Human Statue of Liberty

The year was 1918. The place, Camp Dodge in Des Moines, Iowa. Eighteen thousand soldiers gathered on an open field with one purpose…to use their bodies to form an image of the Statue of Liberty. Like the pointillism painting style or pixels in a digital camera, the men together make up pieces of the image with their location and clothing color. With Col. William Newman commanding and Col. Rush S. Wells directing, the men collaborated to form an enduring image of Ms. Liberty. It’s no small effort to create an image so large. As the group stretches farther away, the perspective changes and more men are needed to complete the image. Photographers Arthur Mole & John Thomas of Chicago created the image and many others. The Lady Liberty photograph was part of a promotional campaign to sell war bonds during World War I.

Westin Stamford Hotel in Singapore

The battle to be the tallest has gone on for years. The Chrysler Building reigned until the Empire State Building came along. Then it was Sears Tower in Chicago and Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. These days, boom towns like Dubi are building the world’s tallest structures. The Burj Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is currently the world's tallest man-made structure. Recently, I found a ceramic drinking vessel (can you really call it a ‘glass’?) in the shape of the Westin Stamford Hotel in Singapore. The building replica seems to have been used to serve a drink in the hotel’s Compass Rose Restaurant and Bar. Printed on the side is “World’s Tallest Hotel.” I wondered if it still held that distinction and high honor. The Westin Stamford was re-branded as “Swissotel The Stamford, Singapore” In January 2002. I had not seen this souvenir previously. More commonly found are drinking vessels in the shape of the Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta Ga. This is ceramic replica stands 8.5" tall. This souvenir also claims to be the “Worlds Tallest Hotel.” The Westin Stamford surpassed the Peachtree by 18 feet when it was built in 1986. (723’ compared to 741’) The tallest hotel in the world today may be the Burj Al Arab in Dubai which, at 321 meters (1,060 feet), resembles a billowing sail. The race continues as you can see from this website called: Official World's 100 Tallest High-rise Buildings (Hotel Use). Do you know of other “tallest” hotel souvenir buildings?

Antique Chocolate Mold Buildings

At a recent antiques show, I saw a booth selling exclusively vintage chocolate molds. Among the hundreds on display, I noticed a few which were architecturally inspired. Cherie, co-owner of Dad’s Follies, find and sells the molds all over the world. A metal Blackpool Tower mold was made by a maker named Kutzscher, which was in business from 1900-1929 in Schwarzenberg, Germany. Priced at $195.00, the mould is marked with his trade mark and the name of his agent Bart Newhill & Co. in London. The Statue of Liberty was made by Anton Reiche in Dresden, Germany. Reiche made this mould in two sizes - this is the larger version from the 1920’s. The agent mark is T.C. Weygandt & Co., New York. The price was over $5000 for this mold. We can all go to bed at night and imagine owning this mold. Sweet dreams. Check out my other posts on chocolate buildings, city bar and a sugar city.

Saint Joseph's Oratory

Plans change. Even a well thought out idea may change before or during its implementation. The design for the Saint Joseph's Oratory in Montreal, Canada changed between 1922 and when it was completed in 1967. Of interest to souvenir building collectors are the many replica versions created over the years for what was envisioned to what was ultimately constructed. A seven-inch-tall version from 1926 reveals the changes. The top center dome is drum-shaped and the four surrounding towers are thinner than what was built. The stairs are the same, but platform at the bottom of the stairs was also redesigned. Around the base is written: “La Future Basilique. Oratoire St. Joseph Du Mont Royal Montreal Canada. Fabrication Francaise Copyright by 1926 – Depose- M.P.” I wrote to Jean-Francois, the archivist for Saint Joseph's Oratory, who said, “The original design for the dome was more narrow. In fact, the 1922 plans by architects Viau & Venne depicted a more luxious and classical dome, with colonnade and statues. The year 1926 corresponds to the beginning of construction for the future basilica. So, the miniature scale basilica dated 1926 may be linked to that construction. We don’t know for sure if they were given as souvenir to dignitaries or put in sale in our gift shop. We know that several of these were made (but they are quite rare today).In 1934, one of the two architects died (Venne). It was a time of economical difficulties and the original design for a somptuous dome was not welcomed anymore. In 1936, the Shrine’s authorities then asked Dom Paul Bellot, a reputed architect monk, to redesign the dome’s shape to have it lower, less expensive to build and more in the spirit of the time." Construction of the real Roman Catholic Italian Renaissance style Basilica began in 1924 based on plans by Montreal architects Dalbé Viau and Alphonse Venne. The dome was poured and covered with copper. With a diameter of 39 meters (125 feet), The basilica dome rises 236 meters (856 feet) above sea level making it the highest point in the city of Montreal. Aviation authorities require that the cross on top be illuminated. The interior was completed in 1966, based on on designs by the Canadian architect Gérard Notebaert. With a seating capacity of 2200 people, the Basilica gets two million visitors and pilgrims every year. Other building replicas came in various sizes and materials, but all resemble the church as it appears today with a more football-shaped dome which recalls the Duomo in Florence. Versions include those made in occupied japan, pot metal and pewter, encased in Lucite and even some painted. Do you know of additional versions of this church? Do you know of other souvenir replicas which have versions of ‘as planned’ and ‘as built’?

