by Mary Paley
Albany, New York's Little Italy was a tidy urban village remembered for its fragrant kitchens, religious feasts, and stoop conversations. When Governor Rockefeller razed forty square blocks to build his colossus in Albany's South End, these simple enjoyments came to an end.
Bob Paley's images for The Knickerbocker News did more than document the lengthy construction of the Empire State Plaza. While visiting the site allocated for demolition, his lens was startled by images of gleaming produce and a blue haired lady pruning roses.
A builder by avocation, my father was awed by the magnitude of what emerged as the Mall began to rise. But his architectural photos taken from 1962 to 1972 continue to ask, how much is too much? Should a handful of power brokers have free rein to destroy a shared public culture?
Albany's Little Italy did not enjoy the span of what should have been a long and natural life. In the name of urban renewal, Nelson Rockefeller eliminated the charm and substance of this handmade world.
The Neighborhood That Disappeared will document this pivotal moment. Paley's images, snapshots from residents, primary source oral histories, and video of selected subjects will bear witness to the human story beneath the cornerstone of Albany's South Mall.