Analysis of the pruittigoe myth documentary essay example. The footage and images of its implosion have helped to perpetuate a myth of failure. The captain wo pruitt homes and william l igoe apartments, a racially segregated, middleclass complex of 33 11storey towers, opened to great fanfare on. The pruittigoe myth is a 2011 documentary film detailing the history of the pruittigoe public housing complex in st. Internationally known for its iconic selfdestruction and failure of urban renewal and public housing, pruittigoe, the nowdemolished urban housing project in st. In 1965, this same magazine reexamined pruittigoe and reversed its stance, declaring the project a failure. Optimism and failure we will be profiling the social housing development of pruitt igoe, tracing its evolution from its origins as a panacea to st louis slum housing to the decline of the area in the 196070s and its condition in the present day. A unicorn stencil presentation in association with the missouri history museum. It serves as a judicious metaphor for our era, where the feeling of imbalance and doubt has replaced the certainity of eternal progress and endless economical growth.
Built in 1954, the project was the first highrise public housing in the city. The pruittigoe myth explores the social, economic and legislative issues that led to the decline of conventional public housing in america, and the city centers in which they resided, while tracing the. The pruittigoe myth tells the story of the transformation of the american city in the decades after world war ii, through the lens of the infamous pruittigoe housing development and the st. Watch the pruittigoe myth online vimeo on demand on vimeo. Courtesy of the pruitt igoe myth although pruittigoe was by no means an awardwinning project even at the time of its opening, its design was nonetheless lauded by publications like the architectural forum, which had named it the best high apartment in 1951. The pruittigoe myth docudrama tells about the narrative of the pruittigoe public lodging composite in st. Louis, missouri, that was opened in the mid1950s was portion of the postwardream of replacing the. Released in 2012 containing music from the pruittigoe myth 2012. The pruittigoe myth 2012 directed by chad freidrichs.
Pruitt igoe is more than a postmodern icon, it represents an ancestral movement of hope and disillusion, of perfectly planned models and evaporated dreams. It consists of 33 elevenstory slabshaped buildings designed to provide housing for about 2800 families. The pruittigoe myth 2011 built in 1956, it was heralded as the model public housing project of the future, the poor mans penthouse. It was designed to be a cure for the disease of poverty and slums, in which the city and community alike would thrive. Destroyed in a dramatic and highlypublicized implosion, the pruittigoe public housing complex has become a widespread symbol of failure. All i knew of the project was that it was a controversial symbol generally interpreted as either a failure of public housing or a failure of the. Searching for a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the chad freidrichsdirected movie via subscription can. The documentary the pruitt igoe myth produced by chad freidrichs and jaime friedrichs, describes how it all began, from the time the city witnessing the decline in population and deciding to. The testimony of former residents forms the heart of the pruittigoe myth, but many great hours of resident interviews were left on the cutting room floor. Destroyed in a dramatic and highly publicized implosion, the pruittigoe public housing. The pruittigoe myth explores the social, economic and legislative issues that led to the decline of conventional public housing in america, and the city centers in which they resided, while.
Pruitt igoe by kangding ray free listening on soundcloud. Department of housing and urban development office of policy development and research. The myths of the pruittigoe myth city journal project. The pruittigoe myth, an album by benjamin balcom on spotify. Louis demolished the pruittigoe public housing towers due to high vacancy and crime rates.
The pruittigoe myth explores the social, economic and legislative issues that led to the decline of. The producers have compiled an additional fifty minutes of resident stories, a valuable oral history of life in pruittigoe that continues the emotional dialogue begun in the film. Living conditions in pruittigoe began to decline soon after completion in 1956. The pruittigoe myth and others have already delved into the issues surrounding the doomed public housing project and its destruction, but i find myself intrigued and saddened at what that vacant expanse of volunteer trees represents as well.
The pruittigoe myth is a documentary film about the ways in which the american city changed in the 20th century. Please feel free to visit our website, join our facebook page, or follow our progress on twitter. Very well done, and it really tells the story of pruittigoe in a way that you can personally identify. Louis became most famous at the moment of its demise.
