2 Minutes With…Artist Edith Stephen

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Edith Stephen has been part of Westbeth Artists Housing since the start. It was once home to her dance company, but she moved in full time after her husband passed away 20 years ago.

The 13-story building at 55 Bethune Street was built in 1894 by Western Electric and eventually became home to Bell Labs. Many important 20^th century inventions were developed here, including the transistor, high fidelity recording, “talkie” movies, and both black-and-white and color television. The structure was converted for residential use after Bell Labs relocated to New Jersey.

The red ceiling in the Westbeth Lobby on Bethune Street is all that remains of the colorful common areas that used to be prevalent in the building. Edith Stephen wrote a letter to the editor at The New York Times ten years ago lamenting the loss of color. The long hallway to Stephen's apartment is uniform and white -- until you reach her door, which bears a painting of two people facing each other and an arrow in the middle. It reads Edith Stephen Video Works, and behind the door she's completing her next documentary.

Click here for more on Stephen.