“Wisdom”
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NYC Big Flea – 2015
One of the events that Chris and I look forward to is meeting with friends to explore the NYC Big Flea. This year’s show seemed to have a more diverse selection of dealers and it was not an exact copy of the biannual Pier Show. As always, we saw a many great Art Deco goodies.
Me arriving at Pier 94.
Here are some the booths that we always like to browse at –
Don Selkirk of Past Pleasures Moderne has many great Art Deco items.
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- Past Pleasures Moderne
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- Past Pleasures Moderne – Art Deco Mantle
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- Past Pleasures Moderne
Another fun stop is at Twentieth Century LTD. They sell Deco objects for the kitchen and bedroom; all in excellent shape. If you are in the market for a vintage thermos, bakelite flat-ware or other useful and decorative Deco items, this is a must see booth.
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- Twentieth Century LTD
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- Twentieth Century LTD
This dealer featured Art Deco British pottery of Clarice Cliff and Susie Cooper –
Art Deco pottery.
The one and only purchased I made was from John and Francine Gintoff’s 20th Century Objex. I have always stopped by their booth when I’m at the Big Flea or the Pier Show.
20th Century Objex – and the Roseville lamp in the center background.
I am very excited and happy to be the new owner of a Roseville pottery lamp. Often pottery companies would convert vases into lamps, this is one of those conversions. This Roseville line is Futura, introduced as the modernistic craze was starting to sweep across the United States in 1928 and like many other things introduced in the late ’20’s, the line did not survive much past the stock market crash. Here is a link to a great website dedicated to art pottery and excellent information about Futura: Art Pottery Blog. I saw this lamp at the Brimfield Antique Show this summer but the price was way beyond my pocketbook. I couldn’t believe the deal offered by 20th Century Objex; it was over $900.00 less than at Brimfield!
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- Roseville Futura 391-10 lamp
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- First Roseville Futura purchase.
Now the search for the perfect lampshade begins . . .
Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)
Check out these past posts of our visits to the Pier Shows
Chris ready to start some big game hunting for Deco treasures.
Chris in brown coat getting ready to enter the show.
Downtown Manhattan Art Deco
Back in June, the Art Deco Society of New York offered a walking tour of lower Manhattan, highlighting the great Art Deco buildings of the financial district. It was a chilly evening but it was worth a few shivers as it was a very interesting and informative tour. I want to highlight the two tallest buildings that we were taken to that night.
City Bank-Farmers Trust Building
City Bank-Farmers Trust Building
20 Exchange Place
Construction began on the new home of the recently merged National City Bank of New York and the Farmers’ Loan and Trust Company in 1930 and was completed in a remarkably fast 364 days.
City Bank-Farmers Trust Building under construction in 1930
The original 1929 design, by the architectural firm of Cross & Cross, was for a 846 foot tower topped by a pyramid, which would have made it the tallest building in the world at the time. However, the onset of the depression the following year resulted in a scaled back design that eliminated the pyramidal roof reducing the height to 741 feet, which when completed made it the fourth tallest building in world. Cross & Cross described the style as “modern-classic”, but with no particular style, today of course it is considered Art Deco. One of the best decorative motifs of the building are stylized “Giants of Finance” that look down from the first setback. These “Giants” also conceal air vents.
The “Giants of Finance”
Close up detail of the The “Giants of Finance”
Unfortunately while we were not allowed inside to see the lobby rotunda, we could see a bit of it through the slit between the front doors. Here is a picture of the rotunda.
The lobby rotunda of the City Bank-Farmers Trust Building.
The building remained the company’s headquarters until 1956 and was eventually sold by them in 1979. Today it is being converted from commercial to residential use as are many of the buildings in the financial district. The new owners are restoring the building and cleaning the exterior back to its original gleaming white stonework.
Entrance at 20 Exchange Place.
The 741 foot tower of the City Bank-Farmers Trust Building.
The Cities Service Building
The apex of the Cities Service Building
The building that I was most excited to see was the Cities Service Building at 70 Pine Street. I remember going into the lobby back in the early 1980’s and was very surprised and happy to see that it was never modernized. It is an excellent example of Art Deco design employing generous use of red and yellow marble, with brushed aluminum highlights.
The Lobby of the Cities Service Building lobby at 70 Pine Street.
This is another downtown building that is currently being converted to residential use and is still under re-construction. We were not able to go inside which meant we were also not allowed into the former observatory.
Cities Service Building, observation lounge, circa 1934
Designed by the firms of Clinton & Russell and Holton & George, construction began in 1931. Opening the following year the 952 foot, 67 story building was the tallest building downtown and the third tallest building in the world. The Cities Service Building dominated the lower Manhattan skyline for nearly 40 years, until the World Trade Center was topped off in 1970. I was very happy to hear that the new owners are respecting the building and like the City Bank-Farmers Trust are restoring the it inside and out.
