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37-529: Socrates Sculpture Park is located atop the mouth of the buried Sunswick Creek . In 1986, American sculptor Mark di Suvero created Socrates Sculpture Park on an abandoned landfill and illegal dumpsite in Long Island City. The four-acre (1.6 ha) site is the largest outdoor space in New York City dedicated to exhibiting sculpture. The former landfill was renovated into the current park by

74-583: A $ 20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation , which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg . At the Socrates Sculpture Park's main entrance hangs a 10-by-28-foot (3.0 by 8.5 m) billboard structure that has been an ongoing installation since 1999. The original billboard was a mirror image of the street created by artist Mathieu Borysevicz built by ongoing volunteer Ross H. Radtke,

111-474: A cafeteria upstairs where the playschool children ate their lunches. Some of the downstairs activities included tap dancing, ballet, art, playing the recorder and singing, pool, knock hockey and table tennis, as well as Girl Scout and Boy Scout meetings. Residents enjoyed concerts during the hot summer months in the square central shopping area, and the Fresh Air Fund sent children on trips out to

148-428: A lime kiln on the creek. Sunswick Creek formed a navigable waterway with Dutch Kills , another stream to the south, making it easy for merchants to transport produce and goods along the creek. A milldam was built at the mouth of the creek in 1679, creating a small mill pond. Joseph Hallett and Jacob Blackwell built a mill on the creek's right bank, near its mouth, in 1753. By the 1860s and 1870s, Sunswick Creek

185-577: A lowland north of the present Queensboro Bridge, was infilled with the construction of the bridge in the 1900s and 1910s. This was accomplished partly by dumping dirt from the excavation of New York City Subway tunnels in Manhattan . In addition, street cleaners tossed dry rubbish into the lowland to raise the grade of nearby streets. In 1915, residents of Ravenswood sent a letter to the New York City Board of Health to complain about

222-651: A mechanical engineer and neighbour. New billboards are installed once or twice per year. Artists work with printmaking and photography to create an image that greets visitors as they enter the park and sets the tone for the current show. The billboards are in conjunction with each spring exhibition. The park has numerous workshops and public programming. Many artists lead tour programs of current exhibitions, there are summer art projects, and various free public events, such as yoga and capoeira on Saturdays and outdoor movie screenings on Wednesdays that begin in mid-July and end in mid-August. GrowNYC runs an Astoria Farmer's Market in

259-455: A renovation in 1986 when 1,000 of the bathrooms were renovated by Arc Plumbing. The original plans included some basic amenities, like a central shopping center, a nursery and six inner courtyards for play. In the 1950s, there were also three playschool rooms, a library, a community center with an auditorium where shows were put on, a gymnasium with a wooden floor that doubled as a wooden-wheels roller skating rink, activity rooms downstairs, and

296-543: A seven-month investigation, resulted in 59 arrests. As of 2013, Queensbridge had a total population of 6,105. The racial breakdown was 61.4% black , 2.3% white , 1.9% Asian , 1.0% American Indian and 2.4% multiracial . Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 30.1%. By 2020, the Asian population in Queensbridge rose to 11% of the development's total population. This prompted calls for better social services for

333-455: A team of contemporary artists and local youths. The park operated for 14 years with only a temporary city park status. In 1998, the park was given official status by then New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani as a permanent city park after a developer attempted to erect luxury apartments and a marina on the site after the park's lease had expired. In 2005, the park was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of

370-712: Is 11101. Queensbridge, the largest of 26 public housing developments in Queens, is located between Vernon Boulevard, which runs along the East River , and 21st Street. It is immediately south of the Ravenswood power plant and just north of the Queensboro Bridge , for which the complex is named. The complex is the largest housing project in North America. The development is separated into two complexes,

407-744: Is a public housing development in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens , New York City . Owned by the New York City Housing Authority , the development contains 96 buildings and 3,142 units accommodating approximately 7,000 people in two separate complexes (North and South). The complex opened in 1939 and is the largest housing project in North America . Queensbridge is located in Queens Community District 1 , and its ZIP Code

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444-760: Is a buried stream located in Astoria and Long Island City , in the northwestern portion of Queens in New York City . It originated to the north of Queensboro Bridge and Queens Plaza in Long Island City, flowing north to the present-day site of the Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria, and emptying into the East River . The creek was named for a term in the Algonquin language that likely means "Woman Chief" or "Sachem’s Wife." The mouth of

481-422: Is well known for its contributions to hip hop and rap music, and has been home to some of the most influential musicians in the genre. Marley Marl Williams was the first in a long succession of acclaimed artists from "The Bridge", which came to be one of the most famous hip hop neighborhoods in the country. Its rappers and producers helped to put it on the map. The Juice Crew collective, hugely influential in

