Latest news with #MuseumoftheCityofNewYork
National Geographic
14-07-2025
- General
- National Geographic
We may finally solve the mystery of the shipwreck that lies beneath Ground Zero
The Museum of the City of New York is launching a new investigation into the remains of a vessel found beneath lower Manhattan during subway construction in 1916. Museum of the City of New York curator William M. Williamson and historian James A. Kelly examine timbers, possibly from the Tyger, on view in a 1954 exhibition Shipyards of New York. Photograph Courtesy Museum of the City of New York A shipwreck mystery buried under Ground Zero could soon be solved, with scientists set to investigate whether a doomed 17th-century vessel—captained by a Dutch explorer who settled Manhattan—lies deep beneath the former Twin Towers. Visitors flock to the World Trade Center site to see its 9/11 memorial and museum, and honor victims of the 2001 terrorist attack. But few would know Ground Zero was once nothing but ocean, before land reclamation expanded Manhattan, and that it hides clues to one of New York's oldest enigmas, which is linked to this year's 400th anniversary of the city's founding. Generations of U.S. and European researchers have attempted to locate a long-lost Dutch ship called the Tyger. It helped the Netherlands map America's northeast coast, and paved the way for New York's colonization by the Dutch, before it sank in 1613 roughly where the Twin Towers later stood. In the century after the Tyger disappeared, first the Dutch and then the British needed greater space to expand their Manhattan settlements. So they dumped dirt and garbage into the surrounding rivers, which created new land, and expanded lower Manhattan until buildings covered the location where the Tyger sank. Now the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is launching its first-ever major investigation to try to find out whether a shipwreck beneath Ground Zero, unearthed in 1916 during construction of a subway line, is indeed the Tyger. Its tests will focus on eight feet of ship keel and ribs unearthed in that dig, says Margaret Connors McQuade, MCNY Director of Collections. The earliest known map of New Amsterdam, circa 1639, showing Manhattan, Staten Island, Fort Amsterdam, Brooklyn, the Bronx, plantations, windmills, and Native American villages. Photograph by Everett Collection/Bridgeman Images To determine the age and origin of these timber artifacts, the museum's researchers may use tree species identification, analysis of chemical signatures in the wood, and examination of tree ring patterns. 'The quest to confirm the Tyger's identity is not just a scientific endeavor, it is a journey into the city's earliest days,' explains MCNY President Stephanie Hill Wilchfort. MCNY curatorial and collections staff will collaborate with outside experts in the fields of marine archeology and dendrochronology, including Martijn Manders, Founding Head of the Maritime Programme, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, and Marta Domínguez Delmás, Senior Researcher at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands. How the Dutch came to control Manhattan New York as we know it may never have existed if not for the Tyger and its captain Adriaen Block, historians say. He mapped the area for the Dutch, and then in 1614 became the first European to settle what is now Manhattan, which at the time was inhabited by the Lenape tribe (whose language gave the island its present-day name). Yet Block is a curiously anonymous figure in New York. The city has no statue of him, only a bronze plaque at 45 Broadway, which details how Block built Manhattan's first European settlement on behalf of the Dutch. In the 1600s, at the time of Block's arrival, the Netherlands was a maritime superpower, competing with Spain, Portugal and Britain to 'discover' and colonize lands the world over. Spearheading its global expansion were captains like Block. Between 1611 and 1614, he led four voyages to the Hudson River region, which now encompasses New York City, says McQuade. Several of these expeditions were on board the Tyger. In the process, Block charted many waterways from New Jersey north to Cape Cod, including near Rhode Island's Block Island, which is named after him and has become a popular summer getaway. 