22 NORTHERN NEVADA ARCHITECTURE .21 | 2021 | aiann.org “Destination Crenshaw is an outdoor art and cultural experience that was built in response to the extension of the light rail here atgrade,” says Gabrielle Bullock, FAIA, a principal and the director of global diversity at Perkins & Will in Los Angeles. “The city built this section of track at-grade in the Black community, whereas it went below-grade in most every other major commercial area in LA. The community’s response was to make lemonade out of lemons by creating a local destination out of it.” Bullock knows plenty about overcoming obstacles. Born in Harlem, New York, she was inspired to become an architect after seeing family and friends living in public housing projects with cinderblock walls and small, barred windows. Knowing the importance of pride of place, Bullock assembled a representative team of architects at her firm — some of whom lived in Crenshaw — to engage with the community and understand their vision. To ensure the project benefited locals, Bullock and her team studied developments like the High Line in New York, the BeltLine in Atlanta, and similar projects in Harlem to understand the potential for displacement caused by community improvement. “Locals told me that property prices have skyrocketed along both the High Line and the BeltLine, which are walkable and support restaurants and other businesses but have displaced residents,” Bullock says. “Harlem, however, has made improvements while also retaining the character and legacy of the community. That’s what we wanted for Crenshaw.” At 54th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard, two pocket parks will anchor the southern corners of the intersection and serve as the future home of the Council District 8 headquarters. To compensate for a train that runs above ground, which is likely to make the boulevard less pedestrian-friendly, Bullock and her team designed a series of outdoor parks and art installations featuring work by Black artists, creating a green and inspiring refuge amid the concrete. In addition, the project was designed to bolster the community living there, with spaces for local businesses. “The biggest goal is to build the current economy,” Bullock says. “The oldest soul food restaurant in Los Angeles is on this boulevard. The oldest Black-owned gym is on it, too. We want to enhance access and opportunities for these businesses while providing outdoor places for play, building both environmental and cultural sustainability.” This portion of Destination Crenshaw creates a new public space just south of the historic Leimert Park. Sankofa Park will be located on 46th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard, serving as the threshold for the northern end of the experience. Sankofa Park will showcase commissioned art, exhibit content, and programming at multiple scales. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE In Houston, the Third Ward is arguably the city’s oldest Black neighborhood. Centered by Emancipation Park — a 10-acre site bought by former enslaved people in 1872 to annually celebrate the end of slavery in Texas — the neighborhood has been a vibrant community since the 1930s. Yet while the neighborhood’s proximity to downtown has spurred investment in recent years, Continued from page 21
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