golscorer4's thesis project

[numstead]

ummm, apologies again

so, we've done a few research exercises so far in our thesis prep seminar in order to flush out our ideas and establish some precedents, below is my response to one of those assignments...

Urban Renewal rolled through many large American cities between 1945 and 1970, subsidized heavily by the national government during an era of post-war growth in the United States. Grand Rapids got hit hard like the others. Nearly half of the downtown area was scoured to make way for corporate, government, and civic redevelopment of the modernist variety. The erasures included historic City Hall and county seat buildings as well as an area often regarded then as `skid row

[numstead]

Basically, I've become enamored with the prospects of a thesis project based on Urban Renewal, looking at the resulting effects and the potentials that might be there.

What resulted from the work above, through conversations with my thesis advisers, is a shift in my pre-conceptions of site and program (see my introductory post) to a focus on circumstance and methodology; using Grand Rapids as a model for my explorations into a proposal that could have relevance in other places.

The idea arose to create a cast of archetypal "urban characters" (in the spirit of John Hejduk's Lancaster/Hanover Masque) that play themselves out in a territory of the city - Vandenberg Center in my case - each loaded with their own unique roles, histories, motives, ideals, values, inspirations, etc. These characters could be, but are not limited to; the Conventioner, the Philanthropic Patron, the Civic Sculpture (characters aren't limited to people), the Banker, the Yuppie, the Suburbanite, the Urban Planeteer (aka the Armchair Developer ), et. al.

Using these characters, I hope to see the city through different eyes. Each will engage the city in a very specific way or need something to encourage them to engage the city. This is where the architectural project will enter the discussion. At this point I don't see one big project, but a series of of smaller, networked, character-informed, architectural interventions across a large area.

Your suggestions for characters are welcome. I need to compile a big list so I can then edit and distill them down into a really robust cast. Please provide a short description if you make a suggestion. You could also help me start to define the Urban Planet character.

Ideas for more characters are welcome

[Raildudes dad]

Urban Renewal rolled through many large American cities between 1945 and 1970, subsidized heavily by the national government during an era of post-war growth in the United States. Grand Rapids got hit hard like the others. Nearly half of the downtown area was scoured to make way for corporate, government, and civic redevelopment of the modernist variety. The erasures included historic City Hall and county seat buildings as well as an area often regarded then as `skid row

[tamias6]

I'd have to disagree on "nearly half" of downtown was scoured. Urban "renewal" downtown was from bounded by I-196, Ionia, Lyon & the river. Downtown extended east to CC, south to Wealthy, from Lafayette west to the freeway in that area and even futher south along Divison. There still were businesses on the westvside of the river from Bridge to Fulton, east of 131. (A bee keeper supply house was there among others). Urban renewal on the west side was from I -196 to Webster from 131 to the river. The City Hall, County Building and the Police Station were very run down and way too small. Today they would have been rehabbed and returned to their original grandeur but that wasn't the mindset back then. Lower Monroe was "skid row". Almost all if not all store fronts were vacant from Lyon to Michigan and lots of "homeless" loitering on the sidewalks (took the city bus home from school thru there every night '65, 66' 67').

So in the long run the Urban renewal help the city more than hurt it?

[Raildudes dad]

So in the long run the Urban renewal help the city more than hurt it?

That's not what I disagreed with, just the comment that nearly half of downtown was "scoured".

[fotoman311]

^Bump

Hey golscorer...I know I saw a preliminary model of your project on Flickr. Just wondering if it was done yet.

[numstead]

Well, this is a long time coming, but I've finally published my Thesis project to the web.

You can download a PDF for free from Lulu...

link

[AlexPKeaton]

I'm still reading, but so far I love your ideas for the wall along Monroe. I hadn't thought of pushing it back to the base of City Hall. There really is potential for this area yet.

[Veloise]

Golscorer, are you on Cyburbia? Might get some good comments there.

cyburbia.org

[Veloise]

Bumping this to make it easy to find once I share with the MLive series celebrating the 50th anniversary of urban renewal DT.

 

http://topics.mlive.com/tag/GR-urban-renewal/posts.html#incart_big-photo

[Veloise]

And we have a summary.

 

Although that plan failed, Daverman and others maintain something needs to be done about the imposing stone wall below the complex, fronting Monroe Avenue.

Aspiring architect Nathan Umstead envisions a future where the stone wall is replaced by an open Monroe level plaza that includes stairs for connecting the two levels and new retail space fronting the convention center. It’s a far cry from how the city now invites people into their seat of government – through a dark tunnel.

His plan, a University of Michigan thesis project prior to his hiring at Integrated Architecture, also envisions a new pedestrian bridge over Monroe Avenue and a viewing tower on the plaza for people to see the Calder painting atop the Kent County administration building, which many people forget is even there.

“There are certainly ideas to help rethink what could be done with that space as opposed to just wiping it clean like they did 50 years ago,” he said.

 

 

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/06/urban_renewal_was_it_worth_it.html#incart_river_default