About nyc125

NYC125 was created by Michael Miscione to commemorate and celebrate the 125th anniversary of the consolidation of Greater New York throughout 2023. 

On January 1, 1898 today's five-borough city was born when of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island were joined with the existing city, then consisting of Manhattan and the Bronx. The consolidation expanded the territory of the city from about 60 sq. miles to over 300 sq. miles! Mr. Miscione considers this the greatest act of urban planning in New York City history. 

NYC125.org will commemorate the birth of the five-borough city with talks, tours, social media posts, ceremonies, screenings — and at least one concert — all directly related to the consolidation of Greater New York. This website will be the clearinghouse for all these activities, as well as a source of fascinating and informative consolidation-related content.

Mr. Miscione is a native New Yorker. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, and now lives in Manhattan. 

Mr. Miscione served as the Manhattan Borough Historian from 2006 to 2019. In that position he promoted and celebrated the history of the city with lectures, ceremonies, and press appearances. 

In 1997, to mark the 100th birthday of the five-borough city, Mr. Miscione researched, wrote, and directed an hourlong video documentary titled The City of Greater New York: The Story of the Consolidation. The documentary was telecast on PBS Ch. 13, WNBC Ch. 4, and on the city's cable television channel; and it played for a year at the Museum of the City of New York. 

The documentary launched Mr. Miscione's continuing fascination with the consolidation movement and its largely unsung hero, the master planner, reformer, and preservationist, Andrew H. Green.