Cass Gilbert’s New York: Skyscrapers to Supply Depots | Virtual Program | Tuesday, November 24

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November 24, 2020 12:30 pm EST

November 24 marks the 161st birthday of the famed architect Cass Gilbert, and to celebrate, we are taking a deep dive into his body of work in New York City. We will be joined by Helen Post Curry, Gilbert’s great-granddaughter, an expert on his life and work, and the founder of Woolworth Tours. Though born and raised in the Midwest, he rose to national prominence after moving to New York, where he built such landmarks as the Custom House, 90 West Street, the Woolworth Building, and of course, the Brooklyn Army Terminal. We will also discuss some of the less well-known buildings of his portfolio, including Brooklyn’s Austin, Nichols & Co. Building and a string of small railway stations in the Bronx, and his mastery of a wide diversity of styles that made him one of the most versatile architects of his era.

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Stories with Children’s Author Peter G. Reynolds | Free Virtual Program | Saturday, November 28

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November 28, 2020 12:30 pm EST

Join us for story-time with Canadian children’s author Peter G. Reynolds. Peter will read from his illustrated book Lost Hallway which follows the adventures of a young boy who discovers a magical world that contains all lost things, as well as selected stories from his podcast, “Musings and Other Nonsense.” There will also be an “interactive story” with Peter inviting the youngsters to help him create a children’s story live during the show. Suitable for kids 3 and up and anyone who likes a good tale. This program will be a Zoom Meeting format.

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Exploring Lake Baikal, Pearl of Siberia | Virtual Program | Monday, November 30

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November 30, 2020 12:30 pm EST

Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest and oldest lake, containing nearly one-fifth of all the world’s liquid fresh water. Located in Eastern Siberia, it is the heart of an ecologically and culturally diverse region. Turnstile Vice President Andrew Gustafson lived for more than a year in the nearby city of Irkutsk and has traveled around the lake in summer and winter. He will take us on a virtual tour of the lake, sharing the natural, cultural, and political history of region, as well as his insights on living and traveling in Siberia.

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Virtual Ride on the South Brooklyn Ferry | Virtual Program | Wednesday, December 2

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December 2, 2020 12:00 pm EST

Take a virtual ride with us on the South Brooklyn route of the NYC Ferry. We will board at Corlears Hook and examine the Brooklyn waterfront as we ride past DUMBO, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Red Hook, Sunset Park, and finally end in Bay Ridge. Along the way, we will look back at the industrial history of these neighborhoods and see some of the last vestiges of the industrial and working waterfront in Brooklyn, including the Red Hook Container Terminal, Erie Basin, and the Brooklyn Army Terminal. We will also discuss many of things to see and do near the ferry stops.

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Holiday Plants at Urban Garden Center | Free Virtual Program | Thursday, December 3

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December 3, 2020 11:00 am EST

Urban Garden Center has been a fixture of Spanish Harlem since the 1950’s, and today their beautiful shop occupies a massive two-block stretch along Park Avenue in the historic La Marqueta. We interviewed third-generation owner Dimitri Gatanas earlier this year to discuss spring plants, and now we’re back to discuss the plants that make the holiday season special. We’ll take a virtual tour of their seasonally-decorated space, learn about Christmas trees and other holiday plants (plus share tips on maintaining them), and discuss how this holiday season will be different from any other.

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December 7, 1917: The US Navy in World War I | Virtual Program | Monday, December 7

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December 7, 2020 5:00 pm EST

December 7, 1941 is a date that is indelible in American history, but 24 years earlier, that date also marked an important moment: the arrival of Battle Division 9 to Scapa Flow, the first American battleships to join the British Grand Fleet, which included the Brooklyn Navy Yard-built USS New York and USS Florida. We will discuss the special role of the US Navy in the naval war, in which battleships actually played a very small part. Places like the Brooklyn Navy Yard were instead tasked with building submarine chasers and painting “dazzle” camouflage schemes to counter German U-boats, and American manufacturing was mobilized to produce more than 50,000 mines for the North Sea Mine Barrage to close off passage to the Atlantic from Germany.

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“Pop-Surreal” Tile Art and Demo with Artist Ralph Almeida | Free Virtual Program | Thursday, December 10

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December 10, 2020 11:00 am EST

Originally from Connecticut and of Portuguese descent, New York-based artist Ralph Almeida creates colorful and imaginative “pop-surreal” works of ceramic and acrylic art that combine many influences – of indigenous and modern artists, the ancient and contemporary, nature and spirituality, and his own background as a textile designer. Ralph is perhaps best known for his painted decorative tiles, and he will walk us through a hands-on tile demo and some of his favorite projects, from tiles inspired by the stained glass windows of the Museum at Eldridge Street, to special commissions for people’s homes to decorative face masks.

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Exploring the Morris Canal with the Canal Society of New Jersey | Free Virtual Program | Tuesday, December 15

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December 15, 2020 12:30 pm EST

For almost a century, New Jersey’s Morris Canal fueled New York City with anthracite coal from northeast Pennsylvania, but now for nearly another century, the abandoned canal has been all but obliterated from the landscape. Join us as Tim Roth of the Canal Society of New Jersey helps uncover this lost canal, its innovative design, and its vital role in the history of New York City. Our discussion will also look at the lives of the people who worked that waterway, and current efforts to return its remnants to public view.

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Sustainable Manufacturing with Countertop Maker IceStone | Virtual Program | Thursday, December 17

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A tour at IceStone with 7 people looking at and handling samples of counter tops in a factory space

December 17, 2020 12:30 pm EST

Since 2003, IceStone has been manufacturing countertops in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Made from 100% recycled glass, cement, and pigment, their unique designs and innovative production process have made IceStone a leading company in sustainable manufacturing. On this virtual tour, we will explore their products and process with Marketing Director Ashon McCollin, who will walk us through their factory, discuss commercial and residential projects they have worked on, and highlight the company’s initiatives to support the environment and their workers, which have made them a Certified B Corporation and a leader in the social enterprise movement.

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The Constellaton Fire: The Accident That Changed the Brooklyn Navy Yard | Virtual Program | Saturday, December 19

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December 17, 2020 11:00 am EST

On December 19, 1960, the Brooklyn Navy Yard suffered the worst accident in its history, a devastating fire aboard the USS Constellation that killed 50 workers. This fire was not only a tragedy for those who were killed and injured and their families, but it marked a turning point in the Yard’s history that many believe led to its closure less than six years later. Over the years, we have had the honor to meet many people that lived through this ordeal, and we will share oral histories and photos from the Brooklyn Navy Yard Archives to reconstruct this fateful day and examine its impact on individuals, the city, and the Navy.

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