On exhibit at the NYC Municipal Archives Building (the lobby alone is worth a visit) is “In the Shadow of the Highway: Robert Moses’ Expressway and the Battle for Downtown,” a two-room installation that explores one of Robert Moses‘ most hated plans: a 10-lane downtown expressway (LOMEX) that would have cut through Soho and Little Italy.
The exhibit begins with some context, in some ways situating Moses’ plan within a greater movement geared towards efficient and well-planned cities – this makes Moses seem slightly less like the villain he’s often portrayed as, that perhaps he was part of a misguided Utopian vision. But the exhibit quickly moves into its main emphasis – the community response that eventually defeated the plan and ended Moses’ reign in New York City.
The post Exhibit Looks at Robert Moses’ Most Hated Plan: NYC’s Lower Manhattan Expressway first appeared on Untapped Cities.