518-525: The tide gates along Sunswick Creek, which had been installed to alleviate an infestation of mosquitoes. The residents claimed that the tide gates were actually keeping mosquitoes in the creek, since these gates resulted in stagnant water, and threatened to open the tide gates. In response, the Board of Health suggested filling up their land, which the Brooklyn Times-Union reported would require

555-461: The 1980s, New York City’s Queensbridge Housing Project has been documented perhaps better than any other geographic location. Starting with super producer Marley Marl’s dominant Juice Crew in the ’80s all the way through ’90s mainstays like Nas, Cormega and Capone, the Bridge has produced the highest per-capita talent of any ’hood. By the 1970s, Queensbridge experienced a rise in crime with the rest of

592-633: The 1980s, featured among its members Queensbridge rappers MC Shan , Roxanne Shanté , Nas and Craig G . While the Boogie Down Productions-MC Shan dispute had already put "The Bridge" on the rap map in the 1980s, the new crop of Queensbridge rappers like Nas and Mobb Deep made frequent references to the Queensbridge Houses that cemented its reputation as a dystopian vision of poverty, drugs, and violence just as New York City's problems with crack cocaine and

629-698: The Long Island City subsection of Ravenswood. The creek passed north near the current site of the Queensbridge Houses and the Ravenswood Generating Station , roughly following the present path of 21st Street. A large city block, now the site of the Long Island City High School , marks the former above-ground course of the creek. Sunswick Creek drained into the East River near the present Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria . The term "Sunswick"

666-654: The North Houses on 40th Avenue and the South Houses on 41st Avenue. The namesake station of the New York City Subway 's IND 63rd Street Line ( F and <F> train) is on the eastern side of the complex on 21st Street. The 96-unit, six-story buildings are distinctive due to their shape of two Y's connecting at the base. This shape was used as the architects hoped it would give residents more access to privacy and sunlight than

703-541: The Peekskill mountains. The buildings in the complex are divided by a series of paths and small lawns. Also in the complex are several basketball courts and play areas lined with benches. Across Vernon Boulevard lies Queensbridge Park , the primary place of recreation for tenants of the project. There was also a smaller park placed conveniently right under the Queensboro Bridge called "Baby Park". Baby Park

740-460: The Queensbridge music scene, XXL columnist Brendan Frederick wrote: At a time when you can buy screwed & chopped albums at Circuit City in Brooklyn , it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that hip-hop was once a local phenomenon. More than just a voice of the ghetto, hip-hop at its best is the voice of specific blocks, capturing the distinct tone and timbre of an artist’s environment. Since

777-462: The city. During the height of the crack epidemic in 1986, Queensbridge experienced more murders than any NYCHA complex in New York City. However, in the 2000s, crime went down. For many years Queensbridge has had a problem with drug dealers and drug users. An 11-month police investigation led to the arrest of 37 people during a drug bust in February 2005. Another raid in February 2009, following

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814-481: The creek could be heard near the Sohmer and Company Piano Factory , across from Socrates Sculpture Park. In 2011 and 2012, the Socrates Sculpture Park and Noguchi Museum commissioned a work from artist Mary Miss , entitled Ravenswood/CaLL , which consisted of several signs and mirrors along the course of the creek. Queensbridge Houses Queensbridge Houses , also known simply as Queensbridge or QB ,

851-441: The creek was settled in the late 17th century by William Hallet and Elizabeth Fones , who built a milldam at the creek's mouth to create a mill pond. Due to industrialization in Long Island City, the creek became heavily polluted and was covered-over starting in the late 19th century. Prior to its burial, Sunswick Creek's source was located close to 21st Street north of what is now the Queensboro Bridge and Queens Plaza , within

888-698: The early nineties, are simply orange and blue, with the newer signs featuring graphics, like those of many other projects. Access to buildings in the complex is by key or via an intercom system . The halls of Queensbridge's buildings are comparable to most municipal buildings, and are dilapidated and lined with worn light blue tiles. Apartments are painted white and are fairly small, even by New York City standards. Elevators have been rebuilt and now stop at floors 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 and kitchens have been completely renovated and now have frost-free refrigerators. Three thousand bathrooms were renovated with new tubs, toilets, vanities, floor tile and lighting in 2000. This followed

925-631: The era. They are a worn grayish brown which now suffers noticeable deterioration and weathering. Each building is painted red to about four feet up from the ground, giving a united feel to the entire complex as a uniform red "layer" is always close, throughout the complex. On each of the corners in Queensbridge, the New York City Housing Authority has posted signs indicating the project's name and management: "Queensbridge North (or South) NYCHA." These signs come in several varieties depending on their age. The oldest signs, erected in

