Urban Genealogy: An Introduction to Researching Buildings in New York City
• Four Tuesday evening lectures in April (9, 16, 23, 30) 6:00 to 7:45 p.m., plus one weekday morning field trip
100% secureSponsored by the Municipal Art Society. Information and registration: (212) 935-3960, or to register on-line click here.
Learn how to unearth detailed information about New York City buildings. The four evening sessions include:
The Building – an introduction to the records of the Department of Buildings
The Client – weaving your way through deeds, directories, obituaries, Who’s Who, and local histories
The Architect – using standard texts, guidebooks, periodicals, the Avery Index, and Committee for the Preservation of Architectural Records publications
Miscellaneous Sources – using photograph collections, maps, New York City archives, libraries and historical society
Field Trip: Manhattan Department of Buildings, New York City Conveyance Records, the Municipal Archives and the Municipal Reference Library.
Downtown New York: Past, Present, Future
Five Thursday afternoon walks, April 11th through May 9th, 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sponsored by New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Education. For more information, or to enroll on-line, click here.
In this course we will examine the boom and bust and boom history of Downtown/Wall Street as seen in its architecture and planning. In five sessions, including both class discussions and walks through Downtown, we will look at overall trends in Downtown’s development over the past four centuries; the history of Downtown’s post-World War II development, with special focus on the creation of the World Trade Center; the last decade of neighborhood diversification (residential, hi-tech, hotels, restaurants, movie theaters joining the office buildings) promoted by such organizations as the Alliance for Downtown New York; and the various proposals for redeveloping the Trade Center site, with their implications for Downtown’s future.
Columbia Summer Session
