While looking for information regarding Robert Moses and his reign over New York, I found two very interesting articles: one written by The Atlantic in February 1939, and the other an archived page from The New York Times containing Moses’ obituary. Although these pieces are engaging enough on their own, I found them truly fascinating when compared alongside one another.
Published in 1939 (just 5 years after he came to power), “Robert Moses: An Atlantic Portrait” can’t seem to praise him enough. The article opens with an encounter between Moses and a truck driver. After discovering that he is waiting for a red light in an automobile parallel to the Park Commissioner’s, the truck driver wastes no time in fangirling over Moses (much like one does with a celebrity) and expressing his appreciation, shouting across the lane to Moses, “Well, I just want to tell you you’re doin’ a swell job on them parks.”
And that’s just the beginning. The article goes on to describe Moses’ rise to power and his ability to stick to his guns and argue his way to the top. Most importantly, however, the article emphasizes and applauds his work ethic. In a Washington Post article published shortly after his death, Moses claims that “All you need are strong nerves, backbone, ability to argue your case in the spoken and written word, a love for combat, the hide of a rhinoceros and a willingness to work like a dog for an occasional rain-washed bone.”
The quote summarizes Moses quite well, as he has played a role in almost every vital and iconic landmark that New York City is known for. From restoring Central Park to its former glory to building numerous bridges such as the Triboro Bridge, thereby facilitating more efficient transportation routes throughout the city, Moses has affected New York for the better in more ways than one.
That being said, Moses’ reign did have its flaws. In an article written by The Atlantic, for example, Moses was said to have been working day and night to prepare Queens for the World Fair in 1939. Compared to his other achievements, however, this park that was built from scratch was dubbed a financial failure. Furthermore, while he was commended for building recreational facilities throughout the city, there was public backlash against the segregation many experienced there, and while he was applauded for cleaning up and gutting slums, in many cases Moses ended up displacing hundreds of thousands people and creating an even larger problem as a result.
As mentioned in the documentary we saw in class, Moses was described as someone who had “loved the public but hated the people”. He seemed to enjoy looking at the big picture and dealing with buildings rather than people, favoring planning new projects over sorting out issues of racism and eviction. When asked binary questions such as whether Robert Moses was a “Master Builder” or an “Evil Genius”, I think that the answer requires a third option. While Moses was exceptional at what he did (that’s not to say he didn’t make mistakes) and while he wasn’t the biggest fan of people when compared to skyscrapers, it seems that he was more of a mediocre person who had questionable morals sometimes but excelled at his job most of the time rather than a terrible person who transformed the city or an angelic architect sent to bless the skyline with his creations.
Works Used:
Goldberger, Paul. “Robert Moses, Master Builder, Is Dead at 92.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 July 1981, archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1218.html.
Rogers, Cleveland. “Robert Moses.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 1 Feb. 1939, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1939/02/robert-moses/306543/.
Smith, J. Y. “Robert Moses, Master Builder of Parks, Bridges, Buildings, Dies.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 30 July 1981, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1981/07/30/robert-moses-master-builder-of-parks-bridges-buildings-dies/903ec75c-88cf-48ac-bb37-d843be5271ff/?utm_term=.c213f621a938.
