Gotham Center for New York City History and New Books Network
Podcast Interview with Manhattan Borough Historian Robert W. Snyder
Robert W. Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus of American Studies and Journalism at Rutgers University, interviews Matthew Spady, author of The Neighborhood Manhattan Forgot: Audubon Park and the Families Who Shaped It.
Historic Districts Council: Virtual Walking Tour of Audubon Park
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
6:00 p.m. EDT
via Zoom
In a special Six to Celebrate walking tour, long-time Audubon Park resident and HDC Board Adviser, Wayne Benjamin will interview Matthew Spady, historian and author of The Neighborhood Manhattan Forgot: Audubon Park and the Families Who Shaped It. During the discussion Mr. Spady will examine the Washington Heights neighborhood of Audubon Park (the interlocking Audubon Terrace and Audubon Park Historic Districts) and how it might have looked very different from the way it does now if events at strategic moments had played out differently. Starting with the current footprint of the neighborhood and working backwards, he will explain how Audubon Park got its unusual shape and provide a history based on the streetscape.
The Neighborhood Manhattan Forgot: Audubon Park and the Families Who Shaped It
Matthew Spady
UPCOMING EVENTS
Morris Jumel Mansion Virtual Parlor Chat: Putting Audubon Back on the Map with Author Matthew Spady and Art Dealer Avi Gitler, Audubon Mural Project
Sunday, December 16, 2020
7:00 p.m. EDT
via Zoom
Join art dealer Avi Gitler, of Gitler & ____ and the Audubon Mural Project, and Matthew Spady at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, for this virtual Morris-Jumel Mansion “Parlor Chat.” They will talk about their individual work evangelizing John James Audubon’s legacy in northern Manhattan—as well as how their efforts overlap. During the conversation, Spady will talk about his recently published book, The Neighborhood Manhattan Forgot: Audubon Park and the Families Who Shaped It (Empire Editions/Fordham University Press) and share some of the illustrations and maps from it.
Past Events - Available for Free Replay
Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group
Tuesday, February 16 (Free Event)
5:30 p.m. EDT
via Zoom
WATCH NOW (scroll down the page for the event)
In a conversation with Fordham University Press diretor, Fred Nachbaur, authors Jim Mackin and Matthew Spady will describe what first- time authorship is like, their shared interest in local history, how they conceptualized their books and how they found a publisher. They’ll also share their research methods, writing regimen, how-tos of fact-checking, editing, and finally, how they are promoting their books.
Lobbies, Entrances, and Evocative Names: Marketing Apartments in 1910
A Virtual Walk Through the Audubon Park Neighborhood
Tuesday, May 4, 2021 @ 9:00 a.m. EDT
Thursday, May 6, 2021 @ 1:00 p.m. EDT
via Zoom
Between 1908 and 1911, a group of twelve Beaux Arts apartment houses replaced most of suburban Audubon Park in upper Manhattan. Join historian and author Matthew Spady on this virtual walk through today’s Audubon Park Historic District, to learn how speculative developers marketed their new buildings to draw their solidly middle-class tenants uptown. These virtual walks were part of the Jane’s Walk NYC 2021 Festival, sponsored in New York City by the Municipal Art Society.
Harlem One Stop Virtual Salon: Hidden in Plain Sight: The Last Houses Left in Audubon Park: Rare Remnants from an Earlier Age
Sunday, January 10, 2021
via Zoom
Historian and preservation activist, Michael Henry Adams, moderated this conversation about preserving 857 Riverside Drive, a house dating to 1851 with strong connections to an Abolitionist community working in northern Manhattan in the mid-nineteenth century. The panel includes local preservationists and historians Vivian Ducat, Joe Amodio, and Matthew Spady.
Save Harlem Now! (Virtual Walk through Audubon Park)
Wednesday, April 28
7:00 p.m. EDT
via Zoom
Replay coming soon!
As the first program in its 2021 series, Save Harlem Now! will present a virtual walking tour of northern Manhattan’s Audubon Park neighborhood with SHN! Board member, Matthew Spady, author of The Neighborhood Manhattan Forgot: Audubon Park and the Families Who Shaped It. This free Zoom program will take place on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. and will last approximately one hour. At the conclusion of the presentation, Save Harlem Now! will hold a drawing for autographed copies of Spady’s book.
Friends of Audubon Book Talk with Museum Curator Heidi Taylor-Caudill
August 2021
Please check back closer to the date for further details
Bruce's Garden Book Talk: Place and Story in Audubon Park
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 EDT
Please check back closer to the date for further details
