20th Century African American Resources - Housing and Neighborhoods

Housing and Neighborhoods

Theodore Berry
Theodore Berry, born into poverty in Maysville, Kentucky on November 5, 1904, became Cincinnati's first African American mayor in 1972. For much of his career, Berry worked for civil rights, equal employment and fair housing at the local, state and national level. More information

The Building of a Black Industrial Suburb : The Lincoln Heights, Ohio Story
By Henry Louis Taylor
Thesis 977.14 T242
While this work by Henry L. Taylor centers on Lincoln Heights, it places its development in the larger context of African American migration patterns in Cincinnati. View catalog record Request this

Bureau of Governmental Research, Inc.
Mss qB952
The Bureau of Governmental Research prepared a number of reports to assist public officials in the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. One report estimated the cost of redeveloping the Kenyon-Barr area, and other reports studied the changes in the racial make-up of the city and the county in the mid-20th century. For more information, please consult the collection register available in the Library. Request this

Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority
The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority was established in 1933. Using federal and local funds, the CMHA cleared slums in the West End and built the low-income housing complexes: Laurel Homes and Lincoln Court. The CMHA also built Winton Terrace, English Woods and the new City West. More information

Cincinnati Model Homes Co.
Jacob G. Schmidlapp began building low cost housing for working class families in Cincinnati in 1911. Three years later, he established the Cincinnati Model Homes Co., which built and managed housing complexes as well as a hotel and a co-operative grocery store. More information

College Hill Forum
Mss 670
The College Hill Forum was organized in 1967 in response to the increasing number of African Americans moving into the community. The Forum worked to promote a community spirit in College Hill and to develop mutual respect among the residents. The group addressed such issues as education, housing, recreation, city-community relations, and the Colerain expressway. A register to this collection is available in the Library. Request this

Corryville: A Neighborhood of Transition
By Terri Baumer
Mss 719, Folder 1
This item, written by Terri Baumer for the 1984 Metro History Fair, reviews the history of the Corryville community, including the influx of African Americans from the West End. Request this

Housing Migration of Black Cincinnatians in the 1950’s and 1960’s
By Allen L. Blivens, Jr.
Thesis f301.451 B624
This thesis is a study of the effect urban renewal, open housing legislation, and rising incomes had on the housing patterns of African American Cincinnatians. View catalog record Request this

Institutional Racism
By Robert E. Manley and C. Gregory Dale
Mss VF 552
This paper was presented at a Cincinnati Human Relations Commission symposium in 1983. It discusses the migration of African Americans from the city to the northern suburbs (Springdale, Glendale, Wyoming, Woodlawn, Forest Park, Greenhills, Mt. Healthy, Springfield Township and the eastern portion of Colerain Township) and the effects of that migration on the public schools in the suburbs. Request this

William L. Mallory, Sr.
William L. Mallory, Sr. served in the Ohio House of Representatives for 28 years and was Ohio’s first African American Majority Floor Leader from 1975 to 1994. He worked to improve housing in Ohio through legislation and served on the Select Committee for the Homeless and Affordable Housing. More information

Migration and Racial Changes in Bond Hill and Kennedy Heights
By Dr. Wesley Thomas and William Simon
General f304.8 T463
This 1976 study focuses on the migration to and from Bond Hill and Kennedy Heights. In both communities, the transition was from a predominately white population to a predominantly African American population. In addition to using standard sources such as the U.S. census, the authors also surveyed the migrants themselves. View catalog record Request this

Negro Opportunities in Cincinnati
Mss VF 851
Negro Opportunities in Cincinnati gives an overview of the history of African Americans in Cincinnati and then goes on to discuss their conditions in the 1920s and 1930s particularly in the areas of housing, health, recreation, crime, social work, education, and business. Request this

Race and the City: Work, Community, and Protest in Cincinnati, 1820-1970
Edited by Henry Louis Taylor, Jr.
General 977.14 R118
This book is a compilation of essays discussing the African American experience in Cincinnati from 1821 to 1970. The essays cover the development of the Black ghetto, the problems of low-cost housing reform, and the effects of migration on Avondale. View catalog record Request this

Charles P. Taft II
Mss 562
Charles P. Taft II served several terms as a Cincinnati City councilman, was mayor from 1955 to 1957, and was on numerous boards and committees. His papers cover a wide variety of issues facing the city from the 1920s to the 1970s. Included is information about housing and urban renewal, the Mayor's Friendly Relations Committee (the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission), affirmative action, juvenile delinquency, and the Hamilton County Welfare Advisory Board. A detailed register of these papers is available in the Library. Request this

Y.W.C.A.
Mss 619
The Cincinnati Association of the Young Women's Christian Association was founded in 1868. In 1919, the Cincinnati YWCA opened a branch in the West End in a house at 704 West Eighth Street. This branch was first called the "Blue Triangle Club" and sponsored an employment bureau, classes, clubs and provided rooms for boarders. The Y.W.C.A. also operated a branch in Lincoln Heights from 1946 to 1953. Information about these two branches can be found in the Y.W.C.A. collection. For more information, please consult the collection register available in the Library. Request this

Penn Zeigler, Mayor of Lincoln Heights
Penn Zeigler was born in Virginia around 1897 and served in the U.S. Army during World War I. Later, he became president of Major Federal Savings and Loan, the first black savings and loan in Cincinnati. He served as mayor of Lincoln Heights from 1967 to 1971. More information