New York Hotel 1858 - 1869

This stereo card, created by an anonymous artist, presents a view of New York Hotel on Broadway. The image is dominated by the stark geometry of urban architecture, a visual vocabulary reflecting the burgeoning industrial age. Yet, amidst this modernity, the pointed spire of a church pierces the skyline. This architectural motif has ancestral roots extending far into the past. In ancient Rome, the obelisk served as a symbol of power and imperial reach, a meaning later adopted by the Catholic Church. The spire's soaring gesture towards the heavens, a potent symbol of faith and spiritual yearning, becomes a visual echo across centuries. Such forms transcend mere physical presence, tapping into our collective memory and resurfacing as subconscious emotional experiences. Consider the psychological effect of verticality, how it evokes feelings of aspiration and transcendence. Like the 'Victory Column’, the church spire, in its own way, speaks to humanity's enduring ambition to reach the divine. The symbolism of reaching towards heaven has been used over and over again, and the same intention has echoed, shifted, and resurfaced throughout history.