19th Century vs. 21st Century

9x12" felt-tip pen drawing circa 2000; New York Botanical Garden

My wife, daughter, and I used to visit the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx on a regular basis. On this trip, I made an ink sketch of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and the half-finished Fordham University radio tower being erected behind it.

Those two structures were at the heart of a decade-long feud, the botanical garden battling to have the "Erector Set" eyesore removed. In the end, Montefiore Medical Center saved the day. It offered one of its rooftops to the university as an alternate site, the half-completed radio tower was dismantled, and everyone lived happily ever after.

Here's a NYT article with more details.