Two years
after its (Maine Monument, Columbus Circle) dedication, Hearst began building
the American Circle Building on the site now occupied by the Trump
International Hotel and Tower. It was to be 30 stories but never got farther
than two. Yet it contained a great secret, which came to light during
demolition in 1966.
Tucked inside the courtyard, invisible from surrounding streets
and sidewalks, was another structure altogether — “a cameo Gothic cathedral,”
The New York Times called it. Unable to solve the mystery, The Times passed on
speculation that it might have been intended as Hearst’s own office; or as a
suite for the editors of The American, one of his papers; or even that it had
been fitted up as a private chapel for Davies. Who knows?
Hearst was a
man who got everything he wanted and then lost it. Maybe the chapel was
something he couldn’t get or something he lost. Anyway, it wouldn’t have
explained anything. I don’t think any room can explain a man’s life. No, I
guess the chapel is just a piece in a jigsaw puzzle, a missing piece.
(Copyright Expired - Public Domain - Atlantic Terra Cotta Photos above) Source: Atlantic
Terra Cotta – V.2 1914
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