How do you sum up 325 years of history that include everything from Revolutionary War skirmishes to the birth of Mighty Mouse—a history bursting with personalities that range from Lou Gehrig to Ray Rice, Thomas Paine to Cynthia Ozick, Norman Rockwell to Jay Leno?
The 325th Anniversary Committee has come up with an answer, installing a timeline of the city’s three centuries in the Rotunda Gallery at New Rochelle City Hall. The exhibit is on view through May 30th, with a reception planned for Tuesday, May 14th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The reception is open to the public.
“New Rochelle: A Celebration of 325 Years 1688-2013” was co-curated by city historian Barbara Davis and Theresa Kump Leghorn, former Director of the Museum of Arts & Culture. The 15-panel exhibit, designed by Jesse Sanchez and produced by Harquin Graphics, is a timeline that combines text about milestones in the city’s history with archival photographs from the New Rochelle Public Library’s local history collection. The timeline begins with the 1654 purchase of land from the Siwanoy Indians and traces New Rochelle’s history from a French farming community to a Gilded Age resort to a classic 1950s suburb, following its subsequent transformation into the multi-cultural urban-suburban community it is today. The exhibit also features brief biographies of some of New Rochelle’s most notable citizens drawn from the Walk of Fame located at Library Green. The exhibit can be viewed in the Rotunda Gallery, located on the main floor in City Hall, 515 North Avenue on the North Avenue side of the building. Hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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“It was a challenge condensing so much information into an easy-to-read format, and choosing photographs that would help tell the story” says Theresa Kump Leghorn, “but Barbara Davis is an indefatigable guide. Her passion for the history of this city is inspiring.”
“New Rochelle’s story is unique, but it also serves as a microcosm of America’s history on many levels,” said Barbara Davis. “Theresa and I hope that viewers will not only take away valuable information about their community’s heritage, but also a sense of its importance on a broader level.”
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The exhibit will have a second showing in the fall at the Lumen Winter Gallery at the New Rochelle Public Library. Ms. Davis will use the summer hiatus to enhance the timeline with a sound component: Thanks to a grant from the New Rochelle Public Library Foundation, local students will research and record interviews with historical figures that will be accessible by cellphone cues. The content of the exhibit will also form the core of a 325th Anniversary commemorative journal that will be available for sale at the end of the year.
Sponsors of the 325th Anniversary celebration include the Charles Fazzino Museum Editions Ltd.; NoMa Social; Radisson New Rochelle; United Water; Sound Shore Medical Center; the College of New Rochelle; Iona College; Huguenot Yacht Club; Monroe College; Shop Rite; Bayside Travel; Westmed Medical Group; Pearlgreen Corporation; Robinson and Cole, LLP; the Calabria Society; The Ursuline School; WVOX; and Hometown Media Group.
The 325th Anniversary Committee was established last year by the City Manager to help New Rochelle celebrate the 325th anniversary of its founding throughout 2013. The year-long celebration, which includes a variety of events, is planned to honor all—from the Huguenots seeking religious freedom through the "tides" of immigration over the centuries—whose rich traditions and cultures have contributed to New Rochelle’s rise as a dynamic and vital suburban city. The 325th Anniversary committee is being chaired by Marianne Sussman with Barbara Davis and Bille Tucker serving as Vice Chairs, and Bennie Giles as Treasurer; members include Patricia Carter, Paul Costiglio, Kathy Gilwit, Charlene Goldberg, Theresa Kump Leghorn, Michelle Oliveros, Sheila Sarkar, Angela Derecas Taylor and Judith Weber. For more information on the 325th Anniversary celebration or to volunteer call 654-2159 or email 325@newrochelleny.org.