The Old Met Opera
House,NYC( 22nd Oct.1883. – 16th April,1966.)
and the New York Society……
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/05/metropolitan-opera-house.html
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/11/at-met-part-1.html
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/11/at-met-part-2.html
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/11/at-met-part-3.html
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/11/at-met-part-4-closing-gala.html
The Metropolitan
Opera House
Originally the elite
of New York went to the Academy
of Music to attend opera, but by the
1880's The wealthy New York
families that had been banded from the Academy decided they wanted an opera
house of their own. Architect J. Cleaveland Candy was hired to build an opera
house twice as large as the Academy and to be far more luxurious. Immediately
private boxes were put up for sale but were limited. As soon as they went up
for sale 25 of the nouveau riche families, such as Vanderbilt, Goelet, Morgan,
Wilson, Gould and Rockefeller, bought boxes for around $15,000 each and soon
after many other families followed.
Candy was instructed
to design the building to fit as many boxes as he could (there were over 250
nouveau riche who all wanted private boxes so there would need to be plenty of
space) and also to include several luxuriously designed rooms.
The opening night, 22nd
Oct.1883. was a lavish scene of musicians, actors and richly clad ladies and
gentlemen. Christine Nilsson topped the evening off with the "Jewel
Song" after which a beautiful golden casket was given to her. The wealthy
spectators watched with joy as they new that they had beaten the Academy.
After that night the
Academy closed it's doors and the old New
York families all moved to the Met as it was called.
Old New York families such as The Astors,
Fish, Van Alens, Mortons, Livingstons and The
Barlows bought boxes while other like Mary Mason Jones shared with others. All
in all there were 122 boxes, 83 of which were occupied. A decade later
renovations were done to the boxes and lush decorations were added all over the
place. The first tier of boxes was where the most fashionable sat, it was
called the "Diamond Horeshoe" ( Mrs. Astor always maintained that it
was named that because of her famous 200 stone diamond necklace although that
has never been proved ) while the second tier housed the nobodies according to
society.
The auditorium was
the largest room in New York
and had 3,200 seats. At one end was a grand entrance while the other was the
massive stage.
The stage was
designed to be able to hold the hundreds of actors that performed there it was
2 stories high and was equipped with the latest machines to help to help the
act run smoothly.
Of it's many patrons,
the strongest patron of the Met was Grace Wilson Vanderbilt, wife of Cornelius
Vanderbilt III. Very many people agree that after Mrs. Astor died Grace took
over as queen of society and one of her entertaining spots was in her private
box at the Met, where she could receive prominent guests and foreign
dignitaries.
After so many years
of glory and triumph, the Met was demolished in 1966 with the Gala Farewell
concert on the 16th April,1966., 14 years after it's strongest
patron died. Today it is occupied by just another apartment building.
Caroline Webster
Schermerhorn Astor
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/39849/Caroline-Webster-Schermerhorn-Astor
Caroline Webster
Schermerhorn Astor, née Caroline Webster Schermerhorn (born Sept. 22, 1830, New
York, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 30, 1908, New York City), the doyenne of American high society in the
latter half of the 19th century, who held the ground of “old money” in the face
of changing times and values.
Caroline Schermerhorn
was the daughter of a wealthy merchant and had colonial Dutch aristocracy on
both sides of her family tree. Her marriage to William Astor, son of William
Backhouse Astor and grandson of John Jacob Astor, in September 1853 united her
fortune with an even greater one. Her social career was unremarkable until the
late 1860s, when the social and political turmoil of a rapidly expanding and
industrializing economy threw up numbers of nouveaux riches eager for
admittance to the upper circles. Astor determined to be the arbiter of society
and to maintain the primacy of family and old wealth. In this ambition she had
first to unseat her sister-in-law, Mrs. John Jacob Astor III, and to that end
she enlisted the support of Ward McAllister, well-known socialite, bon vivant,
snob, promoter of Newport, and unspoken arbiter of the ranks of “the Four
Hundred” (the social elite). By dint of lavish entertainments, notably her
annual January balls and her more exclusive dinner parties, and sheer force of
personality, she succeeded in both ambitions. She was forced to concede
somewhat in calling on the parvenu Alva E.S. Vanderbilt Belmont in 1883 in
order to secure an invitation for her daughter to the great Vanderbilt costume
ball, but through the 1880s and ’90s she managed to hold the upper crust
together in a semblance of its old self. Her unshakable insistence on being
recognized as the head of the family and being addressed simply as “Mrs. Astor”
following the death of John J. Astor III in 1890 was to a large degree
responsible for the removal of William Waldorf Astor and his wife to England later
that year. Caroline Astor was the owner of an impressive collection of jewelry,
which she wore ostentatiously. Her stature as the grande dame of American
aristocratic society survived in the public estimation even after the
inevitable passing of the kind of society that could be so dominated. An
invalid in her last two years, she died at her Fifth Avenue home.
photos
https://www.google.hr/search?q=caroline+astor&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=7qACU7GUIOLk4QTC7oHYBA&ved=0CCUQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=623
Astor Lives and Astor
Wives, Part I
http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/615
7.28.06 - Caroline
Schermerhorn Astor, known in her lifetime and long after as the Mrs. Astor,
died in 1908 in the double mansion that occupied most of the block on Fifth
Avenue between 65th and 66th Street, which she shared with her son and his
family. She was 78.
In her dotage, around
the turn of the 19th/20th century, Lina Astor (as she was known to friends) had
become isolated by her failing mind. Her son John Jacob Astor IV and her
grandson Vincent looked after her, allowing her to live in the splendor to
which she had long been accustomed with a staff and caregivers who accommodated
her whims which included her “entertainments,” all a charade, of course.
Vincent, who was in his mid-teens at the time, was often the only other family
member in residence, and was solicitous and sympathetic about his grandmother’s
failing mental health.
A century later,
Vincent’s widow, Brooke Astor, now in her 104th year, is at the center of a
scandalous controversy over the quality of her care. She is unaware of any of
this, according to reports, because she is suffering from Alzheimers. But her
grandson, Philip Marshall, has accused his father, Mrs. Astor’s son, Anthony
Marshall, of basically depriving Mrs. Astor of the finest care her fortune
could allow, while also implying that the Astor millions are being used to
enhance his father’s lifestyle.
Utter neglect of the
aged and infirm is not an uncommon story, although rarely discussed or
addressed: they are easy and frequent targets for deprivation and other
cruelties, and often by members of their own families, including their
children. Resentments harbored over generations are activated late in life
sometimes explain the circumstances, and the elder generation has no recourse
but to take what they get. That may or may not partly explain Mrs. Astor’s dilemma,
although it’s only a guess.
The great irony, if
the accusations have any truth, is that Mr. Marshall’s birth father J. Dryden
Kuser, who was Mrs. Astor’s first husband (they married when she was 17) was,
in her words, a sadist who was frequently physically abusive toward her and she
divorced him after a little more than ten years of marriage.
On Wednesday, the
allegations of abuse and neglect came to light when Philip Marshall petitioned
the court to remove his father as his grandmother’s guardian and appoint
Annette de la Renta, a longtime close friend of Mrs. Astor, in his place. That
day, Justice John Stackhouse of the New
York State
Supreme Court granted an order appointing Mrs. de la Renta guardian and
JPMorganChase in charge of her finances.
The question everyone
was asking: were the charges true? Was Mr. Marshall neglecting his mother’s
best interests while enriching himself with the Astor millions? Mr. Marshall
said he is "shocked and deeply hurt by the allegations against me, which are
completely untrue." For those close to the situation, it is obviously not
a new story. Mrs. de la Renta as well as David Rockefeller and Henry Kissinger,
all old and close friends of Mrs. Astor, had supplied affidavits supporting
Philip Marshall’s petition for a change in guardianship. None is inclined to
make decisions based on paltry evidence.
Astor
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/14046911/ns/us_news-life/t/court-filing-claims-brooke-astor-lives-squalor/#.UwKmUuVRpjs
NEW YORK — She wears torn nightgowns and sleeps on
a couch that smells of urine. Her bland diet includes pureed peas and oatmeal.
Her dogs, once a source of comfort, are kept locked in a pantry.
A court filing
alleges that this is the life of 104-year-old Brooke Astor, the
multimillionaire Manhattan
socialite who dedicated much of her vast fortune to promoting culture and
alleviating human misery.
Astor married into a
family that at one time was among America’s wealthiest and most
prominent. Her late husband’s father, John Jacob Astor 4th, died in the sinking
of the Titanic; his grandmother, Caroline Astor, led New York society for 25
years during the Gilded Age of the late 19th century; and his
great-great-grandfather, John Jacob Astor, became America’s wealthiest man by
1840.
The court papers —
filed last week and reported on Wednesday by the Daily News — blame the alleged
misery and squalor inside Astor’s Park Avenue
duplex on her only child, Anthony Marshall, who controls her $45 million
portfolio.
The accuser: Astor’s
grandson Philip Marshall.
He alleges in a sworn
statement that his 82-year-old father “has turned a blind eye to her,
intentionally and repeatedly ignoring her health, safety, personal and
household needs, while enriching himself with millions of dollars.”
Court hearing on Aug.
8
The court papers —
which were sealed on Wednesday — seek to remove Anthony Marshall as legal
guardian and replace him with Annette de la Renta, the wife of Oscar de la
Renta, and J.P. Morgan Chase bank.
Advertise
A call to Anthony
Marshall was not immediately returned. The former diplomat and Broadway
producer declined to discuss the case with the Daily News, saying, “It is a
matter that is going to be coming up in a court of law and it should be left to
the court.” A hearing was scheduled for Aug. 8.
Philip Marshall’s
allegations regarding his grandmother have the backing in sworn statements of
such famous names as Henry Kissinger and David Rockefeller, who both attended
Astor’s 100th birthday gala four years ago.
“This is a remarkable
and extraordinary woman who has given so much to so many, and he wants to see
that in her last days she’s given what she needs,” said Rockefeller spokesman
Fraser Seitel. “She can afford it, and she deserves it.”
Astor ran the Astor
Foundation after the death of her third husband, Vincent Astor, in 1959.
