Andy Bass
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Andy Bass
@andybassny.bsky.social
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Historian. Publications include “Martin Luther King, Jr.: Visits to Westchester, 1956-1967," Westchester Historian, 94(2).
#PublicHistory #HistoricalAnniversaries

Westchester County, New York
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100 years ago today, November 25, 1925:

The Capitol Theatre opened in the town of Arlington, Massachusetts, as a 1,600-seat movie house and vaudeville theater. It was multiplexed in the 1980s, but still retains much of its original historic fabric, both inside and out.📽️🎭
The Capitol Theatre Building stands on the northwest corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Lake Street in the town of Arlington, Massachusetts. The theater is the centerpiece of a three-story commercial and residential building constructed in 1925 by real estate developer Albert J. Locatelli. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. (Andy Bass photo 2025) The main entrance of the Capitol Theatre features a marquee and granite columns. It’s located mid-block along the building’s long facade on Massachusetts Avenue. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A plaster relief featuring tragedy and comedy masks is among the original ornamentation that decorates the interior of the Capitol Theatre in what is now Auditorium 1. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A poster commemorating the Capitol Theatre’s 100th Anniversary in 2025 is displayed inside the theater’s lobby. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)
November 25, 2025 at 1:51 PM
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Conservative writer and commentator William F. Buckley, Jr. (1925-2008) was born 100 years ago today in New York City. He founded National Review magazine in 1955 and hosted the PBS show FIRING LINE from 1966 to 1999. The US Postal Service issued a Buckley stamp on Sept. 9, 2025.
A notecard signed by William F. Buckley, Jr. bears a William F. Buckley, Jr. Forever Stamp with a First Day of Issue cancellation. The United States Postal Service issued the stamp in a ceremony at Buckley’s alma mater, Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, on September 9, 2025. Artist Dale Stephanos created the black-and-white portrait of Buckley based on a 1960s photograph by Steve Schapiro. (Andy Bass collection)
November 24, 2025 at 12:50 PM
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100 years ago today, November 24, 1925:

The Eugene O'Neill Theatre opened at 230 West 49th Street in New York City. Originally the Forrest Theatre, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and built by the Shubert brothers. Its original brick facade was replaced with stucco in the 1940s.
The Eugene O’Neill Theatre sits at 230 West 49th Street in the Theater District of New York City. It’s located on the south side of the street between Eighth Avenue and Broadway. Jujamcyn Theaters has operated the venue since purchasing it in 1982. The theater has hosted the musical The Book of Mormon since 2011. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)
November 24, 2025 at 12:44 PM
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100 years ago today, November 21, 1925:

The Oneida Football Club Monument was dedicated in Boston Common by surviving members of the 1860s team. A recent Massachusetts Historical Society forum explored the myths and controversies that have surrounded the monument.🏈⚽

