June 2014, Volume 11, Number 4
Six to Celebrate Tours
From Yiddish to Chinese and Beyond: A Walking Tour of Historic Libraries in Chinatown
Thursday, July 10, 6:00PM (WALKING TOUR)
Seward Park Branch, exterior, west façade, 2010 (HDC)
Visit two of the busiest Carnegie libraries in the New York Public Library system as well as other sites of interest between and near them, including one of the oldest graveyards in New York, Al Smith’s childhood home, and Knickerbocker Village, a forerunner of later urban renewal projects. The tour, led by John Bacon, HDC board member and Director of Planned Giving at The New York Public Library, will start at the McKim, Mead and White-designed Chatham Square Library and conclude at the Seward Park Library, which became a New York City landmark in 2013.
To learn more about this and other Six to Celebrate tours click here
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Historic Pub Crawl
Join the Historic Districts Council and Chrysalis Archeological Consultants for a taste of the architecture, history and beverages of some of New York City’s oldest watering holes. The tour will begin with a tasting of Chrysalis bitters, brewed from an historic recipe and inspired by a 19th century bottle recently found at a Bowery archeological site, which promised to be an “Elixir of Long Life.” With that fortification , we will move on to the saw dust floors, neon signs and dumb waiters of 3 well-known and long-loved neighborhood establishments whose long lives have seen their share of social and architectural history. The tour will end with bar snacks and conversation. Really what more can you ask for…
Saturday, July 19, 2014
1:00 PM
$10
* Cost includes tasting of Chrysalis bitters and noshes at Old Town bar; beverages available for purchase.
To Purchase Tickets Click Here
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North Brother Island: The Last Unknown Place in New York City
An Illustrated Book Talk
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Doors open at 6:00/Talk starts at 7:00
The Paris Cafe, 119 South Street (at Peck Slip)
Join us for a visual exploration of the one place most New Yorkers will never get to explore on their own.Photographer Christopher Payne will present a book talk on his recently published North Brother Island: The Last Unknown Place in New York City
In 1902 famed social commentator Jacob Riis, writing about North Brother Island, which then housed the Riverside Hospital said, “Today, where once was a waste of sand, are broad and shaded lawns; winding, well-kept walks, trees, shrubs and flowers; handsome, substantial buildings and hospital pavilions or ward.” Later in his article observing the differences in smallpox hospitals in Europe compared to this institution on North Brother Island, he noted that the “isolation secured in New York is absolute.” And though the island, 20 acres stranded in the middle of the East River, would see decades of activity both positive and tragic, this absolute isolation, even with vast transportation advancements citywide, would be the reason why the island was abandoned to nature by the middle of the 20th century.
Photographer Christopher Payne was granted permission by the city to photograph the island and its ruined structures, and the result is North Brother Island: The Last Unknown Place in New York City. The book tells the story of the island; its thriving years, its connection to a number of infamous events and people, and recent decades when vegetation has consumed the now crumbling buildings. The book includes photography by Mr. Payne, a history of the island by University of Pennsylvania professor and preservationist Randall Mason, and an essay by author Robert Sullivan.
Program is free and open to the public, but reservations are required.
To register, please call 212-614-9107 or email [email protected].
*Food and drinks will be available for purchase
The Paris Café, first opened in 1873, was frequented by such personages as Thomas Edison and Theodore Roosevelt, and nearly closed after sustaining damage from Superstorm Sandy.
This program is being co-sponsored by Fordham University Press