Lavish legacy
Brooke Astor gave
millions to the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Carnegie Hall and the Museum
of Natural History. But
she also funded smaller projects such as new windows for a nursing home and was
noted for personally visiting the places she helped out.
“Money is like
manure, it should be spread around,” was her oft-quoted motto.
Astor has faded from
sight in recent years amid declining health, including two broken hips. Once
she was confined to her apartment, court papers allege, she was denied many of
the staples of her high-society life.
Her son allegedly replaced
her costly face creams with petroleum jelly. A French chef was fired, leaving
her at the mercy of an “unmotivated cook” serving pureed peas, liver, carrots
and oatmeal, court papers say.
Her dogs, Boysie and
Girlsie, have been confined to a pantry for the last six months to keep them
from damaging the apartment, the papers say. Philip Marshall also alleges that
nurses had to use their own money to buy hair bonnets and no-skid socks for the
elderly woman when requests for the items were denied.
“Her bedroom is so
cold in the winter that my grandmother is forced to sleep in the TV room in
torn nightgowns on a filthy couch that smells, probably from dog urine,” Philip
Marshall said in his affidavit.
Astor Mansion At 65th Street
1. http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/05/astor-mansion-at-65th-street.html
2.http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/07/astor-double-mansion-on-fifth-avenue.html
3.http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/06/vincent-astor-townhouse.html
Vincent Astor, the
Man Who Gave Away the Money
http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/315349/print
At the end of the
19th century, the Astor family were the biggest landlords in New York. They owned hundreds of acres all
over Manhattan,
especially focusing on land on or adjacent to Broadway, running all the way up
to 150th Street.
The first John Jacob Astor, born in Germany, came to this country in
the late 18th century, selling musical instruments. From that he expanded into
fur-trading, selling much of his merchandise to the Chinese. With the profits
he started buy land in Manhattan.
At that time, uptown was Greenwich Village.
The only roadway that existed farther up island was Broadway which was
originally an native Indian trail that ran in just about the same direction it
runs today, being the only street that was not altered when the grid was
installed in the early 19th century.
Mrs. Astor and the
Gilded Age
http://mrsastor.com/content/page/3/
Grace Vanderbilt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Vanderbilt
Grace Graham Wilson
Vanderbilt (September 3, 1870 – January 7, 1953) was an American socialite. She
was the wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt III. She was one of the last Vanderbilts
to live the luxurious life of the "head of society" that her
predecessors such as Alice and Alva Vanderbilt enjoyed.
photos
https://www.google.hr/search?q=grace+wilson+vanderbilt&client=opera&hs=A8E&channel=suggest&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=B6MCU9ipKIbo4QSzr4CYCw&ved=0CCcQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=623
Two Vanderbilt Women
At The Opera
Caption: American
socialites Grace Wilson Vanderbilt (1870 - 1953) and Anne Gordon Colby
Vanderbilt smile as they attend opening night of the Metropolitan Opera season,
New York, New
York, mid to late 1930s. Anne Gordon Colby Vanderbilt
is the wife of the son of Grace Wilson Vanderbilt's husband's brother. (Photo
by Bert Morgan/Getty Images)
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-last-vanderbilt-stronghold-640.html
Every year, at the
opening of the Metropolitan Opera House, Grace's arrival was always the one
most looked forward to. Her box at the Met was located on the famous first tier
of boxes, the famous "Diamond Horseshoe" as it was called (Mrs. Astor
had always claimed that the "Diamond Horsehoe" had been named after
her famous 200 stone diamond necklace, which she had always worn at the opening
of the opera).
Grace would have a
red carpet rolled out across the sidewalk to lead the guests inside. Greeting
guests inside, she would be beside two footmen in livery, welcoming them
inside. Although she hated the press, they loved her. She was mostly
photographed at the opening of the Metropolitan Opera.
Grace Vanderbilt
Never Missed The Opening Of The Metropolitan Opera House, Not Until Her Death
Would She Ever Miss One
The Last Home of
Grace Vanderbilt
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-last-home-of-grace-vanderbilt.html
In 1949 Grace gave
her last party, her famed opera ball, and after that she unable to attend the
opera, arriving last time in a wheelchair. She was rarely visited, and then
only by intimate friends and family. Her son's visits were once or twice a
year. The dame was growing feeble and blind. In 1950 she quit the lease on all
the downstairs furniture, leaving the first floor empty, except for a few
pieces of furniture she owned. The portrait of The Commodore was given to Vanderbilt University, along with a few other
heirlooms. In 1952 Grace Vanderbilt died, worrying if the money would last. Afterwards
her son, left literally penniless, auctioned off 1048 Fifth Avenue and sold everything.
Met Opera,NYC
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/11/at-met-part-1.html
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/11/at-met-part-2.html
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/11/at-met-part-3.html
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/11/at-met-part-4-closing-gala.html
Sounds of The Met
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/sounds/index.aspx
A list of every
performer (singer, dancer, or conductor) with one hundred performances or more
http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm
Performances
Statistics through July 2013
http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm
Search results for:
met opera on demand streaming
http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm