Last week, the New York Adventure Club went on a private after-hours tour of New York City Hall, which included a visit to the main rotunda, Governor’s Room, and City Council Chamber. Our friends, the photography crew of F/11 (whom you’ll recognize from their photos of steel spinning in an abandoned subway station) were on hand to document the landmarked building, above ground.
City Hall, which took around ten years to build and cost about half of the city’s budget, was often attacked and at the risk of replacement, as this New York Times article recounts. Today however, under scaffolding from the latest round of renovations, its place in New York City architectural and political history seems secure.
Here are some fun facts, provided by Corey William Schneider, head of the New York Adventure Club:
Samuel Morse, better known as the inventor, was also a talented painter. His painting of Marquis de Lafayette is in the City Council Chamber
The wooden desk in the Governor’s Room is the original desk used by George Washington
A special seat in the city council chamber is held by the ombudsman, which Bill de Blasio held before becoming mayor
A warped mirror in the Governor’s Room (similar to one seen in the Women’s National Republican Club near Rockefeller Center) was made that way to diffuse candle light throughout a room
The art in the Governor’s Room is considered to contain the best collection of 19th century American Portraits in the world
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
