The Bowery – Past, Present & Future on NYC’s Oldest Street: An Illustrated Presentation in Word & Song

Native American footpath, Dutch farm road and site of NYC’s first free Black settlement, the Bowery stretches 1.25 miles from Chatham Square to Cooper Square. It was an early hub for the working class, gangs, gays, and immigrants. It has seminal links to dance, theater, baseball, streetcars, tattooing, Irving Berlin, Abe Lincoln, and Harry Houdini. In the 20th century, it helped launch Beat literature, Abstract Expressionism, and punk rock. It is one of NYC’s most architecturally diverse streets, and now one of America’s most endangered. Program includes a talk by David Mulkins, vintage songs sung by Poor Baby Bree, and conversation with architectural historian Kerri Culhane, celebrating five years of the Bowery’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sponsored by VP, Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, Merchant’s House Museum and Cooper Union Office of Continuing Education and Public Programs.