INSPIRATION

Watts House Project

I came across an interesting article in the International Design (I.D.) magazine the other day that I thought was worth sharing. It’s all about the Watts House Project. This neighborhood redevelopment is all taking place a mere 12 miles from the Reddoor office in El Segundo! A very cool collaboration between artists, architects, engineers and designers.

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The Watts House Project (WHP) has created a new landmark for their humanitarian movement. The “love” house has become a beacon of hope for the transfomation happening in one of LA’s poorest neighborhoods. The love house is one of six houses under renovation, receiving new gardens, pavement, additional bedrooms, porches, and even flamboyant art (seen above). The love house follows in the footsteps of a neighboring LA landmark: the Watts Towers (see below). 107th Street in Watts is a street where almost half of the residents live below the poverty line, and has been synonymous with urban unrest ever since the 1965 Watts riots. The WHP has grand plans in mind for the neighborhood surrounding 107th: open a WHP office, launch an artist in-residence program, build a cafe, turn the streets renters (about 50%) into owners, all in an effort to rebuild a neighborhood that some would call unsalvageable. The end goal is “revitalization without gentrification.” The group is let by an LA-based artist named Edgar Arceneaux and is doing some very cool things.

The “love” necklace is on sale to raise awareness and support for the love house and the WHP movement. Could make a nice Christmas gift for that special someone? It’s shown here in sterling silver. Get one here: The Love Necklace

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