FREE Columbus Ave Historic Walking Tours with Lucie Levine

Columbus Avenue has been home to a BID since 1999, but it’s been a bustling commercial corridor since 1879, when it was developed from a dirt road into a destination! But how did that development happen? Join us on Open Streets every Sunday in September for a free walking tour with historian Lucie Levine, who will offer a social and architectural history of Columbus Avenue. This tour will span the length of the Columbus Avenue BID’s Open Streets, from 68th Street to 77th Street. Along the way, we’ll find out how this dusty stretch of 9th Avenue became Columbus Avenue, and attracted such architectural heavyweights as Henry Hardenbergh and McKim, Mead and White. As we admire the architectural details around us, we’ll learn the goat-related history of New York, find out which storefront once boasted a basement bowling alley, and discover the artists, female entrepreneurs, and titanic survivors who called the Avenue home.

Details:

The tour will start at 11:00AM at Columbus Ave and W 68th Street (the end of Open Streets). The tour duration is roughly 90 minutes.

About Lucie:

Lucie Levine is a writer, historian and New York City tour guide. She founded the historical tour and event company Archive on Parade, and has offered tours and lectures on New York City history in collaboration with, The New School, CUNY, NYU Langone, The American Institute of Architects, The Municipal Art Society, The Historic Districts Council, The New York Public Library, The 92nd Street Y, Village Preservation, The New York Preservation Archive Project and Landmark West. She is also a Public Space Programming Partner for the New York City Department of Transportation, and the Public Programs Consultant at FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts. She has published widely on New York City history at outlets including The Gotham Center for New York City History Blog, Jstor Daily, and 6sqft, where she was the Contributing History Writer.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Columbus Avenue & West 68th Street, 181 Columbus Avenue, New York, United States