New York City on Two Wheels
May is National Bicycle Month and is recognized by various local and national bicycle and transportation advocacy groups such as New York’s Transportation Alternatives and the League of American Bicyclists. … Continue reading
100 years of the Actors’ Equity Association
Look at the cast list in any theater program across the country and you will see a small * beside a performer’s name leading to a footnote indicating the performer … Continue reading
The Apartment That Wasn’t
John Williams Campbell was born in Brooklyn in 1880 into a well-to-do family. His father was treasurer of the Credit Clearing House, a credit bureau for merchandise wholesalers. At the … Continue reading
The “Forgotten” Father of Greater New York: Andrew Haswell Green
November 13, 1903. An 83 year old man leaves his office at 214 Broadway and gets on the Fourth Avenue street car by City Hall to join his nieces for … Continue reading
The Mysterious Little Egypt of Coney Island
“There’s a place in France where the naked ladies dance…” Although many know this tune (there are surely hundreds of regional interpretations), few know of its origin and its importance … Continue reading
The curious case of the Carolyn Capers
In the normal course of my day as Theater Archivist for the Museum of the City of New York, I can count on encountering objects that impress, interest, inform, or … Continue reading
Wurts Bros. New York City Photography
Many photographers have captured New York City architecture over the years, but few have been so prolific, nor have they documented the construction of so many iconic New York City … Continue reading
Art Deco Treasures
Art Deco architecture flourished in Europe and the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. Spurred by the 1925 Paris exhibition Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes which … Continue reading
Dollar Princesses, or how the American heiress saved Downton Abbey and other estates like it
Perhaps it goes without saying that among the Collections crew here at the Museum there are a number of huge fans of the Masterpiece Classic series Downton Abbey. In the … Continue reading
Brinckerhoff Secretary
In preparation for the third and final phase of the renovation of the Museum of the City of New York’s landmark building, Collections staff de-installed New York Interiors: Furnishings for … Continue reading
Fulton Ferry and the Creation of New York’s First Suburb
Ferries have made a bit of a comeback lately with the East River Ferry, Governor’s Island Ferry, and even a ferry to Ikea in Brooklyn. The first ferry route between … Continue reading
Marine Conservation at the Museum of the City of New York
Artifacts documenting the maritime history of New York have been a vital part of the Museum’s collection since its inception, a natural result of the city’s water-bound geography. In 1953, … Continue reading
The Photographer’s Mirror
Like a patient waiting for a miracle cure, New York City embraced the arrival of photography as the perfect elixir. It was the missing ingredient for the modern city, a tool … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 