Preservation and the Public's Housing
I've been thinking about an article I read in the New York Times on Monday. Tracie Rozhon
reported on the number of landmarks being demolished that were constructed during the 30s and 40s under the Roosevelt public works programs.
She specifically mentioned some public housing projects built during that period, and one
of them caught my eye, because I knew it well. Chicago's Lathrop Homes were built in the late 30s, which makes it one of the first federal housing projects constructed in the city. The Lathrop complex, situated on the north bank of the Chicago River, seemed to be free of the horrible living conditions that festered in so many other housing projects around the country. I think part of the reason is because of the scale of the buildings, and the attention to detail. The architects tried to make each building as unique as possible. Even the infamous Cabrini-Green started out with low-rise housing when it was first built in 1942. The disastrous social experiment that called for constructing those monolithic high-rise blocks, began the downward spiral which made so many housing projects around the world a living hell for their residents. (Chicagoans; remember when Jane Byrne became mayor and moved into one of the Cabrini high-rises?!)
I've never lived in this kind of housing, so I can't say how good or bad the experience may
be. But, from what I've read about Lathrop and the comments from residents, it seems that the presumption that all public housing is awful doesn't apply here. The city is trying to fulfill a 1996 mandate from the Feds to demolish 18,000 units and replace them with low-rise residences, and a mix of income groups. The exisiting housing stock at Lathrop is low-rise, and doesn't need any units demolished to make way for new market-rate condos and townhouses. My hope is that the city will fix-up what's already there and then sell some of the renovated apartments to higher income people if they have to. After all the President wants to create jobs through conservation and green construction, what better place to start than in Chicago and Lathrop Homes, to kick off the initiative?
flickr; Cabrini Green, Chicago, Julie A Segraves via flickr /Artwork: designslinger]
Love to hear what's on your mind and it's a gift to hear all the fascinating details! I'll be tuning in often.
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Thanks for the support!
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Grazie mille!!
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