At the turn of the 20th century in New York's Kings County, no two were more powerful than Coffee King John Arbuckle and Sugar King Henry Osborne Havemeyer — after all, 86% of the nation’s coffee and 98% of its sugar were roasted and refined in Brooklyn. But when Arbuckle decided to also get into the sugar industry, the Great Brooklyn Sugar & Coffee War had begun, resulting in what the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper described as “one of the greatest trade fights that has ever been known.”

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the history of coffee and sugar in Brooklyn, and how these sweet and stimulating commodities — and their bitter industry rivalry — helped turn New York City into a global financial powerhouse.

Led by writer, historian, and New York City tour guide Lucie Levine, our unique virtual experience will include:

• How coffee helped kick off the American Revolution
• The story of how coffee and sugar became the two of largest commodities on the Brooklyn Waterfront, earning the nickname “America’s grocery and hardware store”
• Why we can thank coffee and sugar for the genesis of the New York Stock Exchange
• Where to find remnants of Brooklyn’s coffee and sugar empires
• A discussion of how the former sugar and coffee empires on the East River helped shape the waterfront’s current revitalization

Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Lucie — any and all questions about coffee and sugar are welcomed and encouraged!

Can't make it live? Don't worry, you'll have access to the full replay for one week!

See you there, virtually!

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar

**For the best possible viewing experience, please ensure you're using the latest version of your internet browser — Google Chrome is the most compatible. Exact technical requirements and a webinar user guide will be shared in the automated confirmation email upon registration.

***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week

About Lucie

Lucie Levine is a writer, historian, and New York City tour guide. She founded Archive on Parade, a historical tour and event company that takes New York’s history out of the archives and into the streets.

She has collaborated with institutions including The Municipal Art Society, The Historic Districts Council, The New York Public Library, The 92nd Street Y, The St. Regis Hotel, Village Preservation, The American Institute of Architects, The NYC Department of Transportation, and Landmarks West to offer exciting tours, lectures and community events all over town.

She is also the Public Programs Consultant at FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, and Contributing History Writer at 6sqft.

Testimonials

"Presenter's extensive knowledge, good visuals, and great sense of humor. Her storytelling style was very enjoyable and she gave enough context for those of us not as familiar with the story or precise geographic details." -Trudi

"Who knew such a crazy dispute happened in the late 1890s? Just a very interesting issue." -Jeffrey

"The presenter's enthusiasm and knowledge were great. I learned a lot!" -Kate

"Lucie's talk was great, so well researched - lots of fascinating detail, backed up with great photos. I loved the way she tied the history into present day Brooklyn, & her humorous asides & obvious passion for the history made the whole presentation great." -Mary

"Lucies' is well studied and articulate when she delivers the information. Well done and interesting." -Regina

"Lucie is a great resource. I really like her as a presenter. She’s one of my favorites. I would love to see her lead more webinars." -Amy

"Loved the presenter's storytelling abilities-she made it interesting and fun! The slides were great too!" -Jenny

"I know New York City history pretty well, but I discovered new things in this webinar" -George

"Fantastic speaker with great oral history and slide presentation." -Barry

"Historian was very knowledgeable and provided context, pictures and maps." -Michaela

"Very interesting story that also revealed alot about NYC history" -Kim

"I learned a lot of new things about the Brooklyn waterfront." -DeLisa

"Very well researched. Clearly & articulately presented. Interesting subject matter. Important NYC history" -Leigh

"It was interesting and informative. The lecturer was great!" -Deborah

"I liked the knowledge of the subject her ability to weave many different aspects together great photos" -Bart

"Lucy was great - good content and interesting history." -John

"Lucie was fantastic storyteller and her material was incredibly well-researched." -Jessica

"What an interesting snippet of NYC and American history! These things matter, history repeats itself in different ways and knowing it makes a person more informed and tolerant." -Christopher

"The general narrative pre-coffee/sugar war and post-coffee/sugar war was good. Choice of images was helpful" -Ronald

"Comparing the old and new and enough information to spike interest in learning more." -Amy

"Very informative, natural and easy going discussion/narration by Lucie. It was fascinating." -Nora

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Categories: Arts, Virtual