Destroyed in a dramatic and highly publicized implosion, the Pruitt-Igoe public housing complex in St. Louis has become a widespread symbol of failure among architects, politicians, and policy makers. Created in the postwar housing boom, Pruitt-Igoe was to be a symbol of renewal, prosperity, and democracy. It appeared to offer a largely African American community the chance to leave tenements behind for a clean, modern lifestyle. But as Chad Freidrich’s documentary shows, the American city was also changing in ways that made it unrecognizable from a generation earlier, privileging some and leaving others in its wake.
Q&A with Producer Paul Fehler and New School Professor Joseph Heathcott will follow screening
6 pm open seating
6:15 pm screening
Image courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch
