MacDowell Club (New York)
Encyclopedia
The MacDowell Club of New York was one of many women's clubs by the same name around the country supporting the MacDowell Colony
, the artists’ retreat in Peterborough, New Hampshire
. The MacDowell Clubs around the country were part of a social movement to promote music and art in America.
.
At the end of May 1911, the Club moved to a spacious building at 108 W 55th Street, which featured a large vaulted gallery.
In 1924 the MacDowell Club purchased the old converted Marquand stable — located at 166 East 73rd Street — from the Joseph Pulitzer
estate. Richard Morris Hunt
had designed the original building for art collector Henry Gurdon Marquand
in 1883. Shortly after Marquard's death, the building was sold to Joseph Pulitzer
, then publisher of the New York World
, who lived several blocks to the east at 73rd and Park. A fire swept the building in 1935 and destroyed prints by Whistler, Hassam and others.
In 1979, the Landmarks Preservation Commission proposed 12 of the 13 stable and garage buildings on the block for designation, excluding the Marquand building. A year later Halina Rosenthal, head of the block association and later founder of the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, lobbied the commission to include the Marquand stable in the designation, which it did in 1981.
. Two months after its founding, Gustav Mahler
, then the conductor of The New York Philharmonic Orchestra, invited the chorus to perform with the orchestra. In 1912, Schindler changed the name to "Schola Cantorum." Schindler continued to conduct the Schola until January 1926, when he accepted an offer to take charge of the Roxy Theatre. Hugh Ross
later became the director of the Schola.
MacDowell Colony
The MacDowell Colony is an art colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, U.S.A., founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell. She established the institution and its endowment chiefly with donated funds...
, the artists’ retreat in Peterborough, New Hampshire
Peterborough, New Hampshire
Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,284 at the 2010 census. Home to the MacDowell Art Colony, the town is a popular tourist destination....
. The MacDowell Clubs around the country were part of a social movement to promote music and art in America.
Facilities in New York
Organized in 1905, the MacDowell Club was initially located at the old Metropolitan Opera HouseMetropolitan Opera House (39th St)
The Metropolitan Opera House was an opera house located at 1411 Broadway in New York City. Opened in 1883 and demolished in 1967, it was the first home of the Metropolitan Opera Company.-History:...
.
At the end of May 1911, the Club moved to a spacious building at 108 W 55th Street, which featured a large vaulted gallery.
In 1924 the MacDowell Club purchased the old converted Marquand stable — located at 166 East 73rd Street — from the Joseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911), born Politzer József, was a Hungarian-American newspaper publisher of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the New York World. Pulitzer introduced the techniques of "new journalism" to the newspapers he acquired in the 1880s and became a leading...
estate. Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt was an American architect of the nineteenth century and a preeminent figure in the history of American architecture...
had designed the original building for art collector Henry Gurdon Marquand
Henry Gurdon Marquand
Henry Gurdon Marquand , American philanthropist and collector, was born in New York City on 11 April 1819. In 1839, upon the retirement from the jewelry business of his brother, Frederick , who was a liberal benefactor of Yale College and of the Union Theological Seminary, he became his brother's...
in 1883. Shortly after Marquard's death, the building was sold to Joseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911), born Politzer József, was a Hungarian-American newspaper publisher of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the New York World. Pulitzer introduced the techniques of "new journalism" to the newspapers he acquired in the 1880s and became a leading...
, then publisher of the New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
, who lived several blocks to the east at 73rd and Park. A fire swept the building in 1935 and destroyed prints by Whistler, Hassam and others.
In 1979, the Landmarks Preservation Commission proposed 12 of the 13 stable and garage buildings on the block for designation, excluding the Marquand building. A year later Halina Rosenthal, head of the block association and later founder of the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, lobbied the commission to include the Marquand stable in the designation, which it did in 1981.
Notable art exhibitors
- Edward HopperEdward HopperEdward Hopper was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. While most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching...
, 1912 - George BellowsGeorge BellowsGeorge Wesley Bellows was an American realist painter, known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City, becoming, according to the Columbus Museum of Art, "the most acclaimed American artist of his generation".-Youth:Bellows was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio...
, 1917 - Colin Campbell CooperColin Campbell CooperColin Campbell Cooper, Jr. was an American Impressionist painter, perhaps most renowned for his architectural paintings, especially of skyscrapers in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. An avid traveler, he was also known for his paintings of European and Asian landmarks, as well as natural...
, 1912 - William Laurel HarrisWilliam Laurel HarrisWilliam Laurel Harris was an American muralist, educator, editor and arts organizer.Harris was member Municipal Art Society , the Architectural League of New York , The National Mural Painters Society, and The Fine Arts Federation; he also founded the Art Centre with Katherine...
, Saint Francis de Sales before Pope Clement VIII - Helen Farnsworth MearsHelen Farnsworth MearsHelen Farnsworth Mears was an American sculptor.-Early life and career:Mears was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and studied at the State Normal School in Oshkosh, and art in New York City and Paris...
, one of 3 bronze bas-reliefs of Edward MacDowellEdward MacDowellEdward Alexander MacDowell was an American composer and pianist of the Romantic period. He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites "Woodland Sketches", "Sea Pieces", and "New England Idylls". "Woodland Sketches" includes his most popular short piece, "To a Wild Rose"...
MacDowell Chorus
The MacDowell Chorus formed in November 1909, under the direction of Kurt SchindlerKurt Schindler
Kurt Schindler was a German-born American composer and conductor. He came to the United States in 1905 to serve as an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, and founded the MacDowell Chorus. Much of his choral output consisted of folksong arrangements, though he composed original pieces...
. Two months after its founding, Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
, then the conductor of The New York Philharmonic Orchestra, invited the chorus to perform with the orchestra. In 1912, Schindler changed the name to "Schola Cantorum." Schindler continued to conduct the Schola until January 1926, when he accepted an offer to take charge of the Roxy Theatre. Hugh Ross
Hugh Ross (musician)
Hugh C. M. Ross , was a choral director and conductor of the Schola Cantorum of New York....
later became the director of the Schola.
Charter members
- Kate Sara ChittendenKate Sara ChittendenKate Sara Chittenden was an American professor of music, music school founder, and piano teacher...
- Mrs. Edgar L. Street (b. Somerset, PennsylvaniaSomerset, Pennsylvania-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,762 people, 3,035 households, and 1,717 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,466.0 people per square mile . There were 3,313 housing units at an average density of 1,208.2 per square mile...
; d. 1935 New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
)