WEST 104TH STREET BLOCK ASSOCIATION BLOCK BYTES
Bloomingdale Bites Historical Presentations
We now have the info on the June 6th Bloomingdale Historical History Group presentations and thought to share them with you as these will give added depth to the event.
There will be three 10-minute presentations:
1. City Taverns and Country Inns
The decades from the Colonial period thru the 1850s, Bloomingdale was an area of farms and posh country estates. Some older houses had become country inns that were destinations for outings from the city.
2. New People, New Tables
Starting in the 1840s, there were major construction projects including the Croton Aqueduct, the Hudson River Railroad and, a few years later, Central Park, all of which brought many new people into the area, mainly German and Irish immigrants. This segment continues with the story of the Lion Brewery, the opening of the Ninth Avenue El, the bicycle craze of the 1890s, and the sad ending of the venerable Claremont Hotel.
3. The Golden Age and Its Aftermath
This begins with the construction of the IRT subway, which sparked a massive building boom and turned our stretch of Broadway into a lively entertainment and nightlife district, including numerous theatres, restaurants and hotels. This Golden Age, cut short by Prohibition, was superseded by the flowering of budget restaurant chains through the Depression and Post War period. Following the City’s economic nadir in the 1960s and ’70s, we end in the late 20th century with the appearance of new ethnic cuisines, in part the effect of 1965 changes in US immigration laws.
The festivities will take place on June 6, 2024 in the ballroom of Hosteling International, 891 Amsterdam Ave (entry is at West 103 Street). Cost is $10 per adult and $5 for children. Doors open at 5.45 pm.
If you have not done so yet, please RSVP indicating how many people in your group is coming, so we get a sense of the crowd size.
Be safe, and do keep in touch with us.
Thanks!
Steve Zirinsky
Block Association Dues
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Pay or renew online. Boom. Done.
Contact Steven Zirinsky with questions.