PRESERVING BLACK SPACES

BY KIMBERLY MORELAND PHOTOGRAPHY FLOSSIN MEDIA

Building Black Better starts with embracing the past and preserving places that memorialize our unique Black experience and legacy. Oregon’s Black history is a unique American story, and historic preservation affirms Black communities whose presence and contributions have not been represented in previous preservation efforts. Documenting and preserving Black places, spaces and objects is a powerful and impactful way of bringing awareness to the social, cultural and building history of Portland and the state of Oregon. Experiencing a historical place invokes a unique, personal encounter with space and time. Preserving historical sites brings honors to and connects us with special people, places, and events significant to Oregon’s Black history.

Preserving remnants of Portland’s African American historic places can be very challenging because the stories about the people who lived in the building are often more substantive than the architectural features. We walk or drive by historic buildings, unaware of the stories that lie within these small wonders. Brent Leggs, Director of African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, and one of the authors of Preserving African American Historic Places commented, “African American sites are often small and unadorned structures. For the most part, they are not as grand and visually impressive as traditionally recognized places such as homes of the political leaders or wealthy industrialists.” (Leggs, Rubman & Wood, 2012). However, these sites are no less significant to the history and dynamic story of America.

Government-sponsored projects and policies such as urban renewal and construction of highways, bridges and civic buildings, severely damaged the cultural and social fabric of Portland’s historic Black community. Historic buildings and places associated with Portland’s historic Black neighborhoods are often situated in areas vulnerable to redevelopment. Land use policies, deferred maintenance and land speculation trigger historic buildings’ demolition and the disruption of the socioeconomic fabric of

Black communities. Understandably, African Americans have lost their connection to the built environment, which has left gaps in understanding the context of where we have been. It is tough to recover from an onslaught of disruptions.

According to an NPR discussion with Brent Leggs, the interviewer Manoush Zomorodi stated that nationally, there are nearly 100,000 entries in the National Register of Historic Places, but only two percent of those focus on African American history. Oregon has approximately 2,000 entries in the National Register including districts, but only eleven properties, less than one percent, are listed for their association with Black history. Leggs stated that national statistics mirror America’s social issues, and there is a coalition of advocates working to rectify this inequity and reconstruct our national identity. Historic preservation should tell the full American history. It is an equity issue therefore efforts are underway to streamline the National Register nomination process, engage new stakeholders and re-examine the inequity of rating architectural heritage significance as a primary threshold for nominating historical buildings. Recent efforts by the City of Portland, led by Brandon Spencer-Hartle, Historic Resource Manager of the City, exemplify how historic preservation can address inequities. The recent approval of Portland’s African American Historic Resources Multiple Property Document (MPD), and approval of National Register nominations for the Billy Webb Elks Lodge #1050, Dean’s Beauty Salon and Barbershop, Golden West Hotel and Mount Olivet Baptist Church, prove that Black gathering places, businesses and worship centers add to the richness of local, state and national history.

Beyond federal designation strategies, historic preservation must embrace innovative ways to tackle these critical issues, including social justice. Equity can be accomplished by establishing historic or conservation districts illuminating existing and former African American communities in Portland that have experienced aggressive gentrification and displacement. Traditional methods will not solve these complex issues. A collaborative and robust coalition of new and diverse, interdisciplinary stakeholders include the talented Intisar Abioto, a Black artist who led a community movement to purchase the historic $1.5 million Beatrice Morrow Cannady house. While unsuccessful in buying the property, Intisar elevated historic preservation and the significance of preserving Cannady’s home. The new players can bring forth innovations and/or use historic preservation tools in ways that have not been considered, such as Cleo and Kayin Davis, creative designers and Portland natives. The couple moved the historic Mayo House to their vacant lot that was once occupied by an apartment complex, owned by Cleo’s grandmother and unjustly condemned by the city. The relocated site will be the home of the ARTchive, a place for collective memory and recording an accurate story of Portland Black history.

While historic preservation is far from the solution to amending past harms and restoring Portland’s historic Black community, it can build better Black spaces and places by serving as a pathway for honoring the past, celebrating Black culture and stopping the erasure of Black culture and memories. Historic preservation works best when everyone’s truth and story are valued, shared and preserved.