'His cartographic work corrected key geographic misconceptions and laid the groundwork for future Dutch colonization in the region,' McQuade says. (Was Manhattan really sold to the Dutch for just $24?) Block also cataloged geography and natural resources, and this information convinced the Dutch that Manhattan was ripe for settlements. So, in 1614, Block came ashore at southern Manhattan and built four houses. This outpost grew over the course of several decades into New Amsterdam, part of a Dutch colony called New Netherland, which soon covered parts of what are now New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware. It wasn't until 1664, when the English seized Manhattan, that New York became its name. Timbers thought to be from the Tyger, on display at the Marine Gallery. Photograph Courtesy Museum of the City of New York After losing the Tyger to fire, Captain Adriaen Block constructed the "Onrust" with the help of the Lenape, depicted up in an illustration for Old Times in the Colonies by Charles Carleton Coffin. Photograph by Look and Learn/Bridgeman Images By then the Dutch had already built Fort Amsterdam, next to what is now The Battery, under the leadership of colonial governor Peter Minuit. New York may not have been founded by the Dutch in the 1620s if not for Block, says Jaap Jacobs, Dutch historian and expert on Dutch exploration of North America. Thanks to Block's detailed charting of the waters surrounding New York, the Dutch were able to create maps which let them gain a monopoly on shipping in this area. 'Without this development, the subsequent colonization by the Dutch West India Company from 1623 onwards would have been much more difficult,' Jacobs says. 'It may not have yielded the same result: the founding of New Amsterdam, and New York, in the 1620s.' (Colonial New York was rowdy, filthy, smelly) Tyger, Tyger, burning bright But when Block settled Manhattan in 1614, he was not sailing the Tyger, because that ship had sunk a few months earlier, McQuade says. The Tyger vanished after it caught fire accidentally while anchored in seas roughly where Ground Zero now stands. Three centuries then passed without any sign of the vessel. Then, in 1916, charred shipwreck timber was unearthed during subway construction at the corner of Greenwich and Dey streets, which now adjoins Ground Zero. 'Along with the timbers, they uncovered a Dutch broad-headed axe, trade beads, clay pipes, a length of chain, a small canon, and shards of blue and white pottery,' McQuade says. (When Henry Hudson first looked on Manhattan, what did he see?) At the time, amateur historian James A. Kelly swiftly reported these findings to several museums. It is possible that more remnants from that shipwreck are still buried beneath Ground Zero. Because the damaged vessel was never properly excavated, only a section of its keel and ribs were saved, McQuade says. Those timber artifacts spent decades gathering dust, first at the New York Aquarium and then at MCNY. But in 1955, fresh research supported the theory those materials came from the Tyger, McQuade says. Radiocarbon dating by Columbia University traced the timber to between 1595 and 1635, while an iron bolt from the same shipwreck was found to have been made about 1600 using a European smelting process. All of which hinted that the remains unearthed at Ground Zero may be from the Tyger. Yet it did not amount to proof. This 1651 engraving by Kryn Fredericks, shows 'The Hartgers View', the earliest known depiction of New Amsterdam, as it appeared in the 1620s. Photograph by Lebrecht History/Bridgeman Images So during the 1960s and 1970s, U.S. university researchers made new attempts to identify this shipwreck. Rather than clarifying the matter, those investigations only deepened the Tyger's enigma. One analysis concluded the Tyger might not have burned fully, and its materials may have been salvaged to build Block's replacement ship. Other studies suggested those remains could have been stolen by looters during the 1900s. Or that they are sitting in a museum storage facility somewhere in the U.S. just waiting to be rediscovered. Now, however, the MCNY hopes it can solve this puzzle by testing the shipwreck remains uncovered in 1916, says McQuade. Although the museum has held these artifacts for eight decades, this will be its most comprehensive investigation into their origins. Previous studies of the timber did not utilize tree ring pattern analysis. Also called dendrochronology, this is one of several scientific tools which may be used during the MCNY study, says McQuade. Dendrochronology lets researchers determine when and where a piece of timber was cut. Species identification, meanwhile, can reveal the type of tree a piece of timber came from. And isotopic analysis, which is also being considered by MCNY, studies chemical signatures in the wood to pinpoint its geographic origin. This shipwreck investigation is the museum's landmark project to mark New York's 400th anniversary, explains Wilchfort. 'Depending on the findings, they could be used in multiple future installations, including our permanent exhibition, New York at Its Core, the city's largest interactive timeline,' she says. For now, however, the mystery persists of which ship—the Tyger? Or another unknown vessel?—lurked for centuries beneath what would become one of the busiest places on earth, just waiting to be discovered and deciphered.
