Historic preservation through urban renewal: how urban renewal works, two areas of emphasis, broad requirements, preservation and renewal in action

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L ADMINISTRATION ■ HOUSING AND HOME FINANCE AGENCY ■ WASHINGTON 25, D.C

7.X :

Hi storic ^^reservation

through
I Urban

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
DEPARTMENT

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

i(bS«jiuoA ?«JULi\^

Historic Preservation

through
Urban Renewal

. . . how urban renewal works

. . . two areas of emphasis

. . . broad requirements

. . . preservation and renewal in action

URBAN RENEWAL ADMINISTRATION ■ HOUSING AND HOME FINANCE AGENCY ■ WASHINGTON 25, D.C.

The materials contained in this booklet were assembled
and prepared by Margaret Carroll, Urban Planner, Ur-
ban Renewal Administration. The valuable assistance
oflocal renewal ageni ies mentioned in the text and that
of the following organizations is acknowledged:

Strawbery Banke, Inc., Portsmouth, N.H.; Historic Bethlehem,
Inc.. Bethlehem, Pa.; Old Philadelphia Development Corpora-
tion. Philadelphia. Pa.; San Francisco Conservation Committee,
Sari I i o, Calif.; Providenci Preservation Society, Provi-
dence, R.I

THIS PUBLICATION, through actual
examples, shows the role that urban re-
newal can play in preserving the historic
heritage of our cities. These examples dem-
onstrate the diversity of opportunities and
possibilities in joint renewal-preservation
projects and how communities can work
with the Urban Renewal Administration in
preserving that which is worthy and capable
of being saved.

Through urban renewal action, historic
structures can have a new chance to sur-
vive— to be enjoyed in a setting that is suit-
able and harmonious. Located in the old-
est sections of our cities, these structures
have often been overwhelmed by environ-
ments of decay and deterioration. How
many limes have you heard it said, "Too
bad about the lovely old so-and-so building;
it's in one of our worst slum areas"?

In his State of the Union address in Jan-
uary 1962, President Kennedy said, "We
are all trustees for the American People,
custodians of the American heritage." ■

urban renewal works

FIRST of all. here are some key points
on what urban renewal is and how it
works. '

Urban renewal is a local program, bol-
stered by Federal financial assistance. Al-
though the Federal Government makes
grant payments to cover up to % or % of
the net cost of an urban renewal project,
this is a Federal-aid program which must
be locally initialed, locally administered, and
locally planned and carried out. The Federal
program was developed to eliminate
slums and blight, as well as the causes of
slums and blight. It includes (1) reha-
bilitation and conservation of structures
and neighborhoods that can be saved and
(2) clearance and redevelopment of prob-
lem areas needing more drastic treatment.
Projects may involve a combination of
these renewal activities.

Federal funds may be advanced or
loaned for activities such as

. . . planning and administering the

project
. . . acquiring land and demolishing
structures which are blighted or
which interfere with carrying out

the approved plan for renewal
. . . putting in site improvements in
the project area

These activities could be used to support
historic preservation in a variety of ways.
For example, project plans could be de-
veloped to enhance the setting of historic
structures. Deteriorated structures and
incompatible land uses exerting a blight-
ing influence could be removed from the
project area. New uses of project land
could be proposed which would fit in
with and complement the areas to be pre-
served. Project site improvements could
include better approaches — by car or on
foot — to a historic area; development of
local parks and playgrounds; grading and
essential landscaping in connection with
other eligible project improvements; in-
stallation of publicly owned street lighting
and utility systems.

Under urban renewal legislation, how-
ever, Federal funds cannot be used to re-
store historic structures. Actual restora-
tion must be undertaken through some
State or local public agency or private
group.2 ■

1 For detailed information on the urban renewal program, see
Fact Sheet —The Urban Renewal Program, available at no
charge from the Urban Renewal Administration , Washington 25,
D.C., or from am Housing and Home Finance Agency Regional
Office (see listing pagi

2 The National Trust for Historic Preservation (815 Seven-
teenth Street, N. W., Washington 6, B.C.) has materials available
for individuals and groups interested in initiating historic preser-
vation programs.

II

4l

. two areas of emphasis

i

mm

TWO major areas of emphasis in ur-
ban renewal today provide a favor-
able climate for historic preservation.
One is emphasis on rehabilitation and conser-
vation wherever this is feasible; the other,
emphasis on good design. The Urban Re-
newal Administration's determination that
renewal activities move in these directions
provides two strong pegs to which proj-
ects invoking restoration can be tied.

Our housing resources are far too val-
uable to be destroyed — if they can be res-
cued in time before blight goes too far,
and can be successfully rehabilitated.
Major legislation enacted in 1961 was
aimed at providing new tools for this kind
of rescue work — better financing for prop-
cm- improvement, new possibilities in re-
habilitation demonstrations. The Federal
Housing Administration, for example,
provides a variety of programs for mort-
gage insurance for rehabilitating existing
homes.

