Here is my final Zine for my Bridge 2 project. I researched and studied the Albertine, a French bookstore on the Upper East Side. I also studied Stanford White and the Payne Whitney Mansion.
Madeline Benfield
Daniel Penny
Integrative Seminar 2
7 March 2019
BRIDGE 2 – ALBERTINE
The Albertine is a place straight out of my dreams. Housed in the meticulously crafted Renaissance style Payne Whitney Mansion, one can’t help but feel like they’ve stepped into a European literary fairytale. Inside the lobby of the Payne Whitney Mansion is a Michelangelo statue, once thought to be a random European statue. The ceiling is decorated with flowers, vines, and cherubim surrounded by a marble rotunda with a staircase on the left. To the right of the rotunda is a sparkly Renaissance themed room, conjuring images of Marie Antoinette and the luxury of the French Old World. On the bottom floor of the Albertine, you might encounter several fast paced, energetic francophone employees stuffed to the brim with French literary knowledge. As you climb the stairs to the second floor of the bookstore, you are greeted with a ceiling more beautiful than anything you’ve seen in weeks – a hand painted astronomy themed mural of constellations, planets, and stars. You look up and stare in awe, seeing the beauty of the colors, texture, and composition.
New York is known as a melting pot of multiple cultures and nationalities – a glimpse of what the United States is known for. The most prevalent cultures in New York are of Hispanic, Asian, and European descent. Of the White European descent, only .9% of those are from France, making French rare and not prevalent in New York City like they are in other United States cities. I come from a life that revolves around French influences – consistently studying it in school, dedicating my time, energy, and resources into learning more about the language, the culture, and the people, and appreciating what the language has given me. My childhood was influenced by francophone lifestyle, periodically visiting Paris and being a six-hour drive from the French bayous and my family in deep Louisiana. Since moving to the city, I’ve felt very distant from the linguistics and culture back home, including the French language and the influence it has had on my family and personal life. The Albertine and all that it values is somewhat of a bridge between the French language that I hold so dear and the life I live now in New York City.
The Payne Whitney Mansion was designed by Stanford White, an iconic American architect. He changed New York’s landscape from brownstone and trade to being some of the European Renaissance. His architecture style was evident: decorative over structural, beautiful and sumptuous over functional. He promoted the American ideal for the Old-World style, shown in architecture like the Washington Square Park Arch and Madison Square Garden. He knew New York, and he knew New Yorkers, which was not only shown through his architecture but also his insane success. The Payne Whitney Mansion was originally a gift from Oliver Hazard Payne to his nephew Payne Whitney, eventually becoming the home of the French Cultural Services of the US, which then in turn created the Albertine.
Bibliography
“About Us.” ALBERTINE. Accessed March 03, 2019. http://www.albertine.com/about-us/.
“Albertine.” ALBERTINE. Accessed March 02, 2019. http://www.albertine.com/.
Britannica Academic, s.v. “Stanford White,” accessed March 3, 2019, https://academic-eb-com.libproxy.newschool.edu/levels/collegiate/article/Stanford-White/76810.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. “Stanford White.” Encyclopedia Britannic. November 05, 2018. Accessed March 03, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stanford-White.
The New York Tribune. 1906. “STANFORD WHITE.” The Construction News (1897-1916)22 (3) (Jul 21): 47. https://login.libproxy.newschool.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.newschool.edu/docview/128405256?accountid=12261.
“Payne Whitney Mansion.” French Culture. Accessed March 07, 2019. http://frenchculture.org/about-us/payne-whitney-mansion.