Broken Angel

About this listing

Artistically modified home with features like found-item stained glass windows and a roof-top camera obscura

Place Details

Place Matters Profile

Nominations

Broken Angel is a place that matters because it was a plain brick building that this unusual old hippie couple turned into an artistic creation with jutting stained glass angles on top created from discarded objects (a la Gaudi). It is a place that matters because you can’t walk by without stopping to look at it and this city needs to hold onto any folkart structures that are standing because modern developers certainly aren’t putting up any new ones! I really am just trying to give the building some public attention because unfortunately it has caught the notice of the Dept. of Buildings who is in the process of trying to evict the couple and have the building torn down (due to code violations). Their son created a website for the building to try to raise public awareness and also raise money (to fix the violations).

The building was depicted briefly in Dave Chappelle's Block Party movie.

(December 2006)