History

May 4, 2022

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

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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History

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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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.
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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

By Lucie Levine

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.
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History

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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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.
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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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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

By Michelle Cohen

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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History

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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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.
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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

By Michelle Young

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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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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March 8, 2022

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

By Rebecca Fishbein

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

By Michelle Cohen

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.
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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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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.
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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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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.
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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

By Lucie Levine

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!

History

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

By Dana Schulz

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

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

By Emily Nonko

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

Thanksgiving ‘ragamuffins’ started a door-to-door tradition that preceded Halloween

Photo via the Library of Congress

November 24, 2021

Thanksgiving ‘ragamuffins’ started a door-to-door tradition that preceded Halloween

By Emily Nonko

Before Thanksgiving became a holiday known for stuffing down food with the people you love, it looked a whole lot like Halloween. That is thanks to the Thanksgiving "ragamuffins," children who dressed up in costume and wandered the streets in search of swag, asking passerby and shop owners, "Anything for Thanksgiving?" The practice could be found everywhere from Missouri to Los Angeles, but it was a particularly strong tradition in New York City. "Thanksgiving masquerading has never been more universal," said a New York Times report from 1899. "Fantastically garbed youngsters and their elders were on every corner of the city. Not a few of the maskers and mummers wore disguises that were recognized as typifying a well-known character or myth. There were Fausts, Uncle Sams, Harlequins, bandits, sailors. All had a great time. The good-humored crowd abroad was generous with pennies and nickels, and the candy stores did a land-office business."
Read more about the ragamuffins

The 97-year history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Pilgrim balloon in 1946. Photo via Macy’s Inc.

November 16, 2021

The 97-year history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

By Rebecca Paul

There are many famous traditions synonymous with New York City, and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is at the top of that list. The first parade marched down Broadway in the winter of 1924, and in the years since, it's grown into an event with more than 3.5 million spectators. After a television-only event last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is returning this year with in-person spectators. Ahead, learn all about the parade's 97 years and see some incredible archival photos.
This way for the full history

NYC unveils new memorial in Flushing honoring African and Native American burial ground

Photo: NYC Parks/ Malcolm Pinckney

November 10, 2021

NYC unveils new memorial in Flushing honoring African and Native American burial ground

By Devin Gannon

Hundreds of New Yorkers, mostly African and Native American residents, who were buried in Flushing at least 150 years ago were finally honored with a memorial this week. The city's Parks Department and Queens officials on Tuesday cut the ribbon on a new commemorative plaza at the Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground. The site, located north of 46th Avenue between 164th and 165th Streets, was used as a public burial ground starting as early as 1840, with over 1,000 individuals buried there until 1898. A new memorial wall includes the name of the sacred site, a brief history, and 318 recorded names of those buried there, and the new plaza has a butterfly garden and surrounding benches.
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History

Explore literary landmarks of Brooklyn with new self-guided walking tour from BPL

Screenshot courtesy of the Brooklyn Public Library

November 2, 2021

Explore literary landmarks of Brooklyn with new self-guided walking tour from BPL

By Devin Gannon

Discover the fictional places where novels are set and the real-life apartments where authors once lived as part of a new audio tour launched this month by the Brooklyn Public Library. The self-guided literary walking tour, which can be downloaded on your smartphone or opened via web browser, covers eight miles of the borough, from Fort Greene to Bushwick.
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History

November 1, 2021

The NYC Marathon: history, greatest moments, and what to expect this year

By Dana Schulz

The world's largest marathon takes place this Sunday, returning to the five boroughs after a pandemic hiatus last year. On November 7, the 50th New York City Marathon will look slightly different this year, bringing together roughly 33,000 runners, which is about 20,000 fewer participants than usual because of Covid-19. The marathon wasn't always the largest in the world, however. Started by the New York Road Runners Club in 1970, the race began as a few loops around Central Park with just over 100 runners. But the passion of its founders, coupled with the spirit of the city, grew the marathon into a monumental event. In honor of the upcoming 2021 Marathon, 6sqft is taking a look back at the history of the race, its greatest moments, and what's in store for this year.
All that right this way

After $5M restoration, NYC’s historic Highbridge Water Tower reopens for public tours

Photo by Shinya Suzuki on Flickr

October 27, 2021

After $5M restoration, NYC’s historic Highbridge Water Tower reopens for public tours

By Devin Gannon

Described in 1967 by the Landmarks Preservation Commission as "one of Manhattan's most picturesque architectural monuments," the Highbridge Water Tower reopened on Wednesday following a restoration project. Located in Washington Heights, the octagonal tower opened in 1872 and served as part of the Croton Aqueduct system, helping increase water pressure throughout the borough. While it no longer is part of the city's water system, the 200-foot landmark is the only one of its kind that remains today. The Parks Department also announced free public tours of the inside of the tower led by the department's Urban Park Rangers will resume next month.
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History

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