to answer your question vado, they have a storage container on sight with a huge padlock and chain on it.. but it's still been broken into a couple of times to my knowledge. usually it's known who to blame but you gotta catch em before they resell or take whatever to the scrap yard down the street. by then, it's too late.
Lets all save our breath and talk about something other than Detroit.
The city is a joke because the leadership there is just so horrible. After living there for 2 years and trying out the urban pioneer thing I can honestly tell you it's among the worst places in the world to actually live. I would argue that a favella in Rio is about as safe as some of the neighborhoods in and around the D. Detroit is only significant as the absolute worst american city and possibly the most dangerous place in the continental united states. Unless your looking for competitively priced crack, gambling and a place to conduct some random acts of violance, I'd reccommend staying out of the D.
A good portion of the crime that takes place in the D is never reported. As such, what we see and hear about throught the media is only the tip of the iceberg.
Ambulances being robbed in broad daylight, watching people run up to someone who's just been stabbed only to steal his bloody winter coat and teen's shooting ak-47's at a stray dog on Woodward ave are all events which I witnessed in my 2 years there.
Many have tried to do good in the D. Many have poured time, money, love and hard work into making it a better place. The problem is that the vast majority of the people who live there simply don't care. That is to say, not everyone there is bad, just enough to make it a terrible place to live.
Look back at some of the homes Habitat for Humanity has tried to building in the city. Their efforts have been less than successful. My prediction is that the house were seeing referenced in the above post will likely be burned down, robbed or converted to a meth lab at some point in the future. If, by a miricle or some other act of divine intervention, the home actually appreciates in value, I'm sure the residents will sell taking their profits to purchase a home in city lacking the above mentioned problems.
When I was in college many of my project sites were in Corktown and Atwater st. Two of my classmates were shot at and one was hospitalized after being attacked. This was during a site visit on a Tuesday at 3pm. Our studio professor who lived in Corktown was carjacked and hospitalized for over a week.
For those who put up with all the violence and live and work in the city with the hopes that their individual efforts will make it a better place, I salute you and pray for you.
thanks for the uplifting post, marlowe, but could you save it for the "what are your stereotypical impressions of detroit?" thread rather than the "there are a couple guys working on a cool project in detroit" thread? thanks.
building a house in the D...good for them..... but worth a thesis?....
to each his own..... unless they are getting sponsered or have found ALL their material, i'm not sure it would pull a profit on resale......
maybe they can donate it or something.....
there's been housing "projects" since i was in college 94-99 and it either turns into a slave studio or the porject really doesnt get finished....
i would agree about the "issues" of detroit..... been there...seen it.... ran from it/etc.......
downtown seems to be going good....but you would think where is all the casino money going for the schools and how can they build new casinoes?..... i think the city is making downtown more of a tourist attraction/entertainment district......
They are not building it for profit, Its going to be given to a family, as they mention in the video.
Its well under way and will be finished. They have sponsorships, which they touch on as well in the video, and some of the material and all of the labor is donated.
Worth a thesis? ...not sure what you mean by that. Seems more valuable than many of the typical architectural thesis projects in that its getting built, which is in itself educational, experimental, contextually historical, and its going to be directly benefitting a family in need of housing. In terms of academic argumentation, sure, it might not be the strongest or most interesting argument - "that the positive force of building - and building well - can lead to new ways of living and new ways of practice" - but I think its worth it.
I think you should do that cryzko. That would be great, except I would maybe spend more time on it than a summer. Matt and Thomas' house has been in the works for almost 2 years now, and construction began almost a year ago. I think your house would get noticed if you promoted it and went through certain channels. But If you feel like you can do it - go for it! I don't think its as simple as you think.
The Cranbrook factor (they began the projects as Cranbrook students) has probably helped some, but not as much as you assume - they still need a lot of funding despite some generous sponsorship.
Matt and Thomas have began teaching at RISD and their students helped out with the construction over the summer, along with a few Cranbrook students. In reality they're probably much more on their own with the project than people assume.
