Arts & Culture

The High Line? No, The High Bridge!

September 15, 2015 By Carol Berens 1 Comment

Photo: Carol Berens — View towards Manhattan. The tower was needed to equalize water pressure.

The oldest river crossing in New York City is now the newest. The 1848 High Bridge that spans the Harlem River and links upper Manhattan to The Bronx has recently emerged from a multi-year, $61.8 million renovation. It re-opened to the public on June 9^th. Whether the initial enthusiasm of using this restored public space can reenergize a neighborhood will take years to find out, however, for the moment this project is bringing tourists and residents to an area that was previously known only to locals and intrepid urban explorers. Will it spur new economic activity to an ungentrified area? Is that indeed what is wanted or needed? Questions to be answered later. [Read more…] about The High Line? No, The High Bridge!

The Portes Ouvertes of Belleville

June 5, 2012 By Carol Berens Leave a Comment

Sometimes overnight sensations take a long time. As with chanteuses, so it is with city neighborhoods. Belleville, Paris, is the perfect example. Located in the 20^th arrondissement, Belleville was once a sleepy working-class backwater dotted with Chinese, North African and Jewish enclaves. Artists have been gradually moving into the cheap housing and former factories on its steep-sloped streets that provide extraordinary Parisian panoramas. Sharing the fate of other artist frontiers, this neighborhood has now been “discovered” and integrated into mainstream Paris. [Read more…] about The Portes Ouvertes of Belleville

Exhibit Looks at Grid at the Center of Manhattan’s Master Plan

January 7, 2012 By Melanie Johnson

In 1811, planners of a booming Manhattan were tasked with preparing New York City for the future by designing how it would grow. [Read more…] about Exhibit Looks at Grid at the Center of Manhattan’s Master Plan

The Cronocaos Exhibit at the New Museum: Rem Koolhaas Says Make No Little Plans.

August 10, 2011 By Carol Berens

The July 27^th post by Jerri Holan was an impassioned plea for preservation advocates to become even more resolved in the face of adversity, an appeal which clearly struck a chord with the author panel. Tucked in her piece was mention of Rem Koolhaas’s allegation of “historical amnesia” for what historic preservationists have wrought. [Read more…] about The Cronocaos Exhibit at the New Museum: Rem Koolhaas Says Make No Little Plans.