In the Course of the Day's Business: The Real-life History of The Gilded Age in NYC, Season 3 Episode 6

Delmonico’s on 5th Avenue and 44th Street. The Metropolitan Opera House was only a couple of blocks away. From The New Metropolis, Memorable Events of Three Centuries, 1600-1900 by E. Idell Zeisloft.

Delmonico’s Restaurant

This storied New York City institution has its origins in a small cafe on William Street run by Swiss brothers Pietro and Giovanni Del-Monico. It provided a la carte items such as pastries, chocolates, coffee, wine, and fine ices proved to be an immensely successful endeavor. The brothers soon expanded the cafe along with the scope of their offerings, with the “Delmonico and Brother” restaurant français helping to popularize the French style of dining in New York at a time when most folks still ate at establishments such as oyster houses, saloons, and hotels.

The Delmonico’s on Beaver and William Streets (The Citadel), c. 1880. This building was razed in 1890 to make way for the current building. From Valentine’s Manual of the City of New York, edited by Henry Collins Brown, 1917-1918.

The brothers bought a 220 acre farm in Williamsburg where they grew their own fresh produce for the cafe, including vegetables that couldn’t be sourced in local markets. Their first restaurant was destroyed during the Great Fire of 1835, which engulfed a large swath of lower Manhattan. They had purchased a hotel nearby and moved their operations there as they built a brand new building situated between Beaver and William Streets. The new Delmonico’s was much larger, and with it came a more expansive menu, which was printed in both English and French and ran to 11 pages.

The west side of Broadway from Warren to Reade Streets, 1856. On the north side of Chambers Street (in the middle) is another iteration of Delmonico’s. After an earlier print. From Valentine’s Manual of the City of New York, edited by Henry Collins Brown, 1928.

A banquet menu for a celebration thrown by The Press Club for 225 guests at the Madison Square Delmonico’s (top). Recipes for Alaska, Florida (Baked Alaska) recorded by the restaurant’s eminent chef de cuisine (bottom). From The Epicurean: A Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies on the Culinary Art by Charles Ranhofer.

Delmonico’s became synonymous with fine dining, and members of society and dignitaries flocked to experience evenings at what was fondly nicknamed the “The Citadel.” Patrons entered an entrance flanked by columns supposedly taken from Pompeii, and were escorted to tables in a grand dining room, with attentive waiters providing impeccable service. For those electing for a more intimate experience, the top floor had private dining rooms. Chef de cuisine Charles Ranhofer is credited with the invention of Baked Alaska (originally called Alaska, Florida) in honor of the annexation of Alaska in 1867; he also helped popularize Lobster Newburg and Eggs Benedict.

Delmonico’s on 14th Street and 5th Avenue. It was here in 1873 that Edward Luckemeyer held the infamous “swan dinner,” where 75 guests were seated around a table with a massive lake in the middle, complete with swans from Prospect Park. From Fifth Avenue Old and New by Henry Collins Brown.

Delmonico’s by Madison Square Park, which was close to both Madison Square Garden and the Brunswick Hotel (see below). From Valentine’s Manual of the City of New York, edited by Henry Collins Brown, 1928.

Greatly attuned to the northward push of the city, the family opened several other Delmonico restaurants, including ones on Broadway and Chambers Street, 14th Street and 5th Avenue near Union Square, 26th Street and 5th Avenue near Madison Square, and 44th Street and 5th Avenue near the Theater District. Delmonico’s was popular among society’s 400, and none other than Mrs. Astor’s right hand man Ward Allister threw the annual Patriarch Ball at Delmonico’s every year. They also catered numerous balls and banquets thrown at mansions and cultural institutions across the city.

A society dinner at Delmonico’s, c. 1895. From The New Metropolis, Memorable Events of Three Centuries, 1600-1900 by E. Idell Zeisloft.

The Hotel Brunswick

The Brunswick Hotel on the northeast corner of 5th Avenue and 26th Street. From Fifth Avenue Old and New by Henry Collins Brown.

Opened in 1872, the Brunswick Hotel occupied a choice spot overlooking Madison Square Park. It had a decidedly British flair, and was perhaps best known as being the headquarters of the New York Coaching Club, founded in 1875 by Delancey Kane and William Jay. Kane was eager to share the sport of coaching, which had its roots in the fast-paced mail runs back in England.

Timetable and fares for the Tally-Ho coach, which began running on April 21st, 1880. The Castle Inn was set up as a hunting lodge. From Brentano’s Monthly.

Each year the Coaching Club would host a parade up 5th Avenue to 59th Street, with colorfully painted carriages, green club suits, impeccably dressed coachmen, and well-groomed horses festooned in flowers delighting those who gathered to view the “Coaching Day” celebrations. The so-called “horsey set” was a mainstay at the annual Madison Square Garden horse show, and planned pleasure rides from the hotel to the various racecourses in the area. After their excursions, they would attend lavish dinners at the Brunswick. The old hotel was demolished and replaced by an office building that opened in 1907 and still stands.

The Annual Coaching Parade, 1883. From Valentine’s Manual of the City of New York, edited by Henry Collins Brown, 1927.

The Union Club

The Union Club was a private social club for men founded in 1836, making it the oldest such club in New York City. A place for its wealthy members to connect, socialize, and relax, membership was highly secretive and only for a select few. Since there was a cap on membership, and many were turned away or became dissatisfied with the leadership, prompting the creation of other social clubs such as the Union League Club, Metropolitan Club, Knickerbocker Club, and Harmonie Club.

The Union Club on 21st Street and 5th Avenue, c. 1880. From The Memorial History of the City of New York, from its First Settlement to the Year 1892 by James Grant Wilson.

For the first two decades of its existence, the club moved around, but in 1855 a dedicated clubhouse was opened on 21st Street and 5th Avenue. The grand Italianate structure included a well-curated library, billiard room, card room, an extensive collection of cigars, and a vast wine cellar. It was later renovated and expanded into an annex, although there was a major push from members to move uptown. A new clubhouse was opened on 51st Street, and later the club moved to 69th Street and Park Avenue, which is its present location.

The Union Club on 51st Street and 5th Avenue, 1902. From The Architectural Record, Volume 12, No 1.

The Yonkers Train Station

The older Yonkers train station, which stood just to the north of the current one at the foot of Ashburton Avenue. It was demolished when the new station was built, as the tracks are on an elevated section. From Old Yonkers, 1646-1922 by Henry Collins Brown.

The Yonkers station as it looked shortly after opening. From New York Central Lines, Industrial Directory and Shippers’ Guide 1920-1921.

Two scenes from recent episodes take place in the Yonkers train station. Opened in 1911, the station was designed by Warren and Wetmore and features many of the same Beaux Arts details that are seen in Grand Central Terminal, including a Guastavino tile ceiling, large arched windows, interlocking New York Central logos, polished wooden doors, and brass chandeliers with exposed bulbs. These chandeliers, much like the larger ones in Grand Central Terminal, were designed to show off the might of electricity. The New York Central built a massive power plant to the north next to the Glenwood Station (its twin used to stand in Port Morris), which created electricity for the railroad and powered Grand Central Terminal.

Catch up on all of The Gilded Age posts from Season 3: