History

New photo exhibit shows New York City children playing on car-free streets in the summer of ’68

Photo credit: Katrina Thomas. NYC Parks Photo Archive 

July 5, 2022

New photo exhibit shows New York City children playing on car-free streets in the summer of ’68

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The city's Parks Department opened a new photography exhibition at Central Park's Arsenal Gallery that displays more than 40 archived photographs from the department's collection. Called "Streets In Play: Katrina Thomas, NYC Summer 1968," the exhibit features images taken by the late photographer Katrina Thomas, who in 1968 was hired by NYC Mayor John Lindsay and tasked with capturing the city's summer initiative, "Playstreets," in which residential blocks were closed to vehicles and instead equipped for recreational activity.
Take a look
First LGBTQ+ National Park Service visitor center to open at NYC’s Stonewall Inn

Photo by Another Believer on Wikimedia

June 24, 2022

First LGBTQ+ National Park Service visitor center to open at NYC’s Stonewall Inn

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The National Park Service's first LGBTQ+ visitor center will open at Greenwich Village's Stonewall Inn, organizers announced this week. Pride Live, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, officially broke ground on the future 3,700-square-foot Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center (SNMVC), expected to open in 2024. Located at 51 Christopher Street, the center will sit directly next to the historic Stonewall Inn and provide a space to learn about the Stonewall Rebellion in its original location.
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New map highlights NYC landmarks related to LGBTQ+ history

Image courtesy of the National Parks Conservation Association on Flickr

June 20, 2022

New map highlights NYC landmarks related to LGBTQ+ history

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In celebration of Pride Month, the Landmarks Preservation Commission last week released an interactive story map that highlights important landmarks in New York City known for their significance within the LGBTQ+ community's cultural and civil rights movement. The project highlights seven individual landmarks throughout the city, including James Baldwin's Upper West Side apartment and the Stonewall Inn, one of the most important sites associated with LGBTQ+ history in the United States. The story map focuses solely on individual landmarks designated primarily for their LGBTQ+ significance, not just sites that have ties to individuals and groups.
See more here
10 places with ties to New York City’s maritime history
May 18, 2022

10 places with ties to New York City’s maritime history

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Next week is Fleet Week, and soon New York will be awash in sailors. If you're moved by all the festivities and want to get in on the maritime merriment, there are sites exploring New York's links to the sea throughout all five boroughs. From barges to schooners to yachts to dry docks, here are 10 sites where you can celebrate New York's seafaring spirit.
Check them all out
AMNH’s revamped Northwest Coast Hall features exhibits curated by Indigenous communities

All images © D. Finnin/AMNH

May 16, 2022

AMNH’s revamped Northwest Coast Hall features exhibits curated by Indigenous communities

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Five years and a $19 million renovation later, the American Museum of Natural History's oldest gallery reopened to the public last week. Developed alongside curators from Native Nations of the Northwest Coast, the new 10,200 square-foot Northwest Coast Hall showcases the history of the Pacific Northwest with a focus on the "scholarship and material culture of the Northwest Coast communities," according to a press release. The gallery contains more than 1,000 artifacts including a 63-foot-long canoe, the largest Pacific Northwest dugout canoe existing today, and a diverse collection of art, from monumental carvings up to 17 feet tall to contemporary works of art from Native artists.
Details here
From NYC’s first gated community to Woody Guthrie: A history of Sea Gate

Photo via Flickr cc 

May 4, 2022

From NYC’s first gated community to Woody Guthrie: A history of Sea Gate

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What do Woody Guthrie, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Frank Schubert (the nation’s last civilian lighthouse keeper) have in common? They all lived in Sea Gate, a private community at the westernmost tip of Coney Island. Sea Gate began as a 19th-century playground for the rich, turned into a hotbed of Yiddish literature and Socialist labor activism in the 1930s, and sported at least one commune in the early ‘70s. Today, Sea Gate is home to about 8,000 residents who enjoy private beaches and expansive views of the Verrazano Bridge. If you want to “get in the Gate,” as the locals say, but aren’t ready to relocate west of the Wonder Wheel, you can snag a summer membership at the Brooklyn Beach Club, where even non-residents can while away the hours under a cabana. Or, you can read on for the history of a Coney Island beach town you’ve probably never visited.
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NYC’s oldest gay bar honored with historic plaque

All images courtesy of the Village Preservation

April 25, 2022

NYC’s oldest gay bar honored with historic plaque

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The site of a monumental event in the LGBTQ community's fight against anti-gay discrimination was honored last week with a historic plaque. The Village Preservation and the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project on Thursday unveiled the plaque at Julius' Bar at 159 West 10th Street. The bar was the site of the first "Sip-In," an act of defiance in which members of gay rights groups entered the bar and asked to be served drinks while announcing they were homosexuals, going against the discriminatory regulations of the New York State Liquor Authority which at the time prohibited bars from serving gay or lesbian patrons.
See more here
The history of New York City’s original rooftop bars

Casino Roof Garden, 1899 via NYPL Digital Collections

April 20, 2022

The history of New York City’s original rooftop bars

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How many summer evenings have you spent at a rooftop bar? While the rooftop bar was indeed born and bred in New York City, it’s nothing new. Even before New York was a city of skyscrapers, denizens of Gotham liked to take their experiences to vertical extremes. And when it comes to partying, New Yorkers have been conquering new heights, drink in hand, since 1883. That year, impresario Rudolf Aronson debuted a roof garden on the top of his newly built Casino Theater on 39th Street and Broadway. The rooftop garden was soon a Gilded Age phenomenon, mixing vaudeville and vice, pleasure and performance, for well-heeled Bon-Vivants who liked to spend their summers high above the sweltering streets.
Get the scoop
NYC celebrates Frederick Law Olmsted’s bicentennial birthday with a month of parks programs

All images courtesy of Daniel Avila / NYC Parks

April 8, 2022

NYC celebrates Frederick Law Olmsted’s bicentennial birthday with a month of parks programs

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Throughout April, the city's parks will celebrate the 200th birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect whose visionary work on Central Park, Prospect Park, and many other public parks helped influence the future of urban green space design. The Parks Department will be teaching New Yorkers about Olmsted's influence on urban design with an exhibition at the Arsenal Gallery, tours led by the Urban Park Rangers, and much more.
See more here
Jane’s Walk returns to NYC with in-person tours and focus on four Harlem historic districts

Courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission

April 5, 2022

Jane’s Walk returns to NYC with in-person tours and focus on four Harlem historic districts

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For the first time since 2019, Jane's Walk NYC will offer in-person tours next month. Presented by the Municipal Art Society of New York, Jane's Walk is a three-day festival of free guided walking tours through iconic New York City neighborhoods. This year, the volunteer-led event, which runs May 6-8, includes walks through four historic districts in Harlem: the Mount Morris Park Historic District, the Central Harlem Historic District, Striver's Row, and the Dorrance Brooks Historic District, designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission last June.
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NYC launches online platform with free access to 9.3 million historical birth, death, and marriage records

Courtesy of The New York City Municipal Archives

March 16, 2022

NYC launches online platform with free access to 9.3 million historical birth, death, and marriage records

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The New York City Municipal Archives has launched a digital search platform as part of a mass digitization project that will ultimately provide online access to 13.3 million historical birth, death, and marriage records. At 70 percent complete, the NYC Historical Vital Records Project currently has 9.3 million genealogical records accessible in digital form, free of charge.
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Hochul recommends five historic places in NYC to be added to state and national registers

Photo showing storefront stands on Ninth Ave. looking south from just north of West 40th St., 1936.(Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library.

March 14, 2022

Hochul recommends five historic places in NYC to be added to state and national registers

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Gov. Kathy Hochul last week announced 21 nominations for possible placement on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The list of nominations includes a diverse set of locations that are intricate to the history of New York. Nominations include early automobile manufacturing sites in Buffalo and Syracuse, a Mohawk Valley cemetery home to the author of the Pledge of Allegiance, and the only remaining 19-century textile mile in Troy. Of the total nominated places, five are located in New York City, including an abandoned Bronx train station designed by Cass Gilbert and an area in Hell's Kitchen once home to a famed open-air market.
See more here
A guide to the Gilded Age mansions of 5th Avenue’s millionaire row

The Cornelius Vanderbilt II Mansion on 57th Street and 5th Avenue, now demolished. Photo via A.D. White Architectural Photographs, Cornell University Library.

March 10, 2022

A guide to the Gilded Age mansions of 5th Avenue’s millionaire row

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New York City's Fifth Avenue has always been pretty special, although you'd probably never guess that it began with a rather ordinary and functional name: Middle Road. Like the 1811 Commissioner's Plan for Manhattan, which laid out the city's future expansion in a rational manner, Middle Road was part of an earlier real estate plan by the City Council. As its name suggests, Middle Road was situated in the middle of a large land parcel that was sold by the council in 1785 to raise municipal funds for the newly established nation. Initially, it was the only road to provide access to this yet-undeveloped portion of Manhattan, but two additional roads were built later (eventually becoming Park Avenue and Sixth Avenue). The steady northwards march of upscale residences, and the retail to match, has its origins where Fifth Avenue literally begins: in the mansions on Washington Square Park. Madison Square was next, but it would take a combination of real-estate clairvoyance and social standing to firmly establish Fifth Avenue as the center of society.
More on how the gilded mansions of 5th Avenue came to be
Staten Island woman’s collection of over 20,000 Black history artifacts to be auctioned

All images courtesy of Guernsey’s

March 9, 2022

Staten Island woman’s collection of over 20,000 Black history artifacts to be auctioned

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Thousands of historical items illustrating the Black experience in America are going up for auction. Compiled over 60 years by former New York City teacher Elizabeth Meaders, the collection is widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive, surpassing collections belonging to museums and other private institutions. The Elizabeth Meaders Collection of African American Historical and Cultural Artifacts will be put up for an online auction as a single collection through Guernsey's on March 15.
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The 10 best places in NYC to get your fill of Irish culture
March 8, 2022

The 10 best places in NYC to get your fill of Irish culture

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St. Patrick’s Day is almost here, and though its modern iteration seems to have devolved into a daylong drinking activity, it’s still a good time to reflect on New York’s Irish heritage. Irish immigrants have been coming to New York since the colonial era, but in the 19th century, they were one of the biggest groups in the city, making up about a quarter of the population. Their cultural influence is everywhere, but there are some spots in town where it shines through the most. Here are our favorites.
Check 'em out
Where to celebrate Women’s History Month 2022 in NYC

Photo courtesy of the Locker Room

March 8, 2022

Where to celebrate Women’s History Month 2022 in NYC

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March is Women’s History Month, an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of American women–and March 8 is International Women's Day. The origins of the month-long celebration–and the suffrage movement itself, have their roots in New York City, and the city is a great place to learn more about the women who shaped the world as we know it. Top local arts and culture organizations are offering lectures, festivals, tours, and art exhibits in the five boroughs, all month long. More reason to celebrate and mark your calendar: Most hosts have returned to in-person events.
Find out more
Explore hidden gems and lesser-known artists at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library’s new exhibit

All images courtesy of Alfonso Lozano

March 7, 2022

Explore hidden gems and lesser-known artists at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library’s new exhibit

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The Hispanic Society Museum & Library has opened a new exhibition that brings attention to the wide variety of art, literature, and history from the Iberian Peninsula and South America. Curated by art historian Dr. Madeleine Haddon, Nuestra Casa: Rediscovering the Treasures of The Hispanic Society Museum & Library features select "hidden gems" from the museum's expansive collection of more than 750,000 pieces, including artworks by El Greco and Goya to masterpieces by lesser-known Latin American artists. The exhibition is open at the Washington Heights museum now through April 17.
Details this way
Free walking tour of the Flatiron District explores the neighborhood’s presidential history

Photo by Jermaine Ee on Unsplash

February 16, 2022

Free walking tour of the Flatiron District explores the neighborhood’s presidential history

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To celebrate Presidents Day weekend, the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership is hosting a free special walking tour that explores the connection between U.S. presidents and the rich history of the Flatiron District. On February 20 at 11 a.m., tour guide Mike Kaback will embark on a 90-minute tour with guests, pointing out landmarks and providing context on how former presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant are tied to the historic area.
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How to celebrate Black History Month 2022 in New York City

“Renaming Project” Exhibition, Photo Credit: Daniel Avila / NYC Parks

February 7, 2022

How to celebrate Black History Month 2022 in New York City

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In the United States, February is a month dedicated to the celebration of African American history and culture. Ahead find a variety of events to commemorate Black History Month in New York City, ranging from community service and walking tours to jazz concerts and live performances.
Full list ahead
New York’s first-ever Lenape-curated exhibition to open at the Brooklyn Public Library in Greenpoint

Image courtesy of Gregg Richards

January 19, 2022

New York’s first-ever Lenape-curated exhibition to open at the Brooklyn Public Library in Greenpoint