The Cities Service Building looking south on Pearl Street.
Cities Service Building – Pearl Street facade.
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- Art Deco window treatments.
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- Detail of aluminum spandrel.
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- Detail of granite spandrel.
With the completion of the Cities Service Building in 1932 the lower Manhattan skyline remained basically unchanged until the construction of One Chase Plaza in 1959-1960. The early 1930’s transformation of the downtown skyline was so thorough that it prompted Elmer Davis to write about it in the New Republic in 1932:
“…the New York skyline is the most stupendous monument ever erected by human aspiration. People from the interior who haven’t been able to afford a trip to New York since October 1929, would never recognize it; the last great crop of buildings projected and begun before the crash, and only recently finished, has changed the skyline more in the last three years than anything that was done in two decades before . . . The New Yorker has the feeling that he is living in a great museum as he looks around him and sees cloud-piercing towers leaping skyward on every side.
Of course, winter evenings were cruelly reveling, for when the sun sets before the close of daily business it was all too apparent how many of those towers stood ‘black and untenanted against the stars . . .’ With some few exceptions, the newest New York may be described as a sixty-story city unoccupied above the twentieth floor.”
Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)
If you like Art Deco architecture check out these earlier posts
Rockefeller Center
Union Terminal – Cincinnati, Ohio
Buffalo, New York – City Hall
Fair Park, Dallas
The Deco Party
Who doesn’t love to a throw or attend a party? In the twenties, thirties and forties, apparently many people did and they did their best to make it an event. On our travels, I picked up a couple of books dedicated to “the party”: food, decorations and games.
- Vintage party books
The Party Book by Mary J. Breen (1939) starts her introduction with the simple words, “Let’s have a party!” and ends it, “Here’s hoping you’ll have a good time!” I hope the same for you.
Now anyone who personally knows me, will attest that I throw the most excruciatingly terrible parties. (For those old enough to remember The Mary Tyler-Moore show, a running gag was her awful get-togethers. I ‘m in her league.) It is therefore ironic that Anthony can throw a party together that is both brilliant in guests and conversation. It helps that he can mix a mean cocktail!
But I digress. In the book, parties are divided into several categories: Sprightly Parties for Everybody; Gay Parties for Lively People; Dances with an Air; Children’s Parties; Outdoor Parties and Picnics; Banquets; and Fun for Funds. Also listed are party games and stunts to keep your guest entertained.
Fear not, I don’t intend to spell out every party or detail but who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired to throw your very own theme party in the deco style. P.S.: Please invite me!
- Snow Frolic Party
“When winter comes – and you want to give a party, what could be better then a Snow Frolic, a realistic one with a Ski Tow, Ski Races and a Snow Battle Free-For-All…” Start by making your invitations with green paper using white ink and decorating it with a snowman or crossed skis in the corner. Add a snow effect by covering the invite with a fine wire mesh and use a toothbrush to rub a bit of the white ink over the invitation. (See how easy – who needs premade multipack invitations so readily available now-a-days?) Decorate the party space with fresh evergreens sprinkled with cotton or artificial snow. To blot out your ceiling, string wires across the room then hang tinsel and snow balls (cotton balls on thread). Cover wall lights with blue cellophane and center ceiling lights can be covered with clusters of blue and white balloons. Don’t forget the snowman made out of cotton! (Then get out the spackle and touch up paint for later.)
I am already exhausted. The instructions continue to limit teams for the games to 10 or 12, assuming you are inviting 60 guests (better start on those invites).
Speaking of games, the Free-For-All snow ball fight is the easiest to describe (and could be a lot of fun depending on the strength of the libations). To start, white and blue balloons serving as the “snow balls” are placed on the floor. The more you have the better. Guests are divided into 2 teams – White and Blue. The object is to destroy as many of the opponent’s balloons as possible while retrieving your own team’s within the three minute time limit. Safe to say, there won’t be any balloons left intact at the end of the melee. The point of the game – well, actually there is no point, at least none given.
Afterwards, let your guests rest and serve them coffee and donuts. “If you have a victrola, play the “Blue Danube” or some other waltz and the skaters will surprise you – and doubtless, themselves too – with their grace and skill on the ice.” Oh, did I mention a suggestion was made to pull up your rugs and highly wax your floors to make them super slippery like ice?
This is just an example of the lengths and creativity gone into ensure a memorable evening for your guests (and possibly your homeowner insurance). I know I’d remember it!
- Entertain your guests with this fun activity
- Here is some more frivolity for your guests to enjoy!
