [2 items] (1985, 1990)
• IFDA [International Furnishings and Design Association] (2004)
• An Evening With George Templeton Strong (undated)
• Autum Leaflet / Where to Dine / Where to Buy / Where to find needed Services (undated)
• Friends of Gramercy (undated)
• Parkside Hotel, 18 Gramercy Park South (undated)
• Stanford White's New York (undated)
• Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Association (undated)
• Connelly's [restaurant menu] (undated
• Gramercy Park [restaurant menu] (undated)
Emory Lewis, "Gramercy Park Close-Up: A spring walking tour," CUE, 1964 April 25
Landmarks Preservation Commission, 1970, 1986, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondence regarding the stable at 121 East 17th Street, and the H. Kauffman & Sons Saddlery Co. building at 139–141 East 24th Street, Manhattan, the latter since replaced by Baruch College.
STOP BIG MAC!, 1975 February 13, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Flier for "A Citizens' Meeting of Inquiry into McDonald's Move On Our Community," held in the Tiffany Room of the Gramercy Park Hotel.
Stephen Garmey's Gramercy Park: An Illustrated History of a New York Neighborhood, 1984–1986, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Promotional material for Stephen Garmey's book, Gramercy Park: An Illustrated History of a New York Neighborhood. (For a copy, see Box 8, Folder 10.)
Lampposts [2 folders], 1990–2006, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Documentations of efforts by Gramercy Neighborhood Associates to replace the area's modern lampposts with historic reproductions.
Ludwig Bemelmans (1898–1962), 1998 July, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Ludwig Bemelmans, perhaps best remembered for creating the beloved children's book character "Madeline," was a longtime resident of Gramercy Park. He died in 1962 at the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South).
Albinas Elskus (1926–2007), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Stained glass artist Elskus designed windows for the Roman Catholic Church of the Epiphany, 375 Second Avenue.
Series III. Gramercy Park Flower Show, 1947–1994, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Advertisements, brochures, internal memos and correspondence, invitations, newspaper clippings, and posters for the Gramercy Park Flower Show, held annually beginning in 1947 and running through, at least, 1994. Locations include the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) and the Gramercy Park Hotel (2 Lexington Avenue).
Arrangement
Filed chronologically.
1st annual flower show, 1947, inclusive
2nd annual flower show, 1948, inclusive
3rd annual flower show, 1949, inclusive
4th annual flower show (theme: Pan-America), 1950, inclusive
5th annual flower show (theme: New York is a Symphony), 1951, inclusive
6th annual flower show (theme: Mediterranean Cruise), 1952, inclusive
7th annual flower show (theme: The Exotic East), 1953, inclusive
8th annual flower show (theme: April Back Home), 1954, inclusive
9th annual flower show (theme: Widening Horizons), 1955, inclusive
10th annual flower show (theme: Flower Festival of Arts), 1956, inclusive
11th annual flower show (theme: The Magic of Africa), 1957, inclusive
12th annual flower show (theme: America the Beautiful), 1958, inclusive
13th annual flower show (theme: Hudson River Saga), 1959, inclusive
14th annual flower show (theme: The Seven Seas), 1960, inclusive
15th annual flower show (theme: Flower Carnival), 1961, inclusive
16th annual flower show (theme: Alice in Wonderland), 1962, inclusive
17th annual flower show (theme: Broadway), 1963, inclusive
17th annual flower show (theme: Broadway), 1963, inclusive
18th annual flower show (theme: Here's Flowers for You) [inspired by Shakespeare], 1964, inclusive
19th annual flower show (theme: Reaching for the Stars), 1965, inclusive
20th annual flower show (theme: Flashback), 1966, inclusive
21st annual flower show (theme: Mother Goose Rides Again), 1967, inclusive
22nd annual flower show (theme: Garden of Jewels), 1968, inclusive
23rd annual flower show (theme: Live with Flowers), 1969, inclusive
24th annual flower show (theme: Festivals—U.S.A.), 1970, inclusive
28th annual flower show (theme: Fashions and Flowers), 1974, inclusive
30th annual flower show (theme: A Salute to the Bicentennial), 1976, inclusive
30th annual flower show (theme: A Salute to the Bicentennial), 1976, inclusive
35th annual flower show (theme: Doorways on the Park in Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Gramercy Park), 1981, inclusive
41st annual flower show (theme: The Language of Flowers), 1987, inclusive
42nd annual flower show (theme: Time and Again) [date discrepancy as in original], 1989, inclusive
43rd annual flower show (theme: On the Avenue—Fifth Avenue), 1990, inclusive
44th annual flower show (theme: Ellis Island—Isle of Hope), 1991, inclusive
44th annual flower show (theme: Ellis Island—Isle of Hope), 1991, inclusive
45th annual flower show (theme: You're the Top) [inspired by Cole Porter], 1992, inclusive
45th annual flower show (theme: You're the Top) [inspired by Cole Porter], 1992, inclusive
46th annual flower show (theme: Rock Stars) [date discrepancy as in original], 1994, inclusive
Flower show fact sheets and stationery, undated, inclusive
Series IV. Images, 1828–2000, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Photographs, prints, stereoviews, and postcards of Gramercy Park, its surrounding neighborhood, and other areas of Manhattan, mostly south of 23rd Street. Many images are reproductions or copy prints.
