Manhattan Virtual Office

Did you know that the 26th President of The United States (1901-1909) was born right here in the neighborhood?

If you have extra time before or after a meeting at your New York Virtual Office, his birthplace is well worth a visit. It’s located just a hop, skip, and jump from your NYC Virtual Office at 28 East 20th Street, between Park Avenue South and Broadway.

The original town house, called a brownstone, was built in 1848. Theodore Roosevelt lived at what is now 28 East 20th Street from his birth until he was 14. In 1872, the family moved to 6 West 57th Street. The brownstones on 20th Street were used as stores. In 1916, with Roosevelt’s permission, the original building was torn down. The Birthplace was built to recreate an historic home.

After Roosevelt died, his widow and two sisters formed the Women’s Roosevelt Memorial Association. They rebuilt the birthplace and donated family heirlooms such as furniture, artwork and china. The “new” birthplace opened to the public in 1923. In 1963, the Theodore Roosevelt Association donated the house to the United States. Congress created Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site. It is one of six National Parks honoring the 26th President.

Location: 28 East 20th Street, between Park Avenue South and Broadway
Phone: 212.260.1616
Website: http://www.nps.gov/thrb/index.htm
Admission: $0. There is no entrance fee. Admission to the house is free.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 9:00am-5:00pm
Tours: The period rooms can only be seen by guided tours. Park Ranger guided tours are available on the hour: 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, and 4 pm.

Open your New York Virtual Office in this historic neighborhood today

Website: Manhattan Virtual Office
Tel: 1.212.627.8900
Fax: 1.646.861.6610

Since 1990.

VH International Business Solutions, Inc.
Follow us on Twitter: @ManhattanOffice

Here’s an aerial view of our neighborhood taken in 1924. You can see Madison Square Park, the Flatiron Building, the MetLife Tower and Worth Square.

80 years later, the ShakeShack opens!

Open your New York virtual office in this historical neighborhood today!

We look forward to serving your New York business needs. Please contact us with any questions:
Tel: 1.212.627.8900
Fax: 1.646.861.6610
Manhattan Virtual Office

Since 1990.

VH International Business Solutions, Inc.
Follow us on Twitter: @ManhattanOffice

Here’s a minute long video of a 1902 street scene of our neighborhood and views of the Flatiron Building taken on October 8, 1902.

Open your office in this historical neighborhood today!

We look forward to serving your New York business needs. Please contact us with any questions:
Tel: 1.212.627.8900
Fax: 1.646.861.6610
Manhattan Virtual Office

Since 1990.

VH International Business Solutions, Inc.
Follow us on Twitter: @ManhattanOffice

Flatiron High and Low Exhibition at the Van Alen Institute has been extended through December 31, 2009. It’s open Monday – Friday from 12-5pm at 30 West 22nd Street

Related Posts:
Flatiron High and Low Exhibition at the Van Alen Institute
Flatiron High and Low Walking Tour

Open your office in this historical and architecturally rich neighborhood today!

Website: Manhattan Virtual Office
Tel: 1.212.627.8900
Fax: 1.646.861.6610

Since 1990.

VH International Business Solutions, Inc.
Follow us on Twitter: @ManhattanOffice

The tree, a 24 foot Fraser Fir, is here and ready for the lighting tonight:

Photo: Mad. Sq. E-News #165

A 97 year old tradition continues tonight, on Tuesday, Dec. 8, when the Madison Square Park Conservancy’s annual tree lighting ceremony takes place in Madison Square Park. Once again, the Flatiron Partnership is one of the co-sponsors.

The Mad. Sq. Holiday program will get under way at 4:30 p.m. at the park’s Northern Plaza, with seasonal music provided by the New York Life Singers and by AudraRox, a rock band for children. Both groups have performed at the lighting in previous years.

On Christmas Eve in 1912, Madison Square Park was the scene of the first such event. It was the earliest community tree lighting in New York City, and one of the first in the nation. Some 10,000 onlookers were there, standing on freshly fallen snow, according to The New York Times, and thousands more came by for a musical show that entertained the celebrants until midnight. A 63-foot conifer, called the Tree of Light, was adorned by more than a thousand red, green, blue and white bulbs and topped by a glowing Star of Bethlehem. That occasion is today commemorated by the Star of Hope monument at the southern end of the park.

Source: December Flatiron Newsletter

Open your Virtual Office in New York’s most jubilant neighborhood today!
Tel: 1.212.627.8900
Fax: 1.646.861.6610
Website: Manhattan Virtual Office

Since 1990.

VH International Business Solutions, Inc.
Follow us on Twitter: @ManhattanOffice

A special Flatiron district walking tour will focus on projects associated with the “Flatiron High and Low” exhibition, including some proposals that never materialized. The Flatiron Building and Daniel Burnham, its legendary architect, will be highlighted, as will the changing face of Madison Square South and the current transformation of the International Toy Center and Toy Center North buildings, the latter designed by William Van Alen and Craig Severance. The tour will be supplemented by graphics reflecting the visionary plans of a century ago.

