100 things you didn't know about New York

As a young costume designer in New York City, Bonnie Erickson was hired by Jim Henson in 1970 to make costumes for the film The Frog Prince. Bonnie went on to design the Muppet’s prettiest porcine character, Miss Piggy, as well as the infamous duo Statler and Waldorf. She and her husband, Wayde Harrison, run a successful design and production company that has produced many beloved mascots, including the Phillie Phanatic. The couple has a donor-advised fund at The Trust.

Photo: Miss Piggy

Elise Jerard was born and raised in New York City and graduated from Hunter College in 1922. Early in her career, she wrote for magazines including The New Yorker. She was critical of nuclear power and an early proponent of the development of solar power. She was an advisor to multiple environmental organizations, including the Environmental Defense Fund. A fund in her name at The Trust has made grants to many nonprofits that focus on the environment, such as Green Guerillas, which helps New Yorkers cultivate community gardens, grow food, engage youth, and address issues critical to the future of food justice and urban agriculture.  

Photo: Community gardening in Queens, New York City. Courtesy of Matt Green/Flickr.

The vast majority of Brooklyn was once covered in farmland. Up until the end of the 19th century, Kings County was the second-largest provider of produce in the country. In 1882, the M.H. Brunjes & Sons seed company was founded in Brooklyn. Brothers William and George eventually took over their father’s company and expanded sales exponentially through mail-order catalogs. Today, their catalogs are in the Smithsonian’s collection. The William H. and George R. Brunjes Memorial Fund at The Trust supports the welfare of children in Queens. 

Photo: An advertisement for the M.H. Brunjes & Sons seed company.

While on a visit to Estonia in 1926, journalist Elizabeth Scott Harms observed a feminist outlook held by many of the nations’ women. She wrote about her experiences in Vogue magazine. In 1932, she became an activist for women’s rights in New York State. She used her own money to found the New York Legislative Service, a research organization which she led for 44 years. Today, a fund in her name at The Trust ensures the betterment of New York. 

Photo: Elizabeth Scott Harms.

The Saw Mill River watershed was settled by the Dutch in the 17th century. It is a 23.5–mile tributary of the Hudson River in Westchester County, and flows parallel to the Saw Mill River Parkway—a major suburban commuter thoroughfare. The river was neglected for decades. The Trust provided grants to Groundwork Hudson Valley to build community-based stewardship of the Saw Mill River and its watershed. In 2001, Groundwork Hudson Valley created the Saw Mill River Coalition—which included municipalities, community groups, and environmental organizations—to work together to restore and protect the river corridor. 

Photo: This section of the Saw Mill River was uncovered in Yonkers due to community advocacy. Courtesy of Groundwork Hudson Valley.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a distinctly New York institution, was founded in 1974 to present a playful, entertaining view of traditional, classical ballet. The company of professional male and nonbinary dancers performs the full range of the ballet and modern dance repertoire, including classical and original works in faithful renditions of those dance styles. The Trocks, as they are affectionately called, have performed all over the world, expanding gender norms and increasing the audiences for classical ballet.  A recent grant from The Trust helped the company improve their digital marketing to reach broader audiences.  

Photo: Trocks dancers performing on stage. Courtesy of Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México.

Long before the hustle and bustle of humans commuting around New York, many prehistoric creatures roamed the state. These creatures included megafauna mammals such as the giant beaver, which could reach a height of 7.2 feet, the American mastodon, a relative of the mammoth and elephant, and reptiles like the small and fast Coelophysis dinosaur. Every year, flora and fauna-loving Trust donors support the American Museum of Natural History, which displays Coelophysis specimens in its Hall of Dinosaurs.

Photo: The American Museum of Natural History in 1913.   

In 1922, Grover A. Whalen, New York City’s Commissioner for Plant and Structures, had the idea to create a city-owned and -operated radio station. Two years later, WNYC began broadcasting. On December 7th, 1941, WNYC was the first U.S. radio station to announce Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Today, WNYC Radio, the flagship station of New York Public Radio, is the most listened-to public radio station in the United States. The Trust and its donors consistently support New York Public Radio’s work; Trust grants have enhanced local news reporting, helped promote arts and culture programming, and more.

Photo: Standing L to R: Miriam Cutler, Dulcie Rogers, Marilyn Tack, Patti Bolton, Lynn Thiras and seated: Anita Paige, Lillian Blake, and Rita Ostrow. They celebrate WNYC’s 25^th anniversary in 1948. Courtesy of WNYC.

Experiencing live theater and seeing a Broadway show can be a life–changing experience for many children. It certainly was for Doug Jones, who remembers seeing the barn-raising scene in Plain and Fancy on his eighth birthday. He set up a permanent fund at The Trust to further the passion for theater he shared with his husband John Sanger. As a result, generations of students—who otherwise might not be able to afford to attend—will receive tickets to live theater. 

Photo: Doug Jones by Ari Mintz.

Third Street Music School is the longest-running community music school in the United States. Founded in New York City in 1894, the goal was to provide music lessons to young people from low-income and immigrant families on the Lower East Side. By 1915, Third Street inspired the founding of similar music schools in 30 American cities. In 1974, it moved to its current location, on East 11th Street in lower Manhattan. The Trust has supported their work for generations, from helping it provide music scholarships to investing in its organizational growth. 

Photo: Courtesy of Third Street Music School.

The New York Harbor used to have 22,000 oyster reefs. Oysters were so popular in New York in the 19th century that the shells were used to pave Pearl Street, hence the name. They were also used as lime for the masonry of Trinity Church. Our Long Island grantmaking supports The Seatuck Environmental Association, which created the Half Shells for Habitat program. The program recovers oyster shells from restaurant waste streams and returns them to local bays. 

