Historic Overtown, once a thriving economic and cultural community, known for its visitations of historical Jazz musicians and activists, but over the years due to desegregation and urban renewal, many famous structures such as the Mary Elizabeth Hotel, which at one time were noted to have famous individuals as Jackie Robinson and Ray Charles. Now left in the shadows of Miami’s I-95, and the construction of new apartment complexes which are unaffordable to the locals, who have made Overtown their home for most of their lives, a town which was a victim of “urban renewal funding”, a term used to displace black communities nationwide back in the 1950’s. My location of interest is Range Park #1, located under the I-95 between 10th and 11th street. A location which at one time had its grounds populated by young individuals playing basketball or local musician parties, and older individuals enjoying the view or playing dominoes, according to a local. The structure of my design is based on a small scale amphitheater, while using recycled materials such as tires, earth, etc. The tires are to be assembled in the shape of an amphitheater, with a total of 7 layers at the main structure. The tires will then be filled and pounded with earth, the voids between the tires filled with “muds, tin cans, and rocks”, then the outside of the structure “covered with stucco netting then cement stucco”, a process explained to by architect Ken Anderson of EDGE Architects. And the hopes of this design, is to bring back some life to the area, giving opportunities of local musicians or students, an area to play music, and advertise of their concerts/competitions, while keeping the spirit of the area alive, the magic of culture and music. While this semester was certainly challenging, I am grateful for the help given by Professor Culver, and appreciative for the guidance given by the AutoCAD Lab technician Aleksander A. Altman.
http://ideas.ourmiami.org/place/446364
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