ThoughtGallery.org > ‘In Plain Sight: The Mansions of Midtown’ Webinar

‘In Plain Sight: The Mansions of Midtown’ Webinar

Ask nearly any New Yorker about the mansions that once lined the blocks of Fifth Avenue and its side streets below Central Park, and they’ll tell you that traces of them couldn’t possibly exist. But hiding in plain sight among the skyscrapers of 21st Century Midtown Manhattan are numerous once-opulent residences, many of them in nearly intact condition. It’s time to explore these palaces, inside and out.

Join New York Adventure Club for a virtual exploration of more than a dozen former mansions in Midtown Manhattan, which belonged to some of New York’s wealthiest citizens.

Led by historian Tom Miller, our virtual exploration of these easy-to-miss mansions within a four-block area of each other will include:

  • The incredible stories of wealth, power, scandal, and eccentricities surrounding these residences, including a fashionable home that became a high-end speakeasy; a mansion built for a millionaire bachelor who sequestered himself with his art and eight live-in servants; and an urban chateau sold in 1917 for $1 and a pearl necklace
  • How the mansions are being used today, which include everything from retail shops, to offices, to private social clubs
  • Rare historic and modern photographs of many of these iconic midtown homes, inside and out

Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Tom — any and all questions about the mansions of midtown are welcomed and encouraged!

See you there, virtually! $10.

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar

**For the best possible viewing experience, please ensure you’re using the latest version of your internet browser — Google Chrome is the most compatible. Exact technical requirements and a webinar user guide will be shared in the automated confirmation email upon registration.

***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week

About Tom

Architectural and social historian Tom Miller is the author of Seeking New York, Seeking Chicago, as well as the popular blog “Daytonian in Manhattan.” Since 2009 Tom has published a blog post on a different Manhattan location every day — now totaling more than 3,000.

His research and reporting focus as much on the social histories of the buildings — the tragedies and sorrows, triumphs and scandals of the people who built and lived in the houses — as on their architecture and styles.

Tom Miller’s retelling of these stories make the buildings come alive; and suddenly they are more than brick, marble, and limestone, but the histories of real people.











When: Mon., Jan. 4, 2021 at 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Ask nearly any New Yorker about the mansions that once lined the blocks of Fifth Avenue and its side streets below Central Park, and they’ll tell you that traces of them couldn’t possibly exist. But hiding in plain sight among the skyscrapers of 21st Century Midtown Manhattan are numerous once-opulent residences, many of them in nearly intact condition. It’s time to explore these palaces, inside and out.

Join New York Adventure Club for a virtual exploration of more than a dozen former mansions in Midtown Manhattan, which belonged to some of New York’s wealthiest citizens.

Led by historian Tom Miller, our virtual exploration of these easy-to-miss mansions within a four-block area of each other will include:

  • The incredible stories of wealth, power, scandal, and eccentricities surrounding these residences, including a fashionable home that became a high-end speakeasy; a mansion built for a millionaire bachelor who sequestered himself with his art and eight live-in servants; and an urban chateau sold in 1917 for $1 and a pearl necklace
  • How the mansions are being used today, which include everything from retail shops, to offices, to private social clubs
  • Rare historic and modern photographs of many of these iconic midtown homes, inside and out

Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Tom — any and all questions about the mansions of midtown are welcomed and encouraged!

See you there, virtually! $10.

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar

**For the best possible viewing experience, please ensure you’re using the latest version of your internet browser — Google Chrome is the most compatible. Exact technical requirements and a webinar user guide will be shared in the automated confirmation email upon registration.

***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week

About Tom

Architectural and social historian Tom Miller is the author of Seeking New York, Seeking Chicago, as well as the popular blog “Daytonian in Manhattan.” Since 2009 Tom has published a blog post on a different Manhattan location every day — now totaling more than 3,000.

His research and reporting focus as much on the social histories of the buildings — the tragedies and sorrows, triumphs and scandals of the people who built and lived in the houses — as on their architecture and styles.

Tom Miller’s retelling of these stories make the buildings come alive; and suddenly they are more than brick, marble, and limestone, but the histories of real people.

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