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Cyrus Adler papers

Call Number

MS 3

Date

1952-2011, inclusive

Creator

Adler, Cy A.

Extent

8.25 Linear feet ( 17 boxes, 2 flat files)

Language of Materials

The documents in this collection are in English.

Abstract

This collection contains records relating to Cyrus Adler's involvement with New York City political and community organizations between 1952 and 2011. Adler, a long-time resident of Manhattan's upper west side, founded Shorewalkers, Inc., in 1982 to preserve and protect the Hudson River waterfront, and the largest portion of the collection relates to that organization. Among the other organizations represented are the 97th Street Block Association, Village Independent Democrats, Broadway Independent Democrats, and Scientists and Engineers for Kennedy and other candidates.

Biographical / Historical

Cyrus Adler was born in Brooklyn in 1927, and for many years taught oceanography, physics, and math at City College of New York, Long Island University, and other educational institutions. A long time resident of Manhattan's upper west side, Adler has since the 1950's been very involved in community and political organizations. He played a leading role in the West 97th/98th Street Block Association and their efforts to transform a defunct restroom into a community and information center. In addition, Adler was active in many New York-based democratic polical organizations, such as the Riverside Democrats and the Stevensonian Democratic Club.. Adler also played a role in various transporation initiatives in the 1970's and 1980's, advocating for projects like the Westway Highway Tunnel and Central Park Toll Tunnel to move vehicular traffic underground and create more park space for the public.

In 1982, Adler founded Shorewalkers, Inc., a not-for-profit organization founded to promote greater access to New York's waterfront, encourage shore walking, and advance preservation and enhancement of metropolitan shorelines. At the time, large portions of the New York-New Jersey shoreline were inaccessible and/or lined with trash and rubble. As the urban shipping industry declined, abandoned piers were inhabited by homeless people and drug dealers. By organizing hikes and excursions along waterfront areas throughout the metropolitan region, Shorewalkers helped spur their transformation into parks and greenways. In particular, their efforts contributed to the creation of the Hudson River Greenway, the 11-mile route from Battery Park to the George Washington Bridge. Adler has written several books, and numerous articles and reviews.

Arrangement

This collection is organized by subject into five series: 1. Political Organizations 2. Community Organizations 3. Transportation Initiatives 4. Shorewalkers 5. Peace Movement.

Scope and Contents

The materials in this collection document Cyrus Adler's involvement with political and environmental organizations in New York, and with various transportation initiatives, such as the Westway Highway and Central Park Toll Tunnel. The materials span the time period from the 1950s to 2011, and include fliers, news clippings, and correspondence. The bulk of the collection concerns Shorewalkers, Inc., a non-profit organization Adler founded in 1982 to clean up and make publicly accessible the many waterfronts surrounding New York City, particularly the Hudson River waterfront.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult it, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Conditions Governing Use

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as the Cyrus Adler Papers, MS 3, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

This collection is stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult it, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Collection processed by

Margaret Kaczorowski

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:49:08 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is in English

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024