To show how rehabilitation and con-
servation can be tied to restoration, here
is a quotation from a recent Urban Re-
newal Administration publication on how
to be successful in selecting areas suitable
for this kind of urban renewal treatment:

Look for vitality . . . the essential quality . . .
that can lip the balance between success or
failure in conservation projects . . . [Does
the area have character, one of the quali-
ties than can provide vitality?] Character . . .
is a loose-knit term used here to describe the
a ral feeling an area conveys of being a
pleasant or an undesirable place to live. It is
not linked to rigid rules on physical factors
such as age of structures, the width of streets
and the number of people per acre. It is the

total effect of appearance and atmosphere. It
may be attributable to:

— Pleasant openness or well-organized close-
ness.
— Enough variety in building placement and

types to lend interest.
— Architectural design of good proportion

and line. . . .
This kind of character and charm often mel-
lows and improves with age. If you find it,
capitalize on it. This quality has been an
essential ingredient in case after case when,
against heavy odds, an older area has re-
tained its vitality through the years or has
been able to make a successful comeback.''

Enough variety to lend interest, good
proportion and line in architecture — these
are some of the characteristics that mark
many older areas and older buildings as
possibilities for achieving good design in re-
newal. Though there can be difficulties
in designing around and in harmony with
existing structures, the rewards in careful
blending of old and new far outweigh the
problems.

Well-organized closeness is another
quality that gives older areas potential
for good design in line with contemporary
needs. Older areas were usually built to
more of a human scale, rather than in the
automobile age pattern of urban sprawl.
Close-in location and short distances to
the corner store, the school, the park, and
buslines make them likely candidates for
restoration and renewal as a central city-
refuge for the tired commuter ■

1 Urban Renewal Administration; Technical Guide 3 —
Selecting Areas for Conservation. Available for 1 5 cents
from Superintendent of Documents . U.S. Government Printing
Office, Washington 25, D.C.

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broad requirements

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HISTORIC preservation is a real in-
terest and concern of the Urban
Renewal Administration. It is URA's in-
tent that its policies and activities shall
give all possible support to preservation.
However, some words of caution are in
order. Before preservation and renewal
can work together as a part of an urban
renewal project, the area of the project
and the plans proposed for it must meet
certain broad legislative and administra-
tive requirements:

1. The area, through structural and
environmental deficiencies, must
have deteriorated to the point that
it is eligible for renewal treat-
ment— to the point that public ac-
tion is necessary to restore it to
sound condition.

2. The area must be capable of re-
sponding to the type of renewal
treatment proposed. Renewal ac-
tivities must be able to remove

blighting factors and effect enough
change to preclude future decline.

3. Project plans must be built on a
sound economic base. Both pres-
ervation and new construction
must be related to uses of land and
structures which are responsive to
economic demands.

4. Project plans must be in line with
broad local objectives, including
those set forth in the comprehen-
sive community plan.

Finally, no urban renewal project — -cer-
tainly none involving the more specialized
process of preservation — has any chance
of success without strong local leadership.
The initiative must come from the local-
ity. The decisions that are made are local
decisions. Participation by the Urban Re-
newal Administration is that of making
sure that these decisions fit the framework
within which the program must operate ■

665593 O - S3 ■

. . . preservation

and renewal

in action

Here are some examples of
how historic structures and
sites are being retained and
preserved through urban re-
newal. They cover a range
of possibilities— from de-
veloping an entire project
built around preservation to
planning for individual
structures to be retained and
fitted in with new construc-
tion. ■

The Daniel Bailey House, one of the few
Greek Revival houses in Portsmouth, built
about 1820.

PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE

ONE of the best examples of local
leadership in action is what has
happened in Portsmouth. New Hamp-
shire's Strawbery Banke (Marcy- Wash-
ington Street) Project. Here one of the
community's most badly blighted areas
had originally been a lovely, sedate
neighborhood where sea captains, ship-
builders, and merchants had fashionable
homes near the water. At least 12 build-
ings in this 9'/2-acre area being proposed
for urban renewal could be classed as his-
torical treasures.

Unfortunately, New Hampshire law re-
quired that every building in a renewal
project be demolished. Armed with their
concern that this part of Portsmouth's
heritage should not be lost, local citizens
formed a corporation to restore Straw-
berv Banke in 1958, and by 1959 they
had succeeded in getting the State law
changed to permit restoration and re-

newal to work hand in hand. The land
and buildings in the project area will be
acquired by the local renewal agency. In
accordance with Federal law, the agency
will arrange for relocation of the families
to be displaced and will also handle the
demolition of some 60 structures to be re-
moved and the construction of basic site
improvements. Strawbery Banke, Inc.,
will then buy the land and remaining
buildings from the local renewal agency,
and proceed to redevelop the area ac-
cording to plan.

