The restoration of Exodus and Dance, an 80-foot cast-stone frieze by Harlem Renaissance sculptor Richmond Barthé, revitalizes one of the nation’s most significant WPA-era public artworks—and one of the few monumental sculptures by an African American artist installed in public housing. Located at Kingsborough Houses in Brooklyn, the project combined advanced conservation, environmental resilience, and community-centered design to preserve a cultural landmark at the heart of a NYCHA development. After decades of exposure, the frieze faced structural instability, material deterioration, and site conditions that limited public use. NYCHA, the Public Housing Community Fund, and a multidisciplinary team led a comprehensive 18-month restoration that involved full dismantling, stabilization, cleaning, reassembly, and appropriate modern anchoring techniques meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. The surrounding plaza was reimagined as an accessible, welcoming public space with improved lighting, ADA pathways, and program infrastructure responsive to resident needs. The project embodies design excellence by merging heritage conservation with social impact. It strengthens cultural continuity, elevates Black artistic legacy, and restores a beloved gathering place for a historically underserved community. Through public-private collaboration, innovative problem-solving, and resident partnership, Exodus and Dance demonstrates how preservation in public housing can shape resilient, equitable, and vibrant civic spaces.
