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Gregory Fryer, the pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, is thankful for his church for many reasons. First of all, it was formed in the winter of 1863, right in the middle of the Civil War. Gettysburg was only a few months away, but Gregory sees the founding of Immanuel as proof that it was still “a holy … read more
B’nai Jeshurun is the second oldest congregation in New York City, after Shearith Israel. I spoke to the current rabbi, Jose Rolando “Roly” Matalon, who shared his knowledge of the origin … read more
87th Street is covered in clues to its history. The structures on the quiet, mainly residential street tell the story of the neighborhood back when New York was a young city and this area of the Upper East Side was home to countless German immigrants and working class families.
For example, I came across … read more
St. Joseph’s was founded in 1873, when the German-speaking locals who represented a large portion of the inhabitants of Yorkville asked the Jesuits of St. Laurence O’Toole Church on 84th Street and Park Avenue (now St. Ignatius Loyola) to help them find a German-speaking priest. The Jesuits sent Father … read more
The Loop of the Loom, tucked below street level on 87th Street, is a center for SAORI weaving, a special practice that combines the art of weaving with the principles of Zen. The founder of Loop of the Loom, Yukako Satone, began her career as a graphic designer for fifteen years in both Japan and New … read more
After only spending a few minutes walking through Doyle’s display room, I realized that Louis Webre, the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Media at the prestigious auction house, was correct – “Auction houses are one of the best places to go for free, cultural events in the city.” Though the room … read more
Though no longer a working firehouse, the building marked as “Hook and Ladder 13” is steeped in history. The Suburban Hook & Ladder Company No. 13 was formed in 1865, the same year that the cities of New York and Brooklyn were combined and the “Metropolitan District” fire department was officially … read more
Established in 1948, Liederkranz was founded by a group of twenty-five men, with an emphasis on music in mind. It began as a place where musical events, specifically those featuring vocals, could be performed, and where young artists could apply for sponsorship. Today, the organization has shifted its … read more
In the early twentieth century, 86th Street was the heart of the area known as “Germantown.” At one point, New York had the third largest German-speaking population in the world after Vienna and Berlin. By 1900, many of those immigrants had moved to the Upper East Side to settle in what is more commonly … read more
When people think of neighborhood hangouts, they probably think of cafes, bars, and perhaps barbershops. Denizens of 86th Street, however, have a friendly watering hole that also happens to be a pharmacy.
Inna Shafir and Yelena Yosse are both from St. Petersburg. They met at pharmaceutical school in … read more
