“Co-op City is the largest cooperative housing development in the world.[1] It is located in the Baychester section of the Borough of the Bronx in northeast New York City. Situated at the intersection of Interstate 95 and the Hutchinson River Parkway, the community is part of Bronx Community Board 10. If it were a distinct municipality, instead of part of Bronx county, it would be the 10th largest “city” in New York State.”[1]
“Construction began in 1968 and was completed in 1971. Its 15,372 residential units, in 35 high rise buildings and seven clusters of townhouses, make it the largest single residential development in the United States.[2] It sits on 320 acres but only 20% of the land was developed, leaving many green spaces. The apartment buildings, referred to by number, range from 24 floors to as high as 33. The 236 townhouses, referred to by their street-name cluster, are three stories high and have a separate garden apartment and upper duplex three-bedroom apartment.
This “city within a city” also has eight parking garages, three shopping centers, a 25-acre educational park (including a high school, two middle schools and three grade schools), power plant, a 4-story air conditioning generator and a firehouse. More than 40 offices within the development are rented by doctors, lawyers, and other professionals and there are at least 15 houses of worship. Spread throughout the community are six nursery schools and day care centers, four basketball courts and five baseball diamonds. The adjacent Bay Plaza Shopping Center has a 13-plex movie theater, department stores, and a supermarket.
The development was built on landfill; the original marshland still surrounds it. The building foundations extend down to bedrock through 50,000 pilings, but the land surrounding Co-op’s structures settles and sinks a fraction of an inch each year, creating cracks in sidewalks and entrances to buildings.”[2]
“ Because Co-op City wasn’t built yesterday, you’ll enjoy spaciousness unknown by today’s standards. And it will be complemented by a host of pre-restored amenities: hardwood parquet flooring, wall to wall carpeting in the bedrooms, textured ceilings, vinyl tiles in the kitchen & dining areas, gleaming white ceramic bathroom tiles, new smoke detectors and a master TV hookup. For an additional cost, purchasers will have the opportunity to select designer options to enhance the quality finish of their new home. Speak to your sales representative for further details.”[3]
“Every single window needs to be replaced in each of Co-op City’s 35 high-rise towers. Each building’s cement terraces are crumbling — wooden fences were installed to protect walkers-by from falling chunks of cement. The elevators need to be overhauled, the brick facades need work and the roofs are in disrepair. The complex’s backup generator, which should have kicked in to keep Co-op City running during August’s blackout, is broken.
Co-op City’s many needed repairs won’t be made until the cooperative refinances its debt with the state and gets the money to pay for them. Co-op City stopped making mortgage interest payments in July, saying it simply didn’t have the money. Meanwhile, in August the complex’s maintenance staff threatened to go on strike, complaining that they are underpaid.”[4]
“Co-op City is a secure community that offers residents a variety of services. Co-op City has it’s own private police force in addition to the coverage provided by the 45th Police Precinct. There are churches and houses of worship of many different faiths. In addition, there are day-care facilities, tot-lot play areas, and Little League fields within Co-op City. Community agencies and organizations offer special services to the children and senior residents. Subway and bus service make travel between Co-op City and Manhattan quick and convenient.
Co-op City is home to approximately 50,000 residents.”[5]
TEXT AND IMAGES TAKEN FROM [1][2] WIKIPEDIA, [3][5] THE RIVER BAY CORP., AND [4] GOTHAM GAZETTE.
![BEVERLY HILLS: 90210
THE DREW CAREY SHOW
SIX FEET UNDER
THE FLINTSTONES
MARRIED WITH CHILDREN
“In Sitcom Style: Inside America’s Favorite TV Homes, Diana Friedman (Clarkson Potter, 189 pp., $29.95) rummages around classic sitcom homes, decoding their decorative signifiers and searching for cultural resonance amid the faux hominess. Bill Cosby wanted his ersatz Brooklyn Heights brownstone to “reflect class,” selecting paintings by up-and-coming black artists to hang on the walls. The moldering decor of All in the Family’s Queens row house, on the other hand, was crammed with ceramic animals and tatty chairs, instantly sucking us into Archie Bunker’s time-warp mentality. Friedman points out differences between two Upper East Side pads, the bachelor slouch of The Odd Couple and the upwardly mobile glitz of The Jeffersons, complete with leather dining chairs and a gold drinks cart.”[1]
“Posted by Valentin Tarin at June 01. 2006
Hi Guys, I just registered but been coming to this site for several months. I’m building a new house and would like to use interior doors similar to the ones that appear in the tv series Frasier, the entry door to his apartment. Do you know who makes a similar door? Or does it have to be built by a Carpenter? Anyone have a picture of it? I searched the web but had no success.
Thanks… Valentin”[2]
ALL IMAGES BY SANDRA STARK, FROM THE “TV SITCOM HOUSES” SERIES; TEXT VIA [1] THE NEW YORK TIMES AND [2] THE LIVE MODERN FORUMS; IMPETUS VIA BRAD TROEMEL](http://media.tumblr.com/4tO9nkkJLbjl3t00JRI9SDOS_500.png)
![“Co-op City is the largest cooperative housing development in the world.[1] It is located in the Baychester section of the Borough of the Bronx in northeast New York City. Situated at the intersection of Interstate 95 and the Hutchinson River Parkway, the community is part of Bronx Community Board 10. If it were a distinct municipality, instead of part of Bronx county, it would be the 10th largest “city” in New York State.”[1]
“Construction began in 1968 and was completed in 1971. Its 15,372 residential units, in 35 high rise buildings and seven clusters of townhouses, make it the largest single residential development in the United States.[2] It sits on 320 acres but only 20% of the land was developed, leaving many green spaces. The apartment buildings, referred to by number, range from 24 floors to as high as 33. The 236 townhouses, referred to by their street-name cluster, are three stories high and have a separate garden apartment and upper duplex three-bedroom apartment.