An architectural firm experienced in
restoration activities has been retained by
Strawbery Banke, Inc., to develop a de-
tailed site plan for the area. Studies are
now being made for final determination
of structures to be retained. Those most
significant, historically and architecturally,
will be completely restored and furnished
for exhibition. Other less outstanding

structures will be retained and rehabili-
tated for supplementary uses, such as ad-
ministrative facilities and craft shops. A
limited number of dwellings will also be
rehabilitated and leased to individual
families.

The project area will be divided into
two principal sub-areas. That portion of
the site on which many existing structures
are to remain will be planned to re-create
the once fashionable residential area.
The portion from which most of the struc-
tures will be cleared is to be utilized for
relocating historic structures that will be
moved into the project area from other
parts of the community. The colonial
home of Daniel Webster and the remains
of the original State House are planned
to be relocated here and restored ■

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: Portsmouth Housing Authority, 25
Vaughan Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

. built in 1780 and immorta/i
Author Thomas B ,h.

Pitt Tavern, built in 1766, host to
Washington, Lafayette, and Louis Philippe,
later fi

In the Deacon Penhallow house, built in 1750
or earlui , the Penny Shop, patronized by John
Paul J nuts, will be in business again.

MOBILE, ALABAMA

ANOTHER good example of how the
1Y. renewal-preservation partnership can
work is Mobile's East Church Street Proj-
ect. Six blocks of the project have been
set aside as a special historic area. This
area, in a setting of fine old live oaks,
presently contains ten buildings built prior
to 1860, three of which were marked by
the Historic American Buildings Survey
in 1939. Historically and architecturally
valuable structures will be retained; and
the local renewal agency plans to use
cleared portions of this six-block area to
relocate valuable buildings from other
sections of the community which would
otherwise be demolished for highway
clearance or other reasons. The Urban
Renewal Plan calls for the development
of a spacious esthetically attractive area
centered on a park-mall approach to the
new municipal auditorium.

No building can be erected, placed, or
altered in the Historic Area or in the
nearby General Business Area until the
building design and site development
have been approved by an Architectural
Committee. Committee membership will
include the Chairman of the local re-
newal agency, the Chairman of the Plan-
ning Commission, the President of the
local or State Chapter of the American In-
stitute of Architects, and the President of
Mobile's Allied Arts Council. The Presi-
dent of the Historic Preservation Society
serves as Adviser to the Committee.

With emphasis on civic, tourist, and
very light types of business uses, this his-
toric district will be a specialty area form-
ing a "bridge" between the central busi-
ness district and the auditorium area.
Two of the old buildings have been in
commercial use for some time and a third

has been restored as Mobile's Junior
League headquarters. Well kept and in
character with the area, these buildings
are excluded from acquisition. Use of a
fourth building, a fire station built in
1858, as a museum housing some of the
city's old fire equipment is being consid-
ered. Numerous inquiries have been made
concerning the use by professional and so-
cial societies of other buildings in the area.
Since the Urban Renewal Plan was
adopted, the city governing body has
adopted an ordinance establishing historic
districts in this and other areas and creat-
ing the Mobile Historic Development
Commission and an Architectural Review
Board to promote and protect historic in-
terests and values ■

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: Executive Director, Mobile Hous-
ing Board, P.O. Box 1345, Mobile, Alabama.

The Waring "Texas" House, erected
fore 1846, served as separate living
quarters for the young men of the
family.

The Chandler House, built shortly after 1852, serves as
headquarters for the Junior League and other civic
groups.

The Hamilton House, built in 1859.

10

Project Area Land Use Plan

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Old Photmx Fire Slalion. buill w 1858

11

HISTORIC! (COMMERCIAL) AREA

'|| J| GENERAL BTJSIMESS AREA
PUBLIC "USE AREA

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA

URBAN renewal in Monterey, Cali-
fornia, is also taking advantage of
the opportunity to preserve and enhance
an historic area. Like Mobile's historic
area, Monterey's Custom House Project
will create a specialty area adjacent to
the central business district. The Urban
Renewal Plan states:

Because . . . certain old buildings are a price-
less link with the past in which not only the
State's Constitution, but many of its tastes,
customs and habits were formed, and because
these old structures influenced by their setting
are of great architectural merit and . . . char-
acter indigenous to this region, it is an objec-
tive of the Plan to provide for [their preser-
vation].

As an important tourist attraction, this
historic renewal should strengthen the
economy of the city. Enjoyment and ap-
preciation of the sites and handsome old
buildings have long been precluded by
the heavy traffic in the area. The plan

proposes that the area will be returned to
the pedestrian by closing the old streets to
vehicles. This will make possible a pro-
gram of restoration of historic sites as well
as buildings. The plan provides that the
design of new structures in the project
area shall be "honest expressions of
today's culture" but constructed of mate-
rials and built to a size and scale that will
be compatible with and not overpower
existing historical structures.

As an example of how carefully objec-
tives are spelled out in Monterey's
Urban Renewal Plan, here is a quota-
tion from the section on sign controls:
In approving signs, the [local renewal]
Agency shall determine that the proposed
sign is visually attractive, in good taste . . .
and that it adds to the sense of gaiety or
liveliness — especially at night ■

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: Monterey Urban Renewal Agency,
P.O. Box 1271, Monterey, California

Pacific

House, built in
Historical Moi

1835 as a hotel and saloon; now

The Customs House, its central portion was erected by
Spain in 1814; expanded by Mexico in 1823 and by the
United States in 1846.

The first building in Califiornia to be used as a theater. The
first performance was presented in 1847.

12

Project Area Land Use Plan

COMMERCIAL

TRANSITIONAL. COMMERCIAL

CENTRAL LIVING -BUSINESS

RESIDENTIAL
PUBLIC

historic; Structure
project boundary
historic monument

pedestrian way

BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA

BETHLEHEM'S Monocacy Creek
Project has been planned to fit in
with local efforts to save a rich heritage
of early Moravian buildings which ex-
emplify that sect's skilled craftsmanship
and concept of community life. The
local renewal agency and its consultants
have worked closely with Historic Beth-
lehem, Inc., to delineate the historic area
of the project, to determine what was to
be saved, and to develop final plans. A
publication prepared by Historic Beth-
lehem, Inc., describes joint renewal-
preservation activities in the project area
as follows:

The proposed use of certain acreage within
the Monocacy Creek Urban Renewal Area
for park and historic restoration provides
an opportunity to reclaim a number ofpre-
revolutionary sites and buildings . . . and
to recapture through them an important
segment of American history.

Notable structures still identifiable in the
area are the Waterworks (first successful
mechanical water system in America), the

Tannery, the Grist and Fulling Mill, the
Pottery, and the foundations and sites of the
Oil Mill, the Blacksmith, Nailsmith and
Locksmith Shops, the Slaughterhouse, the
Dye House, the Springhouse and the First
House of Bethlehem.

In all, twenty buildings are recoverable in
this nine acre tract [of the project]. . . .
This integrated landscape of log and stone
structures with connecting waterways and
pathways is an area dramatically visible
from elevated roadways on all sides. In
the heart of Bethlehem, it is at once an
outdoor history museum and an easily ac-
cessible recreational and educational facility
for the entire community.

Key sites in the historic area were
being used for scrap and automobile
junkyards. The most deteriorated resi-
dences in the project were also in this
area. These blighting influences are
being removed and conditions that lead
to flooding, the greatest cause of deteri-
oration, will be corrected. Area develop-
ment will include improvements of

grounds, as well as the provision of park-
ing and service areas, and walks and
bridges necessary for use by the public
visiting in the historic area.

Historic Bethlehem, Inc., has filed with
the local renewal agency a statement of
its intent to buy and restore the historic
area. Because of economic limitations,
a stage-by-stage redevelopment plan has
been prepared that will provide for alter-
nate land use (such as recreational use)
in certain portions of the area until they
are acquired for restoration ■

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: Bethlehem Redevelopment Au-
thority, Spring and Franklin Streets, Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania

Project Area Plan

The Waterworks Building was
completed in 1762 as a part of
the first successful mechanical
waterworks system in America.

The Single Brethren's House, built in
1748. A hospital for the Continental
Army during the Revolutionary War, it
has been used for educational purposes

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Historic Restoration
Area Plan

14

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

PHILADELPHIA'S Society Hill (Wash-
ington Square East) Project represents
renewal and restoration that successfully
blends the old with the new. The area
rests in a setting of great historical sig-
nificance. It is bounded by national
monuments and interspersed with struc-
tures which should be preserved for
their historic and architectural merit.
Dilapidated and obsolete as a whole, the
area is now being renewed to meet the
demands of 20th century urban living.
It is planned to provide a residential
neighborhood of high quality and last-
ing value close in to the center of the
city. It preserves and utilizes structures
of historic and architectural interest — one
of which is the famous Head House.
Structures to be rehabilitated are ac-

quired by the local renewal agency for
rehabilitation by private purchasers, ex-
cept where present owners exercise an
option to enter into an agreement to
meet project standards for improvement.
Modern traffic and parking needs will
be provided for in a way that will halt
the deteriorating effect of heavy traffic,
yet not destroy the old city character.
The Urban Renewal Plan retains as
many of the old streets and houses as
possible. Recent project reports show
that approximately 75 percent of the
residential structures will be either re-
tained as is or retained and rehabilitated.
One example of the blending of old and
new is the Dock Street section. Areas
for high-rise apartments are grouped, re-
lated to the scale of the expressway, and

located to take advantage of the river
view. New town houses will be in scale
with the older structures. In the old-
house areas where both rehabilitation
and new construction will occur, a mix-
ture of apartment conversion, new small
apartment buildings, and single-family
houses will maintain the natural diver-
sity of older urban neighborhoods.

