When your scanner is limited
The picture is of a legal sized document. Sorta circa 1970 from the same folder as the legalese I wrote yesterday. The problem is my scanner can't get the whole page.
What is this?
"Extremely deficient buildings in Shaw" aka number of crappy buildings that probably need to be torn down. I see Square 513 had 51 crappy buildings. Square 513 is N St, 4th St, M St, and 5th Street. Well considering the post 1970 buildings on that square and the building that committed suicide last (or was it early this year?) year.... yeah. Next on the crap for bricks block is Sq. 617 with 50. That's over with Hanover Pl, and then Sq. 271 with 35 buildings. My little map O'Squares only covers eastern Shaw, so I don't know where that is without doing some more looking.
Labels: neighborhood history, SSURA
April 2, 1970 borders of Shaw
From page 2 from the memo NCPC File No. UR-07 "Resolution Modifying the Boundaries and Urban Renewal Plan for the Shaw School Urban Renewal Area"; File UR 07 Modification #6 NDP 2; Records Relating to Urban Renewal; National Capital Planning Commission (1952-), Record Group 328; National Archives Building Washington, DC:
BE IT RESOLVED, that pursuant to Section 6(b) and 12 of the Redevelopment Act, the Commission adopts modified boundaries for the Project Area described as follows:
Beginning at the southwest corner of the intersection of Fifteenth Street, N.W., and "N" Street, N.W., thence along the south line of "N" Street, N.W., the the southwest corner of Thirteenth Street, N.W., and "N" Street, N.W., thence southerly along the west line of Thirteenth Street, N.W., to the southwest corner of "M" Street, N.W., and Thirteenth Street, N.W., thence along the south line of "M" Street, N.W., to its intersection with the north line of New York Avenue, N.W., to the east line of North Capitol Street, thence along the east line of North Capitol Street to the northeast corner of North Capitol Street and Florida Avenue, N.W., thence along the northeasterly and north lines of Florida Avenue, N.W., to the northeast corner of Florida Avenue, N.W., and Georgia Avenue, N.W., thence along the east line of Georgia Avenue, N.W., to the north line of "V" Street, N.W., extended to the east line of Georgia Avenue, N.W., thence along the north line of "V" Street, N.W., extended to intersect the east line of Florida Avenue, N.W., at Ninth Street, N.W., thence in a northwesterly direction along the east line of Florida Avenue, N.W., to the east line of Sherman Avenue, N.W., thence northernly on the east line of Sherman Avenue, N.W., to its intersection with the north line of Barry Place, N.W., thence westerly on the north line of Barry Place, N.W., to its intersection with the north line of Florida Avenue, N.W., thence along the north line of Florida Avenue, N.W., to the intersection of Florida Avenue, N.W., New Hampshire Avenue, and Fifteenth Street, N.W., to the point of beginning.
Good Lord, that is the most confusing piece of geo-legal-gaaaaah I've ever transcribed.
Labels: neighborhood history, SSURA
Some Make Stuff Up, & Some Bring Proof
I have a laundry list of 1/2 done projects. At work there is the 'paper that should have written itself,' but noticeably didn't. At home there is the 1900-1930 census project, which at the pace I'm going will be done in time for the 1940 census to be rolled out. And way down on the list is correct that damned
Wikipedia page on Shaw. Because I want to actually cite sources, the problem is trying to figure out the coding (which I know shouldn't be that hard) to cite the sources to prove that most of the history written there is a load of horse manure. I'm reminded of this everytime the question of where the borders of Shaw are comes up, like with
DCist .
Maybe I'm too timid when it comes to over writing something that someone else wrote. But then again, I have to ask 'prove it'. The other problem is that I'm a bit shaky and not particularly sure on a comment I wish to make saying that the neighborhood wasn't called Shaw prior to 1950. Okay I actually want to say 1960. However there was a school boundary but as a neighborhood in general I haven't come across any pre-1950 lit saying otherwise. But just because I haven't come across it doesn't mean it such evidence doesn't exist, and that's what concerns me.
So in my mind, the TC is part of Shaw, as it was a federal agency and the DC government that came up with the borders. Yet, people keep doubting and throwing out ideas with no proof or anything to back it up.
Correcting the damned page just moved up again.
Labels: neighborhood history, SSURA
Urban Renewal: So what were you thinking?
I've been meaning to getting around to talking about a lovely record group at the
National Archives. If you go to their OPAC called
ARC and throw in the phrase "National Capitol Planning Commission" you will find a slew of series that pertain to the history and development of the District of Columbia.
Records Relating to Urban Renewal (ARC ID# 784266) do contain a lot of info about Shaw and other areas that got 'renewed' in the middle of the 20th Century. Another series I want to focus on in this post are the
Transcripts of Proceedings and Minutes of Meetings, 01/1924 - 12/02/1999 (ARC ID# 1571319).
At the 1962 September Open Session Meeting of the Commission (9/13/1962), when speaking about the Northeast No. 1 Urban Renewal Project, Brig. General F.J. Clarke made the statement:
Urban Renewal, as presently thought of, may be separated into 2 principal categories: First, being those actions which are concerned with preventing future slums, namely improved planning, improved codes, etc.; and, 2nd, the elimination of existing slum or blighted areas.
In this category of eliminating existing slums, the primary purpose of urban renewal is the elimination of slum or blighted areas by various means: acquisition and demolition of structures; the rehabilitation of existing structures; installation of public facilities, and other measures.
Secondarily in purpose but not in importance is the prevention of the recurrence of slum and blighted conditions again in the redeveloped or renewed area.
There's more, but I don't feel like transcribing it right now. It points a bit to the thinking of the 'why'. It's getting to the what, that makes things interesting.
Labels: history, neighborhood history, SSURA
Are we there yet?
In the 50s-60s the Feds and locals came up with the Shaw School Urban Renewal Area (SSURA) plan. My question, it being 2007 and all, well I was wondering, are we done yet? Has Shaw been urbanly renewed? Or is it one of those government things that will never die and 30 years from now Shaw will still be renewing? Is there a DC neighborhood that has been renewed and the authors of it have placed their hands on their hips, struck a profile, and announced that their work is now done? If so did they get what they planned for?
Labels: history, SSURA