This “city within a city” also has eight parking garages, three shopping centers, a 25-acre educational park (including a high school, two middle schools and three grade schools), power plant, a 4-story air conditioning generator and a firehouse. More than 40 offices within the development are rented by doctors, lawyers, and other professionals and there are at least 15 houses of worship. Spread throughout the community are six nursery schools and day care centers, four basketball courts and five baseball diamonds. The adjacent Bay Plaza Shopping Center has a 13-plex movie theater, department stores, and a supermarket.
The development was built on landfill; the original marshland still surrounds it. The building foundations extend down to bedrock through 50,000 pilings, but the land surrounding Co-op’s structures settles and sinks a fraction of an inch each year, creating cracks in sidewalks and entrances to buildings.”[2]
“ Because Co-op City wasn’t built yesterday, you’ll enjoy spaciousness unknown by today’s standards. And it will be complemented by a host of pre-restored amenities: hardwood parquet flooring, wall to wall carpeting in the bedrooms, textured ceilings, vinyl tiles in the kitchen & dining areas, gleaming white ceramic bathroom tiles, new smoke detectors and a master TV hookup. For an additional cost, purchasers will have the opportunity to select designer options to enhance the quality finish of their new home. Speak to your sales representative for further details.”[3]
“Every single window needs to be replaced in each of Co-op City’s 35 high-rise towers. Each building’s cement terraces are crumbling — wooden fences were installed to protect walkers-by from falling chunks of cement. The elevators need to be overhauled, the brick facades need work and the roofs are in disrepair. The complex’s backup generator, which should have kicked in to keep Co-op City running during August’s blackout, is broken.
Co-op City’s many needed repairs won’t be made until the cooperative refinances its debt with the state and gets the money to pay for them. Co-op City stopped making mortgage interest payments in July, saying it simply didn’t have the money. Meanwhile, in August the complex’s maintenance staff threatened to go on strike, complaining that they are underpaid.”[4]
“Co-op City is a secure community that offers residents a variety of services. Co-op City has it’s own private police force in addition to the coverage provided by the 45th Police Precinct. There are churches and houses of worship of many different faiths. In addition, there are day-care facilities, tot-lot play areas, and Little League fields within Co-op City. Community agencies and organizations offer special services to the children and senior residents. Subway and bus service make travel between Co-op City and Manhattan quick and convenient.
Co-op City is home to approximately 50,000 residents.”[5]
TEXT AND IMAGES TAKEN FROM [1][2] WIKIPEDIA, [3][5] THE RIVER BAY CORP., AND [4] GOTHAM GAZETTE.](http://media.tumblr.com/4tO9nkkJLbfoimd18a9OOQHT_500.jpg)
![“Give your Sims’ home a makeover with new furniture and décor items based on stylish designs by IKEA!
Whether you want to create a trendy, spacious office, a chic living room, or a cozy and inviting bedroom, you can make your Sims’ dream house into something even better-a home. Design your Sims’ rooms to fit their personalities with all-new sofas, beds, tables, TV units, shelving, and more, in a variety of colors and patterns for a truly unique look. Add the finishing touches with popular IKEA wall art, mirrors, lighting, and vases. Be your Sims’ personal interior designer with inspiring, contemporary styles from IKEA!”[1]
“While there’s no doubt that postmodernism is symptomatic of a radical shift in the global deployment of capital, a new ‘mode of production’, Jameson’s model of expressive totality is far too monolithic to fully articulate the way changing patterns of international trade have altered the shape of the cultural landscape. Let there be no misunderstanding here. Jameson is not being criticized for homogenizing cultural difference under the aspect of ‘late capital’, still less so for implying that poststructuralism’s indeterminate play of signs has a quite determinate political referent. It is, after all, precisely the point of his text, as he makes clear in his 1989 follow-up essay, ‘Marxism and Postmodernism’, to establish ‘a unified theory of differentiation’. And in this he is perfectly correct. It’s only necessary to remember the multi-purpose cross-branding of the Levi’s ads, the multinational media events sponsored by Pepsi and the pop culture industries or the corporate multiculturalism of the United Colours of Benetton marketing campaigns to get his point.”[2]
“So Sims have straightforward and measurable needs, namely Hunger, Comfort, Hygiene, Bladder, Energy, Fun, Social and Room. All these needs are satisfied by interacting with objects, be they televisions, bathroom fixtures or neighbors. In the Sims’ world, everything is an object that yields a measurable benefit when some action is performed upon it. A roommate (a conversational object that bumps up the Social bar graph) is more or less analogous to the couch he’s sitting on. (The couch yields Comfort if you sit on it and Energy if you nap on it).
In a world with no intangibles, the only form of success is the acquisition of more and better objects. And in fact, that is formally engineered into the game play. Higher-quality (i.e., more expensive) objects more efficiently address Sim needs. The bar graph labeled Fun goes up faster if you are watching a high-definition television than if you are watching a black-and-white television.”[3]
IMAGES VIA THESIMS2.COM; TEXT TAKEN FROM THESIMS2.COM[1], “AFTERSHOCKS: THE END OF STYLE CULTURE” BY STEVE BEARD, AND “GAME THEORY: THE SIMS WHO DIE WITH THE MOST TOYS WIN” BY J.C. HERZ.](http://media.tumblr.com/4tO9nkkJLb41c3svH6u0LeOW_500.jpg)
