The Grand Street Cooperatives, boasting 4500 apartments and consuming a large amount of real estate from the East River to Essex Street, loom large on the Lower East Side. If you don’t live in one of four mid-century developments built by the trade unions, the co-ops might seem like a mystifying world. Coming up Monday, June 2, we’re partnering with the Manny Cantor Center at the Educational Alliance for a panel discussion looking at the ways in which the co-ops are changing today.
The lively conversation will be moderated by Laurie Gwen Shapiro, who grew up in the East River Houses, and is a writer and filmmaker. We’ll be hearing from a variety of people with different experiences living on Grand Street. Our guests include local residents Dominic Berg, Jonathan Medows, Mathew Quezada and Arlene Chadnow.
The cooperatives have a fascinating and controversial history, and today, following privatization well over a decade ago, they are rapidly transforming. During our discussion, we’ll talk about the benefits and pitfalls these changes are bringing to the co-ops specifically and to the neighborhood as a whole.
The free event is on Monday, June 2, at 7 p.m. The Manny Cantor Center is located at 197 East Broadway; we’ll be meeting in their beautiful, new sixth floor community space. Local beer, kosher wine and snacks will be provided. Click here to RSVP. You can also check out some other events coming up at the Manny Cantor Center here.
