Slum Clearance Referendum of 1950 - Revision history

Phil at 03:42, 5 March 2010

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Phil at 19:35, 15 October 2008

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Phil at 19:33, 15 October 2008

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Phil at 13:54, 14 October 2008

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Phil at 14:10, 13 October 2008

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Phil at 11:51, 13 October 2008

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Phil at 21:02, 8 October 2008

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 ====History of Slum Clearance====
-In 1930 city planner [[John Nolen]] said of the city, "Little Rock has handicaps, common to many communities, among the the extreme ideas in community development -- those people who are too conservative to go ahead and those people over eager to go ahead without giving consideration to others." Conservatism reigned where public housing was concerned. In 1942 the city added wartime housing for blacks by constructing the [[Tuxedo Courts]], and [[Highland Court]] and [[Sunset Terrace]] for whites -- a total of 250 units.
+In 1930 city planner [[John Nolen]] said of the city, "Little Rock has handicaps, common to many communities, among the the extreme ideas in community development -- those people who are too conservative to go ahead and those people over eager to go ahead without giving consideration to others." Conservatism reigned where public housing was concerned. In 1942 the city added wartime housing for blacks by constructing the [[Tuxedo Courts]], and [[Highland Park]] and [[Sunset Terrace]] for whites -- a total of 250 units.
 In the fall of 1949 the [[Little Rock City Planning Commission]] identified 3,115 "blighted" houses in the city, about ten percent of the total housing stock. Most were described as overcrowded, lacking modern plumbing, or structurally deficient, and almost all (2,818) were occupied by black residents. The commission found particularly grave slum conditions in the [[East End]], [[Granite Mountain neighborhood]], [[South End]], [[Broadway]], and [[Livestock showgrounds neighborhood]]. Local fire chief [[Gann L. Nalley]] noted 344 fires in these neighborhood in only the last four years.

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 *Gene Foreman, "Urban Renewal: A Decade of Progress Has Brought Impressive Changes to Little Rock," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 29, 1960.
 *"Is Santa Claus Coming to Town, -- Daddy Tax Payer?" ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 7, 1950.
-*"It's Good Business," '"Arkansas Gazette,'' May 7, 1950.
+*"It's Good Business," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 7, 1950.
 *"It's Up to Voters Now: Shall City Accept Housing Gift?" ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 8, 1950.
 *Metroplan, ''A Workable Program for the City of Little Rock, Arkansas'' (November 1955).

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:35, 15 October 2008
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−	~~The~~ '''Slum Clearance Referendum of 1950''' empowered the [[City of Little Rock]] to accept federal assistance to remove dilapidated urban housing. Using funds provided under the 1949 Federal Housing Act the city tore down 628 houses and replaced them with 928 low-rent apartment units. [[Clyde E. Lowry]], a Little Rock insurance executive, spearheaded the successful 1950 effort to a pass the referendum. Slum clearance was later renamed "urban renewal."	+	Successful passage of the '''Slum Clearance Referendum of 1950''' empowered the [[City of Little Rock]] to accept federal assistance to remove dilapidated urban housing. Using funds provided under the 1949 Federal Housing Act the city tore down 628 houses and replaced them with 928 low-rent apartment units. [[Clyde E. Lowry]], a Little Rock insurance executive, spearheaded the successful 1950 effort to a pass the referendum. Slum clearance was later renamed "urban renewal."

