New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

Historic Preservation is often seen as an elite club whose membership is bought by the cities' median income. A cycle of investment and disinvestment is what generates cities today. The lower class is constantly being displaced by economic actors to serve the middle class. Some will leave this cycle having benefitted from it, able to buy the ideal single family home. Others, the renters, will have been pushed to another soon to be or already blighted area. Progress in city growth has come to be accepted as gentrification. Concentrated “ghettos” or blighted areas were created by systematic means of segregation. Starting with deed restrictions on the individual level and restrictive covenants on the level of the community. Local governments…

The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs house is one of New York City’s important historical landmarks. The U.S. Customs House was built in 1902-1907 near the port of New York and its job was to collect customs from imported goods (New York Architecture 2015). Before income tax was being developed in 1916, customs was the greatest source of income for our government (NMAI 2015). “It is located near the southern tip of Manhattan, next to Battery Park (New York Architecture 2015).” The building is…

The Lower East Side is southeastern of the city. The area has been known to be home to many immigrants from China, Russia, and Italy. The area has historically been known as a working class area, but has changed…

The growth of technology spurred a new mood for the country. Although spread out and mainly on the East Coast, the result is an “engaging work of popular history”. The year 1908 was filled with radical changes in the technology that changed the way of American life dramatically. The automobile, which was introduced by Henry Ford, known as the Model T, was barreling toward transit domination even in a time of financial clout swells. The first affordable automobile was a piece of technology viewed…

Steam puffed out of manhole covers that dotted the road. Penn Station came out at an intersection where the air was filled with the melody of car horns, voices and footsteps. Authentic New York style pizza was something I had always wanted to try. Across from Penn Station was this little, uncrowded restaurant that served some very addicting garlic knots. It was impossible to just eat one. The pizza comes in large, thin slices which had just the right amounts of sauce and cheese. It was a…

break was awesome I explored around a ton of places. Traveling to those places took forever but I got to meet family I’ve never met. I actually spent more time with my family and I actually got a long with my brothers for like the first time in forever. I learned a bunch about the family I’ve never me but you’re about to hear the greatest things I did this summer. The first thing that I’m going to talk about is when I went zip-lining. I had gone zip-lining when I…

When a city and its metropolitan areas are designed and settled, the purposes for which an area is used are taken into consideration. This subject is examined by Sociologist Ernest Burgess in "The Growth of the City," in which he examines Chicago and vicinity. In addition, Bruce Epperson (2007), the author of “Eminence Domain: Reassessing the Life and Public Works of Robert Moses” examines the way in which Robert Moses geared his projects for New York City and the surrounding area (p.1).…

The 1920 's wasn 't just called the "Roaring Twenties" for no reason. This was a time of social and political change throughout the century. From the several new inventions to women finally establishing their right to vote gives the century this nickname. How women held themselves, their new fashion sense, and the way they were viewed were completely changing. From the famous ‘flapper’ to common everyday women, these changes were increasing in society. Along with the nickname “Roaring…

who easily integrated into the fasted pace life of a New Yorker. She moved to New York at a later point in her life, but that never seemed to slow her down. She was the epitome of sophistication, brilliance, and commitment. To me, she represented everything a woman ought to be. I was eight when I went to visit my grandmother in New York City for the first time. I saw then that this city changed her life and I knew it was beginning to change mine. My cautious mother grabbed my hand, “stay…

I continue to diligently work towards achieving my goals with the hope of making a difference in the lives of others and to be able to give back to my community. At times when I feel deterred, I draw upon my memory of the New York City Science and Engineering Fair where I won first place in the Geology category. This was the stepping stone that qualified me to enter the Intel International Science and Engineering fair. This memory renews my conviction that hard work and persistence enable goals…