Sharing the surprising history of two (no three!) architectural relics on the Queens waterfront
I was intrigued when a friend (and Mets fan) mentioned to me that there were two architecturally interesting bus shelters near Shea Stadium.I immediately opened Google Maps to get the satellite view and investigate further and was instantly suspicious about the so called bus shelter function, so decided to find out more.
A multi-year research investigation followed, including diving into several obscure archives, documenting the structures, questioning every lead, visiting the NYC Parks Department headquarters and more. I dragged my friend (who had originally brought them to my attention) along even when he lost interest and insisted that we’d never solve the mystery.
I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but I will say that the two structures were definitely NOT bus shelters, were not built by the architect (Felix Candela) they came to be named after, and they had a third sibling that was moved upstate and reconfigured into a dramatic private cabin in the woods that I was lucky enough to get to stay in one autumn weekend. My friend and I were able to track down and interview two daughters of the original architect and right the record on these unique structures.
Photos from the Flushing, Queens waterfront
My goal with the project was to understand and then share the story behind these roadside relics. I had a few key questions: Who designed and built them and when? What was their original purpose? And most importantly, would it be possible to save them from their evident decay? And of course onceI realized there was a missing third structure, what had become of it, and why was it gone when the other two remained?
The process was mainly a research project, but once the first few answers were found I also built a website to share information and hopefully turn up more (it did!), and with my friend put on a gallery show sharing current and historic photos, models I made, and other information about these unique relics of New York City history. The New York Times covered the project just before the show opened, and my friend and I later co-write a story for the Metro section outlining the additional information we learned after the first article went to press and I wrote a couple of long-form essays for Urban Omnibus.
This was a different kind of project for me, but fell naturally into my love of research, my stubbornness once I get an unanswered question in my head, and the fun I have putting my ideas and understanding into a sharable physical form.
Photos from the City Reliquary show
Visit the blog:
Article I wrote for Urban Omnibus:
New York Times article about the project:
New York Times article about the third structure:
