The story was advertised on August 21, 1835, as an upcoming feature allegedly reprinted from The Edinburgh Courant.In 1835, the New York Sun published a six-part series, about civilization on the moon. The “Great Moon Hoax”, ostensibly reprinted from the Edinburgh Courant, was falsely attributed to the work of Sir John Herschel, one of the best known astronomers of the time.Whatever it took to sell newspapers.&nbsp;

Discovered by Sir John Herschel in his observatory at the Cape of Good Hope and copied from sketches in the Edinburgh Journal of Science.

Print shows illustration relating to the Great Moon Hoax with people spying on human-bat creatures on the Moon as other people are transported between Earth and the Moon by way of a balloon basket.

Print shows illustration relating to the Great Moon Hoax with Punch riding to the moon in a ship on a chain track; inset shows Herschel's machine and moon observatory.

(Scoperte fatte nella luna dal Sigr. Herschell)Print shows illustration relating to the Great Moon Hoax with a human-bat creature, two other supernatural creatures, and a lunar landscape

(Ritorno di Pulcinella dalla luna)Print shows illustration relating to the Great Moon Hoax with Punch standing in a ship in which he has returned from the moon with bottles of "acqua lunateca.

(Diligenza di ritorno dalla luna / Gaetana Dura, dis. ; Lit. Gatti e Dura.)Print shows a flying machine returning from the moon

The Sun

The Great Moon Hoax

 In 1917, The Sun moved its offices to the historic A.T. Stewart Company Building, site of America's first department store, at 280 Broadway between Chambers and Reade streets, renaming it "The Sun Building" with a landmark clock featuring its name and slogan on the Broadway fa&ccedil;ade. 

Sold by newsboys hawking it on the street, the small format paper with stories devoted to local news, crime, scandal, and other topics of human interest, it soon had the largest circulation in the worldThe Sun first gained notice for its central role in the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, a fabricated story of life and civilization on the Moon which the paper falsely attributed to British astronomer John Herschel and never retracted. On April 13, 1844, The Sun published as factual a story by Edgar Allan Poe now known as "The Balloon-Hoax", retracted two days after publication. The story told of an imagined Atlantic crossing by hot-air balloon. Today, the paper is best known for the 1897 editorial "Is There a Santa Claus?" (commonly referred to as "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus"), written by Francis Pharcellus Church. John B. Bogart, city editor of The Sun between 1873 and 1890, made what is perhaps the most frequently quoted definition of the journalistic endeavor: "When a dog bites a man, that is not news, because it happens so often. But if a man bites a dog, that is news." (The quotation is frequently attributed to Charles Dana, The Sun editor and part-owner between 1868 and his death in 1897.) In 1926, The Sun published a review by John Grierson of Robert Flaherty's film Moana, in which Grierson said the film had "documentary value." This is considered the origin of the term "documentary film"The newspaper's editorial cartoonist, Rube Goldberg, received the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning for his cartoon, "Peace Today". In 1949, The Sun won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for a groundbreaking series of articles by Malcolm Johnson, "Crime on the Waterfront". The series served as the basis for the 1954 movie On the Waterfront.The Sun's first female reporter was Emily Verdery Bettey, hired in 1868. Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd was hired as a reporter and fashion editor in the 1880s; she was one of the first women to become a professional editor, and perhaps the first full-time fashion editor in American newspaper history.

with a grand procession of Republican Wide-Awakes at New York in the evening

The Sun; The New York Journal Building; The Tribune; New York Times; The World building

Nassau and Frankfort st

NY Sun started

The bathtub hoax was a prank article written by journalist H. L. Mencken, published in the New York Evening Mail on December 28, 1917. It claimed that the first American bathtub was introduced in 1842 and sparked national controversy over its safety and cost. The article humorously detailed false events, including Vice President Millard Fillmore becoming a proponent of bathtubs and installing one in the White House. Mencken later admitted the story was entirely fabricated, but it was widely believed for years.

Mencken revealed in the Chicago Tribune, titled "Melancholy Reflections". The bathtub hoax he had published in 1917, which was entirely fabricated. Despite its absurdity, the hoax had been widely accepted as fact and referenced in scientific journals, Congress, and even standard reference books. Mencken reflected on how easily misinformation becomes entrenched, comparing it to the way wartime news was often distorted. He expressed surprise that readers had taken his humorous article seriously and warned about the dangers of unquestioned "facts" in history.

