In the late 1980s, a handful of artists priced out of Manhattan and
desperately needing affordable studio space discovered 111 1st
Street, a former P. Lorillard Tobacco Company warehouse. Over the
next two decades, an eclectic collection of painters, sculptors,
musicians, photographers, filmmakers, and writers dreamt and toiled
within the building's labyrinthine halls. The local arts scene
flourished, igniting hope that Jersey City would emerge as the next
grassroots center of the art world. However, a rising real estate
market coupled with a provincial political establishment threatened
the community at 111 1st Street. The artists found themselves
entangled in a long, complicated, and vicious fight for their place
in the building and for the physical survival of 111 1st Street
itself, a site that held so much potential, so much promise for
Jersey City. Left Bank of the Hudson offers a window into the
demographic, political, and socio-economic changes experienced by
Jersey City during the last thirty years. Documenting the narrative
of 111 1st Street as an act of cultural preservation, author David
J. Goodwin's well-researched and significant contribution addresses
the question of the role of artists in economically improving
cities. As a Jersey City resident, Goodwin applies his knowledge of
the city's rich history of political malfeasance and corruption,
including how auspicious plans for a waterfront arts enclave were
repeatedly bungled by a provincial-minded city administration. In
writing this story, Goodwin interviewed thirteen artists and
residents, two businesses, three government officials, and five
non-profits, civic organizations, and community activists. The book
chronologically explores the history and business of the P.
Lorillard Tobacco Company, its evolution into a bustling arts
community, the battle to preserve the warehouse as a historic
structure, and the lessons to be drawn from the loss and ultimate
demolition of the building in 2007, as well as the present state of
the neighborhood. Setting the facts straight for future
generations, Left Bank of the Hudson provides an illustrative
lesson to government officials, scholars, students, activists, and
everyday citizens attempting to navigate the "rediscovery" of
American cities.
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