Video: youtu.be/YLcWEEplHtM?...
The Oneida Football Club Monument stands near the Spruce Street Gate in Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts. The 6.5-foot-tall marble tablet was designed by architects Robert Day Andrews and Howland Jones and created by sculptor Joseph Coletti. A controversy endures about whether the club was playing a game more similar to today’s game of American football or to soccer. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A close-up view of the front of the Oneida Football Club Monument shows the main inscription. It reads, “ON THIS FIELD, THE ONEIDA FOOTBALL CLUB OF BOSTON, THE FIRST ORGANIZED FOOTBALL CLUB IN THE UNITED STATES, PLAYED AGAINST ALL COMERS from 1862 to 1865. THE ONEIDA GOAL WAS NEVER CROSSED. This monument is placed on Boston Common November 1925 by the seven surviving members of the Team.” (Andy Bass photo, 2025) The pediment of the Oneida Football Club Monument in Boston Common originally contained a bas relief of an oval American football, even though the team was known to have played with a round ball. Following the 1994 World Cup, the National Soccer Hall of Fame offered to restore the 1925 monument. As part of their 1996 project, the Soccer HOF changed the bas relief from an oval American football to a round soccer ball. Concerned citizen Tom McGrath objected to the change and led a successful campaign to restore the original 1925 carving. In 2014, the altered bas relief was re-carved back to its original form of an oval American football. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) The back of the Oneida Football Club Monument is inscribed with the names of sixteen team members. It reads, “Members of the Oneida Team: Gerrit Smith Miller, Founder and Captain · Edward Lincoln Arnold · Robert Arthorp Bolt · Edward Bowditch · Walter Denison Brooks · George Davis · John Malcolm Forbes · John Power Hall · Robert Means Lawrence ·James D’Wold Lovett · Francis Greenwood Peabody ·Winthrop Saltonstall Scudder · Alanson Tucker · Louis Thies · Robert Clifford Watson · Huntington Frothingham Wolcott.” (Andy Bass photo, 2025)
November 21, 2025 at 6:57 PM
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Actress-singer-comedian Kaye Ballard (1925-2019) was born 100 years ago today in Cleveland, Ohio. She was known for her sharp comedic timing during her lengthy career on Broadway, TV and film. She starred in the 1954 Broadway musical THE GOLDEN APPLE and the 1960s TV sitcom THE MOTHERS-IN-LAW.
November 20, 2025 at 4:14 PM
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Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) was born 100 years ago today in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was the U.S. Attorney General in his brother John F. Kennedy's administration. In 1964, he was elected U.S. Senator from New York. His assassination while running for president in 1968 shocked the nation.
Gardner Cox’s oil-on-canvas painting of Robert F. Kennedy hangs in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. It was commissioned by the Department of Justice, but was eventually rejected after the Kennedy family complained it was “too ghostly”. Kennedy sat for the portrait, which Cox began in early 1968. It was completed after Kennedy’s death on June 6, 1968. The painting was gifted to the museum by the artist. (Andy Bass photo, 2017) The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial stands in Columbus Park in front of the New York State Supreme Court Building in Brooklyn, New York. It was dedicated by the City of New York on November 2, 1972. Kennedy’s widow Ethel performed the unveiling. The memorial features a bronze bust by Anneta Duveen that sits atop a granite pedestal. Four quotes from Kennedy are inscribed on each side of the granite base. (Andy Bass photo, 2018) A bouquet of cockscomb flowers decorates the grave marker of Robert Francis Kennedy in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Kennedy’s burial on June 8, 1968, was held at night due to his funeral train from New York City arriving four hours later than expected. (Andy Bass photo, 2017)
November 20, 2025 at 2:06 PM
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50 years ago today, November 19, 1975:

The cinema classic ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST was released. It's among three films to sweep the top five Oscars: Best Picture, Screenplay (Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman), Director (Miloš Forman), Actor (Jack Nicholson) and Actress (Louise Fletcher).
Louise Fletcher in her Oscar-winning role as Nurse Mildred Ratched in the 1975 film ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST. (Andy Bass collection)
November 19, 2025 at 1:54 PM
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Actor Rock Hudson (1925-1985) was born 100 years ago today in Winnetka, Illinois. In 1965, he visited Scarsdale, New York, to shoot scenes for the John Frankenheimer film SECONDS. I wrote about the Scarsdale filming in 2015. The article is posted here: andybassny.substack.com/p/the-day-ro...
Andy Bass, "The day Rock Hudson came to Scarsdale," The Scarsdale Inquirer, August 21, 2015. Andy Bass, "The day Rock Hudson came to Scarsdale," The Scarsdale Inquirer, August 21, 2015.
November 17, 2025 at 1:31 PM
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100 years ago today, November 11, 1925:

The Colgate Inn opened in the Village of Hamilton, New York. The 40-room lodging establishment has been owned by Colgate University since it was saved from demolition in 1973. The Dutch Colonial Revival building faces the head of the Village Green.
The Colgate Inn is located at 1 Payne Street in the Village of Hamilton, Madison County, New York. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) The front entrance of the Colgate Inn, Hamilton, New York. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A metal sign stands outside the front entrance of the Colgate Inn in Hamilton, New York. It was created by Charles Signs of Liverpool, New York. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A commemorative ornament celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Colgate Inn in Hamilton, New York. Its inscription reads, “Colgate Inn 100, 1925-2025, A Century of Genuine Hospitality.” (Andy Bass photo, 2025)
November 11, 2025 at 2:30 PM
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50 years ago today, November 9, 1975:

The first section of the Shining Sea Bikeway was dedicated on Massachusetts' Cape Cod. The rail trail was acquired by eminent domain after a six-year legal battle.

