Community Proposal

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School

Grand Canyon University *

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450

Subject

History

Date

Feb 20, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by EarlNeutron13539

In 1,500-2,000 words, present your final proposal as if you were presenting in front of a community that would fund or approve your research. Your proposal presentation should include: Five Points, located on the northeast side of Downtown Denver's central business district, is one of Denver's oldest neighborhoods and is now one of the fastest growing in terms of both redevelopment and population. In the 1960s and 70s, large areas of Five Points were demolished in preparation for urban renewal projects. Additionally, due to the rapid growth of the Denver metropolitan area and increasing gentrification and development of its historic neighborhoods, much of what remains is under development pressures. In addition to attaining oral histories from members of the community, I am proposing the creation of an architectural inventory of the area to document all structures of potential historic significance. This would give the community a definite picture of what structures remain that might merit preservation and allow preservation efforts to proceed in advance of immanent development pressures. Five Points was one of the earliest neighborhoods developed outside the original boundaries of the congressional land grant awarded to Denver in 1864 (DMD, 2023). The land was sold to developers in anticipation of growth resulting from the railroads linking of Denver to the east. Factors that influenced early development of the area included accessibility to water and a nearby terminus of the Stout Street Herdic Coach Line, Denver first streetcar (Denver Metro Data, 2023). The name “Five Points” was originated by the streetcar line which serviced the area as a designation to identify the five-pointed intersection at the end of the route. Residents of the area were not pleased since "Five Points" was the name of a notorious slum in New York and had been used to denote slum areas in several other cities (DMD, 2023).

Beginning in the 1920s, the Five Points area became the commercial and social sector for African American churches, businesses, clubs, and homes, and the heart of Denver's black community (Mauck, 2021) due to the movement of white residents to newly created neighborhoods, discriminatory home sales laws and the migration of African Americans from the rural south. From the 1920s to the 1950s the community became known as “The Harlem of the West” (Hanson 2012) and was home to numerous bars and private clubs which were frequented by artist such as Billie Holliday and Duke Ellington. Beginning in the 1950s, the Five Points community declined as discriminatory housing laws were removed and wealthier residents moved to the suburbs. This urban flight resulted in the growth of drugs and associated crime. As the population declined, many properties were abandoned. In the past decade, an area of the original Five Points neighborhood now known as the River North Arts District (RiNo) has seen dramatic changes as Denver has grown into a major city. RiNo features restaurants and art galleries in revamped industrial buildings whose upper levels have been converted to condominiums. Nevertheless, revitalization has brought its own challenges, and raised questions about the future character of these neighborhoods and making changes sensitive to their histories. One such challenge is the prospect of gentrification, with its potential displacement of long-time residents of limited resources by affluent newcomers (Blair- Caldwell, 2023). As Denver continues to grow, and redevelopment spreads to other areas of Five Points, it is important to preserve the history and architecture of the neighborhood as well as its support its present community and to attain relevant oral histories from community members who may be displaced by redevelopment or gentrification in the future.

Oral historians, as well as their interviewees, should engage in mutual respect in an open and honest conversation, and all interviews will be conducted in accordance with Oral History Association (OHA) standards. According to the OHA Statement of Ethics (No author, 2023), oral historians are ethically obligated to: 1. Prior to beginning the interview, the interviewer obtains the narrator’s informed consent. 2. The interviewer clearly communicates the goals of the project, explain the interview process, and advises the interviewee of any potential risks in that the oral history can be accessed in any number of ways, by any number of potential users. 3. Oral historians should attempt to minimize any potential harm to the narrator, and communicate the narrator’s right to refuse to answer questions, 4. The interviewer provides the narrator, whenever possible, with the opportunity to review and approve the interview prior to making it accessible to the public. This would include the opportunity to review the interview (recording and/or transcript) and approve what was said for public release or other use. 5. Oral historians should conduct preliminary research about the topics they intend to study. 6. Oral historians should establish a clear procedure and timeline for finalizing, archiving, and releasing the interview to the public. The oil historian should communicate to the narrator that the process has been completed. 7. Oral historians should promote equitable access to the final interview (recording and/or transcript) and attempt to make these materials accessible in a timely manner.

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