Film 2011 John O’Connor Film Award Winner: The Pruitt-Igoe Myth: An Urban History

Saturday, January 7, 2012: 12:00 PM-2:00 PM
Sheraton Ballroom I (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)

Chad Freidrichs, writer, director, and producer; Jaime Freidrichs, writer and producer; Paul Fehler, producer; and Brian Woodman, producer (Unicorn Stencil, 2010)

The film explores the short life of the Pruitt-Igoe housing development in St. Louis, which became a potent national symbol of failure that has been used to critique Modernist architecture, attack public assistance programs, and stigmatize public housing residents. The film reassesses the complex history of Pruitt-Igoe within the larger postwar context of segregation, poverty, and urban population decline. It gives special emphasis to the stories of the residents who managed to adapt to and survive the downward spiral of vacancy, vandalism, and crime that made Pruitt-Igoe famous.

Director Chad Freidrichs will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterward.

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