The Shining Sea Bikeway - A Triumph of Citizen Action
woodsholemuseum.org/oldpages/spr...
Two northbound cyclists on the Shining Sea Bikeway approach Locust Street in the Town of Falmouth, Massachusetts. The intersection was the original northern end of the bike path at the time of its dedication. The bikeway now runs from its southern end near the ferry docks in Woods Hole to North Falmouth, a length of 10.7 miles. The bike path was originally a rail corridor operated by the New Haven Railroad from 1872 to 1965. Shortly after the railroad discontinued service, two local residents, Joan T. Kanwisher and Barbara Burwell, began to advocate for the rail corridor’s conversion to a bike path. In 1969, the Town of Falmouth began what turned out to be a six-year legal battle to acquire the property through eminent domain. The first section of the bikeway was finally dedicated on November 9, 1975. An engraved boulder marking the Shining See Bikeway sits at the trail’s intersection with Locust Street, the original northern end of the bike path when it was dedicated on November 9, 1975. The inscription reads, “SHINING SEA BIKEWAY, 1976, A BICENTENNIAL PROJECT IN MEMORY OF KATHARINE LEE BATES, 1859-1929.” Bates, a native of Falmouth, was a writer and poet best known for penning the lyrics to the patriotic song, “America the Beautiful.” The bikeway’s name is based on the song’s closing lyric, “And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.” A sign at the southern end of the Shining Sea Bikeway in Woods Hole provides the mileage to Falmouth Center and North Falmouth. A map of the Shining Sea Bikeway with points of interest is posted on a kiosk near the southern end of the bike path in Woods Hole. The map was sponsored by the Town of Falmouth, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation, and Corner Cycle Cape Cod.
November 9, 2025 at 3:12 PM
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50 years ago today, November 7, 1975:

The TV pilot THE NEW ORIGINAL WONDER WOMAN, starring Lynda Carter as the DC Comics superhero, aired on ABC. Its successful ratings led to the production of a series the following year. It went on to air for a total of 60 episodes over three seasons.
November 7, 2025 at 2:41 PM
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Actress Doris Roberts (1925-2016) was born 100 years ago today in St. Louis, Missouri. She's best known for playing Marie Barone, the mother on the sitcom EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (1996-2005). She won four of her five Emmys for the role. She began her acting career on the stage in the 1950s.
November 4, 2025 at 12:45 PM
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200 years ago today, November 4, 1825:

Governor DeWitt Clinton's flotilla completed a 10-day voyage from Buffalo to New York City in celebration of the opening of the Erie Canal. Clinton performed a symbolic "Wedding of the Waters" by pouring a keg of Lake Erie water into the Atlantic Ocean.
An image of an engraving titled, “Erie Canal Celebration, New York, November 4, 1825,” is displayed inside the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, New York. (Erie Canal Museum 75.47) The engraving was created by the Society of Iconophiles in 1900. The image is part of the museum’s “Wedding of the Waters” installation. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) An image of Charles Yardley Turner’s 1905 mural, “Marriage of the Waters,” is displayed on a timeline panel in the Locks District Museum in Lockport, New York. The painting depicts the famous scene of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton pouring a keg of Lake Erie water into the Atlantic Ocean during a ceremony on November 4, 1825. The symbolic act was to show that the two bodies of water were “married” because of the opening of the Erie Canal. The original mural decorates the auditorium of DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A depiction of Governor DeWitt Clinton pouring a keg of Lake Erie water into the Atlantic Ocean is the centerpiece of a Buffalo sculpture commemorating the Erie Canal. The bronze bas relief titled, “Wedding of the Waters,” was designed and sculpted by Henry Schmidt and William Koch in 2000. The artists’ depiction of Clinton’s ceremonial act was based on Charles Yardley Turner’s famous 1905 mural of the scene. The public art adorns the exterior of the Longshed Building at Canalside on the Buffalo Waterfront. The sculpture was cast at the nearby Buffalo Maritime Center Foundry. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) The original keg that New York Governor DeWitt Clinton used to ceremoniously pour Lake Erie water into the Atlantic Ocean sits on display at the New York Historical in New York City. (The New York Historical, X.48) It’s among a handful of artifacts featured in the “Erie Canal 200th Anniversary” installation. The display in the Joel I. & Joan Picket Museum Treasures Case began in September 2025 and runs through March 15, 2026. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)
November 4, 2025 at 10:53 AM
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200 years ago today, November 2, 1825:

New York Governor DeWitt Clinton’s flotilla celebrating the opening of the 363-mile-long Erie Canal arrived at the canal's eastern terminus in Albany en route to New York City. They had departed Buffalo, the canal's western terminus, one week earlier.
The south side of a two-sided historical marker notes the site of the original eastern terminus of the Erie Canal. It stands along the Hudson River at Corning Riverfront Park in Albany, New York. The undated marker was erected by the Canal Society of New York State. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) The north side of a two-sided historical marker notes the site of the original eastern terminus of the Erie Canal. It stands along the Hudson River at Corning Riverfront Park in Albany, New York. The Livingston Avenue Railroad Bridge is in the background. The undated marker was erected by the Canal Society of New York State. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A Staffordshire semi-china bowl features a scene based on James Eights’ watercolor painting, “Entrance of the Erie Canal into the Hudson River at Albany.” The bowl is part of a series of chinaware with views of the canal that was produced at the time of its opening in 1825. The item is owned by the Erie Canal Museum (00.2419) and is displayed at their location along the original route of the canal in Syracuse, New York. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)
November 2, 2025 at 11:10 PM
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200 years ago today, November 1, 1825:

New York Governor DeWitt Clinton’s flotilla celebrating the opening of the Erie Canal traversed what is now Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site. The Mohawk Valley site has a half-mile portion of the original canal prism with guard and lift-lock remains.
An observation deck with a wayside exhibit titled, “Original Erie Canal,” overlooks a surviving half-mile-long canal prism of the original Erie Canal at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter, New York. The stone remains of the East Guard Lock are visible in the foreground. The original 40-foot-wide canal, known as “Clinton’s Ditch,” was in operation here from 1822 to 1845. The flotilla led by Governor DeWitt Clinton’s boat Seneca Chief passed through this canal prism on November 1, 1825. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) An observation deck with a wayside exhibit titled, “East Guard Lock,” overlooks the stone remains of the original Erie Canal guard lock at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter, New York. The lock was 15 feet wide and 90 feet long. The flotilla led by Governor DeWitt Clinton’s boat Seneca Chief passed through the lock on November 1, 1825. The East Guard Lock was filled with gravel in 1980 to prevent its stone walls from collapsing inward. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) An eastward view shows the stone remains of Lock 20 at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter, New York. The only surviving lift lock from the original Erie Canal lies at the eastern end of a surviving half-mile portion of the original canal prism. The 15 x 90 lock provided boats an 8-foot lift between 1822 and 1845. The flotilla led by Governor DeWitt Clinton’s boat Seneca Chief passed through the lock on November 1, 1825. Lock 20 was filled with gravel in 1980 to prevent its stone walls from collapsing inward. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A wayside exhibit titled “Lock 20” overlooks the stone remains of the lift lock on the original Erie Canal at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter, New York. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)
November 1, 2025 at 7:48 PM
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Author and journalist Dominick Dunne (1925-2009) was born 100 years ago today in Hartford, Connecticut. He was best known for his coverage of high-profile court cases, beginning with the 1983 trial for the murder of his daughter, Dominique Dunne. He was with Vanity Fair magazine for 25 years.
Dominick Dunne signed card (Andy Bass Collection)
October 29, 2025 at 11:46 AM
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100 years ago today, October 26, 2025:

New York Governor DeWitt Clinton celebrated the opening of the Erie Canal by leading a flotilla on an inaugural voyage from Buffalo to New York City. On the first day, his boat, the Seneca Chief, went by the communities of Tonawanda, Pendleton, and Lockport.
A 2013 historical marker noting the former right-of-way of the original Erie Canal stands in Niawanda Park, a city park along the Niagara River in Tonawanda, New York. The marker is approximately 12 miles north of the original Erie Canal terminus in Buffalo and stands alongside Riverwalk, a section of the Erie Canal Trail. It was erected by the Historical Society of the Tonawandas and sponsored by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. Governor Dewitt Clinton’s inaugural voyage passed through the site on October 26, 1825. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A plaque embedded in a rock along Tonawanda Creek Road in Pendleton, New York, commemorates the arrival of Governor Dewitt Clinton’s flotilla near the site on October 26, 1825. The marker is located just south of the Irish Road intersection. Pendleton is approximately 24 miles northeast from the original Erie Canal terminus in Buffalo. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A digital reproduction of the mural “The Opening of the Erie Canal, October 26, 1825,” adorns a wall inside the Erie Canal Discovery Center, a museum in Lockport, New York. The original mural was painted by artist A. Raphael Beck from 1925 to 1928. It was commissioned in celebration of the centennial of Governor Dewitt Clinton’s stop at the Flight of Five Locks in Lockport during his inaugural voyage through the canal. The Lockport locks are approximately 30 miles northeast from the original Erie Canal terminus in Buffalo. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A pennant commemorating the Erie Canal Bicentennial in Lockport, New York, is among the merchandise for sale in the Erie Canal Discovery Center Gift Shop at 24 Church Street. The museum is one of two main locations of the Niagara History Center. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)
October 26, 2025 at 7:28 PM
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200 years ago today, October 26, 1825:

