Robert Moses with a model of his proposed Battery Bridge

Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 - July 29, 1981) was the "master builder" of mid-20th century New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County. As the shaper of a modern city, he is sometimes compared to Baron Haussmann of Second Empire Paris, and is one of the most polarizing figures in the history of urban planning in the United States. Although he never held elected office, Moses was arguably the most powerful person in New York state government from the 1930s to the 1950s. He changed shorelines, built roadways in the sky, and transformed neighborhoods forever. His decisions favoring highways over public transit helped create the modern suburbs of Long Island and influenced a generation of engineers, architects, and urban planners who spread his philosophies across the nation. Robert Moses may be: Robert Moses (1888-1981), American city planner Robert Parris Moses (born 1935), American educator and civil rights activist (Rakalam) Bob Moses (born 1948), American drummer and jazz educator Robert Moses State Parkway, near Niagara Falls, NY Robert Moses Causeway, Long Island, NY Category: ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1971x2067, 352 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Robert Moses User:Davepape/Images ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1971x2067, 352 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Robert Moses User:Davepape/Images ... is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the toll-free telephone number see Toll-free telephone number Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the island in New York State. ... Westchester County is a suburban county with about 940,000 residents located in the U.S. state of New York. ... Baron Haussmann, circa 1865 Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann (March 27, 1809 – January 11, 1891) was a French civic planner whose name is associated with the rebuilding of Paris. ... Map of the French Second Empire Capital Paris Language(s) French Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1852-1870 Napoleon III Legislature Parliament  - Upper house Senate  - Lower house Corps législatif History  - French coup of 1851 December 2 1851  - Established 1852  - Disestablished September 4, 1870 Currency French Franc The Second French Empire or... This article is about the capital of France. ... Urban planning is concerned with the ordering and design of settlements, from the smallest towns to the worlds largest cities. ... A taxi serving as a bus Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. ... This article is about the island in New York State. ... An Urban planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning. ...

Moses's projects were considered by many to be necessary for the region's development. New York City participated in the construction of two huge World's Fairs: one in 1939 and the other in 1964. Moses was also in large part responsible for the United Nations' decision to headquarter in Manhattan as opposed to Philadelphia. His supporters believe he made the city viable for the 21st century by building an infrastructure that most people wanted and that has endured. Worlds Fair is any of various large expositions held since the mid-19th century. ... Trylon, Perisphere and Helicline photo by Sam Gottscho The 1939-40 New York Worlds Fair, located on the current site of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (also the location of the 1964-1965 New York Worlds Fair), was one of the largest worlds fairs of all time. ... View of the New York Worlds Fair 1964/1965 as seen from the observation towers of the New York State pavilion. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ...

However, his works remain extremely controversial. His critics claim that he preferred automobiles to people, that he displaced hundreds of thousands of people in New York City, uprooted traditional neighborhoods by building expressways through them, contributed to the ruin of the South Bronx and the amusement parks of Coney Island, caused the departure of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants Major League baseball teams and precipitated the decline of public transport through disinvestment and neglect. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Coney Island (disambiguation). ... Major league affiliations National League (1890–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 2, 4, 19, 20, 24, 32, 39, 42, 53 Name Los Angeles Dodgers (1958–present) Brooklyn Dodgers (1932-1957) Brooklyn Robins (1914-1931) Brooklyn Dodgers (1911-1912) Brooklyn Superbas (1899-1910), (1913) Brooklyn Grooms... Major league affiliations National League (1883–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers NY, NY, 3, 4, 11, 24, 27, 30, 36, 42, 44 Name San Francisco Giants (1958–present) New York Giants (1885–1957) New York Gothams (1883–1885) Other nicknames Jints, Gigantes, G-Men Ballpark AT...

Early life and rise to power

Robert Moses was born on December 18, 1888, to assimilated German–Jewish parents in New Haven, Connecticut. He spent the first nine years of his life living on 83 Dwight Street in New Haven, two blocks from Yale University. In 1897, the Moses family moved to New York City^[1], where the family lived on East 46th Street off of Fifth Avenue.^[2] Moses' father was a successful department store owner and real estate speculator in New Haven. In order for the family to move to New York City, he sold his real estate holdings and store, and then retired from business for the rest of his life^[1]. Bella, his mother, was a forceful and brilliant woman, active in the settlement movement, with her own love of building. is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the toll-free telephone number see Toll-free telephone number Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... “New Haven” redirects here. ... Real estate is a legal term that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings. ... The settlement movement started in London. ...

After graduating from Yale University and Wadham College, Oxford, and earning a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University, Moses became attracted to New York City reform politics. At this time a committed idealist, he developed several plans to rid New York of patronage hiring practices. None went very far, but Moses, due to his intelligence, caught the notice of Belle Moskowitz, a friend and trusted advisor to Al Smith. “Yale” redirects here. ... Wadham College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Alma Mater Columbia University in the City of New York is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. ... This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedias quality standards. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Alfred Emanuel Al Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was Governor of New York, and Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928. ...

Moses rose to power with Smith and set in motion a sweeping consolidation of the New York State government. This centralization allowed Smith to run a government later used as a model for Roosevelt's New Deal federal government. Moses also received numerous commissions that he carried out extraordinarily well, such as the development of Jones Beach State Park. Moses knew the law better than most lawyers and engineering better than most engineers, and quickly became known as "the best bill drafter in Albany". At a time when the public was used to Tammany Hall corruption and incompetence, Moses was seen as a savior of government. Shortly after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's inauguration, the federal government found itself with millions of New Deal tax dollars to spend, yet states and cities had few projects ready. Moses was one of the few local officials who had projects planned and prepared. For that reason, New York City could count on Moses to deliver to it Works Progress Administration (WPA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and other depression-era funding. The New Deal was the title President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave to the series of programs he initiated between 1933 and 1938 with the goal of providing relief, recovery, and reform (3 Rs) to the people and economy of the United States during the Great Depression. ... Wantagh Parkway approach to Jones Beach. ... For other uses, see Law (disambiguation). ... For the fish called lawyer, see Burbot. ... Engineering is the applied science of acquiring and applying knowledge to design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ... For other uses, see Albany. ... Tammany Hall was the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in controlling New York City politics from the 1790s to the 1960s. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1789 by a constitutional convention, sets down the basic framework of American government in its seven articles. ... The New Deal was the title President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave to the series of programs he initiated between 1933 and 1938 with the goal of providing relief, recovery, and reform (3 Rs) to the people and economy of the United States during the Great Depression. ... WPA Graphic The Works Progress Administration (later Work Projects Administration, abbreviated WPA), was created on May 6, 1935 by Presidential order (Congress funded it annually but did not set it up). ... CCC workers on road construction, Camp Euclid, Ohio 1936 The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a work relief program for young men from unemployed families, established on March 19, 1933 by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. ...

