Naming Gotham

Each day, millions of people “take” the Major Deegan, the Hutchinson Expressway, the Outerbridge Crossing, and the Holland Tunnel. Few travelers remember that, before these names became an urban shorthand for congestion, they were actual people. In Naming Gotham: The Villains, Rogues, and Heroes Behind New York’s Place Names her quirky take on New York City history, law professor Rebecca Bratspies uses the naming of New York City’s roads, bridges, and civic institutions as a unique window into urban social structure and the City’s ever-changing inhabitants. The lives of Revolutionary War heroes, robber barons and Tammany Hall politicos introduce readers to the outsized roles that power politics, corruption, and the slave economy played and continue to play in New York City. In this virtual talk for Untapped New York Insiders, Bratspies will share some of her favorite and most entertaining tales from the book.