	====History of Slum Clearance====		====History of Slum Clearance====

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 In 1950 members of the [[Little Rock Housing Authority]] led by [[R. Redding Stevenson]] and a city advisory committee headed by [[J. V. Satterfield Jr.]] of [[Peoples National Bank]] began pushing local citizens to accept $3.2 million in potential matching slum clearance funds available under Title I of the Housing Act of 1949. The local funding match would come from a local bond issue for $359,000 in improvements to black-only [[Gillam Park]] and other public community-enhancement projects totaling about $1.2 million. The Satterfield Report identified eight positive outcomes from the referendum's passage: (1) slum clearance , (2) expanded parks and playgrounds, (3) an lengthened airport runway, (4) improved sewer and water lines, (5) a black community center, (6) needed zoned-industrial land, (7) eight hundred new homes, and (4) one thousand rental units.
-Debate over the proposal was vigorous, in some ways rivaling the debate over integration later in the decade. Conservatives, some of whom organized themselves into the [[Taxpayers Defense Council]], called urban renewal "socialistic" and dubbed Stevenson the "Public Housing-Santa Claus." Wrote one resident in his letter to the editor of the ''Arkansas Gazette,'' "I say give an uneducated person a million dollars and soon he will be back broke and want another million." Liberals called it "Negro removal." Adolphine Terry, who organized a citizen's [[Committee for Progress]] in 1949 to address the problem of slum housing, called it "an exercise in responsible democracy and a solution to health problems among the poor." City health officer [[William P. Scarlett]] agreed that clearance was desperately overdue. Remembering the 1946 typhus outbreak in the city, Scarlett recalled "one big frame house in a bad housing area" contained thirty-three residents, six cases of typhus, babies covered in fleas, and numerous rats.
+Debate over the proposal was vigorous, in some ways rivaling the debate over integration later in the decade. Conservatives, some of whom organized themselves under city alderman [[Arthur Mills]] into the [[Taxpayers Defense Council]], called urban renewal "socialistic" and dubbed Stevenson the "Public Housing-Santa Claus." Wrote one resident in his letter to the editor of the ''Arkansas Gazette,'' "I say give an uneducated person a million dollars and soon he will be back broke and want another million." Liberals called it "Negro removal." Adolphine Terry, who organized a citizen's [[Committee for Progress]] in 1949 to address the problem of slum housing, called it "an exercise in responsible democracy and a solution to health problems among the poor." City health officer [[William P. Scarlett]] agreed that clearance was desperately overdue. Remembering the 1946 typhus outbreak in the city, Scarlett recalled "one big frame house in a bad housing area" contained thirty-three residents, six cases of typhus, babies covered in fleas, and numerous rats.
-The Board of Directors of the [[Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce]], citing the potential for acquisition of condemned East End land for airport and industrial expansion, lined up in favor of the ordinance. Many on the pro-ordinance side agreed with [[Flossie Parker]] of the [[Pulaski County Juvenile Court]] who argued that young people in the area "have been deprived by their environment of an understanding of why society expects them to conform to its rules." Other groups in favor of the proposal included several branches of the A.F. of L., the [[City Beautiful Commission]], the [[Little Rock Health Department]], the American Legion, the [[Visiting Nurses Association of Little Rock]], the [[Little Rock Fire Department]], the [[Little Rock Police Department]], and the [[Little Rock Parks and Recreation Commission]].
+The Board of Directors of the [[Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce]], citing the potential for acquisition of condemned East End land for airport and industrial expansion, lined up in favor of the ordinance. Many on the pro-ordinance side agreed with [[Flossie Parker]] of the [[Pulaski County Juvenile Court]] who argued that young people in the area "have been deprived by their environment of an understanding of why society expects them to conform to its rules." Other groups in favor of the proposal included the Mayor's Office under [[Sam Wassell]], several branches of the A.F. of L., the [[City Beautiful Commission]], the [[Little Rock Health Department]], the American Legion, the [[Visiting Nurses Association of Little Rock]], the [[Little Rock Fire Department]], the [[Little Rock Police Department]], and the [[Little Rock Parks and Recreation Commission]].