Influence

At one time, one quarter of federal construction dollars were being spent in New York, and Moses had 80,000 people working under him. Many of Moses's projects were marked by racism, and he largely ignored the concerns of the poorer citizens of New York City and New York State. Although he built playgrounds in vast numbers, he managed to locate practically none in Harlem. Similarly, the main aesthetic achievements of Riverside Drive and associated amenities were located south of 125th street, and a pattern of barriers to access for non-white citizens, whether steep stairs or busy highways, appears repeatedly in his public projects. Close associates of Moses claimed that they could keep African Americans from using pools in white neighborhoods by making the water too cold.^[3][4] He actively precluded the use of public transit that would have allowed the non-car-owners to enjoy the elaborate recreation facilities he built. ^[5] After much litigation by private landowners, his highway projects on Long Island followed a circuitous path so as not to cross the properties of wealthy landowners such as J. P. Morgan, while those same highways demolished numerous working class neighborhoods throughout New York City. Racism is the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior or inferior to members of other races. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the island in New York State. ... For the business meaning, see Wealth (economics). ... This article is about the financier. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ...

During the Depression, however, Moses, along with Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, was responsible for the construction of ten gigantic pools under the WPA Program. Combined, they could accommodate 66,000 swimmers. This extensive social works program is sometimes attributed to the fact that Moses was an avid swimmer himself. One such a pool is McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn, now dry and used only for special cultural events but scheduled for reopening in 2008. For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ... LaGuardia redirects here. ... WPA Graphic The Works Progress Administration (later Work Projects Administration, abbreviated WPA), was created on May 6, 1935 by Presidential order (Congress funded it annually but did not set it up). ... McCarren Park is a public park in New York City, USA. It is located in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, and is bordered by Nassau Avenue, Bayard Street, Leonard Street and North 12th Street. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ...

Moses persuaded Governor Smith and the government of New York City to allow him to hold state and the city governments jobs simultaneously; at one point, he had twelve separate titles, maintaining four palatial offices across the city and Long Island, and actually holding control of all federal appropriations to New York City. For the city itself, he was parks commissioner, and for the state, he was President of the Long Island State Park Commission and Secretary of State of New York (1927–1928), as well as chairman of the New York State Power Commission, responsible for building hydro-electric dams in the Niagara/St. Lawrence region. The Long Island State Park Commission was created in 1924 by the New York State Legislature to build and operate parks and parkways on Long Island. ... Secretary of State is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States. ... The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is Americas largest state-owned power organization. ... The Niagara Frontier refers to the the stretch of land south of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and extending westward to Cleveland, Ohio. ... This page concerns the Christian martyr. ...

During the 1920s, Moses sparred with Franklin D. Roosevelt, then head of the Taconic State Park Commission, who favored the prompt construction of a parkway through the Hudson Valley. Moses succeeded in diverting funds to his Long Island parkway projects (the Northern State Parkway, the Southern State Parkway and the Wantagh State Parkway), although the Taconic State Parkway was later completed as well.^[6] Moses is frequently given credit as the father of the New York State Parkway System from these projects. FDR redirects here. ... Harden Parkway in Salinas, CA. For other uses, see Parkway (disambiguation). ... For the magazine, see Hudson Valley (magazine). ... The Northern State Parkway is a limited-access parkway that runs for approximately 29 miles west-east across the north shore of New Yorks Long Island. ... The Southern State Parkway (also known as the Southern State or the Southern Parkway) is a long east-west limited-access highway on Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. ... The Wantagh State Parkway is a parkway on Long Island, New York that links the Ocean Parkway at Jones Beach State Park with the Northern State Parkway in Westbury. ... The Taconic State Parkway is a part of the New York State highway system. ... New York State Parkway System opened its first section in 1908 and was a series of high speed (25 Mph) four-lane roads that were created to provide a scenic way in to, out of, and around New York City. ...

As the head of many public authorities, Moses's title as chair gave his entities the flexibility associated with private enterprise, along with the tax-exempt debt capacity associated with government agencies. The inner workings of the authorities were free from public scrutiny, allowing money to be freely allocated to expenses a public government could not sustain. Contrary to his public image, Moses horse-traded and dealt out patronage extensively, building support from construction firms, investment banks, insurance companies, labor unions (and management), and real-estate developers. Calling on these vast reserves of power, Moses quickly developed a reputation for "getting things done" and used his influence to fast-track projects in legislators' home districts, a tactic for which these same lawmakers repaid him by granting money for ever more ambitious projects. He dealt out enough spoils to both political parties to ensure he avoided unwanted attention to his patronage politics.

Triborough Bridge

Part of the Triborough Bridge (left) with Astoria Park and its pool in the center

Robert Moses had power over the construction of all public housing projects, but the one position above all others giving him political power was his chairmanship of the Triborough Bridge Authority. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1128x741, 164 KB) Aerial view of the Hell Gate Bridge and one span of the Triborough Bridge, between Astoria Park, Queens and Wards Island, New York City. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1128x741, 164 KB) Aerial view of the Hell Gate Bridge and one span of the Triborough Bridge, between Astoria Park, Queens and Wards Island, New York City. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... A local authority tower block in Cwmbrân, South Wales Public housing or project homes are forms of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ... The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, described to the public by the popular name MTA Bridges and Tunnels, or MTA B&T, is an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a public benefit corporation, that operates all intrastate toll bridges in New York City. ...

The Triborough Bridge, a cluster of three separate spans, connects the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. The legal structure of this particular public authority made it impervious to influence from mayors and governors, due to the language in the bond contracts and multi-year appointments of the Commissioners. While New York City and New York State were perpetually strapped for money, the bridge's toll revenues amounted to tens of millions of dollars a year. The agency was therefore capable of financing the borrowing of hundreds of millions of dollars, making Moses the only person in New York capable of funding large public construction projects. Toll revenues rose quickly, as traffic on the bridges exceeded all projections. Rather than pay off the bonds, Moses sought other toll projects to build, a cycle that fed on itself. The Triborough Bridge is a complex of three bridges connecting the New York City boroughs of the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens, using what were two islands, Wards Island and Randalls Island as intermediate rights-of-way between the water crossings. ... For other uses, see The Bronx (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Queens (disambiguation) and Queen. ... For alternative meanings, see bond (a disambiguation page). ...

