In support of: The Neighborhood That Disappeared

Every now and then, we come across a gem on Kickstarter that passes the KAB test of “this is actually worth supporting.”

The project, titled, “The Neighborhood That Disappeared” is aiming to get funding to cover cost to produce a documentary film focusing on the disappearance of Albany’s Old Italian neighborhood, which was evicted and destroyed in 1962 in order to build the mammoth Empire State Plaza.

It’s crazy to think that the Plaza was built relatively not that long ago and during most of our parent’s lifetimes, no less. The Old Italian neighborhood was an important part of Albany’s 400 year history and while it is impossible to have a full archive of resources and materials from the neighborhood’s era due to a lack of technology, the team behind the project has collected Polaroids, old photos, 40 hours of interview footage from former residents and over 700 photos and documents scanned to help tell the story.

This important project for preserving our local history and culture has already met its goal but you can still donate. The project is estimated to be completed by May 2014.

Check out the trailer beneath the cut!