Really, if you're interested in getting involved try contacting them. They would be a better source for this info than myself...
Before taking the automatic Archinect approach of negativity, why don't those of you who don't know about the project visit it? Ever seen the neighborhood where the house is being built? Do you understand what this project means???
What Matt and Thomas are doing is aided by having connections with Cranbrook. Indeed they talk about leveraging money from suburban Detroit back into the city. If that constitutes push/pull or just plain old (good) redistrubution of wealth is up to you.
The house may be burned down (The entire first floor is CMU, so that seems unlikely), but I can tell you from working at the site that the neighbors as well many passers-by are definitely supportive of the project. I also support the project completely. It takes a lot of bravery to undertake a project of this scope independently.
I'll be helping again this coming Sunday. They need to enclose the structure before the weather turns. Any local Archinecters who are interested should call Matt's number. It's listed at the end of the article.
hey..... maybe i'm an ass...but i've seen projects about "uplifting" the community/etc........ go for it.... do it..... i could care less honestly.... simply because i've been on all sides of the fence (in the hood/designer/contractor/builder).....
i can applaud their actions for building a house in the D....but there is many houses in the D that they could have fixed up for living and then had more homes for more people.....
find a foreclosed home and make it livable..... interior renovations/etc...
i'm sure there could have be more opportunities with more already houses and the same budget/donations......
cool...they are building in the D for the sake of saying "i did a project in detroit"....maybe????????... i dont know...
it's the typical out of state scenerio that says "i'm gonna save detroit".... i've see stuff like that in college where there is a big BUZZ about "saving detroit" where it's out of towners..... create a project and make a big deal about it...etc...
have people really travelled down 7 mile/6 mile/gratiot/mich ave. and hung out in the D and understand what sort of mentality is really there?.......
then there's the rest.....insurance/taxes/etc..... if the house is really given to a family/etc... i think that it would be sold afterwwards for a profit by the owner...... better make a livable clause or something...
hate me if you want...but i have my views and others have theirs.....
just make sure you wear "old english D" shirt and hat
one of the things i really like about the project is that it is new construction. many of the younger progressive architect/builders in the city are renovating older homes. this is great and is really helping revitalize some neighborhoods, particularly in southwest detroit, but there is so much vacancy and available land in the city, there is great potential for building new on land that can be bought for almost nothing (some people in fact just take over abandoned lots). the problem with this is that where land can be bought the cheapest (like the pierce street house), there is almost zero existing community there. the new construction is too often a stand alone object. i'm most excited about the house that eventually goes up next to the pierce street house.
some of these extremely blighted neighborhoods are being sought out by developers, but most of these developers lack any sort of urban vision, recreating suburban housing types in the city. i'm hopeful that if there is more building like the pierce street house (modern, progressive, etc.), it might be a model for future development in the city.
one of the biggest reasons for not building homes in the D is due to the resale value...... real estate people need to make sure they dont lose cash on a built home if the owner bails.....
good to see something being built..... but was the intent to build a house for the sake of it or to actually help out a family?......
i guess if it takes 2+ years to actually build a home, there could have been better planning in the beginning maybe.... i dont know..... but you would have to figure costs before you start.....cant really nickle and dime it for too long
i would be more interested on the amount of interest after the house is built and the fact of jealousy towards the home owner after the fact.....
The thing I like most about the project is that Matt and Thomas are actually doing it, despite all the risk and nay-saying that comes along with the big-D. They did their homework and calculations and discussed and researched the risks and concerns with many people from many backgrounds. Its kind of crazy and many people think its naive, but they are not lacking sophisticated, crtitical thought. So far they seem to have the support of the people actually living in the area.
It seems like the potential benefits outweigh the risks. We'll see in a year or so how everthing turns out and if the new owner is pleased.
Like jafidler said, i'm also interested to see how this leads to other new construction in the neighborhood.
