cultureNOW Museum Without Walls

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Step below grade at the subway to check out the Arts for Transit work by Sam Kunce -Under Bryant Park' from 2002. According to the Arts for Transit website: -The artist based the project on the idea of systems. In her words, 'People travel the subway system, water and other utility services are delivered by pipes, and plants and trees that provide grace and softness against the city's sharper edge...

On Lenox Ave, between 125th Street and 124th Street, is the legendary Lenox Lounge. Another cultural institution nearby is the Hip Hop Cultural Center.

The Tammany Society, which was a precursor to the Democratic Party, used to meet on Park Row near Pace University. The Tammany Society was pro-immigration and many of its members fought anti-Semitism.  At this stop, James Kaplan also discusses important Jewish female writers like Emma Lazarus and Wendy Wasserstein, as well as immigration's influence on the evolution of the Jewish faith.

Historian James Kaplan discusses the Hell's Kitchen Rumble between the Irish and Puerto Rican gangs that took place near this park.

Welcome to HarlemNOW's Harlem: The Capital of Black America tour. This is a recording of a walking tour given by attorney and historian James Kaplan and Olivia Kaplan in October, 2009. The tour visited various places of historical significance in central Harlem. This section of the tour discusses the growth of Harlem from the draft riots of the Civil War to the Great Depression. First considered a...

This section of the tour describes how Harlem came to be the destination for many people escaping the increasingly violent racism of the turn-of-the-century South, eventually earning the status of The Capital of Black America. World War One was an important event for Harlem, which saw many residents sent to France to fight on the front lines. Earning the nickname 'The Hellfighters' and decorated w...

The second stop on the Great Crash of 1929: Tour of the Financial District is the British Memorial Garden, which was dedicated to the United Kingdom after in memory of the 67 British subjects killed in the September 11 attacks. At this location once stood a statue of Colonial Mayor Abraham De Peyster, which now sits in a Parks Department warehouse.

Historian James Kaplan introduces his walking tour of Hell's Kitchen, which discusses the neighborhood's evolution from mobsters to the successful fight in the 1970's against porno and pimps.

The fifth stop on the Great Crash of 1929: Tour of the Financial District is on Mill Lane This one block-long street is the oldest in New York City. The Dutch built a mill here, which they used to grind the bark that was used to tan beaver skins. In 1628, the first organized religious service was held on this street, and the Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant surrendered to the British here 1664.

With a succession of three strong leaders - Kelly Croker and Murphy - Tammany Hall became the driving force behind New York City's politics and the backing force of its successful political leaders.

Historian James Kaplan discusses both Rockefeller Center as well as the founding of Tammany Hall.

At the turn of the 18th Century, Jews were typically pro-Democrat. The Bank of Manhattan was founded by Aaron Burr, a leader of the Democratic party. It was built to rival the Bank of New York, which exercised a monopoly of banking in the US.

Historian and lawyer James Kaplan discusses the history of Fraunces Tavern, the former headquarters of the United States government. Now a museum, Fraunces Tavern was once the De Lancey House. Oliver De Lancey, a loyalist in the American Revolution, eloped with Phila Franks, daughter of Jacob Franks and Abigail Levy, who were leaders in the Shearith Israel Congregation.

The Jewish Arrival tour ends at the Shearith Israel Graveyard. While some Jewish communities in New York considered America their new religious home, others wanted to form a Jewish base in Israel. James Kaplan discusses the founding the State of Israel and its roots with the first Jewish immigrants to New York City.

According to Historian James Kaplan, after WWII, the most important employment was the Docks. The Docks went into decline in the late 1950s because cargo shifted to airlines, and was also routed through New Jersey. Kaplan discusses the politics and history of this site.

Historian James Kaplan concludes his Irish History tour of Hells Kitchen.

Kaplan discusses the Battle of Long Island, the disastrous American army defeat and their escape across the East River to Manhattan. New York City remains British until the end of the war, and NYC is struck by a fire on September 21, 1776.