BORN IN FLAMES: THE BUSINESS OF ARSON AND THE REMAKING OF THE AMERICAN CITY

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 7:00PM
Vladeck Hall
Amalgamated Housing Co-op
74 Van Cortlandt Park S. (at Hillman Ave.)
The Bronx, NY 10463

Join BCHS and Dr. Bench Ansfield, Assistant Professor of History at Temple University, for a lecture on their recently published Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City (2025), which critically analyzes the arson-for-profit scheme that reshaped The Bronx during the 1970s.

The lecture is offered as part of this year’s Beirne–Hermalyn Endowed Lecture Series in Urban Affairs at The Bronx County Historical Society. Established in 2025 by Dr. Elizabeth Beirne and Dr. G. Hermalyn, each spring the series highlights cutting-edge scholarly research in Bronx history.