When you mention the name Robert Moses you are sure to stir up some controversy and unearth a mixed bag of opinions (just check the comments section). There has been a lot of interest in Robert Moses resulting in exhibits around the city that highlight his contribution to the structure of New York City.
There are three exhibits about his legacy under the title “Robert Moses and the Modern City,” under the overall curatorship of Hilary Ballon, a professor of art and architecture at Columbia University. (Ballon and fellow Columbia professor Kenneth T. Jackson, formerly the director of the New-York Historical Society, have edited the excellent catalogue to the exhibits.)
At the Museum of the City of New York is “Remaking the Metropolis,” which includes models of some of Moses’ projects that have never been on display. His successes and failures are documented with photos, plans and press clippings.
[Tome] Finkelpearl says that while there is a desire to look at Moses’ achievements more evenhandedly, the estimation of the man himself is unchanged. His racism, for example, is well-documented, but it was standard for the time. It did not prevent him from building a swimming pool in Harlem. He also built Lenox Terrace, the first building in Harlem that had 24-hour doorman service and upscale amenities.
Source: Daily News
Related: Museum of the City of New York :: Queens Museum of Art ::
NAT
February 20, 2007
When the roads leading to Jones Beach were built, Robert Moses ordered the overpasses to be built with low clearance because he did not want Minorities from the city to arrive at the beaches by buses, the only way to get to the beaches in those days.