Battle of Brooklyn Battery Bridge

In the late 1930s a municipal controversy raged over whether an additional vehicular link between Brooklyn and lower Manhattan would be a bridge or a tunnel. Bridges can be wider and cheaper but tall ones use more ramp space at landfall than tunnels. A "Brooklyn Battery Bridge" would have destroyed Battery Park and physically encroached on the financial district. The bridge was opposed by historical preservationists, Wall Street financial interests and property owners, various high society people, construction unions (since a tunnel would give them more work), the Manhattan borough president, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, and governor Herbert H. Lehman. Woolworth Building, looking south along Broadway Lower Manhattan, from the Brooklyn Bridge, 2005 Rigid airship the USS Akron over Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York. ... Battery Park (to New Yorkers, The Battery) is a 21-acre (8. ... Elaborate marble facade of NYSE as seen from the intersection of Broad and Wall Streets For other uses, see Wall Street (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... Borough President is an elective office in New York City. ... Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (December 11, 1882–September 20, 1947) was the Mayor of New York from 1934 to 1945. ... Herbert Lehman Herbert Henry Lehman (March 28, 1878 – December 5, 1963) was a Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of New York. ...

However, Moses favored a bridge. It could carry more automobile traffic than a tunnel and would also serve as a visible monument. More traffic meant more tolls, and more tolls meant more money and therefore more power for public improvements. LaGuardia and Lehman, as usual, had no money to spend and the federal government, by this point, felt it had given New York enough. Moses, because of his control of Triborough, had money to spend, and he decided his money could only be spent on a bridge. Paying toll on passing a bridge. ...

Only a lack of a key Federal approval thwarted the bridge scheme. President Roosevelt ordered the War Department to assert that a bridge in that location, if bombed, would block the East River access to the Brooklyn Naval Yard upstream. A dubious claim for a river already crossed by bridges, it nevertheless stopped Moses. In retaliation for being prevented from building his bridge, Moses dismantled the New York Aquarium that had been in Castle Clinton and moved it to Coney Island in Brooklyn where it grew, prospered and added to the attractiveness of this amusement area. He also attempted to raze Castle Clinton itself, on a variety of pretenses, and the historic fort's survival was assured only after ownership was transferred to the federal government. Ultimately, Moses was forced to settle for a tunnel connecting Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan, now called the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. A 1941 publication from the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority claimed that the government had forced them to build a tunnel at "twice the cost, twice the operating fees, twice the difficulty to engineer, and half the traffic," though actual engineering studies did not spport this conclusion, and a tunnel actually may have held many of the advantages Moses publicly tried to attach to the bridge option. New York City waterways: 1. ... Entrance to the territory of the New York Aquarium from ocean. ... Castle Clinton or Fort Clinton is a circular sandstone fort and national monument in Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan, New York City. ... For other uses, see Coney Island (disambiguation). ... Woolworth Building, looking south along Broadway Lower Manhattan, from the Brooklyn Bridge, 2005 Rigid airship the USS Akron over Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York. ... The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel is a toll road in New York City which crosses under the East River at its mouth and connects the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan, passing under but providing no access to Governors Island. ...

Post-war city planning

United Nations headquarters in New York City, viewed from the East River. The Secretariat tower is on the left and the General Assembly building is the low structure to the right of the tower

Moses's power increased after World War II, when, after the retirement of LaGuardia, a series of politically weak mayors consented to almost all of Moses's proposals. Named city "construction coordinator", in 1946, by Mayor William O'Dwyer, Moses also became the official representative of New York City in Washington, D.C. Moses was also now given powers over public housing that had eluded him under LaGuardia. Moses's power grew even more when O'Dwyer was forced to resign in disgrace and was succeeded by Vincent R. Impellitteri, who was more than content to allow Moses to exercise control over infrastructure projects from behind the scenes. One of Moses' first steps after Impellitteri took office was killing the development of a city-wide Comprehensive Zoning Plan, underway since 1938, that would have restrained his nearly uninhibited power to build within the city, and removing the existing Zoning Commissioner from power. Impellitteri enabled Moses in other ways, too. Moses was now the sole person authorized to negotiate in Washington for New York City projects. He could now remake New York for the automobile. Before Moses, most housing projects in New York were small scale (like the Queensbridge projects on the Queens side of the Queensboro Bridge). With Moses, projects grew to be the spartan, featureless skyscrapers now widely associated with public housing. By 1959, Moses had built 28,000 apartment units on hundreds of acres. Ironically, in clearing the land for high-rises in accordance with the innovative tower in the park scheme, he sometimes destroyed almost as many housing units as he built. Image File history File linksMetadata United_Nations_HQ_-_New_York_City. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... New York City waterways: 1. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... ODwyer (left) visiting a cancer-ravaged Babe Ruth in 1948. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... A local authority tower block in Cwmbrân, South Wales Public housing or project homes are forms of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ... Vincent Richard Impellitteri (February 4, 1900 – January 29, 1987) was appointed Acting Mayor of New York City upon the resignation of then Mayor William ODwyer, on September 1, 1950. ... “Car” and “Cars” redirect here. ... Queensbridge Houses is the largest public housing development in the United States. ... The Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. ... Taipei 101, the worlds tallest skyscraper by roof height on high rise. ... Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, who chose to be known as Le Corbusier (October 6, 1887 – August 27, 1965), was a Swiss-born architect and writer, who is famous for his contributions to what now is called Modern Architecture. ...

From the 1930s to the 1960s, Robert Moses was responsible for the construction of the Throgs Neck, the Bronx-Whitestone, the Henry Hudson, and the Verrazano Narrows bridges. (This last bridge project, which involved ramming Interstate Highway 278 through the established neighborhood of Bay Ridge, displacing hundreds of families and forever bisecting it, remains a controversial thorn in the side of many Bay Ridgeites to this day.) His other projects included the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Staten Island Expressway, the Cross-Bronx Expressway, the Belt Parkway, the Laurelton Parkway, and many more. Federal interest had shifted from parkway to freeway systems, and the new roads mostly conformed to the new vision, lacking the landscaping or the commercial traffic restrictions of the pre-war ones. He was the mover behind Shea Stadium and Lincoln Center, and contributed to the United Nations headquarters. The Throgs Neck Bridge is a suspension bridge opened on January 11, 1961 carrying Interstate 295 over the East River where it meets the Long Island Sound. ... Aerial view of the Bronx Whitestone Bridge The Bronx Whitestone Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River and connects the boroughs of Queens and The Bronx. ... The Henry Hudson Bridge is a steel arch toll bridge in New York City across the Spuyten Duyvil Creek, a tidal strait. ... The Verrazano Narrows Bridge (properly written as the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge) is a suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay. ... On the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278). ... The Staten Island Expressway is a 7. ... The Cross-Bronx Expressway is a major expressway in New York City. ... The Belt Parkway, or Belt System or Circumferential Parkway is a series of New York City limited-access highways that form a complete circle around the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. ... The Belt Parkway, also known as the Belt System or Circumferential Parkway, is a series of New York City limited-access highways that form a complete circle around the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. ... Harden Parkway in Salinas, CA. For other uses, see Parkway (disambiguation). ... Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway) in Berkeley, California: a typical American freeway (MUTCD definition) A freeway, also known as a highway, superhighway, autoroute, autobahn, autostrada, dual carriageway, expressway, Autosnelweg or motorway, depending on the country of discussion, is a type of road designed for safer high-speed operation of motor vehicles... William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium, is an American baseball stadium in Flushing, New York. ... The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. ... United Nations Headquarters in New York City, viewed from the East River. ...

