by Ada Calhoun
First published 2016
Ada Calhoun chronicles the tumultuous history of St. Marks Place, three Manhattan blocks that became the epicenter of American counterculture. Drawing from hundreds of interviews and rare photographs, she traces the street's transformation from Peter Stuyvesant's colonial pear orchard to today's gentrified landscape. Calhoun profiles the iconic figures who called these blocks home: poet Frank O'Hara drinking in local bars, anarchist Emma Goldman organizing revolution, the Velvet Underground creating their distinctive sound. She examines how each generation of residents believed they witnessed the street's golden age, only to later mourn its decline. The author argues that St. Marks has served many roles throughout its existence: prestigious neighborhood for the wealthy, sanctuary for immigrants, battleground for organized crime, bohemian utopia for hippies, and urban playground for modern hipsters. Through this lens, Calhoun explores broader themes of gentrification and urban nostalgia, showing how communities evolve while maintaining their essential character as refuges for outsiders seeking belonging.
Genres: history, 20th-century, american, 21st-century, cultural-studies, american-history
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: outsiders-seeking-belonging
Setting: Manhattan, St. Marks Place
Period: Colonial, 20th Century, 21st Century
432 pages · Paperback · W. W. Norton & Company