Local historian and author Mitchell Morgan Schwartz will discuss his new book, “The Pulaski of Roslyn: The History of the William Cullen Bryant Viaduct and the Roslyn Bypass,” at the Bryant Library on Aug. 7, highlighting one of Long Island’s most important transportation corridors.
A lifelong Roslyn-area resident, Schwartz is co-vice president of the Roslyn Landmark Society and serves as the village historian of Flower Hill. He graduated from Roslyn High School in 2020, earned his B.A. in history and geography from Hofstra University in 2024, and is currently pursuing a J.D. at Hofstra’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law.
His other contributions include launching the Flower Hill Historic Trail walking tour in 2021, curating the Flower Hill Historical Gallery at Village Hall in 2023, and authoring several pieces on Long Island infrastructure, including a recent history of the Long Island Expressway’s development through Roslyn.
The Roslyn Bypass, a critical link in the region’s surface transportation network, stretches along Northern Boulevard (Route 25A) from the Village of Flower Hill to the Village of Roslyn. Often likened to New Jersey’s Pulaski Skyway, the bypass helped eliminate one of Long Island’s most notorious traffic bottlenecks.
Originally constructed in the mid-20th century, the viaduct had become structurally obsolete by the 1990s. It was replaced between 2006 and 2014 with a modern bridge designed to meet current safety and infrastructure standards. Today, the bypass remains a vital artery and a symbol of both engineering innovation and historical preservation.
Schwartz’s presentation will explore the viaduct’s history, design, and its role in shaping the North Shore’s suburban development into a thriving extension of the New York metropolitan area.
