On the fortieth anniversary of the destruction of two legendary Broadway theaters, the Rail takes readers to the moment of demolition, spotlighting the activists who tried to stop it.

“I’ll tell you very frankly,” said the man in the trench coat. “These theaters are going to come down. The Supreme Court has lifted the stay.” A thousand sighs rose into the cold morning air. After eighteen days on the street, twenty-six months of organized protest, and a decade of debate, the decision had finally arrived. It was over. They had lost.

Read the essay HERE.