1956 - 1980
Street scene, Williamsburg, 1975. Courtesy of Frank Espada http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/showcase-73/
The attempts to modernize New York City in the 1950s and 1960s ultimately wreaked havoc on Williamsburg. Urban renewal plans aimed to improve communities and the standard of living throughout the city proved detrimental to the neighborhood and translated to high levels of crime, depopulation, and disinvestment. Many influential community organizations formed in response to the growing issues in the neighborhood.