Prizefighters
If anyone had asked my opinion on boxing a few weeks ago, my response would have been tepid at best. I’d never really given the sport much thought. And yet … Continue reading
Saving the Interior of the Plaza Hotel
Landmark designations are not only for buildings. Any piece of property that the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) deems to have important cultural, aesthetic, or historical characteristics may become a landmark. … Continue reading
The Struggle to Save the Austin, Nichols and Co. Warehouse
“This building is a piece of trash, and it should be knocked down.” – Simcha Felder, member of the New York City Council and chair of the council’s Subcommittee on … Continue reading
Penn Station and the Rise of Historic Preservation
After reading Lauren Robinson’s fantastic blog post about the return of Mad Men, I found myself haunted by the destruction of the original Penn Station. And as I dug deeper, … Continue reading
Mott Haven Historic District
The neighborhood of Mott Haven is located in the South Bronx, and is situated on a portion of land historically referred to as Morrisania, named after the powerful Morris family … Continue reading
Riding the Subway with Stanley Kubrick
As most New Yorkers know, the subway system is the lifeline of New York City. In 1946 Stanley Kubrick set out as a staff photographer for LOOK Magazine to capture … Continue reading
Love in the Time of Weegee
As we continue to inventory and image the Museum’s holdings from the LOOK Magazine archives , we’ve discovered troves of images taken by famous photographers on assignment for the magazine. … Continue reading
It’s Toasted: Mad Men and New York City
The digital team is eagerly awaiting the return of Mad Men to television on Sunday, March 25, after a 17-month hiatus. In anticipation of this, we have pulled together an … Continue reading
How Harlem River Speedway Became Harlem River Drive
Before it was called the Harlem River Drive, the parkway running north and south along the west bank of the Harlem River was called the Harlem River Speedway. Construction began … Continue reading
The digital team reflects on Valentine’s Day
We here in the digital lab have conflicted feelings about today’s holiday. So we’ve pulled images from our collection that express a variety of viewpoints about romance and Valentine’s Day. … Continue reading
French Casino
In December 1934, the refurbished Earl Carroll Theatre on 7th Avenue and 50th Street opened as the French Casino. It was an art deco showpiece, with walls draped in black … Continue reading
Opening Night! Top Banana
The digital team has begun digitizing thousands of images from the rarely-seen archives of the Lucas-Pritchard / Lucas-Monroe Studios, preeminent Broadway production photographers in New York City from about 1936 … Continue reading
100 Years Ago – The Equitable Building Fire
January 9th, 1912, just after 5 A.M. The wind is howling at nearly 40 miles per hour–with gusts of up to 68 miles per hour–making the already below freezing temperatures … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 