Mail and Express building

Bathtub Hoax

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Balloon-Hoax" was first published in The Sun newspaper. It falsely claimed that European balloonist Monck Mason had crossed the Atlantic in a gas balloon in 75 hours. The story was presented with detailed technical information, which made it seem plausible to readers at the time. However, the article was soon revealed as a hoax and retracted.&nbsp;The headline ran: ASTOUNDING NEWS! BY EXPRESS VIA NORFOLK: THE ATLANTIC CROSSED IN THREE DAYS! SIGNAL TRIUMPH OF MR. MONCK MASON'S FLYING MACHINE!!! Arrival at Sullivan's Island, near Charlestown, S. C., of Mr. Mason, Mr. Robert Holland, Mr. Henson, Mr. Harrison Ainsworth, and four others, in the STEERING BALLOON "VICTORIA," AFTER A PASSAGE OF SEVENTY-FIVE HOURS FROM LAND TO LAND. FULL PARTICULARS OF THE VOYAGE!!!

A retraction concerning the article was printed in The Sun, claiming the Sunday mail did not bring confirmation of the arrival of the Balloon in England.

The Saturday issue of the New York Sun

The Great Balloon Hoax

AT Stewart opened his first dry goods store with a $10,000 inheritance from his Irish grandfather. Stewart turned out to be a natural salesman. The store became known for good prices and customer service. Stewart became a millionaire after the Panic of 1837 when he was able to buy the inventory of other merchants who had financial reverses.By the mid 1840's the store was so successful that Stewart needed to expand. He assembled Broadway which became the first Department Store and the first building in New York clad in Tuckahoe Marble, from which it got its nickname. Over the next few years there were several 'modular' additions until it became the largest retail store in the world. Innovations included a women&rsquo;s department where women could try on imported clothes, a fur department, large glass windows where people could see the merchandise, and mail order which he started in 1868.The store began on the corner of Broadway and Reade, and gradually expanded down Broadway and across Chambers Streets, with additions in 1850-51 and 1851&ndash;52, both designed by Trench &amp; Snook, and 1872, designed by Frederick Schmidt.

A.T. Stewart store moved uptown, the building was converted into warehouses.

In 1884 Judge Henry Hilton, AT Stewart's Executor, got Edward D. Harris to design an addition, in which two floors were added to the original five, and the building was converted into offices.

It moved to a cast iron building on Broadway at the southern end of Ladies Mile. The Newspaper "The Sun" was moved into the building in 1917 until its end in 1952. The corner "Sun Clock" is a local landmark.

In 1966, New York City acquired the building to be demolished for a plan to redevelop the Civic Center which did not come to fruition.The building was rehabilitated from 1995 to 2002, overseen by Beyer Blinder Belle. The city's Department of Buildings uses the upper floors, and the first and second floors are used for retail stores.

Marble Palace

A.T. Stewart Dry Goods Store

 As part of Joseph Pulitzer's fundraising campaign for the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty; $100,000 was raised in 6 months - considered by many to be the 'first Kickstarter' campaign was a poem by Emma Lazarus The 'New Colossus'  

After the Statue of Liberty was made at the expense of the French government as a diplomatic gift to the US, the committee overseeing the project could not raise enough money to have it installed.&amp;nbsp; 

 Advertisement for statuettes by the American Committee of the Statue of Liberty, to raise funds for completion of the Statue of Liberty. 1885 July  

For example, his newspaper published stories about the drive and created an enticing narrative for readers.     

In 1885 Joseph Pulitzer - the renowned publisher after whom the Pulitzer Prize is named - launched an unusual fundraising campaign in his newspaper, The New York World. He was soliciting readers' donations to pay for a plinth for the Statue of Liberty.     

There was even some money left over far a gift for the sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, pictured at right.   

