Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation publication and photograph collection
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Abstract
A small collection of publications and photographs produced by the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation dating primarily to the 1970s and 1980s.
Historical note
The Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (known commonly as Restoration), located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, had its origins in the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, in collaboration with Senator Jacob K. Javits and Mayor John W. Lindsay, created the Special Impact Program as an amendment to the act, which mandated the formation of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Renewal and Rehabilitation Corporation and the Development Services Corporation to address the causes and consequences of poverty and urban blight in the neighborhood, in addition to serving as a national model for community development.
In 1967, the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation was formally incorporated under the leadership of its first chairman, Judge Thomas R. Jones, as the first community development corporation (CDC) in the United States. The following year, Restoration purchased a shuttered milk bottling plant on Fulton Street to serve as its corporate headquarters. Renovations to the site resulted in the construction of Restoration Plaza in 1972. In addition to serving as the Corporation's headquarters, Restoration Plaza is also home to several cultural organizations, locally-owned businesses, non-profit organizations, and government offices.
Since its founding, the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation has provided services to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in four major areas: affordable housing; employment; business and economic development; and arts & culture. As of 2010, Restoration has constructed or rehabilitated 2200 housing units in the neighborhood; provided mortgage financing to nearly 1500 homeowners; attracted $375 million in investments to the neighborhood and created over 20,000 jobs; and established the Billie Holiday Theatre, the Skylight Gallery, and the Youth Arts Academy.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series by type.
Scope and Contents
The bulk of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation publication and photograph collection consists of copies of Restoration, the Corporation's bi-monthly newsletter, spanning the dates 1969 to 1983. The newsletters document projects and events sponsored by Restoration, issues of concern to residents in the neighborhood, success stories of residents assisted by Restoration, and so forth. Also included are a copy of Restoration's annual report for 1968; three black-and-white photographs of buildings in Bedford-Stuyvesant (including a housing project built by the Corporation), circa 1985 and circa 1970 to 1979; a children's coloring book published by Restoration, circa 1970 to 1979; and two programs from performances staged at the Billie Holiday Theatre, circa 1972 to 1979.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation publication and photograph collection, ARC.124, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Other Finding Aids
Item level description and digital surrogates of the photographs are available in the image database in the library reading room under the object ID prefixes V1987.48 and V1990.7.
About this Guide
Processing Information
This collection combines the accessions V1990.048, V1990.007, as well as materials collected by the staff of the Long Island Historical Society during the 1970s and 1980s and materials from the Brooklyn Collection clippings files.
