From Artisan to Mechanic: Duncan Phyfe & NY’s 19th Century Furniture Trade
New York cabinetmaker Duncan Pyhfe became one of the leading furniture makers in 19th century by organizing the first large scale furniture business. His work became highly sophisticated, making his designs popular in nineteen century dining rooms and parlors in New York City. For six decades, Phyfe constructed furniture that changed the city’s stylish dwelling […]
The Nation: Politics at the Center of the Storm
A pioneering political blogger with The Nation’s “Online Beat” and the magazine’s Washington correspondent, John Nichols is one of America’s most respected political writers and experts on impeachment and the constitution. Mr. Nichols shares stories and viewpoints from the center of the political world, touching on the 2008 presidential election, as well as the contemporary […]
With the city’s real estate booming as never before, the challenge of housing 21st-century New Yorkers is daunting. The city estimates that we will need 265,000 more housing units by 2030. Where will this new housing go, what will it look like, and who will be living there? Shampa Chanda, Assistant Commissioner for Planning for […]
The Nation: Reflections from the Editor
Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation, America’s oldest weekly magazine, will reflect on the magazine’s 142-year history and offer her views on the role of The Nation in turbulent political waters. Ms. vanden Heuvel will share some of her plans for the growth of the magazine and discuss the challenges facing print […]
The Suburban Option: Garden Apartments in 20th Century New York City
The garden apartment, so familiar and ubiquitous today (except in Manhattan!), was a new building type that transformed the urban landscape and the lifestyle of an emerging middle class. In the early 20th century a number of the city’s most influential activists and intellectuals lived in these complexes. Dr. Jeffrey Kroessler, Associate Professor, Lloyd Sealy […]
The Nation: Diary of a Mad Law Professor
Patricia J. Williams, a professor of law at Columbia University and a member of the State Bar of California, writes The Nation column “Diary of a Mad Law Professor.” Her books include The Rooster’s Egg (1995), Seeing a Color-Blind Future: The Paradox of Race (1997) and, most recently, Open House: On Family Food, Friends, Piano […]
The city’s most affluent 19th century barons commissioned its most accomplished architects, designers, and craftspeople to build and embellish their homes. Professor Mosette Broderick, director of the Architecture and Urban Design Program at New York University and author of a new monograph on architect Stanford White, will take us inside these now vanished landmarks, where […]
New York Brownstones: Icons of a Great City
Charles Lockwood, author of the indispensable Bricks and Brownstone was described by The New Yorker as the “consummate authority” on this iconic building type. His recent research has uncovered many surprising facts and long-forgotten historical photographs. Mr. Lockwood discusses the evolution of the New York row house from the 1820s onward, describes the daily lives […]
The Nation: Is Peace Possible?
Known for his empathy, humor and hope, Jonathan Schell is The Nation’s peace and disarmament correspondent. His latest book, The Seventh Decade: The New Shape of Nuclear Danger, will be published in November. The book examines threats posed to the world by nuclear power and continuing arms development. Mr. Schell will share excerpts from the […]
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