Vitagraph Studios
The Midwood Development Corporation, in collaboration with the Urban Memory Project, will lead a Jane’s Walk NYC, exploring the history of the film industry in Midwood. The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) is the proud local organizer for Jane’s Walk NYC, which has grown from 23 walks in 2011 into one of the largest festivals in the world.
The Midwood walk will take place on Sunday, May 8th, at 3 pm. It will highlight the Vitagraph Company of America (Avenue M and East 14th Street), which built the nation’s first modern film studio in 1906, where it operated until 1925 as one of the most prolific moving picture companies in the world, making Brooklyn the epicenter of film production long before Hollywood. Architectural remnants of the old studio buildings still exist; the walk will include a tour of those structures, as well as an overview of Vitagraph’s significant contributions to early film history, including its prolific output of classic silent films, the world’s first movie stars, and the impact of Vitagraph’s success on the social and economic development of Midwood. For more information about the walk and to register, please click here.
About the Walk Leaders
Melissa Friedling is an award-winning filmmaker and author. Her creative work has been selected for numerous international festivals and has also been presented in galleries and museums. In all her work, she is dedicated to teaching children and adults about the history, theory and practice of filmmaking and has been part of a community preservation and education initiative to commemorate the architectural remains very first modern film studio in the country – the Vitagraph Company complex in the Midwood section of Brooklyn. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Filmmaking and Director of Undergraduate Programs in the School of Media Studies at The New School in New York City. She lives in Midwood with her husband and two sons.
Nellie Perera is an actress and theater educator living in Brooklyn. She has worked in the field of arts in education for twenty years, and became fascinated by NYC history while working at the Henry Street Settlement and collaborating with Gotham Center for New York City History to develop interactive, arts based curricula for DOE Social Studies teachers. Nellie currently consults with the Urban Memory Project to bring NYC neighborhoods’ history to life through interactive public programs.
MAS is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to safeguarding the city’s past while advancing the best ideas for tomorrow. We advocate for a more livable city by inspiring, educating, and empowering New Yorkers to engage in the betterment of our city. MAS is committed to highlighting the importance of Jane Jacobs’s legacy, which continues to inspire our work year-round. Click here to learn more about Jane’s Walk NYC and the MAS.