Moses had direct influence outside the New York area as well. City planners in many smaller American cities hired Moses to design freeway networks for them in the 1940s and early 1950s. Few of these were built; initially postponed for lack of funding, projects still unbuilt by the 1960s were often defeated by the awakening citizen-led opposition movement. The first successful examples of these freeway revolts were in New Orleans. Original plans for Interstate 10 followed U.S. Route 90 through Uptown, but instead the Interstate through the western part of the city was routed along the Pontchartrain Expressway. Following that adjustment was the blocking of New Orleans' Vieux Carre Expressway, an elevated highway that would have sliced through the French Quarter, resulting in an even greater impact on the city's sense of history. Later, successful freeway revolts that saw highway projects either scaled back or cancelled outright also occurred in Boston, Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, San Diego, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Toronto^[7][8] and eventually even Los Angeles.^[9] The Freeway Revolts refer to a phenomenon encountered in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, where planned freeway contstruction in many U.S. cities was halted due to widespread public opposition; especially of those whose neighborhoods would be disrupted or displaced by the proposed freeways. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (abbreviated I-10) is the southernmost east-west, coast-to-coast interstate highway in the United States. ... U.S. Route 90 is an east-west United States highway. ... Uptown is a large area of New Orleans, Louisiana. ... The Pontchartrain Expressway should not be confused with the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway which connects the north and south shores of Lake Pontchartrain. ... The Vieux Carré Riverfront Expressway was a controversial mostly-elevated never-built freeway that would have cut through the French Quarter (Vieux Carré) of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. ... French Quarter: upper Chartres street looking down towards Jackson Square and the spires of St. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Nickname: Location of Portland in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: , Country State County Multnomah County Incorporated February 8, 1851 Government  - Mayor Tom Potter[1]  - Commissioners Sam Adams Randy Leonard Dan Saltzman Erik Sten  - Auditor Gary Blackmer Area  - City 376. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Americas Finest City Location Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates , Government County San Diego Mayor City Attorney         City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Jerry Sanders (R) Michael Aguirre Scott Peters Kevin... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Flag Seal Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more Motto: Get In On It (formerly The City That Reads and The Greatest City in America; BELIEVE is not the official motto but rather a specific campaign) Location Location of Baltimore in Maryland Coordinates , Government Country State County United... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

Car culture

Moses himself never learned to drive^[10], and his view of the automobile was shaped by the 1920s, when the car was thought of as entertainment and not a utilitarian lifestyle. Moses's highways in the first half of the 20th century were parkways, curving, landscaped "ribbon parks," intended to be pleasures to drive in and "lungs for the city". While appearing utopian on its face, some critics contend Moses's vision of towers, cities and parks linked by cars and highways in practice led to the expansion of wholesale ghettos, decay, middle-class urban flight, and blight. Beginning in the 1960s and reaching a crescendo in the 1990s, public opinion and the ideals of many in the city planning profession shifted away from this strand of car-oriented thought, instead focusing on the more intimate Jane Jacobs-style approach to urban renewal. Harden Parkway in Salinas, CA. For other uses, see Parkway (disambiguation). ... Crescendo may mean: In musical notation, crescendo refers to a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases. ... Jane Jacobs Jane Jacobs, OC, O.Ont (May 4, 1916 – April 25, 2006) was an American-born Canadian urbanist, writer and activist. ...

Brooklyn Dodgers

Moses is viewed by many as the man directly responsible for the move of the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles. Dodger owner Walter O'Malley wanted to build a new stadium to replace the outdated and dilapidated Ebbets Field. O'Malley determined the best site for the stadium was on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn at the end of the Long Island Rail Road. O'Malley pleaded with Moses to help him secure the property in a cost effective manner, but Moses wanted to use the land to build a parking garage. Moses envisioned New York's newest stadium in Flushing Meadows on the site of what would become the World's Fair in Queens. O'Malley was vehement in his opposition, but Moses would not be moved on this issue. After the Dodgers left for Los Angeles, and subsequently, The New York Giants to San Francisco, Moses was able to build Shea Stadium in Queens on the site he planned for stadium development. Construction began in October 1961 and the stadium opened in April 1964 to house the National League's New York Mets. However, the damage had been done to Moses' reputation, as many saw first hand what his ego was capable of doing. _{Insert Citation} The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team that played from 1890-1957. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Walter Francis OMalley (October 9, 1903 – August 9, 1979) was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1979. ... Walter OMalley and Buckminster Fuller examine the model for the stadium in November of 1955 The Brooklyn Dodgers proposed domed stadium was to replace Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers to allow them to stay in New York City. ... Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. ... LIRR redirects here. ... For the actual park named Flushing Meadows, see Flushing Meadows Park. ... William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium, is an American baseball stadium in Flushing, New York. ... Major league affiliations National League (1962–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 14, 37, 41, 42 Name New York Mets (1962–present) Other nicknames The Amazin Mets, The Amazins, The Metropolitans, The Kings of Queens Ballpark Shea Stadium (1964–present) Polo Grounds (1962–1963) Major league...

End of the Moses era

View of the New York World's Fair 1964/1965 as seen from the observation towers of the New York State pavilion. The Fair's symbol, Unisphere, is the central image.

Moses's reputation began to wane in the 1960s as public debate on urban planning began to focus on the virtues of intimate neighborhoods and smallness of scale. Around this time, Moses also started picking political battles he could not win. His campaign against the free Shakespeare in the Park received much negative publicity, and his effort to destroy a shaded playground in Central Park to make way for a parking lot for the expensive Tavern-on-the-Green restaurant made him many enemies among the middle-class voters of the Upper West Side. Image File history File links Photograph of the New York Worlds Fair 1964/1965 as viewed from the Observation Towers of the New York State Pavilion. ... Image File history File links Photograph of the New York Worlds Fair 1964/1965 as viewed from the Observation Towers of the New York State Pavilion. ... The Unisphere, June 2005 Unisphere is a 12-story high, spherical stainless steel representation of the Earth. ... Shakespeare in the Park is a concept used across the world, as a form of free public presentation of William Shakespeares works. ... Central Park is a large public, urban park (843 acres, 3. ... Tavern on the Green is a restaurant located in Central Park, New York City. ... The Upper West Side is a neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River above West 59th Street. ...