962-629: The first female artist to have a solo exhibition at the Socrates Sculpture Park. Other artists who have shown work at Socrates Sculpture Park include: The current executive director of the park is John Hatfield, former deputy director of the New Museum of Contemporary Art . Some former executive directors of the park include Alyson Baker (2000–2011), Kathleen Gilrain (1995–2000), and Eve Sussman (1993- ). Sunswick Creek 40°46′07″N 73°56′16″W  /  40.76861°N 73.93778°W  / 40.76861; -73.93778 Sunswick Creek

999-420: The former path of the creek had been mostly developed with industrial buildings. During excavations for a sewer line at Vernon Boulevard and Broadway in 1957, construction workers found remnants of the former grist mill on the creek's mouth. The creek was relocated underground as part of a sewage tunnel, which was documented online by urban explorer Steven Duncan. According to one blogger, during heavy rains,

1036-463: The infilling of 6 acres (2.4 ha) to a depth of 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3.0 m). The operation had a projected total cost of over $ 100,000 (equivalent to $ 3,011,842 in 2023), which was not affordable for most of the neighborhood's residents. Early the next year, in April 1916, residents broke down the barriers with axes. Afterward, the New York City health commissioner told a local newspaper that

1073-511: The marshes surrounding the creek were drained in 1879. In addition, Long Island City had started building a proper sewage system in the 1870s, which was still not complete by the time Long Island City became part of the City of Greater New York in 1898. The creek was partially diverted into one of the sewage system's brick tunnels at Broadway, which was completed around 1893. After the consolidation of Queens into New York City, Sunswick Meadows,

1110-480: The park every Saturday during the summer months. In January 2019, the Park announced its plan to construct and install permanent staff offices made out of shipping containers. This would be the park's first permanent on-site structure. Socrates Sculpture Park offers emerging and established artists an opportunity to make a temporary or permanent public sculpture in a New York City park. In 2018, Virginia Overton became

1147-432: The present-day 22nd Street was formerly named Sunswick Street. In 1664, the land on the northern shore of the creek's mouth was purchased by British settler William Hallet (or Hallett), who obtained the plot from two native chiefs named Shawestcont and Erramorhar. This peninsula, which jutted out onto Hell Gate to the northwest, was acquired in portions and was later renamed Hallet's Cove . Hallet subsequently built

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1184-416: The residents "prefer to live like hogs," prompting outrage from local residents. Afterward, the Queens borough president , Maurice E. Connolly , announced a plan to install two tide gates on the creek. By the end of 1916, the New York City government proposed to close up Sunswick Creek, mandating that households living nearby divert their sewage elsewhere. A 1920 Brooklyn Daily Eagle article stated that

1221-476: The traditional cross-shape. The design was said to be cost-efficient, and they reduced the cost even further by using elevators that only stopped at the 1st, 3rd, and 5th floors. Political pressure to keep costs down was a key reason for the use of cheap designs. W.F.R. Ballard, Henry S. Churchill, Frederick G. Frost, and Burnett Turner designed Queensbridge. In many aspects, the buildings of Queensbridge are very similar to most government-built housing projects of

1258-399: The unprecedented carnage it had brought to places like Queensbridge reached a peak. Nas' 1994 album Illmatic , often regarded as the greatest hip-hop album of all time, concerns his experiences in Queensbridge. Other notable artists associated with the Queensbridge hip hop scene include Blaq Poet , Cormega , Tragedy Khadafi , Nature , Screwball , Capone , and Big Noyd . Regarding

1295-430: Was a neighborhood name formerly applied to the surrounding portions of Ravenswood and Astoria. It is believed to have originated from a Native American language, possibly the Algonquin word "Sunkisq." The Greater Astoria Historical Society defines the term as "meaning perhaps 'Woman Chief' or 'Sachem’s Wife.'" This name is shared by Sunswick 3535, a bar at the intersection of 35th Street and 35th Avenue. Additionally,

1332-734: Was closed due to debris falling from the bridge during maintenance work in the late 2000s. Baby Park was replaced by a new playground for the same age range, between 40th-41st Avenues, within Queensbridge Park itself. Queensbridge opened in 1939. During the 1950s, the management changed the racial balance of Queensbridge by transferring all families whose income was more than $ 3,000/year, a majority of whom were White , to middle-income housing projects, and replacing most of these tenants with African-American and Latino families. This policy provided safe and sanitary housing to many low-income African-American and Latino families. Queensbridge

1369-572: Was heavily polluted due to increasing industrialization, a lack of proper sewerage, and the high population density of Long Island City and Astoria. The historian Vincent F. Seyfried wrote that disease around Sunswick Creek and Dutch Kills had become common by 1866, and that "The damming of the Sunswick Creek cut off the flushing-out of the meadow lands and the salt water that used to ebb and flow became stagnant and slimy and filled with mosquitoes." After outbreaks of disease in 1871 and 1875,

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