Humans of the Archway
By Hanna Park
DUMBO, Brooklyn– Under the 45’ high cathedral-like ceiling, people get drunk from the music, booze, or both. A huge crowd sways to the deep mellow tunes emanating from the saxophone and bass. Vendors with miso-noodles and corn cheese are neatly packed to the sides, with chatty groups gleefully awaiting their free food. Meanwhile, an artwork projected on the wall is left ignored by the oblivious audience humming to the jazz band staged upfront.
The Archway, carved under the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo, celebrated its 10th Anniversary Party on June 21st. The event commemorates the community’s reclamation of the 7000 square-foot vaulted space from New York City in 2007. The party has been held free every annual summer evening since 2009.
These are some of the colorful characters from that night.
Amaury Acosta, 30, is a Cuban jazz-funk musician based in New York.
When asked if he was enjoying his time, his eyes widened in delight as he pointed to the overhanging bridge bustling with cars, “I feel like we’re in a Batman movie!”
He had high hopes of having an epiphany for a new tune that night. Eyeing a retro black Gotham City police car — a flower-adorned prop from the Batman series “Gotham” that had been filmed in the area, Acosta said, “That’s inspiring to me. The sounds I would put to that would be something that resembles the shades of the flowers but also the darkness of the car.” He added that the inspiration for his music largely reflects his experiences, so listeners would hear what he saw.
Jenny McGowan, a.k.a. Ms. Saturn is also an artist — a circus performer who has appeared as one of the hula-hoop artists at the Archway Anniversary since 2015.
She said bringing people together was the most rewarding part of the experience. “During our first time doing this, we only had 15 people in the audience. Now it has become this whole other entity.”
As with Acosta, McGowan found inspiration at the event, specifically with the crowd. Dressed in a pink polka-dot costume, she took quick bites into her nachos, laughed, and said, “I perform for the children and drunk people. They’re similar because they don’t filter. It’s really about framing them right, and finding the moment to interact with them, which is quite lovely.”
Before the Archway became a communal hub, it was a giant dusty blockade fenced at both ends that stored scrap metal and tools for the City’s Department of Transportation and Bridges. The Anniversary was a celebration of how that facility was transformed into the plaza it is today.
Alexandria Sica, the executive president of the DUMBO Business Improvement District, which hosted this event, explained how the group had been vital in pushing for community use of this space for years. “Not only was it a sin to have this amazing space be closed off to the public, it created a very stark dividing line between the east and the west side of the neighborhood.”
Now, fittingly, the archway is a place of inclusion where locals and tourists alike come together.
While the Archway has been transformed, it retains remnants of its past. Pointing to the metal posts arranged along both sides of the Archway, she said, “These are parts of the old shelving units.”
When asked about her memories of the Archway, Ms. Sica beamed. “I think I saw some kids here who I’ve seen since they were one year old. To see what impact we’ve had in their life experience is just incredibly satisfying.”
A decade later, the Archway boasts a stately presence; perhaps because of the rich history she has endured. As she spreads her dome-like wings, curious families, quirky artists, and vibrant individuals pour inside to gain shelter underneath.
