The divide between lace curtain and shanty had pretty much disappeared by the time I hit New York in the 1970s.
That being said, the clientele of the original Irish Pavilion on 57th Street bore little resemblance to those of us who frequented the many Blarney Stones that dotted the city.
Free love, dime bags, and the general couldn’t-give-a-damn attitudes of the 1960s had swept away many social barriers.
Guys like me who dwelt in lowly tenements on the Lower East Side were welcomed to such temples of culture as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Frick up on tony Fifth Avenue.
But never once did I think of approaching the lace curtain fortress of the American Irish Historical Society across the avenue from the Met.
The American Irish Historical Society.
There was an air of “keep your distance” about this gilded age mansion.
I occasionally wondered about it, for I was interested in Irish-American history. But like most others I gave this forbidding, and seemingly forbidden, ivory tower a pass.
Then some years back Brian McCabe became Chairman of the AIHS Executive Council and Sophie Colgan assumed management of events.
These two dynamic New Yorkers took over the day-to-day administration of the building and threw the doors wide open.
It was a new beginning and many of us organized or took part in events. It was then I came to appreciate the beauty and stateliness of the mansion.
But I was never able to discover how many valuable original documents are contained within the hallowed walls of 991 Fifth Avenue, though I did hear rumors of a vast collection of rare books among the “10,000 or so” volumes in the building.
The AIHS has never been known for its specificity.
Despite their trojan work, Brian and Sophie were eventually dismissed and in 2021 the building was put on sale for $52 million, along with a proposal to transfer the archives to Cooperstown.
Perhaps room for Irish-America’s heritage had been found within the Baseball Hall of Fame?
A general uproar ensued, the sale price was reduced, and eventually the building was taken off the market.
In 2022, New York Attorney General, Letita James intervened, and in 2023 a “permanent” board of directors was appointed, along with a new executive director, Dr. Elizabeth Stack.
Hallelujah! I knew Elizabeth from her sterling work as Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany. She had transformed that organization and was a popular cultural figure throughout the Capital Region.
The AIHS appeared to be in safe hands and Elizabeth set to her task of reopening 991 Fifth Avenue with her customary transparency and vivacity.
Sophie Colgan, AG Leititia James and Brian McCabe.
The Irish Rep resumed their wonderful immersive Yuletide production of James Joyce’s "The Dead."
Many readings, lectures and exhibitions were held, and though cash flow – the bane of most non-profit establishments – was a problem, there was a general air of optimism about the future of the AIHS.
What could go wrong? Oh, something as simple as another dismissal notice, this time of Dr. Stack, along with the resignation of a sizeable portion of the “permanent” board.
Then, to add a little farce - a Dickensian changing of locks. Talk about Bleak House! So where do we stand?
As ever with the opaque AIHS, who knows? There is talk of a lawsuit over an unpaid $3 million loan, and the necessity of selling the building so that the organization might be salvaged.
To my mind that would go against the spirit of Irish America.
With hard work, miracles can happen. Remember back in 2008 the rescue of St. Brigid’s Church on Avenue B from the wrecking ball?
That too seemed impossible until a sainted anonymous donor provided $20 million. Regardless, the road to recovery should begin with the immediate reinstatement of Dr. Stack.
All who have met her – except, apparently, some “permanent” board members – have been impressed by her hard work, and devotion to the organization and the building.
But if, in the end, the mansion must be sold, then so be it.
Another building can be leased, or even bought, in a less pricey area of the city where the digitized archives, library, paintings and other treasures can be opened to the public.
Perhaps then the AIHS can finally fulfill its original mission, “to place permanently on record the story of the Irish in America” - be they shanty or lace curtain.