Beijing Olympics Begins Today: 8/8/08

The Beijing National Stadium, also affectionately dubbed the “bird's nest,” will host the opening and closing ceremonies tonight as well as the track and field stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics. I posted a while back about a finely-made metal model of the stadium. I also found other building replicas of the bird’s nest ranging from the interesting to the bizarre. Included are: a keychain with stadium fob, an ashtray, a plastic MP3 speaker and a lighter in the shape of the stadium. Do you know of other olympic building souvenirs?

Robert Fulton Monument

My last post about the Henry Hudson Memorial Column got me thinking again. In everything I read about the Hudson-Fulton Celebration there seemed to be no discussion about creating a monument to Robert Fulton. It was after all commemorating both men’s achievements. Could my souvenir monument be of Fulton and not Hudson. That could be another explanation for the differences in the statues on top. Turns out, when the celebration began in 1909, a Fulton Statue already existed. Created in 1872, a Fulton statue stood in Brooklyn and while it’s not on a tall column, the figure does look similar to the souvenir. His right foot if forward, left hand it up at his midsection, right hand it up and he’s wearing a long coat. All, except that beard. That long unmistakable bead. I searched, but couldn’t find an image of Fulton with a beard. Hummm. Could this souvenir be of the Fulton statue in Brooklyn and given out during the Hudson-Fulton Celebration or is it the prototype for the Henry Hudson Statue yet to be built at that date? Do you know of a souevnir replics of the Robert Fulton Statue? The mystery continues. Robert Fulton (1765–1815) was an American engineer and inventor. He is best remembered for the successful steamboat North River, also known as Clermont. His invention helped to revolutionize commercial traffic worldwide. In 1872, the Society of Old Brooklynites commissioned this larger-than-life sculptural portrait of Fulton, describing him as having done “more than any other to promote and establish the use of steam in transportation of passengers and freight.” The statue, by Casper Buberl, depicts Fulton holding a model of the Nassau, the first steam ferry from Brooklyn to New York. The residents of Brooklyn Heights erected the original zinc statue of Robert Fulton near the Fulton Ferry House at the foot of Fulton Street. When the ferry was discontinued, the statue was sent to the Brooklyn Bridge Yard of the Department of Plant and Structures. It remained there until the Society of Old Brooklynites sought a new location for the monument. The Society recovered the sculpture and had it repaired and placed in Fulton Park in 1930. Then, in 1955, a new polished black granite base replaced the cast stone pedestal and the statue was replicated in more durable bronze. The original deteriorated zinc sculpture was placed in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York.

I’ve heard from a few Building Collector readers regarding the Hudson Fulton Monument Mystery. Bill T said, “One possibility for the lettering on our version is that A Furst did the catering for the "Official Banquet" and the legend should have read "A Furst, caterer.” Good point. If Mr. Furst catered the banquet, he might have been in charge of having the souvenirs created. From the NY Times article about the events, "Banquets came one after the other during the gay days of the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, and it is safe to say that at every one of them each guest found beside his or her plate a souvenir of the occasion." Could the souvenirs guests found on the tables be miniature bronze monument replicas?