Looks to me like they need to hire some local Labor....2 years to build....I think I read that somewhere above.....come on boys and girls....no *ucking way!
read closer before you criticize please... The project began in research and design almost two years ago. Demolition on the site (removing brush and the foundation of a former house) began about a year ago, foundation work began in the spring. If you'd like to volunteer your labor, call Matt. They are working with a very tight budget and limited crew.
DJ: Seems to me it is more important to sign up the Locals...aka... give them jobs rather than strap on a carpenters belt and talk about where the sink is going! Sorry I grew up in a contractor family, and ended up as an Architect because I took on a Concrete Truck when I was 17. Damn near lost my right arm. Detroit is going no where unless you employee the Locals. Most school districts have Technical Schools where kids are begging to learn. I'm sure something like this must exist in Detroit. I know I have used them on some of my projects where I know the owner can't afford to have
a full blown contractor. I have also sought out Contractors to hire
students once they have completed their studies. You know the
Contractors have come back to me and thanked me for sending them
their way.
i'm sure local kids would help......it's a learning experience.... maybe they could have gained school credit for it/etc.....
can always call the DHDC in southwest detroit and ask if there's a few kids that would be interested to help/etc...... DHDC was an "urban arts" school and they teach arts along with other studies......
contact name : angie marteniz (sp) head lady in charge
or sicari (teacher/dj)
or supreme (counsler/producer/artist)
tell them that brian aka cryzko aka :2:37am: sent you...
i used to help kids down there by teaching "breakdancing"
"breakdance" was a street dance and was given a bad rep by the media in order to capitalize from it back in the 80's/etc... to this day it's a strong underground scene.... there's events all over the world with battles/performances/etc
www.style2ouf.com has some clips and you can just search the styles in youtube...
we used to have practice at the DHDC a few years back..... the activities room was practically a warehouse space that was all grafetti up and we had a dj setup and some areas for the breakers..... we used to get around 30-50 people to show up for practice...... it was a good way to get the kids off the streets and actually learn soemthing else that has "street credit"....
we had battles and i would make the trophies/plaques for the winners and help with donations/etc.....
considering that southwest was a heavy gang influenced area, we were trying to get cats out of the streets and into programs....
they had a dj class
history of hip hop
music producing
3d animation/production/etc
it was a nice setup......
but, due to the state cutting back on funding, DHDC doesnt run half of the programs....sucks because that school was a nice anchor in the community....
so to actually uplift the community, you need to educate the community and open the minds of those that are stuck.....
nice suggestions, please send them over to Matt, not myself.
miller at housingoperative dot org
again, I don't think they have the budget to really hire labor, except for the trades that require licencing - electrical, plumbing, etc. and then I guess they're hiring locals with those, or maybe getting donated work. This is not a big developer or builder job... its two recent arch. grads building a very small house.
we drove by the house today. it looks finished, and we thought we saw a small child running around the upstairs, so it appears the family has moved in. the house itself looks amazing. i particularly loved the black siding and the thin wood window frames. this is a truly amazing architecture thesis project from the level of quality of the object itself (who actually builds their thesis?!) to how much good it has put into the world. both my wife and i were really floored. congratulations to all involved with the project!
Jan 12, 08 2:13 pm ·
·
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.
New Residence in Detroit
Two Cranbrook alums build a house.
housing operative
detroit news
movie
has the copper been stolen yet?
cynical, cynical.
actually the detroit news article mentioned that they had to go to some lengths to hide the copper piping.
its not cynical. somebody stole the copper from lb's house in progress and from our office a/c.
tough times in the rustbelt.
to answer your question vado, they have a storage container on sight with a huge padlock and chain on it.. but it's still been broken into a couple of times to my knowledge. usually it's known who to blame but you gotta catch em before they resell or take whatever to the scrap yard down the street. by then, it's too late.
i've heard that Detroit Edison has got a real problem with people stealing copper ground wires off utility poles.
