Frances Goldin: "Capitalism...a system where you can never have enough"
May 21, 2020 4:58 PM   Subscribe

Frances Goldin, longtime East Village/Lower East Side housing activist who ultimately out-persevered even the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, died this weekend at age 95. "[W]hile she was most visible as a protester, provocateur and spokeswoman for various lost causes, her stubbornness, forbearance and ultimately her backstage bargaining produced substantive victories."

Like her better-known counterpart Jane Jacobs, Goldin fought Robert Moses to save swaths of her neighborhood, in her case from "slum clearance." Then ensued a near fifty-year battle over land near the Williamsburg bridge from which Moses had already displaced the residents, due in large part to a powerful multi-term Speaker who didn't want his voting bloc in the neighborhood diluted by newcomers. In the end, the Speaker went to jail for other reasons and the site was finally redeveloped as Essex Crossing, which is more than fifty percent affordable rentals and includes two buildings of senior housing...one of which is the Frances Goldin Senior Apartments.

In her spare time, she ran the literary agency that represented the estate of the author of Goodnight Moon.

Really one of those remarkable New York life stories.

Frances Goldin and a Unique New York Story

Local blog EV Grieve collects memorial tweets
posted by praemunire (9 comments total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
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posted by Obscure Reference at 5:35 PM on May 21, 2020


What a life!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:51 PM on May 21, 2020


Thank you for this lovely post. Frances Goldin has been a beacon to these neighborhoods.
posted by lasagnaboy at 6:00 PM on May 21, 2020


I remember Ms. Goldin's pride parade sign but did not know so much more. Thanks for sharing.
posted by ferret branca at 6:01 PM on May 21, 2020


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posted by JoeXIII007 at 7:44 PM on May 21, 2020


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posted by flamk at 9:33 PM on May 21, 2020


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posted by quazichimp at 11:16 PM on May 21, 2020


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posted by lalochezia at 7:47 AM on May 22, 2020


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posted by filtergik at 11:50 PM on May 22, 2020


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