-The opposition complained that what these youths needed was not improved housing -- there were no slums in Little Rock in their estimation -- but better parenting. Moreover, complained attorney [[Thad Tisdale]] of the Taxpayers Defense Council, "The original survey from which these 'blighted' areas were mapped out was made by the WPA, and it is universally accepted that anything done by that organization is incorrect." In the end the forces for social and infrastructural reform won by a slim margin. A referendum on the issue -- expected to draw only six thousand voters -- passed on May 9, 1950, by a margin of 5,032 to 4,026 and Ordinance 8163 became law. The law passed with majority black support, aided in large measure by the Negro Housing Committee's free rides to the polls on election day.
+The opposition complained that what these youths needed was not improved housing -- there were no slums in Little Rock in their estimation -- but better parenting. Moreover, complained attorney [[Thad Tisdale]] of the Taxpayers Defense Council, "The original survey from which these 'blighted' areas were mapped out was made by the WPA, and it is universally accepted that anything done by that organization is incorrect." In the end the forces for social and infrastructural reform won by a slim margin. A referendum on the issue -- expected to draw only six thousand voters -- passed on May 9, 1950, by a margin of 5,032 to 4,026 and Ordinance 8163 became law. The law passed with majority black support, aided in large measure by the [[Negro Housing Committee]]'s free rides to the polls on election day. The spokesperson for the Negro Housing Committee was attorney [[J. R. Booker]].
-Gillam Park was upgraded from an undeveloped lot to include a swimming pool, pavilions, baseball diamond, and small amusement park. In return, the federal government supplied $3 million funds for the [[Booker Homes]] project in the minority [[Granite Mountain neighborhood]] near the east end of Gillam Park. Granite Mountain was described in official planning documents as "the largest and most blighted area in the City of Little Rock." The neighborhood was identified and demolished after the extra-constitutional [[Operation Honesty]] found the neighborhood noncontributing to the local property tax base. Operation Honesty was a self-selected citizen's group supported by the [[Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce]], the [[Central Trades and Labor Council]], and school and other civic leaders.
+The slum clearance plan was helmed by Stevenson and architect [[George H. Wittenberg]], who consulted directly with federal housing officials. Gillam Park was upgraded from an undeveloped lot to include a swimming pool, pavilions, baseball diamond, and small amusement park. In return, the federal government supplied $3 million funds for the [[Booker Homes]] project in the minority [[Granite Mountain neighborhood]] near the east end of Gillam Park. Granite Mountain was described in official planning documents as "the largest and most blighted area in the City of Little Rock." The neighborhood was identified and demolished after the extra-constitutional [[Operation Honesty]] found the neighborhood noncontributing to the local property tax base. Operation Honesty was a self-selected citizen's group supported by the [[Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce]], the [[Central Trades and Labor Council]], and school and other civic leaders.
 The project included four hundred new homes for black families. The $1.3 million Granite Mountain slum clearance effort by the Little Rock Housing Authority and Urban Progress Association led to the condemnation and demolition of one hundred and seventy two small homes scattered over 100 acres and occupied by black Little Rock residents. Only two of the homes had indoor plumbing. Residents instead fetched water from free-standing faucets. Sixty-nine new homes replaced the older structures. One thousand low-rent apartment units were also approved. The clearance, approved on December 3, 1954, by the federal Housing and Home Finance Agency, was part of the [[Central Little Rock Urban Renewal Project]].
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 *"On Condemnation," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 4, 1950.
 *"The Opportunity of a Lifetime for Little Rock [advertisement]," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 6, 1950.
 *Raymond Rebsamen, ''Little Rock: Poised Poised for Progress,'' (Little Rock, AR: Urban Progress Association, 1960).
 *"The Slum Clearance Program: An Editorial," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 9, 1950.
 *Earl C. Sowder, "No Help Possible," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 9, 1950.
 *Mort Stern, "The City Health Department Finds It Expensive Business to Fight Slum-Bred Diseases," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 5, 1950.
 *Mort Stern, "In the City of Roses One Out of Ten Families Lives in a Crowded, Unsanitary House," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 3, 1950.
 *Mort Stern, "Little Rock Has Had Eight Years Experience With Its Three Public Housing Units," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 6, 1950.

