An interdisciplinary symposium exploring the history of architectural and urban development in The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island

Organizers: Anna Jozefacka and Malka Simon

Keynote Speaker: Hilary Ballon

Participants: Thomas J. Campanella, Jane Cowan, Andrew S. Dolkart, Kimbro Frutiger, Emma Fuller, Alyssa Loorya, Martha Nadell, Catherine Seavitt Nordenson, Paul Ranogajec, Christopher Ricciardi, Jon Ritter, Kara Murphy Schlichting, Jonathan D. Taylor, Frampton Tolbert, Andrew Wasserman

For more information about participants and their presentations, click HERE

Before they were the “outer boroughs,” the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island developed as cities, towns, and villages in their own right, independent of New York City. Though these so-called outer boroughs comprise most of today’s New York and are part of its architectural identity, the bulk of existing scholarship in architecture is persistently Manhattan-centric. However, there remains much to be said about New York City’s outer boroughs and their neighborhoods. The different pace of growth and initial political independence of these parts of the city have yielded architecturally varied urban landscapes well worth examining. This symposium highlights the study of New York City’s architecture and urban development outside of Manhattan. Talks and poster presentations at this daylong event analyze the variety of building types, styles, and urban patterns evident in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island and consider their roles in shaping the city. In recent years, native and new residents alike have “discovered” the richness of life outside Manhattan, leading to a wave of fast-paced development and neighborhood transformations. The time is right for a closer scholarly examination of the places and spaces of New York City’s outer boroughs.

Sponsored by the Dean’s Office of the Brooklyn College School of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts, the Brooklyn College Art Department, and the Ethyle R. Wolfe Institute for the Humanities at Brooklyn College.