LaGuardia & Wagner Archives Welcomes Community to Celebrate Reopening
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (October 15, 2025) — LaGuardia Community College/CUNY hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to mark the reopening of the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives in a newly renovated and expanded location.
The Archives’ new space is located on the 7th floor of the college’s C-Building (Room C-760), 29-10 Thomson Avenue, and features a dedicated gallery, library, climate-controlled vaults, and new classrooms designed to support hands-on learning with historical artifacts.
Founded in 1982, the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives is a unique resource among CUNY campuses. Named after two transformative New York City mayors—Fiorello H. LaGuardia (1934–1945) and Robert F. Wagner (1954–1965)—the Archives preserves and illuminates the stories that shape New York City, with an emphasis on the mayoralty and the borough of Queens. Over the years, the Archives has grown to include more than two million documents and artifacts, and 100,000 digitized photographs, chronicling the city’s governance, public policy, and civic life. Collections such as the Council of the City of New York and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) offer insight into the city’s evolving political landscape and the societal forces shaping public discourse and leadership. Recent additions have focused on journalism, urban planning, and LGBTQIA+ activism.
Jennifer Jensen, director of the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, thanked partners including the New York City Council, NYCHA Community Fund, Steinway Piano, and the Leon Levy Foundation, and introduced a new student ambassador program, where students will curate the next exhibit drawing from the Archives’ 16 collections.
“This new space marks a transformative moment for the Archives,” said Jensen. “With expanded facilities and dedicated classrooms, we’re not only preserving New York City’s history—we’re empowering students to engage with it directly. Our collections are living resources, and we’re excited to see how the next generation will use them to tell the city’s stories.”
LaGuardia Community College President Kenneth Adams spoke about the significance of the Archives to the college and recognized the Archives’ founder, Dr. Richard Lieberman, who was in attendance.
“Based on Dr. Lieberman’s vision, for over 43 years the Archives has served researchers, journalists, student scholars, exhibit planners, and policymakers examining the history of Greater New York,” President Adams said. “The Archives is a reflection not only of our commitment as a college to preserving local history, but it provides students with access to primary sources related to urban studies, public policy, local history, and community engagement. This new space enhances our academic programs and supports student research, public programming, and internships in areas such as oral history, photography, writing, and public outreach.”
President Adams also noted this year marks the 90th anniversary of NYCHA, which was founded in 1935 by Mayor LaGuardia, and thanked the City Council for entrusting its legislative records to the Archives.
Council Member Julie Won (26th District, Queens) shared how the Archives has become a resource for her office and its advocacy for community resources.
“Without the Archives, we would not have had proof to show what Queensbridge Baby Park used to be, and to advocate for its restoration,” she said. “In a time when so much news is shared on social media, we still need to have the hard paper copies, as well as digital archives, to save our memories, to say when there is something that is being wronged and it’s never too late to go back to what used to be.”
“LaGuardia always has a partner in me. I’m committed to this Archive and to the school,” Council Member Won said. “So far during my tenure, we’ve secured over $10 million for the college—to fix the swimming pool, cooling center, an upgraded training facility for our nurses and first aid responders, and our new open street. Now Assembly Member Claire Valdez and I are committed to fighting to take back Newtown Creek.”
Assembly Member Valdez (36th District, Queens) congratulated the Archives staff, and said, “It’s an honor to represent a working-class institution like LaGuardia Community College, which houses an incredible archive of New York City. Looking at the pictures of Mayor LaGuardia, a true champion for labor and for immigrants, and remembering the policies he helped establish, like free CUNY for all New York residents, is incredibly empowering. There’s so much rich text here for us all to learn from.”
Council Member Lincoln Restler (33rd District, Brooklyn) acknowledged LaGuardia’s mission of economic mobility and the importance of the Archives’ collections.
“LaGuardia is where opportunity happens,” he said. “The skills, credentials, certifications, and degrees that LaGuardia students earn every single day are what actually allow for working class New Yorkers to afford to live in our ever more expensive city. These Archives have information that enables us to hold the powers that be accountable. And that’s why this living and dynamic Archive is named after two great mayors.”
Following the remarks, guests—including LaGuardia students, faculty, staff, and community partners—were offered guided tours of the newly expanded facility. Highlights included a curated exhibit by Dr. Stephen Petrus, Director of Public History Programs, featuring selected artwork and documents from the Archives’ collections. Visitors also viewed rare items from the climate-controlled vaults, including a giant autographed golden boxing glove gifted by Muhammad Ali to Mayor Abraham Beame. Each guest received a signed copy of Women in New York Government, a student-produced book inspired by the historic first female majority in the New York City Council, led by Speaker Adrienne Adams.
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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.
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