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This Week in Rockland: Newspaper Excerpts: Flashback Friday: Week of August 19

2022-08-19 TWIR Image-Christobel Engelke

August 17, 1872 – 150 YEARS AGO
Rockland County Journal

OF INTEREST TO LADIES
       At the earnest solicitation of several friends, residing in Nyack and vicinity, Mrs. Gertrude Hammond, M.D., has rented a suit of rooms in Onderdonk’s Brick Block, for the purpose of accommodating ladies who may be afflicted with nervous diseases, but who would prefer to be treated by one of their own sex. Mrs. Hammond has earned an enviable reputation for herself in the interior of our county, and so far as we have heard is fully qualified by education and practice, to treat successfully all such diseases.

DASTARDLY
       The name of the young scoundrel who invites girls to walk out with him, and administers drugged liquors to them on the be street, leaving them in the gutter drunk, is known and will be presented to the Grand Jury, if he does not make himself scarce before its next session.

August 18, 1932 90 YEARS AGO
Rockland County Journal News

CONGERS GIRL IN DEBUT AS SINGER
[Image: Christobel Engelke, 1932]
       When her program of nine numbers had been concluded, the enthusiastic audience who attended the debut of Christobel Engelke, in the Congers High School auditorium last night refused to permit her to stop. Sustained applause at the conclusion of her recital forced Miss Engelke to an encore of three additional solos.
       Those who had known Miss Engelke from babyhood, and who had often heard her in local entertainments in her younger years, marveled at the improvement in her rich voice. The training she has undergone during the past three years, under the guidance of Maestro Pompillo Malatesta, of the Metropolitan Opera Company, was apparent last night. Her voice has much color and a pleasing timbre in a wide range.
       There was mild applause as Miss Engelke parted the plush curtains and appeared before her audience for her initial bow. When she had finished Friml’s L’Amour Toujours L’Amour,” the applause was more animated, but Toselli’s “[Serenata] Rimpianto,” sung in Italian, moved the audience to an outburst.
       “Donde Lieta,” from Puccini’s “La Boheme,” was another number which captivated the audience, and there was amazement among those the heard her interpretation of Giord[a]no’s “O Grandi Occhi Lucenti di Fede.” Her clear diction and familiar handling of Italian compositions brought the young woman a wave of congratulation at the close of the recital.
       Miss Engelke’s mother, Geraldine Butterfield, also received a great ovation when she had concluded three violin selections, accompanied at the piano by Kennedy Freeman, of Malatesta’s studio, New York City.
       Freeman rendered Moskowsky’s “Thema” and the “Etude Arabesque,” by Leschetitzky. The rippling movements of the Etude captivated the audience and brought generous tribute to the young musician.
       Miss Engelke’s program included also “Estrellita,” by Ponce; the Prelude from “Cycle of Life,” by Ronald; Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro;” Sanderson’s “Until;” and “Dark Eyes,” by Salama.

August 18, 1972 50 YEARS AGO
The Journal News

BUILDING OFFERED TO COUNTY
       While a county legislative committee interviews architects who want to design a new courthouse at New City, county legislators have just received a letter from Henry F. Carter offering to sell the county a brick office building nearby for the extra space they are seeking.
       In the letter, Carter, a real estate broker, offered the Sam Feinberg building, located across New Hempstead Road from the County Office Building, to the county for $1.9 million.
       The legislature last month authorized an appraisal of the Knutsen building at 57 S. Main St., New City, where the county social services department is housed, for possible purchase.
       The Feinberg building has 40,000 square feet and 120 parking spaces.
       The Knutsen building reportedly has 20,000 square feet and space for 50 to 60 cars.
       The Feinberg building, presently owned by Roger Hotte, reportedly was offered to Rockland at what was considered a very reasonable price several years ago, but the offer was rejected by the then Board of Supervisors.
       Hotte said last week the building is not on the market, but that he had been approached recently by the county and would consider an offer.
       The building would be an interesting acquisition for the county. It has a sauna and swimming pool in a health club in the cellar and a circular window on the top floor overlooking New City.
       County planner Aaron Fried says that there are many office buildings that aren’t built for general municipal use, and it would ordinarily be better tor the county to build its own.
       However, if the price were right, it might not be a bad idea, Fried admitted.
       One of the considerations for the county’s New City complex had included rerouting New Hempstead Road in back of Hotte’s building, Fried said, but the current idea favors widening the road and straightening the curve on the hill.
       The major problem at the county’s offices in New City is one of space allocation. There are crowded courtrooms and no room to handle the crowds. One of the possibilities offered by the county’s coordinating architect has been to use the courthouse only for courtrooms and to take out other offices and house them elsewhere.
       Coordinating architect William Eli Kohn said this week that he will tell the planning and public works committee in two weeks what the alternatives are, and which are the best.
       The county has recently built two new family courtrooms in the county office building, and John Komar (R-Orangetown), chairman of the committee, feels there ought to be a few years of use made of them.
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This Week in Rockland (#FBF Flashback Friday) is prepared by Clare Sheridan on behalf of the Historical Society of Rockland County. To learn about the HSRC’s mission, upcoming events or programs, visit www.RocklandHistory.org or call (845) 634-9629.


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