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Vintage Video Shows The East Village As A Different Type Of Wasteland
By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 10, 2011
Modified Aug 10, 2011
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 10, 2011
Modified Aug 10, 2011
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Travel back to the East Village circa 1967 with this newly released vintage footage, taken before overpriced cocktail dens and a well-heeled contingent saturated the area. This is the year that the East Village that we know now became known as the East Village, no longer being considered a part of the Lower East Side (it was June 5th, 1967, the NY Times declared that the area "had come to be known" as the East Village). Dangerous Minds writes:
"I visited the East Village in 1967 and when I moved there 10 years later not much had changed. The East Village, Tompkins Square and Alphabet City were in decay, whole areas were virtual urban wastelands. But, out of the ruins great things were rising in the arts and culture. During the mid-70s through the 1980s, the area was vibrant with a bohemian vibe. Then came gentrification and many of us were pushed out, along with the poor and elderly."
They also declare the area is still "a wasteland," but now a more expensive, well-maintained one. What do you say to that, minions of nostalgia?
[via Bowery Boogie]
Tagged
east village
footage
history
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Lower East Side
video
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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