11/17 Lecture – When the City Celebrated Itself: 1948 NYC Golden Jubilee
Most New Yorkers are familiar with the legendary world’s fairs of 1939 and 1964, but who remembers the New York City Golden Jubilee of 1948?
Join Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione as he blows the dust off this forgotten summer-long commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the consolidation of the five boroughs. Mr. Miscione’s free presentation, titled “When the City Celebrated Itself: The New York City Golden Jubilee of 1948,” will include rarely seen photographs, newsreel footage, sound recordings, and memorabilia from the celebration.
The Golden Jubilee festivities began in June on Fifth Avenue when 75,000 multi-ethnic city employees and students – many in history-themed floats and costumes – marched in a “New York at Work” parade. A few weeks later, the focus shifted to Queens where an international air show, attended by President Truman, opened “Idlewild” (later JFK) Airport. Then attention turned to the Grand Central Palace, the city’s now-defunct exposition hall. Here visitors could review an array of exhibits and staged events that glorified municipal agencies and local industry. Mother and Suzie could coo over the latest offerings from the Garment District at one of the Jubilee’s many fashion shows, while dad and Junior marveled at a scale model of the city’s water system or “Man and the Atom,” described as “the most comprehensive and educational atomic energy exhibit ever assembled.”
WHAT: “When the City Celebrated Itself: The New York City Golden Jubilee of 1948,” a multi-media lecture
WHEN: Monday, November 17, at 6:30p
WHERE: Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave., at 40th St. (*not* the library with the lions out front!)
RSVP: Free and open to the public. No reservations required. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.
MORE INFO: http://www.nypl.org/events/breventsdetail.cfm?EventID=65820.733363