Co-Sponsored by Salmagundi Club and Merchant’s House Museum

This program is part of Village Preservation’s Semiquincentennial series of programs celebrating our Revolutionary Village. Revolutionary Village not only celebrates the founding of our country, but the exceptional role our neighborhoods played in its development and the realization of its ideals over the last 250 years and beyond.

Among the nicknames New York City has received through the years, one – “The City That’s Never Finished” – describes New York’s disregard of its past built legacy, demolishing it for the newer, bigger, taller, flashier. In this talk, noted public speaker Anthony Bellov, in acknowledgement of the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, shares the stories of those who have escaped the bulldozer and wrecking ball.

New-York’s early history is often overlooked in the amazing saga of this city’s growth from a tiny trading hamlet to one of the premier financial capitals of the world. Yet the British considered it their single most important conquest in the War of Independence and made it their headquarters. War, fires, pestilence, development and redevelopment, and a marked apathy towards its early built legacy have all taken their toll on the predecessor to today’s gleaming metropolis of glass, steel, brick and stone.

But, despite all the building, tearing down, and rebuilding, well over a dozen 18th-century structures, some having witnessed the Revolution, still stand on the island, sometimes in unexpected places, often in remarkably good condition and always offering the inquisitive observer both wonderful tales of historical goings-on and the delight of discovering secret treasures.

In this talk, Bellov explores all the 18th-century remnants on Manhattan Island, clearly explains where these stalwart structures are located, and why they’re important.

Highly regarded as a public speaker, a New York historian, a preservation advocate and a domestic archaeologist, Anthony Bellov has lectured and produced documentaries about many important sites in New York City and its environs, always to capacity audiences. A professional videographer for over two decades, he is the winner of multiple awards, including “Best Local Documentary” twice at the Nyack International Film Festival. He appears frequently at the Salmagundi Clu,b and many of his talks and video projects may be seen on YouTube.