To confirm your reservation please email ezaretsky @ flatironbid.org by noon on 11/13/2009.

SPECIAL FLATIRON HIGH AND LOW WALKING TOUR
Date: November 14, 2009
Location: 10:30 a.m at the Van Alen Institute (30 West 22nd Street, 6th Floor). Tour begins at 11:00 a.m.

Source: Flatiron BID Email

Related Posts: Flatiron High and Low Exhibition at the Van Alen Institute

Open your office in this historical and architecturally rich neighborhood today!

Website: Manhattan Virtual Office
Tel: 1.212.627.8900
Fax: 1.646.861.6610

Since 1990.

VH International Business Solutions, Inc.
Follow us on Twitter: @ManhattanOffice

The rich architectural heritage of one of New York’s historic districts is the subject of “Flatiron High and Low,” an exhibition of photographs, architects’ renderings, vintage views, and film footage to be presented by Van Alen Institute in cooperation with the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District. The exhibition, free and open to the public weekdays between noon and 5 pm, will be on view at Van Alen Institute from Wednesday, October 28, through Friday, December 11. A panel discussion with distinguished architects and architectural historians is slated for Tuesday, November 3, 6:30 pm, also at Van Alen Institute. RSVPs (events@flatiron.org) are required for the panel discussion.

“Flatiron High and Low” spotlights two centuries of building culture in the Flatiron district. The exhibition imaginatively explores the multiple meanings of high and low—from height and cost to technology and culture—and showcases the built juxtapositions, typological mixtures, and architectural inventions characteristic of this Manhattan neighborhood.

In addition to the Flatiron’s centerpiece park and namesake building, the exhibition will include a variety of built and unbuilt projects representative of the district’s history: charitable hospices and high-end hotels, popular entertainment venues and high-culture institutions, ephemeral spectacles and high-tech enterprises. Among the featured projects will be Roger Ferri’s visionary “green” skyscraper of 1976, an unbuilt project for the northeast corner of Madison Square Park.

The exhibition is curated by architectural historian Joan Ockman and designed by architect Eunjeong Seong. Urban archivist Miriam Berman, author of Madison Square: The Park and Its Celebrated Landmarks, is the exhibition consultant, and selections from her collection of vintage postcards will be on view in the show. Participants in the panel discussion will be architect Shohei Shigematsu, partner in the Office for Metropolitan Architecture and director of OMA*AMO New York; Robert A.M. Stern, founder and senior partner of Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Dean of the Yale School of Architecture; Carol Willis, architectural historian and founder of the Skyscraper Museum; and James Wines, artist, architect, and founder of SITE, the multidisciplinary architecture and environmental arts organization. The moderator will be Deborah Berke, principal of Deborah Berke and Partners Architects and professor of architectural design at Yale.

Special walking tours based on the exhibition will be offered by the Flatiron Partnership. An opening reception, free and open to the public, will take place at Van Alen Institute on Tuesday, October 27, 6:30 pm.

Exhibition Dates:
October 28—December 11, Monday—Friday 12-5pm

Opening Reception:
Tuesday, October 27, 6:30-8:30pm

Panel Discussion:
Tuesday, November 3, 6:30-8:30pm

Exhibition Location:
Van Alen Institute
30 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10010
212.924.7000

The exhibition is made possible by sponsorship and support from Newmark Knight Frank, managing and leasing agent for the Flatiron Building and 230 Fifth Avenue; the Ace Hotel, 20 West 29th Street; ’wichcraft, 11 East 20th Street; FotoCare, photography and printing specialists at 41 West 22nd Street; and Avery Digital Fabrication Lab at Columbia University.

About Van Alen Institute:
Van Alen Institute promotes innovative thinking about the role of architecture and design in civic life. Among our activities are design competitions, lectures and symposia, exhibitions, publications, research and advocacy. Our programs engage a broad constituency of people in New York City, the nation, and around the world who participate in shaping the designed environment, from architecture students to emerging and established professionals to the interested public. For more information, please visit www.vanalen.org.

About the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership:
The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District, formed in 2006, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance the area’s reputation as one of New York’s most vital and exciting neighborhoods. This is undertaken by maintaining a clean and safe environment for those who live, work and visit the area; by spearheading area improvement projects; and by marketing the diverse business and retail options in this vibrant and historic neighborhood. For more information, please visit www.discoverflatiron.org

Open your office in this historical and architecturally rich neighborhood today!

Website: Manhattan Virtual Office
Tel: 1.212.627.8900
Fax: 1.646.861.6610

Since 1990.

VH International Business Solutions, Inc.
Follow us on Twitter: @ManhattanOffice

Photo: The float of the “Women’s Auxiliary Typographical Union” in the Labor Day Parade, New York City, September 6, 1909. Broadway and 24th Street, Flatiron District.

Happy Labor Day!!

Our offices will be closing early on Friday, September 4th and will be closed all day Monday, September 7 in observance of the Federal Holiday of Labor Day. We will reopen on Tuesday, September 8 at 9am.

Labor Day is a Federal holiday, recognized throughout the United States, but its origin is right here in NYC – dating back to 1882.