An urban history in new york city, a man in front of me wondered aloud do you think there are more urban planners, or st. In place of the myth, this paper offers a brief history of pruittigoe that. Louis, missouri, remains an interesting topic of discussion pertaining to urban decline, the rise of suburbia, and racial segregation. The creation and execution of the countrys first public housing, the same housing that will later become known as the projects. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. The pruittigoe architect, minoru yamasaki, has the great misfortune of having. Pruitt igoe myth public housing project business insider.
Few buildings in history can claim as infamous a legacy as that of the pruittigoe housing project of. I love historical documentaries, partly because they usually include personal stories. Louisan being born just after pruittigoe i really learned a lot about the city, and it certainly explains a lot. Pruitt homes and william igoe apartments, known together as pruittigoe, were joint urban housing projects first occupied in 1954 in the us city of st.
When the pruittigoe housing project opened back in 1956, its 33 highrise towers were hailed as a symbol of the future of american urban renewal. Need to watch the pruittigoe myth on your tv or mobile device at home. Consider the federal census bureaus data from its selected population and housing characteristics report on st. Two decades later, it ended in rubble its razing an iconic event. The pruittigoe myth is a documentary film that depicts a radical experiment in the united states.
The pruittigoe myth soundtrack from 2012, composed by benjamin balcom. Although i have a keen interest in this project, due to its mythological status, the best answers to this question can be found in an academic paper the pruittigoe myth by katharine bristol page on. Pruittigoe was among the largest projects of urban revitalization during its time. The pruittigoe myth explores the social, economic and legislative issues that led to the decline of conventional public housing in america, and the city centers in which they resided, while tracing the personal and poignant narratives of several of the projects residents. Enter the pruittigoe myth, a documentary which seeks to set the historical record straight.
The pruittigoe myth tells the story of the wholesale changes that took place in the american city in the decades after world war ii, through the lens of the infamous pruittigoe housing development in st. To examine the interests involved in pruittigoes creation. With slyvester brown, irvin dagen, elmer fiedler, robert fishman. In 1954, the first tenant moved into the federally funded pruittigoe housing. Louis north side, the federallyfunded development was created to provide shelter for 12,000 africanamerican refugees of the citys crumbling slums. Louis commissioned a public housing project unlike any in history. The film follows the story of the projects from the moment when. Built in 1956, pruittigoe was heralded as the model public housing project of the future, the poor mans penthouse. By the late 1960s, the complex had become internationally infamous for its poverty, crime and racial segregation. The pruittigoe myth documentary does an outstanding job of painting a vivid picture for one to visualize, the many hardships the residents faced.
The pruitt igoe housing project was unsuccessful because of multiple factors that were ignored, including all three motives that were believed here. At present, it houses about 10,000 negroes in 2,000 households. The pruittigoe myth, an urban history, directed by chad friedrichs the pruittigoe myth explores the social, economic and legislative issues that led to the decline of conventional public housing in america, and the city centers in which they resided, while tracing the personal and poignant narratives of several of the projects residents. The pruittigoe myth tells the story of the transformation of the american city in the decades after world war ii, through the lens of the infamous pruittigoe. In part i of our two part series of social housing.
Pruittigoe myth part 1 full movie download free, pruittigoe myth part 1 movie, pruittigoe myth movie download free part 1, pruittigoe myth part 1 the movie. Listen to all your favourite artists on any device for free or try the premium trial. The true myth of pruittigoe is the idea that housing conditions were so deplorable that mass demolition and relocation were good ideas. The other day i saw the pruittigoe myth, an independent film documenting the rise and fall of the infamous pruittigoe public housing project in downtown st. The pruittigoe myth 2011 chad freidrichs dvdrip free download. The pruittigoe myth is distributed by first run features and is screening at the ifc center in new york city starting january 20, 2012, and will roll out across the country to coincide with the 40 year anniversary of the implosion in march 2012 aerial view of the massive thirtythree building project. Pruittigoe myth full movie download free get5hryjhthjy. Gabriel safier this short documentary chronicles the rise and swift decline of the pruitt igoe public housing project, tracing its many failures and flaws. Louis, an urban renewal experiment gone bad director chad freidrichs traces the history and experiences of residents of st. Louis, missouri, and the eventual decision to raze the entire complex in 1976 the documentary argues that the violent social collapse within the pruittigoe complex was not due to the demographic composition of its residents, but was a result of wider, external social.