Now, I'm not an advocate for never building anything new, or for not touching a neighborhood after I've moved in (as my father used to note, "The last one in, wants to be the last one in.") but couldn't new construction be done with an eye towards beauty and comfort? Does anyone realize how long it takes a tree to grow to the point where it provides shade and shelter? If nothing else, think how much lower your airconditioning bills will be if your homes are shaded from the sun.

And it's not only builders and contractors. Houses originally built to hold two or three generations of one large family, are bought and converted into three or four apartments. The small tidy lawns and yards, the luxurious trees, are quickly chopped down and cemented over to make way for cars. Absentee landlords have left the area to become trash-ridden and rather run-down looking in spots. Let's face it, most of these smaller buildings, split into apartments, are not occupied by people who plan to stay for long periods of time. Ownership and roots in a community equal pride in the community. We're rapidly losing that.

Between the destruction of the lovely old homes and buildings, and the constant inept trimming and destruction of the trees by savage contractors, my theory is that within a few years Woodlawn will not only be nothing but ugly houses, but will also be "Wood-less." So I'm setting out in this project to record as much of the "old" (as in, old to me) Woodlawn as I can. In the past week, I noted another old house gone by the wayside and another squat, ugly building erected in its place. I'd better work fast.

I'm also interested in suggestions for photographs of houses, people or decorative details in Woodlawn. My hope is to eventually do an exhibit of what I collect, photograph, draw and paint.

Technorati Tags: The Bronx, Woodlawn, Woodlawn Cemetery, the Bronx River, Van Cortlandt Park