About this Event
Join former Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione and sculptor Alexander Klingspor for a celebration of New York City’s unofficial mythical mascot: the sewer alligator. Mr. Miscione calls the rumor that such beasts exist “NYC’s greatest true-ish urban legend.”
In 2010 Mr. Miscione declared February 9th to be Alligator in the Sewer Day. The holiday, which he has celebrated in some public way every year since, is meant to commemorate the discovery of a live 8-foot alligator in an East Harlem sewer on February 9, 1935. Wide press coverage of that singular encounter gave rise to the false but persistent belief that alligators live in the city’s sewer system.
This year Mr. Miscione will celebrate Alligator in the Sewer Day with Mr. Klingspor, the Swedish-born creator of a sewer gator-themed sculpture that was installed at Union Square Park this past fall. The event will be in two parts.
Part 1: Mr. Miscione will present a slideshow lecture titled The Gators of Gotham which will recount the history of alligator encounters in the city — the earliest of which, according to his research, dates to 1815! He will lay out his theory for how all these non-native saurians, including the East Harlem gator, ended up here.
Part 2: Mr. Miscione will interview Mr. Klingspor about his much-acclaimed artwork titled NYC Legend. This larger-than-life bronze sculpture features an open-mouthed alligator curled around the underside of a New York City manhole cover. Mr. Klingspor stated on his website, “Having lived over a decade in Manhattan I wanted to pay tribute to the city I love by depicting one of its most popular urban legends.” A news segment about the installation is linked below.
Afterwards, Mr. Miscione and Mr. Klingspor will take questions from the audience. If the weather permits, they may also head over to Union Square Park to view the sculpture in person and take more questions.
This event is free, but reservations are required.
If you have questions please email [email protected].
Attendees will receive a free gift.
Photos: Artist Alexander Klingspor at the unveiling of his sculpture; Michael Miscione, in the orange hat, at the first Alligator in the Sewer Day celebration in 2010; headlines from the 1935 East Harlem gator encounter.
Special thanks to the Union Square Partnership, the Mollbrinks Gallery, and Project Farmhouse for their help with this event.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Project Farmhouse, 76 East 13th Street, New York, United States
USD 0.00