THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE AND BLACK CITY
Chicago began to develop alongside the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century. In the midst of the large population and economic growth, the Great Fire of 1871 destroyed much of the city and left many residents homeless. The results lead to the desire for a high density, urban layout with horizontal buildings, built out to the plot lines.East Garfield Park was one of the neighborhoods that came out of these changes in the city. The area is a residential neighborhood, developed in 1869, on the border of industrial factories. For the new population moving to Chicago for industrial job opportunities, it was an ideal location. The neighborhood blocks were designed on a system of alleys, used for sanitation. The building fabric was comprised of modest two story flats and cottages.In 1895, Frank Lloyd Wright designed a block of apartments in the neighborhood in response to the desire for affordable, dense housing. Francisco Terrace was a courtyard building located on half the block of Walnut Street between North Francisco Street and North California Street. These apartments were later demolished in 1974. With an alley dividng the block, the Waller Apartments, also by Frank Lloyd Wright, exist on the other side of the block. They were designed as five units, two stories tall, broken into twenty apartments, ten on each floor.In 1968, the fourth unit was destroyed in a fire but was never rebuilt, the lot is still vacant. With the decline of factory jobs, the population in the neighborhood dropped from 70,000 people in 1950 to 20,800 people today. The neighborhood also has many empty lots and the alleys are no longer functional because of technological advancements in the waste management system.Our project critiques the Chicago residential fabric and addresses Frank Lloyd Wright’s intentions to achieve high density, low rise housing. Wright designed many residential apartments for the city of Chicago with affordable housing in mind. One of the designs,Lexington Terrace showcases Wright’s belief that the alley was a wasted opportunity for a central courtyard. The apartments are two, three story, courtyard buildings as a perimeter block with stepped terraces around the central courtyard. Built before the automobile, the design addresses the pedestrian. Each apartment has direct access to the courtyard for convenience to an exterior common terrace. These apartments were in development for ten years with few site options in south Chicago but was never realized because it was too expensive to build. In East Garfield Park, we realize our version of Lexington Terrace.Our proposal addresses the need for community and privacy through communal courtyards and private outdoor spaces, respectively. We solve the need for an alley similar to Adalberto Libera’s scheme in Rome, through a hierarchy of streets. Working off a modular unit, we design stepped terrace apartments. Each apartment has a private terrace. Secondary streets lead to larger courtyards that are communal outdoor spaces for the residents of the block.The buildings vary in height in relation to the street hierarchy. The orientation and density of the unit considers light and air studies for each block. Taller apartments are located on the block perimeter and lower apartments are located within the block.
