The Story of the BQE Screening
June 17, 2024 6:30pm–9:30pm
@ St Paul’s Lutheran Church, Williamsburg
︎︎︎ Part of BQE2053
We held the first public screening of The Story of the BQE at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Williamsburg in partnership with Segregation by Design. Missed it? Another screening is planned for the Fall.
The Story of the BQE is a documentary tracing the history of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) by Adam Paul Susaneck of Segregation by Design and produced by the Institute for Public Architecture (IPA) and NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate. Using archival footage and photography, this 30 minute mini-documentary shows how the construction of the 35-mile-long BQE demolished historic neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, divided communities, and displaced hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers across the two boroughs. The screening included a brief Q&A with Adam Paul Susaneck as well as audio excepts from The Story of the BQE oral history project. This event was free and open to the public with registration.
It’s now been 70 years since the highway was completed and its age is showing. Now is the perfect time to reimagine the BQE and repair the damage it continues to inflict on the community.
–Segregation by Design
︎︎︎ Visit the BQE Website
The Story of the BQE is a documentary tracing the history of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) by Adam Paul Susaneck of Segregation by Design and produced by the Institute for Public Architecture (IPA) and NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate. Using archival footage and photography, this 30 minute mini-documentary shows how the construction of the 35-mile-long BQE demolished historic neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, divided communities, and displaced hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers across the two boroughs. The screening included a brief Q&A with Adam Paul Susaneck as well as audio excepts from The Story of the BQE oral history project. This event was free and open to the public with registration.
It’s now been 70 years since the highway was completed and its age is showing. Now is the perfect time to reimagine the BQE and repair the damage it continues to inflict on the community.
–Segregation by Design
| It was an incredible evening, featuring inspiring speeches by Diana Reyna, Founding Principal of Diana Reyna Strategic Consulting LLC, former Deputy Brooklyn Borough President for Brooklyn and former NYC Council Member for the 34th Council District; Emily Gallagher, Assemblymember for Assembly District 50, representing the North Brooklyn neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Williamsburg; and Daniela Castillo, Program Director of the Green Light District at El Puente; with a special appearance by Winston, an eighth-grader at Brooklyn Urban Garden School, who participated in the oral history project. Tiffany-Ann Taylor, Vice President of Transportation at the Regional Plan Association (RPA), moderated an engaging discussion and audience Q&A with the filmmaker, architect Adam Paul Susaneck of Segregation by Design. The Story of the BQE is made possible by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our partner NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate and sponsors Big Oh Bijoux, KVL Audio Visual Services, Sasaki, Simons Hardware, and the Municipal Art Society Enduring Culture Initiative. If you missed this event, don't worry! Another documentary screening and oral history listening event for The Story of the BQE will be held in the Fall—details to come. Stay tuned for upcoming events by following the IPA on social media. |
︎︎︎ Visit the BQE Website
