Project Summaries
WEEKEND PROJECT (Saturday): Emerson Park Development Corporation
Recruitment/Outreach of Neighborhood
PARTICIPANTS:
Students: Beth Pagano, Katie Sharp, Mike Locigno,
Catherine McCulloch, Mike Benes,
Michelle Hawkins
Professor: Kathy Anthony
Residents: Kathy Haywood, Donna
WRITERS: Mike Benes and Michelle Hawkins
The purpose of our project was to inform residents about the Emerson Park Neighborhood Association and of the tasks the Association would like to accomplish in the upcoming years. Our main goal was to reach as many families as possible in order to convince them that their voices and opinions are extremely important in the effort to turn the Emerson Park community around. The Emerson Park Neighborhood Association is responsible for the construction of the new Metrolink light rail station on 15th street, the Parson’s Place Housing Project, and single family housing throughout the area. In addition, the Association is in charge of the demolition of derelict structures, neighborhood watch, among other projects.
The goals of the Association are as follows:
In order to accomplish our task we split into two groups, each group
in charge of half of the neighborhood. We walked from door to door
distributing pamphlets that explained the goals and tasks of the Emerson
Park Neighborhood Association. We notified residents of the neighborhood
monthly meeting in which their views can be expressed concerning community
changes, problems, etc. Residents were asked to record their name,
address, and phone number so that further information could be mailed to
them and so that they could be reminded of future meetings and projects.
As a group, we covered a majority of the 55 Emerson Park neighborhood blocks,
compiling a mailing list of approximately 50 residents. Overall,
we felt that our effort was successful.
DINNER TABLE CONVERSATION
On Friday, September 17, 1999, thirty-two architecture students from the University of Illinois found themselves enjoying dinner at a Ramada Inn in Fairview Heights, IL, nearly 200 miles from campus. The setting sounds out of the ordinary in comparison to the average college student’s meal…and it was. Under the guidance of Robert Selby and Kathryn Anthony, these students have accepted the challenge to take part in the revitalization of East St. Louis, IL, by designing new model homes for the Emerson Park Community. The dinner was to be a relaxed atmosphere in which the students were given the opportunity to meet with residents of Emerson Park.
Kathy Haywood, a resident and representative of the Emerson Park Development Corporation, shared her meal, as well as her desires, with nine university students. Included among the group were Arturo Barin, Michael J. Benes, Michelle Hawkins, Manuel Hernandez, Kyle Kim, Michael Locigno, Beth Pagano, Jenna Staab, and Juli Stahl. The two-hour “interview” was predominantly focused on Kathy’s experiences and desires as a resident, homeowner, wife, and mother of three. She was born and raised in East St. Louis and was able to give the students a thorough past and present history of the community, as well as a future outlook.
Most importantly, Kathy gave a wonderfully detailed analysis of her desires for her affordable dream home. The guidelines and suggestions she proposed gave the students a better understanding of how to approach the design process. Thinking about the future, Kathy immediately requested that she not have to tackle stairs during her daily routine. She came to the table specifically suggesting a one-story house, but she was persuaded by students’ ideas of possibly incorporating subtle level changes or of placing the children’s bedrooms upstairs. For Kathy, the kitchen and family room were spaces of concentration. She desired to have both pushed toward the rear of the house, each with window views to the backyard. They are to be separated in such a way that a “kitchen mess” would not be visible by guests seated in the family room. These two dominant spaces could be connected by a secondary space that would include an eating area and computer workstation. The family room should be designed as a large space to accommodate gatherings with extended family and friends. Ample storage space was stressed to be an important feature. Proposed suggestions included a utility room connected to a deep garage, linen closets in the bathrooms, kitchen cabinets for storing cans and boxes, and built-in drawers within the closets to replace bedroom dressers. Kathy was surprisingly not interested in a large front porch, nor did she have much concern for maintaining a sizable yard. Her focus was primarily on the house and the amenities it could provide. However, the exterior of the house itself did inspire conversation. A layered and unique façade with a possible stone ledge (or entire brick front) and wood entry door were most desirable. Spotlighting to illuminate the front façade and a backyard patio were also requested.
Beyond the description of the house, Kathy gave some interesting insights about growing up and living in the neighborhood of East St. Louis. She spoke of the growing desire of residents to leave East St. Louis for a place that would better reflect their potential. Along with many parents, she encourages her children to strive for an athletic scholarship because it is one of the few remaining paths to a college education. Kathy also emphasized that property taxes are excessively high because commercial revenue is nearly nonexistent. Her input provided many of the students, who have not experienced such circumstances in their own hometowns, a revelation about the great effect their service as designers could have in developing a new and improved community.
Index | Intro
| Terms | History |
Vernacular
Architecture | Harlem Renaissance |
User
Needs | Racial Segregation | Stats
| Front Yard Design | References
| Summary
