Not For Sale 2004
Distributed by Cinema Guild, 115 West 30th Street, Suite 800, New York, NY 10001; 212-685-6242
Produced by Ephemeral Pictures
Directed by Yael Bitton
VHS, color, 58 min.
College - Adult
Latin American Studies, Multicultural Studies, Real Property, Sociology, Urban Studies, Architecture
Date Entered: 10/29/2004
Reviewed by Betsy Butler, Special Collections Librarian, The Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, OHAdapting existing structures to new uses is a common theme in urban renewal. Often, a changing neighborhood means displacing familiar landmarks and transforming the lives of longtime residents.
Not For Sale chronicles life between 2000 and 2002 on New York City’s East Seventh Street, when a traditionally Hispanic and African-American neighborhood known as Loisaida undergoes the first steps of transformation into a community for young professionals.
Once a popular hangout for drug dealers, Loisaida is home to a writer, a social worker, a hardworking laundress, an elderly mother, and a bicycle repairer. When the neighborhood’s public garden, Esperanza, is bulldozed to make way for luxury condominiums, these residents share their memories of what used to define their neighborhood and how much it is changing. They also are adamant in their belief that their neighborhood doesn’t need these wealthy people who are driving out the area’s existing culture.
Architecturally, this documentary offers visual delights. Carefully wrought details of existing buildings can be studied and compared against the streamlined structures being built to house well-to-do residents.
Bitton’s thoughtful capturing of these first-person narratives on film makes this ever-present challenge of urban renewal come alive for the viewer. Using oral histories to document unsettling change is an effective means for studying this important civic issue and its effect upon existing residents.
Students of architecture, journalism, sociology, and multiculturalism will find this program to be a fine addition to a collection.