Just north of the Society Hill Area is
the Independence Mall urban renewal
project. Here, where the National Park
Service has handled restoration of the
historic area, urban renewal will take
care of the clearance of incompatible
structures and uses around it ■
For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: Philadelphia Redevelopment Au-
thority, 211 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia 7,
Pennsylvania

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Dock Street Section

of the Project EH EXISTING houses

EIIIII NEW TOWN HOUSES
TOWER APARTMENT

/

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

AS emphasized before, the Urban
. Renewal Administration has great
interest in the rehabilitation and con-
servation of older areas with character
and identity that should be saved; areas
with strength and vitality enough to re-
spond to this type of treatment. Wooster
Square in New Haven is a good example
of this kind of area. Historically one of
the city's best residential districts, it
somehow did not get swallowed up by
expanding commercial areas. It suffered
some damaging blows, but remained a
cohesive area, focused on the green space
of Wooster Square and the school and
community center.

Renewal action has cleared out bad
spots and concentrated on helping prop-
erty owners to rehabilitate their homes.

Out of 450 housing units west of the
expressway (the major residential por-
tion of the project), 400 will be left
standing and are scheduled for rehabili-
tation over a four- to five-year period.
Project area development will include
improvements in streets and utilities, off-
street parking, and school and com-
munity facilities.

Wooster Square is an area of comfort-
able homes, many of them fine examples
of architecture of earlier days. Special
attention is being given to preservation
of good design and style. Each property
owner is provided with free technical
(including architectural) advice from the
local renewal agency not only on how
to bring his home up to code standards,
but also on how to make it more attrac-

tive and in harmony with others in the
block. Perspective drawings of each
block are prepared and, where appropri-
ate, color perspectives of individual prop-
erties are done for the owners. These
drawings and publications, such as one
on exterior design, emphasize maintain-
ing the original appearance of the fine
old houses that add richness and variety
to neighborhood character ■

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: New Haven Redevelopment
Agency, 177 Church Street, New Haven 10,
Connecticut

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. An example of restoration which
followed the architectural ideas
set forth in the middle sketch
below.

Sketches such as these were prepared so that owners could visualize
how good design could be preserved and enhanced.

16

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■ BUILDINGS TO REMAIN

NEW CONSTRUCTION
Qj SCHOOL- COMMUNITY CENTER
(2) INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT
CD COMMERCIAL PARK

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

T

HE Central Little Rock Urban Re-
newal Project includes the entire
central business district and the sur-
rounding residential area — the original
platted city. In the planning of the
project, a technical advisory committee
was formed to act as consultants in the
selection of historically significant areas
and structures which should be recog-
nized as worthy of preservation. The
committee selected a 54-acre area called
Quapaw Quarter, containing the majority
of historic homes and structures to be
retained and rehabilitated. A report on
the project states:

This is an area of historic significance con-
taining many architecturally important
structures covering more than one hundred
years of the city's history. Quapaw Quar-
ter is a proposal for establishing an historic
area to restore and preserve the significant
character of this residential area.

The Terry Mansion, built in 1840

A house-to-house survey is being made,
based on criteria developed by the tech-
nical advisory committee, to determine
both the history and the condition of
structures. Structures which should be
restored will be certified, appropriately
marked, and identified by plaques pro-
vided by the State Historical Society.
Emphasis will be placed on the creation
of a prestige residential district which will
also be a tourist attraction and a vital
link with the early history of the city and
State.

The Little Rock renewal agency as a
part of its activities will clear the area
of blighting influences and provide im-
proved community facilities. Apartment
developments are proposed to the south
and east as protection from commercial
encroachment ■

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: Little Rock Housing Authority,
121 East Second Street, Little Rock, Arkansas

Trapnall Hall, built about 1848, is being restored by the
Junior League.

Constructed in 1873, now converted
to apartments , this residence served
twice as the Governor's Mansion for
the State of Arkansas.