Subseries IV.A. Photographs and prints, 1828–2000, inclusive
Arrangement
Filed geographically, starting with Gramercy Park and the streets fronting it (Gramercy Park North, South, East, and West), followed by numbered Manhattan streets (running east-west), numbered and named Manhattan avenues (running north-south), squares, aerial views, unidentified locations, and people. The handwritten page numbers on some images refer to Stephen Garmey's Gramercy Park: An Illustrated History of a New York Neighborhood (1984). For a copy of the book, see Box 8, Folder 10.
Gramercy Park, circa 1905–2000, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of Gramercy Park proper, including its paths, plantings, statuary, fountains, and fence.
Gramercy Park [oversize], 1946, 1948, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Artistic depictions of Gramercy Park from The Saturday Evening Post, October 12, 1946 and January 3, 1948.
Gramercy Park asbestos steam explosion cleanup, 1989 August-October, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Color photographs (including aerial views) documenting the cleanup efforts by Consolidated Edison following a steam pipe explosion outside 32 Gramercy Park South (southwest corner of Third Avenue and East 20th Street) that killed three people, injured twenty-four, and released a cloud of asbestos over the neighborhood on August 19, 1989.
Gramercy Park North (a.k.a. East 21st Street), 1898–1927, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of the buildings fronting Gramercy Park North (a.k.a. East 21st Street), including the residence of architect Stanford White (121 East 21st Street).
Gramercy Park South (a.k.a. East 20th Street), 1876–2000, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of the buildings fronting Gramercy Park South, including the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) and The Players (16 Gramercy Park South).
Gramercy Park East, 1863–1992, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of the Gramercy Park House (hotel), which occupied the sites of the apartment houses at nos. 34 and 36 Gramercy Park East, which are also represented
Gramercy Park West, 1846–1959, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of buildings and architectural details on Gramercy Park West, including stills from the film "Happy Anniversary" (1959), starring David Niven and Mitzi Gaynor, shot at 1 Gramercy Park West.
East 14th Street, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Nineteenth-century view of the north side of East 14th Street at Irving Place, showing the Steinway & Sons building and the Academy of Music.
East 15th Street, 1893, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of Samuel B. Ruggles's former stable (103 East 15th Street), Brewer's Exchange [or Century Association Building] (109 East 15th Street), and the New-York Dispensary for Women and Children (corner Livingston Place).
East 17th Street, circa 1870, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of the Everett House (northwest corner of Fourth Avenue); a former stable (121 East 17th Street); and Joe King's German American Rathskeller [Scheffel Hall] (141–145 East 17th Street, a.k.a. 190 Third Avenue).
East 19th Street, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of nos. 129 and 146 East 19th Street, the latter the residence of artist George W. Bellows (1882–1925).
East 21st Street, 1930s, 1980s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of nos. 21 (color) and 147–159 East 21st Street.
East 22nd Street, circa 1864, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Twenty-second Street, looking east from Broadway, circa 1864, showing th south tower of Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church and the spire of St. Paul's Methodist Church at the corner of Fourth Avenue.
East 23rd Street, circa 1894–1905, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of the National Academy of Design (northwest corner of East 23rd Street and Fourth Avenue) and East 23rd Street trolleys at Fourth Avenue.
West 53rd Street, 1926, inclusive
Scope and Contents
View of Mount Olivet Baptist Church, 161 West 53rd Street.
First Avenue, circa 1944, 1946, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of the intersection of First Avenue and East 20th Street (showing gas tank) and Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village under construction (aerial).
Second Avenue, circa 1964, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of Church of the Epiphany (Roman Catholic), 373 Second Avenue at East 22nd Street, taken after the fire that destroyed it on December 20, 1963.
Second Avenue [oversize], undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
View of the Society for the Lying-In Hospital (305 Second Avenue).
Third Avenue, 1865–circa 1962, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of the Seventh Regiment Armory (Third Avenue between East 6th and 7th Streets), Scheffel Hall interiors (190 Third Avenue), Chancellor Walworth Lodge (northwest corner of Third Avenue and East 20th Street), and Third Avenue looking north and south from East 22nd Street.
Irving Place, circa 1880–1976, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of the Consolidated Edison Building (4 Irving Place); cornerstone ceremonies for Washington Irving High School; the so-called Washington Irving House (4 Irving Place); east and west sides of Irving Place between East 17th Street and Gramercy Park South.
Lexington Avenue, circa 1860s–1920s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of Peter Cooper House (9 Lexington Avenue); 11 Lexington Avenue; and the Free Academy (Lexington Avenue at East 23rd Street).
Fourth Avenue (Park Avenue South), circa 1863–1949, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of Fourth Avenue (later renamed Park Avenue South) between Union Square and East 32nd Street, including the Clarendon Hotel (219 Fourth Avenue); 250 Fourth Avenue (under construction); New Amsterdam Hotel (265 Fourth Avenue); All Souls Unitarian Church (southeast corner of East 20th Street); St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church (at East 22nd Street); Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church (at East 22nd Street); Young Men's Christian Association Building (at East 23rd Street); Episcopal Church Missions House (281 Fourth Avenue); original Metropolitan Life Insurance Company building (at East 23rd Street); Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company (at East 25th Street); railroad depot (at East 27th Street); Peter Cooper's home (at East 28th Street); A. T. Stewart's Hotel for Working Women (at East 32nd Street).
Fourth Avenue (Park Avenue South) [oversize], 1891, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of Calvary Church (277 Fourth Avenue), the United Charities Building (287 Fourth Avenue / 105 East 22nd Street), and All Souls Unitarian Church (391 Fourth Avenue).
Broadway, 1980s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of demolition work for the site now occupied by One Union Square South (a.k.a. 842 Broadway and 142 Fourth Avenue) and Church of the Puritans (southwest corner of Broadway and East 15th Street).
Madison Avenue, circa 1870–1980s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower (1 Madison Avenue) under construction, and looking northwest from East 55th Street.
Madison Avenue [oversize], 1950s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Rendering of the New York Life Insurance Company Building (51 Madison Avenue).
Fifth Avenue, 1840s–1902, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of the South Dutch Church (corner of 21st Street); the Flatiron Building (175 Fifth Avenue) under construction; and St. Patrick's Cathedral (between East 50th and 51st Streets).
Fifth Avenue [oversize], 1860s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Engraving (likely from Harper's Weekly) of St. Patrick's Cathedral under construction.
Madison Square, 1896–circa 1925, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Aerial views of Madison Square Park and vicinity
Madison Square [oversize], circa 1900, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Turn of the 20th century bird's-eye view of Madison Square Park and surrounding architecture.
Union Square, 1828–1900, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Views of Union Square Park, its statuary, and surrounding architecture.
Washington Square, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
An apparently mid-19th century engraving of "Washington Parade Grounds."
Aerial views, 1855, 1907, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Aerial views of the vicinity of Gramercy Park as seen from the Latting Observatory (West 42nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) and from the Metropolitan Life Tower (1 Madison Avenue).
Aerial views [oversize], 1907, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Aerial view of the vicinity of Gramercy Park from the Metropolitan Life Tower (1 Madison Avenue).
Unidentified location, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Interior view of an unidentified church.
People, 1879–1974, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Photographs of Edmond T. Quinn's medallion of Samuel B. Ruggles; Augustus Saint-Gaudens's relief of Richard Watson Gilder with his wife, Helena De Kay, and son, Rodman; members of the National Arts Club and Gramercy Neighborhood Associates caroling at Christmas, 1974; and an unidentifed man writing at a desk (possibly John B. Pine, author of The Story of Gramercy Park, 1831–1921?).
