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ART Meeting: New York Times' "Streetscapes" Christopher Gray



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**ART MEMBERS Please see notice at bottom of e-mail**

FEBRUARY 2001 MEETING NOTICE

The Office for Metropolitan History, Established 1975: Maybe, After All, It Was a Stupid Idea


In 1975 Christopher Gray set out to serve an emerging generation of owners, architects and engineers who needed historical information about their buildings; his plan was to use the revenues to inventory "every photograph ever taken of New York City", as one of his incredulous classmates recalls it.  A quarter century later, the owners have been fairly well-served, but Mr. Gray says he needs "just a little more time, only another century or two, really" to achieve his goal.

Mr. Gray was born in Kansas City and threw up when he first saw New York at age 9, but displayed curiosity about New York's vernacular buildings in grade school.  He became interested in the structure of the "everyday" parts of cities in the several colleges he attended, especially George Collins' "Cities and Planning" course at Columbia University's School of General Studies, where he received a B. A. in art history in 1975.

Since 1987 Mr. Gray has written the weekly "Streetscapes" column for The New York Times Sunday Real Estate section, and he wrote the "Neighborhood" column for Avenue magazine from 1981-1992.   Mr. Gray, who has a small office (with, over time, from one to three employees) above H&H Bagels on 80th Street and Broadway,  will discuss the typical research mechanics for his Sunday Times articles - building permit, conveyance records, directory information, census returns, newspaper articles, old photographs - and explain why he is happiest when he never speaks to a librarian or archivist (while working).  He will also review the most valuable research materials that he has come to own - most of which were being discarded.

Date:           Thursday, February 15, 2001

Place:  92nd Street YMHA,  1395 Lexington Avenue (corner of 92nd Street)

Time:           Social: 5:30-6:15 (main floor, Concert Hall foyer).  Program: 6:15-7:30 (second 
floor, Library)

Directions:     Subway: 4,5,6 to 86th Street or 6 to 96th Street.  Buses: uptown Madison Avenue or Third Avenue buses to 91st Street, then walk to Lexington & 92nd.  
	
Fee:            ART Members $3.  Non-members $5.

RSVP:   To Steve Siegel.  Email <ssiegel@92ndsty.org> (preferred) or telephone at (212) 415-5544.  Please remember hosting a meeting represents a financial and meeting space commitment on the part of our hosts.  Please be reasonably sure you can attend before responding. 


NOTICE TO ART MEMBERS



ART BOARD ELECTIONS

In an effort to offer a competitive slate of candidates, we are actively seeking nominations for THREE ART Board positions to be voted on by the membership in June 2001.  The positions -- Vice President, Treasurer and Education Coordinator -- are two-year terms.  Detailed descriptions of the positions can be found in the ART Bylaws (Articles 4 & 5), located in the back of the membership directory.  

For more information, if you would like to nominate someone or want to run yourself, please contact Rich Wandel at (212) 875-5930 or by e-mail at Wandelr@nyphil.org.

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