Barry Lewis
also known as Barry Stephen Lewis
Barry Lewis was an architectural historian, author, and professor best known for his historical walking tours of New York City neighborhoods.
Barry Lewis was born in Manhattan on July 4, 1945 to Larry and Francis Lewis. He was raised in Woodhaven, Queen, where his father owned a department store, and spent much of his adult life living in Kew Gardens, Queens.[1] He received his education in architectural history from the University of California, Berkeley, the Sorbonne in Paris, and the New School for Social Research.[2]
Beginning his walking tour career in the 1970s at the 92nd Street Y, Lewis became one of New York’s most celebrated tour guides. In 1992, he wrote a walking tour of Midtown for the book New York Walks, which featured six neighborhood walking tours by contributing authors. From 1998 to 2004, he co-hosted a New York walking tours program on WNET/Thirteen PBS with Good Morning America anchor David Hartman. The show was nominated for several Emmy Awards.[3] In 1999, Lewis published Kew Gardens: Urban Village in the Big City, a history of Kew Gardens and its architecturally significant sites.[4]
Lewis also taught architectural history and design courses at both the Cooper Union and the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID). In 2001, Lewis was awarded NYSID’s William Breger Faculty Achievement Award for extraordinary teaching.[5] He also lectured at the New-York Historical Society, the Morgan Library, and the Central Park Conservancy.[6] He died in 2021 at the age of 75.[7]
Entry by Katie Heiserman, 2023 Jeffe Fellow
Online Collection of Barry Lewis C-SPAN Appearances
400 N. Capitol Street
NWSuite 650
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 737-3220
The Cooper Union
Professor
New York School of Interior Design
Professor
WNET/Thirteen PBS
Show Host
92nd Street Y
Tour Guide
[1] Penelope Green, “Barry Lewis, Beloved Guide to New York City, Dies at 75,” The New York Times, 2 Feb. 2021.
[2] Ibid.
[3] “Remembering Barry Lewis,” Cooper Union Continuing Education Department, 2 Feb. 2021, https://cooper.edu/continuing-education/news/remembering-barry-lewis, accessed on 21 Sep. 2023.
[4] “Books,” https://barrylewis.org/books/, accessed on 21 Sep. 2023.
[5] “Remembering Barry Lewis, Beloved NYSID Instructor,” New York School of Interior Design, https://www.nysid.edu/blog/remembering-barry-lewis, accessed on 21 Sep. 2023..
[6] “Remembering Barry Lewis,” Cooper Union Continuing Education Department.
[7] Green, “Barry Lewis, Beloved Guide to New York City, Dies at 75.”