Street of Dreams

My sister and I recently took a trip to Detroit, Michigan. Driving around the city, I saw a lot of abandoned buildings and signs of neglect. But I also saw efforts made by residents of the city to turn their communities around. The Heidelberg Project, pictured in these photographs, was started in 1986 by the artist Tyree Guyton as a creative response to the blight and decay he saw in his neighborhood. His work, using paint and salvaged objects he found on the street to decorate the houses in his neighborhood, turned the once-threatened area into a tourist destination. Walking around the block with my sister made me wish that there could be more projects like this in other struggling cities.



































it’s fair to say that the teddy bear one in #4 is the stuff of dreams!
Rosie Say Relax
Log in to replyThis place is kinda creepy, but photos are wonderful!
Log in to replywow the photos are really rad! This definitely should be done in other cities
Log in to replyThe house in #7 looks so cool!
Fashion in Pepperland
Log in to replyTEDDY BEARS! AND DOTS! AND COLOURS! so great. where do people get these awesome ideas?! that’s just so inspiring.
Log in to replyNice! Glad to see some Detroit love :)
Florence + the Machine just played in Detroit on Tuesday and Florence commented that the band visited Heidelberg and how amazing she thought it was. So this was a perfect week to post this!
Log in to replyFlorenceeeeee <3
Log in to replydetroit <3 <3 <3
Log in to replyThat fourth photo just made my stare at the screen.
It’s just…i don’t know.
http://melodyfairitale.wordpress.com/
Log in to replyAmazing, the whole concept, the photos, wow!
<3
Log in to replyI think Charlotte was telling me about the stuffed animal one recently when we met! It’s so cool! I really love it and the polka-dot one! They’re kinda creepy but awesome and I love creepy stuff!!!
Log in to replyThis looks like an amazing place to visit.
http://www.shehadtogetout.tumblr.com
Log in to replyBeautiful pictures !!
Log in to replycan we still submit for On the road ?
Yes, please do!
Log in to replygreat !
Log in to replythe 4th, 5th and 7th pictures are amazing, that teddy bear house looks so creepy/cool.
I agree, there should definitely be projects like this where there’s lots of abandoned houses.
Log in to replyThis is SO great!!!!
Log in to replyThis is super interesting. I especially love number seven
Log in to replyon a completly unrelated side note I went to a thrift stre for the frost time today and I completlly Understand why your always raving about it <3
Good golly these are cool. Do people still live in them?
http://deepblueoceanofnoise.tumblr.com/
Log in to replyfascinating
Log in to replyNumber seven is my favorite. This project reminds me of the Watts Towers in Los Angeles
Love, Evan
Log in to replySweeteelou
This is so cool! I love number four, even if it looks really creepy
http://seesusiebean.blogspot.co.uk/
Log in to replypicture four is.. amazing, like it freaked me out in a good way (if that even makes sense?) !!
Log in to replystuffed animals!!
lizlayton.wordpress.com
Log in to replySo beautiful<3
Log in to replythis is so cool! I want to go and explore all of the houses in this neighborhood. what a great way to make a statement.
Log in to replyI love the Stuff Toys house.
It’s just so rad. And amazing and the place is a work of art.
http://stylestuddedfairy.blogspot.com/
Log in to replyWow.. this is breathtaking. Number 4 is amazing.
http://theaverageasiangirl.blogspot.com
Log in to replyooh i love this. it has a creepiness to it.
Log in to replyCool! The polka dot house is my fave!
Florence,(of the machine), was just tweeting about the project the other day and signed on of those houses! :)
Log in to replyoh my goodness this is amazing!!!
Log in to replyreally creepy, really amazing.
Log in to replyOmg they are beautiful!!!
Log in to replyWhoa, I wish people could do this on normal homes. Spray paint like there’s no tomorrow.
http://www.pforpearl.blogspot.com
Log in to replyneed to see so much more of this. truly amazing!
Log in to replyThis REALLY makes me want to go to Detroit…
http://purplebabaushka.wordpress.com/
Log in to replyAll this is really beautiful but the third one is so creepy! It makes me feel like they are going to turn alive…
http://www.iloveyourjokes.blogspot.com
Log in to replyso fantastical. everything. i’d really love to go there!! it just look super<3
http://cottonmixblog.blogspot.com
Log in to replyAhh! That is so great!
Log in to replythis is awesome! i am utterly obsessed. i wanna go there. or i wanna do this somewhere else! inspiration!
Log in to replyalso, when will the rookie t-shirts be available? mucho thx.
Log in to replyI remember reading somewhere that each teddy bears on the teddy bear house represents a child victim of a drive-by shooting, which lends the house a truly melancholy air. It makes it even worse when you count how many teddy bears there are. This project is really interesting, and I love that there is a story behind every house.
Log in to replyDetroit is actually full of awesome art, urban renewal, and other suprises! Check out http://www.playgrounddetroit.com to explore what else is happening.
Log in to replythis makes my heart happy.
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