The opposition reached a crescendo over the demolition of Penn Station, which many attributed to the "development scheme" mentality cultivated by Moses (although the impoverished Pennsylvania Railroad was actually responsible for the demolition). This casual destruction of one of New York's greatest architectural landmarks helped prompt many city residents to turn against Moses' plans to build a Lower Manhattan Expressway, which would have plowed through what is now Greenwich Village and SoHo. This plan and the Mid-Manhattan Expressway both failed politically; to this day no superhighway goes through the heart of the city. One of his most vocal critics during this time was the urban activist Jane Jacobs, whose book The Death and Life of Great American Cities was instrumental in turning opinion against Moses's plans; the city government rejected the expressway in 1964. Pennsylvania Station (commonly known as Penn Station) is the major intercity rail station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. ... 1893 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad that was founded in 1846 and merged in 1968 into Penn Central Transportation. ... The Lower Manhattan Expressway (also known as the Canal Street Expressway or LOMEX) was a controversial plan for an expressway through lower Manhattan conceptualized by master builder Robert Moses in the early 1960s. ... The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (IPA pronunciation: ), also called simply the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City named after Greenwich, London. ... Cast-iron architecture in Greene Street SoHo is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. ... In 1937, plans were discussed for an for an expressway link crossing Midtown Manhattan. ... Jane Jacobs Jane Jacobs, OC, O.Ont (May 4, 1916 – April 25, 2006) was an American-born Canadian urbanist, writer and activist. ... The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs, is arguably the most influential book written on urban planning in the 20th century. ...

Moses' power was further sapped by his association with the 1964 New York World's Fair. His assumption of aggregate attendance of 70 million people for this event proved wildly optimistic, and generous contracts for fair executives and contractors did not help the economics. His repeated and forceful public denials of the fair's considerable financial difficulties in the face of the evidence eventually provoked press and governmental investigations, which eventually found accounting deceptions. In his organization of the fair, Moses' reputation was tarnished by his disdain for the opinions of others, his high-handed attempts to get his way in moments of conflict by turning to the press, and the fact that the fair was not sanctioned by the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE), the worldwide body supervising such events. Moses refused to accept BIE requirements, including a restriction against charging ground rents to exhibitors, and the BIE in turn instructed its member nations not to participate. (The United States had already staged the sanctioned Century 21 Exposition in Seattle in 1962. According to the rules of the organization, no one nation could host more than one fair in a decade.) The major European democracies, as well as Canada, Australia and the Soviet Union were all BIE members and they declined to participate, instead reserving their efforts for the Seattle fair to be used at Expo 67 in Montreal. View of the New York Worlds Fair 1964/1965 as seen from the observation towers of the New York State pavilion. ... The Bureau of International Expositions (or Bureau International des Expositions, which would actually translate as International Bureau of Expositions) is the organization responsible for sanctioning Worlds fairs. ... The Space Needle, built for the Century 21 Exposition. ... “Seattle” redirects here. ... The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or simply Expo 67 was the General Exhibition Category 1 Worlds Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from April 27 to October 29, 1967. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region Montréal Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ...

After the World's Fair debacle, New York City mayor John Lindsay, along with Governor Nelson Rockefeller, sought to use toll revenues from the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority's (TBTA) bridges and tunnels to cover deficits in the city's then financially ailing agencies, including the subway system. Moses opposed this idea and fought to prevent it. This article is about the American politician. ... Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was an American Vice President, governor of New York State, philanthropist and businessman. ... Times Square–42nd Street station entrance The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority , an affiliate of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit. ...

Lindsay removed Moses from his post as the city's chief advocate for federal highway money in Washington afterwards, a small victory in what was largely seen as a political misstep.

But Moses could not so easily fend off Rockefeller, the only politician in the state who had a power base independent of him. The legislature's vote to fold the TBTA into the newly-created Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) could technically have led to a lawsuit by the TBTA bondholders, since the bond contracts were written into state law and under Article 1, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution states may not impair existing contractual obligations, and the bondholders had right of approval over such actions. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the State of New York. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Article One of the United States Constitution Article One of the United States Constitution describes the powers of the legislative branch of the United States government, known as Congress, which includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The United States Constitution The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ...

However, the largest holder of TBTA bonds, and thus agent for all the others, was the Chase Manhattan Bank, headed then by none other than David Rockefeller, the governor's brother. No suit was filed or even discussed. Moses could have directed TBTA to go to court against the action, but having been promised certain roles in the merged authority, Moses in turn declined to challenge the merger. The Chase Manhattan Bank, now part of JPMorgan Chase, was formed by the merger of the Chase National Bank and the Bank of the Manhattan Company in 1955. ... David Rockefeller, Sr. ...

So, on March 1, 1968, the TBTA was folded into the MTA and Moses gave up his post as chairman of the TBTA. He eventually became a consultant to the MTA, but its new chairman and the governor froze him out - the promised roles did not materialize, and for all practical purposes Moses was now out of power. is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Moses had thought he had convinced Nelson Rockefeller of the need for one last great bridge project, a span crossing Long Island Sound from Rye to Oyster Bay. Rockefeller did not press for the project in the late 1960s through 1970, fearing public backlash among suburban Republicans would hinder his re-election prospects. While a 1972 study found the bridge was fiscally prudent and could be environmentally manageable, the anti-development sentiment was now insurmountable and in 1973 Rockefeller cancelled plans for the bridge. In retrospect, NYCroads.com author Steve Anderson writes that leaving densely-populated Long Island completely dependent on access through New York City may not have been an optimal policy decision.^[11] During the last years of his life, Moses concentrated on his lifelong love of swimming and was an active member of the Colony Hill Country Club, but the biggest attack on his reputation would come after he retired. The Long Island Crossing was a proposed idea to span the Long Island Sound and connect Long Island with Connecticut and/or Rhode Island. ... Rye is a town located in Westchester County, New York. ... Oyster Bay is the name of a hamlet and census-designated place on the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County in the state of New York, USA. The hamlet is also the site of a station on the Long Island Rail Road and the eastern termination point of... This article concentrates on human swimming. ...

