What the Academy Took from Broadway
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was born 86 years ago this June. Its conception was announced at a banquet dinner, and all 36 attendees were named founding … Continue reading
A Century of Grand Central Terminal
There’s no place like Grand Central. The sheer scale and elegance of the main concourse transforms the daily commute into a complex choreography as commuters and tourists negotiate through the … Continue reading
Building an Exhibition: Behind the Scenes at the Museum of the City of New York
Behind the Scenes at the Museum of the City of New York Making Room: New Models for Housing New Yorkers showcases innovative design solutions to better accommodate New York City’s … Continue reading
Winter in the City
In case you missed it, winter descended on New York City last week. Freezing temperatures (the coldest in two years), snow, and wind made many New Yorkers remember why they … Continue reading
The Political Campaign
In honor of the 57th inauguration of the President of the United States, I decided to take a look at how campaigning for political office and the democratic process is … Continue reading
Theater timecapsule – Greatest hits of 1912-1913 season
Talking about a Broadway blockbuster today requires a discourse on the song and dance numbers involved. The musical reigns supreme at the Broadway box office, but this wasn’t always the … Continue reading
Remembering the New York World’s Fair of 1939
“Designing Tomorrow: America’s World Fairs of the 1930’s” opened at the Museum of the City of New York December 5, featuring a core traveling exhibition organized by the National Building … Continue reading
The World of Yiddish Theater, As Seen By Alter Kacyzne
While cataloging the Museum’s Yiddish theater collection, I stumbled across some photographs that stood out among the thousands I had seen. They are beautiful, expertly lit yet not artificial, as … Continue reading
Beefsteaks – A 19th-century Dining Craze
Do you remember several years ago when some New York restaurants actually had their patrons dining on beds? That short-lived phenomenon is just one of many dining fads that have … Continue reading
The Great Crystal Palace Fire of 1858
The New York Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and steel structure completed in 1853 on the site of current day Bryant Park, located between 42nd and 40th streets to the … Continue reading
Eugene O’Neill: the sailor, the sickness, the stage
In December 1912, a young man experiencing the onset of tuberculosis committed himself to Gaylord Sanatorium in Connecticut. The third son of a well known Irish-American actor, the young man … Continue reading
Brooklyn’s Boweries
A few months ago I attended the Wyckoff House’s country fair, held on the grounds of New York City’s oldest surviving building. The house is an anachronism among the car … Continue reading
The Beecher-Tilton Affair
What do women’s rights, religion, and sex all have in common? The Beecher – Tilton Affair. Henry Ward Beecher was the first minister of the Plymouth Church, in Brooklyn, appointed … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 