Copper - Premieres Sunday, August 19 at 9/8C
From Barry Levinson & Tom Fontana
With Tom Weston-Jones & Franka Potente
Want to explore more of "Copper"'s New York City? Take a stroll through the seedy streets in our interactive map, Copper's New York: Map of 1864.
The scene inside a room in Eva's Paradise, a brothel where New Yorkers from all walks of life indulge their vices.
The street view of aristocrat Robert Morehouse's mansion.
A glimpse inside the home of Robert Morehouse, a handsome bon vivant born to Manhattan aristocracy.
A chess set and other pricey odds and ends in Robert Morehouse's office.
A look inside Robert Morehouse's office, in his uptown New York mansion.
The view of aristocrat Elizabeth Morehouse's Manhattan mansion.
Manhattan's wealth elite lived along pristine streets in uptown New York.
The view from Manhattan's elegant Fifth Avenue, a stark contrast to the slums of Five Points.
Hand-painted brick wall advertisements.
A look at the iconic Five Points Mission building.
A glimpse inside the modest Five Points home of Detective Kevin Corcoran.
Promotional flyers for shops, political meetings, and entertainment.
A look at the home of character Kevin Corcoran, who lives in the worst area of Five Points, off of Mulberry Street.
The view of the carpenter's shop in Five Points.
Another look at the stables of Five Points.
A closer look at the stables in Five Points, where some of the city's poorest grab some shuteye.
The keys to the kingdom, or in this case, the keys to the rooms of Eva's brothel.
The booze stockpiled and ready for the Five Points patrons of Eva's Paradise.
A look inside the most popular bar in Five Points - the saloon in Eva's Paradise.
Your one-stop shop for tobacco, cigars, and snuff in New York City's Sixth Ward.
A look at Elek and Sons butchers market, part of the Five Points neighborhood.
In Five Points, all roads lead to Paradise Square. “[Paradise Square] is where the gangs would meet, conduct their political campaigns. It becomes the town square," says Blackie.
Set dressers lined the buildings of Five Points with signs, flyers, advertisements, election banners and historical paraphernalia.
“[1864] is a period of time where everything can look like a Western," explains Blackie. "And it’s not a Western. So we wanted to try and have some of these strong brownstone and sandstone buildings.”
While tenement houses were a focal point of the set, stronger structures were necessary to capture the complete aesthetic of the era.
“We knew we were going to have some kind of action in a bank," recalls Blackie. "Part of our issue in designing this was trying to keep the New York Style feel alive."
“The set for this show is extraordinary," raves "Copper" Co-Creator, Show Runner, and Executive Producer, Tom Fontana. "It allows the actors to feel like they’re in a real place, as opposed to on a set.”
After the graphics team create the Five Points signage, set dressers begin the task of installing the signs.
The aged signs, created by Blackie's graphics crew, are one example of the small touches that lend to the set's authenticity.
“What we built here is Five Points and it looks very real," says "Copper" Executive Producer Barry Levinson. "Incredible craftsmanship has gone into it.”
"The cobblestone takes you to that period faster than almost anything," says Blackie. "If you can count the number of bricks in Five Points, you win a prize."
Blackie's favorite aspect of the intricate set? The cobblestone. "To build the cobblestone streets we laid down a bed of gravel and then stacked bricks on top," he explains. "We had special bricks made that have little divots on top of them, so that when we wet down the streets, they became wet in tiny little pockets, not in big ponds of water."
Recreating Five Points, New York City is no small undertaking, but production designer John Blackie embraced the opportunity. “I love doing period pictures because the challenges are just that much greater," says Blackie. "The grandness of these sets are totally because of the people that built them."
“We used 3-dimensional modeling in the design so we could actually get down in and see the building," says production designer John Blackie. "If you go back and look at our original drawings you can almost overlay them exactly to how they look on set now.”
"Copper" is set in New York City, 1864, in the city's notorious Five Points. Explore the breathtaking and brilliantly detailed sets, created by production designer John Blackie, art director Tony Lanni, and their "Copper" set crew.
