The Pruitt-Igoe Myth

2015

Computer Files, Websites

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Summary

It began as a housing marvel. Built in 1956, Pruitt-Igoe was heralded as the model public housing project of the future, "the poor man's penthouse." Two decades later, it ended in rubble - its razing an iconic event that the architectural theorist Charles Jencks famously called "the death of modernism." The footage and images of its implosion have helped to perpetuate a myth of failure, a failure that has been used to critique Modernist architecture, attack public assistance programs, and stigmatize public housing residents. The Pruitt-Igoe Myth seeks to set the historical record straight. To examine the interests involved in Pruitt-Igoe's creation. To re-evaluate the rumors and the stigma. To implode the myth. "Shattering." - The New York Times. "Devastating...an engulfing real-life horror story. Stings with an electric poignancy." -The New Yorker. "Superb! An uncommonly artful example of cinematic journalism." - Variety. " Revisits one of our nation's darkest hours and emerges with a scrupulous, revelatory consideration...a heartbreaking alarm call for a society that desperately needs to learn from its worst mistakes." - Time Out New York. "An intelligent meditation on the decline of American cities." - Art Forum. "Captivating and visually compelling." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Powerful...carries a visceral punch!" - The Economist. "Riveting!" - Village Voice. "A deeply impressive and disturbing exposé." - Film Journal.