Violets For Her Furs: The UWS’s UnSung Neighbor, Billie Holiday

Wednesday, October 16th 6:30-7:45pm 35 W. 67th St. Special 2-for-1 Tickets for LW! Partner+ Members!

It is little known that jazz legend Billie Holiday’s last home was on the Upper West Side, the garden apartment of a brownstone at 26 West 87th Street. It was in this modest space that she basked in the glorious reviews for her 1958 triumph, Lady in Satin, suffered the ill-effects of an abusive husband and substance abuse, and grieved the death of her best friend and musical collaborator, tenor saxophonist Lester “Prez” Young. Despite all the scholarship and popular writings, film, documentaries and more on Holiday, to say nothing of her global impact on twentieth-century music, within and beyond the bounds of jazz, not one of her Manhattan homes bears witness to her life. Dr. LaShonda Katrice Barnett spotlights the unmatched contributions Billie Holiday made to our national culture during her too-short lifetime and underscores just why she deserves greater recognition, especially in Manhattan.

This event has been cancelled.  If rescheduled, we will offer priority to those who signed up for the original date. 

Solving History Mysteries with the Municipal Archives

Wednesday, October 23rd 6:30-7:45pm  45 W. 67th St. Special 2-for-1 Tickets for LW! Partner+ Members!

Do you have a history mystery? If you really want answers, you need to tap into the 400 years of City history found in the collections of the NYC Municipal Archives. We’ve lured long-time archivist Kenneth Cobb to the Upper West Side to help us do just that. Using a bit of techno-wizardry, he’ll guide us along secret passageways leading to fascinating records that go back to the first Dutch settlers in the 1600s; two centuries of mayoral papers; photos of every NYC house and building back to 1940; crime scene photos; maps, blueprints, videos, sound recordings; the architectural plans for construction of Central Park – the paths of discovery are practically endless! Come out for an incredible evening of exploration!

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EgyptOmania! with “Mr. Mummy” Dr. Bob Brier

Tuesday, October 29th 6:30-7:45pm  35 W. 67th St. Special 2-for-1 Tickets for LW! Partner+ Members!

Dr. Bob Brier, one of the world’s foremost experts on mummies and Egyptology, excavates the events that fanned the flames of Egyptomania from the late 1800s through the 1930s. He’ll dig deep into New York’s own “Nile style” in fashion, art, film and design. From Cleopatra’s Needle to 1920’s gilded movie palaces ornamented with Egyptian motifs, join this expedition to unearth the architectural homages to Egyptomania right here on the Upper West Side.

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Boss Tweed: New York’s Corruption King

Tuesday, November 19th 6:30-7:45pm  35 W. 67th St.

19th-century New York City was ruled by a turbulent combination of money and politics that came together, notoriously, in the infamous Tammany Hall and William M. “Boss” Tweed. His very name has become synonymous with the stereotypical political fat-cat. His corruption was total. His takings were immense. And his reputation is legendary.

Social historian Keith Taillon takes us on a deep dive into Gilded Age NYC police corruption and Tammany Hall influence in the building of Central Park and the development of the Upper West Side. We’ll also learn how “scrappy immigrant” Thomas Nast nearly single-handedly brought down Tweed with his political cartoons in Harper’s magazine.

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