East Village in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Bitter & Moretti Sculptors
249½ East 13th Street
Photographed by Larry Gertner, August 10, 2010
1. Bitter & Moretti Sculptors Marker
constructed in 1892
was the studio of the noted
architectural sculptors
Karl Bitter
(1867-1815)
and
Giuseppe Moretti
(1857-1935)
In 1891 Karl Bitter won the competition for the design of the Tympanum and Doors of Trinity Church on Broadway and Wall Street. The earnings from this, his first major commission, enabled him, with Giuseppe Moretti, to finance the construction of this studio. Bitter is probably best known to New Yorkers for his statue of Pomona or Abundance, which stands in the Pulitzer Fountain in front of the Plaza Hotel. This was his last work, the clay model completed shortly before his death and later cast by his assistants. Other works in Manhattan include sculptural elements on the facades of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Appellate Court Building on Madison Square, and the U.S. Customs House next to Battery Park.
Giuseppe Moretti created the largest cast iron statue in the world, the fifty-six foot Vulcan, which overlooks the city of Birmingham, Alabama. His first major commission in the United States was for marble friezes and statuary in the Marble House of William Kissam Vanderbilt in Newport, Rhode Island. For most of his career he lived in Pittsburgh, where many notable works can be found. Among them
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.
Location. 40° 43.915′ N, 73° 59.149′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in East Village. It is on East 13th Street west of Second Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 249 1/2 East 13th Street, New York NY 10003, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in New York City. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The New York Telephone Company Fire (within shouting distance of this marker); Margarita Maza De Juarez (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Emma Goldman (about 400 feet away); Petrus Stuyvesant's Pear Tree (about 500 feet away); William Penn Carriage Block and Hitching Post (about 600 feet away); 15 Rutherford Place (about 600 feet away); Firefighter Thomas A. Lynn (about 700 feet away); Petrus Stuyvesant (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
Regarding Bitter & Moretti Sculptors. The building is listed in the "AIA (American Institute of Architects) Guide to New York City, Fifth Edition".
Related markers.
Photographed by Larry Gertner
2. 249 1/2 East 13th Street
The marker is at the far right side of the building.
Also see . . .
1. Karl Bitter's Quaint 1891 Studio at No. 249-1/2 East 13th Street. Entry at "Daytonian in Manhattan" (Submitted on February 7, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. The Pulitzer Fountain. Entry at "Daytonian in Manhattan" (Submitted on February 7, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
3. Karl Bitter. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on February 7, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
4. Guiseppe Moretti. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on February 7, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Larry Gertner, August 10, 2010
3. "Bitter & Moretti Sculptors"
Carved over the doorway
from “Doing the Pan”, unknown
4. Karl Bitter (1857-1915)
Photographed by Larry Gertner, November 1, 2005
5. “Pomona or Abundance” atop the Pulitzer Fountain, 59th Street and Fifth Avenue
Birmingham Public Library Digital Archive, unknown
6. Giuseppe Moretti (1857-1935) and daughter
from “How Stuff Works”, unknown
7. “Vulcan”, Birmingham Alabama
Credits. This page was last revised on December 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 7, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 886 times since then and 55 times this year. Last updated on February 9, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 7, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3. submitted on February 9, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on February 7, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