The Erie Canal was ceremonially opened in Buffalo, New York. The 363-mile-long artificial waterway stretched from Albany on the Hudson River to Buffalo on Lake Erie, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. It transformed Buffalo into a major hub.
A 2018 historical marker about the Erie Canal is mounted above an 1817 map of the proposed canal inside the Explore and More Children’s Museum in Buffalo, New York. The museum at 130 Main Street is located by Canalside, a redeveloped waterfront at the 1825 terminus of the Erie Canal. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A view looking north along the Canalside boardwalk in Buffalo, New York, shows the south side of an undated historical marker erected by the Canal Society of New York State. The waterfront marker overlooks the mouth of the Buffalo River by Lake Erie Harbor, the 1825 terminus of the Erie Canal. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A view looking south along the Canalside boardwalk in Buffalo, New York, shows the north side of an undated historical marker erected by the Canal Society of New York State. The waterfront marker overlooks the mouth of the Buffalo River by Lake Erie Harbor, the 1825 terminus of the Erie Canal. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A marker for Mile Post Zero of the Erie Canal Trail overlooks the “Ruins at Canalside,” the site of a former nineteenth century distillery building, in Buffalo, New York. The multi-use recreational trail runs 360 miles between Buffalo and Albany. It primarily traces the canal’s historic towpaths. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)
October 26, 2025 at 2:55 PM
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100 years ago today, Oct. 24, 1925:

Brown University officially dedicated Brown Field, its football stadium in Providence, Rhode Island. Its iconic South Stand façade features five tall Romanesque arches and decorative bear heads. With over 20,000 seats, it's the largest stadium in the Ocean State.
The most architecturally significant part of Brown Field (now Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium) is the façade of the South Stand. It features five tall Romanesque arches framed by two corner towers. The tops of the towers each have smaller Romanesque arches with openings that have been boarded from the interior. Immediately under the sills of the tower arches are decorative bear heads, a nod to Brown’s team name, the Bears. A cartouche with the coat of arms of Brown University adorns the top of the South Stand façade of Brown Stadium. The coat of arms consists of a shield with a red cross and open books in each of the quadrants. The Latin motto "In Deo Speramus" (“In God We Hope”) is inscribed below the shield. A dedication plaque for Brown Field is mounted on the South Stand façade of the stadium. Its inscription reads, “With one voice and one heart we dedicate this new Brown Field to the purposes and ideals for which it was constructed. We dedicate it to clean sport and fair play; to the development of a sound mind in a sound body; to the loyalties of the game leading to the loyalties of life; to forgetfulness of self in devotion to the team; to respect for all opponents whether they lose or win; to the comradeship of American colleges; we pledge our enduring efforts that Brown Field may be a field of honor through all the years to come. October 24, 1925.” A view from Elmgrove Avenue shows the seating area of the South Stand of Brown Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island. The trapezoid-shaped grandstand holds more than 16,000 of the stadium’s 20,000-plus seats. The press box runs the entire length of the top of the grandstand.
October 24, 2025 at 12:51 PM
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50 years ago today, Oct. 22, 1975:

