Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space facts for kids
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A French marching band in front of MoRUS
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| Established | 2012 |
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| Location | 155 Avenue C, Manhattan, New York 10009 |
The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) is a special museum in New York City. It was started in 2012 by the Times Up! Environmental Organization. This museum collects and shares the history of how people in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan worked together to create community gardens and use abandoned buildings. It also shows how they fought for environmental causes.
MoRUS is located at 155 Avenue C, inside a building called C-Squat. The museum teaches visitors how people in the neighborhood turned empty spaces and lots into useful places like homes and gardens. By keeping this history alive, the museum hopes to inspire communities and individuals to continue this kind of helpful, community-focused action.
Contents
How the Museum Started
The Lower East Side in the 1970s
During the 1970s, New York City faced tough economic times. The city had to cut back on many services, especially in neighborhoods like the Lower East Side. Many building owners left their properties empty, even if people still lived there. This caused many residents to leave the neighborhood.
However, the Lower East Side was home to many artists, musicians, and activists. Instead of moving away, these residents decided to take action. They fixed up abandoned buildings, turning them into shared living spaces. These included homesteads, squats, and community centers.
Community Action and Gardens
In these new spaces, residents held meetings, shared skills, and worked together to manage their homes. They also transformed empty lots into beautiful community gardens. These gardens became important gathering places for everyone.
The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space was founded by Bill Di Paola and Laurie Mittelmann. Their goal was to save the history of New York City's Lower East Side. They also wanted to celebrate the local communities that worked together to make the neighborhood a special place.
What You Can See at the Museum
Location and Exhibits
The museum is located in the storefront of C-Squat. This is one of the few original squats still used in the Lower East Side. MoRUS is very focused on its local community. Volunteers from the neighborhood run the museum.
The museum shares the neighborhood's history through exhibits, walking tours, and special events. Its permanent exhibits explore different parts of the area's unique history. These include topics like how people live in a sustainable way, activist spaces, and the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Special Tours and Publications
The museum also has changing exhibits. These have covered topics like political street posters from the 1980s and the community garden movement. Currently, there is an exhibit about the punk music movement and its connection to activism.
The museum offers educational walking tours. These tours take visitors through neighborhood squats and community gardens. Guides explain the complex stories and challenges people faced with developers and police over control of urban spaces. The tour guides are often activists and historians from the neighborhood. The museum believes these activities help connect the neighborhood's history of activism with the idea of living sustainably.
In 2020, the museum published its own book. It is called History of the East Village & Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. This book tells the story of MoRUS and the history of the East Village neighborhood.
Images for kids
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An event in the Museum's lobby.
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Volunteers work to preserve and protect the history of their neighborhood through archival work.