USA Today
12-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How the New York Knicks have botched their search for a new head coach
How the New York Knicks have botched their search for a new head coach Show Caption Hide Caption Carmelo Anthony on Knicks rumors, firing of Tom Thibodeau We caught up with Carmelo Anthony who was being honored by the Museum of the City of New York about the Knicks and what he wants to see in the offseason. Sports Seriously INDIANAPOLIS – The New York Knicks have botched their search for a new head coach. At this rate, they're going to ask the 29 other teams for permission to interview their coach and get denied permission 29 times. The Dallas Mavericks denied the Knicks permission to interview Jason Kidd. The Minnesota Timberwolves did the same with Chris Finch. The Houston Rockets did the same with Ime Udoka. The Chicago Bulls did the same with Billy Donovan and the Atlanta Hawks did the same with Quin Snyder, according to multiple reports. So what was their plan? Just hope that a team with a good coach was going to let a good coach go to the Knicks in exchange for a couple of second-round draft picks. When you fire a coach – a coach who just took your team to its first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 seasons and had established a winning identity and helped changed the perception of the franchise – you better have a list of coaches ready and available for interviews and the job. And since the Knicks do not appear to have that part of their house in order, it leads one to believe the front office had not planned on firing Thibodeau, which leads one to believe that Knicks owner James Dolan's fingerprints are Thibodeau's firing and the ensuing chaos. 'The Knicks have to be the damn stupidest people in the world,' TNT's Charles Barkley said before Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday. Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill reported that 'Dolan and team president Leon Rose held exit meetings with key Knicks players and the complaints were clear. Dolan, whom sources said was never a huge Thibodeau fan through the years, asked the questions in the meeting while Rose took a secondary role.' Somebody (or multiple somebodies) convinced Dolan that firing a successful coach with three years and $30 million was necessary. Was Thibodeau the perfect coach? Of course not. All coaches have flaws. He could've tried to develop more of a bench and give starters fewer minutes, but he also had considerable success. The Knicks hadn't had back-to-back 50-win seasons since the mid-1990s until they won 50 games in 2023-24 and 51 games in 2024-25. The Knicks look like the bumbling franchise they were before bringing in Rose and Thibodeau. And all the good work that has been done to make the Knicks a competent franchise is at risk of being undone. How do the Knicks salvage this? Great question. Former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and longtime NBA coach Mike Brown are available and names to watch. Jenkins has the right mix of challenging players while not embarrassing them, and Brown has experience with stars and big markets. Johnnie Bryant, a former New York Knicks assistant who spent last season as the associate head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers, is another name to watch. The Knicks will try to frame this as doing their due diligence and that they are in no rush to make a hire. That's hard to believe when they are knocking on the door of several big-name coaches who already have jobs with other teams.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Queens mom beaten brutally beaten on Randalls Island improving but still critical: family
The Queens single mother of two prosecutors say was brutally beaten on Randalls Island by an ex-con out on parole is improving but remains unconscious and in critical condition, her family said Friday. 'She's a little bit better,' 44-year-old victim Diana Agudelo's daughter Stephanie Rodas said. ''The doctor just told me to take it day by day. They don't really tell me anything long term.' Doctors have begun weaning Agudelo off medications meant to reduce the swelling in her brain to see if it will go down on its own, Rodas said. 'She had a drain on her head that would drain out the excess blood that would come out. They took out one of the drains,' Rodas added. Agudelo was biking home from her job as a janitor at an East Harlem museum on May 16, taking her usual short cut through Randalls Island to get to her Astoria apartment, when 30-year-old parolee and registered sex offender Miguel Jiraud viciously attacked her, repeatedly beating her in the head before taking off with her e-bike, according to prosecutors. The victim lay unconscious in a grassy area near the 103rd St. footbridge for nearly six hours until Jiraud, posing as a good Samaritan called police at about 5:15 a.m. the next morning, alerting them he discovered the wounded woman, prosecutors said. Rodas, and her 22-year-old brother have been at their mother's bedside at Elmhurst Hospital ever since, holding on to hope that she will improve. Last week doctors told the family that Agudelo had a '99% chance mortality rate with her injuries.' Even if all goes well, doctors said she will lose all or most of her ability to move the right side of her body and will be blind in the top of her right eye. She will also have memory issues, the extent of which is not clear. Rodas said Friday that her mother is beginning to look more like herself again. Initially, Agudelo was 'so swollen' that Rodas could hardly recognize her. 'She's looking better. Her [external] swelling has been going down,' Rodas said. 'It feels good to see. It's mostly external. Internal [swelling] we don't really know.' Agudelo's co-workers at the Museum of the City of New York have created a GoFundMe that has quickly raised more than $75,000 for her continued medical care. When asked Friday what she'd tell New Yorkers, Rodas said, 'Just to continue thinking of my mom and to thank them for all the prayers that they have sent my mother's way.'
