Outskirt Architecture In The Heart Of The City

    Architects do not have an equivalent to the medical doctor's Hippocratic oath.  As a result, society is at the mercy of the most unscrupulous wielders of the draftsman's pencil.  (For an all-too-glaring example of this you need only turn to the statue of Hippocrates in the Detroit Medical Center.  It is standing in front of a Wayne State University medical science hall with windows the size of those usually reserved for prisons).  Although we can certainly look to developers, and several governmental departments, when it comes to who is culpable for subjecting us to the excruciating blandness of strictly-for-profit architecture, in the end an architect is needed to draw up the plans.  Lacking such an ethical code, architects are free to design buildings which do not take into consideration the well-being of the community.  They can disregard aesthetics, scale, the neighbors, challenging design, a structure's relationship to the street and, most importantly for an urban environment, the contribution toward the overall function of the city; basically, everything we're told they are taught in architecture school.  It's like if you had the option of choosing a doctor who would remove your appendix with a rusty nail.
    If you drive outside Detroit, beyond the suburbs, to the outskirts and what might be called exurbia, you will inevitably pass a cluster of identical residential buildings sitting in the middle of a field.  They are typically  deemed "estates" and will be distinguished by their multiple gables.  (Apparently there is a school of architects  who view the gable as the most important architectural element).  They will also often feature a balcony so their inhabitants can look out onto the freeway, or across a parking lot onto their neighbors balcony.  Their materials will exude cheapness and their color will be a safe taupe, the color of everyone's dreams.  These places do a wonderful job of providing their residents with exactly what they're looking for when it comes to housing: a place to watch TV. 

A taupe gable, ready to offend

    Passing such enclaves on the freeway used to make you even more thankful for the varied architecture of Detroit.  Unfortunately the dullness, sameness, and terrifying taupeness of this outskirt architecture has actually been proliferating in the city.  The photograph at the top of this post shows the beginnings of the Cornerstone Estates.  It is being built on the site of the former Jefferies East housing projects and will eventually comprise 60 buildings.  The developer is Scripps Park Associates, the same people who brought us the extremely uninspiring Woodbridge Estates. (photo below). 

         But who is the architect of the Cornerstone Estates?  Well, they're Progressive Associates Inc.of Bloomfield Hills, and if the name alone doesn't inspire you to hire them for your next project, perhaps you should check out the dazzling website of Progressive Associates Inc.  It is a great example of what websites looked like in the 20th century.  Indeed, it was last updated 12 years ago despite their request at the bottom of the page to "Come visit us again soon, our website is always growing!"  They also note that they are able to provide their services "by emphasizing creative design."  
    Let's face it, Pro. Ass. Inc's "creative designs" have grown as much as their website has in the last 12 years.  They probably drew up the plans for these monstrosities at least twenty years ago; and except for the day in 1999 when they put up their one page website, they've most likely been out on a golf course while large checks are deposited into their bank accounts; some, like those for the Cornerstone Estates project, compliments of you and me, whose federal tax dollars are funding this.  Don't believe for a minute that the best interests of the community were taken into account when it was decided that the residents of Detroit will have to look at these thoughtless chunks of garbage for decades to come.
    The Detroit Housing Commission says that this "site configuration is designed to fit seamlessly into the fabric of the surrounding neighborhoods."  As a resident of the city you should read this to mean you will train yourself to skirt around the perimeter of this development like a rat in a Skinner box.
    Two days ago Mayor Bing presided over the demolition of the 3,000th home in Detroit, on his way to reaching his goal of 10,000 by 2013.  He was quoted in the Detroit News saying:  "For those of you who live in this neighborhood, this is an eyesore. It's things like this that bring our neighborhoods down."  It's good to know the mayor is cognizant of the effects of eyesores on a neighborhood.  Unfortunately for him, his list of structures which need demolishing for this reason is about to get longer once the Cornerstone Estates are finished.  And while he's at it he can add the latest foray into student housing by Wayne State to the list also: