Page 12 - My FlipBook
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In its early years of settlement in the 1880s and 1890s, more
than 25 percent of African American residents of the Ward owned
their homes. The most common building type was the shotgun
house, so named because it was said you could shoot a shotgun
straight through, from the front to the back door. This vernacular
style can be traced from Africa to the Caribbean to New Orleans.
From there, the style spread throughout the United States. Its
significance in the African American architectural tradition has
been upheld by artists including John Biggers, who influenced the
thoughts and practices of the Magnificent Seven. To Rick Lowe,
another founding member, reusing these structures that embodied
the ingenuity of former Ward residents seemed like a way to move
toward the future while preserving the community’s historic past.
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[ PROJECT ROW HOUSES ]
