Westminster, The One and Only New York is (Still) the Center of the Dog World BY DAN SAYERS
W hy on earth would any- one think it’s a good idea to bring a dog to midtown Man- hattan in the dead of winter? After all, a less convenient destination (and time of year) could not be considered for holding an all-breed dog show. Nevertheless, despite the pre- dictable threats from weather
As the chief European trading post in the New World, the city was poised to become a commercial powerhouse. While Philadelphia, Baltimore and Charleston cultivated their own identities as centers of philosophy, education and civic obligation, New York was unabashedly exerting its muscle to become North America’s financial capital. From its inception, the city beckoned men in search of fame and fortune. In 1773, Alexander Hamilton arrived from his island home of Nevis by way of Boston. The man who would become America’s first Secretary of the Treasury discovered a bustling center that had become the British colonies’ political and military center. For their part, 18th century New Yorkers were beginning to resent the Crown’s control over their affairs. On November 25, 1783, after years of battles won and lost, General George Washington’s army permanently expelled the British from the city. The stage was now set to establish an independent form of government. Beginning in 1785, Congress met in New York under the Articles of the Confederation and, under the Constitution, the city became the fledgling nation’s capi- tal city. On April 30, 1789, Washington took the oath as first President of the United States. A statue now stands on Wall Street to commemorate the occasion at the northern bound- ary of the original Dutch fort. New York continued to grow as an economic center with the opening of the Erie Canal. Completed in 1825, the water- way connected the city to both its European trading partners and to the untapped riches of the continent’s interior. Grain and lumber intended for Europe soon filled barges enroute to the port city and beyond. When oil was discovered in Penn- sylvania, railways were built to replace the canal system. The Pennsylvania Railroad, established in 1846 and headquar- tered in Philadelphia, built a grand terminal in New York’s midtown. The original Pennsylvania Station was a Beaux-Arts masterpiece that occupied two city blocks. The structure was unceremoniously replaced in 1968 with a subterranean com- plex that sits directly beneath the current Madison Square Garden at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza.
forecasters and union organizers, fanciers rarely hesitate to make the February pilgrimage to New York City. For the past 142 years, exhibitors have loyally returned for a chance to compete in Madison Square Garden’s iconic arena. Their rea- sons for doing so are as varied as the exhibitors themselves, yet each return visit is inextricably linked to both the devel- opment of the sport in America and the history of our nation’s greatest metropolis. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION To begin to understand Westminster’s eternal allure, it is essential to first understand the significance of the show’s New York location. Ever since the first Europeans arrived in 1626 on what would become the island of Manhattan, the area has been a destination for fortune and adventure seek- ers. New Amsterdam, as it was originally called by the Dutch West Indies Company, was purchased from the Lenape Indi- ans for 60 guilders ($1,050 in 2015). A fur trading post was quickly established and a fort constructed to defend against curious locals and marauding Europeans. The latter proved the greater threat, since the English successfully took con- trol of the island and its surrounding lands in 1664. Renamed New York, the area was briefly regained by the Dutch before it was permanently ceded to the English in exchange for what is now the South American country of Suriname.
“FOR THE PAST 142 YEARS, EXHIBITORS HAVE LOYALLY RETURNED FOR A CHANCE TO COMPETE IN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN’S ICONIC ARENA.”
78 • S how S ight M agazine , F ebruary 2018
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