Gotham Center for New York City History

A research and public education institution dedicated to advancing scholarly and public understanding of New York City’s rich and living past.

The mission of the Gotham Center is to support independent and professional historical work examining the various forces and figures that have shaped life in the city, as well as New York’s enormous contributions to the development of the nation and the world. Through a variety of research programs — grants, fellowships, seminars, conferences, and other projects — we hope to underwrite the production of this knowledge and shape the next generation of scholarship. Through a variety of public-facing initiatives — such as our free event series, blog, podcasts, online education and K-12 programs — we also strive to make that knowledge available to the widest possible audience, sharing the best and most interesting new work far beyond the academic community and immediate metropolitan area. Finally, we endeavor to make this information useful to actors influencing culture and policy today, fostering greater awareness of historical knowledge and exchange between scholars and leaders in civil society and government. In all things, we ask New Yorkers to consider how the past has created the present, and what lessons it might offer for the challenges we face in our great city, now and in the future.