YORK, PENNSYLVANIA

THE smallest urban renewal project
in the country is the 4/10 of an acre
Gates House Project in York, Pennsyl-
vania. Purpose of the project was to
remove all of the 12 buildings on the
parcel except the two pre-Revolutionarv
buildings— the Gates House, used as
headquarters for General Horatio Gates,
and Golden Plough Tavern, where Wash-
ington and Lafayette were entertained.
Title to the land and remaining build-
ings has been conveyed to the citv. A
committee of the Junior League of York
initiated the organization of a nonprofit
corporation. Historic York County, fi-
nanced through voluntary donations,
which has leased the project site from
the city and has undertaken restoration.
Restoration work on Gates House and
Golden Plough Tavern began in Sep-
tember 1961, and is scheduled to be
completed in 1963. The remaining land
is being developed as a park-like parking
area for visitors ■

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: York Redevelopment Authority,
32 West King Street, York, Pennsylvania

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Ar,ti Plan

19

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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

WESTERN Addition Area Two Proj-
ect in San Francisco includes a large
number of Victorian structures — so rich
with the flavor and color of the city
around 1880 to 1900. The San Fran-
cisco Conservation Committee, with rep-
resentatives of historical, architectural,
and cultural groups, was formed to ad-
vise the local renewal agency on the
quality of structures in the Area so that
these values can be considered when
decisions are made on which buildings
should be conserved.

The Conservation Committee appointed
two subcommittees to survey the area —
the Historical and Cultural Subcommittee
and the Architectural and Visual Subcom-
mittee. The reports of both groups have
been approved by the full Committee and
are now being used by the redevelopment
agency in its planning studies.

The Architectural and Visual Sub-
committee provided the agency with a
map showing areas and elements of par-
ticular interest. Its report provides an
excellent basis for planning:

Although few [of the buildings in the area]
are of top quality, either as regards present
condition or architecture, taken as a group
they constitute an extremely valuable re-
source for the rehabilitation of the area.
Properly integrated with new construction,
they can provide a time dimension which an
all-new redevelopment painfull)' lacks, their
rich detail can provide a kind of visual in-
terest that it is virtually impossible to pro-
vide in new construction, and it is to be hoped
that their rehabilitation will be less costly
than new construction.

Thanks to the fact that few of the build-
ings are of outstanding merit, while many

are interesting, the flexibility afforded the
planner in picking which to save is consid-
erable, and it should be possible to achieve
a blend of old and new that will enhance
both. If we can thus escape the drab re-
sults of sweeping the slate clean, it will be
a happy day for the city.

The Conservation Committee has pro-
vided the redevelopment agency with a
classic opportunity. Project planners are
now armed with a wealth of information
covering every colorful structure and
landmark; yet, since few have outstand-
ing architectural or historic significance,
there will be ample room for adjustments
in developing planning solutions ■

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: San Francisco Redevelopment
Agency, 525 Golden Gate Avenue, San Fran-
cisco 2, California

Examples of Victorian structures identified as having values to be considered for conservation.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

PRESERVATION opportunities also
include those in which individual
structures in a project area can be saved
and fitted in with plans for redevelop-
ment. For example, in Washington's
Southwest Project "C," where local offi-
cials determined that clearance and re-
development were necessary, four historic
structures deserved to be retained and
restored. Two of them will be rehabili-
tated for apartments; another will be-
come a community center: and Wheal
Row, the first speculative row houses in
Washington, will live again as the elegant
town houses they once were ■

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: District of Columbia Redevelop-
ment Land Agency, 919 Eighteenth Street, N.W.,
Washington 6, D.C.

\

7 hi Was)

Harbour Square Section of the Project

HISTORIC STRUCTURES
TO BE RETAINED

HOUSES TO BE

CONSTRUCTED

21

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA

NORFOLK'S Downtown Project is
giving the historic city-owned Myers
House a new setting. In several stages
the city has spent some $250,000 on its
restoration; but before renewal in the
area, this house was boxed in, virtually
smothered, by intensive commercial de-
velopment. With land now made avail-
able, its grounds have been expanded
and formal gardens are being developed.
An adjacent street will become a pedes-
trian mall and the Myers House Museum,
together with an historic church and a
former boys' academy, will form the
nucleus for a new development of two-
story structures — a colonial complex in
the heart of the central business district.
Also, as a part of this project, the local
renewal agency has been working with
the congregation of St. Paul's Church —
the only building to survive the burning

r.i

i

- 1

1 former hoys' academy, built around
: now the Juvenile Court Building.

of Norfolk in 1776 — to plan environ-
mental improvements. The old City
Courthouse, built in 1850, is to be reno-
vated to serve as the Douglas MacArthur
Memorial. With slums cleared from
around St. Mary's Church, built in
1858, this handsome structure again has
the visual impact to dominate the city's
southeastern sector.

Another historic house and church in
this same project area, now abandoned
relics, have been fenced in and boarded
up by the local renewal agency for pro-
tection from vandalism. They can be
saved, if local leadership and funds can
be found for their restoration ■

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: Norfolk Redevelopment and
Housing Authority, P.O. Box 968, Norfolk 1,
Virginia

First n city hall, then a courthouse; soon to be the
MacArthur Memorial.

