David Hochfelder, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of History at UAlbany, is working on a research project titled “98 Acres in Albany”. Your help is requested.
The research team would appreciate any help you could give in connecting with people whose lives were affected by the demolition of the area and subsequent construction of the South Mall.
The goal of this project is to build a website that will reproduce the lost streetscape based on photos held at the Albany Institute of History and Art and the NYS Archives that document almost all of the 1,200 buildings demolished as well as map the demographic and public health trends in the 98-acre area and surrounding neighborhoods.
The research team has an advance book contract with SUNY Press to publish a companion volume of photo-essays. First drafts of those essays are on this WordPress blog.
The research team’s social media outreach is here:
Twitter
Facebook
Please reach out to Dr. Hochfelder and his research team if you have relevant stories to share. Please pass word on to others you know who may have stories to share.
Thank you for helping to document and preserve the voices of those who lived in the 98 acres of Albany that are now consumed by the South Mall. Help keep history alive!
