Video: New York Rebounds (Again) with Thomas Dyja & Gordon Davis

This conversation was recorded on Thursday, April 14, 2022. See the full event description below.

An in-person conversation with historian and author Thomas Dyja and former NYC Parks Commissioner Gordon Davis, followed by a reception & book signing. Proof of vaccination and masks are required.

No one can say exactly what the future brings for New York. All we know is that there is a future. After two years of talking heads and hot takes pronouncing the city dead, New York is moving forward with a new mayor in City Hall and almost nine million people in the five boroughs. But what else is new? Since the Fiscal Crisis back in the 70's, New York has been repeatedly counted out, only to pull itself back up, bigger than ever.

Thomas Dyja, author of the celebrated recent history, New York, New York, New York: Four Decades of Success, Excess, and Transformation (a NY Times 2021 Notable Book), will examine what makes the city so resilient, in discussion with former NYC Parks Commissioner Gordon Davis, whose work both in the spotlight and behind the scenes has led the way for those many revivals. What lessons can we learn from the last forty years? What's different now for New York, and what are the challenges it will always face? 

The conversation will be followed by a reception and book signing; books will be available for purchase or can be ordered online from the Museum's Gift Shop. 

Event Timeline:
6:30 pm - Conversation begins (Rotunda)
7:30 pm - Book signing and reception (Rotunda)
8:30 pm - Event ends. Museum closes

About the Speakers: 
Gordon Davis has played a key role in the economic and cultural development of New York City.  Gordon was Mayor Koch's first Parks Commissioner; Founding Chairman of Jazz at Lincoln Center; one of the four Founding Trustees of the Central Park Conservancy; an inductee into the Performing Arts Hall of Fame at Lincoln Center; a Life Trustee of the New York Public Library; and was named a designated NYC Living Landmark. Since 2012, Gordon has been a partner in the New York office of Venable LLP, where he represents highly regarded institutions in some of the most important public-private projects in the City.  

Thomas Dyja worked in publishing for more than a decade before becoming a writer. Along with editing four anthologies, he’s written three novels, a biography of civil rights pioneer Walter White and the award-winning The Third Coast: When Chicago Built the American Dream, a New York Times Notable book, One Book One Chicago selection, and winner of the 2013 Heartland Prize for Non-fiction. A Chicago native, he lives on the Upper West Side with his wife, literary agent Suzanne Gluck.  

This program is part of Capturing the Changing City, a new series of conversations with artists, writers, historians, and other notable New Yorkers about how they seek to represent the New York scene on the page, film, canvas, and beyond.

Event Logistics

• Proof of vaccination is required for entry to the event (everyone over the age of 5). Excelsior Pass is accepted for those who were vaccinated in NYS. 
• Masks will be required.
• Please contact programs@mcny.org with any questions or ticketing issues.
• All sales are final; refunds not permitted. Exchanges and credit for future programs only. Programs and dates may be subject to change. The Museum of the City of New York reserves the right to refuse admission to latecomers and/or those who do not provide requested Covid-19 documentation. Program tickets do not include Museum Admission unless otherwise noted.