City Beautiful Tours

A butcher’s son from the small German village of Walldorf, Astor spent three years in London learning English, working in a musical instrument shop, and saving money for a transatlantic voyage. In 1783, armed with a small stash of flutes, his savings, and a ticket, he boarded a ship bound for Baltimore to join his brother Henry in the newly independent United States.

• Became America’s first multi-millionaire – Built the largest fortune in the United States, becoming the country’s wealthiest person in the early 19th century.
• Dominated the North American fur trade – Founded the American Fur Company in 1808, creating a near-monopoly on the U.S. fur trade and expanding commerce across the continent.
• Pioneered New York real estate investing – Recognized that Manhattan land would become more valuable than the fur trade and amassed a vast portfolio of land, laying the foundation for one of America’s greatest fortunes.
• Established the Astor Library – His bequest established the Astor Library, which later became one of the founding institutions of the New York Public Library.

Peter Cooper was born in New York City. His father was a hatmaker, brewer, and jack-of-all-trades. Peter received little education and attended school for only a short time. Instead, he learned practical skills by working alongside his father and apprenticing in trades such as coachmaking, cabinetmaking, and hatmaking. Largely self-taught, he developed a lifelong passion for inventing and problem-solving.

• Successful inventor and industrialist – Held numerous patents and built profitable businesses in glue, iron, and manufacturing, becoming one of America’s leading entrepreneurs.
• Founded The Cooper Union (1859) – Established a pioneering college dedicated to free, high-quality education in art, architecture, and engineering, open regardless of wealth or social status.
• Built the first American steam locomotive (Tom Thumb, 1830) – Demonstrated that steam locomotives could successfully operate on American railroads, helping launch the U.S. railroad industry.
• Helped finance the first transatlantic telegraph cable – His investment and support contributed to the cable that permanently connected North America and Europe by telegraph.
• Philanthropist and social reformer – Supported public education, libraries, scientific advancement, and progressive causes, believing education should be accessible to everyone.

Alexander Turney Stewart was born in Ireland into a modest family. His father died before he was born, and he was raised largely by his mother and grandparents. As a young man, Stewart received a good education and later moved to New York City in 1823, bringing with him a small inheritance and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. He began his career by selling imported Irish linens, a business that laid the foundation for his future success.

• Created America’s first department store – The Marble Palace (1848), revolutionizing shopping by bringing many departments together under one elegant roof.
• Built the world’s largest retail store – His Cast Iron Palace (1862), covered an entire city block and became one of the largest and most luxurious stores in the world, attracting shoppers from across the country.
• Pioneered modern retail practices – Introduced fixed prices (eliminating haggling), exchange policies, satisfaction guarantees, and newspaper promotions.
• Built a global supply chain – Purchased goods directly from manufacturers worldwide and owned factories producing clothing and textiles, allowing him to offer fashionable products at competitive prices.
• Developed one of America’s first planned suburbs – Founded Garden City, Long Island in 1869 as a model community with broad streets, parks, schools, churches, and affordable housing for working families.

Born in Connecticut, P. T. Barnum grew up in a modest family; his father was a tailor and storekeeper who died when Barnum was young, leaving the family with financial difficulties. As a child, Barnum showed an early talent for business and promotion, selling snacks, newspapers, and small goods. At age 19, he founded a newspaper, developing the skills in advertising and publicity that would later make him one of America’s most famous showmen.

• Revolutionized entertainment marketing – Mastered publicity and promotion, using eye-catching advertisements, publicity stunts, and sensational storytelling to attract enormous crowds.
• Created the greatest traveling circus in America – Founded P.T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome, which later became the famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promoted as “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
• Founded Barnum’s American Museum – Opened a museum in New York City that combined natural history exhibits, live performances, curiosities, and educational displays, attracting millions of visitors annually.
• Popularized mass entertainment – Made affordable entertainment accessible to ordinary Americans, helping establish the modern entertainment industry and influencing everything from museums to theme parks.
• Promoted famous performers and attractions – Introduced audiences to international stars such as Jenny Lind, whose hugely successful American tour in 1850 became one of history’s greatest publicity campaigns.

Rowland Hussey Macy was born in Nantucket into a Quaker family. Before becoming a successful merchant, Macy tried several careers, including working as a sailor and operating unsuccessful dry-goods stores in Massachusetts and California.

