Most people pay little attention to the buildings they pass each day, the streets they walk, the stores they shop in and coffee shops they frequent. But these places contain hidden stories about the way we experience the city and relate to others. They also serve as reminders of the past and signal the future direction of a city. And, they provide clues to how a city is changing and the forces behind it. Here are some examples of the hidden stories behind one urban landscape.
Everyday Architecture
Everyday architecture is the built world we live in but often do not notice or appreciate for its beauty. While not the grand structures people think of as architecture, these buildings enrich our lives and reflect the skill and artistry of many unknown workers.
Skyscrapers
Skyscrapers help define a city, symbolizing its economic growth as well as its wealth and prestige. Artists and photographers celebrate them and the skylines they create, turning them into art. But these symbols of beauty also reflect the influence of developers, corporations and politicians in shaping a city’s development.
Factory Nostalgia
Dixon Mills is a former factory, best known for its pencils, that today houses condominiums. Dixon’s history and architecture have been important in its transformation from a factory to luxury housing. They have become a form of branding, creating a nostalgic, idealized image of the factory to enhance its appeal as an upscale living space. Its smokestacks, exposed brick and ductwork, high ceilings, large arched windows and terra cotta facade have been marketed as an industrial aesthetic in selling the idea of a factory as a desirable living space.
The Social Life of the Street
Many high-rise buildings today create streetscapes that are lined with walls of glass, steel and concrete. This has a deadening effect on the social life of the street as pedestrians find little of interest to engage them.
Corner Stores
Corner stores are a mainstay in many urban neighborhoods – especially those far from shopping areas. The variety of goods and services they provide may be limited and cost more, but most customers don’t mind because of the convenience they offer.
Vertical Neighborhood
The “Urby” is a luxury housing high-rise that seeks to stand out, not only with its shape, but with its amenities. Like other luxury high-rises, it has become a “vertical neighborhood” where you can eat, drink, work, play, exercise and socialize without leaving the building.
Brownstones
Brownstones are elaborately designed homes found in many cities. Originally built for professional workers over a century ago, many fell into disrepair when they moved away. By the 1970’s, many were reclaimed and restored as a new class of professionals returned to the city.
Vestiges of the Past
Many cities have buildings whose purpose has changed but vestiges of their past remain. These buildings often have what are referred to as ghost signs on them – vintage looking faded signs indicating their earlier use. This building, with its Art Deco motif, once housed furs but today is a restaurant.
Changing Cities
Many cities are changing today as new luxury housing is being built in working class neighborhoods raising questions about who decides how cities change and whose interests are being served in the process.
Third Places
Lucky Bills is a popular coffee shop where you can get coffee, a buttered roll or bagel and a warm greeting. This has been called a “third place” – an inviting place outside of home and work, where casual conversation and light-hearted banter are some of the small pleasures in life that connect us with others.
Sunlight and Shadow
As more high-rises are built closer together in many cities, they often cast shadows on each other as well as on the streets below. This loss of sunlight has become a source of tension as many feel its effects on their quality of life.
Walkable Neighborhoods
Streets with low and mid-rise buildings on short blocks, with a mix of stores and apartments above, near public transportation, create convenient, walkable and desirable neighborhoods.
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Jersey City Today 