essay

Return to the future: Puerto Rican vernacular architecture in New York City

re-presenting the city : ethnicity, capital and culture in the 21st century metropolisNew York • Published In 1996 • Pages: 60-92

By: Sciorra, Joseph.

Abstract
In this essay Sciorra describes how Puerto Rican residents of the South Bronx (also East Harlem and the Lower East Side) appropriated municipally owned property where multi-storied buildings once stood, cleared the debris from the site, cultivated gardens, and constructed wood-frame structures known as CASITAS. This 'unauthorized' use of municipal lands obviously created problems between the Puerto Rican inhabitants and the city government which are discussed to some degree in the text. Much of this document, however, deals with the functional aspects of the CASITAS not only as shelter but also as a focus for socialization between friends and family, and perhaps more significantly as a memento of the lives they left behind in Puerto Rico.
Subjects
History and culture change
Functional and adaptational interpretations
Land use
Architecture
Dwellings
Housing
Urban and rural life
Cities
Ethnosociology
culture
Puerto Ricans (Mainland)
HRAF PubDate
2002
Region
North America
Sub Region
Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Sociologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 2000
Field Date
1988-1990
Coverage Date
1946-1990s
Coverage Place
South Bronx, New York, N.Y., New York
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
95037010
LCSH
Puerto Ricans--United States