• Founded Macy’s (1858) – Opened a small dry goods store on Sixth Avenue and 14th Street that grew into one of the world’s most famous department stores.
• Pioneered modern retail practices – Popularized fixed prices and combined fixed pricing with other innovations such as clearly marked merchandise, money-back guarantees, aggressive advertising, and a broad selection of goods.
• Pioneered modern retail advertising – Used newspaper advertisements extensively, promoted special sales, advertised specific merchandise, and turned the store itself into a recognizable brand.
• Popularized the department store shopping experience – Organized merchandise into specialized departments and offered an enormous variety of goods under one roof, creating a convenient one-stop shopping destination.
• Popularized sales events and promotional retail – Macy’s used newspaper advertising to announce special bargains, holiday promotions, and seasonal events—helping establish the idea of the department store “sale” as a major shopping attraction.
• Created an iconic American brand – Adopted the red star, inspired by the tattoo he received while working as a whaler, as Macy’s enduring symbol of perseverance and success.

Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland. His father was a handloom weaver whose livelihood was destroyed when the weaving industry collapsed. In 1848, when he was just twelve years old, the family borrowed money to emigrate to the United States. Young Andrew went to work almost immediately as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory, earning only $1.20 a week. His later jobs introduced him to Pittsburgh’s growing business community and eventually led to work with the Pennsylvania Railroad, where he learned management and investing.

• Built the largest steel company in the world – Created Carnegie Steel, transforming the United States into the world’s leading steel producer and supplying steel for bridges, railroads, and skyscrapers.
• Revolutionized steel production – Invested in new technologies, making steel stronger, cheaper, and more widely available.
• Pioneered vertical integration – Controlled every stage of production, from iron ore mines and coal fields to railroads, coke ovens, steel mills, and shipping, dramatically reducing costs and increasing.
• One of history’s greatest philanthropists – Devoted most of his fortune to public causes, giving away the equivalent of billions of dollars today.
• Founded thousands of libraries and educational institutions – Financed over 2,500 public libraries worldwide, established Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Hall, and created foundations that continue to support education, science, and peace.

Joseph Pulitzer was born in Hungary into a prosperous Jewish family. As a young man, he dreamed of a military career but was rejected by several European armies because of poor eyesight and fragile health. At age 17, he immigrated to the United States with little money and limited English, arriving in New York during the Civil War era. After serving briefly in the Union Army, Pulitzer worked a variety of low-paying jobs before finding his path in journalism.

• Transformed modern journalism – Built the New York World into the nation’s highest-circulation newspaper through bold headlines, investigative reporting, illustrations, and stories that appealed to a mass audience.
• Funded the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal – In 1885, launched a nationwide fundraising campaign through the New York World, encouraging ordinary Americans to donate. More than 120,000 people contributed, making possible the completion of the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty.
• Pioneered investigative journalism – Used his newspapers to expose political corruption, corporate abuses, and social injustice, helping establish journalism as a force for public accountability.
• Founded the Pulitzer Prize – His endowment created the prestigious awards, first presented in 1917, recognizing excellence in journalism, literature, music, and public service.
• Established the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism – His legacy helped professionalize journalism by supporting rigorous education and ethical standards.

Frank Winfield Woolworth was born in Rodman, New York, into a poor farming family. Growing up on a rural farm, he developed a strong work ethic and an interest in business from an early age. After struggling to find success in several jobs, Woolworth began working as a clerk in a dry goods store, where he learned the retail techniques that would shape his future career.

• Founded the five-and-dime store – Created the F. W. Woolworth Company, pioneering stores where many items sold for 5 or 10 cents, making everyday goods affordable to millions.
• Popularized self-service retail – Displayed merchandise openly with clearly marked fixed prices, allowing customers to browse and choose items themselves rather than asking a clerk.
• Built one of the world’s largest retail chains – Expanded from a single successful store in 1879 to more than 1,000 stores across the United States and abroad, creating one of the first international retail empires.
• Built the Woolworth Building (1913) – Financed the iconic Woolworth Building, then the tallest building in the world, earning it the nickname “Cathedral of Commerce.” Remarkably, he paid for its construction entirely in cash.
• Transformed everyday shopping – Proved that selling high volumes of inexpensive goods at fixed prices could be highly profitable, laying the foundation for modern discount retailers.

Nikola Tesla was born in Smiljan, Austrian Empire (present-day Croatia), to a Serbian family. His father was an Orthodox priest and writer, while his mother, who had little formal education, was skilled at inventing household devices. Tesla studied engineering in Austria and worked in the emerging electrical industry before immigrating to the United States in 1884, where he briefly worked for Edison General Electric Company before becoming an independent inventor.

• Developed the alternating current (AC) electrical system – Created the technology that made it possible to transmit electricity efficiently over long distances, becoming the foundation of modern power grids.
• Invented the induction motor – His AC motor revolutionized industry by providing a practical way to use alternating current for machinery, replacing less efficient systems.
• Advanced wireless communication technology – Conducted pioneering experiments in radio transmission, remote control, and wireless energy, laying groundwork for modern telecommunications.
• Developed groundbreaking electrical inventions – Created the Tesla coil, high-voltage transformers, and technologies that advanced lighting, power transmission, and electrical research.
• Envisioned technologies far ahead of his time – Predicted wireless communication, smartphones, automation, and a globally connected information network decades before they became reality.

Emory Roth was born in Hungary. He grew up in a prosperous Jewish family that owned the town inn. His comfortable childhood ended at age 13 when his father died. Reduced to poverty, he immigrated to the United States alone to seek his fortune. Arriving in Chicago with little money and no English, Roth took menial jobs. He began his architectural career by sketching. His natural talent caught the eye of a druggist, who introduced him to an architect which led to an unpaid apprenticeship.

• Became one of New York’s leading apartment architects – Designed residential buildings introducing European-inspired elegance to New York residential architecture. He was one of the architects who transformed apartment living from a middle-class necessity into a symbol of urban luxury. His buildings helped establish Central Park West as one of the world’s most prestigious residential boulevards.
• Designed many landmarks of the Upper West Side – Created some of the neighborhood’s most recognizable residences, including the San Remo and the Beresford.
• Created a family architectural legacy – Through the firm Emery Roth & Sons (founded by his descendants), his influence continued into the 20th century, with later generations designing major New York buildings, including office towers and urban developments.

Born Chaja Rubinstein in Kraków, Poland, to a Jewish merchant family, Helena rejected an arranged marriage and emigrated to Australia in her twenties. There, women admired her complexion and sought the skin cream she had brought from Europe. Recognizing a business opportunity, she opened one of the world’s first beauty salons in Melbourne in 1902, laying the foundation for an international cosmetics empire.

• Transformed cosmetics from a luxury curiosity into a modern industry – Her innovations helped legitimize makeup and skincare for everyday women and shaped modern beauty culture. Her company became one of the most recognized beauty brands in the world, and many of the skincare principles she introduced remain standard practice today.
• Pioneered scientific skincare – Introduced the idea that beauty products should be developed with dermatological research, creating specialized creams, treatments, and skin-type classifications.
• Invented the modern beauty consultation model – Opened elegant beauty salons where customers received personalized skincare advice, treatments, and product recommendations—a model that shaped the modern cosmetics industry.
• Expanded women’s entrepreneurship – Built an international company across Australia, Europe, and the United States at a time when few women led major businesses, becoming one of the world’s wealthiest self-made women.
• Revolutionized beauty marketing – Used celebrity endorsements, luxury packaging, education, and the idea of “beauty as self-expression” to make cosmetics a symbol of confidence and modern identity.
• Became one of the world’s wealthiest self-made women – earned the nickname “The Empress of Beauty.”

Orphaned at a young age in rural Hungary, Zukor immigrated to America as a teenager with little money and worked as an apprentice furrier before investing in penny arcades and movie theaters. Recognizing the potential of feature-length films, he entered the fledgling motion picture industry.

• Founded Paramount Pictures – Built one of Hollywood’s first major film studios, helping transform motion pictures from a novelty into a dominant entertainment industry.
• Introduced feature-length films to American audiences – Recognized that audiences would pay to watch longer, more sophisticated movies and popularized the feature film format in the United States.
• Created the star system – Understood that audiences were drawn to actors as much as stories and promoted performers as celebrities, establishing a marketing model still used by Hollywood today.
• Pioneered vertical integration in Hollywood – Combined film production, distribution, and theater ownership, giving studios control over the entire movie business and shaping the studio system of the 20th century.
• Built the movie palace era – Expanded theatrical exhibition with grand venues that made going to the movies a glamorous social experience and helped make cinema a major form of American culture.
• Expanded the American film industry worldwide, making Hollywood the global center of motion picture production.

