Empire State Plaza bustled (not really) on a recent weekday morning.

If you want to understand New York's capital city and its continuing struggles, "The Neighborhood that Disappeared" is a good place to start.

Released 10 years ago, the documentary directed and produced by Mary Paley details the eradication of an Albany neighborhood for the construction of Empire State Plaza. Which is to say, it documents how a patronizing governor first elected in 1958 ripped out the city's heart to build a massive and soulless monument to his ego and state government.

"The people who lived there were shamed by Nelson Rockefeller, who called the entire area a slum," said Paley, who lives in Albany's Melrose neighborhood. "That was a big lie."

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The supposed slum was the city's so-called "Garlic Core," an area packed with Italian immigrants, mostly, but also recent arrivals who were Jewish, German, Irish, Armenians and French-Canadian. The razing of 98 acres cost Albany roughly 300 businesses, four churches and untold architectural treasures.

Most important, though, was the human toll. More than 9,000 residents were forced to relocate, breaking community bonds and hearts.........

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