Sled Race in Central Park, 1934 Silver Gelatin Black and White Photography Framed

Details

Description

An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Press Agency, New York Times office in Paris (Wide World Photos). … Read more An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Press Agency, New York Times office in Paris (Wide World Photos). Sled race in Central Park, New York, 1934.
Features:
Original silver gelatin print photography framed.
Press Agency New York Times Office in Paris - Wide World Photos.
Photographer: unknown.
Title: Sled Race in Central Park, 1934.
Provenance: Private collection.
Frame Size: 20.63 in high (52.5 cm) x 16.75 in wide (42.5 cm) x 1.57 in deep (4 cm).
Image Size: 5.51 in high (14.2 cm) x 7.48 in wide (19.8 cm).
French typed legend, copyright credit, and ink stamp at the back that read:
"Course de traineaux dans un parc a New York. Sur la neige qui recouvre les allées du Central Park Casino a new York, un groupe d'artistes a eu l'idée d'organiser une course de traineaux - voici une vue de la course - Photos NYT - NY 5/1/34 - SP." (Sled race in a New York park. On the snow covering the paths of the Central Park Casino in New York, a group of artists had the idea of ​​​​organizing a sled race - here is a view of the race - Photos NYT - NY 5/ 1 /34 - SP.)

Note: The Central Park Casino, originally the Ladies' Refreshment Salon, was a restaurant in Central Park, near East 72nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The building's name came from the Italian for "little house," but the Casino itself was never a gambling business.
Originally, Calvert Vaux designed the building in 1862 as part of the Greensward Plan for Central Park.
The original plan was a wooden chalet-style structure with a broad hip roof. Before construction began, however, Vaux decided that a more permanent building was needed. The following year, with the assistance of Edward C. Miller and Jacob Wrey Mould, the Casino was redesigned as a Gothic Revival stone structure.
The building opened in early 1864 as a restaurant planned for unaccompanied female visitors to Central Park and was one of Central Park's three original restaurants. Soon, it was patronized by both men and women. The building that housed the Casino belonged to the City of New York, and the City often leased the Casino to independent operators. In the early 1920s, the Casino was rundown and renovated during the winter of 1921–1922.
Jimmy Walker, mayor of New York City during the late 1920s, frequented the Casino and reportedly spent more time there than in New York City Hall. Besides entertaining elite guests in the restaurant, Walker had an office in the Casino and conducted city administration there while meeting with political cronies.
In 1929, Walker terminated the lease of C.F. Zittel and allowed a friend, Sidney Solomon, to transform the Casino into one of New York's most expensive nightclubs. In February 1929, they released the new project. Solomon changed the Casino's interior using a design from Viennese designer Joseph Urban, though he kept the exterior mostly the same. The renovated Casino reopened on June 4, 1929.
When the Great Depression hit four months after the Casino reopened, the nightclub faced increasing criticism for operating on city land while maintaining prices only the wealthiest New York residents could afford. In 1930, as part of the enforcement of Prohibition, the United States government raided the Casino and seized alcoholic beverages. Walker's successor, Fiorello H. La Guardia, and his parks commissioner, Robert Moses, who held a vendetta against Walker, wanted to tear down the Casino to build a playground on the site. In 1934, Moses served an eviction order on the Casino's management. When the Parks Association of New York City objected to the proposed playground because it would take away from the park's rural character, Moses dismissed the opposition as "preposterous." In 1936, the Casino was demolished.
The casino's stained glass windows are the only preserved elements. They were installed in and later removed from the police station at the 86th Street transverse. The remaining fixtures were auctioned off for pennies on the dollar.
The Rumsey Playfield was built on the site of the former restaurant. During the summer, it is occupied by a temporary stage and bleachers for the annual SummerStage and then returned to its playfield status each fall.
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