Carlton Fisk's long drive at 12:34 a.m. hit Fenway Park's left-field foul pole for a home run to force a 7th game against the Reds in the 1975 World Series. The footage of him waving the ball fair remains one of the most iconic series of images in sports history.
A display in Fenway Park near the left-field foul pole commemorates Carton Fisk’s famous home run that struck the pole in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. It features an image of Fisk waving the ball fair alongside a quote from the Hall of Fame catcher about the historic moment. The display is adjacent to the Green Monster section that was added atop the 37-foot-high leftfield wall in 2003. (Andy Bass photo, 2017) Fenway Park’s left-field foul pole was officially named “The Fisk Pole” by the Boston Red Sox on June 13, 2005. The name commemorates Carlton Fisk’s famous walk-off home run that struck the pole in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. Fisk attended the naming ceremony, which was held in the “Monster Seats” next to the pole. A plaque marking “The Fisk Pole” (left) was placed a few feet away from the yellow foul pole (right). (Andy Bass photo, 2017) A plaque marking the “The Fisk Pole” includes an inscription about Carlton Fisk’s famous walk-off home run that struck the leftfield foul pole in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. (Andy Bass photo, 2017) A Fenway Park tour guide (right) speaks on the history of the Fisk Pole (left) during a stop in the Green Monster section of the ballpark. (Andy Bass photo, 2017)
October 22, 2025 at 4:34 AM
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Singer Celia Cruz (1925-2003) was born 100 years ago today in Havana, Cuba. She was already a star when she left Cuba after the Cuban Revolution. In America, she became known as the "Queen of Salsa." She helped define the sound of the Afro-Cuban genre within Latin American music.
A glass mosaic portrait of Celia Cruz lines the subway platform wall of the 167th Street Station (B/D) at East 167th Street and Grand Concourse in the Bronx. The portrait is one of eight in the station that comprise “Beacons,” a celebration of individuals who have been influential within the Bronx community. Artist Rico Gaston created the work in 2018 with a glass mosaic fabricated by Miotto Mosaic Art Studios. The project was commissioned by MTA Arts & Design and New York City Transit. (Andy Bass photo, 2023) “La Vida es un Carnaval,” a mural portrait of Celia Cruz, adorns the exterior wall of Amor Cubano restaurant in New York City. The mural is on the southwest corner of East 111th Street and 3rd Avenue in the El Barrio neighborhood (East Harlem) of Manhattan. Artist Eliezer Leicea painted the mural in 2019. It was commissioned by Amor Cubano to celebrate Cuban culture. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A spray-painted mural of Celia Cruz adorns the side of a four-story building owned by the North Shore Community Development Corporation in Salem, Massachusetts. It’s located at 105 Congress Street in the El Punto neighborhood. The portrait was created by mural artist JEKS (Brian Griffin) in 2021. It was sponsored by the Punto Urban Art Museum, a project of the North Shore CDC. It was the second mural in the group’s Latin American icons series. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A mural celebrating the centennial of Celia Cruz covers a garage door at Kvibe Studios, 186 Griffith Street in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was created by artist Commodore and sponsored by the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey and Bank of America. The mural was ceremonially unveiled on July 2, 2025. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)
October 21, 2025 at 3:50 PM
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Political satirist Art Buchwald (1925-2007) was born 100 years ago today in Mount Vernon, NY. The syndicated columnist won the Pulitzer Prize for Outstanding Commentary in 1982. His successful breach of contract lawsuit against Paramount Pictures exposed deceptive "Hollywood accounting."
Andy Bass collection
October 20, 2025 at 12:18 PM
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50 years ago today, October 20, 1975:

THE ROBERT MACNEIL REPORT debuted on New York PBS station WNET. In the beginning, Jim Lehrer appeared 3 days a week as Washington correspondent. Within a year, the program went national and Lehrer became co-anchor. The duo’s on-air partnership lasted 20 years.
Robert MacNeil (1931-2024) and Jim Lehrer (1934-2020) appear in an undated publicity photo for the MACNEIL/LEHRER NEWSHOUR (1983-1995). The two journalists first worked together on-air during PBS’s special coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings in 1973. Their nightly news program debuted two years later as THE ROBERT MACNEIL REPORT (1975-1976). It was soon renamed THE MACNEIL/LEHRER REPORT (1976-1983). When the program expanded from 30 to 60 minutes, it became THE MACNEIL/LEHRER NEWSHOUR (1983-1995). After 20 years on air together, MacNeil stepped down as co-anchor in 1995. Lehrer continued anchoring the program, renamed THE NEWS HOUR WITH JIM LEHRER (1995-2009). The program was renamed to its present title, THE PBS NEWSHOUR, in 2009. Lehrer retired from the program in 2011. MacNeil and Lehrer continued to head MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, which owned the program, until 2014. The two received numerous journalism awards for their work on the program and were jointly inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1999. (Andy Bass collection)
October 20, 2025 at 11:39 AM
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100 years ago today, October 17, 1925:

