In the later parts of the 20th century, the city government launched a program that would utilize the plethora of abandoned buildings in the neighborhoods in a way that would enrich the surrounding and environment and in turn New York City as a whole. One of the primary ways in which the Long Island City area was utilized at the time was as a base location for the development of the art scene in New York. In 1971 MoMa PS1 was founded by Alanna Heiss as part of a project that called for the utilization of abandoned houses and buildings. Since the time of its inception the exhibit consistently as housed amazing exhibits of the finest contemporary art around at the time in special classroom sized rooms that is attributed to the building being a school. In addition to the PS1, another important art instalment in the Long Island City Area is the 5points area which again demonstrates the utilization of unused space in a neighborhood in order to create something beautiful. In addition to this currently many of the unused warehouse spaces available for rent in the Long Island City area is being used for studio spaces for many artists. The positive development of the Long Island City area is reflected through the continued presence of the arts in the neighborhood.
