Title
Budget Ordinance for Grant from Historic Preservation Fund to Conduct a Survey of African American Residential Neighborhoods
Body
Council Priority:
1) Create an Environment to Promote Economic Development Opportunities and Job Creation
2) Maintain Infrastructure and Provide Sustainable Growth Opportunities
Department: Planning
Council District: 1
Public Hearing: No
Advertising Date/By: NA
Contact 1 and Phone: Sue Schwartz 336-373-2149
Contact 2 and Phone: Russ Clegg 336-373-2211
PURPOSE: The City of Greensboro has been awarded a matching grant of $12,000 from the federal Historic Preservation Fund through the North Carolina Historic Preservation Office. A budget amendment must be approved by the City Council for the expenditure of these funds.
BACKGROUND: The Planning Department has been awarded a grant from the Historic Preservation Fund to conduct a Survey of African American Residential Neighborhoods. The objective is to identify and record historic and architecturally significant African American neighborhoods from the mid-twentieth century. The project will focus on the Benbow Park neighborhood because of the wealth of distinctive mid-century modern homes, many designed by African American architects. The neighborhood is also important because of associations with Greensboro's role in the civil rights movement. A possible outcome is a thematic National Register nomination of African American architectural heritage. An architectural historian will be hired to conduct a house-by-house photographic survey and do archival research. There will be an outreach effort to involve the community in the project and assist with gathering historical documentation.
The overall goal of the project aligns with national efforts in the preservation community to recognize and preserve sites and areas that are significant to historically underrepresented communities and individuals. It also serves to recognize the works of African American architects and de...
Click here for full text