Caro

Main article: The Power Broker

Moses's image suffered a further blow in 1974 with the publication of The Power Broker, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography by Robert A. Caro. Caro's 1,200-page opus (edited from over 3,000 pages long) largely destroyed the remainder of Moses's reputation; essayist Phillip Lopate writes that "Moses' satanic reputation with the public can be traced, in the main, to...Caro's magnificent biography".^[12] Caro wrote how insensitive that Moses was in the construction of the Cross-Bronx Expressway, or how he willfully neglected public transit. Moses's reputation today is in many ways attributable to Caro whose book not only won a Pulitzer Prize in Biography in 1975, a Francis Parkman Prize awarded by the Society of American Historians, but was also selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 Greatest Non-Fiction Books of the Twentieth Century. The Power Broker is a 1973 biography of Robert Moses, New York Citys Master Builder, by Robert Caro. ... The Power Broker is a 1973 biography of Robert Moses, New York Citys Master Builder, by Robert Caro. ... The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ... Robert Allan Caro (born October 30, 1935) is a U.S. biographer, who has written voluminous studies of city planner Robert Moses and United States President Lyndon Johnson. ... Phillip Lopate is an American essayist, fiction writer, poet, and teacher who was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1943. ... The Cross-Bronx Expressway is a major expressway in New York City. ... A taxi serving as a bus Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Caro's depiction of Moses' life gives him full credit for his early achievements, showing, for example, how he conceived and created Jones Beach and the New York State Park system, but he shows how, as Moses' desire for power came to be more important to him than his earlier dreams, he destroyed more than a score of neighborhoods, by ramming thirteen huge expressways across the heart of New York City and by building huge urban renewal projects with little regard for the urban fabric or for human scale. Yet the author is more neutral in his central premise: the city would have been a very different place -- maybe better, maybe worse -- if Moses had never existed. Other U.S. cities were doing the same thing as New York in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Boston and Seattle, for instance, both built highways straight through their downtown areas. The New York City architectural intelligentsia of the 1940s and 1950s largely believed in such prophets of the automobile as Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe and supported Moses. Many other cities, like Newark, Chicago and St. Louis, also built massive, unattractive public housing projects. “Boston” redirects here. ... “Seattle” redirects here. ... The notion of an intellectual elite as a distinguished social stratum can be traced far back in history. ... Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, who chose to be known as Le Corbusier (October 6, 1887 – August 27, 1965), was a Swiss-born architect and writer, who is famous for his contributions to what now is called Modern Architecture. ... Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies) (March 27, 1886 - August 17, 1969) was an architect and designer. ... Nickname: Map of Newark in Essex County County Founded/Incorporated 1666/1836 Government  - Mayor Cory Booker, term of office 2006–2010 Area [1]  - City 67. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ...

Caro argues that Moses also demonstrated racist tendencies.^[13] He, along with other members of the New York city planning commission, were vocal opponents against black war veterans moving into Stuyvesant Town, a Manhattan residential development complex created to house World War II veterans. View of central Manhattan from Stuyvesant Town. ...

People had come to see Moses as a bully who disregarded public input, but they had not known that he had allowed his brother Paul to spend much of his life in poverty until the publication of Caro's book. Paul Moses, who was interviewed by Caro shortly before his death, claimed Robert had exerted undue influence on their mother to change their will in his favour shortly before her death. Caro notes that Paul was on bad terms with their mother over a long period and she may have changed the will of her own accord. Caro suggested that Robert's subsequent treatment of Paul may have been legally justifiable but was morally questionable.

A depiction of Moses at Fordham University, Lincoln Center

Image File history File linksMetadata RobertMosesMarker. ... Image File history File linksMetadata RobertMosesMarker. ... Fordham University is a private, coeducational research university[2] in the United States, with three residential campuses located in and around New York City. ... Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 15 acre (61,000 m²) complex of buildings in New York City which serves as home for 12 arts companies. ...

Death

Moses died of heart disease on July 29, 1981, at the age of 92 at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, New York. The title of his New York Times obituary package is both a found poem and a thumbnail sketch of his life and influence: "Robert Moses, Master Builder, Is Dead at 92; Robert Moses, Builder of Road, Beach, Bridge and Housing Projects, Is Dead; Associate of High Officials; The Grand-Scale Approach; Not a Professional Planner; Part of 'Our Crowd'; Into the Orbit of Power; Fur Coat or Underwear?; An Overwhelming Success; Long Court Fights; Drafted Park Legislation; Moses' Tactics Were Both Extolled and Criticized; Badly Beaten in Election; Built to His Own Tastes; A Sampler of Quotations by Moses; The Face of a Region; and How One Man Changed It." Heart disease is an umbrella term for a number of different diseases which affect the heart and as of 2007 it is the leading cause of death in the United States. ... is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... West Islip (eye-slip) is a census-designated place (CDP) located is in southwest part of the Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York. ... Obituary for World War I death An obituary is a notice of the death of a person, usually published in a newspaper, written or commissioned by the newspaper, and usually including a short biography. ...

Moses, born Jewish but converted to Christianity^[14], was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx following services at Saint Peter's Episcopal Church in Bay Shore, New York. Located in The Bronx, Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City. ... For other uses, see The Bronx (disambiguation). ... Bay Shore is a hamlet (and census-designated place), located in the town of Islip, County of Suffolk, New York. ...

Legacy and lasting impact

The bridges of Robert Moses are an exemplary and disputed topic in the sociology of technology. The main question is, how much ideology and politics can be built into technology and infrastructure such as bridges? (Cf. Langdon Winner, "Do Artifacts Have Politics?" in Daedalus, Vol. 109, No. 1, Winter 1980, and reactions on that article, e.g., by Bernward Joerges). Political Ideologies Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      An ideology is an organized collection of ideas. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... Langdon Winner is Professor of Political Science in the Departement of Science and Technology studies at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York since 1990. ... Bernward Joerges is a professor at Technical University of Berlin and director of the Metropolitan Research Group, Berlin. ...

Robert A. Caro was fortunate enough to be able to interview Moses on seven occasions^[15]. He was also able to conduct 19 interviews with Sidney M. Shapiro, Moses's General Manager,and chief engineer of the Long Island State Park Commission, who worked for Moses for forty years, and was the man who carried out Moses's instructions to build the bridges on his parkways too low for buses^[16]. In his notes on sources Mr. Caro writes: "It is thanks to Shapiro, more than any other source that I came to understand Moses' attitude towards Negroes...."^[17]

For example, the construction of low overpasses on parkways were made purposely too low for buses to clear, and the veto of extension of the Long Island Rail Road to Jones Beach, were to prevent the poor and racial minorities (largely dependent on public transit) from accessing the beach while providing easy car access for wealthier, white groups. In furtherance of this point of view, Caro also notes the provision of numerous park amenities on the West Side highway below 125th Street (the southern boundary of Harlem) versus the provision of few (if any) amenities north of 125th Street. Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters, both of which sit in the northern part of Manhattan Island, are in the (at the time they were built) white neighborhood of Inwood, not Harlem. LIRR redirects here. ... 125th Street between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue Christmas shopping on 125th Street 125th Street is a two-way street that runs east-west in the New York City borough of Manhattan, considered the Main Street of Harlem; It is also called Martin Luther King, Jr. ... For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ... The Park in late March 2007 Fort Tryon Fort Tryon Park is a public park located in the Washington Heights neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan, USA, . It is situated on a 67-acre (270,000 m²) ridge in Upper Manhattan, with a commanding view of the... Garden at The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park, New York City The Cloisters is the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art and architecture of the European Middle Ages. ... Inwood is the northernmost neighborhood on Manhattan Island in the New York City borough of Manhattan. ...