Photo: Oyster shells in water.

You might hear the phrase “School’s out for summer” ringing throughout the city every June. In the 1980s, half of the 1.5 million students on summer break in New York City lived in low-income neighborhoods where access to summer enrichment programs was limited. In 1980, The Trust raised funding to support summer programs for thousands of young people in local parks through our Summer Arts Fund.

Photo: Courtesy of NYC Parks.

Fashion entrepreneur Frieda Mueller Loehmann first supported her family as a seamstress.  She had an eye for fashion, a keen business sense, and a desire to make fashionable, quality clothing affordable for women. She negotiated deals with Seventh Avenue designers to buy their leftover stock from the past season to then re-sell at deeply discounted prices to her clientele….the designers, happy to offload the leftover stock, agreed but on the condition that Mrs. Loehmann remove the designers’ labels from the garments.  In 1920, the first Loehmann’s store opened at Bedford Avenue and Sterling Place in Brooklyn. Freida Loehmann invented the discount fashion business!   

Shopping at Loehmann’s was a fun, communal experience due to the legendary open dressing rooms with mirrored walls where fellow shoppers would provide helpful answers to the question “How do I look?”  Figuring out who designed one’s new garment also delighted customers. 

Mrs. Loehmann ran her business for 40 years; her son, Charles, worked alongside her and continued Loehmann’s following her passing.  After he passed away, his daughter created the Frieda Mueller Fund at New York Community Trust to honor her grandmother and father through providing grants for public education, university education, the arts, and other community-strengthening programs.   

Photo: Frieda Mueller Loehmann 

The Great Depression of 1929 caused many New York families to lose their jobs and go hungry. Wilhelm Loewenstein, a prominent leather merchant, felt for these New Yorkers and wanted to help. When he passed away in 1938, he left $100,000 to The Trust to feed those in need. His funds established a cafeteria that served the public until the 1970s when government programs emerged to feed the hungry. Today, the Wilhelm Loewenstein Memorial Fund continues to advance the health and welfare of New Yorkers. 

Photo: Wilhelm Loewenstein.

LuEsther T. Mertz and her husband, Harold, began a business that blossomed into a multi-million-dollar publishing juggernaut. Their idea was to bundle magazine subscriptions and sell them through direct mail, which eventually became Publishers Clearing House. Always philanthropic, LuEsther turned her attention to the arts in the 1970s and gave to many organizations. She supported Chelsea’s Joyce Theater, which is named after her daughter, and the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park Festival. She died in 1991 and funds in her name at The Trust support the arts, historic preservation, parks, and more.  

Photo: Portrait of LuEsther T. Mertz by Benjamin Dimmitt.

Long before Starbucks, coffee houses served the undercaffeinated masses in New York. The first coffee house opened in the 1690s in lower Manhattan. In the centuries that followed, coffee houses became meeting places for businesses and coffee merchants. One of those companies was Ross W. Weir and Co., a coffee roaster and tea importer. Weir devised an advertising campaign to increase coffee consumption during Prohibition, which included opening coffee houses to replace drinking saloons, and coffee sales increased 21 percent. He established the Mable W. Weir Fund for charitable purposes in his wife’s name at The Trust.

Photo: Ross W. Weir and Co.’s Grandma Drinks Crown Prince Coffees trade card. Photo courtesy of Miami University Libraries.

Mass transit in New York is relied upon by millions of New Yorkers every day, including mayors, politicians, musicians, and actors on their way to perform on Broadway. Overcrowded train cars and buses afford eavesdropping on intriguing conversations.  But it can be unreliable, overcrowded, and increasingly expensive. In 2012, frustrated New Yorkers formed the Riders Alliance, a grassroots organization fighting for better public transit systems and service. The Trust supported the Alliance’s successful advocacy that won millions of dollars to improve our bus system and ensure a fair fare program for all New Yorkers.

Photo: Courtesy of the Riders Alliance, which advocates for improvements to New York City’s public transportation systems.

As Oprah famously said, “I love bread.” So does New York, which is home to hundreds of outstanding bakeries. Trust nonprofit partner Hot Bread Kitchen invests in breadwinners and transform lives. With Trust support, Hot Bread Kitchen helps women and gender-expansive people become food and small business entrepreneurs through culinary and skills training, career programs, and social services. It also works with employers like Eataly, Google, and Whole Foods to place participants in jobs.

Photo: Courtesy of Hot Bread Kitchen.

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy caused unprecedented flooding, fires, and damage to homes, businesses, and transportation throughout the region. The Trust responded by providing immediate relief to New Yorkers through dozens of nonprofits, helping rebuild communities and preparing the region for future storms. In one example: The Trust supported a program at the Queens Public Library that provided shelter, hot meals, and clothing to displaced residents in the Rockaways.

Photo: Damaged caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region.

A New York mainstay since the first yellow cabs took to the streets in 1897, taxis are an important part of life for New Yorkers. Yet the high cost of medallions and increased competition has made life difficult for many drivers. A New York Community Trust grant to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance helped to relieve debt–burdened drivers. Harry Rogers, a taxi driver, and his wife Sarah (whom he met in his taxicab) started a permanent fund at The Trust to maintain New York’s parks. 

Photo: A vintage taxicab in 1900.

Sally and Edward Van Lier, who made their fortune in real estate, were avid patrons of the arts. Sally performed in the Ziegfeld Follies. They set up a fund at The Trust to provide education assistance and training to gifted young people who aspire to a career in the arts. Since the creation of their fund in 1988, they have helped more than 2,000 young artists, including Brooklyn-born playwright Lynn Nottage, who went on to win two Pulitzer Prizes for drama—the only woman to ever do so. 

Photo: Sally and Edward Van Lier.