st. paul african american historic cultural context study paul african american cultural... ·...

2020 MN Statewide

Preservation Conference

St. Paul African

American Historic and

Cultural Context Study

Nieeta Presley

Aurora Saint Anthony Neighborhood

Development Corporation’s (ASANDC),

Former Director

nieeta@gmail.com

651-283-2380

Anne Ketz

106 Group, CEO & Services Director

106group.com

AnneKetz@106group.com

651-290-0977

OVERVIEW

• Why

• The vision

• The need

• How

• Project team

• What is a context?

• National perspective

• Next Steps

William Godette, St. Paul's first African-

American firefighter, in 1885

The Why

THE VISION

• Protect our resources

• Tell our stories

• Leverage economic

opportunities

St. Paul Central High School track relay team, St.

Paul, approx. 1955

• African American

presence in Saint Paul for

more than 150 years

• Construction of I-94 in

the 1960s demolished

Rondo Avenue

• Many significant people,

properties, & stories exist

but lack of awareness

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Women gather at St. James AME Church, St. Paul,

approx. 1955

THE NEED

• Significant losses

• City’s Preservation Plan

• Without a historic context, Saint Paul’s African

American history is at risk

The How

PROJECT TEAM

CommunityAdvisory

Group

106 Group

ASANDC

Culture Brokers

Historic Saint Paul

Ramsey County

And others!

Consultant Team

A historic context is a

broad pattern of historical

development in a

community, that may be

represented by historic

resources.

WHAT IS A HISTORIC

CONTEXT?

What are priorities?

What is their meaning & significance?

What types of historic resources do we have?

Historic contexts attempt to answer:

WHAT IS A CULTURAL CONTEXT?

• Contexts by themes and communities

• Underrepresented communities

• Invisible histories

• Culture – not just historic written record

• Equity in preservation policy

NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

• A survey

• An inventory

• A complete history of

African Americans in

Saint Paul

… yet!

WHAT A CONTEXT IS NOT

1912-1949-Engine 22 African American Fire House

• Project Area: City of St. Paul

• Dates: 1837-1975

• Focus: history, architecture, archeology, engineering, & culture

• Potential topics: migration, religious institutions, businesses and industry, arts & culture, education, politics, journalism, & significant leaders or events

ST. PAUL HISTORIC CONTEXT

St. Paul Depot Red Caps, 1952

Next Steps

The context will support efforts to:

• Preserve & Protect

• Collaborate & Build Community

• Educate, Interpret & Create

• Influence Policy

• Remedy Losses

• Build Local Economies

• Cultivate Leadership & Accountability

COMMUNITY RECOMMENDATIONS

The context will support efforts to:

• Increase HPC designation

• Conduct survey inventory

• Increase federal & state designation

• Seek funding sources & incentives

• Develop partnerships

• Address policy

• Increase awareness

NEXT STEPS

LANDMARKS SINCE

CONTEXT FINALIZED

• May 2016 - Final Historic & Cultural Context

• February 2018 - Context adopted by the City of

Saint Paul’s Historic Preservation Commission

• June 2019 - won AASLH Award of Excellence

Frank M. White

Author

Author of “They Played for

the Love of the Game:

Untold Stories of Black

in Minnesota.” 2016

Dr. Corey

Former Director

Saint Paul PED

Cultural Designation Areas (CDA)

USED FOR ONGOING WORK &

RESEARCH

ST PAUL HPC PRIORITIES

• Implementation Plan (in progress)

• Survey & HPC inventory forms

• Designation of properties

• ReConnect Rondo – Rondo Land Bridge Project

• Rondo Arts Cultural Business Historic District (RACBHD) -CDA

• Center for Diverse Expression

IMAGINING RONDO

Google “st paul african american

context st paul”

https://106group.com/st-paul-african-american-context/

https://www.stpaul.gov/sites/default/files/Media%20Root/Planning%20%26%20Economic%20Development/DRAFT_Saint_Paul_African_American_Cultural_Context_Study.pdf

TO LEARN MORE

Change will not come if we wait for some

other person or … some other time.

We are the one we’ve been waiting for.

We are the change that we seek

- Barack Obama

QUESTIONS

AND

DISCUSSION