Terra-Cotta, or “fired earth” is the clay chameleon of the concrete jungle: it can mimic stone or sport a rainbow of Technicolor glazes. Both lightweight and highly malleable, it’s ideal for both slim curtain walls and ornate sculptural ornaments. By the turn of the 20th century, many of the city’s most eminent architects, including Cass Gilbert, Henry Hardenbergh, George B. Post and Ely Jacques Khan, worked in terra-cotta, and the clay faced some of the city’s most iconic facades, including the Flatiron Building, the Woolworth Building and the Plaza Hotel. On this tour of Midtown Manhattan with Lucie Levine, we’ll see terra cotta in some of its most beautiful and diverse forms, from a multi-color Moorish-Revival Temple to a French Renaissance Chateau to an Italian Mannerist school. Along the way, stop by New York’s most ornate apartment building, check out one of the city’s earliest co-ops and find out how New York’s most illustrious theaters and finest hotels were clad in clay produced right here in the five boroughs!

The Piccirilli Brothers' work stands in plain sight across New York City, yet their names and story remain a mystery to most. Who were the six Italian immigrant sculptors behind some of the most iconic monuments in the five boroughs — and how did these brothers leave such an enduring legacy in marble? It’s time to spotlight the extraordinary artisans behind the city’s most celebrated stonework.

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Join New York Adventure Club as we uncover the story of the Piccirilli Brothers, a family of master stone carvers whose expert craftsmanship helped shape New York City’s architectural and artistic identity — from grand civic buildings to familiar neighborhood landmarks.

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Led by writer, historian, and New York City tour guide Lucie Levine, our virtual experience will include:

• An overview of the Piccirilli Brothers’ early life and arrival in New York, and how six Italian immigrant siblings became the city’s go-to marble carvers

• A peek inside their South Bronx studio, once the largest sculpture workshop in the country, where their collaborative process and craftsmanship took shape

• A discussion around their partnerships and process, including collaborations with renowned architects and sculptors like Daniel Chester French, Stanford White, and Cass Gilbert

• A look at their most iconic works throughout New York City, including the New York Stock Exchange pediment, the “Four Continents” at the Customs House, the New York Public Library lions, and carvings at Riverside Church

• An exploration of their immigrant identity and lasting legacy, from shaping patriotic symbolism in stone to founding the progressive Leonardo Da Vinci Art School in Manhattan