This is a guest post by Nancy Groce, Senior Folklife Specialist at the American Folklife Center.
Sometimes, folklife and cultural expressions can be ancient and enduring, and other times they are more ephemeral. This is a case of the latter. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was intrigued by the sudden appearance of thousands of dining sheds built by New York City restaurants, cafés, and dining establishments in response to restrictions on in-door dining.
As a folklorist, I was charmed by the creativity, traditions, and ethnicity displayed in these often do-it-yourself structures. I spent days walking COVID-quiet New York streets documenting more than 700 of the 12,000 dining sheds then operating in New York’s five boroughs. I wrote about my research in a 2021 Folklife Today blog “Pandemic Folk Architecture: Outdoor Dining Sheds and Urban Creativity on the Sidewalks of New York” and I donated my photographs to the AFC Archive. [Editor’s note: Groce’s collection “Pandemic Folk Architecture: Outdoor Dining Structures in New York City, 2021” (AFC 2021/014), consisting of 725 images and fieldnotes, is available for research at the American Folklife Center Reading Room.]
At the time, I thought these urban “streeteries” might not last – and indeed, this proved to be the case. At the beginning of August, New York City’s new Dining Out N.Y.C. program took effect, which will result in the removal of most of the remaining dining sheds. Although more than 1,900 restaurants have applied to take part in the new program, the revised regulations will result in sheds that are more seasonal and less elaborate. (See the New York Times August 3, 2024 article “Street Sheds Transformed New York City Dining. Many Will Soon Disappear.” )
Anyhow, last week I was reminded of the dining sheds – and the ephemerality of folk culture –when I saw workers dismantling the dark blue shed for Meijin Ramen in Manhattan’s Yorkville neighborhood. I had spent a lot of time in that particular shed waiting for the pandemic to end. I’m glad the restaurant survived and is doing well, but I’ll miss sitting in the shed watching Second Avenue go by! But then, the sheds are more than just neutral structures – they are a reminder of the disruption and anxiety caused by COVID-19. I’d like to think their disappearance is a positive sign that society is recovering and moving on.
Collection Connections & Further Reading
Related American Folklife Center Collections
- The Nocturnists: Stories from a Pandemic collection, 2020-2022 – audio diaries from medical professionals about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on their professional and personal lives
- Pandemic Pregnancy Project collection, 2021-2023 – stories of people primarily in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Chicago, who experienced pregnancy and birth during COVID-19
- Nursing America’s Veterans – includes discussions about the pandemic’s impact on Veteran Administration staff and patients
Related Library of Congress Collections
- COVID-19: American Experiences Gallery 1 – photos and graphic artworks from the Library of Congress’ Flickr group
- Pandemic Diary: Camilo J. Vergara’s Photographs Documenting COVID-19 – documentation of COVID-19 in New York City
COVID-19 American History Project
The COVID-19 American History Project is a Congressionally mandated initiative of the American Folklife Center to document and preserve Americans’ stories about the COVID-19 pandemic. See more information about the project at the links below:
Research Guide:
- Stories from the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Resource Guide – overview of collections internal, and external to, the Library of Congress related to the COVID-19 pandemic
Blog Posts:
- To learn about the launch of the COVID-19 American History Project, visit:
- To learn about the work of the the project’s three contracted fieldworkers, visit:
- COVID Recollections: A Conversation with Anita Grant and Joél Maldonado of Gran Enterprises for the COVID-19 American History Project
- COVID Recollections: Interviewing Appalachian Child Care Workers for the COVID-19 American History Project
- COVID Recollections: “People Make the World Move”- Pandemic Stories from New Orleans-Area Service and Hospitality Workers
- To learn about how you can have your own COVID-19 experience preserved at the Library of Congress, visit:
Comments
Thank you so much, Ms. Grace, for donating your photos. I enjoyed the original 2021 blogpost. I had shared it with my son, a “foodie” who was living in NYC at the time. Though I am saddened to see the era end, I’m grateful that it’s archived for future enjoyment.