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 In 1950 members of the [[Little Rock Housing Authority]] led by [[R. Redding Stevenson]] and a city advisory committee headed by [[J. V. Satterfield Jr.]] of [[Peoples National Bank]] began pushing local citizens to accept $3.2 million in potential matching slum clearance funds available under Title I of the Housing Act of 1949. The local funding match would come from a local bond issue for $359,000 in improvements to black-only [[Gillam Park]] and other public community-enhancement projects totaling about $1.2 million. The Satterfield Report identified eight positive outcomes from the referendum's passage: (1) slum clearance , (2) expanded parks and playgrounds, (3) an lengthened airport runway, (4) improved sewer and water lines, (5) a black community center, (6) needed zoned-industrial land, (7) eight hundred new homes, and (4) one thousand rental units.
-Debate over the proposal was vigorous, in some ways rivaling the debate over integration later in the decade. Conservatives, some of whom organized themselves into the [[Taxpayers Defense Council]], called urban renewal "socialistic" and dubbed Stevenson the "Public Housing-Santa Claus." Liberals called it "Negro removal." Adolphine Terry, who organized a citizen's [[Committee for Progress]] in 1949 to address the problem of slum housing, called it "an exercise in responsible democracy and a solution to health problems among the poor." City health officer [[William P. Scarlett]] agreed that clearance was desperately overdue. Remembering the 1946 typhus outbreak in the city, Scarlett recalled "one big frame house in a bad housing area" contained thirty-three residents, six cases of typhus, babies covered in fleas, and numerous rats.
+Debate over the proposal was vigorous, in some ways rivaling the debate over integration later in the decade. Conservatives, some of whom organized themselves into the [[Taxpayers Defense Council]], called urban renewal "socialistic" and dubbed Stevenson the "Public Housing-Santa Claus." Wrote one resident in his letter to the editor of the ''Arkansas Gazette,'' "I say give an uneducated person a million dollars and soon he will be back broke and want another million." Liberals called it "Negro removal." Adolphine Terry, who organized a citizen's [[Committee for Progress]] in 1949 to address the problem of slum housing, called it "an exercise in responsible democracy and a solution to health problems among the poor." City health officer [[William P. Scarlett]] agreed that clearance was desperately overdue. Remembering the 1946 typhus outbreak in the city, Scarlett recalled "one big frame house in a bad housing area" contained thirty-three residents, six cases of typhus, babies covered in fleas, and numerous rats.
 The Board of Directors of the [[Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce]], citing the potential for acquisition of condemned East End land for airport and industrial expansion, lined up in favor of the ordinance. Many on the pro-ordinance side agreed with [[Flossie Parker]] of the [[Pulaski County Juvenile Court]] who argued that young people in the area "have been deprived by their environment of an understanding of why society expects them to conform to its rules." Other groups in favor of the proposal included several branches of the A.F. of L., the [[City Beautiful Commission]], the [[Little Rock Health Department]], the American Legion, the [[Visiting Nurses Association of Little Rock]], the [[Little Rock Fire Department]], the [[Little Rock Police Department]], and the [[Little Rock Parks and Recreation Commission]].
-The opposition complained that what these youths needed was not improved housing -- there were no slums in Little Rock in their estimation -- but better parenting. Moreover, complained attorney [[Thad Tisdale]] of the Taxpayers Defense Council, "The original survey from which these 'blighted' areas were mapped out was made by the WPA, and it is universally accepted that anything done by that organization is incorrect." In the end the forces for social and infrastructural reform won by a slim margin. A referendum on the issue passed on May 9, 1950, by a margin of 5,032 to 4,026 with majority black support, and Ordinance 8163 became law.
+The opposition complained that what these youths needed was not improved housing -- there were no slums in Little Rock in their estimation -- but better parenting. Moreover, complained attorney [[Thad Tisdale]] of the Taxpayers Defense Council, "The original survey from which these 'blighted' areas were mapped out was made by the WPA, and it is universally accepted that anything done by that organization is incorrect." In the end the forces for social and infrastructural reform won by a slim margin. A referendum on the issue -- expected to draw only six thousand voters -- passed on May 9, 1950, by a margin of 5,032 to 4,026 and Ordinance 8163 became law. The law passed with majority black support, aided in large measure by the Negro Housing Committee's free rides to the polls on election day.
 Gillam Park was upgraded from an undeveloped lot to include a swimming pool, pavilions, baseball diamond, and small amusement park. In return, the federal government supplied $3 million funds for the [[Booker Homes]] project in the minority [[Granite Mountain neighborhood]] near the east end of Gillam Park. Granite Mountain was described in official planning documents as "the largest and most blighted area in the City of Little Rock." The neighborhood was identified and demolished after the extra-constitutional [[Operation Honesty]] found the neighborhood noncontributing to the local property tax base. Operation Honesty was a self-selected citizen's group supported by the [[Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce]], the [[Central Trades and Labor Council]], and school and other civic leaders.
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 *"Chamber Directors Back New City Slum Clearance Program," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 4, 1950.
 *Blaine Delaney, "Vote for Housing," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 4, 1950.
 *"Do You Want ... Without Additional Taxes ... [advertisement]," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 7, 1950.
@@ Line 41: / Line 42: @@
 *"The Opportunity of a Lifetime for Little Rock [advertisement]," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 6, 1950.
 *Raymond Rebsamen, ''Little Rock: Poised Poised for Progress,'' (Little Rock, AR: Urban Progress Association, 1960).
 *Mort Stern, "The City Health Department Finds It Expensive Business to Fight Slum-Bred Diseases," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 5, 1950.
 *Mort Stern, "In the City of Roses One Out of Ten Families Lives in a Crowded, Unsanitary House," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 3, 1950.
@@ Line 49: / Line 52: @@
 *"We Couldn't Stand It Any Longer, Taxpayers - Read! [advertisement]" ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 8, 1950.
 *"Who Recommended Little Rock's Slum Clearance and Low Rent Housing Program? [advertisement]" ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 8, 1950.
 ==External links==

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 ==References==
 *Gene Foreman, "Urban Renewal: A Decade of Progress Has Brought Impressive Changes to Little Rock," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 29, 1960.
 *Metroplan, ''A Workable Program for the City of Little Rock, Arkansas'' (November 1955).
 *Sara Alderman Murphy, ''Breaking the Silence: Little Rock's Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools, 1958-1963'' (Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1997), 20-23.
-*John Nolen, ''City Plan: Little Rock, Arkansas'' (Cambridge, MA: Hale J. Walker and Justin R. hartzog Associates, 1930), 6.
+*John Nolen, ''City Plan: Little Rock, Arkansas'' (Cambridge, MA: Hale J. Walker and Justin R. Hartzog Associates, 1930), 6.
 *Raymond Rebsamen, ''Little Rock: Poised Poised for Progress,'' (Little Rock, AR: Urban Progress Association, 1960).
 *Mort Stern, "In the City of Roses One Out of Ten Families Lives in a Crowded, Unsanitary House," ''Arkansas Gazette,'' May 3, 1950.