The Neighborhood
Rensselaer, New York. This neighborhood is the antithesis of suburbia. For the most part, modest older homes on tiny lots populate this community. Change seems unlikely, even unwelcome. It’s as though time stopped and either through a lack of resources or a desire to remain as is, the community retains it’s 1950‘s character and atmosphere. The streets climb out of the river valley and as you travel up the hill the character of the streets change. Sections of Broadway at the bottom are more transient and commercial while at the crest of the hill from Third Street and east the homes have a more residential feel. There are a few larger homes but this was never a neighborhood for the wealthy. This is and was a working class community. The care given to the homes is what I find most interesting. The personalities of the owners are reflected in the details of the homes and small yards. The nature of confined city living concentrates the details and a walk through the streets is always a visual adventure. Although modest by today’s standards the neighborhood has a sense of community and a character developed by age and time that makes suburban Mac Mansion communities seem dull and sterile.