That is the southern terminus of our National Scenic byways and National Heritage area. We are pleased that the books tonight focuses on both our northern terminus and southern terminus. You will hear a little bit about gettysburg which is our northern terminus, northern part of the National Heritage area. You will also hear a little bit about charlottesville. Monticello out jeffersons driveway, you are driving on the scenic byway. And you are driving 180 miles north to gettysburg. Mile plotst 180 of land, we have 11 sites. Monticello, madisons willin montpelier, brent talk about these places. We wnant to thank the charlottesville convention bureau, one of our wonderful partners. Kurt, the executive director is here tonight. Thank you. Without further ado, i will introduce our guest. Brent glass, the director emeritus of this and sony National Museum of american the smithsonian National Museum of American History. A National Leader in the interpretation and promotion of history, brent
Support and sponsorship of this program as well. Of course, the library system, and we really appreciate the everson madison region ally braer. We are, of course, in sh charlottesville, which is the southern terminus of our National Scenic byway as well as National Heritage area. We are pleased that the book tonight focuses on both our northern terminus as well as our southern terminus. You will hear a little bit about gettysburg, which is our northern terminus, our most northern part of our National Heritage area, and of course you will hear a little bit about charlottesville as well. The way we often talk is if you head out monticells, jeffersons highway and turn left you are heading on the National Scenic byway and you drive 180 miles north to gettysburg which is the other end of our National Heritage area. Within that 180mile swath of land we have nine president ial sites including James Monroes highland, which sarah is here as our guest as well. Of course, monticello, madisons hom
Where the biggest radio industry in the world was created, up to broadway. Thats where the entertainment is. Thats where bing crosby is. Thats where jack benny is. His lifelong rival, and they were truly lifelong rivals, tsarnaev with bill paley. Paley is the son of very rich cigar making family. The family started in the ukraine. By the time they moved from chicago to philadelphia, they had made it. He went to wharton school. His dad basically bought him the station. He hated him for that. And he dated nonjewish girls. These two guys would battle for supremacy in radio, television, and then Color Television for the next half century. Its paley who links it permanently to advertising. The only business in the country supported entirely by advertising. Somebody wrote him a letter and said im getting this great entertainment, great music, who do i pay. Nobody. Paid for by advertising. And paley then hooks up with Duke Ellington. In 1928, he signs up washington, d. C. s Duke Ellington who
Talk im not good at power point. Well, this is not the supreme city. Its not the book i originally set out to write. And the original idea was to do the whole city. All five boroughs and stretch it out from world war i to world war ii. But without trying to be too cute, i took too big of a bite out of the apple. And i discovered doing my Research Within the larger story i had intended to tell. Its an unfold story, actually. Its been told in bits and pieces, but its never stitched together as a compelling historical narrative. And that story is the rise of the sudden and spectacular rise of midtown manhattan in the 1920s. Which was an urban backwater before 1919. There wasnt a single skyscraper above 42nd street. And by the end of the decade, by the end of the 1920s, almost half of new york skyscrapers were in midtown. Its one of the great building booms not only in the history of the United States, but in the history of the world. This eruption, almost, that occurs in these years. And
About, midtown manhattan, and a couple preliminaries before we roll into this illustrated talk. I like that better than power point as a term. Im not good at power point. Its not that im a luddite. Im just not good at technology. Im just a technological idiot. Well, this is not the supreme city is not the book i originally set out to write. The original idea was to do the whole city, all five boroughs, and stretch it out from world war i to world war ii, but without trying to be too cute, i took too big a bite out of the apple, and i discovered as i was doing my research that there was i was really drawn to a really compelling story within the larger story i had intended to tell, and its an untold story actually. Its been told in bits and pieces, but its never been stitched together as a compelling historical narrative, and that story is the rise of the the sudden and spectacular rise i should say of midtown manhattan in the 1920s which was an urban backwater before 1919. There wasnt a