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Past Events at the General Society
The lecture series "Labor, Literature, Landmarks" was funded in part by grants from the New York Council for the Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford
The Library of The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen and Alfred A. Knopf, publisher, invite you to celebrate the publication of Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford with a book talk by Peter Y. Sussman, editor, and readings by Constancia Dinky Romilly, daughter of Jessica Mitford.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 7:00pm*
RESTORING THE LANDMARK SKYSCRAPERS: THE CHRYSLER AND EMPIRE STATE BUILDINGS
Eric Hammarberg, Assoc. AIA, Vice-President, Director of Historic Preservation, Thornton-Tomasetti
This lecture illustrates the engineering difficulties involved in restoration work on tall buildings on constrained sites. It contrasts the Empire project, which took 16 years, with the fast-track Chrysler project, a 2-year project in which various phases of work were performed "concurrently" rather than "consecutively." Hammarberg, Project Manager for devising the fast-track Chrysler restoration from grade to pinnacle, is a board member of the Association for Preservation Technology, Northeast Chapter.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007, 7:00pm*
IMPRESARIOS AND THEIR THEATERS
Anthony Robins, Architectural Historian
Many of New York City’s finest theaters were built as lavish headquarters for Broadway's great impresarios, who spared no expense in their decor. Learn about these historic theaters and the outsized characters who created them, from David Belasco, the self-styled "Bishop of Broadway" who, among other eccentricities, wore a clerical collar, to the aristocratic New England producer Winthrop Ames, who pioneered the "little theater" movement.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007, 7:00pm*
REPORTING ON RELIGION: HOW FAITH GETS COVERED
Jeff Sharlet, Contributing Editor
Jeff Sharlet is a contributing editor to Harper’s Magazine. His interest in the influence of religion on contemporary politics sent him undercover with the Fellowship Foundation, a secretive organization whose membership teems with United States senators and congressmen; and to America’s most powerful megachurch, New Life, where he interviewed its influential pastor. Sharlet is author of the forthcoming Jesus Plus Nothing, and co-author of Killing the Buddha: A Heretic’s Bible. He also founded TheRevealer.org, and co-founded the award-winning KillingTheBuddha.com
Tuesday, February 6, 2007, 7:00pm*
BEHIND THE SCENES IN HOTELS
Daniel Levinson Wilk, Professor of History, The Fashion Institute of Technology
Maids, bellboys, managers, and guests… New York’s grand hotels created a new way of living in the City. This talk contrasts the pioneering public relations strategies of hotel managers and their workers in two of New York’s most famous hotel destinations: the Waldorf-Astoria and the Algonquin. Panelists will include John Turchiano, Director of Communications, New York City Hotel and Motel Trades Council.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007, 7:00pm*
BUILDING ILLUSIONS, THEN AND NOW
Arnold Aronson, Professor of Theatre and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of the Arts at Columbia University
Until recently, theater production meant traditional building and painting. New York City was home to many of the major scenic studios in the country and to generations of master craftsmen. In recent decades, however, economics and changing aesthetics have combined to eliminate almost all such work. We will look at the great scene painting and building through the mid-twentieth century, as well as look at what is happening now—particularly with projected scenery.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 7:00pm*
BETWEEN THE COVERS: BOOK REVIEWS AND HARPER’S MAGAZINE
Jennifer Szalai, Senior Editor
A senior editor at Harper’s Magazine, Jennifer Szalai oversees the "Reviews" section and writes occasional essays. She will discuss the current state of literary criticism as well as her own philosophy of creating lively pairings of books and critics every month for the magazine. Jennifer Szalai began as an intern at Harper’s. Before taking over "Reviews," she was an editor of the magazine’s "Readings" section. She studied at University of Toronto and the London School of Economics.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007, 7:00pm*
RESTORATION AND RENAISSANCE
Hugh Hardy, FAIA, H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture
The remarkable renaissance of the theater district has been anchored by the restorations of two historic theaters facing each other on 42nd Street—the New Amsterdam and the New Victory. Their revivals, after years of disuse and dereliction, were led by the preeminent theater architect Hugh Hardy, who will illustrate the challenges of restoration, the glories of these reborn theaters, and their influence on contemporary live performance.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007, 7:00pm*INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM AND REPORTING FROM ABROAD
Eliza Griswold, Freelance Journalist
Eliza Griswold, who has reported for Harper’s Magazine from the Middle East and Asia, is currently a Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard University. While reporting for Harper’s, she has dodged the Jihad in Pakistan’s tribal lands, and in Katmandu has been caught between the Maoist rebels and the king’s army. She will speak on the value of narrative nonfiction in human rights and conflict reporting. She received the first Robert I. Friedman Award in Investigative Journalism in 2003. Farrar, Straus and Giroux will publish, in 2007, her first collection of poems, Tigers, and her first non-fiction book, The Tenth Parallel.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 7:00pm*
HOW A BROWNSTONE SPARKED A REVOLUTION
Clem Labine, Publisher and Founding Editor, Traditional Building Magazine
A run-down rooming-house helped change the way America thinks about older buildings. Clem Labine will illustrate how his work to repair and restore a Brooklyn brownstone inspired his magazines. Old House Journal, the original restoration magazine, was launched in 1973; Traditional Building (commercial and public architecture) began publication in 1988; and Period Homes (residential architecture) was established in 2000. Labine is currently launching a new website called TradWeb, highlighting the work of local and regional craftspeople.

Friday, April 20, 2007, 7:00pm*
TWILIGHT CONCERT: SONGS OF HOPE
The Orfeo Duo and Beth Anne Hatton, Soprano
A recital presenting music which expresses the desire for a better world: folk songs arranged by classical composers, which come directly from the voice of the people, and classical works by composers with strong political beliefs who seek to impact the world through their music. The program ranges from the Shaker hymnal of 1813 to Mozart's Il re pastore, and includes songs by Louis Durey, who was an activist in the Resistance against the Nazi Occupation of France in World War II; Charles Ives; African-American spirituals, and the deeply-felt piano sonata, "From the Street," written by Leoš Janácek in response to the death of a Czech worker. Admission is $10. A portion of the proceeds benefit The Library. For reservations, call 212-921-1767 or email library@generalsociety.org.