Negatives, 1919, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Negatives for a number of prints found throughout Subseries IV.A.
Subseries IV.B. Stereoviews [15], circa 1853–1888, inclusive
Arrangement
Filed alphabetically in two categories: stereoviews of New York City, and stereoviews of Washington, D.C.
Stereoviews of New York City [13 views], circa 1853–1888, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• Congregational Church of the Puritans (Union Square West) & Spingler House (undated)
• Free Academy, New York (undated)
• Free Academy, 23d Street, N.Y. (undated)
• Park Avenue, N.Y. [Church of the Covenant, Park Avenue & East 35th Street, 1863–5]
• St. Bartholomew's Church (Madison Avenue & East 44th Street) (undated)
• St. Bartholomew's Church (Madison Avenue & East 44th Street), entrance (undated)
• St. Patrick's Cathedral, interior (1888)
• St. Patrick's Cathedral, rear view from Park Avenue (undated) [2 copies]
• St. Stephen's Church, interior (1853–1865)
• Union Square Hotel (undated)
• Young Men's Christian Association (23rd Street and 4th Avenue), Lecture Hall (undated)
• Young Men's Christian Association (23rd Street and 4th Avenue), view from (undated)
Stereoviews of Washington, D.C. [2 views], 1869, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• Corcoran Art Gallery, Corner seventeenth street and Pennsylvania Avenue (undated)
• Smithsonian Institution (1869)
Subseries IV.C. Postcards [46], circa 1900–1980s, inclusive
Arrangement
Filed alphabetically in three categories: postcards of Gramercy Park and vicinity, postcards of New York City, and postcards of elsewhere.
Postcards of Gramercy Park and vicinity [19 cards], circa 1900–1975, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• Gramery Park South / Consolidated Edison Bldg.—14th St.
• Hotel Gramercy Park, 21st Street at Lexington Ave, New York
• Hotel Irving, Twenty-six Gramercy Park, New York City
• Landmarks of New York City [Gramercy Park]
• New York's famous Gramercy Park, East 20th to 21st St., off 4th Ave.
• The Players [3]
• Statue of Edwin Booth [2]
• View Over Gramercy Park [2]
• Washington Irving House
• West Gate, Gramercy Park [3]
• Three World War I era postcard-size poems by "RWH": "To A.S.T." (September 29, 1918); "A Prayer for Peace" (October 1, 1917); and "In Gramercy Park" (December 25, 1918).
Postcards of New York City [18 cards], circa 1907–1987, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• Flatiron Building [1]
• Grace Church [2]
• Madison Square Garden [1]
• Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building [3]
• Old College of the City of New York [1]
• Old Grand Central Depot, 42nd Street [1]
• Reception Room, Y.M.C.A., 23rd St., N.Y. City [1]
• St. Patrick's Cathedral [4]
• Union Square [3]
• Washington Square [1]
Postcards of elsewhere [10 cards], 1962–1980s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• Ringwood Manor, Ringwood State Park, Passaic County, New Jersey [9]
• Sunnyside, Tarrytown, New York [interior]
Series V. Print matter, 1894–2009, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Books, pamphlets, and periodicals pertaining to Gramercy Park proper, the surrounding neighborhood, its notable residents, and architectural features.
Subseries V.A. Books and pamphlets, 1894–2002, inclusive
Arrangement
Filed alphabetically by author or title.
Academy of Music [program], [1907], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Week beginning Monday evening, March 4, 1907. Klaw & Erlanger's production of Gen. Lew Wallace's "Ben-Hur" under the direction of Joseph Brooks.
[Academy of Music]. Souvenir Book with the Program of the ceremonies attending the closing of the Academy of Music on the Seventeenth of May Nineteen Hundred and Twenty-six, 1926, inclusive
[Bank for Savings]. History of the Bank for Savings in the City of New York, 1819–1929 by Charles E. Knowles, 1936, inclusive
[Bank for Savings]. Some Historical Notes of the Early Days of the Bank for Savings in the City of New York, 1944, inclusive
Before the Red Cross, 1918, inclusive
Brooks, Gladys. Gramercy Park: Memories of a New York Girlhood, 1958, inclusive
Carmer, Carl. The Years of Grace, 1808–1958 [Grace Church], 1958, inclusive
Cohen, Paul E. and Robert T. Augustyn. Manhattan in Maps, 1527–1995, 1997, inclusive
Cohen, Paula. Gramercy Park: A Novel, 2002, inclusive
Garmey, Stephen. Gramercy Park: An Illustrated History of a New York Neighborhood, 1984, inclusive
Gilder, Rosamond, ed. Letters of Richard Watson Gilder, 1916, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Richard Watson Gilder (1844–1909) was an American poet and editor of "The Century Magazine" and a resident of No. 24 Gramercy Park.
