For our senior project, Alexa and I want to photograph different areas in New York. Our essential questions are:
How do historical sites change over time vs how do general areas change over time?
How can studying NY history and photographing it improve our understanding of its future?
The primary component of our project is similar to a project we did in our 10th grade history class. In the class, we looked at a website with old photos of New York City, then recreated those photos around our neighborhood. We both really enjoyed this project because it allowed us to study New York history while analyzing its present. As seniors, we would like to take this project a step further and use our collected information to analyze the future as well. This project will also help us improve our skills in photography, which is an area of interest for both of us.
We structured our project around three main actions: initial research of a specific area, going to the site to learn through experience and take photos, and finally doing a comparative analysis on the lrei blog. The initial research will consist of locating a site and compiling information. With this information we will visit the site, take our own photos, and add more based on what we find. Finally, we will organize and compare our collected data for analyzing.
Comparing unpreserved areas of the city to old photos of those areas will show how places change over time. To catalogue how historical sites change, we will go to sites both in the city and in upstate New York, in order to have a variety of sites photographed. For example, we did preliminary research on the George Washington bridge, which will improve our understanding when we are photographing it.
Huguenot st is one example of a historical site we will photograph. This is in New Paltz, a town in upstate New York where we are able to stay. Huguenot street was built over 300 years ago and has been preserved as a historical landmark. Photographing this historic street will show how sites can be preserved, and can be compared to how sites are preserved in New York City.
Returning to the George Washington bridge example, once we have both photographs of the site, we can compare and analyze how it has changed, or not changed, over time. Our second essential question asks how this study can improve our understanding of New York’s future. Looking at and comparing old photos with the current state of New York will allow us to analyze how the state will progress and change, and this analysis will be the culmination of our project and blog.
This project is feasible because we are able to work both in the City and upstate. There are two houses accessible to us, one in New Paltz and one near Rhinebeck. These areas are rich in history and would be readily available to visit and learn about. Our next steps will be to identify which areas of the both city and upstate we want to focus on, and begin our initial research.
After the proposal pitch, Alexa and I decided to supplement our project by speaking with someone who has worked in preservation. We will be meeting with Ellen Henneberry, who is the Director of Development at the Dutchess Land Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the rural, historical land of Dutchess county.
DLC: “We encourage sound, well-planned growth balanced with the conservation of our important natural resources and working landscapes to ensure healthy and vibrant communities for the benefit of all generations.”
By meeting with Ellen throughout our project, we will gain a better understanding of preservation and how areas change. This will help us analyze and observe the change in the different areas we photograph. We have also revised our first essential question to:
What determines if a site is preserved and how do preserved vs unpreserved areas change over time?
We’ve done this to clarify the goal of our project and to illustrate our goal to learn about change in relation to preservation.
NYC History Course: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL78E65F2E6C63CD76
This is a free, published series of lectures from an NYU professor. These lectures cover the history of New York City, with 26 videos ranging from 60-90 minutes long. The course description states that the focus is primarily on the social history of the city, as well as its development. Watching these lectures over the course of the six weeks will enhance our understanding of the city’s history as we do our research on various neighborhoods. We will also be learning about various groups in the city, which can help us track development over time.
Example of a week in our project:
Monday (NYC – upstate New york):
Drive upstate from the city
Research on an upstate site
- Find old photos
- Research and chronicle history of the site and people involved
- Research and chronicle history of the area around the site
Tuesday (upstate)
Commute to the site
Photograph the site
Walk/drive around the area, visit local businesses
Wednesday (upstate)
Meet with Ellen
- Discuss recent site visits
- Learn about preservation
Create blog post
- Use photos of the site and research done beforehand
- Add additional findings after visit
- Add new knowledge on preservation, in context with the site
Thursday (upstate-NYC)
Begin research on a NYC neighborhood
Start looking for next week’s upstate site
Drive back to the city
Friday (NYC)
Research chosen neighborhood
- Find old photos to recreate
- Research and chronicle history of the neighborhood
- Research and chronicle history of the people and architecture of the neighborhood
Watch first weekly lecture
- Discuss and take notes on content
Saturday (NYC)
Commute to the neighborhood
Photograph the area and recreate chosen old photos
Walk around the area, visit local businesses
Sunday (NYC)
Create blog post
- Use photos of the neighborhood and research done beforehand
- Add additional findings after visit to the area
- Add details on preservation, in context with the neighborhood
Watch second weekly lecture
- Discuss and take notes on content