Aside from the sociological view of Moses's accomplishments, there lies the question of urban destruction and suburban mobilization. Did Moses's work degrade the quality of life in the inner city? Does increased accessibility from the suburbs improve the quality of life by enabling commuting? Was the general direction of Moses's work a damaging trend which is now being corrected, or a natural part of urban evolution? While Caro and others attributed the urban decay of New York neighborhoods to Moses's aggressive road building, it may be noted cities with far less aggressive postwar highway construction such as Philadelphia and Baltimore suffered similarly negative--or even worse--social trends. “Suburbia” redirects here. ...

While the overall impact of many of Moses's projects continues to be debated, their sheer scale across the urban landscape is indisputable. The peak of Moses's construction occurred during the economic duress of the Great Depression and despite that era's woes Moses's projects were completed in a timely fashion and have been reliable public works since, which compares favorably to the contemporary delays New York City officials have had redeveloping the Ground Zero site of the former World Trade Center or the technical snafus surrounding Boston's Big Dig project. ^[18] For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ... Ground zero is the exact location on the ground where any explosion occurs. ... For other uses, see World Trade Center (disambiguation). ... For other projects of the same name, see Big Dig. ...

Three major exhibits in 2007 are prompting a reconsideration of his image among intellectuals, as they acknowledge the magnitude of his achievements. According to Columbia University architectural historian Hilary Ballon and assorted colleagues, Moses deserves better. They argue that his legacy is more relevant than ever. All around New York State, she says, people take for granted the parks, playgrounds and housing Moses built, now generally binding forces in those areas, even if the old-style New York neighborhood was of no interest to Moses himself. And were it not for Moses’ public infrastructure and his resolve to carve out more space, she argues, New York might not have been able to recover from the blight and flight of the 1970s and ’80s and become the economic magnet it is today, she suggests.^[19] Alma Mater Columbia University in the City of New York is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. ... The History of Architecture traces the changes in architecture through various countries and dates. ...

Photographs from the Museum of the City of New York portion of the exhibit can be viewed here: [1]

"Every generation writes its own history," said Kenneth T. Jackson, a historian of New York City. "It could be that The Power Broker was a reflection of its time: New York was in trouble and had been in decline for 15 years. Now, for a whole host of reasons, New York is entering a new time, a time of optimism, growth and revival that hasn't been seen in half a century. And that causes us to look at our infrastructure", said Jackson. "A lot of big projects are on the table again, and it kind of suggests a Moses era without Moses", he added.^[20]

Politicians, too, are reconsidering the Moses legacy. In a 2006 speech to the Regional Plan Association on downstate transportation needs, Elliot Spitzer, who would be overwhelmingly elected governor later that year, said a biography of Moses written today might be called At Least He Got It Built. "That's what we need today. A real commitment to get things done".^[21] Eliot Spitzer Eliot Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is the Attorney General for the State of New York. ...

A testament to the enduring nature of his impact can be found in the various locations and roadways in New York State that bear Moses's name. These include two state parks (one in Massena, New York, the other on Long Island), the Robert Moses Causeway on Long Island, the Robert Moses State Parkway in Niagara Falls, New York, and the Robert Moses Hydro-Electric Dam (source of much of New York City's electricity) also in Niagara Falls. Moses also has a school named after him in North Babylon, New York on Long Island. There are other signs of the surviving appreciation held for him by some circles of the public. A statue of Moses was erected next to the Village Hall in his long-time hometown, Babylon Village, New York, in 2003, as well as a bust on the Lincoln Center campus of Fordham University. There are two places named Massena in St. ... Robert Moses Causeway is the parkway and bridges, originally known as the Captree Causeway that connects the mainland Long Island in West Islip, New York to the barrier beach islands such as Captree Island, Jones Beach Island, and the western tip of Fire Island. ... The Robert Moses State Parkway (unsigned New York State Reference Route 957A) is a north-south divided highway located in the western part of Niagara County, New York, USA. Along with Ocean Parkway, it is one of New Yorks most unusual parkways. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Rober Moses Hydro-Electric Dam is a hydro station in Niagara Falls, New York. ... North Babylon is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. ... Babylon is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. ... The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. ... Fordham University is a private, coeducational research university[2] in the United States, with three residential campuses located in and around New York City. ...

The impact of Robert Moses on the Rockaway Peninsula was almost universally considered positive with his development of Jacob Riis Park and the Marine Parkway Bridge in the 1930s. However, Moses's construction of the Shore Front Parkway and his large-scale introduction of public housing and large-scale demolition of the bungalow area along Rockaway's beachfront provoked a conservative criticism. Rockaway is the name of a peninsula of Long Island, most of which is located within the borough of Queens in New York City; the peninsulas easternmost section forms the town of East Rockaway, in suburban Nassau County. ... Jacob Riis Park is part of the Jamaica Bay Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area in the New York City borough of Queens. ... The Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge in New York City (originally Marine Parkway Bridge) is a toll bridge that crosses Rockaway Inlet and connects Rockaway Peninsula, in Queens, with Brooklyn. ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the World Depression. ... Shore Front Parkway is a four-lane beachfront road paralleling the boardwalk in Rockaway Beach in the borough of Queens in New York City and running westward from Beach 73 Street to Beach 108 Street. ... A local authority tower block in Cwmbrân, South Wales Public housing or project homes are forms of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ...

Some Facts

• Robert Moses held power while five mayors of New York City were in office: Fiorello H. La Guardia, William O'Dwyer, Vincent Impellitteri, Robert F. Wagner, Jr., and John V. Lindsay

• Moses held power while six Governors of New York were in office: Alfred E. Smith, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Herbert H. Lehman, Thomas E. Dewey, W. Averell Harriman and Nelson A. Rockefeller

• Numerous public works bear Moses's name. On Long Island: the Robert Moses Causeway, and Robert Moses State Park - Long Island. Also, at Niagara Falls: the Robert Moses Power Dam, and Robert Moses State Parkway follows the Niagara Gorge to Lewiston, New York and beyond.

• In 1945, Moses received a LL.D. from Bates College.

• In 1934, Moses ran unsuccessfully for the office of Governor of New York, against incumbent Herbert H. Lehman.

• In 1970, Fordham University dedicated a statue to Moses at the Lincoln Center campus.

• Also in 1934, Moses received The Hundred Year Association of New York's Gold Medal Award "in recognition of outstanding contributions to the City of New York."

• Despite his support for roads, bridges and the car, Robert Moses never had a driver's license and never drove.

