Lynne B. Sagalyn to Speak "Of Money and Manhattan: Perspectives on the New York Real Estate Market" at the Columbia New York Business History Forum

At the end of his life, John Jacob Astor, America's first millionaire, reportedly said, "If I could live all over again, I would buy every square inch of Manhattan." Professor Sagalyn will discuss how crucial the high stakes, contact sport of real estate development has been to the city. At the root of this story is the changing landscape of real estate power—power among a diverse, fragmented market of big players and smaller owners; and power amid an island mentality of limited land. Sagalyn will also discuss land assembly and the creation of land value by regulatory action and market dynamics.

An expert in real estate development and finance, Professor Sagalyn has published extensively on a broad range of issues in the fields of real estate, urban development, and public/private partnerships. She is widely known for her research on public/private partnerships and city building. Her recent work includes Times Square Roulette: Remaking the City Icon (MIT Press, 2001) and essays addressing the politics of rebuilding the World Trade Center site, the political fabric of design competitions, and the politics of the Kelo backlash. Her current projects include a book of on the politics of rebuilding of the World Trade Center (supported by the Russell Sage Foundation), a book on public/private development (to be published by the Urban Land Institute) and research on the media and urban issues.

The Business History Forum is co-sponsored by the Columbia Business School, the Herbert H. Lehman Center for American History, and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. The Forum features speakers who address the past, present and future of industries that have been and, in many cases, continue to be important to the development of New York City, including accounting; finance; law; media; real estate/development; theater; and trade. It brings together academic experts, industry practitioners, students, and the public.

For further information, contact Eric Wakin, Lehman Curator for American History, at: etw2@columbia.edu

The Herbert H. Lehman Center for American History is dedicated to supporting and enhancing the study and teaching of American history at Columbia University. It places special emphasis on political history, the history of New York City and State, human rights history, and comparative and interdisciplinary work. The Center also promotes the study of the accomplishments of Herbert H. Lehman, the former governor of and senator from New York, whose papers are held as part of the Lehman Collection at Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library. The Director of the Herbert H. Lehman Center is Professor Kenneth T. Jackson, the Jacques Barzun Professor of History and Social Sciences at Columbia.  For more information, visit: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lehmancenter/