Vol. 19, No. 16 |
Jan. 13, 2000 |
Market Street study reflects
diversity, history, potential
diversity, history, potential
Using a multidisciplinary approach to research and writing, David Teague, Wilmington Parallel Program, has modeled his freshman English composition course using the Pathways prototype. Furthermore, his students studied and wrote about an authentic and important pathway- Wilmington's Market Street. Last semester, Teague taught two classes with a total of 44 students in UD's Wilmington Parallel Program, housed at Delaware Technical and Community College, around the corner from Market Street. The editor of The Nature of Cities, a collection of essays on the urban ecology of different cities from Elizabethan London to Little Rock, Ark., Teague envisioned a similar project for his students. The two classes studied the architecture, history, culture, economy, geography and social structure of Market Street. Having a focused, relevant project caught the students' interest and has sharpened their research and writing skills, he said, and the students presented their findings on the World Wide Web. "Many of my students are from the suburbs and have visited Wilmington infrequently," Teague said. "They viewed the lower end of Market Street as a bombed-out urban area. When they carried out research at the Historical Society of Delaware, also located on Market Street, they were amazed at what the area was like in its heyday when it was the hub of downtown Wilmington," he said. "This changed as people moved to the suburbs and businesses moved to shopping malls. The civil unrest and riots of the 1960s when the National Guard was called out to patrol the city contributed to Market Street's decline as well." As one student in the class, Leslie Hawk, wrote, "Market Street is a segregated place, even in 1999. The only way to understand why is to understand its history." "Market Street is a microcosm of Delaware with a wide range of socioeconomic differences and diverse cultures. It faces a myriad of urban challenges, such as sustained economic development," Teague said. At the northern end are those icons of industry and culture-the Hotel du Pont and office buildings of MBNA America, Wilmington Trust, the Grand Opera House, plus restaurants and shops. At the lower end are several defunct businesses, although there are still some hold-outs, such as Berger Brothers Furniture, Al's Sporting Goods and the Wild Child Cafe. Another student, Paul Wallace, observed, "Restaurants are much more than simply a place to eat. They are a reflection of an area's culture. On Wilmington's Market Street, you can gauge the social prestige of each section by the type of food it offers." Even the ecology is different, Teague pointed out. Rodney Square, a park on the Brandywine and the Market Street mall with trees and songbirds are at the northern end. At the lower end, weeds, pigeons and crumbling cement predominate, although there are some interesting old buildings such as the Farmer's Trust Building. One of the recent changes on Market Street is an academic presence with such schools as the Delaware College of Art and Design and branches of different regional colleges and universities, including UD, in the Market Street vicinity. "The students have worked on this project and have interviewed merchants, real estate agents and corporate representatives. Through the web page, they hope to have some impact on Market Street's future," Teague said. Student Jeff Smith summed up the project in a positive way, writing, "The economy in Wilmington seems to be thriving. Everything is doing well. They continue work on the waterfront every day and add more manmade beauty all the time. But, what was there to do before Kahunaville and the Blue Rocks stadium? Where did people go? They went to Market Street to experience the culture and atmosphere that Wilmington offers to the world." In addition to The Nature of Cities, Teague has written The Southwest in American Literature and Art and The Collected Letters of John C. Van Dyke, the first professor of art history. A graduate of Hendrix College, he has a master's degree and his doctorate in American literature from the University of Virginia. Details on the class project may be accessed at <http://www. english.udel.edu/teague/asle. html>. -Sue Moncure -Sue Moncure Photo by Jack Buxbaum |