There's a new law in MN that requires scrap recyclers to make a copy of the sellers ID. I see a new wave of ID theft coming in the near future.
Last I checked, people weren't stripping PEX pipe from buildings and job sites. Don't know why anyone wouldn't go that route in a new building.
their page on the open architecture network
Lets all save our breath and talk about something other than Detroit.
The city is a joke because the leadership there is just so horrible. After living there for 2 years and trying out the urban pioneer thing I can honestly tell you it's among the worst places in the world to actually live. I would argue that a favella in Rio is about as safe as some of the neighborhoods in and around the D. Detroit is only significant as the absolute worst american city and possibly the most dangerous place in the continental united states. Unless your looking for competitively priced crack, gambling and a place to conduct some random acts of violance, I'd reccommend staying out of the D.
A good portion of the crime that takes place in the D is never reported. As such, what we see and hear about throught the media is only the tip of the iceberg.
Ambulances being robbed in broad daylight, watching people run up to someone who's just been stabbed only to steal his bloody winter coat and teen's shooting ak-47's at a stray dog on Woodward ave are all events which I witnessed in my 2 years there.
Many have tried to do good in the D. Many have poured time, money, love and hard work into making it a better place. The problem is that the vast majority of the people who live there simply don't care. That is to say, not everyone there is bad, just enough to make it a terrible place to live.
Look back at some of the homes Habitat for Humanity has tried to building in the city. Their efforts have been less than successful. My prediction is that the house were seeing referenced in the above post will likely be burned down, robbed or converted to a meth lab at some point in the future. If, by a miricle or some other act of divine intervention, the home actually appreciates in value, I'm sure the residents will sell taking their profits to purchase a home in city lacking the above mentioned problems.
When I was in college many of my project sites were in Corktown and Atwater st. Two of my classmates were shot at and one was hospitalized after being attacked. This was during a site visit on a Tuesday at 3pm. Our studio professor who lived in Corktown was carjacked and hospitalized for over a week.
For those who put up with all the violence and live and work in the city with the hopes that their individual efforts will make it a better place, I salute you and pray for you.
sorry, - the link
yeah, that's right. if you're not willing to dodge bullets then stay out of detroit. and watch out for icy sidewalks too. slip-n-falls can kill.
thanks for the uplifting post, marlowe, but could you save it for the "what are your stereotypical impressions of detroit?" thread rather than the "there are a couple guys working on a cool project in detroit" thread? thanks.
building a house in the D...good for them..... but worth a thesis?....
to each his own..... unless they are getting sponsered or have found ALL their material, i'm not sure it would pull a profit on resale......
maybe they can donate it or something.....
there's been housing "projects" since i was in college 94-99 and it either turns into a slave studio or the porject really doesnt get finished....
i would agree about the "issues" of detroit..... been there...seen it.... ran from it/etc.......
downtown seems to be going good....but you would think where is all the casino money going for the schools and how can they build new casinoes?..... i think the city is making downtown more of a tourist attraction/entertainment district......
to each his.her own
b
They are not building it for profit, Its going to be given to a family, as they mention in the video.
Its well under way and will be finished. They have sponsorships, which they touch on as well in the video, and some of the material and all of the labor is donated.
Worth a thesis? ...not sure what you mean by that. Seems more valuable than many of the typical architectural thesis projects in that its getting built, which is in itself educational, experimental, contextually historical, and its going to be directly benefitting a family in need of housing. In terms of academic argumentation, sure, it might not be the strongest or most interesting argument - "that the positive force of building - and building well - can lead to new ways of living and new ways of practice" - but I think its worth it.
to eash his own....
but if i raised a few bucks and built a house over the summer and gave it away, you think that i would get noticed?...
i think the cranbrook/risd name has some pull/push on it........
b
is there a cranbrook/risd name? what do you now mean by this?
I think you should do that cryzko. That would be great, except I would maybe spend more time on it than a summer. Matt and Thomas' house has been in the works for almost 2 years now, and construction began almost a year ago. I think your house would get noticed if you promoted it and went through certain channels. But If you feel like you can do it - go for it! I don't think its as simple as you think.
