This fall, the New-York Historical Society celebrates the 50th anniversary of the publication—on September 16, 1974—of The power broker, Robert A. Caro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Robert Moses. The new exhibit, Robert Caro’s The power broker at 50, which will be on view September 6, 2024 – February 2, 2025, examines the story behind the book, including the obstacles placed by Moses as Caro attempted to write the first biography of a man who for decades had blocked every previous attempt. The exhibit also shows, through Caro’s manuscripts, outlines, and notes to himself, a way of writing that has inspired generations of readers, and moved David Halberstam to call The power broker “surely the greatest book ever written about a city”.

Featuring selections from the Robert A. Caro Archive, which New-York Historical acquired in 2019 and will open for researchers for the first time concurrently with the show, the installation provides visitors with a behind-the-book look at a public official, never elected to anything, who wielded power so immense that with it, over more than four decades, he molded New York and its environs to his vision. Caro spent seven years working on The power broker, researching the forces that turned the New York metropolitan area into a shape that, for better or worse, endures today.

“The power broker is a tremendous feat of reporting and narrative storytelling, and a work that continues to shape our understanding of New York City itself”, said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of New-York Historical. “The book has influenced generations of journalists, politicians, city planners, and countless other readers who care about the civic life of our city. I hope visitors come away from this show with a greater understanding of the enormity of what Robert Caro’s monumental book meant when it was first published in 1974 and its continued relevance today”.

“The power broker is a resonant work, enriching our understanding of how political power and influence can be harnessed to shape our world and daily lives, for good or ill”, said Dr. Valerie Paley, senior vice president and Sue Ann Weinberg Director of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library at New-York Historical. “It has been our privilege to collaborate with Robert Caro on this exhibit, as his work reminds us of the power of in-depth political reporting. Reading The power broker is a badge of honor for New Yorkers and beyond, and we are excited to display the dedication and process that went into its writing”.

Through articles, photographs, and other archival documents, the installation depicts the scale of Robert Moses’ influence on New York and how Robert Caro, a young reporter at Newsday, produced a nuanced depiction of his power and influence. Beginning with a letter detailing Caro’s 1966 request to interview Moses, which was denied, the installation demonstrates how years of tenacious and meticulous reporting ultimately paid off. Documents on view illuminate Caro’s working process, including how he combed through files and interviewed those in Moses’ orbit to reveal the full story behind the creation of Jones Beach—the Long Island public park that helped establish Moses’ reputation. Additional selections show interview notes with Moses himself and the meticulous research that demonstrates Caro’s famous reporting dictum: “turn every page”.

The installation includes Caro’s own hand-edited manuscripts and drafts, which convey how he ultimately turned 522 interviews, reams of reportage, archival documents, and other research materials into a book. For the first time ever, visitors can read several pages Caro cut from the final version.

Contemporaneous articles, reviews, and personal letters reflect the laudatory reception that followed the book’s publication on September 16, 1974. Excerpts from documentaries, interviews, and even TikTok videos demonstrate the enduring appeal of a book that, 50 years after its publication, remains a touchstone for readers and writers ready to engage with the power structures that define their world.

Programming

Robert A. Caro’s The power broker at 50 takes place on Monday, October 7. In collaboration with a special episode of the 99% Invisible podcast’s mini-series celebrating the 50th anniversary of The power broker, Robert Caro joins the podcast’s hosts, Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan, on stage at New-York Historical’s Robert H. Smith Auditorium to talk about his experience researching and writing the book, the unique publishing journey of The Power Broker, the audience it has commanded among leaders and politicians, and what it’s like to see new generations of readers coming to it. Tickets will be available in the coming weeks. Private tours can be booked throughout the installation’s run.

Support

The New-York Historical Society recognizes the generous contributions of the following individuals who made the acquisition of the Robert A. Caro Archive possible. Lead support is provided by Dorothy Tapper Goldman, Susan and Roger Hertog, Jean Margo Reid, Daria and Eric J. Wallach, and Sue Ann Weinberg. Major support is provided by Judy and Howard Berkowitz, Lois C. Chiles, Richard Gilder, Edythe Gladstein, Ruth and Sidney Lapidus, Pine Tree Foundation, Fiona and Eric Rudin, Pam and Scott Schafler, Leslie and Alan Shuch, Laurie and Sy Sternberg, Leah and Michael Weisberg, and Barbara and David Zalaznick. Additional support is provided by Kathleen Begala and Yves-Andre Istel, Gerald Greenwald, Robert and Stephanie Hotchkiss, Thomas H. Kean, Dwight and Leslie Lee, Louise Mirrer and David Halle, Ada Peluso and Romano I. Peluso, David A. Sokol, Ira L. Unschuld, and Sandra S. Wijnberg.

Exhibitions at New-York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.

About the Robert A. Caro Archive at the New-York Historical Society

The story of Robert Moses and The power broker is informed and illuminated by the research notes, manuscript drafts, scrapbooks, and correspondence preserved in the Robert A. Caro Archive. This collection documents the work of a writer whose name is synonymous with dedicated research and whose books have garnered nearly every major literary honor, including two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, three National Book Critics Circle Awards, and the Francis Parkman Prize.

Fascinated by the use and abuse of power, Robert Caro employed the complex figures of Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson to frame a lifelong investigation of the power structures that shape the lives of individuals and societies. His archive captures not only the subject matter of his research, but also its methodology, most notably his journalistic rigor when interviewing subjects.

The Robert A. Caro Archive is an invaluable public resource that reflects a tireless mind and contains the seeds of countless stories waiting to be told. The Patricia D. Klingenstein Library will begin accepting requests for access to the archive on September 6, 2024. Further details and a guide to the collection, which researchers can use to formulate their requests, will be available online closer to September.

About the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library

The New-York Historical Society’s Patricia D. Klingenstein Library is one of the oldest and most distinguished research libraries in the world, containing more than three million books, pamphlets, maps, atlases, newspapers, broadsides, music sheets, manuscripts, prints, photographs, and architectural drawings. The Klingenstein Library is one of only 20 libraries in the United States qualified to be a member of the Independent Research Libraries Association. Among its collections are far-ranging materials relating to the founding and early history of the nation; one of the best collections of 18th-century newspapers in the United States; an outstanding collection of materials documenting slavery and Reconstruction; an exceptional collection of Civil War materials; collections relating to trials in the United States prior to 1860; American fiction, poetry, and belles-lettres prior to 1850; and American travel accounts from the colonial era to the present day.

The Library continues to receive important research materials relating to education, philanthropy, social service, and the history of New York and the nation, including the records of the Children’s aid society, the archives of the New York Sun, and significant additions to the architectural and photographic collections. In 2013, the New-York Historical Society Library was a finalist for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, and in 2015, Time Inc. donated to the Library its 20th-century archive, comprised of millions of documents and artifacts. It is also home to the Billie Jean King Collection.