Values & Variety: Shopping on Fulton Street 2005

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This project, organized by the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) and Place in History in association with the Fulton Mall Improvement Association, uses oral histories, photography, and archival materials to present stories and perspectives on Fulton Street from the 1800s to the present.
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Brooklyn's Fulton Street is one of the most exhilarating public spaces in all of New York City and has been for over 100 years. A colossus of commerce, it receives over 100,000 shoppers each day. Fulton Street is easily among the most profitable commercial real estate in the entire country. It is also home to some of Brooklyn's most recognized institutions immortalized in song, film, and culture. Places like Junior's, home of Brooklyn cheesecake, and the Albee Square mall, famously favored by hip-hop artist Biz Markie, are known all over the world.
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Despite its historic link to Brooklyn's past and its financial success as a shopping area, Brooklyn's Fulton Street is rarely celebrated here in New York. Values & Variety: Shopping on Fulton Street comprises a series of historical interpretive signs highlighting Fulton Street Mall as a uniquely successful public space and commerce site. The exhibit utilizes information kiosks along Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn to tell eleven stories about eleven places on Fulton Street.
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Highlighted historical sites include:
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ABRAHAM & STRAUSS
Started as a dry-goods store by a Bavarian immigrant in 1889, Abraham & Strauss became one of Brooklyn's premier retail institutions recognized as an innovator in store displays and services. Today, the A & S building retains it's retail past as a Macy's Department Store, and Fulton Street remains a key location for both small immigrant-run businesses and national retailers.
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LOEWS METROPOLITAN THEATER
At the time of its construction, the Loews Metropolitan was the largest theater in New York City. After years of abandonment, it was restored in 2003 by the Brooklyn Tabernacle, which houses its Grammy award-winning choir in the fully restored 3000-seat theater stage.
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ALBEE SQUARE MALL
Built on the site of the Albee Theater, the Albee Square Mall became the premier hangout spot for young Brooklyn and a hip-hop landmark immortalized by Biz Markie in 1980, proclaiming "I been to many malls from state to state But I’ve never been in, say, one this great” (Albee Square Mall, 1988). Albee Square Mall has been reborn as the Gallery at Fulton Street and Fulton Street is widely acknowledged as New York’s hip-hop fashion capital, offering the hottest trends and unique styles, airbrushing, and jewelry.

Participants

Rosten Woo, Researcher, Photographer, Writer
Adam Michaels, Designer
Damon Rich, Designer
Meredith TenHoor, Writer, Researcher
Leigh Davis, Photographer
Lize Mogel

Resources & Links

Organizations

Place in History	Place in History is a nonprofit organization that sponsors collaborative projects addressing urban history, urban planning, and the physical and social fabric of the city. Through public installations, publications and events related to urban themes, the group strives to broaden public exposure to the complex histories underlying everyday urban settings.
Pratt Center for Economic and Community Development	A non-profit organization from Brooklyn, the Pratt Center assists low-income communities have a voice in local development projects.
Project Projects	Project Projects designs print, environmental, and interactive projects for arts and culture organizations.
Smack Mellon	Smack Mellon is a nonprofit arts organization located in the Dumbo area of Brooklyn. It supports emerging, under-recognized mid-career and women artists in the creation and exhibition of new work by providing exhibition opportunities, studio workspace, and access to equipment and technical assistance for the realization of ambitious projects.

Downloads

Fulton Mall signage (PDF, 13.4 MB)	A PDF of all the signs in Values & Variety
Fulton Exhibition Flyer and Map (PDF, 40.7 KB)	A map of the Values and Variety Exhibit

Press

	‘Mall of Shame?’ Time Out New York October 06, 2005 “We're trying to adopt a celebratory tone for a street that doesn't receive the nostalgia of a lot of historic preservation.” Download PDF
	‘Fulton Mall Revisited’ The Architect’s Newspaper September 21, 2005 “The dominant perception of Fulton Mall is that it's a space in decline when by an objective standard, it is one of the most successful in the city.” Download PDF
	‘Designing For Urban Education and Activism’ DESIGNER/builder December 01, 2006 “The organization is asking - and trying to answer - questions about democracy, civic participation, and social justice.” Download PDF
	‘Mind the Gap review’ flavorpill March 28, 2006 “...standouts include the Center for Urban Pedagogy, which unearth's Fulton Mall's unique urban commerce of gold dental caps and matzoh balls...” Website Download PDF
	‘The Space Between’ The Brian Lehrer Show March 05, 2006 “Can you suggest a place where artists should move?” Website

Related projects

Values & Variety: Shopping on Fulton Street is a series of projects that also includes
Mind the Gap

Values & Variety: Shopping on Fulton Street is also related to
Big up, Jamaica!
Temporary Showroom
What's Poppin at Fulton Mall?