Development of 3500 Brill St Block of Fifth Ward

The 3500 Brill St Block of Fifth Ward was selected for this study since I am here and also due to my family background. The ward is located east of downtown Houston. Buffalo Bayou is to the south and Lockwood Drive to the east, Jensen Drive on the west, and Liberty Road to the north. The area was sparsely inhabited before the civil war but was inhabited by freed African Americans in the 1860s. The ward was officially founded in 1866 with an elected alderman. By the 1970s, the population was made up of 561 White and 578 Black residents. The wad had two schools that served the black and white communities. The schools were segregated, where one school served the black community and the other the white community.[footnoteRef:1] [1: Florian Martin, "In Gentrifying 5Th Ward, One Developer Makes a Pitch to Former Residents", Houston Public Media.]

After the emancipation announcement, the Freedmens Bureau took the initiative to help the formerly enslaved black population transition to living as freemen. Under the leadership of Jack Yates, the freed African Americans took the initiative of learning skills that would help create a sustainable society providing critical services to other black community members and building their homes and community centers. Therefore, the current thriving state of the 3500 Brill St Block of Fifth Ward is a result of the initiative taken by the freed African Americans to build a sustainable community that has grown, making it an attractive area for development for real estate and the gentrification of the current residents is a violation of their heritage; thus, development should be done responsibly to avoid evacuation of long-term residents.

Development History of the Block

The Fifth ward was allocated to the freemen since it was swampy and cheap. Allocation of the people to this location also facilitated segregation since the black community could still not share amenities with the white community. The emancipation proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln resulted in the slaves in the Union-held territory being freed. Still, it was not until June 1865 that the slaves in Texas were freed. The slaves who worked in plantations were about 1000 and settled in downtown Huston in the fourth and fifth ward along Buffalo Bayou[footnoteRef:2]. The freedmen took the initiative to educate themselves using their limited resources, such as churches and mutual aid, to establish educational institutions. In 1865, the Mount Vernon United Methodist Church was founded by Rev. Toby Gregg. Other churches constructed after that were Sloan Memorial United Methodist, Payne Chapel Methodist, Pleasant Grove Baptist, Mount Pleasant Baptist, and First Shiloh Baptist. These churches have been part of the ward for more than a century. [2: Tonia Cansler-Merideth, "African American Library at The Gregory School | East...

The Gregory Institute was served African Americans and ensured the successful development of freedmens town. Gregory Institute served as an educational center for the community where the community members would learn fundamental literacy skills. In the 1880s, the ward had a boom following the construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad. However, in 1891, the lumber mill and others caught fire, resulting in burning thirteen plants, St. Patricks Catholic Church and school, 119 houses, 116 boxcars, and nine oil tanks. This halted the development trajectory. The destruction forced the Gregory students to relocate to another colored high school, Booker T. Washington High School, in West Dallas Street. In 1903, the Gregory institute was reopened, welcoming a new generation of black children to...…5Th Ward, One Developer Makes a Pitch to Former Residents | Houston Public Media", Houston Public Media.]

Responsible Development

The development of the 3500 Brill St Block of Fifth Ward can be accomplished without evicting the long-term residents of the block. For example, the development of facilities can be accomplished through the development of facilities that are complementary to the economic capabilities of the long-term residents[footnoteRef:11]. The developers involved in acquiring and constructing residential homes can target ideal markets, such as professionals who have made careers for themselves and would like to move back into their community. This approach to the development of the block will hold and preserve the heritage of the fifth ward and carry on the history to generations to come. Notably, the developers in the residents moving into the new residents above what the community can economically sustain are attracting high-income earners who are mainly Caucasian. [11: Tyina Steptoe, "Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas (1866- ) ", Blackpast.Org.]

Consequently, these will eventually drive out the long-term residents due to a lack of the financial ability to keep living within the block and attracting middle to high-income earners who can sustain their livelihoods within the neighborhood. Notably, these challenges are alienating the community, similar to the segregation after the emancipation proclamation. The continuous irresponsible development of the block will alienate the decedents of the freedmen who were among the builders of the community that is now attractive to developers[footnoteRef:12]. Therefore, adopting responsible development strategies to keep the original residents here and benefit them by integrating them into the current development strategies and considering their economic capability. This approach to the development of the block will hold and preserve the heritage of the fifth ward and carry on the history to generations to come. [12: R.A. Schuetz and Katherine Feser, "Massive Fifth Ward…