Boston's Wang Theatre opened as the Metropolitan Theatre. It was built as a movie palace within a 14-story office building. Its four-story Grand Lobby was modeled after the Palais Garnier in Paris, France. At 3,600 seats, it's the city's largest theater.
The Wang Theatre lies within Boston’s theater district at 270 Tremont Street. The theater itself is located within a fourteen-story late Renaissance Revival office building. Boston movie mogul Nathan Gordon was the initial developer of the building, but near the end of its construction, he sold it to the Paramount/Publix Theater Corporation. It was one of the first buildings in Boston to be built to the city’s new height limit of 155 feet. In 1983, the theater was named for Dr. An Wang in recognition of his large endowment. It’s operated today by the non-profit Boch Center. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) The Wang Theatre has a baroque interior with a variety of public spaces, none more dramatic than its four-story, 90-foot-tall Grand Lobby. The lobby, distinctive for its grandeur of space and regal atmosphere, was modeled after the Palais Garnier in Paris, France. The interior of the theater was designated a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 1990. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) The Grand Lobby of the Wang Theatre is notable for its painted murals and relief sculptures that decorate its walls and ceiling. (Andy Bass photo, 2025) A view from the Wang Theatre stage shows the seating area of the horseshoe-shaped auditorium. The Wang was designed by Boston’s Clarence H. Blackall (1857-1942), a nationally known theater architect. The auditorium features a sloping orchestra section and a very large, steeply pitched single balcony. At the time of its construction, its seating capacity was one of the largest in the United States. At 3,600 seats, it remains the largest theater in Boston. Today, the Wang is known primarily for hosting live stage shows. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)
October 17, 2025 at 3:47 PM
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The circa 1825 Hyde Hall Covered Bridge at Glimmerglass State Park in Springfield, New York, was celebrated in a bicentennial ceremony on October 11, 2025. The 53-foot-long wooden bridge features a Burr Arch Truss design. The historic landmark is one of the oldest covered bridges in the nation.
A view looking northeast shows the Hyde Hall Covered Bridge spanning Shadow Brook following its bicentennial celebration at Glimmerglass State Park in Otsego County on October 11, 2025. The wooden bridge was commissioned by George Clarke (1768–1835) to provide access to his Hyde Hall Mansion and country estate. It was built by Cyrenus Clark, Andrew Alden and Lorenzo Bates. The property remained in the Clarke family until 1963, when it was acquired by the State of New York and became part of Glimmerglass State Park. The bridge stopped carrying motor vehicle traffic in 1965 when a new entrance road and concrete bridge were built downstream. The poured-concrete and fieldstone abutments were built by the state during an extensive restoration of the bridge in 1967. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Participants in the ceremony at the Hyde Hall Covered Bridge Bicentennial Celebration stand near the north landing of the bridge. Left to right are Noel Rubinton, secretary for the Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Resource Center; John Kucko (Master of Ceremonies), digital documentarian and former TV sports anchor in Rochester; Michael Roets, Historic Site Regional Supervisor (Central Region), NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation; Shawn M. Wood, Park Manager, Glimmerglass State Park; Bill Caswell, President, National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges; Ellen Tillapaugh, Mayor, Village of Cooperstown; Gib Vincent, Chairman of the Hyde Hall Board; and Peter Oberacker (R, C), New York State Senator, 51st Senate District. A historical marker commemorating the Hyde Hall Covered Bridge stands west of the bridge along the Glimmerglass State Park entrance road in Springfield, New York. The marker was ceremonially dedicated by the New York State Covered Bridge Society on September 9, 2006. An interpretive sign for the Hyde Hall Covered Bridge stands near the north landing of the bridge in Glimmerglass State Park in Springfield, New York. It was sponsored by the New York State Covered Bridge Society; the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; the Friends of Glimmerglass State Park; and Bob and Trish Kane of Sherburne, New York. It was ceremonially unveiled on July 17, 2016.
October 16, 2025 at 5:25 PM