New York Post
24-05-2025
- New York Post
Con who left beaten mom on NYC shoreline caught on video after the attack with wet clothes, boots: Prosecutors
The convicted rapist accused of beating a woman nearly to death near the Randall's Island shoreline was allegedly caught on camera with wet jeans and boots after the attack, prosecutors said. Miguel Jiraud, who is being held without bail in the brutal May 16 attack on Diana Agudelo, was caught on surveillance video apparently throwing the victim's e-bike into the Harlem River at 11:36 p.m. the day of the attack — roughly six minutes after she left her job at the Museum of the City of New York, according to a criminal complaint. Jiraud, 30, allegedly ambushed and savagely beat Agudelo, 44, as she rode the e-bike down an isolated path near East 125th Street on Randall's Island, leaving her clinging to life, sources and prosecutors said. Advertisement Fifteen minutes after he appeared to throw the bike into the water, Girard was seen on other footage approaching the HELP USA Keener homeless shelter at 64 Sunken Garden Loop from the direction of the shoreline where the e-bike was thrown, according to the complaint. 'I then observed the defendant enter the shelter,' an NYPD officer wrote in the complaint. 'I observed that the defendant was wearing a light colored/beige sweater with the word 'ESSENTIALS' printed on the front, light colored jeans that appeared to be wet on the buttocks, and work/Timberland boots that appeared wet.' 5 The victim was riding her bike on Randall's Island when she was allegedly attacked by a violent sex offender who had previously served 12 years for rape. Sinan – Advertisement Jiraud's GPS ankle monitor, which was a condition of his parole after serving 12 years in prison for rape, shows he made a beeline on the e-bike – up to 16 mph – to the shoreline. The bike was later recovered by SCUBA divers in the water. The 44-year-old victim was found between the rocks on the shoreline just north of the bridge early the next morning. Jiraud's GPS also puts him in the area where the victim was found, according to a criminal complaint. 5 Victim Diana Agudelo, of Astoria, with daughter, Stephanie, was allegedly attacked by a violent sex offender on May 16 as she was biking home from work. famly handout Advertisement 5 Attack victim Diana Agudelo, 44, was biking home from her job at the City Museum of New York in Manhattan. famly handout Agudelo was taken to Elmhurst Hospital and remains hospitalized with 'multiple brain bleeds, multiple skull fractures, a brain shift, abrasions and cuts on her back, and a penetrating wound to her left temple,' authorities said in the criminal complaint. She may not regain consciousness, authorities said. Her heartbroken daughter, Stephanie Rodas, said Friday she needed two surgeries, including one in which doctors removed part of her brain aht had been detached. Advertisement 5 Jiraud was led from the 25 Precinct station house to a car by detectives who took him to criminal court. Matthew McDermott 5 Jiraud, who is listed in the Sex Offender Registry, was captured on surveillance video entering a homeless shelter near the crime scene wearing wet pants and boots. New York Division of Criminal Justice Services 'They were almost about to do another surgery on her, a third, but it would have been deadly at this point,' the heartbroken 21-year-old said, adding that the doctors were putting her mom on medication to stop her brain activity. Jiraud, who called 911 himself to report the attack, was sent to Rikers Island without bail on an attempted murder charge Friday night. The violent sex offender, previously went to prison for 12 years for raping a woman in the Bronx in 2011. He was sprung on parole last year.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New York City Rallies Behind Iconic Museum of the City of New York for First Annual Gotham Dreams Gala
