Where-To-Go Wednesday - Robert Caro's The Power Broker at 50

We received complimentary tickets to the New York Historical for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Where: Robert Caro's The Power Broker at 50

Where: New York Historical

             170 Central Park W.

             New York, NY

Who: Teens and Up

When: Through February 2, 2002

Robert Moses is either a hero or a villain depending on your perspective. He was an urban planner and public official responsible for numerous projects that changed the landscape of New York City from the 1920s through the 1970s. His projects included major highways and bridges, Jones Beach State Park, The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, and many more. However, he showed little or no regard for the many people his projects displaced. 

In 1974, Robert Caro published, a seminal biography of this divisive figure called The Power Broker: Robert Moses and The Fall of New York. Before that time, Moses was not quite as vilified as he is today.  It was Caro's book that illuminated the man behind the myth. The book detailed not only how Moses was able to obtain so much power without ever being elected to public office, but also the disreputable way he carried out his goals with callous disregard for the poor and minorities.

The current exhibit at the New York Historical celebrates this groundbreaking work in honor of the 50th anniversary of its publication which occurred this past November. It details how Caro came to write and publish the book and what he discovered and revealed about Moses in the process. It includes research materials, manuscript drafts, photos, and more. It is all part of the new Robert A. Caro archive which was created simultaneously with the exhibit's opening. 

 

And that's our view. For more about Robert Caro's The Power Broker, go to 

www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/robert-caros-the-power-broker-at-50. For more about the New York Historical in general or to purchase a ticket to visit, go to www.nyhistory.org.

Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.

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