Edwin Goodman was born in Lockport, New York, and raised in Rochester in a family of German-Jewish merchants. His father was a dry-goods retailer, and from an early age Edwin was exposed to the world of clothing and business. He left school as a teenager to learn the trade, working as a cutter and fitter before moving to New York City, where he joined the tailoring shop of Herman Bergdorf.

• Pioneered American haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion – In 1923, became the first American couturier to offer ready-to-wear clothing, helping bring high fashion to a broader clientele.
• Transformed Bergdorf Goodman into a luxury fashion institution – Took over the tailoring business founded by Herman Bergdorf in 1901 and built it into one of America’s most prestigious department stores.
• Created an iconic Fifth Avenue landmark – Built the grand Bergdorf Goodman building at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street in 1928, opposite the Plaza Hotel and near Central Park, cementing the store’s place in New York fashion history.

Samuel Lionel Rothafel, better known as “Roxy” Rothafel, was born in Stillwater, Minnesota, to Jewish immigrant parents. He began his career as a theater manager and quickly developed a talent for transforming ordinary movie houses into spectacular entertainment experiences. His nickname came from his successful management of the Rialto Theatre, where audiences began calling him “Roxy.”

• Became one of America’s most influential theater impresarios, revolutionizing the movie-going experience during the silent film era. His grand movie palaces and theatrical presentation style shaped the golden age of American entertainment.
• Created the “Roxy formula” — combining films with live orchestras, elaborate stage shows, dancers, singers, and dramatic presentation.
• Managed some of New York’s greatest movie palaces, including the Capitol Theatre and the Roxy Theatre.
• Helped design and launch the Roxy Theatre (1927), once the largest movie palace in the world, with nearly 6,000 seats.
• Popularized the role of the theater host and showman, turning movie theaters into destinations rather than simple places to watch films.
• Introduced innovations in theater management, including carefully trained ushers, grand lobbies, atmospheric lighting, and coordinated entertainment programs.
• Created the Radio City Music Hall concept, working with the Rockefeller Center team before his death; the venue opened in 1932 and carried forward many of his ideas.

Fred French was born in 1884 in New York City into a working-class family. He grew up with limited means but developed an early interest in business, construction, and real estate. Largely self-made, French began his career in the building industry and gradually built a reputation as an ambitious and innovative developer during New York’s rapid expansion in the early twentieth century.

• Founded the Fred F. French Company – Built one of New York City’s leading real estate development firms during the early 20th century, specializing in high-end office buildings and residential developments.
• Developed iconic Manhattan skyscrapers – Best known for developing the Fred F. French Building (1927) on Fifth Avenue, an Art Deco landmark famous for its gilded setbacks, Assyrian-inspired details, and elaborate lobby.
• Created Tudor City – Developed Tudor City, completed in the late 1920s, one of the world’s first residential skyscraper communities. Built over former tenements and slaughterhouses, it introduced landscaped gardens and a quieter residential environment to Midtown Manhattan.
• Promoted quality architecture and urban planning – Worked with leading architects to create buildings that emphasized aesthetics, craftsmanship, and integrated public spaces rather than maximizing rentable floor area alone.

Elizabeth Arden was born Florence Nightingale Graham in rural Ontario, Canada. After working as a nurse and gaining experience in the beauty industry, she moved to New York City. In 1910, she opened the Red Door Salon on Fifth Avenue, which quickly became one of the most prestigious beauty salons in America.

• Founded Elizabeth Arden, one of the world’s leading luxury cosmetics and skincare companies.
• Opened the iconic Red Door Salon on Fifth Avenue, setting a new standard for luxury beauty services.
• Popularized the daily beauty routine, encouraging women to cleanse, tone, and moisturize their skin.
• Helped make cosmetics socially acceptable for everyday American women through elegant marketing and high-quality products.
• Introduced innovative skincare and makeup products, including the legendary Eight Hour Cream, first developed in 1930.
• Expanded internationally, building a global beauty empire with salons and boutiques across Europe and North America.
• Supported women’s independence, employing and training thousands of women in the growing cosmetics industry.

