Covering Up What's Covered Up

Baltimore entrepreneur proposes photo treatment for boarded-up vacant houses.

1 minute read

June 22, 2004, 6:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


" Although every other dwelling on the street's west side is obviously vacant with windows and doors covered by plywood, the block's east side appears fully occupied because every home's windows and doors seemingly are intact. They are the pictures of urban stability. But upon second glance, in the cases of some homes on the east side of Asquith, that is all those windows and doors are - pictures.

Eight of the boarded-up homes project an illusion of occupancy thanks to life-sized photographs of windows and doors glued to the plywood by an entrepreneur who hopes to affix the faux finishes citywide...

However, the photographic images of windows and doors are meant to achieve something more, Coleman said - to 'let neighbors feel like they live in a neighborhood that's not as decayed as it is.'"

(Note: NYC did this in the 1970s with apartment buildings in the South Bronx)

Thanks to Richard Layman

Saturday, June 12, 2004 in The Baltimore Sun

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