Category Archives: Buildings

Blogcast #8: Harry Houdini’s Stamford Home

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Houdini

By Tom Interval In 1904, Harry Houdini purchased a summer home on farmland in Stamford, Connecticut. For some unknown reason, he sold it a year later, and since then, only two other families have owned it. The original house burned … Continue reading →

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Leo’s Connecticut Mansion 360-degree Picture

Posted on April 23, 2019 by Houdini

LINK: Harry Houdini’s Brother Leo Owned This Connecticut Mansion By Tom Interval Are you a Houdini geek? A Connecticut history buff? No? Then the video below probably isn’t for you. It might sound kinda silly, but Houdini enthusiasts like me … Continue reading →

Posted in 162 Old West Mountain Rd., 286 Webb's Hill Rd., Buildings, Homes, Homes, Leopold, Siblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

71 East Eagle Street: Another Houdini Address?

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Houdini

By Tom Interval In September 1856, homeowner E.A. Rockwell petitioned the Buffalo Common Council to build a 7 x 14′ addition to his one-story home at 71 East Eagle Street in Buffalo, New York. Little did he know that 39 … Continue reading →

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Rabbi Weiss’s Farewell Sermon

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Houdini

By Tom Interval Listen to/watch this blog entry in video format → When Rev. Dr. Mayer Samuel Weiss arrived in the United States in 1876, doubt likely plagued his mind. At 47, he wasn’t a young man anymore, but he … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Bernard C. Meyer, Bess, Biographies, Birth, Books, Cecilia, Collections, Digital, Family, Gladys, Herman, Homes, kenneth silverman, Leopold, Literature, Mayer, Nathan, Parents, Siblings, Theodore (Hardeen), William | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Houdini Then and Now

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Houdini

By Tom Interval We all have our time machines, don’t we? Those that take us back are memories, and those that carry us forward are dreams. – Über-Morlock, The Time Machine (2002) It’s about time. Literally and figuratively. You see, … Continue reading →

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NPR Story: Unpublished Houdini Straitjacket Photo

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Houdini

By Tom Interval This morning, NPR’s Pam Fessler interviewed a gentleman by the name of Chris Shweie, coauthor of The Voice of the City: Vaudeville and Popular Culture in New York and collector of all things vaudeville. Shweie said he recently … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Collecting, Ephemera, Escapes, Photoshop Art, Straitjacket | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Did this man live at 278 W. 113th St. before Houdini?

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Houdini

By Tom Interval We know a few things about Harry Houdini’s New York City home at 278 W. 113th St. and even got a glimpse inside last year when the New York Daily News interviewed Fred Thomas, the current owner. … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday, Houdini!

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Houdini

By Tom Interval On March 24, 1874—140 years ago today—legendary escape artist and magician Harry Houdini escaped from his mother’s womb in Budapest, Hungary. Born as Erik Weisz in a room at Rákosárok utca 1. sz. (a street now known … Continue reading →

Posted in Birth, Buildings, Cecilia, Mayer, Parents, Rákosárok utca 1. sz. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Houdini’s Stamford Home Identified: 286 Webb’s Hill Road

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Houdini

By Tom Interval Listen to/watch this blog post on video → One of Harry Houdini’s better-known homes was (and is) located at 278 W. 113th St. in Harlem, his permanent residence. However, unless you’re a Houdini geek, you might not … Continue reading →

Posted in 278 W. 113th St., 286 Webb's Hill Rd., Bess, Buildings, Homes, Leopold | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments