Part of the NYC Cocktails & Curiosities Series

St. Luke's Place is one of the most charming streets in the city.  The homes #5 to #15 were built in the 1850s and are great examples of Greek Renaissance Revival architecture.   Besides the architecture, the street also has some serious historical celebrity caché.  Almost every house has someone or something famous attributed to it.

One of my favorites is #6 St. Luke's Place.  It was the home of the famous Jimmy Walker, one of New York’s most beloved mayors who partook in some questionable governing practices.  Jimmy was mayor from 1926 to 1932, and despite his corruption, he remained popular among working-class people.

You can tell Mayor Walker’s home from the others by the two lanterns out front.  It was a Dutch custom to have lanterns outside the mayor’s house, not only to mark it as a residence of a distinguished gentleman but also to help guide the mayor home after a long work day.  In Mayor Walker’s case, the lanterns were more likely needed to guide him home from a night of carousing at the speakeasy Chumley’s.

About the NYC Cocktails & Curiosities Series of mixed media paintings

The debut gallery show of the paintings in this series coincided with the launch of the Cocktails and Curiosities Walking Tour Apps coded by the Artist Christi Scofield.  These tours feature famed spots in NYC with historical or pop-culture panache.  Cocktails & Curiosities is now part of the Carpe City brand.