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Dissertation Manuscript -- Potyondy.pdf (6.36 MB)

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Making, Preserving, and Redeveloping Public Housing in the United States

Potyondy, Patrick Ryan
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461324499

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
Although a negative reputation still weighs down America's public housing as a whole, its New Deal incarnation proved to be generally successful. The history of Columbus, Ohio's first development Poindexter Village illustrates this. Initially, the project's construction displaced an established neighborhood; it continued the racial segregation already in place. In response, the black residents formed a strong community, in spite of the challenges facing them. All this solidified into a stout base around which contemporary public history activists rallied in an attempt to save the place from destruction. In the end, they could not save the entirety. Nonetheless, they sparked interest in its history from the Near East Side neighborhood and community stakeholders from across the entire city. They show, in short, how much the public remains invested in its history and the history of public housing. Poindexter Village is only one such example of this; it was public housing that worked. From its opening in 1940, it became a bulwark of the black Near East Side, a social anchor institution for the otherwise neglected African-American community. Soon after moving in, they made a strong community based upon shared values, mutuality, and safety. In later years, as former residents and community stakeholders looked back upon the place’s history, their history, they expressed a deep, abiding connection to the place, founded upon that positive historical memory. In this, Poindexter Village is not unique. Communities across the United States have also valued their own public housing developments that either once were or still are home. Over thirty such "projects" have achieved listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Using an array of sources, the following chapters ask a series of inter-related questions: what type of a neighborhood existed prior to Poindexter Village? What type of community did public housing residents make? What aspects of the architecture and urban planning did residents make use of and engage? Why, in sum, were so many people so passionately dedicated to preserving Poindexter Village and its history? This case study led to me to inquire if, where, why, and how public housing developments were preserved and commemorated nationally. Chapter 1 describes the neighborhood formation and conditions prior to the construction of Poindexter Village. It highlights not only the substandard housing that dominated the area between the turn of the century and 1940, but also the racial segregation that black residents both resisted and made use of. Chapter 2 examines the planning and construction of Poindexter Village during the 1930s. Primarily utilizing primary sources of policymakers and professionals, Columbus' first public housing project tied into international design trends and aspirations of the Progressive Era. Ultimately, they set the stage for the successful community formation that residents themselves made, which is recounted in Chapter 3. Based upon what people saw as their shared values, common bonds, and a sense of communal safety, Poindexter's residents created a strong, vibrant community that served as a core basis for positive memories down the road. The dissertation next turns to recent efforts to preserve and redevelop New Deal era public housing. Chapter 4 recounts the proposed demolition of the Village in 2008 and how local community stakeholders responded the following years. Although unable to reverse the tide completely, former residents sustained a type of public history activism long enough that proved captivating for residents across Columbus to be drawn into preserving the place's history. Activists successfully altered a multi-million urban redevelopment scheme and in so doing, show that urban planning organizations ignore community input at their peril. Finally, Chapter 5 pulls back for a broader view to analyze why thirty-three public housing developments are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Combined, Chapters 4 and 5, challenge the elite-dominated nature of historic preservation in the United States.
Steven Conn (Advisor)
Lilia Fernández (Committee Co-Chair)
Clayton Howard (Committee Member)
David Staley (Committee Member)
269 p.
African American Studies; American History; Design; Public Policy; Urban Planning

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Potyondy, P. R. (2016). Making, Preserving, and Redeveloping Public Housing in the United States [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461324499

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Potyondy, Patrick. Making, Preserving, and Redeveloping Public Housing in the United States. 2016. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461324499.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Potyondy, Patrick. "Making, Preserving, and Redeveloping Public Housing in the United States." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461324499

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1461324499
475
© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.