Page 126 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

124  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

members have included White Gramercy Park Hotel. Particularly
himself, author Mark Twain, fine are Nos. 3 and 4, with
publisher Thomas Nast, and graceful cast-iron gates and
Winston Churchill, whose porches. The lanterns in front
mother, Jennie Jerome, was of No. 4 serve as symbols
born nearby. A statue of Booth marking the house of a former
playing Hamlet is across the mayor of the city, James Harper.
street in Gramercy Park. No. 34 (1883) has been the
home of the sculptor Daniel
Chester French, the actor James
0 Gramercy Park Cagney, and circus impresario
John Ringling (who had a
Map 9 A4. q 23rd St, 14th St- massive pipe organ installed
Union Sq.
in his apartment).
Gramercy Park is one of four
Bas-relief faces of great writers at the squares (with Union, Stuyvesant,
National Arts Club and Madison) laid out in the
1830s and 1840s to attract
8 National society residences. It is the city’s
Arts Club only private park, and residents
in the surroun ding buildings
15 Gramercy Pk S. Map 9 A5. Tel (212) have keys to the park gate, as
475-3424. q 23rd St. Open 10am– the original owners once did.
5pm Mon–Fri during exhibitions. Look through the railings at the
∑ nationalartsclub.org
southeast corner to see Greg
This brownstone was the Wyatt’s fountain, with giraffes
residence of New York governor leaping around a smiling sun.
Samuel Tilden, who established The buildings around the
a free public library. He had the square were designed by
facade redesigned by Calvert some of the city’s most famous
Vaux in 1881–4. In 1906 the architects, including Stanford
National Arts Club bought White, whose house was House facade on the Block Beautiful
the home and kept the original located on the site of today’s on East 19th Street
high ceilings and stained glass
by John La Farge. Members q Block Beautiful
have included most leading
American artists of the late E 19th St. Map 9 A5. q 14th St-
19th and early 20th century, Union Sq, 23rd St.
who were asked to donate
a painting or sculp ture in This is a serene, tree-
return for life mem bership; lined block of
these gifts form the 1920s residences,
permanent collec tion. beautifully restored.
The club is open None of them is
to the public for exceptional on its own,
exhibitions only. but together they
create a wonderfully
9 The Players harmonious whole. No.
132 had two famous
18 Gramercy Pk S. theatrical tenants: Theda
Map 9 A5. Tel (212) 228-7610. Bara, silent movie star
q 23rd St. Closed except and Hollywood’s first
for prebooked group tours. sex symbol, and the fine
∑ theplayersnyc.org Shakespearean actress
This two-story brownstone Mrs. Patrick Campbell, who
was the home of actor originated the role of Eliza
Edwin Booth, brother of Doolittle in George Bernard
John Wilkes Booth, Shaw’s Pygmalion in 1914.
President Lincoln’s The hitching posts outside
assassin. Architect No. 141 and the ceramic
Stanford White relief of giraffes outside 147–
remodeled the building 149 are two of the many details
as a club in 1888. Although Fountain with sun and giraffes by Greg Wyatt in to look for as you walk along
intended primarily for actors, Gramercy Park the block.

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