During our field trip in the lower Manhattan one building that completely amazed me was the National Museum of the American Indian, located in Bowling Green New York, NY, 10004.

The building which was originally the first U.S costume house in NY is a classical example of the beaux arts style. It was completed in 1907 and designed by the architect Cass Gilbert who won the competition for the design of the costume house among 20 other architects , and it is part of the New York City landmarks.

On the exterior of the building there are Corinthian columns that each of them tell the story from mythology and history with sculptures and decorations made out of marble. The grand stairs that are leading to the building emphasizing the big size of the building which reflects its significant.

On the interior of the building it was designed completely with marble included walls, floors and decorated columns. The dome ceiling is decorated with painting telling the history of the U.S. There is also large panels on the walls with paintings that show the history of the people who built the New York harbor ,the ships that came with the new immigrants from Europe and the Dutch. The skylight which brings natural light to the building is one of the largest free standing ocular in the world with no steel support possible by the geometric shapes of the building that reference to the design of Rome. The focal point of the interior design in the building is the decorated central rotunda.

When the world trade center was built the costume house was moved there and its original building was abandoned. The city decided to renovate it and after it was restored and cleaned to its original design, galleries were opened there and that how the building became the National Museum that it is known for today.

Immigrants

During the 1840’s many changes and  problems in Europe resulted in large imigration to the United States.

For example, In Northern and western Europe economic and political changes such as artisians that were displaced by the industrial revolution and farmers who lost their land.

In Ireland and Central Europe fatal harvests caused starvation, and in Germany the failure of liberal reform in 1848 led to immigration of educated and privileged elite.

During that time 35 million of people had began to move from Europe to the United States in order to look for security for them and their families and better life.

However, when the newcommers landed at the piers of New York Harbor they discovered that their life and adaption to the new country will be harder then they expected.

The new comers were met by immigrants runners who although sometimed helped them more often robbed and mistreted them.

As an act to prevent the immigrants of New York to offend the new immigrants, in 1855 the State designed castle garden to act as the central entry point for the newcommers where city workers helped and adviced them in their adaption.

In addition, immigrants aid sociaties established by each ethnic group to help the new immigrants to find houses and jobs.

Although, the Irish were the largest group of immigrants that came , one million in total arrived between 1844 and 1845 to the U.S and 200,000 of them settled in manhatten, other groups of immigrants from other parts of Europe also arrived. More then 100,000 Germans immigrants arrived along with groups of English, Welsh Scots and other ethnicities which made New York as the interlocking grid of ethnic neiberhoods during the nineteenth century which is probably remained untill today, Making New York well known for being the most ethnic and culturally diverse city in the United States.