Join AIA NY and architectural historian John Kriskiewicz for an in-depth analysis of scenes and stills from four films, shot on location, which dramatically chronicle the post-war architectural transformation of Park Avenue.

In the popular imagination, Park Avenue conjures a series of glamorous images. To the historian, Park Avenue embodies several stages of New York City’s architectural development. The transformation of Midtown Manhattan’s Park Avenue from a Beaux Arts boulevard of masonry-clad apartments and hotels into the premier office district of Modernist glass towers is captured in a number of films produced following the Second World War.

Films include Mark Hellinger’s ground-breaking film noir, The Naked City (1948), Jean Negulesco’s lush melodrama, The Best of Everything (1959), Blake Edward’s poignant Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), and David Swift’s comedic musical parody, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967). For these four directors, the very newness of the buildings—the process of architectural transformation of this swath of Midtown Manhattan itself—became a visual shorthand to convey personal aspiration, success, intrigue, drama, and romance.

Wednesday February 16, 6:00 pm–7:30 pm
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