Brush Park Photo/marker project

**tkelly1986** · December-10-12, 03:58 PM

A few weeks ago I took a stroll through Brush Park; of all the neighborhoods in the city, this one breaks my heart just a little more. We’re reminded of what once was and more so, what could have been (the houses that were restored). During its height Brush Park must have been a site to see, with its stately homes and their dapper dressers. Now we have empty lots, full of broken glass and discarded bags. At the present time, there is no money or demand to renovate or build on the lots. However, could we connect the past to present day through another medium?

It seems that there are photos floating around of many homes that once resided in Brush Park. Accordingly, is it possible to erect a reminder in the form of photos (blown up copies of course) placed on small markers in front of the empty? I’m thinking along the line of a small post, with a board nailed to it and a photo pasted on the board for each house. Just like how real estate signs fill our neighborhoods today.

I throw this idea to the forum, as I’m currently living in Washington DC, so my ability to take on something like this is difficult. Nevertheless, I just thought I would share the idea.

JVB · December-10-12, 04:22 PM

That would be awesome. Another canvas for our graffiti artists to tag.

**Wheels** · December-10-12, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by JVB

That would be awesome. Another canvas for our graffiti artists to tag.

Yea we could call it the Brush Park Beautification by Urination Program.

JVB · December-10-12, 07:32 PM

Or we could get Dr. Guyton to paint his little circles all over the place.

**wolverine** · December-10-12, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by tkelly1986

A few weeks ago I took a stroll through Brush Park; of all the neighborhoods in the city, this one breaks my heart just a little more. We’re reminded of what once was and more so, what could have been (the houses that were restored). During its height Brush Park must have been a site to see, with its stately homes and their dapper dressers. Now we have empty lots, full of broken glass and discarded bags. At the present time, there is no money or demand to renovate or build on the lots. However, could we connect the past to present day through another medium?

It seems that there are photos floating around of many homes that once resided in Brush Park. Accordingly, is it possible to erect a reminder in the form of photos (blown up copies of course) placed on small markers in front of the empty? I’m thinking along the line of a small post, with a board nailed to it and a photo pasted on the board for each house. Just like how real estate signs fill our neighborhoods today.

I throw this idea to the forum, as I’m currently living in Washington DC, so my ability to take on something like this is difficult. Nevertheless, I just thought I would share the idea.

tkelly1986, I really like your idea. It would be cool to see large blown up photos of what was once there. A kind of reminder that we should do our best to preserve our past.

I will kindly agree with some of the other posters that there's a vandalism risk, but you put them high up enough and it might not be a problem.

It's very unfortunate any sort of suggestion for improvement is met with a snide response. Enjoy your boarded up neighborhood folks. Guess there's no good place to share ideas.

**finster** · December-10-12, 08:26 PM

If there's not one there already, a state historical marker to remind people of what once was would also be nice. Of course the markers have to be paid for in advance at about $3,000 I think. I wish I had the means right now as I always love to pull over and read them when I run across one.

**canuck** · December-10-12, 09:02 PM

Your idea is pretty good. There was a Montreal artist who died recently who did something very similar to that in 1976 during the Olympics. There was a street art project (Corrid'Art) partly financed by the city with a number of highly critical pieces, one of them being a blow-up picture cut-out on a plywood structure that mimicked in mirror form the house across the street. Melvin's idea was to show the loss of victorian buildings along Sherbrooke street and when the mayor found out about it, he promptly had the public works crews dismantle a lot of the controversial art on city streets. He feared ridicule from tourists and journalists during the olympics. This shows how Charney had touched a raw nerve.

I havent been able to find a photo of this, but Charney, an architect/artist designed a famous city park facing the Shaughnessy mansion where he had a concrete structure mimick the Canadian Centre for Architecture across the street from it. This is the result;