Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, Community activism museum in East Village, Manhattan, US.
The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space documents neighborhood transformations through photographs, multimedia displays, and objects in a former squat building. The collection focuses on movements that converted vacant buildings into community spaces.
Founded in 2012 as part of C-Squat, it preserves the story of how residents converted abandoned buildings into communal spaces during the 1970s recession. This period shaped the neighborhood's identity around grassroots activism and community self-help.
The space displays protest materials, stencil art, and records of community gardens that locals created and maintained over decades. These pieces show how residents took ownership of their neighborhood through direct action.
The museum is housed in an accessible building in East Village and offers guided walking tours that showcase nearby sites connected to neighborhood history. Visitors should plan time to explore both the interior exhibits and the surrounding block.
The museum's reception desk is built from reclaimed police barricades, symbolizing how tools of control became instruments of community building. This detail reflects the core message of the entire institution.
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