The Museum of the City of New York, one of the most prestigious history institutions in the region, this week released its list ‘The New York City 400’ to mark the 400th anniversary of the exploration of New York. Among the list of the city’s greatest residents is Dorothy Parker.
The Museum said, “The NYC400 is the first-ever list of New York City’s ultimate movers and shakers since the City’s founding—from politics, the arts, business, sports, science, and entertainment. In commemoration of Henry Hudson’s epic 1609 voyage into New York Harbor, the Museum is celebrating our City’s 400th birthday by recognizing the people who have had the greatest impact and influence on the world’s greatest city.”
Parker, born in 1893, grew up in New York and had numerous homes throughout the city, most on the Upper West Side. Just last month, her teenage apartment at 310 West 80th received a landmark plaque on the building. She died June 7, 1967, at age 73, at 23 East 74th Street.
Parker is in good company on the list. Among her peers are Lou Reed, who has remarked in the past that he is a fan of her work, as well as Woody Allen, John Barrymore, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Aaron Burr, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Ella Fitzgerald, Robert Fulton, Martha Graham, William Randolph Hearst, Babe Ruth and Arnold Rothstein. Two people she worked for, Condé Nast and Harold Ross, are on the list. Ross is the only other member of the Algonquin Round Table to make ‘The New York City 400’ list of notables.