Schenectady Playgrounds: The Hall of New York

0217_2013

Some of the most interesting features of the Capitol Building in Albany are the

incomplete stone friezes and capitals. They evoke the mysterious unbounded

potential of the unformed. This beauty of the imperfect lurking in hidden conference

rooms and in the Senate gallery is thanks to an impatient Teddy Roosevelt who sent

all of the stone carvers home in 1899 because he insisted the building was compete.

Our current Governor has a different conception of public buildings than the utilitarian

Teddy. Andy has undertaken a vast multi-year project to transform the Capitol Building

into a first rate museum. Showing some of his predecessor’s impatience and

expenditure prudence he accelerated work on the restoration of the Assembly and

Senate staircase skylights, ceramic tile roof replacement, regrouting of exterior

stonework, and asbestos abatement. While the work could have been left unfinished

for more savings, the accelerated schedule reduced costs. Besides the completion

of the restoration, the ongoing and rotating temporary historical displays are of

great benefit for New Yorkers.

For the 4th of July, the revolver and ceremonial sword that were given to George

Washington by Marquis de Lafayette were on display. Dr. King’s typed and hand

corrected draft of a sermon he gave at Riverside Church is on display; Governor

Yates portrait was properly lighted and explained; Louis Armstrong’s trumpet

gleaned, Abraham Lincolns hand drafted copy of the Emancipation Proclamation,

Langston Hughes’ poem sang of universal knowledge “I've known rivers ancient

as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has

grown deep like the rivers.” A painting was hung showing people as they walked

along the Erie Canal in Schenectady.

The Hall of New York on the second floor of the Capitol Building is a great display of

paintings with incredible verve, lamentable two dimensionality, piquant historical

scenes, and the serenity of Schenectady. In all, there are 56 paintings depicting

regions across the State. There are 8 paintings depicting Long Island, 10 of The

City, 7 of Mid-Hudson, 4 of the Mohawk Valley, 5 of the North Country, 5 of Central

NY, 5 of the Southern Tier, 4 of the Finger Lakes, 4 of Western NY and 4 from the

Capital Region, and of these 4, 2 are of Schenectady. 34 are from the 19 th Century,

with 10 of these from before the Civil War. 22 were painted in the 20 th Century,

with 10 of these completed after WWII. 24 of the paintings are of landscapes that

include people, houses or boats as minor props; including a lovely depiction of a

few mothers and their children having a foraging picnic a the edge of a glimmering

lake. 26 of the paintings depict the built environment: cites entering winter, villages

nestled in valleys, and the bustling, yet not impersonal, glory of Times Square.

Painters take note, 62.5% of the paintings hung include water: oceans, harbors,

streams, lakes, rivers and 5 feature waterfalls, because everyone loves a good

waterfall.

The Schenectady County Historical Society loaned the two paintings of Schenectady

that are on what seems to be permanent display. One flat painting, “7 Dock Street”

attributed to Jerome Barhydt, ca. 1860-1870, shows an old Erie Canal barge in front

of a trading merchants store. A few people in black clothes mill about, but nothing

interesting is happening. The value of the scene lies in the sense of proportions

one gathers about the size of the vessels used on the canal and their function in

everyday commerce, as well as the general depiction of what could have been one of

Schenectady’s greatest assets if the visionaries did not turn it into a speedway.

“Old Covered Bridge” by W. H. Yates, ca. 1870, is far more accessible. It depicts one

of the most pleasant things about Schenectady, viewing downtown from across

the river after you have paddled there on a fine summer afternoon. The sky and

river eat up most of the canvas, but two gentlemen chat on the bank unburdened by

encroaching modernity.

Also of note about this painting is the description beneath it. “Schenectady was a

pre-colonial home to the Native Americans. In the 19th century, Schenectady became

one of America’s leading industrial cities.” This reference to an inhabitant society

prior to the arrival of the alcohol and gun selling Europeans raises questions about

the absence of Native culture in the stories we tell as a neighborhood. How can

we incorporate the maps that the 1st Reformed Church has showing the locations

of long houses in downtown Schenectady into our guided tours? Why is the

Eurocentric story of the arrival void of reference to the multiple treaties signed with

Natives concerning their continuing claims to the land? How can we discuss and

present “The Indian” in a way that is more substantial than who casted him?

The Hall of New York, all of the other historical exhibits, and the grand Capitol

Building itself, is a treasure for New Yorkers that should not be missed.

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Mostly photos of the Hall of New York, but there are some additional photos to supplement a Stockade Spy article published in April 2013 about the Capitol Building over the past few years.

Updated March 31, 2013

The Stanley Cup in the Seal Room outside of the Assembly Chamber. The owners of the Bruins live in Buffalo, so the cup made its rounds in the State. January 2012.

Louis Armstrong's Trumpet on display in the War Room

The 4 Leaders cut the ribbon to unveil the Senate skylight

Langston Huges' letter to W.E.B. DuBois on display in the War Room

A black and white detail of a color painting of the Erie Canal in Schenectady.

Dr. King's typed and handwritten draft of a speech that he gave at Morningside Church in Upper Manhattan. On display in multiple locations in the Capitol Building over the past few years.

Schenectady; Riverside

The Leaders view art of Schenectady

Rockwell Kent's vision of the Adirondacks

This is a moving image- eerily provoking

They came to the Capitol to deliver 200,000 letters to the DEC against Fracking. The scientist they were working with was excellent- very compelling. The science is quite clear that fracking would not be allowed under the proposed regulations.

The only picture in the Hall of New York that depicts Natives. Separated by a road, looking in, unwelcomed yet curious of the white Brahmins.

The Hall of New York, 2nd Floor of the Capitol Building, on Tuesday, January 8, 2013, the evening before the official unveiling.

An employee takes in a 19th Century painting of NYC before heading home for the night.

Many paintings of all regions of NYS adorn the northern portion of the 2nd floor of the capitol building.

The Blue Room's windows were recently restored. Previously they were boarded up so that the public could not observe meetings and press conferences held by the Executive.

This is a very fine painting of Schenectady from across the river, however it is substantially degraded by this grainy photo. The painting is just outside the Blue Room.

"Schenectady was a pre-colonial home to Native Americans."
This is quite a different view of history than the Stockade Association presents on their light pole banners that proudly, and wrongly, proclaim that Schenectady was Established in 1661. Acknowledgment of an indigenous culture also undermines the implied primacy of the "ancient churches" that their Audio Tour extolls. Hopefully the Executive's recognition of Native culture in Schenectady will propel residents to tell stories of the complex and dynamic peoples that demonstrated democracy, as well as a respect for nature, to the alcohol and gun loving foreigners from across the ocean.

Artist is W.H. Yates 1845-1935