Rooftops were part of the everyday life of tenement dwellers of New York City. For those tenants who lived on the upper floors of a tenement, rooftops were as important as the sidewalks and the streets below. Summer heat added high temperatures to the tight living in tenement apartments. The rooftops became a respite after the sun went down. Blankets and newspapers on rooftops provided places to sit and enjoy the early evening breezes. During Spring, Summer, and Fall the rooftop played its role as a place for drying the laundry or for the newborn’s bassinet. For those who could find the time, the rooftop, or tar beach as it became known, provided the place for a summer tan. The rooftop also provided the space for tenant gatherings for conversation and partying.
Richard, his father, and baby sister, Erna, on the tar roof of their tenement in 1934.
Time has changed the function of New York rooftops. Urban growth, high-rise architecture and a diet conscious populace have provoked the greening of New York rooftops. Urban agriculture and gardening have changed the scenery of the roofs of New York. A more imaginative and civic-minded generation have created a multitude of happier uses for older structures.
Photo of roof garden in Manhattan from The Daily Mail Reporter.
The High Line on Manhattan’s West Side has opened the door to developing a refreshing approach to the use of an abandoned railway line.
High Line Park on Manhattan's West Side.
The photos above are from an article in The Daily Mail Reporter about green roofs in Manhattan: Green Roofs.
What a contrast. New York must be a much richer city now but people are growing their own food on rooftops. I wonder what parts of the city have the most gardens?
Jo:
When you look over the total scene, there are many kinds of responses to roof top space. There are gardens to just beautify. There are gardens which are for growing herbs and vegetables. Some of these look like they are for commercial use. Then there are those roof tops which are for art purposes, which can be enjoyed mostly from on high. This should be up your alley.
Dad
Ver Steeg. I had courses from him in summer of 1947. One day he ranted about Roosevelt and blamed him for something (accommodation with Russians?) that actually occurred after his death. I let out a low sigh but he heard it, turned red, and yelled, “Who made that noise?”. I stayed silent. Ruth (?) Rosborough after class told me I had done well to stay silent: if I had ‘fessed up, Ver Steeg might have had a stroke.
Hitchhiking NYC to Wooster. I used to take bus to Jersey side of G. Washington Bridge and start from there.
1948 election. First time that I voted. I voted absentee ballot for Norman Thomas. I recall that Norman Thomas spoke at Wooster and there were lots of empty seats in front. He urged people to move down, saying, “I have nothing to offer but Socialism and it is not contagious.”
Remember Jack Wilson? He lived at Behoteguy’s. When he transferred to Univ. Of Chicago at mid year, 1946-47, I got his room at Behoteguy’s.
Sept. 1948. I attended Wallace rally at Yankee Stadium. Went out of curiosity but most of the people around me seemed to be true believers.
At Oberlin seminary during 1948 election. Chicago Tribune headline (premature) about Dewey winning. Oberlin College Library canceled its subscription to Chicago Tribune but for months kept that issue of the Tribune on display in the Library’s lobby and hordes of students dropped by to see it.
Bonthius’s Niebuhr seminar at Wooster. Included a lecture on campus by Niebuhr, which I came down from Oberlin to hear.
Will Herberg. I seem to recall that he later became a right-winger, to Niebuhr’s disgust.
John C. Bennett. I heard that he was of working class origin, with his father working as a church janitor.
Niebuhr’s Moral Man and Immoral Society. I understand that he later said he should have called it, Immoral Man and Even More Immoral Society.
Parallel: you met Eunice at beginning of fifth semester of seminary, and I met my Mary at end of my fifth semester of seminary. Like you folks, Mary and I fell in love very quickly.
I enjoyed Sidewalks of New York very much. I was impressed by the varied experiences that you had and all the distinguished persons whom you met and the great memory you have for details and for names. Thanks a lot for sharing. Are there more memoirs to come?
Ver Steeg. I had courses from him in summer of 1947. One day he ranted about Roosevelt and blamed him for something (accommodation with Russians?) that actually occurred after his death. I let out a low sigh but he heard it, turned red, and yelled, “Who made that noise?”. I stayed silent. Ruth (?) Rosborough after class told me I had done well to stay silent: if I had ‘fessed up, Ver Steeg might have had a stroke.
Hitchhiking NYC to Wooster. I used to take bus to Jersey side of G. Washington Bridge and start from there.
1948 election. First time that I voted. I voted absentee ballot for Norman Thomas. I recall that Norman Thomas spoke at Wooster and there were lots of empty seats in front. He urged people to move down, saying, “I have nothing to offer but Socialism and it is not contagious.”
Remember Jack Wilson? He lived at Behoteguy’s. When he transferred to Univ. Of Chicago at mid year, 1946-47, I got his room at Behoteguy’s.
Sept. 1948. I attended Wallace rally at Yankee Stadium. Went out of curiosity but most of the people around me seemed to be true believers.
At Oberlin seminary during 1948 election. Chicago Tribune headline (premature) about Dewey winning. Oberlin College Library canceled its subscription to Chicago Tribune but for months kept that issue of the Tribune on display in the Library’s lobby and hordes of students dropped by to see it.
Bonthius’s Niebuhr seminar at Wooster. Included a lecture on campus by Niebuhr, which I came down from Oberlin to hear.
Will Herberg. I seem to recall that he later became a right-winger, to Niebuhr’s disgust.
John C. Bennett. I heard that he was of working class origin, with his father working as a church janitor.
Niebuhr’s Moral Man and Immoral Society. I understand that he later said he should have called it, Immoral Man and Even More Immoral Society.
Parallel: you met Eunice at beginning of fifth semester of seminary, and I met my Mary at end of my fifth semester of seminary. Like you folks, Mary and I fell in love very quickly.
I enjoyed Sidewalks of New York very much. I was impressed by the varied experiences that you had and all the distinguished persons whom you met and the great memory you have for details and for names. Thanks a lot for sharing. Are there more memoirs to come?
Dick:
Many thanks for reading the entire “On the Sidewalks of New York” – at least it appears that way from your overall response. By the way, I have recorded these chapters which are appearing on podcasts – one chapter per week.
You have confirmed some of my own beliefs and leanings by your comments – especially about Prof. Ver Steeg and also Will Herberg. I did not know about John Bennett’s family background. It makes sense since he stayed more on the left tangent than Niebuhr.
There are more memoirs – there is Book II which is the organizing of a congregation in working class Buffalo suburb. It appears on daughter Margeret’s website:www.margaretpoethig/family.com
I hope someday that you are able to produce your own autobiography which I know you have written.
Richard