Along the Shore: Changing and Preserving the Landmarks of Brooklyn's Industrial Waterfront

FAIN: BI-50108-09

CUNY Research Foundation, NYC College of Technology (Brooklyn, NY 11201-1909)
Richard Hanley (Project Director: March 2009 to August 2011)

Two one-week workshops for fifty community college faculty members on selected Brooklyn waterfront landmarks.

Brooklyn's industrial waterfront was named one of America's eleven most endangered places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2007. Participants will explore five selected landmarks along this waterfront including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn Heights, the Newtown Creek, and Coney Island. Starting with the assumption that meaningful landmarks involve preservation not just of buildings and physical fabric but of the lives, work, and play of those associated with the physical place, we will consider the many possible roles of the "landmark" in illuminating and commemorating both the cultural past and the living present. How do we preserve and celebrate the historical past in the face of inevitable change? Where the significance of a landmark is contested, what values and whose voices shape its meaning? Participants will also use emerging media production techniques to document their learning.