Stitching Across the Divide
Marina Mancuso Miers Instructor: Heather Woofter TA: Leslie Wheeller Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts Washington University in St. Louis Fall, 2014
Table of Contents Preface: Stitching Across the Divide Context:
History - pg. 8
Site Analyses: Delmar - pg. 12 Activities - pg. 14 Transit - pg. 16 Pedestrian - pg. 18 Boundaries - pg. 20 Neighborhoods - pg. 22 Wailing Wall - pg. 24 YMCA | YWCA: History - pg. 28 St. Louis - pg. 30 Locations - pg. 32 Program: Site Statistics - pg. 36 Metro Link - pg. 39 Site Summary | Site - pg. 40 History | Recent History - pg. 42 Cannon - pg. 44 City Fabric:
Precedents - pg. 48 Took Kit - pg. 50 Section - Conclusions - pg. 52
Bibliography
- pg. 54
Stitching Across the Divide As a Brazilian transplant, I experience St. Louis as a visitor that understands a different set of values, under different cultural conditions. I’m fascinated by user activated spaces and practices on sites that encompass multiplicity and variations on their corresponding spatial implications, specifically dealing with relationships that encompass social economic differences. This map shows the median household income in the greater St. Louis area. Delmar, a major street in St. Louis is depicted in this map as a white dashed line, it shows a clear division of wealth and resources. My architectural desires are to impact the occupant, specifically under its social context. The context I am most intrigued with in the city of St. Louis is to spatially understand the disconnection between the social economic and racial disparities that St. Louis encounters. ‘The Delmar Divide’ is one of the most pronounced examples of this condition. Proposing a place where both sides of this neighborhood may gather and interact, I hope to engage a stronger sense of community. 15,000$ 18,000$ 24,000$ 27.000$ 29,000$ 33,000$ 37,000$ 43,000$ 57,000$
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Delmar Blvd.
Context
Context | History Originally known as Morgan Street, Delmar Boulevard, was coined when two early landowners living on opposite sides of the road, one from Delaware and one from Maryland, combined the names of their home states. This is according to Norbury L. Wayman in his series History of St. Louis Neighborhoods. It is refreshing to know that even at the beginning, the collaboration of two different sides of this street created a product of connectivity; the mash up of two names becoming one. Delmar Boulevard starts in downtown St. Louis at the Convention Plaza, although it probably originally began at the Mississippi River. It continues for almost 10 miles to the western ‘University City’ limit. Just west of Skinker Boulevard, Delmar crosses the St. Louis City border and enters a six block-long St. Louis County portion which is commonly referred as ‘The Delmar Loop’. Delmar today however couldn’t be further from a willingness to connect. The street is often considered a symbol of major socioeconomic disparity. It becomes the line that separates the poorer, largely African American population (North) from the affluent and largely Caucasian population (South.) 8
Images from University City Public Library Above: Below: Right:
Delmar Blvd. 1938 Delmar Blvd. 1925 Delmar Blvd. 1948
Site Analysis
Site Analysis | Delmar Delmar holds a lot of potential, it encompasses a highly established system of commerce and occupancy. However briefly after Skinker Blvd., that characteristic is lost. Delmar then becomes deserted for its residents. With clear physical barriers disconnecting the lower income households from ‘The Loop’ its self. This condition is reinforced by the metro link station, which slashes this neighborhood once more and now from east to west. This diagram will show the highly active portion of the street from Kingsland to Skinker, then its emptiness beyond. The Delmar Loop thrives on restaurants and shops catered to the Washington University students. The Delmar Metro link station located shortly after Skinker can serve as a great mediator to activate an architectural solution that can continue and extend the same amenities provided just a couple of blocks prior, as well as carefully catered services to its blocked adjacent residents.
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Site Analysis | Activities The Delmar Loop has many existing activities, this map shows the diversity that occurs through the street and its surrounding neighborhood. Delmar is mostly commercially zoned and residential zoning right to its north and south.
Proposed Site Parks Vacant Community Metro Commercial
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Site Analysis | Transit Traffic directly in front of the site is quite mild. However during rush hours the main connector comes from the south. The Skinker intercession can be quite busy with long wait times. This node can promote a slower commute and a wider window to visually interact with the neighborhood.
Proposed Site Slow Traffic Speed Medium Traffic Speed Fast Traffic Speed
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Site Analysis | Pedestrian This is a study analyzing the possible pedestrian routes that are active from the 2000 daily metro link users. The influx of users from the metro link can indicate the generation of connective paths to this neighborhoods and its surrounding amenities as well as its residences.
Proposed Site Pedestrian Connections
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Site Analysis | Boundaries This site has many physical boundaries. The Metro Link is its largest disconnection. It marks off the end of the vibrant ‘Loop’ and impedes foot traffic. The side walks are also an existing barrier, they shut off automotive access to its lower income neighbors.
Proposed Site Metro Link Physical Boundaries
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Site Analysis | Neighborhoods This diagram proposes that these different socio economical conditions carry information that can be translate into architectural solutions. A further look onto the existing demographics of the area will better depict these conditions.
Proposed Site Transient Necessitous Neighborhood Transient Affluent Neighborhood Necessitous Neighborhood Affluent Neighborhood
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Site Analysis | Wailing Wall My purpose for this intervention is to break down the Delmar division. To empower the community in a way that promotes communication and social interaction. An example currently on Delmar is an art installation of a mailbox located on the divide, allowing residents a chance to communicate with one another, providing a platform for encounter and the exchange of ideas. Damon Davis and Basil Kincaid of St. Louis, reseal the installation created by Davis named “The Wailing Wall of the Delmar Divide� after he opened the structure for the first time since he erected within six months of it inaugural date, near the intersection of Walton Avenue and Delmar Boulevard, Tuesday, Sep. 2, 2014. The project is meant to provide a place for people to present their thoughts about the division between the north side and south side of Delmar Blvd. The idea of a place that holds this synergistic potential historically has been community centers, a place that provides activities and solutions to its neighbors.
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http://www.stltoday.com, Bringing down the ‘Delmar divide’ with letters.
YMCA - YWCA
YMCA - YWCA | History The YMCA has provided an architectural cannon for many socio-cultural reforms. The institution afforded its occupants a variety of community building programs. The History of the YMCA and YWCA is rich with breaking down racism and providing a platform for minorities groups to flourish in society. Its main goal was to provide a safe haven for migrants of small rural communities to acclimate to big city life. However the premise allowed for communities to come together and attack issues of color, economical discrepancies, and power struggles between minorities and immigrants, giving voices to the people, of both privileged and otherwise not backgrounds. The YMCA allowed for a sense of equality. From this notion one can perceive that the programs this institution provided helped battle discrimination. The YMCA and YWCA provided programs such as health and well being classes for both women and men, entry level skill classes for women that wanted/ needed to be on the workforce, community counseling for family of soldiers of WWI and WWII, amongst many others also the integration with recently arrived immigrants. 28
Images from Rows From Top to Bottom. Figure 1: Gym class at the Cincinnati YWCA. Figure 2: Families visiting servicemen at a Hostess House sponsored by the Colored Work Committee of the YWCA during World War I. Figure 3: Early photo of a typewriting class, about 1916. Dayton, Ohio YWCA. Figure 4: �Attention Is Needed� teen consultation, 1974. Figure 5: Children representing nationality groups attending the International Institute in Gary, Indiana, 1922. Figure 6: Manly Christian character building appears to have yielded to relaxed coeducational camaraderie. Instead of developing masculine bodies capable of strenuous reform, a hirsute camp counselor plays for the weenie-roasting day campers on his guitar. Minneapolis YMCA (Southdale Branch) day camp, 1972.
YMCA - YWCA | St. Louis In St. Louis the YMCA still provides community programs such as theaters, libraries, inclusion services, youth development, literacy programs, health and fitness and childcare. This is their local mission statement: “We know that lasting personal and social change comes about when we all work together. That’s why, at the Y, strengthening community is our cause. Every day, we work side-by-side with our neighbors to make sure that everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. Our Strength is in Community. The Y is a nonprofit like no other. That’s because in 10,000 neighborhoods across the nation, we have the presence and partnerships to not just promise, but deliver, positive change. The Y is community centered. For nearly 160 years, we’ve been listening and responding to our communities. The Y brings people together. We connect people of all ages and backgrounds to bridge the gaps in community needs. 30
The Y nurtures potential. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. The Y has local presence and global reach. We mobilize local communities to effect lasting, meaningful change. As part of our commitment to the community, Y leaders have committed to Vision 2020, a plan that ensures every young person in the St. Louis area, from 5 to 15 years of age, has the opportunity to become a healthy, productive member of society.”
Images from: http://www.ymcastlouis.org/program/community-programs from Left to Right: Figure 1: International Programs Figure 2: Inclusion Services Figure 3: Teen Programs Figure 4: Community Theater Figure 5: YMCA Community Literacy
YMCA - YWCA | Locations From the Delmar Metro Link station, the closest facility is the Monsanto Family YMCA, which is 3 miles in distance and only caters health and fitness programs.
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The Delmar Community needs a more specific set of programs. A well focused set of attitudes design towards the Delmar community that provides the opportunity for real occupant interaction. Other proximities of YMCA|YMCA contains programmatic solutions that don’t address the issue of transit and pedestrian accessibility to the more populated side of Delmar.
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1 Mile Radius of Site
1Y
Webster Groves Family YMCA
2Y
Washington University Campus YMCA
3Y
Monsanto Family YMCA
4Y
O’Fallon Park and Rec Complex
5Y
Downtown YMCA
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Y
1
Y
Y
5
Y
Y
4
Y
Program
Program | Site Statistics My goal is to cater to the demographics of the area accounted within a mile of the metro link/ site location. By understanding the percentages of occupants, and activities surrounding the area, I can start to formulate architectural interventions and site strategies. The highlighted areas of these maps are Census Tract Regions showcasing significant information from each region. These will provide insight of who the ultimate user can be.
Most Populated This Region holds 30% of the total census tract of this radius.
Legend:
Predominant Sex 55% female occupants. The Medium is 53% Female for the region.
2139, St. Louis County 2161, St. Louis County 1051.98, St. Louis City 1052, St. Louis City 1053, St. Louis City 1054, St. Louis City
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In their 30’s 29.7
is the median age of the total census tract of this radius. This area has the higher percentage of 30 year old people.
Non Families 60%
of the total census tract of this radius are non family households.
Program | Site Statistics Race This Region holds 90% African American residents and the lowest income in the area.
Legend:
Renters 60%
renters.
2139, St. Louis County 2161, St. Louis County 1051.98, St. Louis City 1052, St. Louis City 1053, St. Louis City 1054, St. Louis City
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of the residents are
YMCA - YWCA | Metro Link The Delmar Station serves one of the region’s most iconic and vibrant neighborhoods, ‘The Delmar Loop’ west of Skinker Boulevard has been a revitalized “lifestyle” district and a regional attraction for over two decades, and was designated one of America’s “Great Streets” by the American Planning Association. The quarter-mile station area covers 491 lots on 16 blocks, with a total assessed value of $17,387,910. Metro owns and operates a 3.5-acre Park-Ride Lot near the MetroLink Station, containing 362 spaces.
s: 51,900 Station Monthly Boarding Delmar Loop Metro Link 1,940 Station Daily Boardings: Delmar Loop Metro Link
Program | Site Summary This Demographic study presents an overview of possible ideal occupants that may use a community service building in this area. It shows a slightly larger population that is predominantly in their 30’s. Programs that provide solutions to this age range might be more effective over the current YMCA | YWCA resolve for the area. Although the numbers indicate a small percentage difference in sex, the numbers show a higher female occupancy. This may promote the thought that a YWCA might be an appropriate approach to this specific location.
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Program | Existing Site
Program | History Historically after conceptualizing that migrants from small towns needed a safe space to practice good behavior and stay out of trouble, the YMCA promoted programs for empowering young men by designating activities spaces. The institution success spread throughout the United States, and by 1915 there were more then 200 facilities in the country.
Program | Recent History On Saturday, June 2, 2001, 1,200 YMCAs hosted 700 YMCA World’s Largest Run™ events from Maine to Hawaii in the country’s first synchronized run/walk across all U.S. time zones. The event celebrated the 150th anniversary of America’s YMCAs and highlighted the importance of physical activity for kids and parents. Over 15,000 volunteers and 54,000 youth and adults participated with proceeds benefiting local YMCA programs.
From left to right: Figure 1: “Going Up Young Man?” Advertisement in Association Men, ca. 1905. Figure 2: YMCA building construction map, 1865-1915.
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The YMCA responded to several world crises—Sept. 11 (2001), Pacific Rim tsunami (2004), Hurricane Katrina (2005) and the earthquake in Haiti (2010)—through fundraising, rebuilding efforts and programs designed to rekindle hope in the affected communities, particularly among children and young people. In 2002, YMCA of the USA created the National Diversity Initiative to support the YMCA movement in valuing the diversity of all people within its associations and the communities it serves. In July 2004 before a U.S. Senate hearing, Y-USA launched Activate America and the Healthy Community work, beginning a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Healthy Communities spreads to more than 150 YMCA communities engaging millions of people in making the healthy choice the easy choice. In 2008, with support from Lumina Foundation for Education, YMCAs added College Goal Sunday to their educational programs for youth, which helps low-income, at-risk or non-traditional students with the financial aid
process; one of the most significant obstacles to college access and success. YMCA Healthy Family Home (HFH), a partnership between the YMCA and Eli Lilly and Company, launched in 2008 to inspire families to make healthier lifestyle choices in homes nationwide. From child care to health fairs, staff meetings to sports fields, YMCAs offer easy, creative ways to help families embrace HFH’s three key concepts: play every day to become more active, eat healthy and spend family time together. In 2008, the Armed Services YMCA and YMCA of the USA partnered with the Department of Defense in the YMCA Military Outreach Initiative, which funds memberships and child care services for families facing the hardship of military deployment. Positioning the YMCA as an important partner in preventing chronic disease throughout the nation, Y-USA garners the support of highranking government officials. In 2010, First Lady Michelle Obama chose the YMCA as the venue to launch the pillars of her “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity.
Program | Cannon By understanding the and synthesizing the demographic data we can project possible activities of future occupants in the surrounding area, and starting to formulate architectural ideas about program and site strategies. Ultimately this method articulates a tool kit, for the purpose of stitching physical access to the surrounding blocked streets and services that promote a well connected culturally rich community. A Study of the program that one of the original YMCA starts to demonstrate how a place for social interaction and most importantly an architecture that is Multi-Purpose will engage its occupants. Recreational and social gathering areas were always the largest in square footage as show in the plans and diagrams of this page.
From left to right: Figure 1: Exploded axonometric rendering of the New York YMCA building. The building designed by James Renwick, Robert McBurney, and William E. Dodge Jr. fused a variety of commercial public and private YMCA functions in a tightly composed series of volumes within a rectangular site. Figure 2: Programmatic Diagram Figure 3: Floor Plan
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City Fabric
City Fabric | Precedents These images show studies on how to manipulate fabric, the mean to propose a way of understanding on how to combine different layers of the study together. Delmar encompasses many possibilities for bridging connections, these examples of fabric patterns start to convey physical attributes that may be used on to the site as possible techniques to be explored. With the notion that the desire is to weave, connect, stitch the boundaries that are existing at the site.
Square Pattern
This Pattern is great for identifying existing building volumes.
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Star Pattern
Tying or bridging two sides. Interlacing can provide physical connections.
Crater Pattern
Denotes encompassing conditions. Metro Link can be seen as barrier.
Interwoven Pattern
Connectivity that can be found in stacked floors.
Bamboo Pattern
Ascending like structure. Providing movement vertically.
City Fabric | Tool Kit Fabric | Stitching Styles My intent is to analyze the fabric typologies and apply them into architectural solutions. These specific types have connotations to the site it self and their materiality can provide a language to approach the existing site conditions. As my desire is to stitch the different neighborhoods together, providing connectivity within the fabric of this region.
Space Sequences
Shelter
Basic Stitches
Modal Cotton
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Linen
Stretch Fabric can imply Linen has a porous quality. Its smooth tensile structures. materiality can be compared to one that can provide shelter and filter light.
Modal Cotton
Linen
Burlap
Stretch Fabric can imply Linen has a porous quality. Its Thick Weaved straw fabric smooth tensile structures. materiality can be compared has the physical qualities of to one that can provide shelter stackable materials. and filter light.
Floor Patterns
Burlap Thick Weaved straw fabric has the physical qualities of stackable materials.
Tent
Stone
Brick
City Fabric | Section Existing sectional site qualities and its potentials and its potentials: Metro Link, Derelict Buildings, Low Height Adjacencies, Adaptable Site Location, North-South and East-West Impact. In conclusion providing a space where occupant interaction and actual infrastructure; like access to and through the St. Louis Metro system, we can start to create physical connections within the fabric of the city. Stitching the distinct conditions of the Delmar neighborhood fabric will hopefully propel an architecture that can be understood as the connective tissue for access to spaces that allow for diversity and social integration for its occupants.
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Bibliography Bardi, Lina Bo. Centro de Lazer, SESC, Fábrica Pompéia = Leisure Center, SESC, Pompéia Factory : São Paulo, Brasil, 19771986. Lisboa: Blau, 1996. —. Stones against diamonds. London: Architectural Association, 2013. Bruand, Yves. Arquitetura contemporânea no Brasil. São Paulo: Editora Perspectiva, 1997. Lejeune, Jean-François. Cruelty & utopia : cities and landscapes of Latin America. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2005. Lupkin, Paula. Manhood factories : YMCA architecture and the making of modern urban culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010. Nakamichi, Tomoko. Pattern Magic. London: Laurence King Publishing, 2010. —. Pattern Magic 2. London: Laurence King Publishing, 2011. —. Pattern Magic. Stretch fabrics. London: Laurence King Publishing, 2012. Spratt, Nina Mjagkij and Margaret. Men and women adrift : the YMCA and the YWCA in the city. New York: New York University Press, 1997.
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Marina Mancuso Miers Instructor: Heather Woofter TA: Leslie Wheeller Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts Washington University in St. Louis Fall, 2014