Henry Hudson Monuments

The history of these monuments are mysterious: I'll call it the tale of three columns. Two are souvenir monuments with the same name, but they look different. The third is the real Henry Hudson Memorial Column whose figure looks very different than that of the souvenirs. After researching the history, I believe the column was built, but due to financial problems, the statue on top was installed many years later and with a different design from what was originally planned. One souvenir of the memorial is made of bronze with a square base which reads, ‘Hudson-Fulton Celebration Official Banquet Sept. 28 1909.’ Under the base, a maker’s mark reads “A. Furst Caterer, N.Y.” On top, the figure of Hudson is that of an old man donning a long beard, long coat and pointing into the distance. The second replica is in the Monumental Miniatures book (# 143) and has a large round base and column, but no figure on top. David Weingarten said regarding his souvenir, "I believe there was a figure on top originally, now lost. The base of ours reads “Hudson-Fulton Banquet Hotel Astor Sept. 29th 1909.” Cast in underneath the base is, I believe, Whitehead & Hoag, the maker. Some of this mark is obscured. On the base, at what I take to be the front of the monument, is an inset panel with a very schematic image of a sailing ship on water with a shoreline in the foreground." It’s too bad the figure is missing on top. What did the figure look like? It’s clear the souvenirs were made by different companies, for perhaps two different banquets because the dates are one day apart (28 & 29). The Hudson-Fulton Celebration lasted 2 weeks and featured many events.

Adding to the mystery, the design of the real Henry Hudson Memorial Column, located in Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx borough of NYC, has a different style figure on top. The real memorial’s Hudson figure is a younger sea captain “clad in seafaring garb and stands as if balancing on a ship’s deck.’ The monument is named for explorer and navigator Henry Hudson, and pays tribute to the man who explored the river beginning in 1609. Henry Hudson explored the great river which was later named for him. Guiding his ship, called the “Half Moon,” he entered what is now New York Harbor and sailed up river. In his log book, Hudson wrote, “On that side of the river called Manna-hata, we saw no people to trouble us and we rode quietly all night.” Much later, in August 1807, the inventor Robert Fulton traveled up the Hudson River at a speed of five mile per hour in his steamboat, the Clermont. From September 25 to October 11, 1909, the State of New York commemorated both the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the Hudson River by Henry Hudson and the 100th anniversary of the first successful application of steam to navigation upon the river by Robert Fulton. Called the “Hudson-Fulton Celebration,” the extravaganza was held in New York City and on the Hudson River. Thousands participated with parades, exhibits and re-enactments of the earlier voyages. Plans were made to erect a monument to Hudson and to construct a Hudson Memorial Bridge linking the Inwood district of Manhattan with Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx. Funds were raised, a site was donated and in 1909, ground was broken for the memorial. The project encountered multiple delays, but the 16-foot Doric column was set in place in 1912. Shortly afterwards, however, funds for the project ran out. Originally, Karl Bitter prepared a plaster model of a Henry Hudson figure, but due to a lack of funds this portion of the project was postponed. A few years later, Bitter died and the plaster model disappeared. The project was revived by Robert Moses in the late 1930s. Sculptor Karl H. Gruppe, a student of the original designer Bitter, redesigned the figure of Hudson and created the two bas-reliefs for the base of the column. The statue of Henry Hudson was finally placed on the column on January 6, 1938 and the area around the monument had been designated as a park.Clad in seafaring garb, Hudson stands as if balancing himself on a ship's deck. From his elevated position, Henry Hudson continues to keep watch over parkway and bridge and the ever-changing landscape along the river that bears his name. In 1989 Henry Hudson Park underwent a capital reconstruction which included new playground equipment, restoration the monument plaza, and improvement to the paths and stairways.

Wow…this is one of the longest posts I’ve written and it required the most research to date. Conclusion & Theory: I believe the 1909 souvenirs were prototypes of the design as planned. After many unusual circumstances and 26 years later, the memorial’s Hudson figure was finally completed, but with a very different design from the original.This story from the NY Times in 1909, discusses how a fad for banquet souvenirs peaked at the Hudson-Fulton Celebration. Attendees must have been crazy for memorabilia. I've found references to souvenir bronze coins and souvenir spoons made by Tiffany & Co. for the celebration. It’s very possible multiple makers and designs were created of the monument’s souvenir replica. Do you have or know of other souvenir replicas of the Henry Hudson Memorial Column? If so, let me know if the figure matches my monument or the real monument.