Central Park was in peak fall foliage when Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione led the Eleventh Annual Salute to Unsung Civic Hero Andrew Haswell Green. Lauded as “arguably the most important leader in Gotham’s long history” by Columbia University professor and author Kenneth T. Jackson, Green was the 19^th-century master planner, reformer, and preservationist who transformed New York into a cosmopolitan city. Over his 50-year career, Green steered the creation of some of New York City’s most recognized parks, cultural institutions, and public works, including Central Park, the New York Public Library, the Bronx Zoo, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He also rescued the City from bankruptcy after the Tweed Ring scandals, pioneered the local historic preservation movement, and masterminded the 1898 consolidation of the five boroughs. Archive Project Founder and Chair Anthony C. Wood joined Miscione at Central Park’s Andrew H. Green Memorial Bench (the only public monument to “The Father of Greater New York” in the five boroughs) to speak on the importance of recognizing this often forgotten preservationist and civic hero. The Archive Project salutes Michael Miscione for keeping the memory of this important civic figure alive through this annual event. 

Location:
The Andrew H. Green Memorial Bench
Central Park near 105th Street
New York, NY