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| January 28, 2004 |
Eyesores Once Radiant
Apartment buildings heralded a rebirth for immigrants |
When I heard that the derelict apartment buildings that once stood on Route 38 across from the Cherry Hill Mall were being remade into a luxury complex, I had to suppress my nostalgia.
On a frosty December evening in 1978, my parents, twin sister and I moved into a fifth-floor unit in the East Tower. To our delight, we discovered several rooms full of donated furniture, a freshly baked chocolate cake, and a huge balcony, where my dad promptly began to smoke.
Even though we lived in that apartment for just six months before moving away, our experience there will always figure prominently in my memories. As Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union—where space, like fresh fruit, was a prized commodity—we were amazed by its enormous bedrooms. (Of course, everything in America amazed us: the countless orange juice brands at the supermarket; the concept of car insurance; that all-too-seductive, super-sized mall.)
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