Eager not to be outdone by the London Crystal Palace of 1851, America opened its own international exhibition of arts and industries—the New York Crystal Palace—amid great fanfare on July 14, 1853, in Reservoir Square, a piece of land that today is partially occupied by the New York Public Library. The Crystal Palace’s 5,272 exhibitors displayed articles such as fine furniture, fabrics, porcelain, jewelry, and metalwork; recent inventions such as fire engines, sewing machines, and steam-powered pumps; and products such as Goodyear’s India rubber goods, Linus Yale’s “Patent Magic Locks,” and guns from the makers Colt, Sharps, and Whitney. Samuel F. B. Morse received a silver medal for his telegraph; Tiffany and Company was awarded a silver medal for its silverware; and Matthew Brady won a bronze medal for his daguerreotypes. Although it had been dubbed “fireproof” at the time of its construction, on October 6, 1858, the Crystal Palace burned to the ground, reportedly in less than half an hour.