Urban Renewal Videos
newest 100 urban renewal videos / urban renewal widgets / media rss:

The Big Bands of course didn’t just play for dancing. Where today’s rock groups perform (ummm) in huge stadiums, movie theaters served much the same purpose back in the Swing Era. For those of us from the Philadelphia area, one of the locations whose name still resonates is the famous Earle Theatre. It was built as both a concert hall and a movie theater, and during its short existence the Earle was arguably the finest movie “palace” in the city. Interestingly enough its original name was proposed with a backwards spelling – “Elrae” – but by the time it opened in 1924 some level of rationality prevailed and The Earle it was. The interior was opulent even by the standards of those pre-Depression days. There was of course a giant pipe organ that would be played to accompany silent films. Marble was nearly everywhere – even the lowly water fountains were solid marble topped by illuminated glass canopies! What wasn’t marble was decorated with murals and tapestries; it’s been estimated that the secondary draperies alone would cost well over $100,000 each to reproduce today, IF the materials and craftsmanship could be found. The Earle had a perfect location back in those pre-interstate highway days. 11th and Market Streets was then right in the heart of the city’s commercial district, just a couple of blocks away from the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroads as well as two subway lines and any number of streetcar routes. By the late 1930s fans would pour in to hear nearly every national and regional big band. Eventually shows were even scheduled for 9 or 10 in the morning so that everyone would have a chance to hear their favorites, not to mention spending more money! If you could line up a set of advertising posters you’d have a gallery of the greatest of the greats: Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Cab Calloway, Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra, Jimmie Lunceford, Claude Thornhill – they all appeared time after time. And maybe his band wasn’t as well known nationally, but Philly natives could take special pride whenever Jan Savitt and his Top Hatters blew their unique sounds from the Earle’s stage. If that wasn’t enough star power, when the Earle wasn’t showing movies or hosting a Big Band, you could see acts such as Laurel and Hardy or Earl Carroll’s Vanities! The end of the Swing Era took its toll on the Earle just like it did on so many other venues. Philadelphia was caught in the “urban renewal” wave that called for a remaking of the Market Street corridor. The idea of mixed use was out of favor so fading venues such as the Earle were becoming worth more as sites for concentrations of offices and retail stores. The Earle tried to hold on by featuring vocal groups and rhythm-and-blues acts but it was all over by 1953, barely three decades after the theater opened. The great Ames Brothers at least made sure that the Earle’s last day ended on a high note. The wreckers then moved in, not even sparing that wonderful pipe organ. Jeff Karpinski King of Prussia, Pennsylvania Email Me

Los Angeles Urban Rangers is made up of artists, historians, geographers, and a former park ranger attempting to provide the public with guided and educational "hikes" of the various ecologies that make up Los Angeles. In taking on the persona of the ranger, they hope to recontextualize how we address the urban environment. For more information, please visit: www.kcet.org/sustaining

David Burns, Austin Young, and Matias Viegener are interested in rethinking our relationship to food and public space. By mapping local fruit trees and encouraging our sharing of experiences (and fruit) through group plantings and "forages" they hope to build more "generous" consumers and communities. For more information, please visit: www.kcet.org/sustaining

Farmlab, conceived by artist Lauren Bon, is an ambitious environmentalist laboratory and research space with educational public programming Salons every Friday. The work/exhibition space and offices are adjacent to the previous Not-A-Cornfield project in downtown L.A. that gave Farmlab its beginnings.

David Burns, Austin Young, and Matias Viegener are interested in rethinking our relationship to food and public space. By mapping local fruit trees and encouraging our sharing of experiences (and fruit) through group plantings and "forages" they hope to build more "generous" consumers and communities. For more information, please visit: www.kcet.org/sustaining

Winooski: City of Reinvention tells the story of downtown Winooski, Vermont from the days of the Abenaki Indians until today. Come see a public screening on Friday, January 18th at 8pm at the Old North End Studio - 294 North Winooski Avenue, Burlington.

This video tells the story of downtown Winooski from the days of the Abenaki Indians and Ira Allen until today. It features footage of the 1973 urban renewal and looks extensively at the recent redevelopment project. The project also features music by Pete Sutherland. It was recently awarded 1st place in the Alliance for Community Media North East Video Contest in the Documentary Profile category.

A novel look at twenty-four hours in the life of a young homeless New York man who, by God’s mercy, finds the treasure of himself among the inner city ruins.