Photo: First Labor Day Parade – Union Square NYC 1882

If you are in town for the weekend, NYC has a plethora of events to celebrate the Holiday weekend, otherwise know as the “Unofficial End of Summer”. Here are a few favorites:

NYC Labor Day Parade:
Originally held at Union Square at 14th Street in 1882, the parade’s current route is up Fifth Avenue from 44th through 86th Street on Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 10am. The parade, sponsored by the New York City Central Labor Council , has it’s grandstand on 69th Street and 5th Avenue.

West Indian–American Day Carnival:
A multi-day event starting on Thursday, September 3, 2009 ending with the Parade on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn on Monday, September 7.

US Open:
Head on over to the Tennis Center in Queens, via public transportation, to walk the grounds or to catch a match. August 31 – September 13.

Want to catch a free ferry ride to the tennis matches? The ferry leaves from and returns to the E. 35th St. Marina, and drops off at the World’s Fair Marina (Reservations Required). Details.

New York International Salsa Congress: The 9th annual dance and music festival is being held at the Hilton on 6th Avenue at 53rd Street and features four action packed days and evenings of Latin Dance workshops, youth and adult professional performance showcases, concert series, a professional championship, etc. Tickets available for purchase in advance online. September 2-6.

Coney Island Sideshow:
Ever wonder where you can see Donny Vomit, Serpentina, and Black Scorpion all in one place? Head over to the Coney Island Circus Sideshows by the Seashore on Surf Avenue & West 12th Street. Shows are Wednesday through Sunday until Labor Day. After Labor Day, the Sideshow returns to weekend-only operations.

Although we do not wish for rain or excessive heat, here’s an indoor, and well air-conditioned, option:

Metropolitan Museum of Art:
The Met’s Holiday Monday Family Program. Families (youngsters ages five through twelve and accompanying adults) explore the Museum through an hour of fun discussion and sketching of its masterpieces. The program is free with museum admission. Program times on Monday, September 7: 11am–12pm, 12pm–1pm, 1:15pm–2:15pm and 2:30pm–3:30pm in the Carson Family Hall in the Uris Center for Education (ground floor).

Enjoy!

If you place an order for virtual office service online via our secure order form, please note that orders completed on a Holiday will be reviewed the following business day.

Have a Happy and Safe Labor Day!

With regards,
The Team at VH International Business Solutions, Inc.
Please contact us with any questions:
Tel: 1.212.627.8900
Fax: 1.646.861.6610
Manhattan Virtual Office

Since 1990.

VH International Business Solutions, Inc.
Follow us on Twitter: @ManhattanOffice

Photo 2009: Worth Monument and Worth Square

Our neighborhood is chock full of history. As you walk through the area, there are historical buildings, monuments, and lots of new history in the making!

Ever wonder what the obelisk by the office is on the island between 24 and 25th street, at the cross section of Broadway and Fifth Avenue? (Picture above with 2-lovely tourists).

It’s part of the General William Jenkins Worth monument, erected in 1857.

General William Jenkins Worth

General Worth is the reason for his namesake cities of Fort Worth, Texas, Lake Worth, Texas, Worth, Illinois, Worth County, Georgia, the Lake Worth Lagoon in Florida, the city of Lake Worth, Florida and our very own Worth Street in Manhattan.

Photo 1918:   General Worth Monument and Flatiron Building  on Armistice Day

The native New Yorker passed on May 17, 1849 in Texas and was taken to the little island, named Worth Square for burial in 1857.

NPR did a story on General Worth’s monument a few months ago and used some of our (VH International Business Solutions, Inc.) information, photos and videos as part of their story. Click here for details.

For more info:
Read the New York Times article on the internment of General Worth in Worth Square. Published November 26, 1857.
NYC Parks: General Worth Monument (And yes – you can see us in their website photo)
NYC Parks: Worth Square

Open your office in this historic and trendy neighborhood today!

Website: Manhattan Virtual Office
Tel: 1.212.627.8900
Fax: 1.646.861.6610

Since 1990.

VH International Business Solutions, Inc.
Follow us on Twitter: @ManhattanOffice

Have you noticed the beautiful street clock on Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street?

The clock, installed in 1909 was made by Brooklyn’s Helca Iron Works.

These types of cast-iron street clocks, introduced in the 1860’s, were popular for their advertising purposes – as well as convenience. Store owners would put them in front of their business to attract attention and would normally paint them to match the store. If they moved, their clocks went with them.

There are only a few left in NYC. We are lucky to have such a rare and well maintained example right here in the Flatiron District. The Fifth Avenue Building Clock was designated a New York City Landmark in 1981. (Report). The Helca Iron Work’s factory, the manufacturers of the Fifth Avenue Building Clock, was also given Landmark status. (Report)

Open your office in this historic and trendy neighborhood today:
Tel: 1.212.627.8900
Fax: 1.646.861.6610
Website: Manhattan Virtual Office

Since 1990.
Celebrating 19 years of excellence!

VH International Business Solutions, Inc.
Follow us on Twitter: @ManhattanOffice