In Episode #9 “Serenade to a Savage”, we see Adina’s distraught flight away from the Gala Ball after her argument with Jacob. She dashes down the giant curved stairs of the rotunda, away the Governor’s Room, has a brief encounter with the concierge and disappears into the dark night – where she encounters even more trouble.  

I loved using City Hall as a setting for this episode. New York City Hall itself is a National Historic Landmark. Government officials held a competition to determine who would design the building. The winners – one American gentlemen, John McComb, Jr., and French architect Joseph Francois Mangin – who never again collaborated on a building project – were awarded $350 in prize money.

Building began in 1803 and suffered a few setbacks, including finance restrictions and an outbreak of yellow fever which slowed construction, so it wasn’t officially opened until 1812.   

In Episode #9, after Jacob and Adina’s argument, Adina runs down a grand marble staircase which curves from the second floor to ground level, past ten fluted Corinthian column under a grand rotunda dome. This is a spectacular part of the building, and I just had to include it. The building is steeped in historical significance and was a fantastic setting for Donny’s Downfall, Betty’s triumph and Jacob and Adina’s turmoil. 

This rotunda has its own important history – it was here that Abraham Lincoln’s coffin was placed when he lay in state after his assassination in 1865. The 18th U.S. President, Ulysses S. Grant was also laid in state in the rotunda of City Hall.

The scene that follows this in Episode 9 takes us into a terrifying moment for Adina in the abandoned subway station opposite City Hall, which includes some fascinating WW2 history as well. But I’ll save that for another post… 😊

xx Hayley