Robert Caro's The Power Broker at 50 Celebrated in New Exhibition: Includes Caro’s Manuscripts and Notes

The 50th anniversary of Robert A. Caro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Robert Moses, published on September 16, 1974, is celebrated in a new exhibition at The New-York Historical Society.

Robert Caro’s The Power Broker at 50 runs September 6 – February 2, 2025, examining 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 includes Caro’s manuscripts, outlines, and notes to himself.

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.

“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.”

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.