Posted 11 days ago
si197981
(10 items)
This is a 1930s, original cast iron medallion, featuring the first seal of New York City designed and implemented in 1654. It retired from West Side Highway, once an elevated structure, that existed in Manhattan. Construction began in 1929 and ended in 1951, but the highway was plagued with design flaws already deemed obsolete by the time the entire length opened to traffic. Maintenance throughout its lifespan also was minimal, contributing to decay that caused a partial collapse in December, 1973. West Side Highway subsequently was closed to traffic, eventually being demolished in stages starting in the late-1970s. By 1989, the entire structure was gone from the city landscape.
About 600 medallions adorned the guardrails of West Side Highway and were saved by the city of New York after demolition. They were sold to the public around 1985.
My example here was painted silver by its previous owner, which I plan to leave as-is.
Here is some additional information and explanations about the origin of this seal:
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Seal_of_New_Amsterdam_(Sigillum_Amstello_Damensis_in_Novo_Belgio)_1654.png
https://www.archives.nyc/newamsterdam/municipal-library
The previous Wikipedia link didn't work, I hope this one does:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_of_New_York_City