As part of the adventure with my friend, we went to Rockfeller's Church (subject of Chapter 47) and saw parts of Morningside Heights and Seminary Row. We left a more thorough tour of the latter two for another day.
John D. Rockfeller, Jr. was apparently interested in forming "interfaith bonds" and therefore wrote a check to the cathedral for $500k in the early 1900's. (Ch. 47) Wouldn't it be nice to be able to write a check like that? Just sayin'. Anyway, the cathedral demurred (those Catholics!) because Rockfeller was a Baptist and they didn't want him determining how the money was spent (one of his stipulations).
What I found most interesting is that the church is a mix of different Gothic styles. Rockfeller paid the architects to go to Europe and pick their favorite elements from French, Italian, and Spanish designs. Also, the church has humanistic elements like representations of Einstein, Darwin and Galileo on the west door. The photos are above -- I have no idea which one is which! It's also interesting that it was built like a skyscraper and the 22 stories could be occupied by offices and meeting rooms. Not sure if it's actually being used that way, but the fact it was built like a skyscraper made it be completed in just 4 years.
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