The Cranbrook factor (they began the projects as Cranbrook students) has probably helped some, but not as much as you assume - they still need a lot of funding despite some generous sponsorship.
Matt and Thomas have began teaching at RISD and their students helped out with the construction over the summer, along with a few Cranbrook students. In reality they're probably much more on their own with the project than people assume.
Really, if you're interested in getting involved try contacting them. They would be a better source for this info than myself...
Before taking the automatic Archinect approach of negativity, why don't those of you who don't know about the project visit it? Ever seen the neighborhood where the house is being built? Do you understand what this project means???
What Matt and Thomas are doing is aided by having connections with Cranbrook. Indeed they talk about leveraging money from suburban Detroit back into the city. If that constitutes push/pull or just plain old (good) redistrubution of wealth is up to you.
The house may be burned down (The entire first floor is CMU, so that seems unlikely), but I can tell you from working at the site that the neighbors as well many passers-by are definitely supportive of the project. I also support the project completely. It takes a lot of bravery to undertake a project of this scope independently.
I'll be helping again this coming Sunday. They need to enclose the structure before the weather turns. Any local Archinecters who are interested should call Matt's number. It's listed at the end of the article.
hey..... maybe i'm an ass...but i've seen projects about "uplifting" the community/etc........ go for it.... do it..... i could care less honestly.... simply because i've been on all sides of the fence (in the hood/designer/contractor/builder).....
i can applaud their actions for building a house in the D....but there is many houses in the D that they could have fixed up for living and then had more homes for more people.....
find a foreclosed home and make it livable..... interior renovations/etc...
i'm sure there could have be more opportunities with more already houses and the same budget/donations......
cool...they are building in the D for the sake of saying "i did a project in detroit"....maybe????????... i dont know...
it's the typical out of state scenerio that says "i'm gonna save detroit".... i've see stuff like that in college where there is a big BUZZ about "saving detroit" where it's out of towners..... create a project and make a big deal about it...etc...
have people really travelled down 7 mile/6 mile/gratiot/mich ave. and hung out in the D and understand what sort of mentality is really there?.......
then there's the rest.....insurance/taxes/etc..... if the house is really given to a family/etc... i think that it would be sold afterwwards for a profit by the owner...... better make a livable clause or something...
hate me if you want...but i have my views and others have theirs.....
just make sure you wear "old english D" shirt and hat
cryzko
one of the things i really like about the project is that it is new construction. many of the younger progressive architect/builders in the city are renovating older homes. this is great and is really helping revitalize some neighborhoods, particularly in southwest detroit, but there is so much vacancy and available land in the city, there is great potential for building new on land that can be bought for almost nothing (some people in fact just take over abandoned lots). the problem with this is that where land can be bought the cheapest (like the pierce street house), there is almost zero existing community there. the new construction is too often a stand alone object. i'm most excited about the house that eventually goes up next to the pierce street house.
some of these extremely blighted neighborhoods are being sought out by developers, but most of these developers lack any sort of urban vision, recreating suburban housing types in the city. i'm hopeful that if there is more building like the pierce street house (modern, progressive, etc.), it might be a model for future development in the city.
one of the biggest reasons for not building homes in the D is due to the resale value...... real estate people need to make sure they dont lose cash on a built home if the owner bails.....
good to see something being built..... but was the intent to build a house for the sake of it or to actually help out a family?......
i guess if it takes 2+ years to actually build a home, there could have been better planning in the beginning maybe.... i dont know..... but you would have to figure costs before you start.....cant really nickle and dime it for too long
i would be more interested on the amount of interest after the house is built and the fact of jealousy towards the home owner after the fact.....
i'm already jealous of the homeowner...maybe i steal their holiday decorations after they move in
The thing I like most about the project is that Matt and Thomas are actually doing it, despite all the risk and nay-saying that comes along with the big-D. They did their homework and calculations and discussed and researched the risks and concerns with many people from many backgrounds. Its kind of crazy and many people think its naive, but they are not lacking sophisticated, crtitical thought. So far they seem to have the support of the people actually living in the area.