Gala to Honor Candace Bushnell, Carmelo Anthony, and John McEnroe to Celebrate the Unifying Impact of Sports, Media, and Entertainment on New York City NEW YORK, May 15, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is pleased to announce its first annual Gotham Dreams gala, taking place on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at Cipriani 42nd Street. This year's celebration will spotlight the unifying impact of sports, media, and entertainment in shaping the identity of the greatest city in the world. The Museum will honor Candace Bushnell, bestselling author, producer, and creator of Sex and the City, for her profound influence on New York City's cultural landscape; Carmelo Anthony, the Brooklyn-born, 10-time NBA All-Star, Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2025 inductee, entrepreneur, and philanthropist whose impact extends far beyond the basketball court; and John McEnroe, Hall of Fame tennis legend, New York Times #1 Best Seller, and philanthropist celebrated for his passion and excellence, both on and off the court. "We are proud to celebrate the vibrant role that sports, media, and entertainment play in bringing New Yorkers together," said Stephanie Hill Wilchfort, the Ronay Menschel Director and President of the Museum of the City of New York. "New York is the perfect backdrop to honor Candace Bushnell, Carmelo Anthony, and John McEnroe—each of whom has helped define the city's spirit through creativity, talent, and passion." "We're thrilled to unite passionate New Yorkers who believe in celebrating our city's rich past while boldly shaping its future," said Matt Brown, Board Chair of the Museum of the City of New York. "Together, we're not just preserving history—we're making it." The gala will convene a powerful coalition of corporate sponsors across New York's business and cultural communities including Apollo Global Management, Ares Management, Atlantic Investment Management, Avenue Capital Group, Bank of America, Blue Owl Capital, Brightstar Capital Partners, CAIS, Calamos Investments, Carlyle, Citco group of companies (Citco), Consello, Davidson Kempner Capital Management, Ernst & Young, Fortress Investment Group, Franklin Templeton Investments, FT Partners, GEM, GoldenTree Asset Management, Golub Capital, Grafine Partners, Hamilton Lane, Kinderhook Industries, Monroe Capital, MontaRosa, Morgan Stanley Global Sports & Entertainment, Newmark, Oak Hill Advisors, Partners Group, Prosek Partners, RBC, Silvercrest Asset Management, Sound Point Capital, Stone Point Capital, TPG Inc., Vista Equity Partners, and William Morris Endeavor. "I've always believed New York City is where dreams are born—and where they come true," said Candace Bushnell. "It's a pleasure to be recognized by the Museum of the City of New York, a place that tells the stories of this remarkable city with brilliance and heart." "New York is home – it's where I've poured my blood, sweat, and tears," said Carmelo Anthony. "The community here has always been my driving force and being recognized by the Museum of the City of New York, in the very place that shaped me, inspired me, and continues to support me, is a true honor." "To be honored by the Museum of the City of New York—a place that celebrates my home city and what I believe to be the greatest city in the world, is very exciting to me," said John McEnroe. The Gotham Dreams Co-Chairs include Christy and Ed Burns, Chris Brown, Marisa and Matt Brown, Cynthia and Bernard Curry III, Patricia and Alexander Farman-Farmaian, Ayla and Antonio Farnos, Meredith and Brian Feurtado, Elizabeth and Robert Jeffe, Cindy and Stephen Ketchum, Tracey and Kenneth Pontarelli, Ronay and Richard Menschel, Toby Milstein Schulman and Judah Schulman, Margaret Sung and Michael Schmidtberger, and Heather and Bill Vrattos. Proceeds from Gotham Dreams will support the Museum's public programs and educational initiatives that serve tens of thousands of New York City students and families each year, as well as its groundbreaking exhibition program—exemplified by critically acclaimed shows like Above Ground: Art from the Martin Wong Graffiti Collection, Urban Stomp: Dreams & Defiance on the Dance Floor, You Are Here: An Immersive Film Exhibition, and New York at Its Core. For more information, please visit About the Museum of the City of New York The Museum of the City of New York celebrates and interprets the city's history, art, popular culture, and civic life, highlighting New York's influence worldwide. Founded in 1923 as a private, nonprofit corporation, the Museum serves 200,000 visitors from around the world through exhibitions, school and public programs, publications, and collections. View source version on Contacts Chris Gormancgorman@ 917.492.3482
