Afterlives of San Juan Hill

In 1958, an emerging Puerto Rican community was displaced from New York City’s Lincoln Square and San Juan Hill neighborhoods to make way for the construction of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Fordham University. Infamously called “the Puerto Rican Slum” and “the worst slum in New York,” by the architect of New York’s Urban Renewal Process, Robert Moses, Lincoln Square and San Juan Hill were home to approximately 2,000 Puerto Ricans. Utilizing never before seen archival documents made available to CENTRO by the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts and other archival materials from that time period, this exhibit delves into the larger history of the Lincoln Square Urban Renewal project and traces the process through which these families were disrupted and displaced. These records invite us to engage in a necessary reframing of the scripts that bolstered dispossession in the name of development across New York City in the mid-20th century. By delving into the lived experiences of the community’s residents, Afterlives of San Juan Hill highlights the individual stories of Lincoln Square residents during this pivotal time.

Though archival records allow us to revisit the past, the way data is collected can create narratives controlled by those in power. Afterlives of San Juan Hill combines data analysis with archival documents, visual storytelling, and oral histories to offer a community centered perspective on a crucial period in US urban history. At the center of this exhibit are the experiences of the Ramírez Zapata family: María Zapata and her four children Gustavo, Magdalena, Harry, and Miguel Ramírez Zapata, one of thousands of families that were displaced in the name of urban development. These histories of dispossession and erasure are as crucial today as they were in the 1950s, and we are honored to illuminate an undertold aspect of New York City history through the lens and stories of those who were directly affected.

Curated by Dr. Cristel M. Jusino Díaz and Christopher López

Curatorial Support and and Research Team: Jorge Soldevila Irizarry, Damayra Figueroa Lazú, Dr. Laura Colón Meléndez, Monique Young, Camila Juarbe, Arianna Meneses, and Maya Borg

Exhibition Production Team: Glorimar García and Sebastián Meltz-Collazo

Graphic Design: Brandon Chacón and Alyssa Chambers