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The first-ever Lenape-curated exhibition in New York is coming to Brooklyn. Presented by the Brooklyn Public Library and The Lenape Center, Lenapehoking features a collection of masterworks by Lenape artists and educational programs that teach visitors the story of the Lenape community. The collection is curated by Joe Baker, the co-founder and executive director of the Lenape Center and enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians. The exhibition opens on Thursday, January 20 at the Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center and runs through April 30.
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New-York Historical Society brings Frederick Douglass’ vision of a free America to life

Left: Carte-de-visite of Frederick Douglass, late 19th century. Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, New-York Historical Society. Right: Douglass scrapbook, Beinecke Library, New-York Historical Society

January 18, 2022

New-York Historical Society brings Frederick Douglass’ vision of a free America to life

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The work of one of America's most influential advocates for liberty and equality will be on view in New York City this Black History Month. On February 11, the New-York Historical Society will open Our Composite Nation: Frederick Douglass’ America, a special installation that honors the legacy of one of America’s most prolific freedom fighters. Named after one of Frederick Douglass’ most iconic speeches written at the end of the Civil War, the installation aims to paint a picture of Douglass’ optimistic vision of a new America during the era of Reconstruction.
Details here
How New York keeps its cool: A history of ice skating in NYC

Central-Park Winter, 1862, via NYPL Digital Collections

January 5, 2022

How New York keeps its cool: A history of ice skating in NYC

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While we haven't had much snow yet this year, New York is already a winter wonderland thanks to the many ice skating rinks found across the city. If you choose to glide through the season on ice, taking a spin anywhere from Central Park to Coney Island, you’re sliding into a New York winter tradition that includes the nation’s first organized ice rink, a decade of “Icetravaganzas” that drew millions, a glittery trend of hotel ice gardens throughout Midtown, and even a relationship to the origins of baseball. So lace up, and read on for a history of ice-skating in New York City.
Glide into this story!
In the 1800s, a group of NYC artists and writers created the modern-day Santa Claus

Ever the New Yorker, Santa catches the trolly to Bloomingdales! The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library, NYPL Digital Collections

December 22, 2021

In the 1800s, a group of NYC artists and writers created the modern-day Santa Claus

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Saint Nicholas arrived in New York with the Dutch and became the Patron Saint of New York City in the early 19th century, but Santa, as we know him, is a hometown boy. New York’s writers and artists were the first to depict the modern Santa Claus, transforming the figure of Dutch lore into a cheerful holiday hero. The illustrious Claus gained his sleigh in Chelsea and his red suit on Franklin Square. With a little help from the likes of Washington Irving, Clement Clarke Moore, and Thomas Nast, jolly old St. Nick became the merriest man in Manhattan.
More about Santa's New York Roots!
The history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, a NYC holiday tradition

The 1931 tree, courtesy of Tishman Speyer

December 1, 2021

The history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, a NYC holiday tradition

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The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, considered the "worldwide symbol of Christmas," will be lit on Wednesday, marking the 89th tree lighting ceremony. After last year's event was closed to spectators because of the pandemic, the tree lighting will once again welcome the public to kick off the holiday season. Ahead of the event, learn about the history of the iconic spruce, from its start as a modest Depression-era pick-me-up for Rockefeller Center construction workers to World War regulations to its current 900-pound Swarovski star.
More on the history here
100 years ago, Hanukkah was a brand-new holiday to New York

Hanukkah celebration by the Young Men’s Hebrew Association at the Academy of Music in New York City, 1880, via Wikimedia Commons

November 29, 2021

100 years ago, Hanukkah was a brand-new holiday to New York

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Hanukkah is engrained into New York's holiday season, but roughly 100 years ago the Festival of Lights was big news to many New Yorkers. Look at the newspaper coverage back in the day regarding the holiday, and most "took an arms-length approach," as Bowery Boys puts it. "More than one old Tribune or World carried a variant of the headline "Jews Celebrate Chanukah," as though there might have been some doubt. A 1905 headline even informed readers that, "Chanukah, Commemorating Syrian Defeat, Lasts Eight Days." Such headlines weren't just the result of ignorance--New York's Jewish population was low through the 1800s, and even within the religion, Hanukkah has traditionally been a minor festival. But a boom in Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe and a reassertion of religious traditions in a new country completely changed the fabric of New York. Eventually, the eight-day festival of light--which commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks over 2,000 years ago--emerged as an important tradition of the city.
Here's what happened
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