Gramercy Park's Illustrated Bulletin. This issue is dedicated to the New York World's Fair, 1939, inclusive
Guide to Gramercy Park and Environs [2 versions], 1955, inclusive
Historic Hudson Valley. Visions of Washington Irving: Selected Works from the Collections of Historic Hudson Valley, 1991, inclusive
Klein, Carole. Gramercy Park: An American Bloomsbury, 1987, inclusive
Klein, Carole. Glories of the Gramercy Park Area: A Walking Tour [3 copies], 1991 May, inclusive
Kress, S. H. and Company. Old New York, 1935, inclusive
Kring, Walter Donald. Henry Whitney Bellows, 1979, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Henry Whitney Bellows (1814–1882) was an American clergyman, and the planner and president of the United States Sanitary Commission, the leading soldiers' aid society, during the American Civil War.
MacCraken, Henry Noble. The Family on Gramercy Park, 1949, inclusive
Maurice, Arthur B. "Literary Landmarks of New York," The Mentor, vol. 8, no. 15 (serial no. 211), 1920 September 15, inclusive
Mendelsohn, Joyce. Touring the Flatiron. Walks in Four Historic Neighborhoods: Madison Square, Gramercy Park, Ladies' Mile, Chelsea, 1998, 1999, inclusive
Merwin, Samuel. My Favorite Club [The Players], 1933, inclusive
Morgan, Charles H. George Bellows, Painter of America, 1965, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Artist George W. Bellows (1882–1925) lived at 146 East 19th Street.
Municipal Art Society. Adopt-a-Mural. A program concerned with the fate of New York City's Public Murals . . ., [1990–1993], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Contains an article on the Barry Faulkner murals installed at Washington Irving High School in 1921.
Museum of the City of New York. Gotham Comes of Age: New York Through the Lens of the Byron Company, 1892–1942, 1999, inclusive
Old Buildings of New York City, With Some Notes Regarding Their Origin and Occupants, 1907, inclusive
Pine, John B. The Story of Gramercy Park, 1831–1921, 1921, inclusive
Scheffel-Halle [Scheffel Hall, 190 Third Avenue] (photocopy), circa 1904, inclusive
Shaw, Charles G. New York—Oddly Enough, 1938, inclusive
Shepp, James W. and Daniel B. Shepp. Shepp's New York City Illustrated, 1894, inclusive
Thompson, Victoria. Murder on Gramercy Park: A Gaslight Mystery, 2001, inclusive
Underhill, Lydia, and Elisabeth Holden Webb. In Gramercy Park, 1928, inclusive
Zeisloft, E. Idell. The New Metropolis: Memorable Events of Three Centuries, 1600–1900, 1899, inclusive
Subseries V.B. Periodicals, 1954–2009, inclusive
Arrangement
Titles beginning with "Gramercy" are filed chronologically, followed by the New York Chronicle.
