1) Sheepshead Bay: I have grown up in this neighborhood my whole life and never lived anywhere else. My parents have lived all over this neighborhood before finally settling in the house we live in now. Unfortunately, I’ve never gotten the chance to really learn about the history of the neighborhood except in elementary school because afterward, I have always gone to school in another neighborhood. I have been told Sheepshead Bay used to have a race track and some of the stable boys’ families still reside in the area. I would really like to look into that because there is no evidence of a race track ever being in Sheepshead Bay. Plus, the Bay is significant to the neighborhood and certainly has had an impact (ie: Hurricane Sandy).
2) Gravesend: I technically reside in Gravesend, but am much closer to the heart of Sheepshead Bay. I’d love to explore the other parts of the neighborhood I technically “live” in. Plus, there also appears to be a lot of diversity in the neighborhood.
Roosevelt Island- I’ve always wanted to explore this part of New York City, as it seems like an often forgotten part because of it’s location and size. I would want to learn more about it’s history and what the architects/business men had in mind when deciding to populate this very small island. With this, I plan to find out more about the first race(s) to live on the island and how that’s changed to present day. I also would like to show how this is connected, if at all, to the changes in Manhattan, especially since Roosevelt Island began to populate after the main city. Though small, I believe it holds interesting and significant history, especially through the opening and closing of the insane asylum many years ago.
Greenwich Village- This neighborhood is one of my favorites to explore, and after reading more about it from our reading of Sidewalks, I want to discover more about the role race has played in growing this neighborhood into one of the most popular and unique ones in Manhattan. It’s changed greatly over the years, especially with the presence of New York University bringing in many international students. I also want to learn if the architecture has to do with the presence of certain races, as there are much less larger apartments in this neighborhood than others, and more brownstones and small houses.
For my neighborhood project I have chosen the area of Brooklyn inhabited by the Sephardic Jewish community. This community is considered one of, if not the most successful and united Jewish community in the world. This community has literally been built from the ground up. The leaders of this community came with absolutely nothing in their pockets, and have worked tirelessly to set the foundation and build an amazing community that continues to thrive today. Both community schools and countless synagogues continue to keep this community together. We will research how this community became so successful and how it continues to stay true to its age-old roots despite the fact that it is among NYC, which is a melting pot of various different cultures.
For my neighborhood, I’m thinking about doing Astoria. Like much of NYC, Astoria is a major melting pot of cultures. It used to be primarily Greek (my heritage), but it is becoming more and more ethnically diverse each year. I would like to focus on the different immigration patterns. I know many people that live in Astoria, young and old, so I think this could help me with my project.
Wall Street: I went to Wall Street for a school trip a few years ago. I visited Battery Park, Federal Hall, Trinity Church, and other popular landmarks in the area. None of them intrigued me more than the Charging Bull sculpture and the American Museum of Finance. The Charging Bull sculpture has a great amount of history associated with it. Further, it symbolizes what makes New York City one of the most prominent finance centers of the world. Similarly, the American Museum of Finance is imperative because it showcases the evolution of American economy. It carries primary sources from 1700s, which demonstrate the political and social frame of the society back then. However, it keeps up with current economic state through different sources, one of them being the national debt clock. Overall, the rich history and importance of Wall Street sparks my interest and I would be very interested in exploring that further.
Morningside Heights: There is something intriguing about the structure of Morningside Heights. It is dominated by many educational institutions, most importantly, Columbia University. There have been many controversies surrounding the area because of those institutions of late. Demographically speaking, the area has greatest immigrant population from Dominican Republic, China, Korea, India, United Kingdom etc. This broad range makes the area particularly appealing. Furthermore, the two parks surrounding the area add to the neighborhood’s richness. The parks can serve as a tourist destination and have a great influence on the development of the neighborhood in general.
For my neighborhood project, I have narrowed down my ideas to two neighborhoods.
The first neighborhood I am considering is Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Originally farmland, I think it would be interesting to see how Greenpoint developed and how the Polish cultivated the area.
The second neighborhood I am interested in researching is Morningside Heights, Manhattan. Morningside Heights is home to many institutions such as colleges and churches. I think it would be interesting to see why these institutions set up in this neighborhood and how their presence have shaped the area.
Wall Street is interesting because it isn’t a residential area, but a commercial one. I want to look into the history of income inequality at Wall St. In 2011, Occupy Wall St. caught the eye of the media for a couple of months. This demonstration is very likely to have affected the businesses and firms in the area. I hope I will be able to talk to the people who work in the area and interview them on the aspects of income inequality and their views on Wall St.
For my project I am thinking of doing Chinatown. I mainly want to focus on the migration of the Chinese into the neighborhood. It was started in 1840, when a man named Ah Ken, the first credited Chinese resident, moved in. I might want to look into the effects of immigration laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act on the population. I also might want to look into the gentrification. Asian Americans as a whole are associated with higher income, so I might want to examine the history of the income in Chinatown.
One of the neighborhoods that I might focus on for the neighborhood project is Jackson Heights. Prior to the 20th century developement, Jackson Heights was mostly farms so I am interested in how their development came to be and the movement of people in that area.
Another neighborhood that I might focus on is Forest Hills. Many of the upper-middle class live in that area. However, the most wealthy live in the Forest Hills Gardens section. I want to discover how that area came to be.
For my Neighborhood Project I’d like to focus on Chinatown and more specifically, the changes in and interrelatedness of gentrification, real estate, city planning, and community development.
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