Ceremony (+ Bike Tour!) to Honor Unsung Planner A.H. Green (Sat. 11/8)
The Manhattan Borough Historian’s Office Cordially Invites You to
THE SIXTH ANNUAL TRIBUTE CEREMONY (AND HISTORY BIKE TOUR!)
IN HONOR OF ANDREW H. GREEN, NYC’S FORGOTTEN CIVIC GIANT
Join us in Central Park on Saturday, November 8th as we raise a toast to Andrew H. Green, the unsung 19th century master planner, reformer and preservationist whose influence was so far-reaching that some historians describe him – in a good way – as “the Robert Moses of the 19th Century.”
This year we’ve added something new. Because we had to turn people away at the Andrew H. Green historic bike tour for Open House New York, we’ve decided to offer the ride again as a postscript to the tribute ceremony. On the ride we will rediscover the remarkable legacy of Mr. Green by visiting some sites related to his career. (You don’t have to participate in the bike ride to attend the ceremony.)
Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione will speak and lead the tour. Other speakers to be announced.
ABOUT MR. GREEN
Andrew Haswell Green (1820 – 1903) had a civic career that spanned five decades. He headed the Central Park Commission, New York City‘s first comprehensive planning body and the tool with which Mr. Green transformed New York. Central Park, Riverside Park, the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the street grid and improvements north of 155th Street, and, most importantly, the scheme for consolidating the five boroughs owe their existence directly to the visionary planning that Mr. Green pioneered through the commission. Later, Mr. Green would be instrumental in the founding of the New York Public Library and the New York Zoological Society / Bronx Zoo. Mr. Green devoted the final years of his life to unifying and promoting New York’s emerging historic preservation movement. For more information visit www.andrewhgreen.net .
WHEN:
Saturday, November 8, 2008 at 12:00n. (Severe inclement weather cancels the ceremony and ride.)
WHERE:
The Andrew H. Green Memorial Bench, inside Central Park at about 105th Street. The bench is extremely difficult to find and is not marked on most park maps. Follow the directions below or, better yet, consult the map at www.andrewhgreen.net .
COST:
The ceremony and ride are free and open to all. No reservations required.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EVENT:
If you have any questions/problems before 5:00p on Friday, November 7, contact Michael Miscione by email at [email protected] . To reach him after that, call his cell phone at 646/ 209-5640.