My thanks to David Emery for sending in this photo from the A. D. White Architectural Photographs, Cornell University Library (Accession Number: 15/5/3090.00452) of the Pompeia at Saratoga Springs. Other images from the Pompeia can be seen here on Flickr.These are fabulous photos and I want to know more! Is the Pompeia still standing? Can it be visited? Who built it and why? Can anyone provide any details about this?
A quick search of the internet revealed that the Pompeia at Saratoga Springs, New York State was a reconstruction of the House of Pansa. An article from The New York Time of 1892 provides a short insight into its building and builder and can be found at: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0CE4DB1E39E033A2575BC2A96E9C94639ED7CF
ReplyDeleteIt appears as though a publication was released with the images and is found under: Catalogue of the Pompeia, a reproduction of the house of Pansa at Pompeii, buried by Vesuvius, A.D. 79 ...by Franklin W. Smith. Published in 1973, American Publishing (Saratoga Springs, N.Y). It's available on microfilm today, although the images are available readily on the internet and can be zoomed to view in better detail.
Thank you, Sera! And thank you too to David Emery, Eric Skelly and Robert Mack for emailing comments and links:
ReplyDeleteDavid Emery sent the following: 'A couple more images here, better resolution: http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?keyword=pompeia&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
Also here's an article on the owner: http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1956/4/1956_4_38.shtml and a citation to the article mentioned in the "American Heritage" (1956!) article: http://www.jstor.org/pss/987821 Maybe someone with academic access to a digital repository can get the full paper. (I'd love to see it...)'
Eric Skelly also emailed me the link to the Franklin W. Smith article.
Robert Mack sent the following: 'Here is what I have found An informational booklet from the 1889 about the process of building the house, http://books.google.com/books?id=RGw2AAAAMAAJ&ots=9x4qbC3ElL&dq=pompeia%20house&pg=PA1 A mention in a local history book http://books.google.com/books?id=iUDVrkWl8kAC&lpg=PA324&dq=pompeia%20saratoga%20springs&lr=&pg=PA174 A traveler's impressions from the late 1800's http://books.google.com/books?id=hHgAAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22house%20of%20pansa%22%20saratoga&lr=&pg=PA660 It seems it was built as a tourist attraction. Here it is as it stands today http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=saratoga+springs&sll=43.002639,-73.586426&sspn=1.11879,2.469177&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=43.077023,-73.786561&spn=0.002045,0.009645&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=43.076841,-73.786611&panoid=DObM35_zAZ8MR2xzuHElUw&cbp=11,50.1,,0,-8.31
Is seems to be the offices of an advertising firm.'
Good stuff! Thank you again!