The Columns Club consists of supporters ages 21-40 who donate $75 or more annually and are invited to special tours of historic places, archives, and exhibitions.

The Columns Club is an exciting way to engage a new generation of New Yorkers in the Archive Project’s important mission. Founded in 2014, the Columns Club—consisting of young professionals ages 21-40 who donate $75 or more annually—are invited to behind-the-scenes tours of historic sites and archives throughout New York City. These unique experiences have been created to appeal to the wide-ranging tastes of this multi-faceted group. The inaugural event was an after-hours flashlight tour of the nooks and crannies of the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum, a Dutch Colonial-style structure that is the last remaining farmhouse on the island of Manhattan. The growing troupe of Columnists has taken a private tour of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and a twilight streetcar visit through Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, ending with wine, cheese and a look through the archives! The group has also explored one of New York City’s greatest icons, Grand Central Terminal, and one of its most secret gems, the Grand Masonic Lodge.

If you are interested in joining this hearty crew of urban explorers, please donate here or contact us with any questions.

 

Secrets of the Seaport Museum

For its most recent visit, the Columns Club went on a behind-the-scenes tour of Schermerhorn Row, the last remaining complete row of early 19th-century countinghouses in New York City and currently home of the South Street Seaport Museum. 

William Roka, historian and public programs manager at the Seaport Museum led the group up onto floors nestled beneath steeply-pitched eaves, spaces that have been largely unused since Hurricane Sandy and are usually closed to the public. The Columns Club also gained access to the hidden hotel and saloon rooms made famous by New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell in his book “Up in the Old Hotel,” spaces strangely preserved in time. Roka also guided attendees through the current exhibition Millions: Migrants and Millionaires aboard the Great Liners, 1900-1914, which explores the defining differences between travel for wealthy Americans and those immigrating to the United States in that period.

After our visit we retired to the historic Paris Cafe, one of the oldest bars in New York City, for drinks and socializing. 

JOIN TODAY FOR ACCESS TO THE NEXT TOUR!

Contact Brad Vogel at bvogel@nypap.org with questions or to see if your membership is up to date.

Above: Schermerhorn Row; Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons