In the early 1950s, Pruitt-Igoe, a vast public housing project, arose on 57 acres on the near north side of St.
Alongside iconic images, other seldom-seen photographs flesh out the history in sometimes surprising ways and, in doing so, preserve some of the stories that are in danger of being permanently erased and lost, just as Pruitt-Igoe was..
This volume approaches Pruitt-Igoe with all of its contradiction in mind.
It is a story of interweaving and competing accounts, both then and now.
What happened in-between is a story that tempts but also defies simple narratives.
Barely 20 years after construction, the 33 eleven-story buildings that made up the complex were razed, and the vacant land that was once home to thousands of people was gradually reclaimed by a dense, neglected urban forest.
Louis.
In the early 1950s, Pruitt-Igoe, a vast public housing project, arose on 57 acres on the near north side of St
