Upper West Side Historical Photo Challenge No. 9

By Rob Garber for the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group

Welcome to another installment in the Rag’s Historical Photo Challenge. The images above were taken somewhere on the Upper West Side, sometime in the past. Can you figure out where, when, and what they show? Look closely; this week’s challenge photos, like the others in the series, include clues that will help you identify the scene, if you’re a dedicated UWS history sleuth. And even if you don’t recognize the pictures—not to worry! Come back in two weeks and I’ll decode it, show you the clues that help identify them, and—best of all—tell you a story that the images unlock, because this column isn’t just a test of your neighborhood knowledge; it’s also a rolling celebration of the people, buildings and events that wove the tapestry of the Upper West Side.

Ready? If you think you know where and when the photos were taken and what they show, post your answer as a comment on this column.

Solution to Historical Photo Challenge #8
Subject: USS Granite State
Location: Hudson River at West 97th Street
Date: 1907-1909
Image Source: New York City Municipal Archives
Clues: As is often the case, the clues are in the background. It’s the UWS and the Hudson River, so that’s Riverside Drive past the massive ship’s prow. Look closely at the buildings—all are long gone, but two are Riverside Drive classics: the Peter Doelger mansion at West 100th Street and the Furniss Mansion between West 99th and 100th. The camera is pointed northeast, so we’re looking up 100th Street, and the row houses that appear to be on Riverside Drive are in fact on the north side of 100th.

Top left: USS Granite State docked at West 96th Street. Top right: fire insurance map showing field of view of mystery photo. Middle: enlargement of Riverside Drive buildings from mystery photo. Bottom left: Peter Doelger mansion. Bottom right: Furniss mansion.

The rest of the story: The tales of Riverside Drive mansions have been well told elsewhere, in Stephanie Azzarone’s book “Heaven on the Hudson” and in Tom Miller’s A Daytonian in Manhattan blog. But what’s the deal with the looming wooden ship with two massive anchors that seems to be tearing up a dock in the icy river?

This is the Granite State, a mighty warship that took 50 years to get built and never fired a shot in anger. Originally named the Alabama, she was commissioned at the end of the War of 1812 as part of an effort to rebuild the U.S. Navy. As the threat of war receded, money ran out and progress on construction stopped. By the time she was completed, the Civil War was raging, and Alabama wasn’t an appropriate name for a Union vessel. So she was launched as the New Hampshire. The New Hampshire was an enormous ship—200 feet long, designed for 74 cannon and a crew of 800! She was built from massive oak timbers and held together with copper from Paul Revere’s foundry—reportedly, 100 tons of copper, plus three gold spikes each weighing two pounds that were hammered in by dignitaries during the ship’s ceremonial keel laying.

Alas, the New Hampshire was an anachronism by the time she set sail—a wooden sailing ship in the age of steam and iron. But she was capacious, and served as a supply ship. In the 1880s she was used as a training ship and in that capacity was transferred to New York City in 1892, loaned to the New York Naval Militia, and decommissioned but still on the Naval List, as she had been since 1816. She arrived at her final berth at West 97th Street in 1907. By then her appearance had altered—her masts removed and her deck roofed over. Even her name changed—the Navy wanted New Hampshire for another ship, so she was renamed the Granite State.

As the Granite State, she served as an armory, training vessel, and sports center—Jack Dempsey trained for a title defense in her gym. In 1921 she caught fire when a slick of oil on the Hudson River ignited and was burned beyond repair. The Navy auctioned her for just $5,000 even though the value of her copper and oak was at least $70,000. She was patched and towed to New England to be salvaged but mysteriously caught fire again and sank for good in 30 feet of water off Manchester-by-the Sea in Massachusetts. Recreational divers have visited her many times and retrieved hundreds of pieces of copper. Our mystery photo gives a good sense of how enormous she was—compare her bulk to the men on the dock. I don’t know if the ship caused the damage to the dock. The photo was taken in the narrow window between the Granite State’s arrival at West 97th Street in June 1907 and the demolishing of the Furniss Mansion in late 1909—two survivors from the early days of the Republic.

Top left: USS Granite State in her configuration as a training vessel. Top right: Jack Dempsey training in the ship’s gymnasium. Center: Waterfront survey map prepared by the Department of Docks showing the complex of buildings onshore near the Granite State, whose name and outline have been marked out in red after her demise. Bottom: the Granite State’s hulk being towed away on her final voyage in March 1922, with Riverside Drive in the background.

Shoutout to Readers: The ship photo proved to be quite a challenge. Buzz Killington correctly identified West 96th Street as the location, and a Hat Tip to Vigil Thompson for evoking the visual of Ethel Merman swimming in the Central Park Meer!

…and that’s the story behind the mystery image.  Now scroll back to the top of the column and take on your next challenge, Sherlockians!  If you’ve missed any pictures in this series, here is the complete collection.

About the author:  Rob Garber has lived on the Upper West Side since the late 20th century and is a member of the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group. To learn more, visit their website. All photos in Upper West Side Historical Photo Challenge are used by permission.

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