Gramercy Graphic [14 folders], 1954–1967, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• 1954: Summer [2 copies], October-December
• 1955: January-December
• 1956: January-December
• 1957: January-December
• 1958: February, March [2 copies], May [2 copies], June [2 copies], Midsummer [2 copies], September [2 copies], November, December [2 copies]
• 1959: January [2 copies], February, March, April, May [2 copies], June-July, October, November, December
• 1960: January, February, March [2 copies], April, May, June, September, October [4 copies], November, December
• 1961: January, February, March, April, May-June [2 copies], Summer, September, October, November [2 copies], December
• 1962: January, February [2 copies], March-April, May, June, Summer, September, October, November, December [2 copies]
• 1963: January [2 copies], February [2 copies], March, April, May-June [2 copies], Summer, September, October, November [2 copies], December [2 copies]
• 1964: January, February, March, April [2 copies], May, Summer, September, October, November, December
• 1965: January-December
• 1966: January-December
• 1967: January-March
Gramercy Herald (newspaper), 1970–1985, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• 1970: October 1
• 1971: March 5
• 1973: April 27, May 4
• 1976: April 30, July 2 (Bicentennial supplement)
• 1985: January 18 (title = "The Community Herald")
Gramercy Neighborhood News, 1988–1990, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• 1988: Autumn
• 1989: Fall–1990: Spring
• 1990: Autumn
Gramercy: The Newsletter for the Gramercy Neighborhood [3 folders], 1991–1993, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• 1991: Spring, Fall
• 1992: Spring [3 copies], Fall [2 copies]
• 1993: Spring [2 copies]
Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, 1997 May, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• 1997: May [3 copies]
Gramercy Gazette [13 folders], 1997–2009, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• 1997: July [3 copies], October [3 copies], November [4 copies]
• 1998: March [2 copies], September [2 copies], November [3 copies]
• 1999: October, November [3 copies]
• 2000: March [2 copies], Holiday [2 copies]
• 2001: Spring [2 copies]
• 2002: Spring [4 copies], Fall [4 copies], December
• 2003: Spring, Fall
• 2004: Winter [2 copies], Spring [2 copies], Fall [2 copies]
• 2005: Winter [2 copies], Spring, Fall, December [called "GNA Membership 2006"]
• 2006: Winter, Spring, Fall
• 2007: Winter, Spring
• 2008: Winter, Spring
• 2009: Winter, Spring
New York Chronicle [10 folders], 1987–1999, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Many issues carry contributions by longtime Gramercy Neighborhood Associates archivist Stephen Garmey.
• Vol. 2: no. 1 (Summer 1987), no. 4 (1988)
• Vol. 3: no. 1 (1988), no. 3 (Spring/Summer 1989)
• Vol. 4: no. 1 (Winter 1990), no. 2 (Spring/Summer 1990), no. 3 (Fall 1990) [2 copies], no. 4 (Winter/Spring 1991)
• Vol. 5: no. 3 (Spring/Summer 1992), no. 4 (Fall/Winter 1992)
• Vol. 6: no. 1 (Spring 1993), no. 2 (Summer 1993), no. 3 (Fall/Winter 1993), no. 4 (Spring 1994)
• Vol. 7: no. 1 (Summer 1994), no. 2 (Fall 1994), no. 3 (Winter 1995), no. 4 (Spring 1995)
• Vol. 8: no. 1 (Summer 1995), no. 2 (Fall/Winter 1995), no. 3 (Winter 1996), no. 4 (Spring 1996)
• Vol. 9: no. 1 (Summer 1996), no. 2 (Fall 1996), no. 3 (Winter 1997), no. 4 (Spring/Summer 1997)
• Vol. 10: no. 1 (Fall/Winter 1997), no. 2 (Spring 1998), no. 3 (Summer 1998), no. 4 (Fall 1998)
• Vol. 11: no. 1 (Winter 1999), no. 2 (Spring 1999) [4 copies]
Series VI. Maps, 1831–1953, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Original and reproduction maps of Gramercy Park and vicinity.
Arrangement
Filed chronologically.
Edwin Smith, surveyor. Map of the Park laid out by S. B. Ruggles in the City of New York, with sixty six surrounding Lots, 1831 December 1, inclusive
[Map of Gramercy Farm, drawn for Samuel B. Ruggles], 1831, inclusive
J. B. Holmes, surveyor. Stuyvesant Property known as the "Petersfield Farm," Together with the adjoining properties formerly owned by C.T. Williams, Tompkins & Dunham, Thos. H. Smith and Others., 1866 September, inclusive
John B. Holmes, surveyor. Map of Rose Hill Farm, Gramercy seat, and the Estate of John Watts, 1866 November, inclusive
Places to know in the Gramercy-Stuyvesant area of New York City (Gramercy Graphic picture map) [8 copies], 1953, inclusive
Places to know in the Gramercy-Stuyvesant area of New York City (Gramercy Graphic picture map) [8 copies], undated, inclusive
Map reproductions, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• Map of James Duane's land, measured in acres, rods, and perches (1763 November 5)
• Map of the six acres James Duane bought from John Watts Jr. to complete Gramercy Farm (1786)
• Map of Gramercy Farm, drawn for Samuel B. Ruggles (1831)
• Edwin Smith, surveyor. Map of the Lower Division of the Lands of Samuel B. Ruggles in the Twelfth Ward of the City of New York (1831 December 31)
• Egbert Ludovicus Viele. Sanitary & Topographical Map of the city and island of New York [detail] (1864/65)
• John B. Holmes, surveyor. Map of Rose Hill Farm, Gramercy seat, and the Estate of John Watts (1866 November)
• "Gramercy Park as of 1852" from Kenneth Holcomb Dunshee's As You Pass By (1952)
• Zoning map of the Gramercy Park neighborhood showing residence, business, and unrestricted districts.