It seems like the potential benefits outweigh the risks. We'll see in a year or so how everthing turns out and if the new owner is pleased.
Like jafidler said, i'm also interested to see how this leads to other new construction in the neighborhood.
good luck to them.......
maybe i was a bit harsh...but all in all, i've been in and around for a while and understand......
if it all works out then good for them and the family......
i will be waiting on an update a year after the family moves in
b
Looks to me like they need to hire some local Labor....2 years to build....I think I read that somewhere above.....come on boys and girls....no *ucking way!
read closer before you criticize please... The project began in research and design almost two years ago. Demolition on the site (removing brush and the foundation of a former house) began about a year ago, foundation work began in the spring. If you'd like to volunteer your labor, call Matt. They are working with a very tight budget and limited crew.
DJ: Seems to me it is more important to sign up the Locals...aka... give them jobs rather than strap on a carpenters belt and talk about where the sink is going! Sorry I grew up in a contractor family, and ended up as an Architect because I took on a Concrete Truck when I was 17. Damn near lost my right arm. Detroit is going no where unless you employee the Locals. Most school districts have Technical Schools where kids are begging to learn. I'm sure something like this must exist in Detroit. I know I have used them on some of my projects where I know the owner can't afford to have
a full blown contractor. I have also sought out Contractors to hire
students once they have completed their studies. You know the
Contractors have come back to me and thanked me for sending them
their way.
i second on snookers post
i'm sure local kids would help......it's a learning experience.... maybe they could have gained school credit for it/etc.....
can always call the DHDC in southwest detroit and ask if there's a few kids that would be interested to help/etc...... DHDC was an "urban arts" school and they teach arts along with other studies......
contact name : angie marteniz (sp) head lady in charge
or sicari (teacher/dj)
or supreme (counsler/producer/artist)
tell them that brian aka cryzko aka :2:37am: sent you...
i used to help kids down there by teaching "breakdancing"
b
cryzko...how did break dancing help them?
it's an art form ...... poppin/lockin/breakin
"breakdance" was a street dance and was given a bad rep by the media in order to capitalize from it back in the 80's/etc... to this day it's a strong underground scene.... there's events all over the world with battles/performances/etc
www.style2ouf.com has some clips and you can just search the styles in youtube...
we used to have practice at the DHDC a few years back..... the activities room was practically a warehouse space that was all grafetti up and we had a dj setup and some areas for the breakers..... we used to get around 30-50 people to show up for practice...... it was a good way to get the kids off the streets and actually learn soemthing else that has "street credit"....
we had battles and i would make the trophies/plaques for the winners and help with donations/etc.....
considering that southwest was a heavy gang influenced area, we were trying to get cats out of the streets and into programs....
they had a dj class
history of hip hop
music producing
3d animation/production/etc
it was a nice setup......
but, due to the state cutting back on funding, DHDC doesnt run half of the programs....sucks because that school was a nice anchor in the community....
so to actually uplift the community, you need to educate the community and open the minds of those that are stuck.....
b
nice suggestions, please send them over to Matt, not myself.
miller at housingoperative dot org
again, I don't think they have the budget to really hire labor, except for the trades that require licencing - electrical, plumbing, etc. and then I guess they're hiring locals with those, or maybe getting donated work. This is not a big developer or builder job... its two recent arch. grads building a very small house.
we drove by the house today. it looks finished, and we thought we saw a small child running around the upstairs, so it appears the family has moved in. the house itself looks amazing. i particularly loved the black siding and the thin wood window frames. this is a truly amazing architecture thesis project from the level of quality of the object itself (who actually builds their thesis?!) to how much good it has put into the world. both my wife and i were really floored. congratulations to all involved with the project!
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.