Tag Archives: New York City History

Glamour and Murder at Ziegfeld’s New Amsterdam Theatre

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When I first moved to New York City after graduating from The Boston Conservatory with a degree in musical theater performance (at the age of 41!), I got whatever job I could and was fortunate to end up as a Broadway usher at The New Amsterdam Theatre.   The architecture awed me, and little did I know that I had stepped into one of the most actively haunted theaters in the city.  I will share the New Am’s (as we ushers referred to it) history and ghosts over two blog posts.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Let me begin at the theater’s rebirth at the hands of Disney.  Built in 1903 and located on the famous 42nd Street in Times Square, the New Amsterdam appeared in shambles when the Disney Theatrical Corporation (a division of Walt Disney) leased the building in 1993.  They found holes in the roof, mushrooms growing in the orchestra pit, and nesting birds.

BCA New York

BCA New York

BCA New York

BCA New York

With the guidance of Building Conservation Associates, Inc., which specializes in Heritage Conservation, Disney spent a reported 34 million dollars to restore the theater to its original glory.

BCA New York

BCA New York

Walking through the marble lobby, theatergoers today experience the same grandeur that their predecessors did at the end of the gilded age.  The Art Nouveau details, like those shown below, make the New Amsterdam the crown jewel of all the Broadway theaters in the city.

BCA New York

BCA New York

BCA New York

BCA New York

BCA New York

BCA New York

In addition to this rich architectural legacy, Disney also became caretaker to at least one ghost.  A few months prior to the theater’s opening on April 2nd, 1997 the first dramatic paranormal event occurred. On a cold January morning, a telephone woke Dana Amendola, the house manager for the theater at the time, from a deep sleep at 2 a.m.  The theater’s security guard on duty asked Dana to come at once.  Fearing a catastrophe, Dana raced to the theater and found the guard pacing outside the stage door. It took much coaxing to get the anxious man to reenter the building.  Once inside, the guard explained that when he did his usual rounds and came to the stage, he felt something behind him.  Glancing over his shoulder, he saw a beautiful woman in the glow of the stage’s ghost light.  She wore a beaded gown and headdress with a green sash and in her hand was a blue bottle.  As he started to address her, she walked past him, heading for the 41st Street stage door.  She turned back to him, blew him a kiss, and continued through the wall, and the shaken guard ran out the door.  Some weeks later after Dana had collected historical pictures to mount around theater, he invited the guard to his office.  Laying the photos out, Amendola asked him if anyone looked familiar, and the guard pointed at the photo below of Olive Thomas.

Olive Thomas - Photo hanging in the New Am lobby

Olive Thomas – Photo hanging in the New Am lobby

In my next blog post, I’ll share Thomas’s connection to the theater and when she first haunted the theater.

The Crime of the Century

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Today’s blog post is an excerpt from my book Ghosts and Murders of Manhattan from Arcadia Publishing, to be released the week of July 29, 2013.

Madness and murder visited Madison Square Garden on June 25, 1906.  A syndicate of wealthy men built this the second Garden in 1890 at 26th Street, overlooking Madison Square Park.  The architect, Stanford White, incorporated Moorish characteristics in the Beaux Arts structure. White occupied a studio in the tower for his work, and he would die in the rooftop restaurant.

 

Madison Square Garden Btwn 1900-1910, Courtesy of Library of Congress

Madison Square Garden Btwn 1900-1910, Courtesy of Library of Congress

Stanford White, born in New York in 1853, studied architecture in Europe.  Using elements of Italian Renaissance, he composed a new style called Free Classical.  Designing banks, the Boston Public Library, the Washington Square Arch, and private residences made him rich in the 1890s. Although married, he grew interested in the 16-year-old model and showgirl, Evelyn Nesbit.  At age 47 he convinced Nesbit’s mother he wanted only to be a benefactor.

Stanford White (1892)

Stanford White (1892)

Evelyn Nesbit’s beauty and talent attracted White.  An artist first discovered her at the age of 14 and turned her into the most recognizable fashion model of the period.  Growing up poor and fatherless, she must have been dazzled by White’s wealth. When her mother went out of town, White plied her with alcohol and took her virginity.

Evelyn Nesbit (1900) Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Evelyn Nesbit (1900) Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Nesbit also gained the attention of millionaire Harry K. Thaw who had a history of mental illness.  When she appeared in a show called “The Wild Rose”, Thaw attended 40 performances and begged to marry her.  Knowing he valued chastity, she divulged her experiences with White.  The revelation unhinged him. He imprisoned, beat, and raped her. Despite her ordeal, Nesbit married Thaw, knowing that her reputation was ruined because of White.

Harry K. Thaw (Btwn 1910-1915) Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Harry K. Thaw (Btwn 1910-1915) Courtesy of the Library of Congress

On June 25, 1906 Harry K. Thaw booked tickets to a revue at Madison Square Garden’s rooftop restaurant.  At the last minute, Stanford White changed his plans and took his regular seat to watch the show.  At 11:00 p.m., Thaw approached White from behind and fired three times, killing White instantly.  Raising the gun high in triumph, Thaw allowed himself to be carried to the Tombs prison where crowds would gather. Newspapers dubbed his case the “Trial of the Century”, and it would end in a hung jury.  His second jury found him guilty by reason of insanity. He never regretted the killing, convincing himself he had avenged his wife’s honor.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Thaw Jury - Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Thaw Jury – Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Although sentenced to life at the Matteawan State Hospital for the criminally insane, Thaw was declared sane on July 16, 1915.  The following December, Thaw met 18-year-old Frederick Gump in Kansas City and earned the trust of Gump’s family, convincing them he would pay for their son’s education.  Gump arrived in New York City on Christmas Eve, 1916, and Thaw directed him to the Hotel McAlpin.

Hotel McAlpin (Btwn 1910 and 1920) Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Hotel McAlpin (Btwn 1910 and 1920) Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Early Christmas morning, Thaw entered Gump’s bedroom and attacked the boy, whipping him into a bloody mess. Thaw stepped out, leaving his bodyguard in charge, but Gump escaped.  Thaw went into hiding at this boarding house in Philadelphia. On January 11th he attempted suicide by slashing his throat and was sent to Kirkbride Asylum in Philadelphia until 1924.  Thaw died in 1947 at age 76.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Courtesy of the Library of Congress