3500 Brill St Block of Fifth Ward Its Development

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 Freedmen’s 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 Texas History", East Texas History.]

By 1870, the Texas legislation required the creation of a public school for freedmen. The Gregory Institute was served African Americans and ensured the successful development of freedmen’s 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. Patrick’s 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 the elementary level.[footnoteRef:3] Due to structural challenges, a multibuilding complex was constructed and opened in 1926 and was known as Lincoln elementary. The Gregory Elementary School was decommissioned in 1984, and the teachers and students transferred into Lincoln elementary. The latter was abandoned until now, when developers have expressed interest in property among other historical relics of the residents. [3: Tonia Cansler-Merideth, "African American Library at The Gregory School | East Texas History", East Texas History.Diana J. Kleiner, "Fifth Ward, Houston", Tshaonline.Org. ]

The population of the fifth ward predominantly became black as more facilities were accessible to the black community here. Black-owned businesses were the main proprietors in the 3500 Brill St Block and other four blocks. The businesses were mainly the center of Louisiana’s organized community, including an undertaking parlor, a theatre, pharmacy, a dentist’s office, and barbershops. The working class in the community was employed within the ward or worked for the southern pacific railroad or the Houston Ship Channel. Those who did not have an education commuted to work for wealthy residents of Huston. By 1922, the Phillis Wheatley High School had 2,600 students and 60 teachers, making it the largest black school in America[footnoteRef:4]. Notably, the more advanced business began emerging as the population acquired more education, such as photography studios, printing plants, and the Club Matinee. [4: ]

After World War II, the Kelly Court Housing project was opened and was overseen by the early community activists Lilly Portley and Lonnie Smith. The first electrical contracting company for the black community was also founded post-war. In the 1950s, the Finnigan Park and the Julia C. Hester House, a black community center, began operations. At this time, Nat Q. Henderson, who earlier had served as the principal of Bruce Elementary School, was mayor of the Fifth Ward and was reputable for the transformative leadership[footnoteRef:5]. In 1960, the integration laws were passed and led to the community beginning to integrate, making it possible for black people to seek more opportunities in areas predominantly occupied by the white community[footnoteRef:6]. This led to the movement of black people who were educated and influential moving from this community to another residential area where there were more opportunities and access to better social amenities. Consequently, the following decades marked a decline in development in the following decades since the core leaders and influential personalities were moving or working elsewhere. [5: Tonia Cansler-Merideth, "African American Library At The Gregory School | East Texas History", East Texas History.] [6: Tyina Steptoe, "Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas (1866- ) •", Blackpast.Org, Last modified 2015.]

Racism

As established, the emancipation proclamation did not eliminate segregation, which prevailed until 1960. Notably, the freeing of slaves posed a social, political, and economic threat to the white community. As a result, the white communities were reluctant to embrace the black people into their social circles and share social amenities[footnoteRef:7]. Access to education was perceived as the main threat to the white community’s social, economic, and political status. Consequently, the efforts to maintain the status quo were through segregation to limit the access to educational facilities and other amenities to maintain the privilege they enjoyed before the emancipation proclamation. [7: Diana J. Kleiner, "Fifth Ward, Houston", Tshaonline.Org.]

Insight of these challenges, the Gregory School in Houston, Texas, was established to serve the freedmen. The Gregory School was founded following the order of General Edgar M. Gregory to meet the needs of the recent freedmen and offer them and their children an opportunity to acquire the skills needed to access different government services and conduct themselves as freemen[footnoteRef:8]. In 1980, the Houston Independent School District was closed due to declining enrollees and a weakening structure. The Gregory Elementary School merged with Lincoln Junior High School to form Gregory-Lincoln Education Centre. The site was recognized in the national register as a state antiquities landmark in 1995 as a historic place. [8: Tonia Cansler-Merideth, "African American Library at The Gregory School | East Texas History", East Texas History.]

The block holds a historical significance to the African American community resident in the 5th ward and America since it was the first place where the black community established a sustainable community despite the adverse community conditions. As such, the current interest in preserving these community buildings is the preservation of the historical significance of these relics. The current interest in the development of the fifth ward has attracted interest from real estate developers who are not familiar with the history of the wards and their development[footnoteRef:9]. However, due to their capitalistic ventures, they lack interest in preserving the relics that hold a heritage meaning to the local community. However, the descendants of former residents have taken the initiative to preserve these historic landmarks. The restoration project will involve the restoration of the Houston Public Library to repurpose it as a research library. [9: Denise Frazier, "The Nickel: A History of African-Descended People in Houston’s Fifth Ward", Genealogy 4, no. 1 (2020): 33.]

The fifth ward had grown to 22,000 people by 2015 and was marked by the development of new facilities to meet the changing social demands. The development of the fifth ward has taken new measures towards the revitalization of the previous economy and glory of the ward in the 1960s and 1970s. The construction of two new commercial developments, 300 new homes, two multifamily complexes, and two commercial renovations, and the installation of public art and monuments gathered from the community has been approached in a manner that might gentrify the region driving the native resident out of this residence[footnoteRef:10]. However, adopting responsible development strategies to keep the original residents here and benefit the residents by integrating them into the current development strategies and considering their economic capability. [10: Florian Martin, "In Gentrifying 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.]