Welcome
The Hall of Fame
for Great Americans at Bronx Community College, the original "Hall
of Fame" in this country, is a New York landmark institution founded
in 1900
|
| The
Hall of Fame 630-foot open-air Colonnade |
to honor prominent Americans who have had
a significant impact on this nation's history. The Hall of Fame was originated
by Dr. Henry Mitchell MacCracken, Chancellor of New York University from
1891 to 1910, and was designed as part of the construction of an undergraduate
college of that university.
Built in a sweeping semicircular Neo-Classical arc with wings at either
end, it provides a panorama across the Harlem River to the Cloisters in
Fort Tryon Park and beyond to the Palisades. It is a unique and patriotic
reminder that this country's phenomenal growth has been due to the vitality,
ingenuity, and intellect of these individuals.
The principal feature of the Hall of Fame is its 630-foot open-air Colonnade,
which houses the bronze portrait busts of the honorees. Designed by the
celebrated architect Stanford White and financed by a gift from Mrs. Finley
J. Shepard (Helen Gould) to New York University, the Hall of Fame was formally
dedicated on May 30, 1901.
| |
Alexander Graham Bell
(1847 - 1922) |
| |
Eli Whitney
(1765 - 1825) |
| |
George Westinghouse
(1846 - 1914) |
The complex of three buildings adjoining the
Colonnade-Gould Memorial Library, the Hall of Languages, and Cornelius
Baker Hall of Philosophy-were also designed by Stanford White and bear
a close conceptual relationship to the Colonnade, with the library as
the central focus. These three buildings were among the first constructed
on the University Heights campus-Language Hall (1894), Gould Memorial
Library (1899), and Philosophy Hall (1912).
The Colonnade was designed with niches to accommodate 102 sculptured works
and currently houses the busts and commemorative plaques of 98 of the
102 honorees elected since 1900.
The 98 bronze busts that line the Colonnade are original works by distinguished
American sculptors. The bronze tablets recessed in the wall beneath the
busts carry inscriptions of significant statements made by the men and
women honored. Among the master sculptors represented here are Daniel
Chester French, sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial; James Earl Fraser, whose
work includes the figures of “Justice” and “Law”
for the U.S. Supreme Court, and Frederick MacMonnies, whose reliefs grace
Fifth Avenue’s Washington Arch. The Hall of Fame’s 98 portrait
busts have been called “the largest and finest collection of bronze
busts anywhere in our country.” The categories of occupation or
endeavor represented in the Hall of Fame are authors, educators, architects,
inventors, military leaders, judges, theologians, philanthropists, humanitarians,
scientists, statesmen, artists, musicians, actors, and explorers.
The Hall of Fame for Great Americans is rich in history, unrivaled for
its architecture, and serves as a focus for educational reinforcement
and a stage for related programs and exhibits. The Hall of Fame is open
to the public for tours daily between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Admission is free.
Contact Info
For further information call (718) 289-5161
Tour Guides: Susan & Art Zuckerman
Awards:
- The New York Landmarks Conservancy Lucy G. Moses
Preservation Award 1998. The Conservancy’s highest honor for outstanding
preservation efforts.
- The Municipal Art Society of New York Preservation
Award 1998.
|
