In the Shadow of the Highway:
Robert Moses and the Battle for Downtown
Click on the image to explore the exhibit
In 1962 a coalition of neighborhood activists stopped a 10-lane expressway from cutting across the heart of Lower Manhattan. First proposed in 1929 as small piece of a plan to build highways throughout the region, it became a key part of “master builder” Robert Moses’ vision for connecting the bridges and highways of Long Island to the interstate system. This Lower Manhattan Expressway (LOMEX) stretched from the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges to the Holland Tunnel, rising over Broome Street.
This exhibit was on view from October 2015 to March 2016 and explored the key themes and players around the story of the expressway from beginning to end.