Camille Wimpe
Design
Fall 2023 | Professor Lily Song
Terminology // We began the study by mapping drivers of displacement, and how it relates to gentrification more broadly. Below is a graphic expression of my findings.
Dainty Dot // In 2007, protesters held signs reading “RESPECT THE MASTERPLAN”, at the site of the former Dainty Dot Hosiery Building. They were contesting the construction of the Radian Luxury Apartments, a 26-story tower with 240 rental units. The Radian replaced the Auchmuty Building, built in 1889, and was home to Dainty Dot Hosiery, which was a textile manufacturer and salesplace. Dainty Dot was active until 1990, despite “the demolition of more than half the structure in the mid-s to accommodate the construction of the Central Artery”, making it ineligible for landmark status. The original plan called for the preservation of the two remaining original facades of Dainty Dot, however, this was budgeted out after the 2008 recession.
The Chinatown 2000 Masterplan was the second iteration of community-driven neighborhood planning in Chinatown and stipulated a building height that was 1/3 as tall as the proposal. However, to build more luxury apartments, the developer worked with the BRA to assemble four pieces of land between Oxford and Ping On Street that were owned by several Chinatown groups, creating a local affordable housing site. This site was developed by the CEDC (Chinese Economic Development Council) into 67 units of affordable housing on Oxford St. This linkage program included more than twice as many affordable units than were required by city zoning, and gave the developer considerable sway in the community, allowing him to build the 280’ tall tower he dreamed of. The Radian sits a block from the Chinatown Gate, casting a shadow over the elders who gather there. How could the Radian cast a positive shadow over the park, and benefit the residents of its sister project at Oxford Ping-On?