An American Original Since Its Founding in 1955, the Winter
Antiques Show Embodies the Spirit and Flair of Its
Founders
The circus had departed, but on a cold winter night in 1954 the
mingled odor of elephant and lion still clung to the dank walls
of the old Madison Square Garden, where the National Antiques
Show had set up for a week in March.
Grace and Carleton Lindquist, associate directors of East Side
House Settlement, one of the city's oldest and most illustrious
charities, had discovered that taking a booth at the sprawling
market was a profitable way of disposing of some of the redundant
luxuries donated to the Settlement's thrift shop.
A far cry from the dazzling emporium for the rare and the
beautiful that we now know as the Winter Antiques Show, the East
Side House display barely hinted at the brilliant ensemble
performance that endures as "The Great American Show," an
accolade bestowed by The New York Times in 1983.
A magnetic personality who coaxed the best efforts from her board
and staff, Grace Lindquist cultivated a varied circle of
supporters dedicated to advancing the interests of the
community-based organization, then located on East
76th Street. After acquiring three brownstones on
Alexander Avenue in 1961, the Settlement reopened in the South
Bronx in 1963, where, for the past fourteen years, executive
director John A. Sanchez has led its dramatic expansion of
educational programs for the young.