David Sarnoff was born in Belarus (then part of the Russian Empire), into a poor Jewish family. His father died when David was young, and at age nine he immigrated to the United States with his family, settling in New York City. To help support his family, he sold newspapers and worked as a telegraph operator while continuing his education through night classes. He became famous for his role in receiving and relaying news of the 1912 Titanic disaster—one of the events that highlighted the importance of wireless communication.

• Pioneered commercial radio broadcasting – As head of RCA (Radio Corporation of America), transformed radio from a point-to-point communication tool into a mass entertainment medium for millions of listeners.
• Developed the concept of the “radio music box” – In 1916, proposed the idea of a household radio receiver that would allow families to listen to music, news, and entertainment at home—helping create modern broadcasting.
• Built NBC, America’s first major broadcast network – Founded NBC in 1926, linking radio stations across the country and establishing the network model that shaped American media.
• Helped launch commercial television – Championed television development at RCA and oversaw the introduction of regular television broadcasting, including NBC’s first commercial TV broadcasts in 1941.
• Expanded consumer electronics and communications – Led RCA into innovations in radios, televisions, and electronic technology, making the company one of America’s most influential technology firms of the 20th century.

Irwin Chanin was born in Brooklyn to Jewish immigrant parents. During his youth, his family relocated from New York back to his father’s hometown of Poltava, which was then part of the Russian Empire and is now in Ukraine. His formative years in Europe were defined by severe poverty, hardship, and scarce resources. In 1907, at around the age of 16, Chanin and his family returned permanently to New York. He studied engineering at Cooper Union and began his career as a contractor and builder. In the 1920s, he entered real estate and became one of New York’s most innovative developers during the height of the Art Deco era.

• Revolutionized New York apartment living – Built some of Manhattan’s most influential Art Deco residential towers, making luxury high-rise living more accessible to middle-class New Yorkers.
• Developed the Century and Majestic apartment buildings (1930–1931) – Created two iconic twin towers on Central Park West that helped establish the avenue as one of the world’s premier residential addresses.
• Pioneered modern skyscraper design – His buildings combined Art Deco ornament, efficient layouts, and innovative engineering, influencing the future of residential architecture in New York.
• Built a major theater empire – Developed and operated Broadway theaters, including the Richard Rodgers Theatre (originally the Chanin’s 46th Street Theatre), contributing to the growth of Times Square as an entertainment district.
• Created a family real estate legacy – Along with his brother Henry, founded the Chanin Construction Company and became one of the leading builders of the Jazz Age, leaving a lasting mark on Manhattan’s skyline.

George Gershwin was born Jacob Gershwin in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrant parents from Russia. Growing up in the Lower East Side and Harlem, he discovered music as a teenager after hearing a friend play the violin. He studied piano and began working as a song plugger on Tin Pan Alley, where he promoted new sheet music before becoming a professional composer.

• Became one of America’s greatest composers, blending classical music, jazz, and popular song into a uniquely American style.
• Composed “Rhapsody in Blue” (1924)– His groundbreaking orchestral work introduced jazz-inspired rhythms and harmonies to the concert hall and became one of the most recognizable pieces of American music.
• Composed “An American in Paris” (1928), one of the most celebrated orchestral works of the 20th century, and Porgy and Bess (1935), the first widely acclaimed American opera.
• Transformed American music by breaking down the barriers between classical composition and popular entertainment.
• Wrote numerous hits, including “The Man I Love,” “Embraceable You,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.”

Irving Berlin was born Israel Beilin in Tyumen, Russian Empire. His Jewish family fled anti-Jewish persecution and immigrated to New York City in 1893, settling on the Lower East Side. As a child, he sold newspapers and sang on street corners before finding work as a singing waiter, where he began writing songs. He never learned to read or write music fluently—he composed melodies by ear and relied on musical arrangers to write down his ideas.

• Became one of America’s greatest songwriters – Created over 1,500 songs during a career spanning more than five decades, helping define American popular music.
• Wrote enduring American classics – Composed songs such as “White Christmas,” “God Bless America,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”
• Transformed Tin Pan Alley and Broadway – Helped elevate popular song into a major form of American entertainment, writing hit songs for stage productions and musical revues.
• Created music that became part of American identity – His 1918 song “God Bless America” became an unofficial national anthem and a symbol of American pride.