The Scoundrels, Scalawags, and Scrappers of NYC's Gilded Age with Author John Tauranac

Tour Highlights:

• Hear stories from Tauranac's new book, New York's Scoundrels, Scalawags, and Scrappers: The City in the Last Decade of the Gilded Age
• Learn about Delmonico’s Restaurant and a run-in with the law
• Find out how City Hall was nearly destroyed and learn about the beginnings of the landmark preservation movement
• Uncover the working conditions at the Siegel-Cooper Department Store
• Meet the sixteen-year-old girl whose American parents made her marry a titled Englishman, so they could have an earl as a son-in-law

About this Event:

The 1890s were the tail end of the Gilded Age. It was not a “Golden Age,” it was a veneer, and although the decade was specifically called “The Gay Nineties,” the gaiety was generally reserved for the gilt-edged, top ten percenters. If you were a common working stiff – or worse, a common working “stiffette” – life was not so gay.

Most New Yorkers played by the rules of the game, although some fudged a bit. Others, along with the management of some businesses and some administration of the municipality, played by totally different rules, successfully gaming the system to their advantage. The few who fought for truth and justice generally went down fighting. These are New York’s scoundrels, scalawags, and scrappers. Join author John Tauranac for a live virtual talk where he'll discuss some of the most infamous and obscure and you will have a chance to ask questions.

About the Author, John Tauranac:

John Tauranac writes on New York City’s social and architectural history, he teaches the subject, he lectures on the city, gives tours, and he designs maps. Tauranac books include Manhattan's Little Secrets: Uncovering Mysteries in Brick and Mortar, Glass and Stone, The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark, Essential New York: A Guide to the History and Architecture of Manhattan’s Important Buildings, Parks, and Bridges (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1979) and many more. Tauranac has been teaching New York’s architectural history for over 30 years at NYU's School of Professional Studies, where he is an adjunct associate professor. John lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side with his wife, Jane Bevans, an artist and lawyer. They are both native New Yorkers.