Hidden New York
Contributing author. (Rivergate Books, 2006)
Reaching beyond "guidebook Manhattan" into a living city that is harder to find, Place Matters, a joint project of the Municipal Art Society and City Lore explores the gems of New York City — the Edison Hotel in Times Square, where magicians gather 'round the Magic Table to socialize and compete. There is Hua Mei Garden in the Lower East Side, where elderly Chinese men meet to display exotic birds. This book details thirty-two unusual locations such as these and enhances them by including a cluster of additional, related spots. Hidden New York shows you why these places matter and guides you through the historical and cultural significance of each one.
Many of them matter because of the opportunities they provide for socializing, such as the Empire Roller Disco in Brooklyn that attracts a community of skaters and the Cube sculpture on Astor Place, which is a meeting spot for homeless youth. Others matter because they are focal points for communities and the spaces are intertwined with how people share in each others' lives. Still others have been lost, like the house under the roller coaster in Coney Island, made famous by Woody Allen in Annie Hall.
This book—and the years of fieldwork and programming that created the content—was the precursor to the dynamic digital space Place Matters which helps keep local NYC environments distinctive. Check it out.
Brooklyn's last large-scale roller rink, closed in 2007, photo City Lore
Memory - A Poem
Back 1984,
we wandered into Brooklyn to the Empire Roller Rink to hear Gregory Isaacs switch his hips and sing in that melodic, romantic, but cranky voice of his "Night Nurse" and "I'm just a Stranger in Your Town, Once in a while, I'll stop around. Let's make friends. Friends that Never End."
Please don't shut down this building. It has memories of great artists who performed there. I especially remember the 80's calypso and reggae revolutionary artists. This is part of my children's culture.
The physical details of the place matter. Brooklyn still needs indoor venues for the teenagers. We can make this a dry club and Caribbean arts and crafts, and cultural education center. Don't tear down the building. Let the West Indian community have its culture.
This is how children grow into adults with healthy self-esteem and pride.
And we did.
All of us there, and
memories that would last an eternity
as the Glass Mirrors on the walls reflected our love and humanity.
—Pamela Koeppel (Nominator submitted place name to the Census of Places that Matter, April 2007)
I recently learned that the empire roller rink was sold to become a storage facility. I am shocked! The empire roller disco - the only place in New York that has dance skating. I was planning my 50th birthday party there.
I don't understand how the empire roller disco can be turned into a storage facility. It is like using the statue of liberty for a storage facility because it is too much trouble to keep order.
The empire roller disco sign is a landmark for people to remember and pass on to other generations. It tells of a time past when everyone came together to enjoy healthy recreation. The roller disco is a Brooklyn, New York institution. There is no where else to roller skate like it!Khadijah Shaheed, (Nominator submitted place name to the Census of Places that Matter, April 2007)
