Upcoming Events from the Victorian Society
Last Lecture of Season on May 12
The final lecture in our spring series will be “A Nest for Dreaming, a Shelter for Imagining: The Art, History and Architecture of F. Holland Day” on Tuesday, May 12 at 6 p.m. at the New York New Church, 114 East 35th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues. The lecturer, Patricia Fanning, Ph.D., is the author of Through an Uncommon Lens: The Life and Photography of F. Holland Day (2008) and chairperson of the Department of Sociology at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. A noted photographer, Day was also a dedicated historian. His sense of beauty and interest in history are reflected in his home and family chapel in Norwood, Mass. A reception for Chapter members will follow the free lecture.
Support an Expanded SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District May 13
Please join us on Wednesday, May 13, at 6 p.m. at a SoHo community meeting to show your support for an expanded SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The meeting at the Puffin Room Gallery, 435 Broome Street, between Broadway and Crosby Streets, is being sponsored by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.
As you know, Margot Gayle, one of the founders of the Victorian Society in America and the world’s leading expert on cast-iron architecture, was integral in getting the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District designated in 1974. However, the original historic district left out many important cast-iron and masonry buildings on the west side of West Broadway, the east side of Crosby Street, and along Howard, Grand, and Broome Streets. A few years ago, Margot Gayle asked the Metropolitan Chapter of the Victorian Society in America to continue her work and to push for an expansion to the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District.
In 2005, the Metropolitan Chapter submitted a proposal for an expanded SoHo historic district to the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (visit http://www.metrovsa.org/SoHo.htm for more information). We are very pleased that the LPC is taking an early step in the landmark process by hosting this community meeting. It is critical that there is an impressive showing of supporters for the district, and we hope you will come to show your support. If designated, this district expansion would be a wonderful tribute to the life and work of Margot Gayle, who passed away in 2008 at the age of 100.
Please forward this announcement to others you think might also be interested in showing their support, particularly if they live in or near SoHo.
May 14 Is Deadline for Accepting Invitation to Annual Meeting
Reservations for our Annual Meeting must be received by Thursday, May 14, because we must let the caterer for the reception know how many will attend. You may reserve by emailing [email protected] or by calling (212) 886-3742 and leaving a message.
The Chapter’s 42nd Annual Meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, at The Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73rd Street in Manhattan. On the agenda are election of directors and officers, reports on the Chapter’s activities during the past year and presentation of awards for meritorious publications and preservation projects. The first monetary grant from the Margot Gayle Fund for Preservation of Victorian Heritage will be made to further a deserving preservation project.
Two Tours Round out Season
The June 6 tour, “Hideways on the Hudson” is sold out, having reached its participant limit within 10 days of being announced.
Places do remain for the May 30 walking tour, “Contemplating The Evergreens,” led by Joe Svehlak through a cemetery spanning the Brooklyn-Queens border. Established in 1849, the nonsectarian cemetery is a repository of sculpture, architecture and landscaping from the Victorian era. The fee for the tour, which begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, is $25 for Chapter members, $35 for nonmembers. Please register on form mailed you earlier-or that you can pick up at the May 12 lecture.