Fourth Arts Block

However, by the 1970s, the city was holding on to a large number of vacant properties, all acquired through eminent domain, with plans, developed by Robert Moses, to raze this "slum area" entirely.

The city's condition for the low rent was simply that La Mama would bear full responsibility for anything beyond the most basic maintenance of the building's shell.

However, in a decision that surprised many, the city - with unanimous support at all levels of government - decided to sell six buildings and two vacant lots on East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and the Bowery for $1 each to the artist tenants.

The East 4th Street Cultural District is only one block long, yet it encompasses 17 theaters and rehearsal studios, three film editing suites, and a large screening room.

The month kicked off with “Chalk LES,” a weekend when anyone and everyone was encouraged to write official and personal histories on sidewalks where notable events occurred.

[6] Home to both the Rod Rogers Dance Company and the DUO Multicultural Arts Center (DMAC), 62 East 4th Street is a five-story building which stands between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

[7] East 4th Street is home to more than a dozen arts and community groups, most of whom are pioneers of the block and have had long histories of racial and ethnic diversity, artistic ingenuity, and engaging low-income families: