YET one more example of the classic residential architecture of the early 20th Century I found while dazedly trundling through the Upper west Side in April 2021 at #200 West 95th Street at Amsterdam, whose name reminds me of the old Mad Magazine Alfred E. Neuman catchphrase, “what, me worry?” Sans Souci is a French phrase meaning “without a care” and it crops up quite a bit, as it has lent its name to medical centers (an odd occurrence since people frequenting them have cares indeed) and a famed restaurant, now closed, in Glen Cove, Nassau County.
The original Sans Souci that lent its name to so many other places was the summer palace of Prussian King Frederick the Great in Potsdam, Germany. Completed in 1747 by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, the palace is famed for its terraced vineyards, grand gardens, and ornamental temples:
“While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is notable for the numerous temples and follies in the park. The palace was designed/built by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfill King Frederick’s need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court. The palace’s name emphasises this; it is a French phrase (sans souci), which translates as “without concerns”, meaning “without worries” or “carefree”, symbolizing that the palace was a place for relaxation rather than a seat of power. The name in past times reflected a play on words, with the insertion of a comma visible between the words Sans and Souci, viz. Sans, Souci. Kittsteiner theorizes that this could be a philosophical play on words, meaning “without a worry/concern” or it could be some secret personal message which nobody has interpreted, left to posterity by Frederick II.” [HISOUR
Check out the ForgottenBook (HarperCollins, 2006), as well as Forgotten Queens (Arcadia, 2013). I also have a chapter in the anthology “New York Calling: From Blackout to Bloomberg” (Reaktion, 2007). As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.
9/3/26
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“I have having lunch at Sans Souci [groans all around], and this White House guy, a good one, a pro, comes up to me and says ‘what it it with with you guys and this Watergate thing.’ ” (From All the President’s Men).