New York World Building

The 'New Colossus' fundraising

On Sept 21, an editorial in the NY Sun assures letter writer 8-year old Virginia O'Hanlon that there is a Santa Claus."Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" is a line from an editorial by Francis Pharcellus Church called "Is There a Santa Claus?" which appeared in The Sun on September 21, 1897, and became one of the most famous editorials ever published. Written in response to a letter by eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon asking whether Santa Claus was real, the editorial was initially published anonymously, and Church's authorship was not disclosed until his 1906 death. The Sun gradually accepted its popularity and republished it during the Christmas season every year from 1924 to 1950, when the paper ceased publication."Is There a Santa Claus?" is commonly reprinted during the Christmas and holiday season, and has been cited as the most reprinted newspaper editorial in the English language. It has been translated into around 20 languages, and adapted as a film, television presentations, a musical, and a cantata.

 Original article in The New York Sun of September 21, 1897  

Nassau and Frankfort st 

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

The Potter Building was constructed with the most advanced fireproofing technologies available after the building previously on the site burned to the ground.The building replaced a former headquarters of the New York World, which was built in 1857 and burned down in February 1882. It was converted into apartments from 1979 to 1981. In 1886 Norris G. Starkweather incorporated the most advanced fireproofing methods at the time including 40" thick brick walls and cast iron construction for the Potter Building.Two other buildings on Park Row were also part of Newspaper Row but not built specifically for newspapers' use. The Potter Building, at 38 Park Row, contained tenants such as The Press, a Republican Party-affiliated penny paper, as well as The New York Observer.

 The Potter Building originally served as an office building with many tenants from the media and from legal professions. It was converted into apartments from 1979 to 1981.&amp;nbsp;  

Potter Building

In 1833, Sun publisher Benjamin Day ran a Help-Wanted advertisement, looking for adults to help expand circulation. &ldquo;To the unemployed &mdash; A number of steady men can find employment by vending this paper. A liberal discount is allowed to those who buy and sell again&ldquo;. To Day`s surprise, his ad didn`t produce adult applicants as expected. Instead, the notice attracted children. Benjamin Day`s first newspaper &ldquo;hawker&rdquo; was Bernard Flaherty, a ten-year-old Irish immigrant. The kid was good at it too, crying out lurid headlines, to passers-by: &ldquo;Double Distilled Villainy!&rdquo; &ldquo;Cursed Effects of Drunkenness!&rdquo; &ldquo;Awful Occurrence!&rdquo; &ldquo;Infamous Affair!&rdquo; &ldquo;Extra! Extra! Read all about it!&rdquo; Hordes of street urchins swarmed the tenements and alleyways of American cities. During the 1870s, homeless children were estimated at 20,000 &ndash; 30,000 in New York alone, as much as 12% of school-age children in the city.

Newspaper Row

Newsies on Park Row

Via Verde is an affordable, sustainable residential development providing healthy, urban living in the South Bronx. The winning entry in the international New Housing New York Legacy Competition, sponsored by New York City HPD, AIA New York, NYSERDA, and Enterprise Community Partners, it reflects a public commitment to create the next generation of social housing. 222 apartments are arranged in three distinct building types&mdash;a 20-story tower at the north end of the site, a stepped six to 13-story mid-rise duplex apartment component in the middle, and two to four-story townhouses to the south.The building takes the form of a &ldquo;tendril&rdquo; rising from grade to the tower, enclosing the courtyard and emphasizing a relationship to the natural world. A dynamic garden serves as the organizing element for the community. The ground level courtyard spirals upward through a series of programmed, south-facing roof gardens, creating a promenade for residents. The top floor of the tower contains a multi-purpose community room with access to a terrace and spectacular views. The multi-functional gardens create opportunities for active planting, fruit and vegetable cultivation, recreation and social gathering, while providing added benefits of storm water control and enhanced insulation. The ground floor features retail, a community health center, and live-work units, creating a lively street presence. The award-winning design is inspired by the integration of nature and city. At the heart of the project is a dynamic garden and series of green roofs that serve as the organizing architectural element and identity for the community. As the building steps up from 3-story townhouses at the south to a 20-story tower at the north, there are a series of green roofs and south facing solar panels. The facade features aluminum, cement, and wood panels with panoramic windows, sunshades, and courtyard balconies. Developed by Phipps Houses and Jonathan Rose Companies with Dattner Architects and Grimshaw, Via Verde was the winning response to the New Housing New York (NHNY) Legacy Competition sponsored by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY). The innovative design represents the future of high quality, affordable, and sustainable housing.

 As the building steps up from 3-story townhouses at the south to a 20-story tower at the north, there are a series of green roofs and south facing solar panels. The facade features aluminum, cement, and wood panels with panoramic windows, sunshades, and courtyard balconies.  

 David Sundberg/Esto  David Sundberg/Esto

Residents can plant their own vegetables in raised beds of the community garden. The next levels include a fitness garden, sedum "wave garden", and a dining terrace. 

 The second level on top of the courtyard amphitheater is an apple orchard  

Via Verde

 Bill Stein of Dattner Architects and Robert Garneau of Grimshaw Architects discuss the unique design elements of Via Verde. 

The Society moved to more permanent and spacious quarters, the "Long Room" of "Brom" Martling's Tavern. ammany controlled the space, which it dubbed "The Wigwam", and let other responsible political organizations it approved of use the room for meetings. This space became commonly known as "Tammany Hall". Their new headquarters had limitations as well as advantages.

Tammany moved to a new five-story $55,000 building. The new Tammany Hall had a large room that could accommodate up to 2,000 people for political and social events, and the rest of the building was run as a hotel. It was sold to Charles Dana and his friends, who bought a newspaper, The Sun, and moved it there.

Tammany under Tweed had much greater influence – and affluence, so new headquarters was deemed desirable. The cornerstone for the new Tammany headquarters was laid on July 14, 1867.When the leaders of the Society found that they had not raised enough funds, and needed $25,000 more, a meeting was held at which $175,000 was immediately pledged. The new Wigwam was completed in 1868. The building had an auditorium big enough to hold public meetings, and a smaller one that became Tony Pastor's Music Hall, where vaudeville had its beginnings. The structure was topped off by a large-than-life statue of Saint Tammany.In 1927, the building was sold, to make way for the new tower being added to the Consolidated Edison Building.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Tammany left, and its leaders moved to the National Democratic Club on Madison Avenue at East 37th Street, and the Society's collection of memorabilia went into a warehouse in the Bronx. &nbsp;

When Tammany started to lose its political influence, it could no longer afford to maintain the 17th Street building, and in 1943 it was bought by a local affiliate of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union.

In 1961, the group helped remove DeSapio from power. The once mighty Tammany political machine, now deprived of its leadership, quickly faded from political importance, and by 1967 it ceased to exist; its demise as the controlling group of the New York Democratic Party was sealed when the Village Independent Democrats under Ed Koch wrested away control of the Manhattan party.

The building at 44 Union Square housed the New York Film Academy and the Union Square Theatre, and retail stores at street level, until a complete renovation of the building began in January 2016. The renovation, which included a gutting of the interior and the installation of a glass-domed roof, was completed by July 2020.

In its very early days, the Tammany Society met in the back rooms of various taverns, most often in Barden's Tavern on Broadway near Bowling Green. These back rooms served as unofficial campaign headquarters on election days.In 1791, the society opened a museum designed to collect artifacts relating to the events and history of the United States. Originally presented in an upper room of City Hall, it moved to the Merchant's Exchange when that proved to be too small. The museum was unsuccessful, and the Society severed its connections with it in 1795.Tammany Hall merged politics and entertainment, already stylistically similar, in its new headquarters.

Politics - Tammany Hall Arthur Rothstein (1915-1985), John Vachon (1914-1975), Look magazine- 1953

Second home southwest corner of Frankfort and Nassau Street, 1812Third home 1867, 14th street

Southwest corner of Frankfurt and Nassau Street

Second Location

Third Location

Fourth (final) location

Tammany Hall Headquarters

14th Street headquarters later turned into The Sun headquarters

The Sun was a New York newspaper published from 1833 until 1950. It was considered a serious paper, like the city's two more successful broadsheets, The New York Times and the New York Herald Tribune.

From 1860-1931, the New York World was published daily.

Founded by James Gordon Bennett as The Evening Telegram in 1867, the newspaper began as the evening edition of The New York Herald, which itself published its first issue in 1835.

In 1931, the World merged with the New York Telegram to become the New York World-Telegram.

In 1950, the paper became the New York World-Telegram &amp; Sun with the acquisition of the New York Sun.

In 1966, the World-Telegram &amp; Sun ceased publication and became a component of the short-lived New York World Journal Tribune.

Coretta Scott King shakes hands with New York City Mayor Robert Wagner as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands between them.

New York World-Telegram and The Sun

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