Series VII. Material from the Trustees of Gramercy Park and Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, 1831–1956, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Some of the items here were received on loan or deposit from the Trustees of Gramercy Park and/or the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates (then called the Gramercy Park Association) in 1949. For details, see the notes inside Box 11.
Arrangement
Filed chronologically.
Gramercy Park deeds, titles, map, etc., 1831–1956, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• Map of the Park laid out by S. B. Ruggles in the City of New York, with sixty six surrounding Lots. New York, Decr. 1st, 1831. Edwin Smith, City Surveyor. [negative no. 63275] 1831 December 1
• Samuel B. Ruggles and Mary R. Ruggles, his wife, to Charles Augustus Davis and others, Trustees. Deed of Gramercy Park. 1831 December 17
• Samuel B. Rugges & Mary R. Ruggles, his wife, to Charles Augustus Davis, Thomas L. Wells, Robert D. Weeks, Thomas R. Mercein, Philo T. Ruggles, and Others. Confirmatory deed of the Park. [N-YHS negative no. 63272–74]
• Thomas L. Wells, Philo T. Ruggles, and others, to Norman White, James W. Gerard, and William S. Johnson. Deed to change Trustees of Gramercy Park. 1843 August 5
• William S. Johnson, Robert D. Weeks, Norman White of the first part; Alexr. M. Lawrence, Eben E. Crocker & Charles P. Kirkland of the second part; Cyrus W. Field, Horace Brooks & others of the third part; and James W. Gerard and Charles A. Davis of the fourth part. Deed to change Trustees of Gramercy Park. 1854 February 6 [oversize]
• Alexander M. Lawrence and Charles P. Kirkland, 1st part; Curtis Judson, Robert T. Woodward and Samuel J. Tilden, 2nd part; Cyrus W. Field, Courtland Palmer Jr. and such other persons, owners, etc., 3rd part. Deed to change Trustees of Gramercy Park. 1874 March 4
• Alexander M. Lawrence and Charles P. Kirkland, to Samuel J. Tilden and others, Trustees. Deed. 1874 March 20
• Samuel J. Tilden & Curtis Judson, 1st part; Cyrus W. Filed, Jonas Henry Lane, & Edward B. Wesley, 2nd part; Clarkson N. Potter, Henrietta B. Haines & others, 3rd part; Deed to change Trustees of Gramercy Park. 1877 April 21
• Abstract of Title of the Trustees of Gramercy Park. 1886 February
• Gramercy Park. Entrance Keys to the Park for present season are now ready for delivery . . . [printed]
• The taxes and assessments on Gramercy Park for the year 190–, and the expenses of collecting the same . . . [printed]
• Gramercy Park. At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of Gramercy Park held on the 28th day of December, 1904, the following resolution was passed . . . [printed]
• Resolution passed by the Trustees of Gramercy Park . . . [printed]
• Resolution passed by the Trustees of Gramercy Park . . . [printed]
• Resolution passed by the Trustees of Gramercy Park . . . [printed]
• New York, 194– To the Trustees of Gramercy Park . . . [printed]
• Gramercy Park. Rules . . . [printed]
• Gramercy Park. Application for a key for the year Oct. 1, 194– to Oct. 1, 194– . . . [printed]
• Trustees of Gramercy Park. New York, Dear Sir: The Trustees of Gramercy Park have been referred to you by Mr. . . . [printed]
• Trustees of Gramercy Park [blank stationery]
• Trustees of Gramercy Park [blank envelope]
• Gramercy Graphic: February 1941, November 1949 [4 copies], December 1949, May 1956