The Myers House, built in 1792, was deeded to the City in 1951 with many
of the oriainat furni<hino<

22

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

THE Urban Renewal Administration
has approved an application for
preparation of a General Neighborhood
Renewal Plan for a 235-acre area in San
Juan. This area includes the walled
city of Old San Juan, dating back to the
16th century and containing many fine
structures of architectural and historic
value. Emphasis in this portion of the
renewal area will be on preservation.
Restoration through local activities is
already well underway. The Puerto
Rico Institute of Culture now exercises
architectural controls in the area and
furnishes technical assistance. Special
tax relief is provided when restoration
activities meet established standards.
This will continue; and through urban
renewal project activities some of the
Island's worst slums which now menace
Old San Juan will be cleared awav ■

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: Puerto Rico Urban Renewal and
Housing Corporation, P.O. Box 397, Rio Piedras,
Puerto Rico

23

mi If nj

illy re-
d us a modern hotel.

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

THUS far the role of urban re-
newal in historic preservation
has been discussed only as it. operates
through regular project activities.
There are three other phases of re-
newal activities which can also assist
in historic preservation. Examples
include:

. . . The College Hill Dem-
onstration Project in
Providence, Rhode
Island, which devel-
oped methods and
techniques useful to
other communities.

. . . The recognition of
historic and architec-
tural values as a part
of comprehensive plan-
ning activities under
the Urban Planning
Assistance Program in
Wilmington, North
Carolina.

. . . The new opportuni-
ties provided through
the "Open-Space
Land" provisions of
the Housing Act of
1961 ■

THROUGH the Urban Renewal Dem-
onstration Grant Program, the Urban
Renewal Administration provided % of
the cost of the College Hill Demonstra-
tion Project for Providence, completed in
1959. College Hill, an historic area with
many fine examples of early American
architecture, was plagued with the blight
and deterioration characteristic of the
older sections of so many of our cities.
The demonstration developed a system
of rating historic architecture, techniques
for integrating areas of historic architec-
ture into redevelopment plans, a master
plan for the growth of College Hill with
special attention to historic areas, and a
comprehensive method of historic area
preservation. Methods used in other
communities were reviewed and combined
with new ideas developed during the
study. In 1960, the Providence City
Plan Commission received the American
Institute of Architects' "Citation of an
Organization" for the study as an out-
standing contribution to the field.

College Hill 1961, 4 a local report on
the progress that followed the study, cites
many significant accomplishments.

. . . A coordinating committee which rep-
resents a cross section of the commu-
nity was organized when the study
was underway and is at work.

. . . A part of the historic area of College
Hill has been incorporated in a re-
newal project. Since 60 percent of the
structures seem salvageable, rehabili-
tation is planned as the major renewal
treatment.

. . . A State enabling act for Historic Area
Zoning was enacted in 1959 and the
following year the Providence City
Council passed the Historic District
^oning Ordinance.

. . . The Preservation Society was given
the task of developing a tourist trail
along College Hill's major historic
street.

. . . Municipal government activities fol-
lowing study recommendations include
code enforcement, historic zoning en-
forcement, the urban renewal program,
and traffic and parking control.

. . . The Preservation Society has assumed
a large part of the responsibility for
publicity, education, and information
including: encouragement of private
investment; provision of a series of pub-
lic lectures on the architecture of the
area, guided tours, biennial street festi-
vals, information services and consult-
ant services to homeowners seeking
advice on restoration.

The progress report states:
During the past four years about thirty pre- 1840
houses have been bought . . .for restoration. Peo-
ple . . . realized that the neighborhood would not
be renewed if only one house at a time was re-
stored. Therefore, some have joined forces and
finances to restore more than one, and a major in-
road has been made into blighted areas on the
Hill m

For additional information, write the local re-
newal agency: Providence Redevelopment
Agency, 410 Howard Building, Providence 3,
Rhode Island

J Available from the City Plan Commission, City Hall, Providence 3, R.I.

24

h .'Storit'
homes aloii^

hich is

! trail.

HISTORIC! DISTRICT

EAST SIDE RENEWAL RRO-JEC

COLLEGE HILL STUDY AREA

WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

UNDER the Urban Planning Assist-
ance Program authorized by Section
701 of the Housing Act of 1954, the Urban
Renewal Administration makes grants
to assist the financing of sound planning
for orderly growth and development of
urban areas. With the assistance of a
Federal grant to the North Carolina state
planning agency, Wilmington is prepar-
ing base maps, conducting a land use sur-
vey, preparing a population and economic
study, and developing a Land Use Plan.

It was evident to planners and local of-
ficials that the distinctive character and
charm of the older sections of the com-
munity must be taken into consideration
in the process of planning for future land
use. Here was a dimension in time,
beauty, and civic design that required spe-
cial treatment beyond regular practices
for analyzing land use and planning fu-
ture development. A study of Wilming-
ton's historic area was undertaken and a
report was prepared to provide the basis
for planning decisions that would pre-
serve and enhance these qualities.

