Blaming the Tenants
"In the end, many people in the general public blamed the residents for the failure of the project..."
-E-mail interview with Joseph Heathcott
-E-mail interview with Joseph Heathcott
"Ninety-nine percent of the problems live right here."
-Project manager James Bell
-Project manager James Bell
"...The notorious Pruitt-Igoe public housing project in St. Louis was being torn apart by the people who lived in it." -Oscar Newman
Click to play audio.
Source: St. Louis History in Black and White |
Often, Pruitt-Igoe's failure was often blamed on its residents. However, many of the criminals, drug dealers, and vandals came from the surrounding area. Deferred maintenance and poor construction were responsible for much of Pruitt-Igoe's deterioration.
|
"In the name of cost control, inexpensive amenities were often sacrificed, and poor quality units were produced, though Congress and the housing authorities often blamed tenants for the poor condition of the units." -J.A. Stoloff
"The buildings were being seriously damaged by vandals- principally, transients rather than residents, according to [the 1959 Audit and Consolidated Management Report]."
-Eugene Meehan
-Eugene Meehan