Sure, Robert Moses may have attempted to raze Greenwich Village and turn NYC into a massive highway. But Moses also did the city some good. Here’s a look at three things we can thank Robert Moses for via Untapped Cities.
1. Public swimming pools
In 1936, Moses opened 11 public swimming pools as Parks Commissioner with Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. And over his career, Moses opened 23 public pools and bathhouses, many of which are notable for their striking designs.
2. The United Nations
According to Untapped Cities, Robert Moses worked behind the scenes to negotiate the location of the United Nations. Without Moses’ intervention, the United Nations might have ended up in Philadelphia.
3. The rejuvenation of Central Park
“When he was appointed city parks commissioner at the height of the Depression…Moses reseeded lawns, planted flowers, repaved walks, transformed the old Croton Reservoir into the Great Lawn and built a necklace of public playgrounds along the edges of the park, as well as ball fields and the Wollman Memorial Skating Rink,” according to the New York Times.
Read more about the good side of Moses at Untapped Cities. —Christopher Cameron