Sammy Polinsky and Sophia Day
Plywood, chandelier, fabric, polyfill, wallpaper, cardboard, paint
2024
Real estate value:
$1,000,000 (per unit)
Perhaps the most obvious symbol of the gentrification of Jamaica Plain, these luxury row houses, built up the road from the artists’ former residence, sell at an unaffordable price point for the average resident: a parody of the formerly-affordable multi-family home. As the Boston Globe reported, it is likely that many “upscale” units in Boston are investment properties, not actually housing the people who own them and sitting vacant for most of the year. These units boast luxury yet are made with vinyl “wood” and mass-produced synthetic materials – carefully manufactured lawns belie profit margins and the widening gap between Jamaica Plain past and present.