• Robert Moses had the Central Park Zoo built for Al Smith--the former governor, and president of the Empire State Building--who lived near the park on the Upper East Side. Moses gave Smith a night key, and the elderly former king of Irish New York would go down to the Central Park Zoo by himself to talk to the animals. Smith loved to spend hours in the zoo after hours, "and he would switch on the lights as he entered each one, to the surprise of its occupants, and talk softly to them...And if one of the zoo’s less dangerous animals was sick or injured, Smith would enter its cage and stand for a while stroking its head and commiserating with it.” [Caro, 382]

Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (December 11, 1882–September 20, 1947) was the Mayor of New York from 1934 to 1945. ... ODwyer (left) visiting a cancer-ravaged Babe Ruth in 1948. ... Vincent Richard Impellitteri (February 4, 1900 - January 29, 1987) became mayor of New York City upon the departure, in disgrace, of Mayor William ODwyer. ... Mayor Wagner greets the Little Rock Nine (1958) Robert Ferdinand Wagner, Jr. ... John Vliet Lindsay (November 24, 1921–December 19, 2000) was an American politician who served as a Congressman (1959-1966) and mayor of New York City (1966-1973). ... Alfred Emanuel Smith ( December 30, 1873– October 4, 1944), often known as Al Smith, was Governor of New York and a U.S. presidential candidate in 1928. ... FDR redirects here. ... Herbert Lehman Herbert Henry Lehman (March 28, 1878 – December 5, 1963) was a Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of New York. ... Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was the Governor of New York (1943-1954) and the unsuccessful Republican candidate for the U.S. Presidency in 1944 and 1948. ... William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891 – July 26, 1986) was an American Democratic Party politician, businessman and diplomat. ... Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 - January 26, 1979) was a Governor of New York and the 41st Vice President of the United States of America from December 19, 1974 to January 20, 1977. ... This article is about the island in New York State. ... Robert Moses Causeway is the parkway and bridges, originally known as the Captree Causeway that connects the mainland Long Island in West Islip, New York to the barrier beach islands such as Captree Island, Jones Beach Island, and the western tip of Fire Island. ... Robert Moses State Park - Long Island is state park of the U.S. state of New York. ... For other uses, see Niagara Falls (disambiguation). ... Niagara Falls (43° 4′ 54. ... Lewiston is a village in Niagara County, New York, USA. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census. ... Bates College is a private liberal arts college, founded in 1855 by abolitionists, located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. ... Herbert Lehman Herbert Henry Lehman (March 28, 1878 – December 5, 1963) was a Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of New York. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The logo of The Hundred Year Association of New York The Hundred Year Association of New York was founded in 1927 to recognize and reward dedication and service to the City of New York by businesses and organizations that have been in operation in the City for a century or... Alfred Emanuel Al Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was Governor of New York, and Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928. ...

See also

• Car culture
• Modernist architecture
• The Death and Life of Great American Cities
• Transportation in New York City
• Urban sprawl

Over the course of the 20th century, the automobile rapidly developed from an expensive technological wonder into the de facto standard for passanger transport. ... Modern architecture is a broad term given to a number of building styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and the elimination of ornament, that first arose around 1900. ... The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs, is arguably the most influential book written on urban planning in the 20th century. ... The transportation system of New York City is an unparalleled cooperation of unique, complex, and grandiose systems of infrastructure. ... Urban sprawl (also: suburban sprawl) is the spreading out of a city and its suburbs over rural land at the fringe of an urban area. ...

Further reading

• Caro, Robert A., The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the fall of New York, New York: Knopf, 1974. hardcover: ISBN 0-394-48076-7, Vintage paperback: ISBN 0-394-72024-5
• Berman, Marshall, All That is Solid Melts into Air: The Experience of Modernity, New York: Viking Penguin, 1988.
• Jameson W. Doig, "Regional Conflict in the New York Metropolis: The Legend of Robert Moses and the Power of the Port Authority," Urban Studies Volume 27, Number 2 / April 1990 pp 201-232
• Kenneth T. Jackson and Hillary Ballon, eds. Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York (W. W. Norton, 2007)
• Lewis, Eugene, Public Entrepreneurship : toward a theory of bureaucratic political power--the organizational lives of Hyman Rickover, J. Edgar Hoover, and Robert Moses, Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1980.
• Rodgers, Cleveland, Robert Moses, Builder for Democracy, New York: Holt, 1952.
• Krieg, Joann P. Robert Moses: Single-Minded Genius, Interlaken, New York: Heart of the Lakes Publishing, 1989.
• Moses Robert. Public works: A dangerous trade. McGraw Hill. 1970. Autobiography

Robert Allan Caro (born October 30, 1935) is a biographer most noted for his studies of United States political figures Robert Moses and Lyndon B. Johnson. ... The Power Broker is a 1973 biography of Robert Moses, New York Citys Master Builder, by Robert Caro. ... Marshall Berman Is a Marxist Humanist writer and philosopher. ... All That Is Solid Melts Into Air is an academic text written by Marshall Berman between 1971 and 1981, and published in New York in 1982. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 127th day of the year (128th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Globe and Mail is a large English language national newspaper based in Toronto, Canada, and printed in seven cities across Canada. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jane Jacobs Jane Jacobs, OC, O.Ont (May 4, 1916 – April 25, 2006) was an American-born Canadian urbanist, writer and activist. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government - Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... The Spadina Expressway, now known as Allen Road, was proposed in the mid-1960s as part of a network of freeways in Metropolitan Toronto. ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), IPA: , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов) was a Russian-born American Jewish author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful and exceptionally prolific writer best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The modern New York Sun is a daily newspaper published in New York City. ... Eliot Spitzer Eliot Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is the Attorney General for the State of New York. ...

External links

• Robert A. Caro's Jan. 5, 1998 New Yorker article on Robert Moses and the writing of The Power Broker
• New Yorker review by Paul Goldberger Feb, 5, 2007
• Robert Moses's reply to The Power Broker
• New York Times Obituary
• Online letters of Moses
• Expansive Public Parks, Beaches and Travel Routes Created by Robert Moses for Long Island, New York. iLongIsland.com
• 1973 audio interview of Robert Moses by Don Swaim of CBS Radio, RealAudio
• Robert A. Caro talks to Richard D. Heffner about Robert Moses on the Open Mind, 1998
• "The Triborough Bridge: Robert Moses and the Automobile Age" exhibit at the New York Transit Museum (through April 2008)
• "Robert Moses and the Modern City" exhibit February 2007 thru May 2007 at 3 New York City museums
• "Looking Back at Moses" a trio of New York museums explores the voluminous works of controversial urban planner Robert Moses

v • d • e Secretaries of State of New York (since 1903)
O'Brien • Whalen • Koenig • Laxansky • May • Hugo • Lyons • Hamilton • Knapp • Moses • Flynn • Walsh • Curren • DeSapio • Simon • Lomenzo • Ghezzi • Cuomo • Paterson • Schaffer • Treadwell • Daniels • Milano • Jacobs • Cortes-Vazquez