Broadway: A History of New York City in Thirteen Miles

Architect Leadon, coauthor of the fifth edition of the AIA Guide to New York City, puts his background to good use in this entertaining look at how the growth and development of New York City’s most famous street paralleled that of Manhattan. Leadon’s method of organizing his rich source material makes the history more digestible; instead of a predictable chronological approach, he devotes a separate section to each single mile of the street, from its southernmost starting point in Bowling Green, north through 228th Street, after which it continues into the Bronx. As with the best popular histories, Leadon enlivens the past through memorable anecdotes, such as that of the accidental origin of the ticker-tape parade. Colorful individuals populate the narrative, including Alfred Ely Beach, who without anyone’s permission built the first subway under Broadway, and Martin Molenaor, a septuagenarian who spuriously claimed that he was the real owner of over 70 acres of prime real estate. Leadon covers other bits of essential ground, detailing the construction of noteworthy buildings, commenting on the role of mass transit in the life of Manhattan, and remarking on the changing nature of political protests in Union Square. This is a welcome complement to more daunting and encyclopedic volumes on New York’s history. Maps & illus. (Apr.)