The Robert Taylor Homes Project by Jack Bridges
by Jack Bridges
For two years photographer Jack Bridges spent his time getting to know the people and the problems in the Robert Taylor Chicago Homes. This resulted in a collection of beautiful images that you can see at Jack Bidges’s site.
This is a photograph of a young man pointing his 22 rifle directly at the lens. This picture has a deep meaning to me because this guy was killed, was shot, in the streets of Chicago and now I am very close to his family. And I have photographed the funeral and I have been taking pictures of his family for over three years. So, it is a sad story.
I like people to take away a very strong sense of place. I like people to put themselves at Robert Taylor homes and think how their own life would be if they have grown there. I like people to see the humanity in the images, see the people, and maybe go out of their way and spend more time in a city and get to know people who are different than you.-Jack Bridges
You can listen to a radio interview of Jack Bridges describing this project here.
Robert Taylor Homes is a housing project in the Bronzeville neighborhood of the South Side of Chicago, alongside the Dan Ryan Expressway on State Street between 39th and 54th streets. It was completed in 1962 and named for Robert Rochon Taylor, the son of the first African-American architect accredited in the United States. At one time, this was the largest housing project in the world. It was composed of 28 high-rise buildings of 16 stories, mostly arranged in U-shaped clusters of three, stretching for two miles. As of April 2006, 27 of the buildings were demolished and only one remains standing. The Chicago Housing Authority plans to move out all residents by the end of 2006.
yes thought id inform you that i grew up in the robert taylor, in building 4950 on 51st and state. if you need any direct input ill be willing to help. send me an email if intersted. thanks