Historic treasure at NYCHA housing complex is restored

A long-neglected 86-year-old work of art at a Brooklyn NYCHA complex has been restored to its former glory — and is now worthy of the Smithsonian, according to its champions.

The stunning 80-foot-long concrete frieze, “Exodus and Dance,” was created in 1939 and installed in front of the Kingsborough Houses in the Weeksville section of Crown Heights — home to one of the nation’s first free black communities — two years later.

The historic treasure’s etched reliefs depict biblical imagery and dance motifs to convey “spirituality, community and joy,” proponents said.

It was created by renowned Harlem Renaissance-era sculptor Richmond Barthé, whose work has been featured in the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

But despite community pride surrounding “The Wall,” as it’s called by Kingsborough residents, the art fell into incredible disrepair over the decades, said city Public Housing Community Fund Executive Director Alex Zablocki.

“The wall had been defaced with graffiti and due to its age, the frieze was cracked and parts were missing,” he told The Post.

After locals championed its restoration in 2018, NYCHA received $1.8 million in funding for the effort from former City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and ex-council member Alicka Ampry-Samuel.

Another $650,000 in funds were acquired by the nonprofit Public Housing Community Fund from a $2 million Mellon Foundation grant, which will also support an artist-in-residence program, oral history project and “story walk.”

“The Wall’s” refurbished art panel was unveiled to the public Aug. 7.

“It’s like something you’d see at the Smithsonian or in Washington, DC,” Zablocki said of the revitalized local treasure. “It’s really special, for it to be in public housing.”

The renovation project bagan in January 2024, when artisans from EverGreene Architectural Arts in the Bronx “meticulously” examined every panel of the massive artwork to identify cracks and missing elements, Zablocki said.

“Each panel was separately and meticulously moved from the brick wall and shipped off to The Bronx in crates,” Zablocki said, adding that experts rebuilt and recreated some missing pieces using fills, molds and archival photos for comparison.

“There were missing faces in some cases – or a missing finger or arm,” he said.

The painstaking process landed the effort a Moses Award for Preservation Projects this year by the New York Landmark Conservancy.

The revitalized piece was transported back to its Brooklyn home last summer. The historic artwork has since been sealed to endure the elements, as well as joined by commemorative plaques and an “artistic white light,” Zablocki said.

The restored public art project was feted at its unveiling with a ribbon-cutting ceremony — where officials praised it as a part of Weeksville history.

“ ‘Exodus and Dance’ is a piece that celebrates the black community and its rich history here in Weeksville,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión, Jr.

“Residents at Kingsborough Houses are fortunate to have this majestic piece of art as a landmark on their campus, and I am thrilled to see that it is restored and honored today, so that future generations will continue to recognize those who came before them, and understand the power of art to celebrate life,” Carrión said.

The restoration is only the first phase of the initiative, which seeks to implement a “story walk” around the frieze, too.

“The project is a powerful example of how placemaking and public art in open spaces can foster community connection and deepen residents’ engagement with their surroundings,” Zablocki said.

“The documentation and historical preservation aspect will serve as a blueprint for future projects that seek to empower communities and honor the legacy of NYCHA.”

Credit to Nypost AND Peoples