Local architects and historians worked
with the planners on the study, partici-
pating in the research and field survey
conducted on 137 structures. They used
the survey techniques developed in the
College Hill Demonstration in Providence.
Each building was scored according to its

historic value, architectural worth, impor-
tance to the neighborhood, structural con-
dition, and condition of surrounding
buildings in the neighborhood. Thirty-
five structures were found to have suffi-
cient value to be recognized for preser-
vation.

Since the area contains some of the
original brick streets, rows of large trees,
and many of the homes in the area are
of dignified character, the report proposes
the organization of a Historical Area, not
only to preserve significant houses but "to
protect the general character and to de-
velop it for public viewing and financial
stability." An amendment to the zoning
ordinance establishing an historic district
is recommended as one means of protec-
tion. The report points out the need for
additional State enabling legislation to
empower local governments to play a
stronger role in preservation — to acquire
structures about to be demolished, and to
grant tax exemptions in certain cases. It
stresses preservation as a cooperative ef-
fort of individual property owners, local
government, and community organiza-
tions. ■

For additional information, write the Planning
Board, City of Wilmington, or the Division of
Community Planning, State Department of Con-
servation and Development, Raleigh, North
Carolina

The Dudley-Sprunl House, built in
1836 by the first Governor of North
Carolina to be elected by the people.

Built in 177 1 by ike Colony Treasurer, this
house was used as Lord Cornwallis' head-
quarters in 1781.

The Bellamy House, built in 1859; a hand-
some example of Roman Revival Architecture.

. The Latimer House, built in 1851 ; early
Victorian architecture reflecting the in-
fluence of the Italian Renaissance.

26

OPEN-SPACE LAND PROVISIONS

THE Housing Act of 1961 brought out another possibility for aid
-L in preservation. The Urban Renewal Administration adminis-
ters the "Open-Space Land" provisions of the Act. Fifty million dol-
lars has been authorized in Federal grants to help States and local
public bodies reserve undeveloped land in urban areas for park, rec-
reation, scenic, historic, or other specific uses which will keep the land
open. The grants can be as much as 20 percent of the price paid for
such land; or 30 percent in the case of a public agency carrying on a
program of acquiring and administering open-space land for an entire
urban area or carrying on such a program for all or substantially all
of the area in conjunction with other public bodies.

The grants may be used only to purchase land which is undevel-
oped or predominantly undeveloped. They may be used to purchase
open land adjacent to historic structures to preserve the beauty and
value of the buildings. Several communities have already inquired
about using this provision of the law for such a purpose. In the case
of historic sites, the usual 10-acre minimum size limitation may be
modified if it can be shown that a smaller tract of historic signifi-
cance provides substantial open-space benefits to the community.

The grant to assist in the purchase of open-space land for the
Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, announced in June 1962,
will include 450 acres adjacent to Bull Run Regional Park and near
the Manassas National Battlefield Park. Reservation of the land will
help to preserve this historic ana in its natural state ■

For additional information on the Open-Space Land Program, write the appropriate
HHFA Regional Office; see listing on page 28.

27

REGIONAL OFFICES-HOUSING AND HOME FINANCE AGENCY

Requests for information on the urban renewal programs de-
scribed in this booklet should be directed to the Regional
Director of Urban Renewal at the appropriate Regional Office
of the Housing and Home Finance Agency listed below.
REGION I: 346 Broadway, New York 13, New York (Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
New York)

REGION II: 1004 Widener Building, Chestnut and Juniper
Streets, Philadelphia 7, Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, West Virginia,
Virginia)

REGION III: 645 Peachtree— Seventh Building, Atlanta 23,
Georgia (Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Caro-
lina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida)
REGION IV: 360 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago 1, Illinois
(Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska)

REGION V: Federal Center, 300 West Vickery Boulevard, Fort
Worth 4, Texas (Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Okla-
homa, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico)

REGION VI: 989 Market Street, San Francisco 3, California
(Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Utah,
Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam)
REGION VII: 1608 Ponce De Leon Avenue, P.O. Box 9093, 4th
Floor, Garraton Building, Santurce 17, Puerto Rico (Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands)

For addresses of local renewal agencies, consult local public libraries or
governing bodies.

28

J S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 196Z OF-

Photography Credits

PORTSMOUTH

Douglas Armsden
PHILADELPHIA
Laurence S. Williams, Inc.
YORK
J. David Allen
William J. Schinl-
J. Edwin Brumbaugh

SAN FRANCISCO

John Wondbndge
RFOLK

Inc.

pro\ inr.v 1

■I Bulletin

WILMING

Carolina Drparln

Pages 2, 4. 6, and 28
Historic American Buildings
Department of Inti
•nil Pari, Si •

For laic by the Superintendent of Documents, VS. Government Printing Office
Waihington 25, DC. - Price 35 cenu

^

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